#3008 pdin 27 be thankful and have gratitude

my autumn art "quilt"

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. I don't really think of this holiday in terms of pilgrims and the native people they displaced. I don't harbor childhood fantasies of white English settlers and brown indigenous people peacefully gathered around a table laden with turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. Instead, I think of it as a bit of time off work. I think of it as a time to gather with family and friends to have a nice meal and enjoy each other's company. Daily gratitude is part of my routine, so it's not hard to think of all the things that make me feel like I have a blessed life. 

A quick note about the little autumn art quilt above. This came out of a prompt by Jill the Artist to celebrate the season with things that make you feel autumn vibes and gratitude. There are a couple of leaves and an acorn. Those things remind me of Red Butte Garden. There is a tree with falling leaves which represents my neighborhood. There's a red cup of coffee in the upper left corner paying homage to Starbucks and their holiday season red cup. There's a football with the words Go Utes and the red U for the University of Utah football season. There's a pie because, well, pie (!), and there is a wee family of three to represent me with my menfolk. 

Have a wonderful day! Do what makes you happy today: rest, read, enjoy your garden, have yummy snacks, and remember, I LOVE YOU!

#2945 ordinary stuff

I haven't left the house today. Well, that's not entirely accurate; I took the dogs for a walk in the neighborhood this morning, but I haven't gotten in my car to go anywhere. I thought I might go to the grocery store, but I decided shopping could wait. Sometimes it is just nice to stay home.

Here's what I have done today: art. This morning and yesterday morning, I sat on the floor in my office with my new big sketchbook and I just doodled. Why was I on the floor? There was a big sun puddle there and it called to me. LOL  It felt good. I sat cross-legged and felt a little stretch in my hips. The dogs were excited that I was on their level. They were very interested in what I was doing, or maybe it was just my delicious cup of coffee they liked the smell of.  The sketches are nothing special, but it was fun to play around without looking at Pinterest. Practice stuff. 

I also took a nap and it was luxurious.

Tonight after I feed the dogs, I am going to change the sheets on my bed. I'm going to take a nice hot shower (it's kind of chilly and windy here today.) I'm going to make some popcorn and watch a movie on the big-ass TV. Then I'm going to take a melatonin and go to bed. (I'll need the melatonin because of the luxurious nap.)

What's going on next week? Well, taxes are due, so I'll get all of that finalized. I have a few things to do for our family business that I can get taken care of on Monday. I will be back to the regular office schedule of Monday and Wednesday at home and the other three days in the office. The remodel is complete, and we have moved into our cubicles. I need to go through all the stuff I brought home from the office and figure out what to take back. There's not much a lot of space, so I'll keep it simple. I think that by Friday I will know my concert assignments for Red Butte Garden this summer. The concert line-up was announced on Tuesday. I am required to work at least six shows; I'm hoping and planning on nine or ten. About three a month is my sweet spot. 

In the wake of this rather ordinary post, I'll leave you with this...

I was daydreaming of Rome earlier in the week. My thoughts often float off to places I have been, and lately it has been Rome I've thought about. I was thinking about the last day Lizzie and I were in Rome wandering around (with a plan!) and seeing so many things. I'd mentioned that I really wanted to go to Capitoline Hill and see the piazza that Michelangelo designed, Piazza del Campidoglio. It is in the area near the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Vittoriano. Lizzie's superb map reading skills got us to the hill and to the square. There are three buildings lining the piazza. There is a pretty view of the city. There's a large statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Lizzie and I didn't go into any of the buildings; we just walked around the piazza and soaked it in. We were there at the end of our afternoon outing, the last major site we wanted to see before going back to the hotel for a little break. I was so happy and thankful that we took the time to go there. Here are a couple of photos:

it was one of the few sunny days we had in Rome

statue of Marcus Aurelius with the Palazzo Senatorio behind it

I don't think I will ever tire of Rome. I can't really imagine going to Italy and not going to Rome. There are still so many things I want to see there. I won't be going back this year, but I will go back.

Have a great week!

#2942 March recap

Since I only bothered to write one time this month, here's a quick recap of what's been going on here.

MT was home from Pocatello nearly every weekend this month. We've decided to sell one of the rental properties here in town, so he was home to paint it and put in new flooring. That property will go on the market tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for a quick sale. In Pocatello, one side of the duplex is completely renovated and ready for a renter. MT and his brother are now finishing up the other side of the duplex. It will likely be done by the end of April. MT is a hard worker.

At work, the admin area is being completely remodeled: lights, ceiling tiles, paint, carpet, window coverings, furniture - everything. Up to eight of us work in the office everyday in one of the conference rooms. It's not comfortable, but it's fine. I like to be in the office to see what work is being done for the remodel. I am one of the original inhabitants of the building, and I really didn't think a major remodel like this would happen while I was still there. It was time, though. The place was looking dated and lived-in. All the work on the remodeling project is supposed to be done by 14 April. It's exciting!

We celebrated T's 27th birthday on 19 March. MT came home for the event. The three of us went to dinner at Market Street Grill downtown. It was a very nice meal - I had a Caesar salad with salmon that was delicious. After dinner, we went to see the movie Mickey 17. I confess I fell asleep a couple of times and T had to nudge me because my deep breathing "may" have been mistaken for snoring. I couldn't help it! It was a late movie, and I was tired. How was the movie? Well, it wasn't my cuppa tea, but I was glad to be with my menfolk.

