Important dates.

A friend requested this art to commemorate some important dates...

 

Do you have some important dates in your life?

Wednesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for almost finishing a large painting.

Creative Monday.

Rainy Mondays are made much better by a little creativity.

I finished this side planter this weekend but didn't get a shot of it until today, just in time for a sprinkling of rain. (The plant on the left looks dead, and it just might be, but I'm hoping the few green strands in the center is all the hope it needs for a full recovery!)

Playing more with my floral canvas...

Feeding hungry mouths are easy to do with spaghetti meatball soup. This was amazingly delicious and just might deserve an illustration all it's own!

How was your creative Monday?

Monday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for knowing just about every single answer on my psyc test this AM! Whoo-hoo!

Timely matter.

Today, my time was spent studying for a big test for tomorrow, painting some art, soulful parenting and the Academy Awards. Pretty much in that order too.

What matters to you and does it show in your time spent?

Sunday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a big beast-like puppy who gave us a medical scare last night but is here to bring us more joy! Yay!

Love the earth.

While sitting at a Korean BBQ place, waiting for lunch and contemplating the new car across the street at the dealership, THIS little message was on my place mat...

Saturday's Gratitude: I am so grateful a new delicious restaurant option.

New art.

I've got something BIG started in my studio. It's a fun painting I've had in my head for a while and decided it was time to get it onto canvas. I am painting over another painting, much to the chagrin of my agent, but I've enjoyed the other one for a while and although most of it gets covered up, it still is underneath. It never really goes away, even if I'm the only one who knows that!

Random Musings:
I found myself hurrying yesterday. Hurrying while I was going on my power walk, rushing to grab a coffee, trying to speed up my exercise to I could go accomplish all I had to do that day. I find myself rushing quite a bit lately and yesterday I had to stop. Stop dead in my tracks and ask myself what exactly was I in such a hurry for?

I've always had a fast pace in life, an urgency for something bigger. Eager for the next big thing. Always thinking there is something better in the future... better than where I am right now. Then, a few years ago, I had a revelation that RIGHT NOW is the sweet spot and it is best to enjoy it while you are in it because if you don't, it quickly just becomes the past.

Then, while stopped on the sidewalk, I profoundly realized that all this hurrying I'm doing now is just a coverup to avoid sitting in an uncomfortable space in my life. Certainly not as uncomfortable as a few years ago when my sister died but more of an itchy and irritating space that is causing me to grow my character at an alarming rate. My classes that aren't everything I thought they'd be, my work schedule, some personal relationships... ALL of it is a square peg desperately trying to fit into a round hole.

I used my word BREATHE, took a few deep breaths and enjoyed my fabulous coffee while strolling in the delightful sunshine around Balboa Park.

Do you ever find yourself rushing about for no particular reason?

Friday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for friendships near and far.

The force of love.

I saw this quote today pinned to the wall in a math professor's office as I walked by. I have to say it stopped me in my tracks, it was so good!

Have you had any enemies change into friends just by changing your attitude towards them? I have. I gave up my simmering anger (that I had clung to for three pain filled years)... just let it go and suddenly they weren't an enemy anymore! I did this way before I was super intentional in my thoughts, actions and attitudes... basically, I was blindly letting go. It was amazing.

Wednesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for an inconsistent teacher who keeps my on my toes!

You, dazzling you.

Fabulous and awesome YOU has something of value to share with the world. What is your amazing talent? Don't feel like you have one? Maybe just being here, sharing your life experiences is the talent. Maybe you have touched someone in a certain way that altered the course of their life. And you didn't even know it! You are a gift to share.

Tuesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for feeling lost at times for when I find my way, it's all the sweeter.

Nature's calling.

Nature has been very kind lately, and I've been paying attention.

Sunday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a little perspective on a long drive by my lil' ol' self today.

Big change.

This a wedding invite I've been playing around with.

I've been having lots of spontaneous conversations about going after what drives you and how having supportive people in your life can assist you on your path. I've been having a large amount of uncomfortable feelings come up in my life in the past 4-6 months and I've heard that means there is a big change brewing. I'm looking forward to change... bring it!

How about you?

Saturday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for bristling resistance in my life as it challenges me pick my battles.

Nothing wrong.

I felt like someone needed to "hear" this today. Quite possibly could be me but I am sure it could be someone else too. Maybe you?

Thursday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for the nice long walk and talk with a dear friend AND the opportunity to teach an art class this afternoon!

This is what love looks like.

Yesterday, the "hallmark" day of love, I surprised The Kid with a cute card and a large chocolate bar early in the morning. (We get up before the sun so it was VERY early.) He wasn't expecting anything, in fact he had forgotten about Valentine's Day and was completely surprised. Instead of grabbing the goods out of my hand, he looked at me with a horrified look and said "What day is it? I am sorry but I don't have anything for you!"

