Exciting Week 39!

It's Picture Day again!! I'm all caught up... thirty-nine weeks have gone by since this project has started. Wow. There are times the week just zooms by and it's Friday again... other times I feel like time goes backwards. Lately... zoom zoom! (hope the Mazda people don't get mad!)

Anyway... today was a pretty exciting day! I got yesterday's test back (thanks Jackie!!) and I did get the mark I thought I might. 100% So... if there are any local dentists reading... I'm a charting maniac. ;) Yay! I did my little internal happy dance and there you go. :) Also... my little girl had a good daycare day, didn't cry when I dropped her off, and was completely content to veer away from my waiting arms to go sit with a book when I went to pick her up. Guess she's comfortable there! The downside to the day is I'm pretty sure my son is sick. Again. Bah... at least it's just a cold (I hope!). Such is the life of daycare germies.  Oh, and I think I'm going to use this project as the subject for my oral presentation for my communications class. Why not, right?

Anyway, it's just a few minutes after midnight, I'm tired, and you all probably want to see the pictures instead of reading my babbling thoughts. So... here you go, week 39!

September 24 - Lady on a Leaf

September 25 - Flower Child

September 26 - Little Leo

September 27 - They call me Mister Pig!

September 28 - Tiny Turtle

September 29 - Grimace

September 30 - Cringe

Balancing Act

Life is a giant balancing act, isn't it? There are so many different forces tugging and pulling, pushing and shoving... it can get overwhelming for sure. However... if you keep going through all of the difficult times you'll come out the other end stronger. At least, that's what I think.

Tonight's balancing act sort of tipped in favour of school work again... but I'll catch up again tomorrow. This weekend is going to be heavy on the studying... four tests next week and all... but after that, it should hopefully get a little easier to make time to paint. Maybe even drop by the gym. I haven't been at all this month (what a waste of money!) but I just can't bring myself to cancel the membership because I keep hoping I'll have time to go. Hoping October will bring about a fresh start on that front. Anyway... everything is going well for the most part. If you overlook not painting tonight, that is. Sorry... but it just wouldn't be right. I'd just paint something that I wouldn't be happy with and I don't want to do that. I want to be proud of what I'm doing... not just whip something off because I said I'd do it. Especially since I want people to buy the paintings (hopefully partly because they like them and partly because they want to help me support Children's Wish)!

I have a request... will someone, anyone, or everyone, please send an email to a media outlet of your choice (CBC, CTV, the Chronicle-Herald, a radio station... anyone!) and just drop them a quick note about this project and the blog link. I think, perhaps, the more they hear about it (even without perfect details on selling, sorry) the more likely they are to pay attention. And, the more the media notices, the more everyone else will hear about it and the more support we'll have for Children's Wish. That's the whole point of this anyway... to help those kids and to do something positive for the world.

So.. if you have five minutes tomorrow I'd really appreciate it if you would fire off an email. If you don't want to contact a media outlet, how about sending an email to a bunch of your own contacts with a link. Maybe the majority of people won't visit, but maybe they will. The more the merrier!

Thank you!! Good night everyone!

Riddles & Restorations

My son is absolutely loving this riddle book we got out from the library. It's a short poem/riddle with accompanying artwork and it is both clever, appealing to look at, and fun to read. It has become his new favourite book... it's going to be a fun time trying to tell him it has to go back to the library! I wish I could remember some of them off the top of my head, but I can't and they're all the way downstairs (translation: it's late and I'm not going back down there!).

As for the restorations part of this post's title, I've been studying up on my charting for tomorrow morning's test. We're looking at how to record a patient's existing restorations (fillings) and whatever might need to be done. I'm finding it very fun so far. We even get to use fancy shmancy two sided pencils for the charting. :) Ah, it's the little things sometimes, eh?

So... given that I have a test tomorrow I almost thought I wasn't going to get to a painting tonight... but I was wrong! Yay!! I painted "Tiny Turtle" on a 5x7 canvas. It's modeled on a stuffed turtle that belongs to my little girl. I love turtles. I think, perhaps I had them on the brain today as I wore my glass sea turtle pendant to school. Someday I'll go swim with them again... you know, after I've worked for awhile and saved up the money to go!

Anyway... like I said, test tomorrow at 8:30am and it's 11:30pm now, so sadly should keep it short. One of these days I'll get to write a nice big long post and talk more about the paintings, whatever headway I'm making on getting myself organized. I did email some pictures to my amazing friend Tina who has agreed to help me make a poster/leaflet thingy. Have I mentioned that I am very lucky to have some pretty awesome friends? You guys are great and you know who you are!

Well... good night... sleep well! Have a great day tomorrow!!

Cute Kid Art

And... I'm all caught up again! Did two paintings tonight to make up for last night's lack of painting. It's a weird schedule I know, but I'm doing the best I can. :)

For last night, I did a lion and called it "Little Leo". It's a 5x7 board and I think he's a little cutie. Great for a kid's room, or for the young at heart.

