Last Day of November

Already?? Oh my... where does the time go? And wow! 72 page views in the past 24 hours!! This is so amazing and incredible and I am SO excited! Picture me, pretty tired, bouncing in my seat all the same. :) You guys are so great... the support and interest is wonderful. I hope this is inspiring people out there to do something for a group or community or even just a single person. If we all do something it adds up SO much!!

Tonight I finished up my collage type painting. Over the past few months I've cut eyes out of magazines and saved them. I had a plan, sort of. So, last night I started laying down a layer of paint (greens mostly) and then spreading out the eyes on the paint and trying to smooth out the edges. Then, tonight, when the green was dry, I added words like dream, love, vision, hope etc. I think of eyes as the window to our soul. If you wear your heart on your sleeve like I do, then you can see so much in your eyes. Obviously, magazines aren't quite perfect, but I didn't have enough pictures to do "regular" people. Although, now that I think of it, maybe it's something to think about in the future. I love eyes. They are so interesting to really look at. All of the colour variation, the shape, so much detail... it's amazing. Anyway, I called the painting, which is an 8x10, "Windows". I'm thinking about doing a smaller version with more colour as I have a few ideas and many pairs of eyes left. We'll see!

For now, I'm going to tuck myself into bed. It's my turn to be "team lead" tomorrow so I have to be up and at 'em nice and early. Not really a problem in this house, but I want to be well rested all the same. So, good night to everyone around the world! Thanks for visiting and putting a gigantic smile on my face!!

Every Continent!!

Hello Brazil and South Korea! I think, with a viewer in Brazil, that means that this blog has been read on every continent! Woo-Hoo!! Thank you to everyone who has come to visit!!

Tonight I did a painting called "Happy Place". Given the stresses of school and selling paintings (not to mention painting them!) and all the Christmas organizing, it seemed an appropriate subject. It's also amusing to me that I painted a palm tree and tropical type beach... given that I'm allergic to the sun! Yes, Chris & I went to Mexico for our honeymoon... good times. Every single blister was worth it to swim with sea turtles!! Anyway, it's a nice way to remember that no matter how much you might want to tear our your hair and sob, you can always shut down for a minute or two and picture your very own happy place. Maybe it's a destination, a storyline from a book, the look in your child's eyes when they see you at the end of the day (pick a happy reunion day!) or whatever. If you can focus on that, or something good from that day, then it's not so bad after all.
I've taken to writing 3 Good Things as my bedtime facebook status every night. I find that even on my most stressful days, I can usually find at least three good things about the day. If that's what I'm thinking about as I sign off the computer, then I think I have a better night's sleep and a more positive attitude when I get up the next morning. Try it... it works!

Other than that... not much is new. Still hoping to have feedback and/or sales before Christmas... got my fingers crossed and a wish in to Santa that more paintings will sell and the money going to Children's Wish will grow! Good ol' Santa... hasn't let me down yet! :) So... if you still have shopping to do, maybe you should consider some art. :)

Happy Tuesday... and see you tomorrow!

Interview Day

This evening was the interview with the Chronicle Herald. Thanks again to Deanne for sending a note in to the paper to let them know about this project!! It was an interesting experience. I think it would have been easier had Chris not had to work late, but ah well, that's life. We didn't make it home until just about a minute before the scheduled meeting time... so no chance to tidy up (either our living area or my painting area) and then the poor kids had to wait for supper. I felt so bad about that. My son was pretty much ok with it. He just sat on the couch and read a few of his books. My little girl, unfortunately, fell asleep on the drive home, so she wasn't overly impressed with me when she woke up in the driveway. Well, she did get over it and ended up blowing kisses and being her usual uber cute self. Dinner did get on the table shortly afterwards and the kids are happily in bed full of love and snuggles. Oh I love them SO much!!

I managed to get some homework and some painting done tonight. Wasn't sure it was going to happen, but it did. Not feeling the greatest about school stuff just at the moment, but I'm hoping that's just a little bit of stress talking and not anything serious to worry about. We shall see.

Tonight's painting is a 5x7 board called "Purple Wave". I think it'll look pretty neat in a frame. I wonder if I'm feeling overwhelmed by the things I need to do? When I stop to think about what I painted, it's a bit like a huge crashing torrent of stuff coming down. Kind of like a waterfall, or a large wave, or buckets of something being poured down. It's interesting to think of what is the reasoning behind some of the more abstract paintings. I was watching Frasier the other night and he was analyzing his dream... over analyzing really... but it makes me wonder, now, about what I might have had going through my mind at the time. Sometimes I know right off, and other times I think 'hmm... why did I paint that? what's going on here?' Now, I'm sure there are more professional painters out there who would shudder at the idea that I didn't have a plan.... but that's just how it is sometimes. In paint and in life... you just have to jump in with whatever strikes you at the time, and whatever happens, happens! I'm sure a lot of happy accidents happen that way!

Anyway... the interview will be in the Arts section sometime in the next week or so... I'll keep you posted and hopefully post a link if it's in the online version too. Very exciting!! Good  night everyone... wish me luck tomorrow... it's evaluation day again! Eep!

Interview on Youtube!

The link for the Eastlink TV interview on The 'Fax is now on Youtube!!

http://youtu.be/G3A8u_8pfGs?t=20m49s

I painted a little bird today... I called it "Birdseed". It's on a 4x4 board and it's all warm colours and a happy birdie. So, I like it... it got a good reaction from Chris and our son.

Just a short short short post tonight... lots to do and so little time! Hope you enjoy (and share) the video. Into the final days of the year and there are so many paintings left that need to find some homes.

Good night!!

36 Days To Go

Ok, as far as I'm concerned, we're in the home stretch!! This has been such an incredible journey for me and it just keeps getting better! Five weeks left... an interview with the Chronicle Herald on Monday... and hopefully another selling day somewhere. Just have to figure out where! Any suggestions? Anyone out there want to donate some space?? :) I can hope, can't I?

