Saturday, November 30, 2013

Slumming It...Monopoly Style

We played Monopoly last night.  I have to say, I'm not a fan of the game.  It's funny, I have fond memories of playing it as a kid, but I mostly remember winning.  You know, against my baby brother who likely wasn't nearly as savvy as I, and against my parents who probably threw the game to get out of playing it for hours and hours. 

So now I was the parent playing.  I knew how it'd likely go.  One person would win and the rest would go down in financial ruin.  So, rather than approach the game as I did as a kid, full of dreams of becoming a slumlord as my opponents died slowly, I decided that my goal would be to lose, and to lose quickly.  That way I could get back to painting something happy.

Well, the game started out just like always, everyone getting a rainbow of properties with no one (except me, of course) getting a monopoly.  Then the big property trade/swap meet began....and then monopolies were had.  Dave and the little guy were cash rich, so they, I kid you not, jumped straight to purchasing hotels, which now that I think about it, cannot be done all in one turn, right?  Anyway, I rolled, crossed my fingers and toes, hoping to land on one of their big, red multi-family abodes...and I missed them.  Repeatedly!  My plan was falling apart!

Dave was not so "lucky" and he lost his shirt to the little guy...my sweet little guy who was now utterly and completely embodying every stereotype of a slumlord, down to the maniacal laugh.  And then I landed on his property.  And that was the end.  And I was so, so happy.

And I got my sweet little kid back.  Whew!

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Friday, November 29, 2013

Hugs-n-Kisses

I've had to get the kids up "early" yesterday and today for lovely Thanksgiving gatherings.  As it turns out, waking up is a lengthy process involving much falling asleep at varying intervals in different places.  But what's awesome about my sleepy children is that they are very willing recipients of many hugs and kisses.  A fact that I'd somehow managed to forget until my big guy whispered something as I was giving him a little shakey-shake to stir him.


Big guy:  "Hug."


Oh, yeah, I'm on it!  XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO!!!

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Feeling Thankful

Feeling ever so thankful today...


for my family

for my friends

for my critters


and for all of you taking the time to read what I ramble on about and check out what I draw and paint on a daily basis.


Thank you for being a part of my bliss!

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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Consequences of Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry reared its ugly head today.  And I was with only one of my children.

I was in a dressing room at a store trying on some skinny jeans.  These weren't the run of the mill skinny jeans, these were the skinny jeans.  I pulled them off the hanger feeling quite self-assured and optimistic.  I pulled the left leg on, then the right.  Only the right just barely made it over my heel.  Now I don't have an abnormally enlarged right heel, for some reason that's exactly where they decided to place the big plastic security thingie.  I pulled the pants up to my waist...well, almost...and it became perfectly clear that those jeans were not meant to be worn by the likes of me.

So the process went in reverse.  All was fine until it was time for that right heel.  I was STUCK!  I got my phone out, considered calling my big guy who was actually the reason we were at the store, decided against it, and gave it one more HUGE tug. Success.


On the way home....

Me:  "You don't wear skinny jeans, eh?"

Big guy:  "No."

Me:  "I tried some on when we were there and I couldn't get them off.  I almost called you for help."

Big guy:  "I wouldn't have helped you."

Me:  "You wouldn't have helped me?"

Big guy:  "You would've eventually figured it out."

Me:  "Gee."

Big guy:  "Maybe I would've helped you if you didn't always side with my brother when we're fighting."


Sibling rivalry rearing its ugly head.  I love those guys of mine!

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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

He's Driven by My Distraction

My husband is right.  He's funny...downright hilarious.  OK, so admittedly I was pretty darn distracted with something all afternoon and into the evening.  I was nose to the grindstone and paying everyone else no mind.

So after some gentle nagging to stop, I tore myself away from my task and joined the family.


Me:  "OK, but now I need you guys to do something funny so I can blog right quick."

Dave:  "I am funny, you just haven't been paying attention."