For tonight, I did a little pig and it is called "They call me mister pig!". Yup, this piggy has attitude. :) It is also a 5x7 board and I think they look pretty good together. :)

They are both inspired by stuffed animals that we have in our basement. The pig's name is Ledge and we bought him out in Saskatchewan and named him after the Legislature building there. Yup, they call it the Ledge. It's a very pretty building on the "lake". My in-laws used to live across the street but they've since moved. The lion doesn't have a name, but he's long legged, soft and fuzzy and super cute and cuddly. So... they got to star in the paintings du jour.

In other news... it's after midnight so I'm going to bed! Good night!!

Longer Days Please!

Ok... I suck. I didn't manage to get downstairs to paint tonight. I even had a plan... oh, and I didn't finish all the reading I wanted/needed to get done either. Sigh.

Oh all right, I don't actually suck... but it's easy to beat oneself up a little when you can't meet super high expectations! I know I'll catch up... and it will be ok... but I don't like that little pang of failure I get when I don't stay right on top of everything. However... since I am not superwoman, merely a mortal, I guess I will cut myself a wee bit of slack.

On the up side, I got a test back today and did considerably better than I had thought I would (tooth morphology was trickier than I thought, and I felt prepared too!)... I wrote a test that turned out to be ok (hopefully more than ok) and had a lovely chat with some of the staff at NSCC about this project. Hoping something can be worked out there to, if nothing else, increase awareness of the project. Plus, the two people were very nice considering I hijacked their lunch hour. (sorry!!)

In other news... we all seem to be on the mend. My girl's teeth are almost through (feels like I've been saying that for days) and my son is a boundless field of energy. He and Chris made muffins from scratch this morning before daycare. Might just have to have one for breakfast in the morning. They are so cute! Oh, and continuing in the vein of selective productivity, I sent off a painting in the mail to Kitchener. Well, I packaged it and got the address and Chris mailed it when he got to work. So... it was a joint effort. :) Hope you enjoy it Darryl! Let me know when it arrives? In one piece? :)

So.. enough babbling... I must go to bed otherwise I really have no excuse for not painting. I definitely type faster than I paint though! Good night and have a wonderful day tomorrow!

Ready Or Not...

Well, tomorrow is another big test day. I actually think I'm ready for it. Thanks, in large part, to studying a whole lot this weekend. Never say anything against being prepared. Anyway... so tonight was a bit of a time crunch in order to finish going through my notes one more time and then painting.

Oh, but tonight's painting... I'm fairly pleased with it! It's a 5x7 canvas and it's called "Flower Child". It's a little fairy, sort of purply-sandstone, with deep purple wings and a yellow dress. That was hard, I had done a bunch of shading for the whole fairy body before painting on clothing, and I was quite pleased with the 3D effect... and then had to paint a dress on and try to recapture that molding. Not so sure it came out as well the second time, but can't very well leave the poor sprite in the altogether! Anyway, she's hovering over a red flower and so that's why she got her name. I forgot to mention last night's title was "Lady on a Leaf"... didn't want to forget that again today!

Anyway... off to bed with me... up early in the morning to go to school. But, my classmates might be happy... I made some white chocolate/butterscotch fudge to take in. Figured it'd soften the Monday Test Day blues. :)

Happy Monday everyone and thanks for reading!! Feel free to pass along this blog to all your friends and family. It's getting into crunch time for getting the word out there and I could definitely use the help!!

Saturday Study Fever

Hello again! Oh it feel so good to sleep in... until ten after seven. :) Then a nice snuggle with my son... and eventually getting out of bed for our customary Saturday morning chocolate chip waffles with peanut butter. Oh, and a ton of fruit. :) Love it!

I made some plans with another student in my class to get together and do some studying. Turns out she just lives down the street a ways from us. Sweet. :) She's super nice too so it was good to get to chat as well. I think the three and a half hours we spent reviewing for Monday's test helped us both, so it was a good afternoon. Plus, when I got home supper was almost ready, the kids were happy, and I didn't feel too bad about being gone. So... all good things!

Tonight I painted an 8x10 canvas... it's a ladybug. I'm kind of focusing on some ideas for kids because, well, I have two! I'm going to try a week of kid-oriented fun images. I hope they all turn out ok. We shall see!

We're over the 5100 mark... not by a lot, but every peek counts! I really must send off an email or two to get some things rolling on the selling front. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to hear them!

Otherwise, not too much else is new... we all went to the walk in clinic this morning... as a family. Yeah, the look on the receptionist's face was pretty priceless. Turns out us girls needed throat swabs to hopefully rule out strep throat, but the boys are looking to be on the mend. Here's hoping pills are not needed! I do NOT like taking pills. Bleck. Anyway... won't know for a few days. Keeping some happy healthy thoughts going. :)

So, an early bedtime for me. Part of me thinks I should be studying/reading more, or painting ahead, and the other part just wants to collapse in bed and snooze away the night. Hmm... I think I'll take that option! So... good night, sleep tight, and don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite!

Week 38 - PICTURES!!

And... I'm all caught up again. :) Phew! Two more weeks of "crazy" so they say... hopefully it eases up a little. I think in some ways school will get easier, and in others it'll be harder. I'm definitely ok with the book stuff... not so sure how I'll do with the hands on, but I'm hoping it'll be just fine. After all, that's what I'll be doing every day! Anyway... school is good. We got our microbiology tests back today. I kicked myself a little for answering a question wrong when I knew darn fine what the right answer was. That's the trouble with nerves, adrenaline and going too quickly! Ah well... live and learn, right? Otherwise, the test was good. We have a doozy of a test on Monday though. At least, that's how we're all feeling. I think it will be ok too, but I definitely need more review!