The weather has been mostly nice this month, and I've been glad to get outside for a little vitamin D. I love playing outside with the dogs. Stella chases her frisbee, and the big dogs wrestle and chase each other around. We have a birdfeeder in one of the maple trees, and we get quite a few birds (when we are not outside.) I bet there were a couple dozen birds out there the other night, some on the ground, some on the feeder, some perched on nearby branches seemingly waiting their turn. I wouldn't have thought I'd get as much joy from watching the birds as I do.

What's new with me? Well, I have started a program through work called Twin Health. The goal is to heal my metabolism to lower my A1c level and get healthy. Twin Health provides me with a supply of constant glucose monitors (CGM) that are attached to my upper arm for ten days at a time. I'm on my second monitor. I have seen a change in the glucose levels, even in this short time. They also gave me a scale that can tell a lot about me. I have lost a few pounds since starting. Another tool is a nice blood pressure cuff. I'm glad to say that my BP has been normal. I also have medical and mental support through the program. The single biggest change is in my eating habits. This is basically a Keto diet: high protein, high fiber, high fat, very low carbs. No bread, pasta, rice, potatoes; in other words, my favorite things are no more. It's fine, and I'm fine. I'm not hungry, and I am usually quite satisfied with what I'm eating.  I'll keep you updated on my progress and whether I'm still satisfied in a week or two. 

I don't have much planned for April. MT told me before he went back to Pocatello yesterday that he likely won't be home as often in April because he really wants to get the new duplex finished and rented. To keep myself entertained, I will likely swap out my spring/summer clothes and put those winter sweaters away - yay! I'd like to do a lot more art. I feel like I haven't been giving myself enough time with my Muse. I only did a few of the prompts Jill the Artist gave us this month. Here are two that I did:

"found poetry"

Cranky Banana

The first prompt was to cut words from media and make a poem out of it. I'd seen an artist on IG create a stripe-y background and I thought it looked cool and wanted to try it. I like the way it turned out. This second piece was for the prompt to "personify a banana."  I saw a similar pic on Pinterest and gave it a go. I think it's hilarious. 

Now it is (past) time for me to get ready for bed. I need to change the sheets because it rained a little today and my bed is covered with bits of dirt from 12 dog paws. I usually change the sheets every weekend, anyway. I'm just a little behind tonight. 

I'll "talk" to you next month :)

#2938 art gallery

Happy Superbowl Sunday to those who celebrate! T and I will be watching the game when it starts in about 90 minutes or so. We'll probably tune in a little early to watch a bit of pre-game stuff. I am rooting for the Chiefs to win because I like that team and the coach, and I think it would be cool to see a bit of history today: no team in the history of the NFL has won the Superbowl three times in a row, and the Kansas City Chiefs could do it today. Most people I've listened to at work are hoping the Eagles win. I hope it is a good game. 

It's been a quiet week at my house. MT didn't come home this weekend, and I didn't really go anywhere, other than the office, or do anything interesting. I've been doing a little art here and there and writing in my journal, which is always interesting for me. My journal is getting zazzed up these days with stickers and doodles and sometimes even photos printed on my Sprocket. The Sprocket might be one of my favorite toys I got myself last year. 

That reminds me, I haven't showed you any art for a bit, so here are four things I did in the past few weeks:

Flower Power

This piece was from a prompt by Jill Badonsky. I drew the elephant upside down based on a model Jill provided, then I flipped it right side up to paint and add the lines. In the photo that Jill gave us, the elephant was wearing a headband with a flower, and that was when I decided to use some of the (many) stickers I have to zazz it up. I know it's a bit much, and I like it.

I Can Paint Myself Flowers

This one is from another Badonsky prompt to do an abstract floral. I had a great time painting this! It is so fun to dab paint on the page and see what happens. 

Florence Duomo at Sunset

This painting was also inspired by Ms. Badonsky who prompted us to do whatever your Muse tells you. I've been neglecting playing around in my Italy travel journal, so I pulled up a photo of one of my favorite memories and made a rough sketch of the Duomo in Florence. No, the cathedral is not yellow, but it looked yellow-ish in the sunset light. Those blue things back there are the mountains. It's not fantastic - I'm still learning and practicing, after all. 

Garden(ing) Snake

Last one! Also a Badonsky prompt to celebrate the Year of the Snake. Most of my snake experiences have happened at Red Butte Garden, so I thought it would be fun to draw a whimsical garden snake. I drew her upside down, and looking at it, her eyes are supposed to be closed, so I might have made them the wrong way up, but whatever. Also not really sure what's going on in the left corner there. Maybe I was painting some sky? 

Let's move on...

Starting on Wednesday the 12th, I'm doing fun things. That night I'm going to a play at Pioneer Theater Company that I'll tell you more about after the show. Friday is Valentine's Day and MT will be coming home for the weekend. I've got a couple of things planned for Saturday and Sunday, too. The week after will be most excellent because I get to go hang out with Mama and Lizzie for a few days!

Well, it time to make some chicken enchiladas and get ready to watch the game. Have a great week!

xo

#2924 Chiavari, Italy

 How about a little day trip to Chiavari, Italy? Let's go!

On the last full day of our art trip, we all took the train about 10 minutes south to Chiavari (pronounced key-AH-vah-ree). It was a rainy, grey, drizzly day, but the drizzle let up when we got to town, so that was nice. 

