Last Day of August

Is it really? Oh my gosh... yes it is. Another month has just zoomed on by. I have five days until I start school. Five. It feels like yesterday that it was a distant concept... and yet here it is. Looming. I have a to do list that keeps getting longer rather than shorter. How is that possible? Arg.

Getting some good news... hopefully... going to try to set up in Mic Mac Mall sometime soon at the community booth... if I can get help from the mall and forward info from Children's Wish. Things are looking up there... getting some good ideas of where to sell paintings... now just have to have people buy them! :)

Tonight, in honour of a rare luxury, I painted "Evening Escape" on a 5x7 board... it's of a person reading a book in a bathtub. Family friendly viewing of course. All you see of the person is their feet sticking out of the bubbles, and their hands/wrists holding a book. So nice... and definitely better than a class at the gym. Tonight at least... oh am I ever sore! And now... to sleep!

I'll save my UPS rant for facebook... I'll just leave it at this... if Rogers used Canada Post to deliver their stuff, I'd have my package already. Grr UPS.

Ok, back to happy thoughts... have a great night everyone and welcome September! May you be a wonderful and exciting month!

STRESS!

And I thought trying to finish a painting a day would be the most stressful part of this project. Nope! I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to sell them! Help!! Please!

Keeping tonight short because tomorrow is going to be extra early... and it's almost 11:30pm... and as I may have mentioned, I'm feeling a little stressed this evening. Sigh... Must remember WHY I got myself into this. Happy thoughts... think of helping the kids... yup. Still worth it. :)

Tonight I painted another 4x4 black canvas. This time I did my version of an open rose. I called it "Rosebud", not to be confused with the sled, and I like it. I put the two together, the rose and the sunflower, and it makes me wish I could buy them and keep them. But... can't do that. Already tempted to keep too many! Must sell them instead. :)

Ok... off to bed with me. Eventually I'll get the hang of getting to bed earlier... or, I'll just get used to not sleeping. Either way, it's up in five and a half hours for me. Woo-hoo. Bring it on. Nighty-night!

P.S. Hello to Germany & the UK!

What Happened To Monday?

Today just whizzed by! Got up early, did the whirlwind out the door thing, dropped the kids off at daycare, had coffee with Chris, walked him to work, then went for a lovely visit with my friend and her now eight week old baby (she is just so sweet!), then back to campus for lunch, some studying etc, then picked up the kids, the usual supper/bedtime routines, then attempted a trip to the gym (was thwarted by missing gym shoes, oops!) followed by groceries and gassing up the car (ouch). Home to paint and now off to bed. I got up at 5:15 this morning and it's a few minutes shy of 11pm... where did this day go? Jam packed and super fast. Just crazy. :)

I'm very excited about school starting next week, but I'm getting nervous too. I'm sure I've forgotten to do crucial things. Oh, yeah... like pick up the first aid certificate that I earned back in June. Whoops. Oh, and finish my WHMIS test and stuff. Sigh. I know there is more... but hey, that's what having the week to tie up loose ends is for, right? :)

Tonight's painting is called "Harbour Town" and is a 5x7 board. It's sort of loosely inspired by the Bedford Basin, since I've been seeing quite a lot of it lately. I quite like the MacDonald and MacKay bridges, and I like to try to imagine what it must have looked like here waaay back when. You know, without buildings, train tracks, container ships and the like. Sometimes I wish I could have been here to see it like that, but then I stop, shake my head and say no way. I like indoor plumbing, electricity, roads, airplanes... you know, all that stuff. Even if I sometimes complain about the price of gas, I can't complain about being able to jump in the car at a moment's notice and zip off to do something important. Could go with electric cars... or solar powered... or even better, cars powered by garbage, like in Back To The Future. Now that would be cool.

Anyway... I've been thinking of calling up some local coffee shops and cafes to see if they'd be willing to display some of the paintings and possibly sell them. I'd like to generate more interest and awareness for the project. I'm also debating sending some info to local tv and radio stations. I tried to pique the interest of a contact or two, but so far no one seems to be that intrigued. I really must do something or this is going to bust... and that is just not an option as far as I'm concerned. If anyone local is reading this, and is hankering for a way to help out with this project, please PLEASE let me know! I've never even tried to do this before and I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. Not quitting. Never quitting. Just getting anxious.

Must remember why I am doing this. Nasty anxiety going away. Aaaaah. Bring on the zen. :)

Ok, on that note, I'm off to bed... or as I sometimes say "Bedfordshire". I think that's from the Bridget Jones's Diary movie... or maybe it's because we live near Bedford... not sure... but I think it's fun to say. Good night everyone! Happy Monday. :)

Two in One

I did two paintings today! One will be for today, called "Riverside" and the other will be held in reserve for a time where I'm unable to paint. Because, as the start of school draws nearer, I'm coming to realize that is a likelihood rather than a mere possibility. I will still do my best to do one a day since that has been my goal from the start.

Both paintings are on 5x7 boards... got a sweet deal at Michael's and just couldn't pass them up! I like this one a fair bit, though I think the 4x6 in the same vein that my aunt Leslie purchased was better. I know I shouldn't say such things... but it's the truth. However, sometimes I look back at a painting I've disliked at the time and liked it later, so who knows. It's all a matter of personal opinion anyway, right? The other, to be used later, was based on a suggestion by Chris. He was all about the swirls today so I went with that. Swirls and colours. Good times.