The painting project is taking a little bit of a backseat to the school stuff. Obviously! If you've been reading the blog every day then you'll know all about what's been going on in my life. If not, well, suffice to say it's a heavy workload and I'm giving it my all. No point in doing it halfway... go big or go home and all that. So, there were some nights this week where I didn't get to the painting portion of my evening. Luckily I did manage to paint up a storm this evening and now I'm caught up again. Of course, it is after midnight so I'm a little behind on my update post. I figure it's ok since I haven't gone to bed yet!

So, tonight I painted three paintings... "Starry Night", "Constellations", and "Warm Sparkle". They're all the mixed media ones on 5x7 boards. I'm hoping to try something new tomorrow... but I'm also going to have to keep it "simple" so that I don't get behind! I think once these boards are in frames they're going to look super cool. I have half a mind to buy "Constellations" for myself! :) It could be my Christmas present. haha.

Anyway... I'm babbling and it's late... so here are this week's paintings. Week 38!

September 17 - Sundrops

September 18 - Goldfish

September 19 - Frenetic Energy

September 20 - Raindrop

September 21 - Starry Night

September 22 - Constellations

September 23 - Warm Sparkle

Two Days Behind?

Oh no... but I can still catch up. :( Not how I want this to go though... I have a feeling in two more weeks, after Thanksgiving is over, it'll get better. Just have to hang in until then!

Sorry for the lack of painting tonight... but if it makes you feel any better, I'm doing really well in school so far! And now I'll take my vocally challenged self (yup, I'm sick) off to bed.

BIG post tomorrow for sure.

Good night!

Bad Drivers Everywhere

Ok... picture this if you will... I'm driving into school this morning with my little girl in her carseat (she was a fuss-free angel!). We get to the Burnside exit and traffic on the highway pretty much comes to a stop. Seems there's a motorcycle accident by the tolls. Ok... first thought: Hmm... I wonder if I will be late for my test. Second thought: I wonder if the motorcyclist is ok. Third thought: What ARE these idiots doing??? Yup, in true western fast-paced to the point of idiotically impatient fashion, people were veering out onto the shoulder and zooming up the line. Just where are you going I wondered. And seriously?? You can't just wait a bit to get there safely, legally, and without possibly causing a second (third, or fourth) accident? It did take me a very long time to get to school... pretty much only had time to hand over my baby to the daycare people (thankfully it was morning snack time so she was good to go) and then scurry upstairs to get my stuff for my test. Phew. By the time I made it to the tolls I heard the radio announcer say it was all backed up to Main St (a whole lot farther) and that there had been an accident on the MacDonald bridge. Probably by people trying to hurry and find another route instead of just taking the necessary amount of time. Stupid.

So... back to the cyclist... didn't see them at the accident site. Did see a bike, but it didn't look to be in bad shape, so it either wasn't the one in the crash, or the crash wasn't too bad. I don't know... but I hope they are ok and if they are not then my condolences to the family. I just focused on the fact that while inconvenient, I wasn't the one in the accident and I was sure going to try to keep it that way. Arrive alive is a great mantra for those situations. There is very little in our lives that can't be accommodated. Inconvenience is not that big a deal. Especially when you're thinking about the alternative.

I have a test tomorrow... had two today... and a doozy of a test on Monday. Bottom line, I was up late studying and didn't make it downstairs to paint today. I'm hoping to catch up tomorrow. Sorry for the less than daily painting, but it just can't be helped. I'm hoping that after Thanksgiving it'll be easier!

Have a great day tomorrow... thanks for reading my rant.. and drive safely! Good night. :)

Test Tomorrow! Eep!

Just to recap, we had a test on Monday, we have a test tomorrow and a test Thursday, then a massive scary test on Monday of next week. Oh the good times never end! :) Actually... I'm feeling good about this week, it's the one on Monday that has most of us worried. So many many terms! Who would have thought the head would be such a busy place? Ah well.. we will make it through. It's hard to believe we're in the middle of week 3 of 5. This has just been flying by. Kind of knew it would, but still!

Anyway... my throat is pretty sore today so I think the candle burning is getting to my poor immune system. Popping extra vitamin C and drinking lots of water. Of course, some sleep would probably help. Ha. Cross your fingers for me that I kick it back again. I think this is the third time my body has tried to put one over on me. I will not let it!!! How's that for positive thinking?

Tonight's painting is called "Raindrops" at Chris's suggestion. He likes it the best of this week's so far. I like it too... hopefully so will you. It's another mixed media on a 5x7 board. Mostly a green background, uses the sequins (sensing the theme?) and some black lines. Sounds odd? It is, but in a good way I think. :)

And finally... I want to wish two very very VERY special ladies in my life an exceptionally wonderful birthday. My Mom (without whom, obviously, I wouldn't get to be here at all) and my sister Stephanie. Steph, you're the old one again... for six months anyway. hehehe. Yes, I torment my sister. Show me a sibling who doesn't! Anyway, happy 29th to you both and I hope Chuck E Cheese is not in either of your immediate futures! (sorry, family reference that'll be lost on most of you)

Have a lovely night and a happy birthday if you share it with my Mom and Sister. Good night!!