Again, I didn't do any research about the town before going there, so I didn't know what to expect or what to look for. Lizzie did a bit of research, but since we didn't know where our starting point would be or what the plan was when we got there, we just went with the flow. 

Suzy and Jeannette took us to what seemed to be a main square in the centro storico. There was a market happening there. Jill gave a quick demonstration of some sketching and painting techniques, a plan was made to meet up for lunch, and then we were on our own.

Here are some photos of the square and the market. 

statue of Giuseppe Mazzini in front of Palazzo di Giustizia di Chiavari

market in Piazza Mazzini

plants for sale at the market

boxes of lettuces

I liked the pretty lettuces, so I painted them:

my take on the boxes of lettuces

Lizzie and I walked around, admiring the town. There were many, many arches. This is just one pic of arches, but there were several streets that looked a lot like this one.

a street in Chiavari

The street in the photo looks pretty empty, but there were lots of people walking around the town that day. Lizzie and I wanted to sit at a bar (that's what a cafe is called in Italy), preferably outside under an umbrella without many people around, and we wandered until we found the cutest little place that ticked all the boxes. We spread out our art stuff, ordered cappuccinos and entertained ourselves for an hour or so until we decided to go ahead and get some wine. It was probably around 11:30 or 12:00 by then. Art is fun with wine and snacks.

Lizzie!

Don't I look like an artiste?

And yes, that lovely snack tray was included with our wine. And the wine was very nice.

After awhile, it was time to bid arrivederci to the cute bar and meet the group for lunch. Here are some photos of the streets.

This street (no cars allowed!) was we painted and drank wine.

All that greenery is a barrier for a restaurant. Cute!

Our group's farewell lunch was in a gorgeous restaurant, Enoteca Ristoro.

panoramic shot of the restaurant before the meal arrived

What is an enoteca, you ask? Well, it is basically a wine shop or wine repository. Often, regional foods will be offered to pair with the wines. You can see there is a lot of wine here.

We sat inside - it was raining steadily at that point. We had some appetizers that I don't remember. The menu was limited and probably changed daily. I had roasted veal with potatoes and it was wonderful. I also enjoyed the wine. Ligurian wine is quite good. For dessert I had an apple tart that was cake-like. I'll be doing a post of all the foods I had at some point in the future, and I'll post photos then. 

After a leisurely lunch, we walked back to the train station. We passed by this statue of  Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy.

monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (seagull on top is not permanent!)

The statue is across the piazza from this:

Cathedral of Nostra Signora dell'Orto (Our Lady of the Garden)

We flashed past this church on our way in and on our way out of the town. Suzy and Jeanette aren't tour guides, they put these art tours together and find places for us to draw and paint and eat. If I were to go back to the area, there are places I'd like to explore a bit more when my time is my own.

As it was, I had a lovely time in Chiavari. I got to make some art, drink some wine, see a different town, and eat some good food. I chatted with the some of the other folks during the meal, and it was fun.

When we got back to Rapallo, we met as a group for the final time to do one last bit of writing based on one of Lizzie's poems, and we wrote in each other's sketch books - kinda like when you sign yearbooks at the end of the school term. I like this tradition. We did a similar thing in Greece, but the notes were on a big piece of paper. I still have that one, and I treasure it. I really like that we have the notes in our sketchbook for this trip. I love to look back at it. 

This trip's sketchbook is sort of a travel journal/scrapbook. I've got postcards and receipts and cards from restaurants. I'm also sketching as I go. I wanted to complete it while I was on vacation, but I didn't have the time, especially the second week when Lizzie and I traveled to different cities. It has been fun to play around with it post-vacation, though. It's bringing back happy memories.

I didn't really write much about  the time we spent in Rapallo itself, did I? I might squeeze a post out of that material. I've got lots of photos, so that might be next. 

Happy December! 

#2880 the wrap-up

I am always stunned and a little dismayed about how quickly the weekends pass. I barely remember what I did yesterday (Saturday) because it zipped by so quickly. 

The past week was interesting. I didn't work on Monday since we were driving back from Dixon. We spent Sunday night in Elko, NV. In the morning it was lightly snowing, and as we continued east, the snow turned to a drizzle of rain, then fog and low clouds, and finally partly cloudy skies when we got home. 

Here are some photos of the landscape and weather:

In the office on Tuesday, the Company announced a big reorganization. My job basically stays the same, but there are a lot of changes that will happen in the business as a whole in the next month. It will make for an interesting year. 

Friday night is movie night at my house, and I always get to pick the movie. MT had gone to Pocatello for the day, so when I got home from work, I played with the dogs, ate some dinner, and chose the movie. We have pretty much every streaming platform there is, I think, so picking a movie can be tricky. Usually, I pick a platform, then chose a movie on that platform. This week I picked Peacock, and the film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. (Note: If a movie involves Paris or France in general, or Rome or Italy in general, I'll probably watch it.)  I really liked this movie. It's about a widowed house cleaner in London who decides to go to Paris to buy a haute couture dress from Christan Dior. The story takes place in the 1950s, and really, it is just charming and sweet. It doesn't hurt that the gorgeous Lucas Bravo - you may know him as Gabriel in Emily in Paris - is in it, but the story and everything about the movie is great. It was a perfect Friday night movie for me.

