God's Word for Today

Thursday, November 29, 2012

A Morning Moment….

One of my favorite things are the precious moments I have with my granddaughter just after she wakes up on the mornings she is at my house. She crawls into my lap and we sit for a few moments just being together. This morning I had put my old ratty sweater on as it was a bit chilly in the house. Muffinhead was intrigued with the buttons. She decide we needed to count the buttons.

There were six buttons down one side. Next we needed to count the button holes. Then she deemed that the buttons were magic buttons.

After we counted them again she decide that I needed help buttoning the sweater up. She struggle and struggle for several minutes to try and get the buttons through the button holes, After several attempts she sighs deeply and announces, “I can’t do it!: and dramatically falls into my chest and hides her face in my sweater.

I give her a gentle pat on the back and say “Life is hard sometimes!” and give a little chuckle.

In a tiny voice muffled still with her face against my sweater….”It’s not funny Grandma!”

She just makes me smile y’all!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Good Wednesday Morning, It is time for a bit of Hodgepodge, love that word by the way!

Christmas is right aroun the cornere, four Hodgepodges to go till Christmas….How did that happen?


1.  With that being said I think I need to dive right in to some Christmas related questions, don't you?

Which do you prefer-pretty gift wrap with a bow or a pretty gift bag with/without a bow? 

I think I kinda like both, some gifts just require wrapping paper and others work better with a gift bag. However the thrifty side of me loves a gift bag as I can reuse them…..

What percentage of your holiday gifts are currently (as in right this very minute) wrapped in some form or fashion?

Easy answer…..ZERO! Also I will share that I have bought exactly one gift so far….YIKES!


2.  What is one item on your Christmas list this year?

Most of the time I gravitate to kitchenware, I just got an awesome Kitchen torch for my birthday and I LOVE it! However this year I think I am going to ask for gift cards from Hobby Lobby. I am getting ready to redecorate my bedroom. I have the material already and all I need now is to get started. So extra $$$ for the miscellaneous stuff to help get the project up and running would be wonderful, or maybe Home Depot. I am thinking of painting the wardrobe and wicker love seat. Sadly I would love a whole new bedroom set but that is just not going to happen.


3.  What makes a home?

Growing up in a broken home I am especially tuned to trying to achieve certain things that I lacked when growing up. God is good and with much  personal work as well as leaning on His strength the Hubs and I have established a life together that is so different from whence we came. My children’s lives were and are very different from the life I grew up in.

When we sit down to dinner each night we have conversation, we laugh, tease, talk about our day, enjoy a meal and then we know that we will do it all again tomorrow! 


4.  Motown founder Berry Gordy celebrates his birthday on Hodgepodge Day-November 28th. Are you a fan of the Motown sound?  If so, who's your favorite Motown artist and/or song? Here's a list in case you're stuck.

Here is a little FYI, I am just not a music enthusiast. I know it is a very important component for a lot of folks. I much prefer the quiet or the natural sounds that come from the birds and other outdoor inhabitants. The Hubs and I fall asleep to a CD of the ocean or rain showers each night. In fact I recognize the name Barry Gordy but would be hard pressed to even name any other Motown artist. I have an iPod but it lives in the wardrobe in my bedroom and mostly houses podcast of Joyce Meyer or sermons of our pastor. There is music on it but I rarely use it


5.  Red or green-which one is more prevalent in your closet?

Red is just not my color, so my answer is green.


6.  True or false-bacon makes it better? If you answered true, what's your favorite dish made with bacon?

TRUE! Aside for just plain old bacon, I like to cook mine on a baking sheet in the oven. Less shrinkage and way easier to clean up. Line a large cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and then place a baking rack in the pan, give the rack a spray of cooking spray and line the bacon up and place in hot oven (425 to 450, depending on your oven) bake for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it cooked.

I love a good BLT, fresh green beans are always better with bacon, a salad is always improved with a sprinkling of crunchy bacon, in fact I am not sure if there is anything except for maybe banana pudding that could not benefit from the addition of bacon…..