Someone in Sweden!

I wonder if it is our friends (from Germany) who lived here in Canada for a year before moving all the way out to Sweden. If it is... hello and we miss you!! If it isn't, well,  hello just the same! :)

This week has seen quite a few international visitors and I couldn't be more excited! I love seeing the map covered in green. Of course, when Russia is lit up it definitely helps. :)

School is going very well for me... so that makes me happy. I got one test back and wrote another one. So far so good. Keeping on top of the reading is hard, but I'm managing. Two more tests this week so by Friday I'll totally be ready for a rest!

The kids seem to be on the mend... not quite as full of runny noses. Still coughing a bit, but even that is settling down. Ah the joys of autumn and daycare. I'm so lucky to have such smiley children... even when they're sick they're troopers. Love love love!

Tonight's painting is called "Frenetic Energy" and is inspired by the amount of energy I need to have right now! I feel a little like I'm running in circles, but with all of my different life compartments needing to be strictly organized and managed. You wouldn't think energy and chaos go with order and structure... but sometimes they do.

I made my facebook profile a smattering of pictures from the year... just to try to increase interest and awareness in the project. For fun, I'm going to include it here. :) Have a great night!

Goldfish that Sparkle

They make me smile!

We have two goldfish in our living room (in a fishtank) named Spunky and Fireball. Spunky was given to us by our neighbour and surprisingly is still with us. I seem to have better luck with fish than garden plants! Anyway... they're the inspiration for tonight's painting... it's a mixed media painting on a 5x7 board with blues and sequins. The sequins, if it isn't obvious when you see it, are supposed to be the fish... or at least make you think of fish.

Anyway... I liked the idea, I liked the result, and I hope you all will too.

Today was a very heavy reading day (five chapters and test review) so thanks to my husband and kids for letting me get down to it... but now I'm fried. So... off to bed with me. Good night all... wish me luck on my test tomorrow (one of three this week). See ya!

Getting a little discouraged again...

It's hard to keep interest going in a project that doesn't seem to evolve much... but I can't help feeling like I'm fighting a losing battle. I know a lot of it is my own shortcoming in that I'm not devoting a lot of time to getting the news out there. It's a little depressing to see the numbers staying pretty much the same over days and days. Especially on a Friday and Saturday. I know the paintings aren't as different as before, but I'm still trying to make them interesting and fun. I like them... anyway... enough maudlin thoughts.

Tonight I painted a 5x7 board and called it "Sundrops". I decided to use some of the mixed media approach that Charlene inspired a few weeks ago. Only, this time I'm just using the sequins. I have an idea for a painting that if it works the way I want it to, I'm calling it Goldfish. :) Anyway... I really like the combination of paint textures and the light catching sequins. I think it's different and a pretty neat way to liven up a little space.

Earlier my parents came to town. My mom's birthday is this week (she's 29, I swear) and so I made some supper and birthday cake. I even managed to time it all so it was done at the same time! This is no small accomplishment in my world. :) I made ginger, maple salmon and lemon herb salmon, with my roasted garlic/curry veggies and corn on the cob (which they brought down with them). For dessert, my dad's favourite, chocolate marble cake. You might wonder why I made my dad's favourite when it was my mom's birthday... well, mom's not much of a cake fan... or a dessert eater of any kind (wish I was more like that!) so she said I should gear it to the boys. Well, my boys are definitely cake fans! So, there you go... it all worked out well, and everyone (except my daughter who refused all the veggies) seemed to enjoy it. :) I'm a domestic goddess after all. LOL. Not so much!

And now... it is time to slip into bed and collapse. Midnight is coming and I'll turn into a pumpkin if I'm not careful! Have a great night and enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

Week 37... A Full-Term Baby!

If this project were a baby that is... :)
Well, I did finish the week with seven paintings... so I guess we'll keep slogging away and see how it goes. Three "crazy" weeks left and then things ought to settle a bit. Three tests next week though, so this could be interesting! In case anyone was wondering, I did quite well with at least one of the two tests from this week. :) Yay!

The family is all still sick-ish. My daughter is on the brink of two more teeth... her maxillary lateral incisors for any dental types reading this. :) My son is adorable as usual... and growing like a weed (an attractive one though, not those skin burning ones). Tomorrow my parents are coming into town and I'm making a birthday supper for my Mom. I'm grateful that they're coming here because it gives me time in the morning to study study study! We've been invited to a playdate this weekend too, but I'm just not sure I can go. In a few weeks, probably, this week? Oh boy. It's always nice to be invited though! :)

Anyway, droopy eyes on my end so I'll keep it short. I did the last two paintings of the week tonight... "Sultry Sunset" inspired by "Savannah" from earlier in the year, and "Drama" because I love black white and red together. It was the colour scheme of my bedroom in high school. Loved it! All black and white and then I had this super awesome deep red beanbag chair. Loved that chair. My bunny ate it. Well, parts of it.