So I did a little rewind in my brain.  And yes, the dude is correct.  Here's what my delightful husband was up to whilst I was"away."

• Dave danced for the dogs.  Yes, for them, not with them.  And they were scared!

• Dave poked and prodded me in a super flirtatious, not at all annoying, way.

• Dave approached me with random "What are you doing?" "What's that?!?!"

• And then he offered me a piece of meaty pizza.

...which meant he was willing to try anything to get my attention.  And that he's really, really funny...even funnier than he thinks he is.


If we're thinking of being thankful, my guy is at the top of my list.

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Monday, November 25, 2013

Missing one of Life's Little Pleasures

Life is filled with a myriad of wonderful things, big and small.  You know, like the sun setting, or a flock of birds taking off in unison and swooping overhead.  Stuff like that.  I get my fill, I really do.

...but I've noticed lately that I am missing one of my small simple pleasures.  Something used to avail itself about once a month, perhaps more, sometimes at home, sometimes not.  I'm missing bubble wrap.  I've said it.  Yes, this ridiculously over-the-top veggie eating, recycling junky of a chick misses one of the most wasteful things out there...bubble wrap.  I don't care if it's the big kind or the small kind.  I simply enjoy singling out one bubble and giving it a good hard squeeze till it emits that most satisfying sound, "POP!"

I don't know where the old bubble wrap has gone.  I'm sure it's gone the way of the dinosaur in some effort to save trees, which is awesome, of course.  From what I can tell it's been replaced by big bags of air (not nearly so satisfying to pop) or this weird deceptive bubblish wrap that lets you squeeze one cell...but the air just moves to another, denying the squeezer of the pleasurable "POP!"

Sigh....

OK, complaint registered.

Now accepting donations of vintage bubble wrap.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Opossum, Totem Animal

Today I completed my fourth piece for the "Dancing With Your Dreams" class I'm taking part in.  We were to paint our totem animal.  I'm utterly and completely clueless about such things, so I pondered what animal had joined me in my life from time to time...and of course for me it is the wonderful, beautiful, and most amazing Opossum.

Somehow these creatures have managed to find me or allowed me to find them over the years.  While most folks find them scary and unattractive, I think they're simply the cutest!  And so very brilliant in their own way.

Here's what I learned about the opossum as a totem animal once I did a little digging.  And I'm feeling even more honored that they've sought me out.

The Opossum's Super Powers or what we may learn from them are...

• patience
• our mind is mightiest weapon
• kindness
• wisdom
• illusion
• sensibility
• strategy
• protector
• instinct
• supreme actor

And my favorite...

• do something unexpected


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Saturday, November 23, 2013

Booting the Ball

Sometimes things come right back and get ya.

That's what happened to me this morning.  About a week or so ago Dave and I had to keep telling, and telling, and telling our little guy to "STOP BOUNCING THAT BOUNCY BALL IN THE HOUSE!!!" about a thousand times.  The kid is solidly unable to stop once he starts.  And this has put bouncy balls in the "Most Annoying Toy Ever" category at our house.

Anyway, Dave and the kid were wrestling on our bed over who would keep the ball.  Dave got it, subtly passed it to me, and lacking anywhere else to put it, I casually dropped it into one of the cowgirl boots that reside by my bed.  And then I forgot all about it.

Until this morning...when I grabbed those boots, took them to the living room, reached in each of them to make sure my supports were in the right spot (Hey, I have old lady feet and those feet want their creature comforts!), and my finger hit something entirely unexpected.  I yanked my hand outa there lickety split, clearly avoiding retouching the biggest cockroach that ever lived, and tipped my boot, thus sending the ball bouncing once again.

And then I hid it in a better spot.


P.S. The picture below is not a reflection of how I felt...it's how the ball felt!  I'm just playing with some different emotions in my art.  Me?  I'm happy, happy.  That ball is hidden great!