7.  Share a favorite holiday memory.

When my son was in high school he was very interested in music. He still is today. We had saved up and had purchased him an acoustic guitar. Instead of wrapping the guitar we placed a series of notes all around the house. He had to go on a scavenger hunt to find his gift. At the time the Girlchild was in elementary school and she thought that this was the most fun thing she had ever done. Running after her brother looking for all the clues. For years after that she started in October telling me how excited she was for that years scavenger hunt. I had to wrack my brain each year to come up with new riddles and new hiding places for the Christmas scavenger hunt. Now that she is a teenage she is not intrigued with the fun of a scavenger hunt but one day when Muffinhead is big enough there may just be another one…..


8.  I love my sweet puppy, however right now I am trying to type on my laptop as he is snuggle up next to me with his head laying up on my lap partially resting on the keyboard. Yes I could make him move, but having him close for a comforting cuddle in-between thoughts just makes me happy. The hustle and bustle of the day will begin soon enough. I’ll type around his sweet little head and make accommodations. In a million years I would never have thought that my husband would ever agree to have a dog in the house. Now I can’t imagine my life without may little furry companion. He just keeps me company during the day and Muffinhead and he are best friends when they aren't fighting over her toys. In the colder weather Busters favorite thing to do is curl up with me on the edge of my blanket as I drink my morning coffee. Y’all want to know a secret….when the Hubs is out of town I sometimes let him curl up on the foot of my bed, just don't ever tell the Hubs he would have  a fit…..

Well that’s enough random Hodgepodge for today!

Y’all head over to Joyce’s and link you for more WH fun!!!

Blessings

R

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Project 365 ~ Week 47: An Empty Nest Trial Run, Thanksgiving and a Birthday

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday week. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! Well it was a good week so let’s get right at it…

No pictures on Sunday, November 18  

Monday, November 19

The Hubs had a business trip  so he hopped a plane flew out of town on Monday morning and the Girlchild made arrangement to spend the majority of the week with her cousin and Aunt.

Sooo you know what that meant…..I had a few days all to myself! Woooo Hooooooo!!!!!!!

We met at our usual place to make the exchange and when they drove up I had one of those moments that you have from time to time when you realize that the little babies you love are growing up.

My niece and nephew behind the wheel of a car. Being twins the deal is the Neicegirl get to drive there and Nephewboy gets to drive home. Knowing these two as I do I was more than a bit concerned to place my beloved Girlchild in the vehicle knowing that Nephewboy would be driving them back home. God is good and he heard my prayers and they all made it safely back to my sisters house.

100_1515100_1514100_1518

Tuesday, November 20, it was a studio day so I do not have any pictures and since I was all by my lonesome I could stay as long as I wanted……

We loaded the kiln, that is always exciting. It’s a bit more thought provoking than I expected. It has to be done with a bit more care than a greenware kiln. There has to be sufficient room around all the pieces and they can not touch any where or they will stick together.     

Wednesday,November 21

The good/bad thing about working with the clay is that sometimes you hit the nail on the head and sometime you miss the nail and hit your thumb BAD. I had a mostly hits this week, one fail and one so so!

This is my score. I love this bowl. I love how it turned out.

lime green and yellow bowl_1

It is just big enough for salad for two!

IMG_1098

You can’t have the good with out the bad. I was not very happy with how these coffee mugs turned out. I will not be using this glaze again. I was disappointed because I really like the way the mugs turned out with the carving but the way the glaze set up on the cup…YUCK!!!!!

I just think it looks awful! These are going on the free shelf for sure…..

IMG_1090

Thursday, November 22

It really was like an empty nets trial run. It was just the Hubs and me for Thanksgiving breakfast.

On the Menu: Homemade Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Toast, Thick Cut Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Maple Citrus Salad and Orange Juice.

It was a nice relaxing way to start my Thanksgiving off….

IMG_1100

After breakfast we made arrangement to retrieve the Girlchild from my sisters and then it was off to my SIL for Thanksgiving.

I think we had enough food y’all!

100_1524100_1525100_1526

My DIL made a very good cheese cake to contribute to the desert selections….

100_1521

After we left my SIL we went back over to my sisters house. My mom’s birthday is the 23 and then mine is the next day. So it was cake and ice cream for a small family birthday celebration at my sisters, but no pictures. Mom is recovering from hip surgery so she can not yet do the stairs up to the main level, so it was a bit crowded down in the basement MIL suite for any good pictures.