Today was a good painting day... I decided to do a little work while my kids were napping instead of saving it for the evening. So, I finished today's painting, an 8x10 called "Winter White" and started tomorrow's painting of a little bird. Yup, I'm still on the bird kick. I just like them... Today's painting is a pair of trees, but they're not the twisty sort of tree. They're more like the ones I see on my drive to school in the morning. I'm not a botanist so I couldn't tell you what kind of tree they are, but all the branches point up to the sky, and of course, this time of year they don't have any leaves. In the morning, against the sunrise, the branches are in silhouette. For the painting I decided to do the background in more night like colours, and the tree in white. I carved away the paint first, then filled it in with white paint. I wasn't entirely sure I liked it, but Chris came down and saw it and he said he liked it... so maybe it is ok. After all, there were a few others that I wasn't fond of, but they got good feedback at the craft show. Perhaps I'm not the best judge at times. ;)

Anyway... it's late and my little guy is sick (he woke up a little while ago) so I should get going. Who knows what tomorrow morning will bring. Probably another trip to the doctor's office. Happy thoughts... he's probably just fine... but he's had more fevers in the past three months than he has in his whole life. Gotta love daycare I guess! Well, good night and happy start to week 48!

Week 47 Has Arrived!

Well hello out there! I think over the past week another three or four new countries have popped up on the map. Off the top of my head I think I can safely say hello to the Philippines, Serbia, and Armenia! As well as to all the other wonderful people who are taking part in this adventure. This is so wonderful I cannot thank you all enough for being supportive and involved!

Tonight I finished up yesterday's painting (didn't get to paint last night, was too busy studying like a madwoman) and called it "Creative Flow". It's inspired by the business card of another crafter. She creates unique, and named, sock puppets with very cool buttons, sock clothing (hats, scarves, etc), and button jewelry. I just had to buy a bracelet from her because it was just too cool and I'd been drooling over it most of the day! If you're looking for a fun and unique gift this holiday season, check out Balian's Sock Drawer... I know she's on Facebook. It's pretty cool stuff. Anyway, her business card is green with swirlies on it. I love it. It's right up my personal preference alley. So, it was the inspiration for that painting. I think with a frame it'll look extra sharp. Oh, I should also mention that it is a mix of green paints, then I carved out the swirls and let it dry overnight. Tonight I added the white to make it pop more.

Also tonight, I did tonight's painting. Thanks to encouragement from friends, I've decided to enlarge my tree painting to an 8x10 canvas. I stuck with one tree, but did blow it up. I even added some pink to the sunrise since I've been seeing some amazing skies the last week or so on our commute to work/school/daycare. So beautiful! I'll bet if more people looked around them in the morning instead of whining about how early they have to get up, they'd feel a whole lot better about starting their day! I called tonight's painting "Branch Out". It's fun to experiment with a similar design and tweaking it a litle, changing the colours etc. It's an adventure to be sure!

Anyway... here are this week's paintings... and hey, it's not yet eleven... so I'm on a roll!

P.S. Quick personal note, we had a presentation today by a local orthodontist... I SO want to work with him!! The more I think about dentistry, the more I like the idea of getting into ortho. The before and after and how it affects a person's life... well that just works for me for sure! Here's hoping...

Ok, the paintings... Enjoy! I can't believe it's only five more weeks!

November 19 - Little Ladies

November 20 - I Hoo

November 21 - Clementine

November 22 - Twisty Trees (a personal favourite!)

November 23 - Little Birdies

November 24 - Creative Flow

November 25 - Branch Out

TV Time

Tonight was the airing of the interview that Coralie McLean did for Eastlink TV's "The 'Fax". I thought it turned out really well. The only thing I wish it had that it didn't, was the blog address posted. Oh well... can't have everything it seems. ;)

I doubt it's on youtube quite yet, but when it is... I'll post a link!

I did not paint tonight... I was planning on it if I got enough studying done... but then I fell asleep on my books. Yup. Literally. I put my head down for "a second" and even though I knew it was probably a bad idea, I couldn't help it. You know that horrible feeling when your eyes just close on their own and you're hanging onto wakefulness by a very thin thread? Yeah... story of my life these days. It's no good. :( So, Chris gave me a little pep talk when he got home from tutoring. He even reviewed some of my notes with me (what a guy!) and made me feel like I know more than I thought I did. So, a bit of pep back in my step. However, it's quarter to eleven and I'm not crazy enough to try to start painting now. I have one half done from last night, so I'll just have to fully catch up tomorrow.

We wrote one test today... I think I did well on it... and the one tomorrow is looking to be maybe ok too. I just have to relax and know that the information is in my brain. Somewhere! Good times. :)

As for painting and this project, I'm hoping to get some time this weekend to explore some more selling opportunities. It's hard to have the time to do that during the week. Can't really call places during the day because I'm in class... and then by the time I get home and the kids to bed (even if I ignored my schoolwork, which I can't do) most people are unavailable. Blerg. This part of the project is so frustrating for me. However, if one meets a challenge head on and with a good attitude, then it's a beatable challenge. I will figure it out! Bring it on. :)

Ok, so now to bed... I promised my honey that I wouldn't take too long on here tonight. Must. Sleep. Now. So, goodnight all, wish me luck on my test tomorrow!! It's going to be Friday!! :)

Happy Again!

I think... and I do NOT want to jinx it... but I might be hitting some kind of stride! I really like tonight's painting too... this is strange... I guess if you practice at something you might just get a little better. Hmm... I'm sure I've heard that somewhere before. ;) Nope, not claiming any sort of "expertise"... not by a long shot... but I think, having looked back at some of the earliest paintings compared to this past week, I can see an improvement. This makes me happy! After all, if you do anything three hundred and twenty-odd times you would sincerely hope to see some evolution! So far so good this week. :)

Tonight's painting is again in a bird theme. I've called it "Little Birdies" and it is a pair of teardrop shaped birds against a night sky. I like their expressions. Who would have thought that cartoony birds would have expression? Anyway... Chris pointed a funny thing out about my bird pairs. I always paint the "boy" bird on the left. That's exactly how we sleep at  night... and sit on the couch... and watch movies at the theatre... he is always on my right, which is the left side if you're the viewer. Odd... our little eccentricities turn up in the strangest places! Mine, apparently, in paintings. We had a little chuckle about it. Oh, the size of the painting is a 5x7 board.

In other news... tomorrow night is the Eastlink spot. 7:30pm! And Coralie is going to try to send me the link once it's a youtube video. So that will get posted here as well. You can go see my adorable children. :) Also, the interview for the Chronicle Herald will happen Monday night. Not sure when it'll go in the paper... probably next week sometime. I'll post a link to that as well.

I'm thinking of more selling/fundraising opportunities... I think I'm going to try to contact the Halifax Farmer's Market and see if they'll donate a table, or at least waive the application fee. Here's hoping! I'll also try to get in touch with the Alderney Landing organizers to see if I can do something there too. I'm really crossing my fingers that we'll stay on a roll. I did a quick check of my "bookkeeping files" such as they are... and it looks as though we've raised just over $1000 so far!! Yay us! Ideally I'd like to raise over four thousand, and we've got lots and lots of paintings left to sell... not to mention the other forty or so I have yet to paint! I think we can do it. :)

Ok, test day tomorrow so I must go to bed. Hey... it's not yet eleven, look at that. Woo-hoo! Good night all!

