It's twenty to eleven... I'm not done packing... and I haven't so much as looked at a paintbrush. Sigh.
I promise to get all caught up when we get back. Life has officially intervened!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Midnight Madness
I'm starting to think that sleep is just not in the cards this year. :) Who needs sleep anyway? Pshaw.
Tonight's painting is a big vase of daisies... but sort of wrapped around the canvas. It's hard to explain, and even harder a few minutes before midnight. I sure do love daisies though. :) It's a 5x5 canvas and I've called it "Husband & Wife" for reasons I'll explain later. Ooooh a mystery. You'll just have to keep reading to see what that's all about!
I'll keep my usual babble to a minimum tonight. The words are swimming around on the screen and I keep having to go back and fix my typos! See you tomorrow night... zzzzZZZZzzzzZZZ!
Tonight's painting is a big vase of daisies... but sort of wrapped around the canvas. It's hard to explain, and even harder a few minutes before midnight. I sure do love daisies though. :) It's a 5x5 canvas and I've called it "Husband & Wife" for reasons I'll explain later. Ooooh a mystery. You'll just have to keep reading to see what that's all about!
I'll keep my usual babble to a minimum tonight. The words are swimming around on the screen and I keep having to go back and fix my typos! See you tomorrow night... zzzzZZZZzzzzZZZ!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
On an emotional rollercoaster...
The past week or so has been hard for me for some reason. It's not really raining constantly anymore so I can't blame the weather... but I can't figure out why I can't seem to stay happy. I'll be doing just fine and then suddenly down in a funk and feeling adrift. So bizarre. Today was like that... for example, I went to the bodycombat class at the gym (possibly my last one) and was quite happy. Left feeling ok, but by the time I got to the grocery store (in the same plaza) I was feeling all melancholy again. So strange... to be happy one minute and sad the next with no discernible reason? Just plain weird. Here's hoping the upcoming trip will jolt me out of my up and down blues. It's hard to be unhappy when visiting family. :)
I decided to call last night's painting "Spring Puddles"... just in case anyone was curious. Tonight I did a 4x5 painting that I'm calling "Winter Package" because it sort of reminds me of a birthday present with ribbons on it, but has cool colours and a base of white that I hope will keep the brushstroke textures. It made me think of a blanket of snow and I allowed some of the white to come through the ribbons.
I'm still foolishly reading articles on the CBC website... which wouldn't be so bad if I stopped at the end of the article. But... I keep looking at the comment section and becoming enraged and sickened at the sheer nastiness of so many of the people leaving comments. It's disgraceful. I don't know why people feel the need to spill their vitriol over the internet. My mom always said (and still does) "If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I think that is a wonderful sentiment and we'd all do a lot better in life if we followed it. That and the golden rule... treat others the way you'd like to be treated. I figure that's a pretty good umbrella for all of life and if you aim for that then you should be doing ok. No one is perfect... but we can try our best. I would think that translates to not spewing out viciousness for no real reason. None of those comments is going to have a direct result on the postal situation... it's just hostility and nastiness in a world where quite enough of that already exists. No need to add more thanks.
So... on that note, here's a fun happy note... we've found a few schools that might be a good fit for our son. We'd like him to start school next year since the boy is already reading quite well and I think it would be good for him to have more opportunities than just daycare can provide. We were on the bus today and he was reading newspaper headlines. I tried to pick out the most neutral or positive ones... none of the ones about shootings or bombs! Not sure I want to try to explain that to my son just yet. Unfortunately, these schools are not in the public system, who absolutely refuse to consider taking him early, and who apparently do not offer any sort of gifted program. I know I sound just like all the other parents who think their child is mega smart and special... but I want to do the best for him and I think this is it. So, yay for reading and hopefully we find a good school and most importantly, that he is happy. I asked him today how he feels about reading and he said it makes him happy. That makes me happy too! Kind of pushes all that negativity back into the shadows. :)
I'm going to quit babbling now... went on quite the little rant there didn't I? Whoops. Oh well... it'll be interesting reading later when I revisit my year of painting A Canvas A Day. Good night all!
I decided to call last night's painting "Spring Puddles"... just in case anyone was curious. Tonight I did a 4x5 painting that I'm calling "Winter Package" because it sort of reminds me of a birthday present with ribbons on it, but has cool colours and a base of white that I hope will keep the brushstroke textures. It made me think of a blanket of snow and I allowed some of the white to come through the ribbons.