Friday, November 23

I came home from my visit with my mom with a project. I have very little photographic evidence of my childhood. I dug around at moms and found all the old albums. I now have them here at the house. I am in the process of scanning them. The albums are in need of replacement as well. That will be my next project. I will have to use a scrapbook and the small corner attachment stickers on a lot of them as they are all the very small black and white photographs. You can be sure it will be a lengthy and on going process for some time. If you are friends with me on FB then you probably have seen most of the pictures I have scanned so far. I loaded them on to my profile.

IMG_1101

I scanned several dozen photographs on Friday. I will share just a few of my favorites.

This is my Grandmother and Grandfather on their wedding day.

IMG_0003

I think this is my new favorite picture of Grandma, I think I even have a memory of her crawling around on the floor climbing in and out of that tunnel with my little cousins.    

IMG_0008

This is me y’all! It was so loud and chaotic that I did not have the opportunity to get the details on all the pictures. I estimate that I am probably about 6 to 9 month old here…

IMG_0002

Not sure here, probably 3 or 4????

IMG_0004

I was assigned the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. Well my culinary spirit would not rest until I actually cooked something for Thanksgiving. I made a menu plan and since I was in my house and I am a grown up I get to mostly do what I want…….I cooked!

Friday I did a lot of prep work getting my meal ready. I picked a HUGE bowl of fresh swiss chard and lettuce. The Girlchild and I like greens the hubs not so much so he gets a fresh tossed salads tomorrow.

IMG_1107 

Saturday, November 24

It’s my birthday and I’ll cook if I want to…

It was just the three of us but I just can’t let Thanksgiving get past me with out a bit of cooking in my kitchen. It just make me happy y’all and that’s all there is to it….

On the Menu: Cranberry Orange Glazed Roast Pork Loin, Sausage & Apple Dressing with Dried Cranberries, Macaroni and Cheese, Swiss Chard with Bacon and Golden Raisins and a Fresh Garden Salad.

It was really good!

IMG_1110

Now I have some leftover in the frig….

I told the Hubs exactly what I wanted for my birthday and he actually listened…what a concept!

I see a Crème Brule in my future. I have been wanting a kitchen torch for a long time y’all, especially since my broiler on the oven does not work!

IMG_1114

Well it was a good week y’all! I move on to finishing the decorating for Christmas this week and scanning more pictures and making a crème brule!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I pray blessings for all good this holiday season for all my wonderful blogging pals!

For more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

 

Blessings

R

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I woke up early on Tuesday morning and I had my house all to myself. I dropped the girlchild off at my sisters and the Hubs is away on a business trip…can you say Wooo Hooooo!

So I spent a few minute doing a bit of blog hopping. Since I had a few uninterrupted  minutes I decide to give Wednesday Hodgepodge a go!

1. Turkey-love it or leave it?  White meat or dark?  What's your favorite thing to make using leftover turkey?

I enjoy turkey, however like most folks I usually only serve it at thanksgiving. My opinions, the only proper way to prepare a turkey is to brine it. If I am going to go to the effort of cooking a turkey then going the extra 24 hours to get it brined ahead of time is totally worth the effort. The end result will yield a wonderful juicer flavorful bird! If you are so inclined you can go to food network and look up Alton Brown’s recipe for brining a turkey, I highly recommend it. I like both the white and dark meat, but if pressed I would always chose the dark meat. It is always the most tender and flavorful piece. Hands down my favorite thing to do with leftover turkey is the traditional turkey sandwich the next day. A little turkey, a little stuffing, a slather of cranberry sauce sandwiched between two sliced of bread. Thanksgiving all in one bite! Love it!


2. Gotta burn off all those carbs the day after a holiday feast so which would you rather do-run a 10K or climb a mountain?

Well since I can not even picture myself doing either of these two things I am will opt for a lovely walk in the park around the corner. In a perfect world I would be physically able to run a 10K, however I think I might just end up in a wheel chair as my knees would simple explode.