Today my favorite thing is that I went to visit my friend Wendy from work. She has Guillain Barre syndrome, and has spent the past two months in the hospital and in acute physical therapy rehab centers. GBS attacks the nerves, and was brought on by a virus (not Covid). Her body's immune system went to work fighting the virus, then overstepped and attacked her nerves. She was unable to feel her hands or feet for most of the time she was hospitalized. Happily, the feeling and use of her hands has come back, and she is able to walk again using a walker. She can't stand up for a long period of time, but at least she is up and more mobile. I was glad to see her and really glad to see her doing so well. She's being discharged from the rehab place tomorrow, and I'm hopeful that with continued physical therapy, she will regain her physical abilities and be able to come back to work. I really miss her.

I made her this little card:

Those little spatters seem to be all the rage in the watercolor videos I watch all the time. My spatters are a bit big, and my leafs are kinda wonky, but it's cute.

MT has spent the weekend washing all the quilts we brought home from Dixon. I was thinking about something my mom said about a quilt my dad had that his mother had made for him. Mom said that Dad never wanted to put the quilt on his bed because he didn't want it to get dirty or ruined. I confess that I feel the same way. I know my dogs will get fur and dirt all over it, and I want the quilts to be pretty. I also feel that the quilts are meant to be used and loved. What good are they in a neat stack, tucked away in a closet or a linen box? The quilts are wonderful and so beautiful and filled with great memories for me. I don't remember every quilt individually, of course, but I certainly remember Grandma quilting. I clearly remember her sewing quilt blocks and putting together the tops in the winter, then doing the actual quilting on the rack in the summer. She was an amazing sewer. She made all the quilts by hand, and the stitches are so tiny. I don't remember her having any patterns, she just picked how she was going to do it and started sewing. 

I have a dozen new quilts, plus probably another half dozen or so that I've had for a long time. I'm going to use the quilts. I will rotate them. There aren't many that will fit my king size bed, but I think there are a couple. The smaller ones will be in the spare room, and a few of the much smaller ones will be in the living room to snuggle with on movie night, or for couch naps. I can fold them and drape them over the couch so the dogs can't lay on them all the time. I've got plenty of other blankets the dogs can lay on. 

Here is a little collage of some of the quilts:

I didn't take all of these quilts; I'll have to take photos of the ones I brought home. I do have the one in the upper left corner, that magnificent blue and white creation. So pretty!

What am I looking forward to in the week ahead? T will be seeing all the doctors this week: GP, dentist, and eye. He's turning 26 in March and will no longer be on my insurance plan, so we are making sure he gets treated before the end of March. He is signed up under the Affordable Care Act and has health insurance coverage that actually goes into effect on Feb. 1, but no dental or vision. 

My book club is back in action. We are reading "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store," by James McBride. It's been good so far. We will discuss the last third of the book on Thursday. Also on Thursday, one of my favorite things is happening: a new month is starting so I get to flip all the calendars. It's the simple things. I will be creating my wee calendar page tomorrow, I think, so I will likely be ready to show it to you on Wednesday when I write here again.

On Friday, MT and I are going out with some of my work friends to a comedy club downtown. I think that will be fun. 

My weather app says that the high temperature this week will be in the mid 50s. What kind of madness is that? We've had a fairly dry January. There has been some snow and rain, but my yard is just a muddy mess right now. It felt more like mid-March than late January today. 

Have a wonderful week! Do something that makes you forget about time! Lose yourself in something awesome.

#2875 the end of week 1

Hello from snowy SLC. It's been snowing most of the day. There's not a lot of accumulation in my yard, but it is cold, and I can see that the roads are slick. I've been feeling a little under the weather this weekend, so I didn't leave the house. I went out in the backyard with the dogs for about 10 minutes yesterday, and today I took the garbage out. I guess I figure if I didn't have to go anywhere, why would I?

When I wrote on Wednesday, I mentioned my No-Spend January challenge. As of today, I am seven for seven - no restaurant spending so far this month! I did go to Dutch Bros on Wednesday, and paid with money I had on the app, and I had Starbucks on Thursday, also paying with the app that had funds on it. Other than that, I haven't been to a restaurant or fast food place this week. It is a minor miracle, to be honest. I almost caved yesterday. MT went to Pocatello for the day, and it would have been so easy to hop in the car and hit a drive through, I didn't, though. I figured something out to eat at home, and I was fine. It is tough. The dependence on fast food is strong. 

This week had a really big day in it. The third of January is the day my dad passed away. It has been six years that he's been gone. I think about him at least a little bit every day. There are some days that I find myself talking to him (in my head) as if he were sitting with me. He is missed.

On January 3, just three years ago, we adopted our sweet lab, Harley. She is the snuggliest dog in our little pack. She's totally mellow until people come over or she gets to go for a ride or for a walk, then she's loses her doggie mind with joy and excitement. I'm glad she's here. Her arrival really calmed Mac down, so I'm grateful to MT for suggesting we get another dog.

The first week of the year at work is all about closing the books on the previous year. I was busy, but it was manageable. I am working just eight hours a day, and it's good. 

Usually I like to share some art on Sunday.  My doodles this week were lack-luster - the prompts were kind of lame. Not Jill's prompts; I don't consider those doodle prompts. Jill's prompts usually push me to work a little harder on the art, and it is more fulfilling. The little daily doodle prompts I find are to keep drawing something. This week's doodle prompts are: evergreen tree, bare trees, pinecone, cardinal, snowflake, snowballs, and icicles. Feel free to doodle and share, if you want!