I'm still foolishly reading articles on the CBC website... which wouldn't be so bad if I stopped at the end of the article. But... I keep looking at the comment section and becoming enraged and sickened at the sheer nastiness of so many of the people leaving comments. It's disgraceful. I don't know why people feel the need to spill their vitriol over the internet. My mom always said (and still does) "If you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I think that is a wonderful sentiment and we'd all do a lot better in life if we followed it. That and the golden rule... treat others the way you'd like to be treated. I figure that's a pretty good umbrella for all of life and if you aim for that then you should be doing ok. No one is perfect... but we can try our best. I would think that translates to not spewing out viciousness for no real reason. None of those comments is going to have a direct result on the postal situation... it's just hostility and nastiness in a world where quite enough of that already exists. No need to add more thanks.
So... on that note, here's a fun happy note... we've found a few schools that might be a good fit for our son. We'd like him to start school next year since the boy is already reading quite well and I think it would be good for him to have more opportunities than just daycare can provide. We were on the bus today and he was reading newspaper headlines. I tried to pick out the most neutral or positive ones... none of the ones about shootings or bombs! Not sure I want to try to explain that to my son just yet. Unfortunately, these schools are not in the public system, who absolutely refuse to consider taking him early, and who apparently do not offer any sort of gifted program. I know I sound just like all the other parents who think their child is mega smart and special... but I want to do the best for him and I think this is it. So, yay for reading and hopefully we find a good school and most importantly, that he is happy. I asked him today how he feels about reading and he said it makes him happy. That makes me happy too! Kind of pushes all that negativity back into the shadows. :)
I'm going to quit babbling now... went on quite the little rant there didn't I? Whoops. Oh well... it'll be interesting reading later when I revisit my year of painting A Canvas A Day. Good night all!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Much Better Monday
Aaaah... no distressing phone calls, no trips to the ER, no neighbours/friends to inconvenience (though the ones I asked for help last week are amazing and wonderful)... what an improvement over last week!
Instead, today, we went for a walk, had lunch, kids had good naps, I went shopping for some car toys (didn't find anything), had a playdate with the Hohns, had veggie chili for supper, put the kids to bed (my son took awhile mind you) then dyed my hair "light auburn", wrote my father-in-law an email, tidied the daylights out of my room, painted tonight's painting and got some inroads done on the wedding themed series, and basically had a pretty good day. Sure, there's lots more I could have done, and probably should have done... but there are only 24 hours in a day, and only half an hour left to this one. So.
Tonight's painting has a mixture of blues for the background. I used a hefty amount of paint and a knife to sort of smooth it all out and then create some interesting layers. Then I spattered sandstone, green, white, and a lighter blue over all of it. Chris said the background reminded him of a pond. I was thinking of a sky or a puddle... and the spatter is supposed to be rain... either falling or landing depending on your perspective. Maybe that's a glass half full/empty debate. :) I haven't named it yet... it was getting late and I couldn't think of anything. I will though. You know, before Friday. I haven't had any suggestions yet for last week's painting that is untitled. Hoping to get some in. :)
OH.... and before I forget... Malaysia is now on the map! That was a very pleasant surprise. So, hello out there! Thanks to everyone for reading. :) Have a great night and see you tomorrow!
Instead, today, we went for a walk, had lunch, kids had good naps, I went shopping for some car toys (didn't find anything), had a playdate with the Hohns, had veggie chili for supper, put the kids to bed (my son took awhile mind you) then dyed my hair "light auburn", wrote my father-in-law an email, tidied the daylights out of my room, painted tonight's painting and got some inroads done on the wedding themed series, and basically had a pretty good day. Sure, there's lots more I could have done, and probably should have done... but there are only 24 hours in a day, and only half an hour left to this one. So.
Tonight's painting has a mixture of blues for the background. I used a hefty amount of paint and a knife to sort of smooth it all out and then create some interesting layers. Then I spattered sandstone, green, white, and a lighter blue over all of it. Chris said the background reminded him of a pond. I was thinking of a sky or a puddle... and the spatter is supposed to be rain... either falling or landing depending on your perspective. Maybe that's a glass half full/empty debate. :) I haven't named it yet... it was getting late and I couldn't think of anything. I will though. You know, before Friday. I haven't had any suggestions yet for last week's painting that is untitled. Hoping to get some in. :)
OH.... and before I forget... Malaysia is now on the map! That was a very pleasant surprise. So, hello out there! Thanks to everyone for reading. :) Have a great night and see you tomorrow!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
To all the fathers out there who have earned the title "Dad"... I wish you a very happy Father's Day. To my Dad, my Father-in-Law, and especially to my husband, Chris, you have all earned that title a million times over and I am lucky to have all of you in my life. Thank you.
