This is a GREAT idea. Better get to work!

Check this out over at Angry Chicken. So. Dang. Cute. And. Funny.

A mostly blanco bunny

Isn't he/she cute? I love all of the black spots. This bunny lives at Binder Park Zoo. If you are ever in Battle Creek, MI, you should definitely go and visit!

Blog world, meet Toulouse

This is my Toulouse. The best cat in the whole wide world. This photo was taken last summer, right before he jumped through the screen to be outside with us in the backyard. Now he is obsessed with the backyard. He is pretty funny.

By the way my husband just found an AMAZING deal on a digital video camera. L-O-V-E it!

I have sewing on the brain

I just completed testing and de-bugging "that" website. It is a very simple web site...nothing fancy. It was really nice to get back to web design; I discovered that I actually really like it and want to learn more about it! SO, I think I will be doing some tutorials and raising some funds to get some software (namely the Adobe Creative Suite) to further develop my skills all around. If I find cool things, I will definitely post them here. I found this, for example. And they have a design contest, too, so check it out.

So now I am going to reward my efforts and hard work with some sewing, in order to prepare myself for the Fulton Street Artists' Market. I have BIG plans to make some hand dyed fabrics that are hand printed, batiked, etc., and sell just yardage or fat quarters as well as sewn goods, such as tote bags or something. It's still in the working stages; I also want to make some affordable art prints, too, to sell. So many ideas and so little time! And, on that note, I am going to go get started.

It's done and now I can play

I just finished "that" website. I have to send it over to the tech gurus to post it to their server. Once it is up and running, I will link to it. I have not designed a website in sooooo long. This proved to be a good, challenging refresher crash course for me. Now I want to learn more.

I also learned about this. Which is amazing! It inspired me and got me thinking...more to come on that. I also signed up to be a part of this. Sweet. I feel so good about FINALLY getting my artistic rear in gear. Thanks for being part of the ride and I hope you will stay with me for the rest of it.

Taking care of business

I have the next two days off from work. Paid. SWEET! So, I am going to combat my procrastination inclination and get my work done (aka "the" website that has given me all kinds of problems). I really do not like this project anymore...I don't mean to complain, but there is always one of "those" projects no matter what type of work you do. The reason why I am telling you this is so that tomorrow, hopefully, this thing will be done. Both boys will be in school during the day, so I will have several hours to sit and fix and debug. Fun, fun, fun. Plus, I was preparing a file for press today, all day long at work. Making pdfs, fixing fonts, changing graphics, etc., etc., etc. Ugh. None of it was hard, just really boring, techno-geeky and repetitive. I am rewarding myself with time to paint furniture and sew things AFTER I get "that" website done. So, on that note, I am going to go lay in bed, watch television and turn off my brain. No more technical, nerdy stuff for me. At least, not until tomorrow.

Poor bird

I hit a bird this morning. It flew into the windshield of my car while I was driving to work. I am not sure what kind of a bird it was; I even slowed down to find where it landed and did not see it anywhere. I hope it was alright...the only thing that was on my windshield was a bunch of water splashed everywhere. Maybe it was a duck??? I know it was a pretty big bird and I was driving by a swamp and a lake. Poor, poor bird.

The funny part about this was that I ducked when the bird hit my windshield. I ducked. On the inside of my car. The bird was outside the car and I was DRIVING still. Oh man.

Speaking of Seuss...

...I know I just wrote a new post, but this one was too good to wait until tomorrow. I can hear Ammon in the shower reciting "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." He started off quoting verbatim and then went on to paraphrasing and improvisation. Nice.

Dioramas

I love dioramas. I love looking at them. I love making them. Now it is Ammon's turn to make them. I am hoping that he will enjoy them as much as I do. He has to make one for class to use as a habitat for the clay birds they will be making next week. So far he has painted the inside. He has over a week to finish, and my plan is to have him do a little bit of work every night. So far, so good.

By the way, did I mention how hard it is to not help him and interfere? I guess I will have to make my own diorama. I think I will make one, and then photograph it. Yeah...that's what I will do.

When I was at work...

...my wonderful husband cleaned the house a little, put away some laundry AND had dinner ready on the table when I got home. My boys VOLUNTARILY picked up their toys from the living room and kitchen floors (awesome). The best part though....Ammon brought home a "Magic Tree House" book from the library at his school. He chose a book that would be sort of a challenge for him to read! Yeah! I have been trying to gently push him with his reading, slowly building up his confidence without squashing it. I think it paid off. Not only did he pick the book, not mom, but he had the first chapter read ALL BY HIMSELF before I got home. I love that boy! That is success, ladies and gentlemen. And success, this time, involved mummies and a qhost queen in a pyramid in Egypt. So, I think today was a fabulous day, even if I was bored at work and the weather is cold and rainy. I am looking at the glass and seeing it as half full, not half empty.