I can't believe it's Sunday night already... where did the weekend go? My son was a little under the weather all weekend... not sure if he's better yet or not. Hoping so... no major incidents or anything, just a bit of upset tummy... so here's hoping a good night's sleep does the trick. My little girl had a nice long nap yesterday, another long nap this morning, and after chatting to herself for a bit, another longish nap this afternoon! Hmm... maybe the early mornings and next to nothing naps at daycare are wearing her down a bit? Otherwise she's happy and behaving as usual. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings... it's back to daycare for her and I'm worried she's not going to be pleased. Chris is still sick... those colds of his sure do linger... but he's off to work as well tomorrow. I'll probably get some more studying done. Yup, school hasn't started yet but I'm already hitting the books. Pick a tooth, any tooth, and I'll tell you what the notation for it looks like in three different systems. Booyah. :)

Hmm... maybe tomorrow I'll paint teeth. Maybe not. Have a great night and if Irene treated you worse than us, hope you're all doing ok now.

Black Canvasses?

Awesome...

When I went to Michael's today to pick up some canvasses I discovered that there are black canvasses out there. Very cool. :) I like to try new stuff so I picked up a bunch of them and used one tonight.

Tonight's painting is called "Heliophile" and is a depiction of a sunflower. It's on a 4x4 canvas... at least I'm pretty sure that's the size... and it turned out pretty well I think. I have an idea or two about some of the other canvasses coming up, so I'm pretty excited about the project. I can hardly believe we're starting week 35! Where has the time gone?

Which brings me to the thought of selling these paintings. I think I'd like to organize an end-of-summer sale, followed by renting a table at the market at least a few times this fall, then a final end-of-project sale in January. Then all the money raised will be given to Children's Wish! Also, sales online are ongoing. So, if you want a painting now, let me know and it's yours. If I don't hear from you I won't know you want a particular one and it might get sold. So... my email again: jcope18@yahoo.com, or you can leave a comment here or contact me on facebook if you are a 'friend'. I don't know where this sale will be yet... I'm not experienced at all when it comes to this kind of thing... so any help anyone wants to offer would be greatly appreciated... but otherwise I'll muddle along and aim for early-to-mid-September. That's the plan anyway.

Ok... so I'm off... here's hoping Hurricane Irene doesn't visit us too much, and that it doesn't wallop our southern neighbours. Gotta love global warming, eh? I'm not a rabid environmentalist, but I do think that we can all do waaaay more to protect our planet. Hmm... I sense a rant coming on... so I'll pop off now. Have a lovely evening and rest of the weekend, and do something good for the Earth. Pick up some litter, don't idle your car, turn off lights if you're not using them... every little bit helps. Good night!

THIRTY-FOUR

Pictures of the paintings... from a semi-awake person... oh my, eyes will not stay focused! Enjoy!

August 20 - Climbing Violet



August 21 - Chocolate Autumn



August 22 - Jack

August 23 - Orange Tree

August 24 - Untitled

August 25 - Acceptance

August 26 - All For One

Sooo sleeeeepy

Up far too late again...

Had a Hafla to go to tonight... love performing so I couldn't miss that opportunity! So nice to see people I haven't seen in awhile and to share our love of belly dance! The flip side was I got home late and had to finish last night's painting and do one for tonight.

Well, I managed to finish last night's... and got most of tonight's done but finally gave up when I realized I was staring at it more than painting it... will hopefully get more on the ball tomorrow night! It's picture night after all.

Anyway, tonight's painting is (going to be) called "Acceptance" and I think I must be in a mood to share my desire for equality, respect, tolerance, and acceptance that we should have for everyone, no matter what. With everything that goes on out there in the world it seems like we should have learned a few more important lessons... and it just doesn't seem to have gotten through to everyone that we are all deserving of respect and fairness. If we followed the whole "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" idea, regardless of religious affinity, then I think we'd be in a much happier place. Ah well... small steps, right?

Oh... and thinking of small things... here's one thing that drives me bonkers. If you pass someone in a hallway, or on a sidewalk, or whatever... it will not hurt you to acknowledge that person's presence. Maybe make eye contact, smile, say hello... you're not having a lengthy conversation where you bare your soul or anything... just noticing they are there and being polite and friendly. It always annoys me when people stare resolutely forward as though I'm not even there. I had a boss once who did that to just about everyone in the building. It's just plain rude. People on the street, or at the campus, or wherever... if you are passing someone else, why not brighten their day and yours by at least noticing they exist. Smile. It won't hurt, I promise.

See you tomorrow for picture day... week 34, sheesh... and in the meantime, be kind to your global roommates. Let's make a positive difference for everyone. :) Good night!

Unfinished Painting

Paint can take a long time to dry. A really long time. Especially if you use oil paints... which I didn't... but still... this painting tonight was not done drying by ten pm and I need to sleep! So... I will finish it tomorrow. I know what I'm going to do to it, and it probably won't take too long... just have to do it!

Chris was suggesting (strongly) that I not do the whole year... I think he's trying to tell me I've got too much going on and that as usual I've bitten off a good deal more than I can chew. But how do you choose what to let go of? I really don't want to stop doing this because I promised myself and Children's Wish that I'd be in it for the year. Not only do I not want to fail myself, but I really really want to raise a lot of money for those kids. On the other hand, I also really don't want to fail school! We will just have to see how it goes... as much as I joke, sleep really isn't an option. The past few days have been a little tough. I'm not used to getting up this early. Yes, I'm well aware that there are many who get up earlier than me and have a tougher life... I'm not trying to take anything away, but a sudden change in routine combined with less sleep... well, over a few days/weeks/months it's going to take its toll! For now I'm going to do my best to stay with everything. If something has to give, well, I'll do my absolute best to be sure it's not this.