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Friday, November 22, 2013

A Close Encounter with a Spork

I'm nerdy organized about my daily take-my-lunch-to-school routine.  All the way down to my cloth napkin, two spoons, and one fork.  The cloth napkin, because I like to bring a little class and environmentalism to my day.  The fork, well, ya know, you gotta have a fork.  And the two spoons, because I'm too lazy to wash my oatmeal spoon by hand.  Yes, I bring oatmeal to school every day to eat before my students arrive.  It's good and good for ya.

Except this morning I spaced out.  For the first time this entire school year I arrived at work with no napkin, no fork, and no two spoons.  I sighed, got over it quickly, and made my way to the cafeteria where I was able to find that amazing, multi-purpose, wonder of an eating tool...the spork.  Now I'm usually wild about combo things.  Like my skorts...pure genius.  But the spork?  Not even in the same category of awesome.  Not even close.

That spork bent as soon as it made contact with my mushy oatmeal.  After a few tries I figured out how to finesse and sweet talk it into getting a small bite's worth.  And then I sat in awe thinking of all the children I've seen managing to easily eat things like spaghetti and meatballs with those same sporks.

So I think I must rethink this whole "the spork is the problem" thing I've been having and go ahead and consider it to truly be operator error.

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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Eating my Words

OK, so weirdly enough, I'm writing two blog posts in a row that involve gray hair.  Perhaps it's because I recently had photos taken of myself and my delightfully sweet husband zoomed one up super close and pointed out that I do, in fact, now have a few gray hairs (I say they're just a lighter shade of blond than the rest of my hairs, not that going gray is a big problem for me or anything).  Perhaps I've just been lucky to run into some slightly older-than-I peers of late.

Anyway, as Hazel and I were running up a hill tonight I caught up with a woman.  I didn't see her face as I only saw her from the back, but she had salt and pepper hair.  I had the silly thought to myself, "Hey, I'm still faster than someone."  And then Hazel had to pee, so I stopped.  I heard the pitter patter of feet approaching us...and than that lovely salt and peppered woman ran right by us, full tilt.  Hazel and I started running again, at our regular pace, and that woman totally left us in her dust.

I love surprises.

I love eating my words (or thoughts).

I love running.

I love.

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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Length and Age...Oddly enough they're related.

I was driving my kid to school super early the other morning for some athletic team practice thingie.  We passed a man running.


Little guy:  "Why does that guy have on such short shorts?"

Me:  "I thought all guys ran in shorts like that."

Little guy:  "No, mom.  Mostly close to the knee."

Me:  "Really?"

Little guy:  "Think about my track shorts."

Me:  "Oh.  Well, let's see what other guy runners are wearing."


And we passed about ten or so runners on our path.  And it was very interesting.  If the runner was young, he wore longer shorts.  If he had gray hair, he wore those short shorts my kid finds appalling.


Me:  "I guess they wear those short shorts because that's what we wore in the seventies and they probably started running about then."

Little guy:  "But you don't wear short shorts."

Me:  "No, but that's just as a courtesy to others, darlin'."

Little guy:  "They should be more like you, mom."


P.S.  The painting below was another one of my left-handed challenges.  Good times!

Click here to purchase this painting.


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Waste Not, Want Not

I heard a little tip recently.  It was an artsy, fartsy painting tip.  What I heard was that you should never, ever rinse perfectly good paint off of your paintbrush.  Instead, find a piece of paper or a canvas or anything else that is paint-worthy, and just slap it on there.  So I started doing that...all the time.  And it's been so much fun creating stuff from the total random mishmash that is created from the leftovers.

This one I did some printing on top of and then embellished it just a bit.  SO MUCH FUN!

Guess my parents weren't all wrong about that old saying...I didn't waste, and I got what I wanted.  Good stuff!

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Monday, November 18, 2013

I love science!

My husband is very helpful.  Really it is.  Only sometimes I don't really want his help even if I need it.  Like last night.  I had the hiccups, you see.