Really Liking This Week

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the four paintings from this week so far. They're still on my phone of course, because I'm a wee bit technologically challenged. Or maybe it's more that I'm time challenged and it's too much effort to try to figure it out at 11:20pm! Either way... I'll get the pics off my phone eventually! So far I have two owl paintings, some ladybugs, and a pair of "Twisty Trees". I may be a tad biased... but I really like these!! This could be a time where it's a bit hard to part with paintings. Must do it though... I don't need 300 paintings gathering dust in my basement. Can't really hang them all either... not enough wall space!

Anyway... today was an up and down day... it started sort of poorly with my daughter & I having a less than ideal parting at daycare. Yup, tears were involved for both of us. The last week and a half or so has been getting harder and it's taking a bit of a toll. I'm grateful to the daycare worker (whose name I've forgotten, sorry) who came out and chatted with me for a minute. She really made me feel better about the likelihood that my girl is getting to the age where she wants to say goodbye/see you later, but doesn't have the words and so is left with the emotion and being frustrated at the inability to communicate. I sure hope that's what it is! Anyway... she made me feel better and sure enough my little girl had already stopped crying by then! Off I went to class where I was unsuccessful (I detest the word "failed") at my trimming, so I immersed myself (not literally this time) in cleaning out impression trays. I think the worst part was knowing I had likely 'failed' and having to wait thirty five minutes to hear it. Ugh. So, I had myself all worked up and felt pretty bad about it. Then embarrassed for feeling so bad about it. Double ugh. A quick trip outside for a planned fire drill (good times) and back we went for some more fun. Then... the extra joy, another class has a project they're fundraising for at school. Hmm... going to have to follow up on that some more. Not quite sure where the line in the sand is drawn, but I hope to find out. It's not crucial to be able to try to sell some paintings at school, but I sure would like to, and I think it might be great for everyone. My opinion of course. :)

The afternoon was better... had a fun lunch with the dental girls... passed my impressions... and was a patient... did some cleaning... and then came home to study, paint, and make my little guy his favourite supper: hamburgers. Oh he was SO cute! I was looking in the freezer wondering out loud what to make and he pipes up, all innocent and sweet "I think it starts with an H." Flashes me an impish little smile full of hope and three-year-old radiance. After bursting out laughing, sweeping him up for a big hug and a kiss, I made hamburgers! Does he have me wrapped around his little finger or what? Sigh... Bath night followed, a blind apple taste test after that, and it was bedtime. Back to the books for me. :)

And now... after another long (but good) day... it's time for some sleep. I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow and that we don't get as much snow as they're calling for! We don't have our winter tires on yet! Eep! Good night all!

Oh! One last thing... I made a facebook page and a kijiji ad... in case anyone wants to search, share, etc. Ok... now, good night! :)

Media Blitz!

I will admit it... I'm feeling a little overwhelmed all of a sudden with the attention that is coming on. Most of the year I felt a bit like I was talking to a very small group and just hoping somehow, magically, this whole adventure would just take off. Now it is! As soon as I had some craft show dates I sent out a second email to some media people. CBC noticed and did a radio interview. Apparently a whole lot of people listen to CBC! Then, "the 'fax" on Eastlink TV heard the interview and wanted to do a spot (this Thursday, channel 10, 7:30pm). Now, thanks to some supportive friends, the Chronicle Herald has sent me an email expressing an interest in an interview! This is so wonderful!!!

I would also like to let you all know that ACAD now has a Facebook page. Just search for it and it should be pretty easy to find. I've uploaded the weekly galleries (lots!) and will continue to update it over the next few days. I still have to update the catalogue on here, but I promise to do so by Friday at the latest. I do, after all, have school to work on! :)

I finished up last night's painting and started one for tonight. I didn't get to painting until a little after 9pm so unfortunately I was falling asleep at the easel, so to speak, so I had to stop before I was finished tonight's too. It's another little owl... I like owls. I called it "Clementine" because it's a little orange owl. She's sleepy, like me. :) I'll finish her up tomorrow night and hopefully get back on track! It's so easy to keep slipping once you start, but I refuse. Yup, you can call me stubborn... I'll accept that. Oh... and it's on a 4x4 canvas, much like many of the little animals... the hippos, monkeys, etc. I really like that size and I like the thickness of the wood frame. Something about the size and shape of the canvas really appeals to me from a visual and a tactile perspective. I don't think I'm alone either!

Anyway... evaluations in the morning and more studying to do... so bedtime for now! Thanks everyone for all of your wonderful and amazing support. I couldn't appreciate it more if I tried! Good night!!!

Very Successful Weekend!!

I think, and I haven't done a full and complete tally, but a quick money count and painting check makes me think that between the two shows and a donations box on my table, the little project that could has raised almost $500 and sold 35 paintings!! With a few more on reserve from recent blog views! :) Yay!!

Many many thanks are owed to Trina and Jessie for running the Porter's Lake show. I can't believe they gave their weekend to this project! Very generous and giving people and I am very grateful! Also, thanks to Chris for doing all the parenting at our place so I could go to Cole Harbour Place all weekend! Boy oh boy did I miss my kids!! I'd also like to say hello and thanks to the vendors on either side of me. I really liked getting to meet them and chat this weekend. I think I'm probably getting a little hooked on the whole crafting thing! I'm already starting to brainstorm new ideas for next year!! I know Honey, not until after I'm done school...

I'm also really pleased to hear all the feedback from the shows. It would seem that people like the paintings and really like the idea. So, hopefully it will inspire some others do try something in their own life that will benefit others. Every little bit counts!

Anyway... tonight I did paint... I had done a few doodles over the weekend and I selected a pair of owls as tonight's painting. It is on a 5x7 board and I left a bit of a margin for framing. That's one thing I've sort of learned from this project, it's that I can't really paint all the way to the edge of the boards and expect the whole image to show up once framed! As for tonight, I called it, at Chris's suggestion, "I Hoo". I should mention the owls are getting married! So, instead of I Do, it's I Hoo. I thought it was cute. :)

I have many bird paintings planned, and some interesting designs. I think the next few weeks should be pretty interesting! As of tonight I have 324 paintings!! Mind you, I've sold around fifty, so here's hoping that keeps up. Anyone with a Secret Santa gift at work? Why not do some 'ethical giving'? :)

Hope everyone had as enjoyable weekend as I did! Happy Monday...