Anyway... enough babbling and worrying... I do lots of both apparently! I should sign off and go get some of that sleep... back tomorrow to finish up tonight's painting and tackle a new one. I forgot to mention this, but I finally ran out of the boards! The wonderful and generous donation that my sister-in-law's mom Joy made early on has been put to great use! She donated a bunch of paint, brushes, and 50 4x6 canvas boards to help me out. I knew they'd run out eventually, but it still came as a bit of a shock to realize they were all gone. So, thank you Joy for that donation and your support! And now, I'm really going... good night!

Two Weeks To Go...

...  until I'm a full time student again! Time is flying by! This project has sped up the year... but there were little milestones along the way that seem to be zipping by too. It's funny how we sort of divide the year up with events, or special days. It's easy to think of things as being far off in the future because they're after such-and-such a thing... but then that thing happens and you realize that oh my gosh... now the big thing is so much closer. This year had a few big things already, my kids' birthdays, a wedding and big trip, starting daycare, starting school... it's crazy how it all seems so unreal until it's looming right in front of you. Then it's almost too big a shock to process and then it's suddenly the new way of life. A big routine change happens and then it's "normal". Although, I'm not sure I'm quite used to getting up at 5:20am yet! Anyway... today I picked up my student card, and turned it into a U-Pass and a library card... so it all feels a lot more real and imminent. Then, after pacing up and down the halls a zillion times I figured out the route from daycare to classroom, bookstore, cafeteria, gym, and front entrance (coffee shop and the library). So... I figure I'm pretty set to start. :)

Went up to my parents' house today for a big family visit/dinner. That was eventful. Dinner was delicious, the kids loved the pool and a blow up boat filled with a little water on the grass, and except for my son being a tad difficult at departure time (and getting home later than usual) it was great to see my sister and aunt who are both in town this week. Going to squeeze one more visit with Steph in before she goes home... wish it could be more...

Tonight I painted an 8x10 canvas with a thick two-tone orange background, and then a black/white tree in the foreground. It's inspired by "Avery's Tree" but done in black and white and shades in between. Maybe it's a lingering Jack Layton inspiration as well. But trees seem hopeful and if not timeless then at least very enduring.

In other news Chris is still under the weather... poor guy, colds really hit him hard. He's been pretty great though... not whiny and not wimpy. Certainly doesn't shirk when it comes to caring for the kids and helping me. It helps that he's an amazing dad and loves his kids so very much. I think he's even fond of me. ;) So, here's hoping he gets a good night's sleep and feels better tomorrow. I think his guilt at missing work is eating at him. He's so not a sit and rest kind of guy... love you honey! Feel better soon!

As for everyone else... hope you are happy and healthy! Have a great night. :)

Goodbye Jack

Mr. Jack Layton will be missed. He was an inspiration and my sincere condolences go to his family and friends.

Tonight I painted a 5x7 canvas to mark the occasion and to make a nod to the iconic imagery from the election this year. Pretty much everyone who uses Facebook (at least Canadians) will have seen the sea of orange and also the orange squares with a luxurious white moustache. I attempted a silhouette with that moustache and called it "Jack".

In other, happier news, my daughter seems to like her new daycare... her first orientation day was today and so far we're quite pleased. Tomorrow she gets to try being there for the morning without me... that'll be interesting... so we will see how it goes. And... after the morning I'm picking up the kids and going to visit my parents, my sister, my aunt, my brother, his girlfriend and her son. Should be quite the family event! So... thinking positive and looking forward. :)

Good night...

My Sister Is Here!

My sister is here visiting for the week and this makes me very happy!! We went up to my parents' house today to have a visit and it was a lot of fun. Very strange though... it was hot and sunny all day, and then when it was time to pop the kids in the car and head for home it was pouring rain! It rained an insane amount half the way home and then suddenly was sunny again. Oh Nova Scotia... you and your crazy weather!

The kids, surprisingly, did not sleep on the drive home... but they both crashed as soon as they hit their beds. :) Here's hoping tomorrow's early start isn't too hard on all of us!

I did paint tonight... as usual... and it's a 5x7 board. I did a brown mottled background... and was especially happy with it... and then I added some trees. I'm not sure I love them. The background was very cool... but I didn't think I could just leave it... however, the trees didn't exactly turn out like the ones in my head... hopefully someone will like them though. :) It's called "Chocolate Autumn".

And now... I'm going to bed. Like I said, it's an early start tomorrow. My daughter is starting her daycare orientation and I'm a little nervous about it. Happy, excited, and nervous. Wish us luck! Good night....

Saturday Night Painting Fever

After a lovely day of cleaning... hahaha just kidding... well, we did clean, but the lovely part was actually the bridal shower for Serina, I got home just in time to hug & kiss my baby girl as she headed up the stairs to bed, and then read to and play with my little handsome fella before his bedtime. Then... off to paint. :)

Tonight's painting is called "Climbing Violet" and is on a 5x7 board. It's a riotous mingling of purples in the background and some climbing vines with sandstone/white flowers on them. They are not daisies this time though! Just wee little flowers curling up the sides. I really like how it turned out.

And now... I'm going to get myself straight into bed because *drumroll* my sister is coming tomorrow!!!! I love my sister and cannot wait to see her!! She's only in town until Friday so I'm going to do my best to squeeze in some visits. Sort of tricky working around daycare orientation schedules, work schedules and a 90 minute drive each way... but totally absolutely positively worth it!!