Of course I didn't care, and I reassured him but it must have been on his mind because when I picked him up from school, he presented me with this colored drawing he made in art class. My heart just cracked in half, right then and there. One half was saddened that he felt as though he had nothing to give me, but the other half leaps with joy because he thought to create something from the heart, the best gift of all!

So then we go out to dinner tonight at one of our favorite burger places. We played hangman and his turn spelled out "I love you." (which coming from a ten year old is like gold) THEN even better, he gave me some hugs... in public! I'd have to say that this certainly, most definitely, absolutely, positively is what love looks like!

Wednesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for warm fuzzy love from The Kid.

For you my "Deerest."

Have a sweet and lovely day my deer!

Tuesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for dancing raindrops in the dark of the night.

Sweetness.

A face only a mother could love. Or a dog-crazy person... I would love a bulldog!

Random Musings:
This semester, I am taking two psych classes and one of them is called "intro to counseling." My thought in taking the class was to get a good idea about the world of psychology, on the other side of the chair so to speak. I am not new to psychology and it has been a love of mine for a few decades so this class seemed like a no brainer to me.

That is until I attended my first class. Then my second. Then my third. And today my fourth.

Each class gets more challenging, not only intellectually but psychologically. As a class, we often break off into groups and practice sharing vulnerable things about ourselves. It is so much more raw and exposing than I ever thought it would be. We break down the thought process of helping people by looking at our own strengths and weaknesses. Mostly weaknesses, they bubble at the surface quicker than the strengths ever do.

Through this class I have learned quite a few things about myself that I had no idea about. It's embarrassing. It's humbling. It's fascinating. I'm not sure how I gather the courage to keep going back but I do.

And I have to say I love that.

Monday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a daily ferly of life lessons.

Darling.

There is a holiday of love coming soon and I'm claiming this one for myself. Since I don't have a pug of my own to love, I had to create one.

Happy weekend!

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for really, really nice neighbors, finally finding the exact shade of gray for my walls and uber talented musicians.

Persnippity Perspective.

Just playin' around with some new textures. Oh, and the whole "you control the outcome of your life" thought.

Thursday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a night alone with The Kid. (And a few furry animals.)

Who's it all about?

Much like the other men in my life, the dog is no exception...

I loves me some doggie art! How about you?

Wednesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a delicious strawberry ice cream bar to soothe a sore throat! Yummy!

Joy was her name.

My bestie just had to put her lovely old german shepherd down this morning and this has touched my heart so sadly. Our delightful animal friends seem to bring the most joy to our hearts, just when we need it and then their short lives must come to an end. I read something the other day, that captured the essence of a dog's love and it goes something like this...

"We are created for this life to learn how to love unconditionally, but dogs come into their lives already knowing how!"

Joy, you will be greatly missed.

Tuesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for lots of furry love at my house.

You had me at hello!

Just couldn't resist a little puppy love! Although I don't think a Boxer is the dog for me, they sure can be cute. Our next door neighbor puppy is a boxer and he brings such delight for my old dog and The Beast!

Monday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for some really fun future projects!

Favorite things.

One of my favorite things really IS to go places I've never been. This entails the physical, the mental and also the emotional. The whole enchilada! Then, the next favorite thing to do is to go back to the really great spots that make me feel good.

How about you? Are you an adventurer at heart?

Sunday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for long and leisurely days of homework, computer, and picnics.

Privilege.

Feeling unusually blessed to be alive today in this big, messy, fantastic life. It's all a gift.

Saturday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a nice walk early today as the sun made it's slow attempt at warming the cool crevices of the morning.

Valentine print outs... get 'em here!

A little more Valentine's love... This is sized to print onto a 8.5"X11" piece of sticker paper and hand out to all your lovely friends.

Random Musings:
Wow, it can be overwhelming to redo a website! I've been looking into giving mine a spruce-up (mostly because part of it is off-line) and I'm feeling not quite up to the task. So instead, I super cleaned my bathrooms, filled holes in the grass from the dog, and basically any medial task I could find to make me feel like I did something worthwhile, while the entire time I thought about my website. And how much I am not a techie. And how much it pains me to have to redo it.

So.

Solutions...

1. Don't do anything. Look the other way and maybe it will go away.

2. Jump in head first and just do it while learning the newest Adobe Dreamweaver (since I only know the most dinosaur version.)

3. Find a cool template.

4. Pay someone to do it and put off painting the house.

5. Go have a drink with a friend and think about it tomorrow.

Hmmm. I'm leaning towards 3 and 5. Do any of you FABULOUS creative people know any cool templates?

Thursday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for clean bathrooms and clean laundry!

Love is in the air.

It's that time again! Happy February!

Wednesday's Gratitude: I am so grateful for a lovely stroll in the delightful sunshine today.