So I'm going about my business, not liking the hiccups, but not totally being irritated by them either.  I was trying to make a small dent in the HUGE pile of laundry on our bed when..."BLAAAAAAGGAAAABAAAA!!!!"  Dave scared the living tar out of me.  And I slapped him silly as is my uncontrollable instinct...Whap!  Slap!  Whap-a-slap!

...and then I hiccuped.

So about thirty minutes later, when I was still hiccuping, I put on my jammies determined to go to sleep, hiccups or not.  And then "Wham!"  I was body slammed flat.


Dave:  "Wrestling gets rid of hiccups.  It's scientifically proven."


And about one minute later after hopefully not causing Dave any permanent damage as I fought back against my assailant...my hiccups were gone.

I love science!

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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Can't make this up...or maybe I can.

I had the occasion to wear make-up for the first time in forever yesterday.  And I'm not counting the times I've worn make-up on Halloween or the very occasional dance performance.  Those don't count.  Anyway, I realized that morning that the only make-up I had was some very old Mary Kay I'd bought about fifteen years ago...it was still fine, but it was just blush and eye shadow.  I had an old, old mascara...a big no-no, right?  I mean aren't those things breeding grounds for bacteria over the years?  And I'd given all of my lipsticks to my mom when she was in the hospital not too long ago.  So, the mascara was tossed and the Mary Kay stuff set aside somewhere where I wouldn't forget for the next few hours, and I headed off to Target.

And I was clueless.

I meandered around the make-up section, both unsure of what I even needed and determined to find products that weren't tested on animals.  Not the best combo for a quest in a big ol' mainstream store.  But there it was, amongst the Revlon and L'Oreal, a brand made exclusively for Target that does not test on animals (Let me go on ahead and plug Sonia Kashuk since I mentioned those other guys).  I was half-way there, people.  And then the guesswork began.  I picked this and that, tossed them into my bag, and headed home.

Where I discovered a couple of new-to-me things.

1.  Eye liner comes sealed for my protection...so sealed that it took me about ten minutes to get all of the sealing off of the darn thing.

2.  Mascara (all of them?) comes with a little eyelash comb.  I had no idea that eyelashes ever tangled, but I went on ahead and combed mine, by golly.

3.  Lip coloring things have remarkably little sealed for my protection stuff.

4.  Wearing make-up is kinda fun.

I even did my hair and wore my contacts.  Had a real girly moment, people.  Might just be inclined to do it again sometime.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Rocked my Children's Worlds Today

I rocked my children's worlds today...for under $4, no less!

While I don't usually jump on a trend, well, at least not for a year or two after the trend starts, today I jumped.  And only two months after it came to town.  Yup, I bought some Trader Joe's Crunchy Cookie Butter. I got it home, tasted it, fell in love, and briefly considered keeping it a secret just for myself.

Then kindness took over.


Me:  "Here, taste this."

Little guy:  "Why?"

Me:  "It's something I bought today...just taste it."

Little guy:  "Dang, that's good!"


Me:  "Here, taste this."

Big guy:  "What is it?"

Me:  "Something I'm pretty sure you'll love."

Big guy:  "Wow!  Did you get me my own container?"


So, yeah, pretty much rockin' the mom thang today fo sho!


P.S.  Dave hates it...what's wrong with that guy?!?!

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Friday, November 15, 2013

Learning Things the Hard Way

Sometimes you learn things the hard way.  That's what happened today.

The thing is this.  (Big reveal - stick with me ladies, you know we all do it, right?)  When it starts getting cold out, shaving goes on a great big decline.  If I remember the term correctly from that class I took a million years ago, there's an inverse relationship between hair length and temperature when it comes to me.

Anyway, tonight it was rather lovely out and instead of putting my longer pants on to go run, I put on my capris.  And since I don't want to scare anyone, I thought, "Hey, I'll just do a quick shave of my legs below the knees...a dry quick shave.  Here's what I learned.  When you do a dry shave on already dry skin, you get an awful case of itchy, rashy-looking bumps...that only get worse when you then go run.