I digress... here are this week's paintings:

September 10 - Delight

September 11 - Katia

September 12 - Spun Gold

September 13 - Ireland

September 14 - Cappuccino

September 15 - Sultry Sunset

September 16 - Drama

Behind Again

Hmm... this is becoming an alarming problem. I'm behind a painting again... mostly due to schoolwork. Chris is really campaigning for me to wrap up the painting part early and spend the time figuring out how to sell them. As  he put it, I often spend more energy with the production part of a project and not nearly enough time on the marketing portion. I guess he figures if I spend the time and energy I might sell more paintings of the ones I have done than if I just keep painting but don't sell as many later. He might have a point, but I'm worried about the resulting guilt from not painting one canvas a day for a whole year as I originally planned. It seems a bit like cheating to stop now... even if there are some good reasons for possibly doing so. Tomorrow is 37 weeks, which makes 259 paintings. I could go one more day and make it an even 260. I don't know... that's quitting 100 days early and I don't know how I feel about that. Not good. I keep telling myself that I made myself a deal and I will see it through, and that life will in theory get a little easier after Turkey Day... so maybe I just have to tough it out for another three weeks until it gets better and hopefully see it through. No arguments from me on the needing to put more effort into how to sell the paintings though! That is so not my forte!!

I welcome advice, suggestions, help, purchases, ideas and support. I think I always knew this would be the toughest part of the year and the project, but it's maybe just a little harder than I had anticipated.

I promise to paint two tomorrow... at least it's not such an early start to Saturday so if I stay up late then I'll be ok. After all, it's 11pm here and I'm just getting to bed... without having had time to paint...

Oh I sound all droopy and woe is me... I'm not going there. No way. I'll find a way to do this and do it right. I just need to make a proper plan! If you want to be involved drop me a line: jcope18@yahoo.com

Have a great night and just think... tomorrow's Friday!

The Long Blink

Hmm... wonder why I couldn't keep reading my text book tonight? Because my eyes had closed again. On their own. Sigh. At least I now understand how Chris feels/felt when he nodded off in a chair at 9pm. Ah well... it won't last forever.

Tonight's painting is called "Cappucino" (sorry if I spelled that wrong, my brain is totally fuzzy) and I almost wish I was drinking one of them. I don't drink coffee... but Chris does and that's what he said it reminded him of... coffee and cream. Since I named a painting "Ireland" this week I figured I'd give a little nod to a European country that I have been to (and LOVED)... Italy. I would go back in a heartbeat. Um... in a few years when the kids are bigger.

For now... today's test went well, and I think tomorrow will be good to. I'm a little bit behind on my reading... says we're supposed to have read another chapter for tomorrow (same class as the test) and somehow I just don't think I'm going to cram anything else in tonight. I think it'll be ok as long as I get on top of it again at the weekend. Crossing my fingers anyway!

As for the rest of life... the kids are good, a little sniffly, my daughter is so ready for another tooth or two, and my son is such joy for me at the end of the day. His energy perks me right up after the drive home. My bed looks comfy and my eyes are heavy, so I'll say good night... sleep well!

Enchanting Ireland

How I would so love to go someday! Ok, there are many many places in the world I want to see... but tonight I'm thinking of Ireland because today's weather made me think of some books I like to read that are set in Ireland... with similar weather! Anyway... the painting is a mixture of greens and a hint of gold. Think leprechauns? Who wouldn't want to stumble on a bit of magic here and there? So anyway, the painting is called Ireland and I think it'd make me think of Ireland whenever I looked at it, so maybe you will too. :)

Tonight my lovely husband quizzed me for my test tomorrow... while I baked him cookies. :) I figure it was a good way to spend some time with him, do something nice for him (he's our resident cookie monster) and also to bone up on my anatomy and physiology for tomorrow's test. Slight moment of panic... he went down to fill up my flour container and put whole wheat flour in it. Guess I ran out of all-purpose. I'm not so sure chocolate cookies should be made with whole wheat flour... somehow it just seems wrong. Anyway, he insisted it would be fine, ate some dough to check, and seems to like the cookies... so I guess it worked out ok. If nothing else... it'll keep me from being quite so tempted by them! I think I'll be ready for tomorrow's test. I remember a lot of the material from the biology course I took a year ago. Here's hoping! Keep y our fingers crossed anyway. :)

Sad  update, I've decided I'm going to have to pause belly dancing for awhile. There's just no way I can commit to going every week... we just don't know if Chris will be home in time... plus I have a LOT of school work to do. I miss it already. Class is on Tuesday nights so tonight was the first one I didn't go to. It definitely felt like something big was missing. So, if any of the dancers are reading this... I miss you all!! Hopefully I can come back soon! In the grand scheme of things, it's sad for me, but it isn't life threatening or catastrophic. I can and will go back.

But... for some people there are life threatening things to deal with. For them, I paint.

Hope all is good with all of you... good night!

Sleep is for Sissies

And I am so totally becoming a sissy! Haha... well, maybe a little.