I also find a lot of art that I'd like to try my hand at on Pinterest. I think I'd like to do a Pinterest- inspired project once a week or so, and maybe even practice sketching from a photo or something. I find that I can totally lose all sense of time when my pens, paints, and sketchbook come out. Drawing and painting have been a fun hobby. I'm glad to be doing it. 

What am I looking forward to this week? On Thursday night, MT will come with me to the Red Butte Garden volunteer reception. This year, the reception will be held at the Natural History Museum. We haven't had the reception at this venue before. The reception is always fun. On Saturday, Jill is having a workshop called "Let's Talk Creativity."  Other than that, it's back to five days of work, two at home and three in the office. We are supposed to get more snow this week. I also still need to clear out some Christmas decorations. (teehee)

You know what else is on my mind? Making my house a little more cozy. I haven't spent a lot of time or energy making my house cozy, like with lighting or pillows or...oh, I don't know. I just feel like nesting, I guess. We'll see where that goes. 

Ok, that's all for tonight. Have a great week. Take care of yourselves and be nice to you.

xo

#2868 3 things: birthdays (+ some art!)

 Aw man...I had a big post written already with some photos, but then I saved it to draft, and when I came back, it was in HTML format and I didn't know how to change it, so I wound up deleting it. When I just got back on to write this post, it was still in HTML, and I discovered a little drop-down that switches from HTML to Compose. Now I know. I also know that I will not re-create my original post, but I will instead write about three things.

1. Lizzie's birthday! Today is my dear sister's birthday. In a recent blog post, she wrote about the mixed feelings she has on her birthday. Birthdays can be such an introspective time. Lizzie is one of my favorite people in the world, and I wish I could spend every birthday with her. The last time I got to do it was a couple of years ago when I tried to surprise her by showing up at her door. It was late, and all the poor woman wanted to do was go to bed, but our mom kept trying to keep her awake until I arrived. LOL Before that, we spent her birthday in New Orleans one year. That was freaking fantastic! I feel lucky that I got to hang out with her twice in October, and we'll be hanging out again at the beginning of December, and in mid-December, too. She is just the best. Here's a photo I took of her in Barcelona in May. We were eating churros in the square in front of the church of Santa Maria del Pi. 

I love the face!

2. Linda's birthday! Today is also my MIL's birthday. MT and I were in Pocatello this weekend, and this morning we went to breakfast with Jake, Linda, MT's bro Kelly, and Kelly's wife, Denise. We went to my favorite breakfast place in Poky, Butter Burrs. They have delicious cinnamon twists. I bought an extra to have for breakfast here tomorrow. It was a nice meal, and it was fun to catch up with everyone. I don't go to Pocatello that often, so I enjoyed being with the fam. Here is a pic of Jake, Linda, and MT:

3. Kelly's birthday! The main reason we went to Pocatello this weekend was to attend a birthday party for Kelly. He will be 60 this week, so his son hosted a "Come as Your Favorite Kelly" themed birthday party. There was tai kwon do Kelly, jorts-wearing Kelly, Bells Palsey Kelly, mechanic Kelly, sweatshirt wearing Kelly, young Kelly, and Scoutmaster Kelly, to name a few. It was a clever idea, thought up by Kelly's daughter-in-law, Jen. At one point, I was standing by my nephew, Kelly's son Garrett, who was young Kelly, Kelly himself, and MT, who was future Kelly. I had to take a photo:

Garrett, Kelly, and MT

If only Garrett had been holding a Modelo! The kid truly does look like his dad.

~~~~

Time for art show and tell! I've got a bunch tonight:

My tree collage

This is what I was working on last week that I didn't have ready to show you. The prompt was to take a piece of art and rework it. From a previous prompt, I had a photo collage that I made using the Canva app. I printed it, then cut it up into little pieces to make the leaves for this tree that I drew and painted. This was a really fun project for me!

This next one was fun, too, although I only like parts of it. We were given this painting, and told to render it in our own way.

.

the model

I like this painting, and I was excited to do this project. I get a bit overzealous with color, and have a lot of practice to do on my skies so they are not so layer-y. I'm also a bit shy of white space:

my version

I'm still learning. I used watercolor brush markers on this, and I like the vibrancy of the tree. The sky is not my favorite.

The art due today was to do a single-line drawing of flowers in a vase. It was meant to be partial-blind, but I wasn't looking at a model, just going for it:

one line - never taking my pen off the paper

I like to draw little doodles every day. It's easy to find prompts on Pinterest that give you a doodle a day. Here are a few doodles from last week:

prompt = HUG

prompt = SCARF

prompt = OUTDOORS

prompt = PETS (I just threw the flower in)

Okay, that's all I've got for tonight. Why do my posts always take so long to write? Maybe if I wrote more often, the posts would be shorter. But it takes so long for me to gather my thoughts and my photos, I run out of time to write. It's a vicious circle.

Have a great week!

xo

#2867 one thing at a time

I have a sticker that looks a little different from this one, but has the same words. I think it's funny, and I thought I embodied those sentiments, but it turns out, I don't. My cousin Sonia,  well, this could be her life's slogan. While she was here, she would get up, go to the bathroom, and stumble down the stairs looking for coffee. The first day she was here, I was up first and had a pot made, so she could just sit and drink it peacefully. The second morning, I slept a little later, so she was already up when I got downstairs. She looked at me frantically, grabbed my arms, and sort of yelled, "Where is the coffee?!" I introduced her to the magic and speed of the K-cup, and she was okay every morning after that. Truly, she would have to have a coffee before any other thing happened. I kind of admired her dedication to the mantra.

Another thing I noticed about Sonia's breakfast routine was what she ate, when left to her own devices. She would get a coffee, then prepare a slice of toast, sprinkled with a bit of olive oil, and top it with a slice of cheese (we had havarti, the King of Cheese, on hand.) She would also have a glass of orange juice, and a piece of fruit. Sonia sat at the table, her plate filled with the cheese toast and fruit, and she would peacefully eat, always chatting away with me and MT. There were no other distractions. She didn't mess with her phone. She didn't read a book or magazine. She enjoyed her food and drink, took her time, and only when she was finished was she ready to get on with the day. 

Maybe this sounds strange, but I have been thinking about distractions during meals a lot lately. My favorite influencer, Shannon at This French Life, is doing a cool series this month and next that she is calling the Joie de Vivre journey. She began the series three weeks ago, and has a ten-week series planned.  Check it out on Instagram (thisfrench.life). She posts pretty videos on weekdays for the series. She's also doing a series about locations from the book All the Light We Cannot See, a series currently on Netflix based on the book by Anthony Doerr. 

Anyway, Day 2 of the Joie de Vivre journey was about mindful eating. The prompt was about making better food choices, but in my mind, I combined it with the Day 1 prompt about setting boundaries. Wait for it...I'm about to tie it all together.

Friends, I did something this morning that I rarely do: I ate breakfast without an interruption. I know that sounds weird, but usually, while I eat any meal at home, I multi-task. I read. Sometimes I write. I often throw a toy for Stella. I eat and I drink and I do something else.  Today, though, I simply savored my meal. I had a coffee and a slice of gingerbread from Starbucks, along with a glass of oj. I put the bread on a plate, and just sat there while I ate and drank. I steadfastly avoided looking through that pile of mail that was staring at me. I refused to pull my phone out of my purse to continue reading a new book I just started. I ignored Stella when she repeatedly woofed at me and nudged her frisbee in my direction. 

It's not that I shut down my mind. I thought about what I was doing. I enjoyed the flavor and the tenderness of the gingerbread. I noted the warmth and flavors of the latte. The tangy sweetness of the orange juice played off the other two items nicely. I didn't have a piece of fruit; all we have are bananas in the house, and I am not there yet. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish today, and if I would make it through the day without a nap (more on that in a minute.) I looked around my house and made mental notes of what needed to be cleaned up, thrown away, or put away. When the meal was finished, I was totally satisfied and quite full. It was nice. I think I'll keep working on making mealtime a one-activity event a habit.

~~

I haven't been feeling great for the past few days. On Wednesday, I had a flu shot at my doctor appointment. On Thursday, I felt run down and achy. I took the day off from work, and slept off and on most of the day. I went to work on Friday, and that evening, I got a covid shot. When I got up yesterday (Saturday), every one of my joints was aching and I was just tired. I took the big dogs for a walk in the neighborhood, had some coffee, read, and then took a nap. I was cold and unhappy about my condition. I slept. I laid on the couch wrapped up in a blanket. I came upstairs to use the bathroom, then got on my bed and fell asleep some more. My left arm, where the covid vax happened, has a bump and is warm. I was in bed by about 9:00 last night, and slept hard all night long. Today I feel okay. I still think I want to take a nap with my weighted blanket. 

First though, I'm taking time to do an art project that has been really fun. I'm not done with it yet, so I'll share it the next time I write. I also need to do the bookkeeping for all my entities (home, business, family), and I'll probably call that a day's work well done. 

I will share this little art project I did this week. The prompt was to draw some boxes, then fill them with little drawings. I am in a total hygge state of mind right now. You know hygge - a cozy comfiness that is perfect for this time of year when the days get shorter and colder. Here is my art:

I added some stickers, too, because why not? It was fun.

That's all I've got today! I need to go to bougie Harmons to get some coffee and finish today's art project, not to mention pay all those bills. 

Have a beautiful week. Do something fun and take the time to enjoy yourself.