So my big lesson?  Hairy is sometimes less scary.

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Thursday, November 14, 2013

Looking for Inspiration

OK, full disclosure here.  Sometimes I get stumped.  I get stuck.  I can't think of one single thing to write about.  So of course I go into begging mode.


Me:  "Do something funny that I can write about in my blog."

Dave:  "I think you have to just let those things happen on their own."

Me:  sigh


Me:  "Do something funny that I can write about in my blog."

Big guy:  "Why would I do something like that on purpose?"

Me:  "Ugh!"


Me:  "Do something funny that I can write about in my blog."

Kitten:   passes gas


Thank goodness there's someone in my house willing to help me out!


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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Biggest Kitten Perk Thus Far

OK, so yes, there's all the amazing snuggles.  There's the hilarity of the "battles" with the dogs.  There's the general peskiness of the little cat literally jumping on the big cat...and running away as fast as he can, of course.  He ain't no dummy.

But what is awesome, amazing, and all around fabulous is that our kitten LOVES to kill cockroaches.  Now, I know, I know, I'm the one that rescues beetles and spiders from our home as my family rolls their collective eyes, but cockroaches happen to be on my "OK to kill" shortlist.

So here's what our kitten does.  He spies a cockroach (unfortunately a regular occurrence 'round these parts), he stalks it, he pounces, he grabs it in his mouth, he drops it, he bats it, and then the whole process starts again...until the cockroach manages an escape or meets its maker.

Aside from our kitten's sometimes funky insect breath...he's perfect!

Click here to purchase this painting.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

It was TERRIFYING!

I had a terrifying experience recently...TERRIFYING, I'm telling you.

Here's what happened.  I was being a super nice mom, you know, like I am almost always, and I was letting my little guy (he's only fifteen) drive my car in a big ol' virtually empty parking lot for practice.  OK, so yes, that is terrifying, but only mildly so.  What was terrifying is this.  Just a few moments after pulling into the parking lot and switching seats with my kid, I looked around and it was obvious, so very obvious, that the five or so cars moving about in said parking lot were also being driven by beginner drivers.  Yikes!!!  We were not alone!

The other cars weaved about, they stopped abruptly, they parked in spots in a most crooked manner, and I went on and on and on about staying away from them...far, far away.

If I may brag just a bit, my kid did not weave, he stopped abruptly only once, and he parked perfectly.

...and while he was completely comfortable, as is his style, I was a nervous ninny.

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Monday, November 11, 2013

Together

My kid gets to live in poverty for the next couple of days...and I'm so excited!  I know, sounds odd, but I wish all kids in our country could experience something like this.  He's a couple states away experiencing a simulation (a very accurate one, I hear) of a village somewhere on this planet of ours the subsists on far, far less than you and I.

He may be sleeping in a hut tonight in the below-freezing temps.  He may be outside.  He may only consume a teeny, tiny serving of grain for each of his meals.  He may care for animals and drink the milk they produce.  He may toil for hours until he blisters his hands.  He will feel hunger and cold.  And he will definitely come back home later this week with a new perspective that he'll likely reflect upon for many years to come.

And while I'm super curious about what he's doing at this very moment, I'm grateful that he absolutely, positively cannot text me to let me know...as cell phones are not permitted.

Will he come back and play video games a little less?  Doubtful.  Will he spend less time staring at his phone?  Highly unlikely.  Will he have an awareness that will reside in his mind forever that we're all together on this planet of ours, so very similar in spite of the fact that we find ourselves in very different circumstances?  I'm pretty darn sure.

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Sunday, November 10, 2013

A Round of Applause

Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is simply annoying or brimming with pure confidence.

Case in point...my kid.  We had to do a little early winter wear shopping yesterday because he's going somewhere that's below freezing.  The little guy needed gloves.  We found the section, talked about the pros and cons of the different styles and models, and he picked out his favorite pair.


Little guy:  "I'm just going to wear one of them so I don't have to carry them."