3.  Do you feel like social networking has made your relationships better or worse?  Explain.

I enjoy my Facebook time, however there are things I regret about it. I enjoy having access to pictures and updated from those I love. I am not interested in reading status updated which contain profanity. That will get you filtered in record time. As a parent I also feel the it is essential to stay abreast of the current technology. You have to know what is out there and what to look for. I make sure I am friends with most of the girlchild friends, I also have her password so I can periodically check activity. Confession, I have had to un-friend a few folks on her behalf due to inappropriate behavior. All in all I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

Facebook pet peeve of mine…whiners, debbie downers and folks who can’t find anything positive to say! I hit the hide button and move on!


4. How do you find and express gratitude for the hard things in your life?

One of my key life philosophies that I have been practicing for some time now is “Don’t waste your suffering!” If I am going to have to experience something difficult or painful then I want to learn whatever it is the God is trying to teach me during the process. I see folks all the time who travel through difficulties and then come out on the other side unchanged. I find that very sad. God’s capacity to use all situations to His glory is so complex and so perfect it defies our human comprehension. When we refuse to yield to His hand during suffering we waist opportunities to grow in our relationship with him.


5.  In the US, the day after Thanksgiving has been dubbed 'Black Friday'.  Is most of your holiday shopping done live and in person, or is it done more through the magic of the Internet? How do you feel about stores opening at midnight Thanksgiving night? Will you be out amongst the masses on Friday?

My answer to this is a resounding NO! I absolutely think Black Friday is something that I I would never do in a million years. I have been hearing reports that some retailers are even opening up on Thanksgiving evening at 8:00 PM. I’d call that crazy. I saw a news report the other day that there are people actually setting up tents out side of Best Buy already. Hundred’s of folks will spend there thanksgiving day in a tent, out in the cold just to get a good deal on some electronic gadget that will probably be obsolete by the time they walk out of the store…not for this girl. It just confirms for me exactly what is wrong with the world, the misplacement of what is important.

It isn’t the stuff!


6.  Speaking of the color black-which black item in your wardrobe would you say is your favorite?

I have these amazing pair of black pants. I have had them for about a million years. The amazing thing about them is that they are miracle pants. As I said I have had them for many many years and they are still black. Why don’t I buy black jeans anymore? I am a tight wad and the fact that they fade to grey in a matter of a few washed seems like a HUGE waste of money. I am not sure what is up with these black pants but they are still as back as the day I bought them. In hindsight I wish I had bought several pairs as they are also the most comfortable pair of pants I have. The are as comfortable as sweat but don't look like sweats. I love them and I wish I had five more pair juts like them.


7.  What do you appreciate about your life today?

I appreciate having some Godly perspective. I may have bad knees and several grey hairs and a few (ok more than a few unwanted pounds) but with age comes great perspective. The wisdom to know what is really important. The wisdom to know the difference between a need and a want is a blessing. The ability to discern God’s word and use that to make decisions in my life. Learning to appreciate the simple things, appreciations for good friends, appreciation for learning something new…well that’s makes for good life in my book!


8.  I was watching Fox News, they were doing a preview on an upcoming special about the Mayan Calendar and the world coming to an end on December 21. Am I concerned about the world coming to an end? Do I believe that the world is going to come to an end? Are my neighbors really aliens from outer space? Is the conspiracy theory about the moon landing real? Is there a massive meteor hurling towards the earth? Who is going to win the Mirror Ball trophy? Will the Twinkie cease to exist? When was the last time I had a Twinkie? I can’t remember the last time I had a Twinkie. If I am going to have a sweet treat then I want the calories to be way better then a preservative filled overly sweet fake creamed filled artificially flavored snake cake! So the end of the world and the Twinkie are hanging in the balance y’all!

I guess we are all in for an interesting few weeks as we all wait to find out what happens with the world and the twinkie!

 

For more Hodgepodge y’all head over to Joyce’s blog and link up!

Blessings

R

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Project 365 ~ Week 46: Crocheting, painting and pottery….it was a good week!

Good Morning, or afternoon depending on what time you pop over.

It’s very early for me. The family is still sleeping and I am waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. It’s officially cold here. I woke several times last nigh to see the temps outside fall below freezing.

