Little Blue

If this painting looks familiar, there's a really good reason why.

When the rains caused flooding in Texas recently, a sweet little guy lost everything in his room when the water took over his house. One of those things was one of my paintings. So this is my redo. Little Blue is back and ready to sing!

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Tricky Chicks

My chickens, they're jokesters.


"Gasp! She's dead!" I go through the gate with sadness filling my heart and walk over to check on my chicken who is on her side, legs splayed, eyes closed...surely dead as dead can be.


And every time they jump up and scamper off.

Who knew chickens played possum?

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Blue on Blue

I did some jean patching today. It's the sort of thing that's in my sewing skill set.

Dave loves his jeans. He loves them so much that he's rarely, if ever, willing to part with them. So when his beloved jeans get a hole in them, well, I patch 'em. And patch 'em. And patch 'em. One of the jeans is pretty new on the wear scene and it now only sports one patch. Another has two. But the current granddaddy has eight patches. Eight! And those patches are all different shades of blue. And those jeans are my husband's favorite.

And I love this about him.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Worth Stopping For

I was just looking out my window and a fella was riding his bike by one of my neighbor's houses. He stopped his bike, got off, walked to one of their lovely rose bushes, and took a deep sniff.

He has the right idea, my friends.


Oh, and much gratitude to my neighbors for creating such beauty!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Brushed Out

You learn something new every day, right? Well, at least I do.

Here's what I learned just lately. I was at a facial party thing with a bunch of lovely ladies. It was my turn to have a facial and the woman who worked with me cleaned my face, applied lotion or some such substance, and then she took out a teeny tiny tool that looked like a miniature baby bottle scrubber, and...what?!?!...brushed my eyebrows.

Yes, she brushed my eyebrows. Now maybe you've heard of this odd ritual, but this was a new one by me. I mean I never even knew there was a need for such a thing. My eyebrows weren't unruly. They weren't even tangled. I had no idea that there was a problem.

But she sent me home with not one, but two, eyebrow brushes. Clearly she detected a need. I hope you'll take a moment to notice my lovely coiffed eyebrows.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Just Breathe...

...except I couldn't.

I wasn't sure why at first. I knew I'd been working out for a while and perhaps I was pushing too hard.  But it didn't feel internal. Nope, this was an issue coming from outside of myself. 

So as I was trying my best to keep my feet in the air as my little guy pushed my legs over in today's ab torture strength session, I opened my eyes just enough to realize that his shoes were directly adjacent to my head. 

His shoes...his stinky, stanky, funky shoes. His shoes that could peel paint. His shoes that could easily fumigate a small room.

Me:  "Oh, my gosh, your shoes!!!" 

Little guy: "What?"

Me: "I can't breathe...your shoes reek."

Little guy: "Oh, sorry, Mom."

He moved a bit away and as soon as I closed my eyes he moved right back. That stinky little turkey. 

Payback. Yup, that's what's on my mind.

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A New Chance at Life

Every once in a while I really don't like what I paint. Not often because I'm really flexible with my expectations of myself, but at times I can't help but feel like I want to crumple my paper up and toss it in the recycling bin.

I had that feeling a few weeks ago, but I fought the urge thinking that maybe, just maybe, the piece would grow on me.

Well, it didn't. So I decided to chop that painting up into four pieces, layer some acrylic on top, and see where it took me. My Phyllis piece from yesterday was one of the pieces. I liked it MUCH better than before. Today's is also one piece. Only with this piece I left one small portion of the original. And now that part I hadn't liked before...well, now I rather dig it.

So, yeah, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater and all that stuff, right? So fun giving my work a new chance at life.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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I Only have Eyes for Worms

A shift has occurred in the chicken space continuum.

It used to be that I'd walk in our chicken yard and only Phyllis would come-a-runnin'. Well now Barry, Maury, and Ernie come-a-runnin', too.

"What happened?" you ask.

Well, I'll tell ya what happened.


I started lifting some of the pavers we have out in their yard and exposing the fabulous delicacy that earthworms are. I did this a few times over several days and now I'm officially the Worm Lady in their sweet little beady chicken eyes. I swear all they see is a big earthworm in tennies.


I'm good with that. I'm feeling' that chicken love.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Phyllis Goes to School!

Phyllis is growing up. She went to school today for the first time ever. She put on her backpack, packed her lunch, and went to her classroom. OK, so she didn't exactly do all that, but she did go to school with me today. And Barry went to school with us, too.

I was Farmer Parsons today. I donned my overalls, put my hair in pigtails, gathered up Phyllis and Barry, and headed up to school. Barry was the first out of the carrier. She was wonderful, delightful, and a tad nervous. Phyllis came out next. And that girl calmly sat on my lap for close to thirty minutes while I talked about chickens and let more than thirty four-year-olds take turns petting her. She was in chicken heaven!

Pretty sure that when I get up in the morning Phyllis will be dressed and ready to go with me.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Balance

I find the older I get, the less of it I seem to have.

The kiddo and I were at the gym again today and after he'd had me do a crazy challenging upper body workout, he wanted me to work on my core...and my arms a tad more...just for fun.

He wanted me to stand on this upside down half sphere thingie while doing arm work with dumbbells. Well, I could not manage to get on that thing no matter how hard I tried. So the kid gave me his shoulder and after a couple of tries I was able to stand on it as it wobbled fiercely. And then he handed me the dumbbells. I teetered. I tottered. But somehow I managed stay on board.

Little guy: "You did great, mom."