Me:  "Wow, that's a whole new kind of lazy, dude."


So we left the glove section and headed off to find the Duck Dynasty section.  Yes, I ended up contributing to the bank account of those bearded men.

Anyway, as we walked around searching, my little guy followed me waving his gloved hand...up, down, up, down, super fast.  Now as you know, pairs of gloves are pretty much always attached when they're at the store.  So this kid had those gloves clap, clap, clapping, and clap, clap, clapping, and clap, clap, clapping.  All over the store.

OK, so you tell me.  Is my wonderful little guy simply annoying or brimming with pure confidence...or perhaps some delicious combo platter of the two?

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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Letting them Just be Normal

Somehow I've managed to have three celebrity encounters in the past few weeks.  All of them involved me saying "Hi," and then having this "gosh they look familiar" feeling, and then figuring it out.  All of which happened in a matter of seconds.

I could have talked with them more had I wanted to.  I could've begged for a selfie with them.  I could've taken a stealth photo of them on the sneak.  I could've called someone and said, "Hey, you'll never guess who's here!!!" And I could've even said, "Hey, I got to be on your show a few episodes back!"  (Tis true.)

But I didn't.  They were out just being normal.  Out with their kid.  Out with their dog.  Out with a pal.  Out happening to be enjoying the very same little life experience that I was enjoying. 

I hope they get to just be normal...a lot.

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Friday, November 8, 2013

I Mustache you a Question

...about those mustaches.

I don't talk much about my art.  Perhaps I should.  Anyway, I've been working on faces lately.  You know me, I'm a hearts and flowers kind of girl, but faces are one of my current challenges.

I tried doing a few faces.  Eyes...check!  Nose...check!  Hair...check!  Upper lip...DANG-IT...it looks like a mustache!!!  So being the go-with-the-flowish person I am, I just went with it and added some handlebars.

And there ya go.

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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Feelin' the Love...even when you have to beg for it.

And because I like to make things awkward in my parenting (I came by it honestly, I swear), I decided it was time for another game of "Tell me something you love about me."


Little guy:  I'm hungry.  Will you make me a sammich?"

Me:  "OK, but you have to tell me three things you love about me because all I ever hear from you is what you want."

Little guy:  "Ugh!"

Me:  "You do know how to make a sandwich."

Little guy:  "OK...You're nice."

Me:  "Oh, thank you!"

Little guy:  "You're kind."

Me:  "Uh, same thing as the first thing you said."

Little guy:  "You make me happy."

Me:  "Oh, that's the best one yet!"


And I made him a sandwich...even though I totally knew that he meant, "You make me happy when you make me a sammich."


P.S. This painting is part of a left hand challenge I'm doing.  I'm right handed...bringing awkwardness to my art as well.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Splitting Hairs

So I got my hair cut today.  Not just a little cut, mind you.  Nope, I'm talking four or five inches worth.  Noticeable, right?  Well, amazingly enough, the kid did notice.  Almost immediately.  And then he suckered me into a hug during which he slipped his freezing cold hands up under my shirt and onto my back.  All points for noticing my haircut were lost at that very moment.

But up to this point no one else has noticed the dramatic decrease in head covering I now present with.  I'm going to just assume that it's because when they look at me they only see my pure love and beauty shining through...and it must be so bright that it's blinding.

Yup, that's the theory I'm sticking with.

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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Dietary Documentation

Sometimes I'm paranoid.  It's true.  Like when my kid came home with an English homework assignment the other day.  My first clue that I had something to worry about?  It had nothing to do with grammar, punctuation, or anything Englishy.

Here's what it was.  He had to fill out a chart saying what he ate, who had made it, where it was bought, and if it was processed.

My paranoia?  Well, frankly, the filled-in chart might just be grounds for a CPS call.  While my child eats a lot, I can't exactly say he eats "well".  I tell ya, you can force broccoli on a seven-year-old, but teenagers are much more savvy in their methods of resistance.  Anyway, this chart went back to school all full of processed foods not made by mom.    So, yes, not only does he eat processed foods, I don't even cook it for him.