WOW!!

Holy page views, Batman! I can't believe the number jumps in the past twenty four hours!! It's incredible! Up over 6600!!

Today was great... lots of people came by my table this morning and it's always nice to get a chance to chat with people about this project. Some said they had heard me on CBC radio, others complimented the idea and the paintings, some snacked on the fudge, and all in all it was a great opportunity to share with people the idea that we can do something to help people! I also got to chat with my table neighbours... one of whom has a very cool company called "Balian's Sock Drawer". I couldn't help myself... had to buy some puppets for the kids! In a way I was in craft show hell... jewelry on one side, uber cute button and sock stuff on the other, and baked goods directly across. Oh my... it's a wonder I got through the day without emptying my wallet!! Everyone was lovely and it's nice to get to meet new people. I hope I get to stay in touch with all the amazing people I've met! I did sell eleven paintings, and Trina & Jessie sold three. I have two on reserve now as well... so we're doing pretty well at raising money for the kids! I'm very excited. Still haven't moved as many paintings as I'd have liked, but we're getting there. :) Thanks to everyone who bought a painting or tucked some money in the Children's Wish donation box!! Just remember, you've all made a very big difference!

So, tonight's painting is a combination of things... I did a green leafy background yesterday while filming for Eastlink, but it was too wet to paint on yesterday. Today, a lady asked if I had any ladybug paintings as she really likes them. I do have one, but I guess it went to Porter's Lake. So, looking at the leaves tonight I thought, why not? I called it "Little Ladies"! I doubt she'll be back again tomorrow, but I wanted her to know that she inspired tonight's painting!

I'm going to update the catalogue, but not until the end of the craft show. Pretty exciting!

For now, I'm going to sleep!! Good night everyone and I hope you had as good a day as I did!!

46 Weeks... Only 6 To Go!

Home stretch here we come!! I can hardly believe it!

Just want to say a quick hello to our new follower, bringing the total up to 17 :) Also, a thank you to the Eastlink TV ladies who came to our house today to do some filming and chat about this project. A big thank you to Chris for braving the whole tv interview thing... and a quick shout out to my little guy for being so good the whole time and for his super cute smile. He may or may not be on tv, we'll have to see. But he was a good sport for sure! And a huge thank you to Olga Milosevich... click HERE to hear the CBC interview!

Ok... now on to a quick recap of the day... we had professional day at school today... no hoodie and jeans for me... I even *gasp* wore some make up. I am most definitely a comfort over style kind of girl... but I think I pulled off my professional look ok. :) I even met a dentist who said she would hire me (if she was actually doing any hiring)... that was a very nice boost to my confidence! Met lots of nice people actually, and the presentations were informative. Otherwise, went for coffee with a friend, picked up my little girl from daycare, then Chris from work, and home we went to frantically tidy our toy strewn living room in prep for the Eastlink TV ladies. They came around 4:30 to do some filming and a short interview. My very awesome and wonderful friend Trina popped by around 5 to pick up the stuff for the Porter's Lake Community Centre Craft Show... she is SO good to do that!!! And then after I finally got to eat supper I made the fudge I meant to make earlier and got on to painting. For the filming I had started a green leafy background that I had every intention of using tonight, but the paint still wasn't dry when I got downstairs... so I did an Angry Bird inspired birdie that I called "Grumpy Gus". Thanks to our teacher for the inspiration!! Apparently her son is addicted to Angry Birds... I've never tried it... maybe I should. :) So that brings us up to here... bed beckons, an early day tomorrow. I'm loading in to Cole Harbour Place first thing in the morning and the craft show opens at 10. Hope to see some local people there! My parents are coming too!! I am taking pretty much every painting I have in the house save the ones I sent off with Trina. So, chances are good that I'll have what you're looking for!

And now that's enough out of me... did I mention I actually fell asleep while painting tonight? Black smudges are no good! Here are the pictures of the week's work... Enjoy!! And go check out that interview!

November 12 - Newlywed

November 13 - Online Dating

November 14 - Love Birds

November 15 - Twilight in the Trees

November 16 - Blue Birds

November 17 - Playtime

November 18 - Grumpy Gus

On CBC Again!!

Olga Milosevich called me today just as I was pulling out of my space in the school's parking lot. Of course I pulled over and took the call... it's Olga. :) So, she was letting me know that the shorter version of the interview was going on the air in the next five minutes! Immediately, I turned on the radio and listened for it. :) It is so weird to hear my own voice on the radio!! It was pretty great though... to know that quite likely lots of people would be tuned in on their drive home, or at work, and they'd hear about my project. Yay! I can't thank her enough for the opportunity to share with her and CBC listeners. The response has been really amazing and hopefully it will just keep growing.

Speaking of responses... I received another email today from someone who had heard the interview. She had some excellent suggestions for ways I could continue or expand on this idea. I think I will explore them further... but it could be very cool! I also got to participate in a tv filming session at the school in our dental clinic. This is for "The 'fax" on Eastlink TV. Wow are my teachers super supportive!! It's the first bit of classtime I've missed so far, and while I felt guilty for missing it, and a little awkward at being filmed... it is going to be great for the project and media exposure! So, thank you to everyone involved today! Oh, and an extra bonus, I sold a painting!! Now I have to remember to bring it in to school tomorrow. I have a note written down on my portable note paper.

Portable note paper = the back of my hand

It works!

Tonight I finally finished "Playtime". It's a 5x7 canvas and it's a picture of a parent and child playing lego together. I started it awhile ago while watching my husband and son make structure after structure with the colourful blocks. Our cat was enjoying her front row seat, and I was sketching the two of them on the floor. I had made the background kind of complicated, as it was based on our den/playroom, and so I guess I got a little intimidated and had paused. Tonight though, maybe I was buoyed by the page views, or filming sesion, or listening to the spot on the radio... who knows, but I finally felt comfortable with finishing it off. I really like the way it turned out and I think Chris was pleased too. It's always nice when you hear someone say they like your art!

I may have mentioned this before, but I've never professed to be a wonderful artist... strictly amateur and for mostly mine and my family's enjoyment... but this year has been great for practicing and experimenting... and if people like something enough to buy it and so donate to a wonderful charitable organization, then who am I to argue? I love that people are on board with my choice and that everyone is so supportive. It's a great feeling!