Life is not exactly turning out the way I had planned... but then it rarely does so it shouldn't really come as a surprise. I had thought that if Chris got an 8-4 position then maybe the new system at Canada Post wouldn't affect us too negatively. Yeah. He started at 7:30 this morning and didn't get home until 9:15pm. Missed both kids, and the wear and tear on his body is getting worse. He's a trooper though and stubborn as anything. Plus he cares about his customers so he won't be slacking off anytime soon. Then, I figured I'd be dancing with the troupe this term. My plan was to stay at school and study after classes, then walk over to class. Yeah, well not only do I have a mountain of work to do, but there's no way I can stay if Chris is still working... so that plan got shot out of the water too. I haven't been to the gym in two weeks... just can't spare the time. But otherwise, school is going well, I am not finding the material difficult, just quantitatively oppressive. The kids are settling into their routines nicely, my son has finally turned the potty corner (yay!!) and my little girl gave me unprompted kisses today! SO wonderful. Really makes that sleepiness vanish. I'm making several very nice new friends at school, the teachers are pretty great, and I have a thought for my future plans... no details as of yet, but I think it could be a good avenue to pursue. :)

Tonight's painting... which I will freely admit to having painted yesterday (hey, I knew it'd be a late one tonight) is another turntable painting. I'm calling it "Spun Gold". It's black, gold, and I believe it's a cornsilk yellow... but I would have to double check to be sure. I like the way it turned out a whole lot. Wish I could keep it!

Speaking of keeping paintings... I sold one today to an old friend who lives in another province. I'll have to pop it in the mail... but that is very exciting. Thank you SO much!!! I'll save mentioning names until I have permission to do so... but a million times thank you for your generosity and support! I'm feeling positive about actually selling these paintings again. :)

So... with that up note (sometimes I can drift into too much negativity) I'm going to brush and floss and inspect my teeth (was reading about dental caries today aka tooth decay and the pictures are scary to say the least!) and then pop myself into bed! Can't even remember the last time I picked up a non-dental book to read! Hope everyone has a lovely day tomorrow!! Good night! And if you haven't brushed your teeth yet... go do it! Trust me!

Sunday Night Already?

Hoo boy... that weekend just raced by! I can hardly believe I'm down one week of the first fifteen (semester 1).

I did another turntable painting tonight... as was the plan. I like to do the whole week like that for consistency and to see what they all turn out like together. I called it "Katia" after the hurricane that's brewing. Not because it really reminded me of a hurricane, though it is cool colours and in concentric circles, but because it's topical and I like the name Katia. I think it sounds exotic. More interesting to me than Katie for example. Perhaps that's just because I'm more likely to hear Katie than Katia. Perhaps elsewhere in the world Katie is the exotic choice. You have got to love perspective and how we're so alike and so different all at the same time.

I'd like to wish my brother-in-law, Devin, a very happy birthday! He and his lovely (and new) wife are off on their honeymoon. They went to Greece lucky devils. :) Someday I will go... someday. :)

I'd also like to just briefly share my own 9/11 recollection since it is the tenth anniversary of one of our generations tragic events. That morning I was off to class at University, and passed the lounge for my department. The television was on and the planes had just gone through the buildings. I didn't stop to watch because I was in a hurry... and more tellingly, I thought they were watching a movie. I say tellingly, because it just isn't something you'd ever think would actually happen in real life. Can you tell how sheltered our generation is? Anyway, it wasn't until the first class where the professor said something about how studying drama might seem a little light and inappropriate given the morning's events that I realized (out loud) that it was the news and not a show they were watching. That was a shock. Not as much of  one as the poor people in the planes, the buildings and on the ground, but still... it jarred and I hope it continues to jar, if for no other reason than to challenge how we think and feel about ourselves, the choices we make, the people we love, and how we live our lives. I've been perusing the topical status updates on facebook and I saw a quote I thought was particularly appropriate: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." - Mahatma Ghandi

Anyway... a little life lesson about treating everyone with dignity and respect regardless of whether or not you agree with them. Revenge is petty and worthless, and putting some love and positive energy into the world in the face of sadness and loss is a much more constructive use of your time.

Have a great night and a wonderful Monday morning. Think of me at 5am when I drag myself out of bed. I love what I'm doing, but I sure wish it didn't start quite so early! Nighty-night!

Latvia & Ukraine

Hello to the readers in Latvia and Ukraine! Always nice to see people from places farther away from here coming to check things out. Of course, I'm always happy to see anyone coming to check it out, but it seems so much more magical and exciting when it's not just North America. :)

Well, one week of school is done... four more of the "crazy" weeks to go. I figure after Thanksgiving things out to settle a bit. Until then, well, I'll just have to learn to function on even less sleep and quite possibly paint more when and if I can.

Have I mentioned that my two little munchkins are the most loveable little people I've ever seen? Yup, I had another fabulous day with my kids and love love love them to bits! It's good that they both like daycare, and that I'm doing something during the day that doesn't revolve entirely around preparing the next meal/snack, but I was worried I'd lose some connection with them from not being with them all the time. Instead it seems I've got even more love and a bit more patience... and I think, maybe, just maybe, my son might appreciate me a little more now that I'm not the wallpaper in his life! Hopefully they stay happy and healthy and know how much I love them. I always tell them it's more than all the stars in the sky.