Ok... enough excited babbling... off to bed. :) Good night!

33 Weeks - 231 Paintings

Ok, it's official... I'm running out of space! It's a good kind of running out... but all the same, I'd love it if some of these paintings got sold... I guess I'd really better get going on organizing some kind of event. I'd like to do a part-way through/end of summer sale while continuing to keep them available online... and then this fall I'm hoping to get to some of the markets... and then whatever's left at the end of the year will be sold in January. Then I can give the Children's Wish Foundation all the money! Yay! I think that is going to be a pretty amazing moment. :)

This week's paintings... enjoy!

August 13 - Organic

August 14 - Deep Water

August 15 - Daisy Mae

August 16 - Blue Grotto

August 17 - Drizzle

August 18 - Bouquet

August 19 - Autumn Leaf

And We're Off!

I insist on happiness so I will absolutely not wallow. That's what I told myself yesterday and I am happy to report that I stuck to it! I figure, I will focus on the positive aspects of the trip to the doctor and re-focus my efforts in other areas. So yeah... bring it on. I can take it. :)

Today was a pretty good day. The kids are good, a little sniffly, Chris is a lot sniffly, and I, as usual, seem to be cold-symptom free... so yay for the little things. Um, that is, for me... at least the kids don't seem to be too bad... Chris usually gets hit a bit harder with the colds and they tend to last for awhile. Sucks that he got sick now, since his work is going to be awfully suspicious if he stays home on a Friday. Well, his plan is to go, and we'll reevaluate when he has to get up at 4-something this morning. He's already fast asleep in bed and I'm trying to type quietly and quickly... not two things that go together!

Tonight's painting is a 5x7 board... with a sandstone background and black flowers. That sort of sounds weird, and I suppose to some it is, but I wanted to go with suggestion rather than realism, and I like some of my flower doodles. So, I thought I'd do a "Bouquet" of flowers...  you know, of sorts. Anyway... you won't have too long to wait to figure out what it looks like because tomorrow is Friday! Picture day! I honestly cannot believe a whole week has gone by already. This year just keeps speeding up... do you realize there are actually Hallowe'en things in stores already? Yeah... we haven't even gone back to school yet... and the retail world has pushed on to October. Just insane. Slooooow down and smell the black flowers. :) Hmm... maybe that's why I painted them tonight... who knows? :) Have a great evening and take a moment tomorrow to appreciate the here and now.

Ker-Thunk

That is the sound of me returning to Earth after two blissful days of happy, hopeful insanity. Sparing you all the details, especially after all of my ramblings, the light at the end of my personal tunnel has dimmed considerably. It isn't out... not yet. I'm waaaay too stubborn for that! But I feel a little sad and defeated today.

Tonight's painting, "Drizzle" is a 5x7 board and is probably quite heavily influenced by today's mood. Not the weather. That was pretty much perfect. Nope... definitely the mood. I think I will deliberately paint something sunny and cheerful tomorrow to kick myself out of this funk. Until then I will selfishly, and probably self-indulgently wallow in my own sense of failure and disappointment.

Tomorrow... is another day.

Another Great Day!

So it's a second awesome day in a row for me... will wonders never cease? Well, let's hope not! I like this streak. :) After dropping my son off at daycare, my daughter and I went on a wee road trip to Halifax to visit the campus I'll be attending. Stopped by the bookstore (why it was deserted I have no idea... very different from buying books at university). Spent some time finding out where the cafeteria is, the "wellness room" aka tiny gym, and the daycare is. Then, by a fluke of luck saw the daycare manager person in the hall (technical term, I know) and asked if she was who I thought she was. She was. So, we took a few moments to talk and on my drive out to meet Chris for coffee she called to say my daughter can have a space as of tomorrow! She won't actually go tomorrow as I have to drive to Bridgewater in the morning... but we've made plans for orientation on Monday. Very exciting!! I also popped into the campus library, had a nice chat with the two ladies there, and took out a book on the "excruciating history" of dentistry. Should make for some interesting, pre-term reading! I've already cracked the spine on my dental anatomy book. I know, I'm weird. :)

The rest of the day was pretty normally good... coffee date with Chris and our girl, then home for some lunch, quiet time, ran some errands, delivered a ton of kids books to my son's daycare when I went to pick him up, and then managed (with some scrambling) to make it to dance class. Had fun there, then came home (thanks for the ride Treen!) finished the dishes, had some supper and painted a canvas. Now... it's bedtime!

The canvas tonight is a 4x6 board and is called "Blue Grotto". I used a few blues and turquoises to try for a watery cave effect. I liked it the way it turned out so much I just couldn't add anything on top of it for fear of wrecking it... so I stopped. It reminded me of the Blue Grotto in Capri so that's the reason behind the title.

Not too much else is new... yet... I'm excited and a teensy bit nervous about tomorrow's trip... but on the whole, life is suddenly very very good. It was good before too, but sometimes it's hard to see all the good and focus on it. It's a skill that I think we all need to practice. :)

Anyway... like I said, it's bedtime... hope no one minds my rambling on about my day and less about the painting... but sometimes there just doesn't seem to be much to say about them. I just felt like painting with blues and turquoises and I love water... so I guess in my head that's where I was going. Hope you like them!

What a Fantastic Day!!!