Anyway... it's late (again, who would have thought?) and tomorrow is "Professional Day" so it might be good to not have bags under my eyes... translation: must go to bed. Good night and see you tomorrow for picture day. I believe it's week 46? Maybe 47? Hmm... guess I'd better check that! I have my notebook around here somewhere.... Well, good night anyway... :)

Another Great Day!

The past few days have been wonderful!! I'm enjoying the opportunities that have come up to share this project with more and more people... and I've been happy with the paintings too! I wonder if my mood influences my painting? :)

This morning's test went really well... so that is always a good way to start a day! After that, it was a pretty good day at school with some phone tag between myself and a local journalist who is interested in this project. Finally got a chance to properly talk this evening (sorry, I know I talk way too much!!) and hopefully we can work out the details and I'll have some more interesting and exciting news soon!

Tonight's painting is a 5x7 board and I've called it "Bluebirds" because it's a pair of birds that I've painted blue. I seem to be on a bird kick and I have absolutely no idea why! These two are the same shape as the red ones from a few nights ago... because I liked their shape so much... but they're turquoise and I changed some of the tail feathers. They're still sort of cartoony... but I like that style. I've never been much for painting real things... for that, I'd rather take a photograph. I like the more abstracted suggestion of the thing. Well, I guess you all know that from looking at the pictures!!

I'm getting pretty excited about this weekend... but a little nervous too! I left a message for the organizer of the Porter's Lake show to see what time I can start loading stuff in... but I didn't hear back. I guess if all else fails I can try to arrange to drop stuff off Friday night with my friend. I don't want to give her extra work though! She has been so wonderful to be helping me at all!! Believe me... I am VERY grateful. I think this is the kind of thing where an I.O.U. just doesn't quite cut it. Now, fudge and an I.O.U. maybe ;) We'll see... I'm sure I can return her kindness and generosity somehow. Hopefully I'll hear from the organizer tomorrow and all will be well. I know I can get into the Cole Harbour Place early enough on Saturday morning... so that's not too stressful.

My parents are going to come too!! That makes me very happy as well. I know all of our family would probably come, but we're sort of spread out around the country. It's a pretty big country too. I just want to say thanks again to everyone who has been so supportive and amazing through this process. I'm getting mushier and mushier as the end of the year draws near... so you may have to put up with a lot of thank yous... but really, if you had any idea just how much this project has come to mean to me, you'd understand.

I was asked some questions today about why I'm doing this... it has really been an evolution. I started sort of on a whim really... just a crazy idea on paper in a few minutes of brainstorming ideas for a blog/project... and now, here we are, mid-November and seeing everything come together and knowing that it really is going to help bring some positive light into life... well, I can't speak for everyone, but it's about one of the best feelings I think I've ever had. This project has made me expand what I think of as volunteering, how I feel about charitable giving, and it has given me motivation to continue with new projects in the future. Though, according to Chris I'm not allowed to think about new projects until I'm all done with school! We'll see...

Anyway... once again it's getting quite late... so goodnight and see you tomorrow!!

Awesome Day!!!

In case you're not already aware, today was the air date for the interview I did with Olga Milosevich at CBC Radio. It was a strangely surreal experience to hear my own voice on the radio! I think I did ok... :) Anyway, imagine my shock when I got home this evening and logged on to see my email and check the blog... last night I was excited to be nearing 6200 views... tonight I was over 6300!! There were about 130 page views just today! Plus... a reader heard the interview and very kindly shared her story and comment on one of the recent posts. I find that so motivating... to hear stories about real people who have benefited from Children's Wish. It makes me think that this project really can make a difference! I welcome anyone with stories to share them, either here as a comment, or send me an email: joanne.arbuthnott@yahoo.ca
Also, another person sent me an email saying she heard the interview and would like to speak to me more about it, possibly including it on a segment for television. More details as they develop...
It was a VERY exciting day!!

In painting news... I did a painting called "Twilight in the Trees". It's two swirly trees with a pink sky and green grass. Both the pink and green have a gentle fade in colour gradation, and the trees are black. I am rather fond of it... I think it looks pretty neat. The title is probably inspired by my friend who I gave a ride home to... she is very excited about the new Twilight movie coming out. Me... well, I'll wait for it to be on video, but the word 'twilight' is pretty and evocative, so it ended up coming out in tonight's painting. It is also a 5x7 board.

In school type news, I passed my evaluations today!! Yay! And... I have another test tomorrow... so I really ought to be in bed already, but I couldn't help sharing my news with you all. It's exciting times and I want to thank everyone for their help and support. I think this project is changing my life... and I hope it can spread some happy in the world!

So... good night... and thank you!

Australia!!

That's the second country starting with the letter A in the past few days. Very cool!

Tonight I finished "Love Birds", a 5x7 board with two cute little birdies sitting on a branch. I like it!

Chris really likes last night's painting too... so maybe I'm on a good roll here. :) Getting all set for the weekend's craft show bonanza... two craft shows for two days each. No... I'm not cloning myself... two wonderful friends are going to do the Porter's Lake show for me... I'm making them fudge! One of my friends and classmates is going to come with me to the Cole Harbour show... she will also get to eat fudge. :) I think it's good to have two people just so you can take a break from time to time... walk around and stretch, look at what else is out there, and maybe just maybe, get a snack. So... thank you to all three of you wonderful ladies!! I can't thank you enough for taking your weekend and helping this project out. It means a whole lot.

Tomorrow is evaluation day again... here's hoping things go well!! I've practiced, watched the videos over and over, and read my manual a few times. Still nervous! Ah well, what's the worst that happens? I'll have to try again. I guess that's not so bad. Not a bad way to look at a lot of life really... if you don't try something you absolutely will not succeed. If you try, you might fail, but you might just succeed too. Might as well keep your options open!

So... good night everyone around the world... or good morning depending on your time zone. Tune in to CBC tomorrow morning at 6:20am our time... or check the Arts website (link coming) to listen at your leisure. I'm SOOOO excited!!! Ok... going to bed now. :)

Another Country On The Map!!

Hello Azerbaijan... which looks like it's somewhere near India (hello to you too!). It's so exciting to see new readers popping up on the map! It also prompts me to do a little self-directed geography lesson... I love to find out about different places in the world and this gets me to learn new things. So, thanks for coming and seeing the blog!

I had a productive painting day today... finished one, a 5x7 board called "Online Dating" and started another one I'm calling "Love Birds". I haven't gotten very far with that one, but I wanted to use up some of the leftover paint from tonight! Then it started to get late and I figured I'd better get to bed. You know, sleep is sort of useful.