Another thing that makes me super happy.... Russia is lit up on the map again! Hello Russia!! I used to know a few words in Russian thanks to a very lovely Russian lady, but I've no idea how to spell them. Maybe I can find the ones I know and cut and paste the Russian. Even though I don't know many words, I can say hello at any rate... Привет.
Tonight's painting is similar to "Raindrop" and I've continued with the nature theme in the title. I've called it "Tornado" because of the shape and the colour. Apparently the sky can turn green before a big storm. Chris suggested doing a series and I'm thinking about it. Some feedback would be great to see if people like them enough to paint more like them. So... maybe let me know?
I didn't get around to finishing up one of the paintings for while we're away... so I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me this week. We've got to do the rest of our trip preparation... mostly ready to go, but you know there are always last minute things that we forget about. Here's hoping I've got my ducks in a row! For now... off to sleep. Chris will be up bright and early for another stint on the picket line so I should turn off the light and let him sleep. Good night everyone... and one of my favourite Russian phrases, because it just sounds nice and is fun to say, До свидания!
Another thing that makes me super happy.... Russia is lit up on the map again! Hello Russia!! I used to know a few words in Russian thanks to a very lovely Russian lady, but I've no idea how to spell them. Maybe I can find the ones I know and cut and paste the Russian. Even though I don't know many words, I can say hello at any rate... Привет.
Tonight's painting is similar to "Raindrop" and I've continued with the nature theme in the title. I've called it "Tornado" because of the shape and the colour. Apparently the sky can turn green before a big storm. Chris suggested doing a series and I'm thinking about it. Some feedback would be great to see if people like them enough to paint more like them. So... maybe let me know?
I didn't get around to finishing up one of the paintings for while we're away... so I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me this week. We've got to do the rest of our trip preparation... mostly ready to go, but you know there are always last minute things that we forget about. Here's hoping I've got my ducks in a row! For now... off to sleep. Chris will be up bright and early for another stint on the picket line so I should turn off the light and let him sleep. Good night everyone... and one of my favourite Russian phrases, because it just sounds nice and is fun to say, До свидания!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Start of a New Week
I really like Saturdays for a few reasons. One, my husband is home and we get to have fun as a family all day long. Two, I start a new week of paintings... and hopefully I have a good idea or two. Three, we are often quite productive.
Today was a good Saturday. We were going to go to a friend's yard sale as they are moving again. They came here from Germany about a year ago, and are now off to Sweden. I think it's sometimes hard to see the silver lining when big changes come and they're not of your choosing, but if you can find the good in the adventure then it can be very rewarding. I think they are going to make friends and have a good time there. It'll be hard at first, but they are such nice, warm, caring people I think they'll make friends anywhere life takes them. Anyway... we were going to their yard sale and so decided to hit a few others on the way. We found some great stuff for cheap and packed our car so full Chris had to walk home carrying a shelf. We did have our largest stroller in the car, so it's not like we bought an insane amount of stuff. :) I did have an unfortunate incident with our roof rack. I was putting my daughter in her car seat when I stood up and turned a bit to check on my son. Smash. My poor nose went right into the roof rack. I saw white, doubled over in tears and it took a few minutes for me to pull it together. I felt like it must be bleeding... it wasn't. It still hurts at 11pm and I did it mid-morning! Well, at least now, if I wasn't before, I'm very aware of exactly where the roof rack is! This afternoon the kids had a short nap (should have been longer, but what can you do?). Then we went to a potluck going away party for the same friends. That was quite a lot of fun... even though we didn't know many of the people there. We had to get going earlier than we would have liked as the wee girl was fading fast and tired baby is no fun in a crowded space. Both kids dropped off to sleep quite fast once they were in bed. Oh my gosh... almost forgot the toilet! This makes sense I promise. Our friend Josh brought by a toilet that he had replaced in his place so that we could use it in our bathroom. Our old toilet had a big crack/hole in the bowl. It didn't leak or anything, but it was ugly and we probably should have replaced it by now. However... So, he came by and did the switch with Chris watching his every move for pointers. It did leak a little later on, but Chris, feeling confident in his handyman abilities, did some magic and now it doesn't leak. The super nice part of this is that Josh was willing to come back and try to fix it. So nice of him!