So... today started a little bumpy... spent quite a bit of time on the phone with customer service reps who were obviously following their script and not really understanding or responding to what I was actually saying... but from there it just skyrocketed through the roof! After just a few minutes on the phone with a sales rep at the store where we bought our dishwasher I had a new dishwasher on the way with absolutely no trouble at all, then my little girl had a fabulous nap, my doc's office called to tell me I will see a surgeon well within the next five years (actually her guess was within the week)... turned out I only waited another seven minutes. Yup, seven. Then the surgeon's office called and I'm booked in for a consult this Wednesday. Yeah, as in less than 48 hours from now. Even if the guy tells me I'm out of luck... I'm still getting a chance to talk with him! May not sound like much, but it's super exciting in my world. :) Then Chris got home earlier than expected, cooked a pretty tasty dinner, and went off to the gym. Came home happy and we went through our massive piles and piles of kids books and now have a box and a large bag to donate to the daycare if they want them, or anyone else who might be short of a few dozen kids books. Yes, we're bibliophiles. :)

I'm pretty much full of happy right now... so much that I think I can actually feel it whizzing around inside and shooting out to infect others with happy. It's so easy to pay the happy forward... little things like smiling and saying hello and how are you... makes a big difference. :)

As for tonight's painting... well, maybe it wasn't my best... it was one of those nights where it just doesn't feel quite right and then when you try to "fix" things it goes a little more awry. Perhaps I peaked earlier in the day! It's a bunch of daisies (my favourites)... and I called it "Daisy Mae". Not sure why... but it just kept jumping into my head and pushing out the other ideas I had... so, without any rhyme or reason, that's what it is now called. It's on a 4x6 board (thanks again Joy!).  Well, out of 365 paintings some of them have got to be, well, not my favourites... but I think I'll have to look at it again tomorrow before I decide if it's a dud or not. And hey, someone else may really like it... so keeping an open mind is good. :)

I'm off to bed... going to go buy my school textbooks tomorrow... twenty-one days to go! Have a great night!!

Weekends Are Too Short!

This weekend was jam packed with goodness... so of course it feels like it flew by way too quickly. I think we could use another day or two. :) Today was a trip to the Dingle Tower park for a romp in the playground, a dabbling of toes in the water, and a picnic. The kids had a very long snooze this afternoon and Chris and I got some chores done around the house. Some playtime, a yummy supper, a surprise Skype call, and then baths and bedtime. Then... downstairs to paint!

I got three paintings done tonight... one for tonight, called "Deep Water" and two for emergencies that may arise. I'm really trying to cover myself just in case school is waaaay more than I expect. So... oh, and tonight's is a 5x7 board, the other two are smaller.

My friend Trina sent me a link to Dotallism http://dotpainter.wordpress.com/category/dotallism/ which is a very neat site from an artist who paints in pointillism. I used to really like stippling with pen and ink in high school art class, and pointillism is sort of like that. The effect it makes is really very cool. I might just have to give it a try between now and the end of the year. It's always nice to reconnect with art styles and techniques that you might have heard of, seen, or wanted to try but never did. Plus, with this project it's about experimentation as well as the finished product, so it is the perfect time to give new styles a go. That, and pointillism is featured in Stephen Sondheim's play Sunday In The Park With George... the film version of the play stars Bernadette Peters and the super awesome and amazing Mandy Patinkin. Love that man! He plays artist Georges Seurat. If you haven't seen it, um, you should. Why not?

Anyway... here's to trying something new, learning something new, and creating something new. Have a great night and a fabulous week!

You Know You're a Redneck When...

You forget to put sunscreen on your back & shoulders and come home with a perfect impression of your swimsuit... in reverse. Good times. I missed a patch on my son's elbow too (he was quite the squirmy little guy) and so he has an oval sunburn. My daughter seems to be ok. Guess I slathered her up to satisfaction! I had a very good visit with my parents today, even got the kids in the pool, though it was a bit chilly. They conked out super fast on the drive home, and to be honest, I was fighting pretty hard to stay awake myself. Not good when you're the driver! We (obviously) made it home ok. :)

Today was a bit of a whirlwind to be sure. Chris went in to work to help with the re-organization of the depot in preparation for this big changeover. (grr to the situation). Anyway.... he put in a full 8 hours there and we managed to pick him up on the way home. Then I whisked myself off to karate class down at Point Pleasant Park... so nice to be down by the water. Makes messing up inside and outside blocks just a little bit easier to deal with when you can look out at the ocean. Then home to paint, eat some supper, watch a bit of a movie and go to bed earlier than usual. Yay! We have more outdoor fun planned for tomorrow too. Must make the most of these rare rain-free days.

Tonight's painting was hard to name. It's sort of a whirlpool, vortex-y swirly thing in autumn colours. I really don't know what to call it. I just felt like using those colours and it just became what it was... hmm... maybe I should (in a nod to Nikki & Bee) call it "Organic". Yup... ok, there you go. That's the name. Chris said it made him think of the colours you see when you rub your eyes. I don't personally get that connection, but I think I know what he means.

Anyway... in an attempt to actually get to bed earlier I'm going to go now... the count was at 4392 when I last checked... here's hoping we hit 4400 by the morning. :) Without hitting refresh please Clifford. ;)

Share the happy with your friends and family.. co-workers... complete strangers even. Just spread the word and we'll help out some kids! Good night!

Week 32 - Picture Time!!

Thirty-two weeks... that's 224 paintings! I was looking at the boxes of paintings from the first half of the year and wondering where else I'm going to put more boxes. It's going to be interesting! Twenty weeks to go...