Is anyone else moderately disturbed by all of the Christmas stuff in the shops and on people's houses and lawns? Already?? We went for a little family walk this morning and one of our neighbours has Christmas decorations up. His neighbour still has pumpkins on his porch. Very weird. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. It's one of my favourite times of the year. I even like Christmas shopping... to a certain extent. I do NOT like the overcommercialization of it though. Having Christmas stuff out in stores before Hallowe'en is even over seems a bit too much like rushing life. Slooooow down people! December 1st is a perfectly acceptable time to put out the Christmas kitsch. Any earlier and people get sick of all the holiday trimmings a few weeks before the 24th! Anyway... that's my little rant... I think we should stop rushing through holidays and retail opportunities and get back to what it should be about... and in a more relaxing timeline. I'm hoping to make presents for most people this year... though if I don't sell many paintings guess what you'll all be getting! (No, I'm not at all freaking out about that... ha ha... nope, not me... uh-uh)

On that note, I'm going to re-inject the happy by saying that I'm very pleased with the painting I did tonight, the one I'll have for tomorrow, and the other idea that I'm going to use later this week. So... all in all, it'll be a good painting week I think! Good night... and Happy Monday (in half an hour)!

First Craft Show!!

Thanks to my friends who dropped by to see me, and buy some paintings. You guys are great and I really enjoyed the company. A very adorable little girl around my son's age gave me a sticker after I gave her one of the Children's Wish ones. I wore it on my hand all day... hurt a bit to take it off, but it was so worth it!

Overall the craft show was a good time. I sold four paintings and raised $100. I think I've learned a few things for next weekend!! I did take some pictures with my phone, and there was a photographer from Snap there, though he didn't get my name so I'm going to assume we won't appear in the paper. I used to volunteer for Snap and we always got names. Got to chat with some lovely ladies around me and was sorely tempted to buy slippers and pjs for Gavin, and and and. I did succumb to a very cute little crocheted duck as it was an exceptionally good price! I was quite chilly... the gym had a door directly to the outside, and there wasn't any heat on, so it did make for a somewhat uncomfortable time temperature wise... but I won't complain too much as I was happy to be there! Plus, I got asked back for next year so that's pretty flattering. :) Lots of compliments on the vivid colours and the cute little animals, and lots of people took the cards Chris made with the blog address on it, so who knows? Maybe some more people will want to make an offer on a painting.

Tonight we went on a date to do some Christmas shopping without the little ones in tow. By the time we got home a little after ten, I so didn't want to paint! By that point I thought, I've seen enough paint today... but then I must have gotten a second wind because I did do one. I went with a suggestion/request one of the other vendors had today. I enlarged a painting I did around the time of my brother-in-law's wedding and made the background a bit more interesting. I really like the way it turned out! I haven't named it yet because I fell asleep shortly after I finished painting. Chris was watching the latest Rocky movie and I pretty much conked out. Probably should have gone to bed... but stayed sleeping on the couch. Now it's almost 1:30am and I do not know how my eyes are still open, nevertheless fingers typing! So... I will update the catalogue tomorrow and name today's painting, and all will be good. :) Hmm... I guess I will do those things 'today'... just after I've  had some sleep!

Goodnight!

45 Weeks!

Craft Show tomorrow!!! Special thanks to my husband, Chris, who did an amazing amount of work helping me get ready for the craft shows. Cannot thank him enough! I'd be going out of my mind right now without his help!!

Hmm... that implies I'm not going out of my mind... may have to rethink that. ;)

Oh, and a quick update... the CBC interview will now be aired on Tuesday morning at 6:20am on Information Morning, and on Main Street in the latter half of the week. If you don't catch it, it will be on the arts website soon. I will post a link when it's up there.

Here are the pictures for this week... tonight's is thematically appropriate I think. Enjoy.

November 5 - Critters

November 6 - Stress!

November 7 - Glee

November 8 - Light & Loss

November 9 - Little Miss

November 10 - Bridge

November 11 - Row on Row

Observation Day

Today was not a school day in the sense of being on campus in the class or the clinic/lab. Today we had a "study day" and it was intended for us to go out into the community and spend an observation day at a dental practice. I was very fortunate that my dentist allowed me to come to his practice today. Without getting too gushy, let's just say that I was so impressed with my dentist and his team that even after we moved from Halifax over to Dartmouth we decided to remain patients with his practice rather than find a dentist closer to home. I think it's worth the drive! So... I was pretty excited to get the opportunity to spend some time with the team. I also really like the dental assistant there. She's great. In fact, she's part of the reason I wanted to do dental assisting. I had a bit of a hard time with my wisdom teeth extraction and she helped me stay (relatively) calm and I think in general the whole experience was easier because of her. She also made me feel better afterwards when I felt like a dolt for weeping (it wasn't crying so much as eyes leaking due to stress). So... I figured, why not try to do the same for some other people? Plus... teeth are cool. Anyway... I had a great day today so thanks to all of you!

I decided to paint tonight's painting to reflect my experience today. I borrowed the office logo and painted "Bridge". I hope they won't mind! I really like the way it turned out. It's a 5x7 board.

In other news... craft shows are approaching!! I'll be at the Kris Kringle Pancake Breakfast & Christmas Craft Show at the North Woodside Community Centre this Saturday from 9am to 2pm. Many many thanks to Chris for helping me get ready for this show! I honestly do not know what I'd do without that man! So, if you're local, come by and check things out. And hey... there are pancakes! I'm a waffle girl myself, but whatever floats your breakfast boat. ;)

So... here we are... almost to the end of the 45th week, craft shows are starting, the CBC interview airs next week, and I'm getting very excited! This is definitely the time to start sharing this blog with everyone so we can raise lots of money for the Children's Wish Foundation. Wouldn't a painting make a great Christmas present? Especially when you can tell the recipient that the money raised from the sale is going to such a worthwhile cause? It's like two gifts in one!

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day... so take a moment and reflect and say thank you... Good night.

Back On Track!

I painted two paintings tonight... seems I manage to catch up pretty quickly. Wish there wasn't a need to 'catch up' but that's life. I worry there may be more of these days in my future! I think the final five weeks of term are going to be even crazier than the first five! We shall see....

I'm going on my observation day tomorrow... very excited... I even made some fudge tonight to take with me. Yes, I am fully aware of the irony. :)

The kids are both fine... no more throwing up or any signs of illness so all is well. I did put my daughter down a bit early today. She just seemed tired. Who doesn't need a little extra sleep from time to time?