Well it was a good week for me, lost of time to do things I wanted to do, the hubs was out of town again so I had a mini housework vacation. I was in the zone with a lot of creative juices flowing, who knows were that came from….but I have a theory. You can click here to ready my highly scientific reasoning…NOT!

I got almost a picture every day this week…not to bad!

Let’s get at it!

Sunday, October 11

My fall garden is bursting with lettuce and my remaining peppers are still doing very well. I love watching the peppers turn from green to red!

IMG_1018

I finished another Homespun Shawl. I have started using the traditional granny square pattern. It comes together very quickly and the simplicity of the concentric squares is a nice pattern I think.

IMG_1012IMG_1013

Monday, October 12

I thought I would show you all a picture of where I have been spending most of my time of late. This is a picture of the pottery studio. It is very small, about the size of a two car garage. The setting is very rustic, my friends house is set way off the road and surrounded by trees. You feel like you are in a cabin in the mountains. The little boy in the picture is one of my friends grandchildren. They appear for time to time to work on project under the careful direction of Grammee. One day I am going to take Muffinhead over and let her get her hands dirty….

100_1502 

Tuesday, October 13

Since the Hubs is out of town the DD and I decide to take advantage of the Dairy Queen special they are running right now. $5.00 for a Cheese burger, fries, drink and a mini blizzard. You can’t beat that in my book. And for the recode the DQ that is just around the corner has the all time best French fries I have ever tasted…..

100_1508

Wednesday, October 14

 

More crochet, I told ya these come together quick…

IMG_1045 

Thursday, October 15

In the evenings I have been spending time at the easel. I think I am very nearly finished with this one. I have been living with it for a few days. There are a few minor tweaks that I need to make but over all I am satisfied with the results. The funny thing about painting or any kind of creative endeavor is the self critique. One minute I am happy with it and then the next I think it is total crap…

If you want to see my post abut this painting from start to finish you can click here.

IMG_1067

No pictures on Friday, October 16

Saturday, October 17

Here is a picture of my first large bowl. Well large for me anyway. Ann, my friend does amazing large bowls all the time. I aspire to her skill level one day, but then she has been doing it for over ten years.

I was happy with this one. Just don’t look to closely at the construction, it’s  bit wonky around the outer edge and it wobbles just a bit on the bottom. Oh well it’s an imperfect world filled with humans trying to achieve perfection, laughing at myself right now. It remind me of all those art projects that your children bring home from elementary school. You treasure them because of who made them not for how they look.

IMG_1073

I brought home a second piece, but I was totally not happy with the results so I am going to keep my disappointment to myself. It is a functional piece but I was not happy with how the glaze turned out and a giant piece cracked off the bottom. It sits flat but when you turn it over …crater time! Live and learn. An important rule in pottery, don't get emotionally invested in any piece you are working on until you are completely finished with it. Even then it can be a bit of a disappointment if it doesn't out turn out like you anticipate!

I took a walk on the wild side today when I was shopping with the girlchild. She needed lost of girl stuff from Wal-Mart. Somebody tell me how four small bags can total over $100.00 please. At least she will be well groomed and looking gorgeous for a few more days at least. Plus there were a few things I need as well. Soap, shampoo and all that necessary stuff can be very expensive, thankfully it doesn't not need to be bought every week like a gallon of milk.

The hubs is the one that gives the kitchen the once over after dinner. He was complaining about our lack of dish towels. They had gotten to such a state of embarrassment that I was sacrificing them to the trash on a regular basis. You know that moment when you look at a wash cloth and you know it’s clean but it just looks so filthy that you refuse to use it on a clean surface. Well I replenished our kitchen towel drawer today. Now he is in his happy place after dinner.

I know how to let the moment wash over me as i tossed these brand new dish cloths in my cart today! I’m liven large y’all!

IMG_1068

Well that's it for me this week. I had the Hubs get down all the Christmas decoration yesterday so there may be some decorating going on this week. I know there will be some cooking going on as well with the pre thanksgiving preparations. i have my grocery list made and I am off the the store either today or tomorrow.

Y’all head over to Sara’s and ink up for more P365!

Friday, November 16, 2012

My House is Quiet…a few random thoughts

Sometimes when my son is out of town on a job they call it quits on Thursday and then he has Friday off. His day off mean I have the morning off as well and Muffinhead is not here. I so enjoy my time with her but I also am enjoying the quiet and having a morning to myself.