Tonight I did a turntable painting called "Delight". It's inspired by a plate pattern we saw today at a yard sale. We were en route to the playground this morning and stopped at a street with two sales. I almost bought some clothes for my daughter but we discovered that neither of us had any cash! So... yeah. Probably for the best... she didn't need it and we're supposed to be penny pinching. Anyway, I loved the colours of these plates and it looked like it had been done on a wheel so I thought about trying to emulate it at home. It's not an exact match of course... but I like the end result. I think this week will all be turntable paintings as I like to do them in a series.

Thanks to Laura at Children's Wish... I got a package in the mail this week with a bunch of signs and stuff. I can put them up whenever/wherever I can sell my paintings. I just want people to know it is a legitimate fundraiser and that the money really and truly is going to Children's Wish Foundation. That's important to me!

Anyway... off to bed with me... got to hit the books again tomorrow. I started a study plan so I guess I had better do my best to stick to it. No sense getting behind on the first weekend! So, good night... and if you have kids, tell them how much you love them. Tell them often. :)

36 Weeks!

This week had a theme... and it was all mixed media. I used acrylic paint with beads, sequins, fabric trim, bindi and more to create a bellydance theme. Charlene, a fellow dancer and friend, suggested it last Saturday night as we were attending a fringe show put together by Cabaret Serpentine (Laura Selenzi & Monique Ryan) and special guests. So... it totally fit given the night's activities... and I went with it. I also decided to incorporate a rainbow idea just because I like them. :)

Tonight's painting is called "1001 Shimmies" for Laura who has some of the most amazing shimmies I have ever seen and had the pleasure of learning (though I don't do them nearly as well). The way the light hit the beads made me think of the shimmies, and it is also the title of one of her workshops which a number of the troupe attended recently.

Well, no more from me... I'm attempting another earlyish night. So far not having too much luck with that, but as the Barenaked Ladies said, "who needs sleep?" Good night and enjoy the paintings!

Sept 3 - Mesmerize

Sept 4 - Spotlight

Sept 5 - Starry Night

Sept 6 - Hopeful

Sept 7 - Sparks

Sept 8 - Dazzler & Hoops

Sept 9 - 1001 Shimmies

Only 10:30!

Not as much reading to do tonight... still had to stop for fear of falling asleep in my book and having nightmares of cranial bones and maxillary processes. Took a test today based on some of yesterday's reading... did pretty well, and now I'm just slogging away trying to keep up on what's to come. Good times. My brain is enjoying the workout!

Anyway, tonight's painting is following in the series... predominant colour is purple with silver accents. I'm calling it "Hoops" because of an effect Monique's hula hoops had in the show. It is hard to explain, but it was very cool.

Well, tomorrow is picture day... I'm very excited to post this week's.... Charlene is all excited too. Her idea after all. :) Hope you enjoy them!

Now, off to bed. Must catch up after last night! Good night!

So Much To Do!

Short post tonight... was up until 11pm reading... still not done. Good thing I did a little painting ahead! I do have a painting for tonight in the mixed media series. I'm calling it "Sparks".

I apologize for the brevity of tonight's post, but the reason for my exhaustion and cramming is that I have a test tomorrow. Yup, that's right... day two of classes and I have a test. They did say the first five weeks were going to be a killer... sigh. Be patient with me folks... if I can't paint on a night I promise to make it up by the end.

And now to bed... for five and a half hours of sleepy bliss. See you tomorrow!

Back to School!

Today was my first day back to school since the end of April 2002. It was definitely a weird experience, but good as well. I'm very relieved to know that I am not as rare a breed as I feared I would be... you know, those "mature" students... or moms with kids... or whatever isn't fresh out of high school. Did I really sound like that so long ago?? Oh my. I met some new friends, got my locker, (I haven't had a locker since 1998, except for the gym) and got reacquanited with faculty, the classrooms, etc. Good times.

My daughter even did me a favour and didn't cry more than a minute or so when I dropped her off! I was worried I'd be a basket case for the first day... you know, back to daycare after a long weekend.... but nope. She settled right in with the balls and was doing just fine. A few brushes with bumping into her and the other babies on their hall excursions, but both times it was narrowly avoided. Phew.

Tonight I did a painting called "Hopefull" and last night's was called "Starry Night". I had forgotten what I called it yesterday... so I thought I'd mention it today. Char was excited tonight at dance class to see them and hopefully buy one... she'll have to wait until Friday! Hmm... does "Hopefull" have one l or two? It's late... and I'm doubting myself. Neither one looks right. Must be a sign to turn in... after all, I actually have classes tomorrow!

Ok, good night... thanks to everyone who wished me luck on facebook... and for all the happy greetings I got when I managed to arrive to dance class. Was feeling the love. :) Happy thoughts and see you tomorrow!

School Tomorrow!

Ok... so I'm totally freaking out right now... this is really happening! Tomorrow morning I will be a student again. I will drop my kids and my husband off and then I will be at the school getting all set to start this new and exciting chapter of my life! Chris just suggested I bring a book to "wind myself down" after dropping our daughter off. Hmm... is he suggesting that I might be wound up? Ha.