Anyway... to the paintings. Last night's is called "Light & Loss" and is a 4x4 (I think) canvas. It's a single candle that was blown out. Tonight's is called "Little Miss" and it's just a fun little cartoon with googly eyes and pigtails. Sort of a nod to the Little Miss books. I like those... they're fun.

And now, I'm going to sleep... up early again tomorrow. Here's hoping the traffic isn't as bad as it was this morning! I so do NOT want to be late!! Good night!

Good Grief!

I fell asleep studying. Again. What is wrong with me?? I swear I put my head down for a second just to take a moment... and looked up twenty minutes later. Ugh. I don't know what else I can possibly do!

Oh... yeah, test tomorrow... so the added bonus to falling asleep is that I ran out of time to paint. :( No good. There is an upside to Friday being a day of remembrance (and therefore no work/school) is that along with honouring the veterans I will have some extra time to catch up if I haven't already done so. Perhaps I'll do a poppy painting that day.

I have had the weirdest day... I was all set to study and do homework all day and a gigantic wrench got tossed into my plans. My sweet little girl threw up at daycare at 9am. She hardly ever does that! She's not sick... at least not as far as I can tell... the only thing I can think of is she didn't chew her breakfast well enough and had an overload of yogurt (some at home, some at morning snack). Anyway... had to quickly pack everything up, save my paper and email it to myself at home (can't open it unfortunately) and then zip downstairs to pick her up. She, of course, was happily playing as though nothing was wrong. Still... policy is policy and away we went. Imagine me wrapped up in a strange little bundle of concern, relief, frustration, and annoyance. It was a very weird mix! We ended up going to do a little Christmas shopping (unsuccessful) and then to a park to have a swing and play with the stones (and NOT eat them!) and then off to the post office to pick Chris up as he was (very luckily) done early. She fell asleep within a block or two from the house and stayed asleep through getting out of the car, coat & boots off, and laying down in the crib. Amazing. My son never did that! She slept for awhile, I got some work done, and then when she got up she polished off quite a substantial lunch. She's been vomit free so I think we're good to go for tomorrow... which is good because I have that test!

Anyway... that was my up and down and all over the place day. I didn't get as much as I'd have liked to get done... but my little girl is ok and that's the main thing!

And now... bed. Here's hoping some of what I've reviewed sticks in my brain for tomorrow...because honestly, I can't remember what any of those vitamins and minerals do... The next five and a half weeks are going to be even crazier than the first five weeks I think. Oh my! Wish me luck!! Good night!

CBC Interview Today!

That was so much fun!! Tonight I was interviewed by the lovely Olga Milosevich at CBC Radio! It'll air Monday morning on Information Morning around 6:20am, and clips will be played on Mainstreet during the week. All of it will be up on the CBC Arts website and I promise to post a link as soon as it's up. SO exciting! Thank you so much Olga for having me in to the studio to share this project. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

What a night... the slight downside was a longish commute back home... got in around 9pm. But... then there was an upside again with my lovely husband offering to make me some hot chocolate. What a sweetheart!

Then... to top it all off, I finished two paintings! One for last night called "Stress!" and one for tonight called "Glee". Hmm... can you tell my moods from my paintings? Possibly!! One of my teachers probably thinks I'm turning into a basket case! But... she is very supportive so thank you to her. Repeat after me... I will not crack under the self-imposed pressure. Sigh.

Is anyone else out there their own worst critic? I'm sure it's not just me! Ah well... we should all take a collective deep breath and think happy thoughts together. Or something like that. ;)

Anyway... it's late again... 11:30pm... and I'm going to go sleep now. Tomorrow is turning out to be a full study day as I'm not quite ready for evaluations. At least, not in terms of my paperwork. I think I could probably do the test... but it won't hurt to get more practice in first and hopefully pass on the first try!

So... good night... keep posted for the CBC link... and hey, if you want to buy a painting you can certainly do that too! See you tomorrow!

So Sleepy!!

To start things off... I just want to say I'm totally in favour of the time changes that come with Daylight Saving's Time. I don't have a problem with them... and in some ways I think it's pretty cool. I know not everyone shares my view... but we're all allowed to have our own opinions so it's fine. I do think that people who do not like it should probably lay off the excessive whining and complaining. I don't know how many times I've read negative stuff today about the time change. It's not a big deal... you'll get used to it in a day or two. Yeesh!

Secondly, and on a much more serious note... I just want to say that my thoughts are with the Kirwan family. I cannot imagine the horror they have lived through these past few weeks, and have yet to go through. I did not know Ms. Kirwan, but that does not stop me from feeling sadness at her loss and that of her family. I hope justice will be done and that they will find some peace.

Lastly, I did not paint tonight. I meant to... I was going to work some more on the painting I started last night, plus do another one tonight, but I spent the evening baking cookies and studying nutrition. Yes, I am aware of the irony. Olga, if you're reading this, get set to enjoy some 'thank you' cookies! Tomorrow is the CBC interview taping and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a teensy bit nervous! So... when I get nervous I either clean (ick) or bake (yay). Any guesses for what I chose tonight? On the upside, I got a lot of studying done and I feel much better about the test this week. Two on one day... ugh.

Thursday will be exciting... it's observation day! I get to go and observe at a dental practice!! My dentist has graciously agreed to let me come and do my observation at his practice. I love the people there so I'm very excited about it! Maybe that night I'll paint some more teeth. ;)

Anyway... I think it's about time I head to bed. It seems early by the clock, but I know it'll be a day or two until my internal clock catches on... so for now I'll take advantage of the "extra" sleep! Until tomorrow... Good night!

Post 300!

You may be wondering how it is only the 300th post when it is day 309... well, we were away for two weeks in the summer so I guess between that and the occasional update post, there you have it. :)

At any rate... it's the 300th time I have sat at my computer and written to anyone out there who pops by to see what's going on. To you all, those who have peeked, wondered, helped, and supported... thank you.

Tonight I started a rather ambitious painting... I did not finish. Partly because it's full of detail, and partly because I fell asleep. At 9:15pm. Sigh. I also fell asleep on the car ride home from visiting my parents. I'm pretty sure this isn't a good sign! I fall asleep all the time now. It's getting a little embarrassing! Half the time I'm only half-asleep... my eyes close without my permission and I can still listen to what's going on... but it's not the same. It's driving me nuts! I don't drink coffee... but I've been relying more and more on caffeine to try to perk me up during the day. That can't be good either. I even tried my first Red Bull... couldn't muscle my way through it all... it tastes... well, not my preference anyway. I guess it's good that the clocks go back an hour tonight... here's hoping for an extra hour of sleep!