I love that kid!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Up All Night

A couple of weeks ago a canvas was dropped off at my house. I'd been asked to create a piece of art to be part of a fundraiser for the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center. So here's what I came up with. I worked on it over about a week or so. I created the background first, and what always happens to me happened this time, too. I always, always manage to fall in love with the background. I can't even imagine painting over a single bit of it. So the background had to sit propped up on one of our chairs for about five days so I could enjoy it and fall just a bit out of love with it, enough so that I'd be willing to cover at least half of it up. But the wonderful thing is, as soon as I do cover up parts I end up loving the painting even more.

Oh, and the white polka dot stars wrap around the canvas on the edges!

This little guy and five stars and moon watching over him make me so, so happy. Hope it makes them a lot of money!

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Helpful

While my kids are really quite helpful (they really, really are), they tend to take their time when it comes to getting them to start being helpful. Unless...


Me: "Will you please help bring the groceries in?"

Little guy: "I'm hungry, will you make me a sandwich?"

Me: "After you bring the groceries in."

Little guy: "I'm too hungry to help."

Me: "Everything to make a sandwich in out in the car."

Little guy: "I'll get the groceries!"


I love my helpful boys!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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A Fabulous Day

What a fabulous day! Let me tell you all about it....

The little guy and I went to a new gym today just to check it out. After our brief tour he went one way and I went another. I hit the treadmill and then when I was just sitting down to do my regular routine with the weight machines my little guy appeared.


Little guy: "Come work out with me. I need a spotter."

Me: "Me? I'm too little to be your spotter."

Little guy: "Let's just try. Come on, let's go."


So with great reluctance, trepidation, and a considerable mumbling of protests, I followed.

And we did it. And it worked pretty well. I continued my undercurrent of negative commentary as he pushed and pushed and PUSHED me harder than I've been pushed in many years. And I was actually able to spot him effectively though he likely wasn't pushing himself as hard as he was pushing me...you know, for his safety and all.

So while he's promised me that my upper body will be really really sore in the morning, I'm super excited to go back tomorrow for the leg workout he's got in store for me.


Me: "I promise I won't gripe so much tomorrow."

Little guy: "Oh, you'll gripe. You'll have a lot to say about how sore you are." (Pretty darn sure he looked more than a little happy about this.)


I cannot wait!!! Really!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Runaway Chicken

I was watching one of those "make you cry" videos about a homeless dog who had been rescued. And yes, it made me cry. And then I had to go hug my dogs...and my cats...and my chickens. Except when I went out to hug my chickens I saw that Barry (my husband gave our hens boy names, that's for another blog) was on the outside of the fence. She had literally flown the coop.

So I ran around the house and beside our neighbor's house and attempted to get Barry. In the process I startled my neighbor who then startled me when he opened his window and asked if I was a prowler. Then nice guy that he is, he came out and tried to help me round up Barry...but Barry had other plans and ran right at my neighbor who laughingly declared that he, himself, was a chicken and went back into his house.

Barry ran around the front of my house and then to my carport. I dashed in the house and woke up my little guy to help me round up our runaway. When we went out Barry was nowhere to be found. We looked everywhere. And then I saw our cat staring and I followed his gaze. There was Barry. My little guy and I got the gates to the back yard open, herded Barry into the backyard and into the chicken run.

Whew! She owes us an omelette!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

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Three

We've lived in our house since '91 and my kids have both lived here since the day they were born (home births, ya know). And even though my little guy has lived in our house for over sixteen years, he learned something new about it the other day.

I was walking around the house turning on the external lights and I flipped the middle of three switches in our kitchen. My kiddo was standing right there.

Little guy: "That switch turns on our carport light?!?!?!"

Me: "Yes, you didn't know that?"

Little guy: "I knew about the outside switch, but not about this one."

Me: "What did you think this switch was for?"

Little guy: "I had no idea."

I love that! May my little guy be a lifelong learner making many more fabulous new discoveries along the way.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Disco Fever

Continuing my Phyllis, the wonder chicken, theme...

Each evening after sunset we close the chickens in their coop for the night. They always appear to tuck themselves into their nesting boxes and prepare to snuggle into sleepyland. But the more I think about it, I'm starting to suspect that my girl, Phyllis, has quite the night life. I'm thinking that girl of mine waits till she hears us close the back door, sneaks out of the coop, and dances under the stars.

Girl's got disco fever!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Live Long and Prosper

Phyllis was a fan....

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Butterfly Kisses

Continuing my Phyllis, the wonder chicken, theme...

I imagine while I'm not home that butterflies by the gazillions stop by for the privilege and bliss of hanging out on my girl's head plume and giving her some love. It's fabulous up there. Soft, comfy, gets ya where you're going...but Phyllis, while quite kind to her peeps (get it?) and us, has her share of barbaric traits as well. It's simply part of being a chicken. If you're little and wander by you're fair game for good eatin'. So while these lovely butterflies think they're completing Phyllis' fabulous look, my girl is likely licking her chops in sweet anticipation.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Out on the Town

Continuing my Phyllis, the wonder chicken, theme...

Certainly Phyllis does not stay in the chicken yard all day long. No way. She's way too sophisticated for such things. No, I'm quite sure that my wonder girl puts a bow in her hair, grabs her purse, and heads out to do some shopping. Now Phyllis is a practical girl, of course, so that amazing chicken of mine is surely hitting all the best thrift stores South Austin has to offer.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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My Phyllis

I hang out with my best girl, Phyllis, a lot. She's a fabulous Polish chicken for those of you who don't know. And while I hang out with her I can't help but imaging all of the adventures she has while I'm not at home. So...I decided to spend some time coming up with little things she might be up to and how she goofily spends her day.

And just to be difficult, I'm starting with a non-example. What I'm I quite sure that she's not doing while I'm at work?

Well, I'm quite sure she's not just sitting around watching flowers grow. Nope, that girl of mine is busy, busy, busy, of that there is no doubt.

Tune in for more!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!