I don't know how we got so lucky in life... but we really truly are.
So, tonight's attempt to pay it forward... I did a little water creature, kind of like a goblin/fairy thingy coming up out of the water. That's not the best description... especially since every attempt at the water was a fail. Not an epic fail, but a fail nonetheless. So, it's pretty plain in the background and I focused on trying to contour the face and hands. I like it... I called it "Trapped". It's a 5x5 canvas.
So... Chris is off to join the picket line in the morning... won't be cooking him his Father's Day breakfast... but will maybe plan a little something else for him for when he gets home. Will see what kind of mood the kids are in. :) Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband, to my amazing Dad, and to all the dads out there in the world.
Today was a good Saturday. We were going to go to a friend's yard sale as they are moving again. They came here from Germany about a year ago, and are now off to Sweden. I think it's sometimes hard to see the silver lining when big changes come and they're not of your choosing, but if you can find the good in the adventure then it can be very rewarding. I think they are going to make friends and have a good time there. It'll be hard at first, but they are such nice, warm, caring people I think they'll make friends anywhere life takes them. Anyway... we were going to their yard sale and so decided to hit a few others on the way. We found some great stuff for cheap and packed our car so full Chris had to walk home carrying a shelf. We did have our largest stroller in the car, so it's not like we bought an insane amount of stuff. :) I did have an unfortunate incident with our roof rack. I was putting my daughter in her car seat when I stood up and turned a bit to check on my son. Smash. My poor nose went right into the roof rack. I saw white, doubled over in tears and it took a few minutes for me to pull it together. I felt like it must be bleeding... it wasn't. It still hurts at 11pm and I did it mid-morning! Well, at least now, if I wasn't before, I'm very aware of exactly where the roof rack is! This afternoon the kids had a short nap (should have been longer, but what can you do?). Then we went to a potluck going away party for the same friends. That was quite a lot of fun... even though we didn't know many of the people there. We had to get going earlier than we would have liked as the wee girl was fading fast and tired baby is no fun in a crowded space. Both kids dropped off to sleep quite fast once they were in bed. Oh my gosh... almost forgot the toilet! This makes sense I promise. Our friend Josh brought by a toilet that he had replaced in his place so that we could use it in our bathroom. Our old toilet had a big crack/hole in the bowl. It didn't leak or anything, but it was ugly and we probably should have replaced it by now. However... So, he came by and did the switch with Chris watching his every move for pointers. It did leak a little later on, but Chris, feeling confident in his handyman abilities, did some magic and now it doesn't leak. The super nice part of this is that Josh was willing to come back and try to fix it. So nice of him!
I don't know how we got so lucky in life... but we really truly are.
So, tonight's attempt to pay it forward... I did a little water creature, kind of like a goblin/fairy thingy coming up out of the water. That's not the best description... especially since every attempt at the water was a fail. Not an epic fail, but a fail nonetheless. So, it's pretty plain in the background and I focused on trying to contour the face and hands. I like it... I called it "Trapped". It's a 5x5 canvas.
So... Chris is off to join the picket line in the morning... won't be cooking him his Father's Day breakfast... but will maybe plan a little something else for him for when he gets home. Will see what kind of mood the kids are in. :) Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband, to my amazing Dad, and to all the dads out there in the world.
Friday, June 17, 2011
24 Weeks of Painting!
Oh I am so late tonight... um, I mean this morning... yeah oops. We had guests over this evening and had a wonderful time, so I was a little late starting to edit the pictures and do this post. Then I had to peek at some of the pictures we took of the kids today. Sigh... love love love. :)
Anyway... tonight's painting is called "Umbrella Tree" and it's a 5x7 board. I won't get into a lot of chat tonight because, believe me it's bedtime. Here are the pictures and their links. :)
Oh, just a reminder... taking suggestions for June 14th's painting. :)
Anyway... tonight's painting is called "Umbrella Tree" and it's a 5x7 board. I won't get into a lot of chat tonight because, believe me it's bedtime. Here are the pictures and their links. :)
Oh, just a reminder... taking suggestions for June 14th's painting. :)
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| June 11 - Dusk |
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| June 12 - Uranus |
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| June 13 - ...No Evil |
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| June 14 - Untitled... make a suggestion! |
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| June 15 - Raindrop |
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| June 16 - Monarch |
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| June 17 - Umbrella Tree |
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