The Hubs comes home this afternoon from a business trip as well, so after I hit the post button I have a bit of pick up to do to get the house in order for his arrival. When the Hubs is away the wife will be….very lazy!

I have my shopping list to make today and then a trip to the store. I am not having thanksgiving at my house this year. It has been many years since I have been able to actually have a thanksgiving at my house and sit at my table. All things in good time, yes I know but I will confess I am longing for a simple uncomplicated holiday time of being at home and doing what I want to do and not having to yield to the wishes of extended family.

In years past I have opted for having my own Thanksgiving celebration a few days after. I get to do what I want, cook what I want and have a post thanksgiving feast.

In a perfect world I imagine my family all seated around the same table enjoying a wonderful meal and just spending the day together enjoying each others company.

One day….

Second I have been contemplating how life goes in cycles. Over the last few months I have been having a bit of a creative surge. I have been pondering on how different opportunities come into your life, or different energy levels, different or new things are revealed. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning pottery. I have also found some new inspiration and enjoyment with my yarn work as well. I also spent some time at the easel (You can click here if you want to see a picture of my latest painting. I have been living with it for a few house on the mantle and I am thinking it still needs a bit of tweaking.) this past week as well. Where does all this creative energy come from? I wonder from time to time. All I really want to do is paint, work with the clay, crochet/knit or cook. Yet the grown-up in me knows that things like laundry and shopping still need to get done.

I do have some theories about this creative surge. I think there is some bizarre connection between the waning hormonal situation going on within. I have no scientific evidence to link this to absolute fact but that's my theory and I am running with it. I also have to concede to the reality that aside from my few hours each day with Muffinhead I am no longer running after little ones on a 24/7 basis. The reality of caring for little ones on a daily basis is a total energy sucker. Even the few house I have my sweet girl does drain my energy levels. I also think that with age comes great perspective. My ability to weight what is really important verse what is necessary improves with the aging process. There are many things that are necessary for a happy life, however most of the necessary things for happiness have noting to do with a clean kitchen floor or dust free furniture. That’s my opinion…I know that there are those who find comfort in these activities…that would not be me.

Well I think that is enough randomness for the morning. I am off to pick up my house, make my shopping list and maybe decide on the next subject matter for my next painting. I think a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order as my paint stash is in need of replenishing….

Well I’m off to pick up after that slob who lives on this house…oh wait that’s me! From where I am sitting I can see no less that three pairs of shoe that need to make there way back to my closet…..

Y’all have a blessed weekend!

R

What creative endeavors do you enjoy doing?

When was the last time you indulged your creative side?

If you haven't indulged that creative side what is holding you back?

Just some weekend food for thought.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Acrylic on Canvas #2 ~ Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

A long, long time ago in a land far far away an old woman picked up a paint brush…..

For my second foray into painting I have chosen a landscape I took while we vacationed in San Francisco. This picture was taken at Golden Gate Park in the Japanese Tea Garden. It was one of the most beautiful gardens I have seen in a very long time. The tranquil beauty and Japanese simplicity was stunning.

IMG_0348

October 2, 2010

I have found that if I do a few preliminary sketches first then I have a better sense of what the focal point of the painting needs to be. I also took the time to make a grid, which I did not do last time. I really regretted not taking the time to do this. My perspective suffered and there were many times as I painted over certain parts of my last painting that I whished I had taken the time to get my perspective right before diving in.

IMG_4211

October 26, 2010

I was finally able to transfer my grid to my canvas and get the main structure of the painting sketched out!

IMG_4381 

December 29, 2010

With the holidays it seems that there is little time for much else. However since our vacation turned into a staycation I found myself with a few moments of free uninterrupted time on my hands.

IMG_4612

January 29, 2011

IMG_4820

April 5, 2011

IMG_5549

later that afternoon….

IMG_5550

April 7, 2011

IMG_5563

June 15, 2011

Gotta love the “Do Over”…if it just isn't working for me then I just let it dry and paint right over it….

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of life’s problems were that easy to solve. I am still not happy with the curved path but I have decided to avoid it and move on to other areas until such a time as figure out what to do with it!