Tonight's painting is called "Whisked Away" and is a tree in the wind with its leaves being swept off its branches. It's an 8x10 board and I think the background makes it interesting. Seems I like to paint butterflies, fairies and trees... oh, and of course the daisies!

Here are the pictures from this week... enjoy!

August 6 - Quiet Night

August 7 - Starlight

August 8 - Happy Jack

August 9 - Shattered Glass

August 10 - Out in the Cold

August 11 - Green Hands

August 12 - Whisked Away

Summer Sale?

Hey everyone... I was thinking about trying to organize a part-way through the project end of summer sale. Just because I think it might be a good way to get some more interest in the project and also to jump-start some fall/winter sales so people who are neurotic like me (it's a good thing, I swear) can do some Christmas shopping really early. :) So... if anyone has suggestions or wants to offer a helping hand... I'd love to hear it! Online sales are ongoing of course. If you want to buy a painting get in touch with me either here by leaving a comment, on facebook if you happen to be on my friends list, or by email at jcope18@yahoo.com

I'd love to do a big huge end of year sale, but it's just not as practical as doing a couple of sales and maybe getting a table at one of the markets during the last few weeks of consumer mayhem. So, yeah, if there's a painting you just absolutely must have then get that request in quick.

Tonight's painting is an 8x10 board and is called "Green Hands". I'd like to think that people will look at it and think of their own hand in repairing the damage we have done to the world both environmentally, and maybe socially as well. Green is a great colour... my son's favourite... and suggests growth and life. Maybe if we took a look at how interconnected we are, and how our actions impact others, we'll grow towards a better life for all. Now... I almost called it something to do with gardening, but as my poor hostas, supposedly indestructible plants, will attest, I have virtually no green thumb to my name. So... we'll go a little more large scale on this one!

Oh, and if anyone is reading every day (thanks!) then today was a better day than yesterday. It was the first day my son said he didn't want to go to daycare... but then he admitted it was because it was raining and not because he didn't like daycare. As a bonus, by the end of the day it wasn't raining and the kids were all frolicking in the backyard so he was a happy camper. Good times.

So, good night until the morrow... 'twill be picture day again. Enjoy your Friday!!

Tough Day

Without going into too much detail, today was a really tough day. However, it was also a good day in that I think we are all capable of learning from our mistakes and I certainly plan to learn from mine. Here's hoping I won't repeat the past in the future.

My painting today is a 5x7 board and I called it "Out in the Cold" as I was thinking of a cold, lonely stretch of semi-Arctic tundra. I did it in an abstract way with rows of colour sort of topographically, but not exactly. Once again Chris said it made him think of the Mr. Men books... personally, I don't see it this time, but I do like the books so I'll take it as a compliment. :)

I'm going to leave it here for tonight... short and semi-sweet. Call up a friend tomorrow and ask them about their day and what's new with them. Talk with a stranger when you're waiting in a line. Connect with the people around you. We're all in this world together. Good night!

Mornings are not my friends

I will be the first to admit that I was once a... morning person. Yup, I would get up ridiculously early and be totally fine with it. Now? Well, let's just say that getting up at 7 is the earliest I would ever want to rise. Ever. And even then, it's tough. Made better by a little boy whispering "It's a seven Mommy, it's a seven" in reference to the digital clock. However... the time draws near when I will not only be fully awake at 7, but I will be leaving the house, showered, fed, two kids ready and a husband good to go. How will this happen? Oh I have no idea!! I think there will have to be a drastic upswing in the pre-prep and organization portion of my evening. It will be ok. I'll just keep repeating that to myself! Be prepared to have somewhat shorter blogs after Labour Day though... we'll see how it goes.

Tonight's painting is an 8x10 called "Shattered Glass" and is inspired by my "Stained Glass" painting from last week (see top left of the blog). I like it. I think I even did a better job of the black lines... though the varying widths of the first one were more interesting.

I got a message from my sister-in-law today about the recent rash of butterfly paintings. She's a bit of a fan of butterflies... hmmm... maybe that should read fanatic? But in a good, non-crazy way. Actually, I really like the little butterfly touches she has around her apartment. I stole some of the ideas for paintings too... although I haven't used them all yet. There's still time! Anyway, Alexis, if you're reading... I'm glad you like them and the message was a nice boost to my late-night mood. :)

Speaking of late nights... it's off to bed for me. Phew, 11:30pm. And apparently Gemini is doing something funny in the sky so things are supposedly all wonky... horoscopically speaking. We'll see how it all plays out. :)

Good night and hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow!! AND... a good morning!

Rain. It's only water.

I had a moment leaving the gym today when you're in the locker room and chatting with the other ladies... the weather usually comes up... especially if, like today, it has been pouring down buckets of water. So... the rain came up and this one lady said something about at least her flowers will grow, etc. My response was along the lines of, yes, and... you don't have to shovel it. Well didn't that make her smile. She said she hadn't really thought of that, and that's a pretty good thing to think about when you're getting down about the rain. It's all a matter of perspective. When you think something is bad, well, it could probably be better, but it could also probably be worse. In the end though, rain is just water... you will dry, and as far as I know the Wicked Witch of the West is purely fictional.

Tonight's painting is called "Happy Jack" and has nothing to do with rain or summer. It's the smiling mouth of a jack-o-lantern. Just because.

It's late (again) and while I was up late painting, I was up even later trying to wage war with our budget. Sigh. It's ok... it won't always be like this. And again, could be better, could be worse. Life is good.

Remember a sense of perspective and look on the bright side. Good night!