Ok... that's enough whining... sorry...

As for the painting for tonight, I did do an extra one this past week. I was hoping to keep it for a night this week where I'd likely be up late studying... but I'll have to sub it in for tonight. It's called "Critters" and it's a mixed media painting. Think cute little critters with big googly eyes. I like it. :) It's on a 5x7 board.

So... help me out here... I'm going to be at some craft shows this month and I'm trying to figure out a sticker price for these paintings. I absolutely hate putting a price tag on my own work. I either feel I'm trying to charge more than my attempts are worth, or I'm charging too little and not achieving my fundraising goals. I have canvas boards that vary in size from 3x5 to 8x10 with most being either 4x6 or 5x7. I have stretched canvasses from 3x5 to 12x12. Again, most of them are around the 5x7 marker. You can see the pictures here... what would you want to pay? Please keep in mind it's for charity and that art supplies don't come cheap. I'm not so concerned about my time... the money isn't for me after all. I just want to raise the most I can and have everyone happy with what they buy and know that they've helped to support the Children's Wish Foundation. Please, if you have any suggestions I'm open to them. Leave a comment here or email me at joanne.arbuthnott@yahoo.ca

Thanks... and now I really must close my eyes. I had a good day, but now I'm exhausted. Good night.

Week 44 - A Little Late...

Sorry.. had some technical difficulties last night. Finally had to just give up. But... here are the pictures this morning! Thanks to everyone who checked in... it's nice to see you :)

Week 44... and we're into November... Enjoy!

October 29 - Frank

October 30 - Mr. O'Lantern

October 31 - Trick-or-Treat

November 1 - Tears

November 2 - Bouncy Buttons

November 3 - Pirate's Treasure

November 4 - Forest Fairy

Catching Up!

Well... another crazy day is done. I wrote a test today, checked out my teeth in a 3D stone model... very weird to see your teeth from all angles! Took Gavin to the doctor (strep... ugh) and did three paintings! Yup. Three.

So... I am now all caught up and a little ahead. I ought to enjoy this while it lasts. Last night's painting (done tonight, sorry) is called "Bouncy Buttons" and is a mixed media. Acrylic, and yup, buttons. I love buttons. They're so fun somehow. Tonight's is another 5x7 board, also using buttons, but I called it "Pirate's Treasure" because of the blue background and metallic buttons. Made me think of old coins buried at sea. I also made another one which may or may not be used tomorrow. Or as a back up for another day where I don't quite get to painting. I write two tests in one day next week, so perhaps it'll be the night before!

You'd all have a good chuckle at me... as soon as I'd finished cleaning out my brushes I tried to finish watching the movie we had on (The Incredibles... SO good). I think I fell asleep within five minutes! I woke up to the final moments and felt quite groggy. My ability to fall asleep whenever I stop moving/talking etc is astounding. I'd almost think I'm developing narcolepsy except that I think that's my tendency to hypochondria speaking! Anyway... now that the day is done I'm going to snuggle down in my bed and sleep.

So goodnight... thanks to all who visited today... we're over 6000 views and a new viewer in Taiwan. It all makes me smile!

OH.... before I forget, thank you SO much to Tina who created a poster for me. Those will be printed as soon as possible and you just might see them popping up around town. If there is anyone who would be willing to help me post them I would be very very Very grateful. Give me a shout if you think you can help: joanne.arbuthnott@yahoo.ca

Ok... now it's good night. See you tomorrow for picture day. Week 44... oh my!

A Let Down

Today was an up and down day... felt good going into the test, felt awful leaving it. Felt good seeing my little boy, felt bad that he had a fever again. Felt good about getting school stuff done, felt bad about not painting. You get the idea...

Another test tomorrow and I must do better than I did today. You ever have the feeling that things just went horribly wrong and you're not quite sure why? I studied, did the pretests, figured I was good... Oh well... maybe it's not as bad as I think. Here's hoping, right?

At any rate... it's almost eleven, I was falling asleep studying again so I think I'd best just go to sleep... in bed, not on the chair in my living room!

I think I'll be able to catch up tomorrow... happy thoughts.

G'night...zzzz.

November!!

Today is the first day of the eleventh month of the year. That means I have completed ten months of painting and have two to go. I remember the day when I had completed two months of painting and had ten to go. In a way it feels like yesterday, and in other ways it feels like years ago! It has been quite the action-packed year!

Today was a very cool day. We were doing evaluations at school for the whole day, and I'm happy to say I did pass my vitals/oxygen assessment. Phew. :) Then, this afternoon a couple of us were participants in a marketing photo shoot for the college. So much fun!! Um, I should probably mention that I'm a bit of a ham. The best part of it was that my usual partner in crime was doing the shoot too and we got to do our first impressions on real people for the shoot. SO COOL!!! Plus... since we were the only ones we had lots of help from our lovely faculty! That definitely made it less intimidating. The camera was sort of stressful, but also made it a bit surreal so it wasn't as scary. We have all been worried we'll make our partners gag on the material... but we got it done today gag-free so I think we'll be good when it comes time to do it again later.

I also had my new safety specs and they were quite the hit! One of my teachers had to ask me to start my question over because she was staring at my glasses! They're blue! And they fit SO well and I can actually SEE!! Yes, I get excited about the strangest things!

Speaking of exciting... Russian views eclipsed Canadian and American views today. So... здравствуйте and спасибо to Russia!

Tonight's painting is an 8x10 and was more reflective of my general mood this evening. Although I had a great day... my son is sick again... fever and all... and I'm worrying about him. I'm sure it's nothing major, just your regular daycare inflicted germies, but he's been sick on and off for months and it's heartbreaking. As a parent you just want the best for your kids and when they're sick on any level it's hard because for the most part there's not a whole lot you can do. Beyond the snuggles and the cuddles, occasional tylenol and dragging them off to the doctor again, we just have to try to cheer him up. I cannot imagine what a parent with a seriously ill child must go through. Now that is truly heartbreaking. And yet, so many are so strong and positive. It's inspiring.

The title for tonight is "Tears". Not so much mine per se, though I was quite upset earlier... but for all the shed and unshed tears. Maybe by putting them down in paint it'll ease someone's physical tears. Sort of like artistic karma/catharsis? Well, here's hoping anyway. Good thoughts are going out to the world, and hopefully some bad feelings are now dissipated through paint.

Hmm... that's very 'out there' even for me... must be a sign that it's bedtime! I do have a test tomorrow and I want to get some sleep before I go and write it. Here's hoping I've done enough prep!! Have a great evening and see you tomorrow!