xo

#2847 weekly wrap-up

This past week was kind of strange. We had all the types of weather from nice sunshine to a bit of snow to thunder hail. Yes, it hailed and there was big thunder. The hail was pea-sized and it stung when it made contact with a human. I was standing in the doorway taking a short video and got plonked by a hail, and it was unpleasant. 

Speaking of unpleasant, T had a couple of weird-looking splotches on his torso, so we went to Urgent Care to find out it was ringworm. ARGH! The doctor prescribed some medicated cream and it is really working well. No idea how T got ringworm. It is contagious, but neither MT nor I have it, and neither does Jordyn. I'm glad it is going away, though.

Wednesday is a work-from-home day for me, but the internet provider was doing work in my neighborhood last week. In fact, the dude was working on the pole in my front yard, so my internet was going in and out. I didn't even think about using the hot spot on my phone; I just went to the office. It was fine to be there. It's nice and quiet on Wednesday. The downside was that I was a little confused about what day of the week it was the next day. I thought it was Friday when it was really Thursday, and Friday was a total drag! LOL

I recorded blooms on Thursday evening - first time this year. There weren't a lot of blooms, but there was a lot of budding, and I bet this week I will see some more flowers! A squirrel ran right in front of me, and startled me. I damn near broke my ankle coming to a hard stop like I did. Not really, but I did hit my walking brakes pretty hard to I didn't run into the squirrel, or vice versa. The weather was nice that evening, although we'd had a minute of chunky snow rain earlier in the day. The spring weather in the intermountain west is a mixed bag for sure. 

Another fun thing I did this week was participate in a Zoom meeting with the book club. The author Wanda M. Morris joined us for an Author Talk. She was kind and generous with her time, telling us about how she went from a corporate attorney to an author. She's written two novels, and our group has read both of them. Our club leader and sponsor, Ekpe Udoh, is playing basketball in Japan this year for the Kyoto Hannaryz. I love that he continues the book club even when he is playing overseas and the time differences are so stark. In the past few years, he has played in China, Italy, and now Japan, and we still read 15 or 16 books a year. He's really great. Talk about kind and generous. I am fortunate to be involved with his book club.

Because I was working in the office on Wednesday and the Author Talk, I missed participating in the Zoom meeting of the creativity group. I watched the replay on YouTube Saturday morning, though, and had lots of fun. We always do different cool things. This meeting was about finding our style. To do that, we looked at paintings by artists like Chagall, Norman Rockwell, and Picasso, to name a few. Then we painted carrots - no drawing, just painting carrots free-style. I'll have to post a photo of them another time. They were not amazing LOL. I got a little excited and put a couple of the carrots really close together when the paint was still wet and it looks messy and not nice. It's still fun though! 

Here's a couple of art things I did this week:

This one came right out of my own head. I have a tree sort of like this one in my back yard. It doesn't have any leaves on it yet, just a gabillion branches. When I got out to play with the dogs, there are always a bunch of little birdies in the tree. I just see them as dark blobs, so that's what I drew. I liked the way this looks, so I posted it on Facebook and got some really nice comments about it. My BFF LA wants to have it so she can frame it. I decided to draw her a fresh, slightly different version on a piece of cardstock. I think it looks okay, too, and I will send it to her next week. 

The wine glass drawing is in response to a prompt from the creativity group. The prompt was: purple, drink, zodiac sign. I splotched on some purple and pink paint, then added random dots of yellow, because why not. Then I sketched in the "twin" wine glasses using a single line that I went over and over to get the scribbly effect. I enjoyed doing this one and was happy with how it turned out.

This bird on a ball is based on a painting by Chagall called "The Green Bird." Jill the Artist used it as an example and encouraged us to give it our own flair. Here is the Chagall painting:

"L'Oiseau Vert" Marc Chagall, 1962 (poster from Mourlot Studios Chagall Exhibition)

As you can see, we removed the couple in the circle and put our own spin on it. Mine says "Fake it 'til you make it," which is kind of my philosophy on art at the moment.  I like how mine turned out. I thought it was fun to do, and that's what it's all about for me. 

The trip to Europe is getting closer and closer! I intended to take a look at my trip 'fits this weekend, but I didn't get to it. This week for sure, though!  There are a couple of other things coming up this week that I am excited about. Tomorrow, Monday, Red Butte Garden will put the first half of the concert season tickets for sale to the members. I will be right here in front of my computer at 6:45pm  getting ready to purchase tickets when they go on sale at 7pm.  (I'm logging on early to make sure I know where I'm going online. They have changed ticket sellers in the past couple of years. I didn't buy any tickets last year because we were in Rome and I wasn't interested in getting up at 3am to buy tickets.)

On Wednesday, I'll go to a concert volunteer orientation. We review safety protocols, including active shooter information. It seriously makes me sick to think such a thing could happen, but it totally could, so it's good to know where I would go for safety in that event. We also cover less grave situations, but everything feels less grave than an active shooter situation, am I right? After the orientation, my friend Liz and I are going out to get a bite of dinner and catch up. She recently got back from a two week tour of Greece, and I am excited to hear about her trip. 

Take care of yourselves! Wear sunscreen! Do something fun! Read a good book!

xo

#2843 weekly wrap-up

 

I missed writing here on Wednesday again. We had our appointment with the tax guy, and it went kind of long. I was at home, and I could have written, I guess, but I wasn't in the mood, apparently. Maybe I only write here once a week? We'll see.

The month of March seemed to drag on and on to me, but I saw on Mom's blog that she thought the month flew by. It's interesting how different people perceive things. I think this month, April, will fly by because the trip to Spain is coming up in May and I still have several things I want to do to prepare. Even though I've been doing trip stuff for a couple months, departure day will undoubtedly sneak up on me. Time to make lists!

I had a couple of big things going on this week. The first was on Wednesday, when we met with the tax guy. Marty goes to the office, and I stay home to find missing info or for clarification. I did have to find one 1099 form, so it was pretty easy. We have to pay taxes - not surprising with the rentals - but our tax bill is a lot less than last year, thankfully. 