Starlight, Starbright

First star I see tonight... Wish I may, Wish I might, have the Wish I Wish tonight.

I hope that we can help grant a lot of wishes for some kids. That's what this project is about. I really want to make a positive difference in the world and I think that a lot of people do too. There's so much negativity out there that we need to infuse the world with some positive energy. It's like that idea that you are in control of your own happiness. The master of your destiny... or something like that. If you only dwell on the negatives you will miss out on all the wonderful parts of your day and your life. For so many sick kids, it's probably really easy to get stuck in the bad stuff... so help me raise some funds to give them some good. Maybe even some amazing. No one has to solve all the world's problems on their own, but just imagine what we can do with little steps.

Tonight I decided to paint a fairy with butterfly wings. She's a bright light in the night, flying through the darkness by the light of a tiny but powerful star. A small thing is still beautiful and amazing despite its size. I called it "Starlight" and I think it's a great image for how I've been thinking lately. It's easy to sink, and harder to find the tiny brightness that exists. Once you find them... a whole world opens up to you. And... once you get into the habit of searching for the good stuff it becomes easier to see. Just like when you look up at the night sky and as your eyes adjust you can see even more stars are out there.

So... do have a good night... and take some time to think of a few good things about the day, and also to maybe shoot for a fresh, positive perspective on your life... no matter what you may be going through there is always some good in it. Even if you just need a moment to adjust your vision to be able to see it.

Beautiful Day

Well, finally! A beautiful day... lots of sunshine, absolutely no rain... it almost feels like summer. We had a birthday party to go to this afternoon for my good friend Nikki, and after that I delivered some umpteen zillion cookies to our friends and neighbours who got married this afternoon. Combine that with a father/son swimming lesson, an earlier than usual trip to the gym, and my daughter's weird nap schedule and it made for a busy and unpredictable day. But it was a good day. I fell asleep watching a movie... but a good day nonetheless.

Tonight's painting is called "Quiet Night" and is on a 4x6 board. I saw a brief image at the start of the movie with a blue/pink sort of sky and decided to try to paint something like it. I also painted a spot on our carpet in the process. Clumsy me, dropped my brush! Ah well... it's a darkish colour carpet. :)

As I said, I fell asleep during the movie which is not a regular occurrence for me, so I'm going to pop myself into bed as early as I can and hopefully make up for some lost sleep. With the start of childcare it seems that the weekends are being crammed full of stuff we need to do, and probably overcompensating a bit for time we aren't spending with the kids. I kinda miss my boy. But, he is loving daycare and I'm sure it's good for him so it's ok... but yeah, there are a lot of extra hugs and kisses these days. Anyway... to bed, to bed, to bed. Good night!

Week 31 - It's Picture Day!!

Thirty-one weeks... well now, that's a lot of painting. :)

Today was a great day! I started off with a drop off at the daycare, my son was off and running in moments... followed by a quick stop at Rona to scope out some bathroom reno stuff. Don't you just love it when those renovations creep up and surprise you? I'm just hoping the damage to the floor is minimal. Cross your fingers! The staff there were very nice and helpful so thanks ladies & gents. :) Then... a visit with our daughter's sitter (our lovely neighbour). Dropped off some supplies there and then we went over to Halifax to meet my parents at Wizard Optical on Spring Garden. I cannot say enough good things about the staff there! Prices are great, the staff are really wonderful, both professionally and personally, and the location is good too... easy to get to. Anyway, they both have snazzy new specs on order so all is good there. Then we went to Gatsby's (right next door) and had a great lunch there. The staff there were super nice... made my girl some chicken and steamed veggies even though there wasn't a "kids menu". Just really good to us. So... that was a great morning... then went and picked Chris up from his overtime. Home to decorate my good friend's birthday cake (hope it tastes good!) and bake a zillion cookies. Picked my son up (turns out he missed us a bit during the day today and yesterday, but he's a trooper) and had a great chat with his teachers. They are SO nice there! Had a yummy supper of leftover spaghetti and then some playtime before bed. Now... here's the uber highlight of the day... my daughter (finally) took her first two steps!!! This is something I've been anxiously waiting for... and worrying more and more that I would miss. Chris had her in her sleep sack and I was sitting down in her room ready to give her a good night bottle and she was just so excited to come see me that Chris stood her up and she took a step or two with his help and then just kept going on her own... with a huge smile on her face! LOVED IT!!! So... we were both there for our son's first step and now we were both there for our daughter's first. Couldn't ask for much more than that!

Anyway... enough about me and my life... on to the pictures!! I sense a butterfly theme toward the end of the week. :) Enjoy!

July 30 - Little Miss Daisy

July 31 - Orange Haze

August 1 - Stained Glass

August 2 - Yellow Sky

August 3 - Butterfly

August 4 - Wings of Sunshine

August 5 - Splash of Colour

Busy Day

So today was quite a full and busy day. The morning was spent grocery shopping and having a playdate with a friend and her daughter. Then nap time for my daughter meant a mix of fun and not-so-fun chores... then we went out to Value Village to see if we could find some inexpensive stuff  to make her transition to out of the house child care a little easier (booster seat with a strap, for example). Didn't have any luck there... but we'll keep our eyes out. After that, picked our son up from daycare (he, as usual, didn't feel too inclined to leave, but at least that means he likes it there!) and went home to cook dinner. Then I ran off to the gym where I managed 45 minutes of Body Attack (meh) and then did the full 50 minutes RPM class (oh boy). My legs are going to hurt tomorrow! Home to bake a birthday cake, then down to paint.