IMG_7180

August 17, 2011

IMG_7728

November 14, 2012 (15 months since I worked on this painting….OMGoodness!!!!!)

The Hubs is out of town so I have my evening free to move upstairs to my new painting space and spend some time working on this piece.

Still not happy with the stone path and the scale on the small sculpture is way off, way to BIG!!!!!

But is is starting to take shape and move to a place where I want it to be.

IMG_1048

then I did a bit more…..I decided that since this I my painting that I would just loose the small sculpture in the background. I may decide to put it back, but for now I am much happier now that I have removed it.

IMG_1053

and a bit more….

IMG_1056

11-15-2012

IMG_1059

IMG_1061

I am living with it for a few days to see if it needs any tweaking…..

IMG_1066

IMG_1066

So except for the final signature and a few more small tweaks I think it is finished, and it only took me two years plus to get this one finished…LOL!

Blessings

R

PS: I have a theory. I think that the surge in creative juices I am experiencing is directly related to the decrease in hormonal production that I am currently experiencing. I am finding that the waning hormonal situation going on has also for whatever reason fueled something…I am not sure what it is exactly. I find that with age comes great perspective and even greater depth of  understanding. In my younger days I would have long given up on something that was taking over two years to complete. Now I just look at it as part of the process. In the grand scheme of things I can learn to take comfort in the process and not fret so much on the small things. Yes, I am always more critical of the imperfections, but what matters most is remaining engaged and always looking for the next new thing. The next opportunity to stretch and learn something new like learning pottery. I am having a wonderful time with this new creative endeavor.

Or…theory #2: I need something to do to keep my mind engaged to protect the innocent people that I come in contact with on a daily basis.

Well I guess it’s on to painting number three. I am not sure what it will be. I have so many really good photographs from all the great places we have been. I will never run out of subject matter.

R

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Project 365 ~ Week 45

It was a week of working on the clay and getting in the kitchen. I was thankful for the many distractions to keep my mind off political disappointments this week. Not to mention a heavy dose of hormones tossed in for good measure. However I have little photographic evidence to show for it. I do have lot’s of picture of wet drying clay, but as promised I will spare you the riveting details of drying clay!

No pictures on Sunday, October 4

Monday, October 5

It was time to go to the dentist. Unfortunately I had to fire my old dentist. We loved him, but it became cost prohibitive as he was not in our insurance network and it was just to expensive. Laziness and just plane forgetting to do it kept pushing the task of finding a new dentist lower and lower down on my list of things to do. Finally I made myself sit down and find a new dentist.

Thankfully both myself and the girlchild escaped without incident. The Hub’s however has some major dental work in his future….YIKES!

IMG_1006

Tuesday, October 6

I finished another prayer shawl!

I have switched back to the Homespun. I was getting kind of burned out with the worsted yard. I have enjoyed just sitting down and mindlessly crocheting. I do not have to think about counting rows or stitches. I just have to work it back and forth. I think I am needing some simple right now.

I turned this one in and it went right back out the door that same evening. I like it when that happens.

IMG_1009

No pictures on Wednesday, October 7 more wet clay…..

Thursday, October 8

I went to the grocery store today. I was in the coffee isle and I looked over and saw this. I was not sure if I was offended or if I needed to put this in my cart.

100_1481

No Pictures on Friday, October 9

Saturday, October 10

I worked in the pottery studio on Saturday morning getting some pieces cleaned up. I am hopeful that I will have some glazed pieces to show you very soon.

Saturday evening the Girlchild had a birthday party to attend the the Hub’s and I went on a date. We tried a place we had never been before. Gary’s Bistro. If you live in my area I can highly recommend it. It was awesome. I had the Shrimp and Grits! OUTSTANDING! This place will be on our list of favorites from now on!

100_1492

Well I am practicing the Thumper Rule. If you don't have anything nice to say then don’t day anything at all, so I am keeping my ill humor to myself! On second thought maybe I need to go back to the store and buy that Female Toner after all!

Well for more P365 y’all head over to Sara’s and link up!

Blessings

R

All Rights Reserved

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

Christian Women Online

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

Site Meter