I will tell you this...since then I've been shoving apples and, yes, broccoli at him every chance I get.  OK, I need a redo on that chart!

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Monday, November 4, 2013

In Need of Support

So my little guy went out in drag for Halloween this year.  And while he got to have the delightful freedom that a skirt allows, he also go to experience an issue that is not so delightful.


Little guy:  "That bra you had me wearing didn't hold these up."  He held up the roller derby socks I'd "enhanced" him with.

Me:  "Not enough support, eh?"

Little guy:  Yeah, they kept popping out."

Me:  "Yup, it happens."


Super mom here...doing my part to bring up a man with empathy.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Coming Soon

I came to a stop at an intersection the other night.  There was a fella there hoping to get some spare change.  Only he didn't have the cardboard sign I've become accustomed to.  And, gosh, writing that I'm "accustomed" to it makes me a little sad that it absolutely, positively doesn't strike me as odd or unusual to see yet another homeless person around.

Anyway, this fella was wearing a big, red oversize T-shirt that read "SIX PACK COMING SOON".  My first thought was, "Wow, is he just being honest?"  And then I thought, why on earth would this guy have spent his hard-earned money on that shirt.  OK, I suppose it was possible, but then I began to wonder if someone had given him that shirt...you know, as a joke.  And then I saw his smile.  His big, wonderfully goofy smile, and then I didn't care any more about how he'd gotten the shirt.  I just knew that this guy was able to find the silver lining, the happy, the whimsical in the package he was presenting.

And then I wished I'd had a dollar to give him.

Click here to purchase this painting.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Flower Power

I'm taking an online course about dreams and using art as a vehicle for expression.  I was super lucky and won my spot in this class.  I began and finished my second project this morning (my first project can be seen here).  The lesson I did today was designed to be about nightmares...but I don't really have them.  At least not for a long time now.  I have awkward dreams, you know, showing up wearing the wrong things (or not enough things) at events and such, but being chased, scared, etc....well, it doesn't really come up.  So I decided I'd switch to nightmarish daydreams instead.  Still nothing terribly scary or anything like that, just repetitive thoughts that keep coming up and, I suppose, sort of "haunt" me.

So, below is my final product.  But what you can't tell is that first there were a lot of words.  Then a delicious series of skulls and crossbones.  And then a layer of flowers, fun, and whimsy as I decided to let thoughts of those take over.

If you look closely you'll likely see some silly skeletons peeking out...perhaps those negative thoughts are just coming out to stop and smell the roses.

NFS
Click here to visit my gallery.


Friday, November 1, 2013

On or off? That is the question.

I got yelled at by a cop today.

I suppose that can go anywhere from slightly helpful to downright scary.  Mine started out the latter and my kid tried to me that it was actually the former...tried.

I was driving in rush hour (it was almost 7 PM, gee...).  The kid was playing Eminem loudly, because, well, how else do you play it?


Little guy:  "Was that your phone?"

Me:  "What?"  I turned off the radio.  We heard something loud beside us.  I looked over and there was a cop beside us making hand motions that meant absolutely nothing to me.  So, as I'm driving on the highway I open my window and say, "What?"

Cop:  "Lights on!"  Now I'm thinking he's saying his lights are on and I should pull over.

Me:  "What?"

Cop:  "Turn your lights on!"  The sun was just beginning to set.

I looked at my dash and my "lights on" indicator was on.

Me:  "They are on!"  I yelled back.

Cop:  "Turn your lights on!!!"  He was not amused.

Me:  "I'm turning them off and on.  Are they on now?"

Cop:  Just nods.

Me:  "Thank you!"  My heart bumped around in my chest.

Little guy:  "That was nice."

Me:  "Mmmm hmmmm."  Doubtful at first, but he made me a believer by the time we got home.

Click here to purchase this painting.