Anyway... that's neither here nor there when it comes to tonight's painting... so I will cease my tangential ramblings. Tonight I continued with the mixed media that is inspired by belly dance and all things sparkly. My apologies to the Tribal gals... but I'm pretty settled in the Cabaret camp. I enjoy watching good Tribal (please note the emphasis on good) just as I enjoy watching good Cabaret, but I think I'd rather see bad Cabaret over bad Tribal any day. I'm embarrassed to admit I've already forgotten the title of tonight's piece... it's about the closest to Tribal of any of them though... it's a black/gold/metallic mix and I'm quite pleased with the results. I kind of envision the set of them on a wall together. I think that would look pretty cool. Mind you, separated would be good too. :)

And now... I must get to bed... the early start is always hardest the first day, and it's been a long weekend so it'll be just that much harder. Or... I could be so hopped up with adrenalin and nerves I'll be awake all night. Oy. Guess we'll just have to see. Oh, and thanks to all the people who popped by to see the gallery for July & August... that was one big page view spike! Makes me happy! Ok... bed. Good night!! And happy first day at school for all the other students out there!

July & August Paintings

Week 27

Week 28

Week 29

Week 30

Week 31

Week 31

Week 32

Week 33

Week 34

Week 35

Whoops... missed a day...

But, I'm all caught up now! Last night I went to a Fringe show, Mesmerize, with some lovely ladies both on and off stage. However... I realized after I left to go, that I hadn't actually painted yet, and I wouldn't likely have time when I got home. Oops! Sure enough, it was 11:30pm when I walked in the front door, exhausted, but happy... so I did not paint. A testament to how tired I was is that I did not even turn on the computer to update facebook! I'm addicted to facebook... so that really ought to say something. Anyway... this morning while my daughter was having an unorthodox nap time (daycare side effect) and the boys were off grocery shopping, I went down to get caught up.

I'd like to thank my friend Charlene, who was at the show last night... She suggested that I use the show as inspiration for the paintings. We're belly dancers, the show was heavy on the belly dance (yay) and so I did just that. Then, I liked the result so much I decided to do it all week! Good times! So far the painting from last night, "Mesmerize" (in honour of the dance show) and tonight's "Spotlight" are on 5x7 boards. I think I will likely stay with that size so as to keep the series uniform.

I hear my little girl stirring.... which is out of character for her... so I'll sign off now just in case. Have a great day off tomorrow and here's hoping we have some nice sunny weather for the long weekend! Good night!

Week 35 Has Arrived!

It's an uncharacteristically early post... only 4:45pm instead of the usual close to midnight Friday night posting. I came home during the day today to paint instead of studying on campus. Phew... good thing too or I never would have finished before date night tonight! Thanks to Chris for collecting the kids and giving me some extra time to paint, photograph, edit and blog. :)

So... today's painting is a 5x7 board called "Purple Puddles". It started out as an idea for flowers in a bouquet, but it just didn't end up there somehow. I think when I started doing stuff to the circles to make flowers they turned into pseudo concentric circles like raindrops make on water. So, then I thought I'd add radiating concentric circles and overlap them a little and then when it was done I thought of puddles and raindrops. But of course, in purple! So there you go. :)

With no further ado, here are this week's paintings! Oh, and we hit painting number 250 next week so that should be exciting! Stay tuned!!!

August 27 - Heliophile

August 28 - Riverside

August 29 - Harbour Town

August 30 - Rosebud

August 31 - Evening Escape

September 1 - Riot

September 2 - Purple Puddles

The Ninth Month Begins!

So I know I've been tracking my progress by week so far, but it has occurred to me quite suddenly that this is the beginning of the ninth month! If this project were a baby we'd be nearing the due date! That's just crazy! Eight whole months of daily paintings... I'm telling you... January is going to seem so strange.

Tonight was a full evening... I decided to bake some cookies, partly for Chris, partly for my neighbours, and partly to welcome our newest neighbours to the street. They were moving in today... fast turnaround considering our friends just left yesterday morning! I didn't actually meet them though.. so I left the tub of cookies on the porch. Just because. I think it's nice to have something to munch while moving and unpacking. :) So... the house smells of cookies, and I didn't start my painting until 9:30! It's after 11 and I'm not quite done yet... so I will have to finish it up tomorrow. I'm calling it "Riot" because it's a swirling, spiraling riot of colours. It's on a 5x7 canvas and I kept the swirling up on the sides so I think it is turning out well... visually appealing to me anyway.

Tomorrow might be a bit tricky... we're going on a date night (yay!) and as such I think I might have trouble finishing tonight's painting, doing one for tomorrow, posting all the pictures, and going out. Hmm... conundrum. Maybe I'll have to come back home during the day while the kids are at daycare. Kind of a pain to drive back and forth so much, but worth it to stick to my goals on this project. I think it'll be ok in the end... I'll manage it!

Chris, wonderful man that he is, has been trying to help me with painting selling... he's looked into PayPal options, Etsy, Ebay, and other forms of payment so as to help anyone who wants to buy one online. So, keep an eye out... there may be a PayPal button around here somewhere in the near future. Makes things go a little faster if you want a particular painting but don't want to wait so long for me to get the cheque in the mail. Mind you... it keeps the posties in jobs... so feel free to continue to mail things! :)

Anyway... late night, droopy eyes, and a comfy bed beckons. Good night everyone!! See you tomorrow!