On Thursday, I ended my volunteer career with the company credit union. I've been on the Board of Directors there for over 18 years, they tell me, and I volunteered on a committee for a few years before I got elected to the Board. During my time on the Board, I have served as secretary, vice-chair, chair, and secretary again. I have a lot of love for the CU, and because of that love, I felt it was time for me to step down and let some new blood flow through the Board. I am ready to release myself from that commitment, and I feel good about my service to the organization. 

Yesterday, MT and I took all three dogs to the dog park for the first time. It was fun. We took Stella's warped frisbee. It was windy, and the frisbee was all bent out of shape anyway, so it didn't fly very nicely. A big husky took the frisbee from Stella, and she was looking at me like, "Do something, human!" The husky's human gave it back to us and kept his girl on a leash. That made me feel bad, but dude! Spend $1.99 at Petsmart and get your girl a frisbee if she is motivated by toys! Speaking of spending $1.99, MT and I stopped at Petsmart later in the day to buy new frisbees for Stella, and we retired the warped one. 

Today, MT and I went to Clearfield to visit my BFF LA. She was in town to watch her baby grandson while her son and his wife were out of town for a little vacation. It's kinda weird to think that LA is a grandma. The baby, who is five months old, is a cutie, and a happy little boy. 

Back at home, I took a nap (as I do), then played with the dogs a little bit in the yard. It was pretty mild, in the mid 40s (mildness is relative!), then I came up here to my desk to do the bookkeeping, order the groceries, and draw. Yeah, order groceries. The past couple of weeks, I have ordered groceries online, then gone to pick them up on Monday after work. It's kinda cool, and it saves money because I'm not wandering down the aisles picking up random stuff that looks good. 

As for art, I listened to a podcast that Jill the Artist does with a guy called Danny Gregory. It's called Art for All Podcast, put on by Sketchbook Skool. This week's topic was about finding your style as an artist, or at least identifying what you like about the art you like. I'm only five months in to my art journey, and I like lots of different things. Currently, I am drawn (pun intended!) to splotches of color and loose, scribbly lines. But then I'm also drawn to very graphic, bold, simple type art, too.  Here are a couple of things, art pieces if you will, I did this week to show you what I mean.

This one is the cover for my April zine. I was trying out markers that I got for Christmas from Mom. I think she got them from the Japanese store. They are pretty fun because I can make a bold line and thin lines with the same pen. 

This piece was in response to the prompt from the art group. The prompt was to identify three elements that you like, then create a garden. I like splotches of color, loose, squiggly lines, and drawing with my eyes closed. I painted the colors, and when they dried, I closed my eyes to draw flowers. I did open my eyes to move the pen to the different colors, then closed again to draw. I opened my eyes to draw in the green splotches. 

I think both of these pieces are fun. I enjoyed doing them, and they both satisfy me. 

What's coming up this week? I've got my monthly Facetime call with Mom and Lizzie on Monday. On Tuesday, MT and I are going to another anthropology lecture. Wednesday I have book club and I'm not even close to being done with the book we are discussing. It's kind of weird and I'm not really into it. I don't have plans for Easter. It's not really a thing for me, plus T will be working the whole weekend. That might be a good time to switch out my winter clothes for my spring/summer clothes. Then again, do I really want to swap out my warm clothes? We are supposed to have another big storm come through tonight and last a couple of days. It is currently drizzling at my house.

Have I mentioned how tired I am of winter?

Here's hoping y'all have a little bit of sunshine this week. Do something nice for yourself!

#2836 mid-week check-in

It is Wednesday, and it is...

One of my very most favorite things to do is flip the calendar page. It's a simple thing, but you know, I always feel like a new month holds such promise for doing some cool things. Turning the calendar page kinds of symbolizes that for me, I guess.

I have four calendars in my house: one from the insurance guy that is in my office. It is nice national park landscapes, and it is just fine for this office room. Two calendars I bought for myself. There's a wee small one in the bathroom:

Adorable! Every morning after I put in my contacts and brush my teeth, I look at this little calendar and say the day of the week, the number, and the major points of the day ahead. I also name my daily intention. For example, today I said, "Today is Wednesday, March 1. I am working in the office today. T needs a ride to work at 1:30. The one thing I must do today is pick up my meds at Walgreens." It's a simple little ritual that is grounding and mindful. Plus I get to look at the super-cute paintings, and I think, "Maybe I could draw that, too." 

I bought a wall calendar for myself that hangs in my bedroom.

I bought this one, and the little one, off Etsy. This wall calendar is from SimplyKaty. I wanted a travel calendar with illustrations. There are many cool options, and this one totally captured my imagination. Katy does all her art on a Mac. I think it looks pretty; I like the colors, and the cities she has chosen for the 2023 calendar are great (including Barcelona!) Another thing I like about this calendar is that it is European style, which means it goes from Monday through Sunday.

The calendar that is hanging in the living zone of the house is the one Lizzie made for us. It is chock full of photos of my favorite people. I love it so much! 

March is T's birthday month, so he is in all the photos this month. I like that the spaces are big enough to write stuff in, too. It gives me a lot of pleasure to see the smiling faces of my loved ones on the wall.

Speaking of smiling, I watched some TV tonight. Lizzie told me to check out The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV. She specifically recommended the Costa Rica episode, but I was intrigued by the series, so I watched the first two episodes, Finland and Costa Rica, tonight. Both episodes are great. Eugene Levy is pretty relatable, at least for me, because although I enjoy traveling, I am not very adventurous, so I enjoyed watching his discomfort and eventual enjoyment of both places. The Costa Rica episode in particular was wonderful because he stayed in the same area where Lizzie and I stayed, near Arenal volcano, and he went into the town of La Fortuna. I yelled out at MT, "I've been in that park! I have seen that church! I walked on that street!" I especially understood Eugene's coffee epiphany, because I certainly had my own coffee epiphany there. Yes, I smiled a great big smile for a whole hour as I watched those two episodes. Six more to go. I am excited to watch them all.

Enjoy the rest of the week! Plan something enjoyable to do this month, won't you?