Tonight's painting took me a little over an hour and a half... and I like it. I was going to try to just do something quick and simple... but my version of quick and simple varies from day to day. It's another 4x6 board and it is another butterfly. This time it is from a different spot, and is called "Wings of Sunshine". I hope you all like it too. :)

And now... since it's quarter to twelve... I'm going to bed. Here's hoping I am able to walk tomorrow! Good night!

It's A Butterfly. Period.

Oh the originality and master artistry of naming paintings... yup, it eludes me. So, tonight's painting will be called, wait for it... "Butterfly". I wonder what it could be? I can hear you scratching your heads and wondering why, oh, why, a painting of a butterfly would ever be called "Butterfly". Surely it means something more... on a deeper level. Or something.

Nope. It's a butterfly.

I can't think of much to say today... for some reason my fingers refuse to type out witty refrains and pithy commentary. I guess I will just have to admit verbal defeat this evening. It feels like it has been a long day. A good day, but a long day. Bed is likely the best place for me! So... good night, sleep tight, and don't let the Zipperump-A-Zoos bite!

(Google it... you know you want to.)

Amazing Stormy Sky

Tonight's weather is just incredible! The sky was yellow, the sun peeked through the rainclouds, there was a rainbow, wicked lightning bolts... oh just awesome! Nature can be pretty cool. Beats a lot of tv out there, that's for sure!

Me, I love a good thunderstorm. That's what we've been having for the past 3-4 hours. It's wonderful! Not so good if you suffer from migraines, but amazing if you can enjoy the show. I sort of miss the storms we got in Southern Ontario... there were some doozies! Since moving East I've noticed a drop in awesome thunderstorms... but I guess we get hurricanes and tropical storms to um, even things out? Hmm... Anyway, tonight's storm is holding its own and making for some very interesting visuals.

Tonight's painting is inspired by a bunch of mental snapshots from our drive home post-dance class (which was lots of fun too). The sky was sort of a creepy grey-yellow... don't know that I've ever seen it quite that colour before... and of course the rain was bucketing down. Then there was the rainbow that morphed in and out of being a double rainbow, and seeing the whole thing or just the legs... it was very cool. The bolts of lightning and the actual light from them lit the whole sky up... it looked like daylight a few times, and I imagine there will be some great video footage posted tomorrow. It's neat to scroll through a video while on pause to see the stills of the bolts. I did that the last time we had a big lightning storm. So amazing! So... anyway, back to the painting... it's a 4x6 board... with a yellow sky, grey rainclouds, and a rainbow over some water/trees. It's one that I'm proud of for sure. I like that it's created from memory and not copied off of a picture. It probably loses some accuracy... but who cares? I opted not to include a lightning bolt because it looked pretty good without... the rainbow added a nice splash of colour and focus and I thought having both that and a bolt would take away from the overall effect. After all, in life the lightning bolt is just a super quick flash. Half the time (or more) you don't even see the bolt either because it's too fast or you just couldn't turn your head or focus your eyes quick enough. Ah well... I thought the painting was kind of neat and related to my day.

Quick personal update... my son had a ball at daycare again... my daughter had her first visit to her sitter's house, the toilet isn't leaking at the moment, and dance class was pretty great. So... all in all, a good day! Hope you enjoy the rain... or whatever weather you're experiencing. Good night!

Hoo Boy...

August is not off to an auspicious start in my book. While the day was beautiful weather-wise, and I did have lots of fun with the kids... we discovered that the weird warping in the floor that's been going on the last couple of days (Chris thought it was the door hinge) was not caused by the bathtub (yay) but probably by a slow, sneaky toilet leak. Nothing gross... but still damaging. Downstairs we took another closer look and found that yup, right where the toilet is there's a big wet spot in the ceiling and the drywall is a little softer there. Oh no. No no no no no. It's never good timing for potentially big repairs, but right now is really, well, less than ideal we'll put it that way. Sigh. Chris thought he had the problem figured out, went off to the store to get supplies, and from all appearances did fix it. For a few hours anyway. Now, just before bed, we've noticed that, sadly, it has begun to leak anew. It doesn't look good for our heroes. (I can still jest in the face of money flying away). So... he's poking at it again now (it's after 11 and he has to get up around 5am) and I guess we'll have to see what happens next. Anyone know a plumber who will work for cookies? I bake some seriously good cookies. :) Otherwise though... we had a good day. All of our plans kind of got botched what with the toilet, a teething baby, the bridge walk being at a different time of day than I thought, and all around general weirdness... but we still got some time together as a family and we did get to have some fun at home. So... it's all about the silver lining. You know, more or less.

In really good news, as pertains to this project, I finished two paintings tonight. Yay me. ;) The first one, for tonight, I called "Stained Glass" and it's colourful and blocky. Not much like my friend Erin's stained glass (which is amazing by the way... go check out her website Colour and Light) but still fun. After I finished that one I decided to just mess around with the leftover blobs of paint and came up with one that I think looks a bit like a leaf in autumn. So... beauty can be found in weird places if you let it sort of do its own thing. Both of tonight's paintings (the leaf one will be saved for emergencies) are on 4x6 boards.

I'm also starting a countdown.... 35 days until I become a full-time college student. Yup, the B.A. in theatre was great, enjoyed my time in that industry, but it is time for a change. I'm thinking next year I'll do some theatre stuff for charity... just to keep this ball rolling. :) It's making me feel good about things even when life throws a curve. So... think happy plumbing thoughts for me if you will... and have a great night!