Oh, I almost forgot. Ammon, Eli and I made up a song game to "Green Eggs and Ham." It's so much fun...you should try to sing that book instead of just read it. That was Ammon's idea, too. He saw Seussical, the musical, a little over a month ago and has been smitten with Seuss ever since. Then again, Dr. Seuss books are fabulous...do you think he gets his love of Seuss from his mother or from the musical? Hard to tell.

Where did she go?

Well...the weather was beautiful here. It has been a really long winter, so the boys and I took full advantage of the nice weather. Therefore, no blog posts! Today, however, it is cold and raining outside. Bummer! But this gave me time to blog...

I bought some date sugar at the health food store and was wondering if any of my readers has ever worked with it? I know that it does not dissolve in water, like regular granulated sugar, but does it change the flavor and texture of a baked good? Can you substitute it one for one? I guess I will have to do some research on this! Once I use it, I will report back.

Right now, I have to go listen to a brand new Indiana Jones story written by Ammon. Toodles!

Confessions of a procrastinator

Yes, I will admit it. I am a procrastinator. It is a hard thing to overcome...but I am getting there. I have two freelance projects that I am working on right now and am not digging either one of them, especially the website. I should have put my designer foot down and pushed for the design I submitted that, in my opinion, is more effective. Live and learn, right? You cannot learn if you do not make mistakes. I am a firm believer in this. You just have to remember not to make the same mistake again.

Anyway I think I am not digging these projects because I have so many art things I want to do instead. Plus I have designer's/artist's block. B-I-G T-I-M-E. Which leads to, yes you guessed it, more procrastinating! I say it is "research and inspiration." Some would say I am procrastinating by surfing the web and looking for things. Call it what you want.

A friend of mine once told me to do the "thing" that you are procrastinating on, such as your freelance work or your artwork, for eighteen minutes. I am not sure why eighteen specifically, but you get the idea. The theory is that, once you start, you will not want to stop. It does work, too, because you give yourself the opportunity to stop at the end of those eighteen minutes. Chances are once you get started, you won't want to stop.

Another thing that motivates me to work...well, two things really...leaving my shoes on inside the house or studio and wearing my apron. I know, I know. You can laugh. It's funny. It's especially funny to see when I am sitting at my computer, wearing my very favorite apron and new Rocketdogs. But it works.

So, on that note, I am going to do some work. And no longer procrastinate! I told myself that if I get all my work done, then I can play with whatever I want...paper pulp, dye vats, my sewing machine, some crayons, dirt......endless, endless, fabulous possibilities.

Hello

Just thought I would say hi. This is a photo of me taken by my eight year old son, Ammon. I think we were on our way to the zoo in this picture. Anyway I just wanted to say hi and that I am back.

Another week off = more time to blog

Yup. I am excited. I do have some freelance projects to finish up..but I will be posting a lot! I have a lot to talk about and a lot of pictures to post. For now, dear readers, I am off to the grocery store and then I have a lunch date with my wonderful husband. So far, it has been a great week off...I even found a five dollar bill in the road by my driveway. I have to keep this five dollar bill, according to Ammon, in case its owner comes looking for it. He even shouted out the door yesterday, "Hey if anyone out there lost $5 my mom has it!" At least he is honest, people.

On that note, I am off to the grocery store to get food and buckets, for dyeing fabric, and possibly some curtains, too. Stay tuned and check back often!

Wow...I need some of this!

Check this out. Got me thinking...seriously thinking. I guess I know what to do with all of that down time at work now!

What goes on during the day when you are at work, part 1

I now know what happens when all three boys are home without mom. They have tons of fun, that's what. Don't get me wrong...it's a good thing. But one does wonder how long it took Ammon, the eight year old, to learn how to sing the theme song to the Japanese Spider-Man in JAPANESE. Yes. My child actually sings the words in JAPANESE. All of them. Correctly, too. Hilarious. Even Eli, the four year old, tries to sing it. I see a video post coming as soon as my camera is recharged. Hilarious, people. I love my boys.

Presents

What a great post title. Presents. Who doesn't like presents, right? Well I bought myself some presents this past week. Two new cookbooks, one by Cat Cora (which I found at a grocery store bargain book sale for $7!!!) and the other by Rebecca Rather, and, drumroll please, wool roving. I see some felted rocks and other goodies coming to a blog near you! Oh and some soup, roasted eggplant dip and perhaps a cake. YUM!

We also took the boys to the zoo this last weekend and, well, I discovered that I need to buy myself another new present. Another battery for my camera. A back-up battery. I really do need one...it seems that every time something really cool happens I either (a) forget my camera or (b) the battery goes dead on my camera BEFORE I get the picture. Sigh. This time I missed two grizzly bears wrestling and playing with each other. Bummer.

I am going to have a lot of down time at work, too, so I am hoping to write about posts during the day and post them at night along with any sketching or doodling, etc., that I get done during the day. I love getting paid to sit, doodle and wait for work to come my way. Now if I could only figure out a way to do this at home.......