Erikie, I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday!

The new printer arrived yesterday and I spent a good chunk of time setting it up and preparing a few prints to ship out on Monday. My Print Auctions end tomorrow so I am waiting for those to finish to get everything printed. Now the folks who purchase these prints will be getting not just a print, but Giclee’s since the new printer has pigment based archival and waterproof inks, so this is the last time my prints will be offered at this price. I have to go up a smidge in price to not only cover the cost of the inks, but also because they are the best quality available and will last forever! 🙂

I did get to speak to Mark this morning for a little bit. Things are much more calm there now, which is great news. Hopefully I will be able to talk to him more regularly soon, there were apparently some problems with his connection which bummed me out all week since I have some very cool photos to share with him. And now I wait. sigh.

I walked over 3 miles today!! This week has been phenomenal as far as exercise goes. I’ve walked over 2 miles every day, most days 2.5 or more, and today I really pushed it increasing speed and time. So the drop for the week has been 5 pounds, and I’m now only 2 lbs. away from my goal for the month of April. 😀

The other cool news is that Erica Richards and I will be collaborating on a custom pet portrait contest/giveaway for the month of May. I will host the contest here, each of us will be GIVING AWAY a custom pet portrait (we’re still figuring out what size), hers will be an acrylic painting, mine in oils, both on chunky gallery wrap canvas. I will start preparing the contest entry pages, etc. this week and we’ll kick it off on May 1, it’ll run through May 31. Her work is fabulous, you can click the leopard to visit her website. She’s only got a couple of things available on eBay now, and she’ll set up an exclusive animal gallery for the entrants to see samples of her work. But here’s a sample of her wildlife artwork anyhoo! GREAT STUFF!

Leopard (by Erica Richards)
Click the Leopard to visit Erica’s Website!

I have to add one more thing. This is amazing, if you have a few minutes to view it please do, and you may want to have a kleenex handy. WeSupportU

That’s all the news I have at the moment. Have a great evening!
xoxo

Got your sunglasses on? It’s going to be a beautiful day!!

Ok so I took this pic a couple of weeks ago. But it’s still cool, eh? This is what I get to watch out of my dining room window if/when I get up before dawn. Knocks your eyes right out of their sockets. Yummy sunshine!

It rained all day yesterday here, and the grass – trees – plants – everybody is happy about it! I missed green. Winter is so depressing to me! But yesterday, even with the rain, it was an outstanding day.

I didn’t paint. I messed around all day with friends online.

Part of my sluffing off around the house included taking some new photos for my hubby. I think that’s what put me in a fabulous mood! I knew that I’m losing weight, and that’s cool and all, but you know sometimes you don’t see it for yourself until you start comparing pics. Well that’s what I was doing, looking at pics I took a month ago compared to now, and woah! How motivating! I’m still down 25.5 lbs., wavering back & forth a pound or two, but still working away at it, and the results are totally visible to me now. The last two days have been great treadmill days too, I’ve gone 2.5 miles both Monday and Tuesday.

What an exciting life I lead, huh?

The results are in on the new printer. I’ve decided to go ahead and get the Epson all-in-one, which sports some super cool waterproof and 70-year archival inks! I’ll probably pick it up within the next week. Right now I’m refinancing the mortgage which is on a 5-year balloon coming due in June, so that’s a “right now gotta do it” thing. Then next week we’ll be car shopping. Well not so much shopping as trying to talk them down to my price, and getting the color and features I want without ending up with a lemon. (Wish me luck, I attract lemons with every large purchase! LOL)

So there you go. (stop your yawning!) 😉

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

xoxo

I just went on a ebay listing spree! Alex ended, so I relisted him, and then I also put BeethovenAndy’s Dream out there! You might remember that one, I painted him last fall for the AKC/Eukanuba commemorative poster competition. Oooh the winning piece for that contest is beautiful! But I am pretty certain I made it in the finals with Andy, even though he didn’t win. 😉

I’ve been low on “juice” today, and this springtime sinus/cold junk is making my head cloudy so I haven’t done much today. A little treadmilling, a little lounging, a little bill paying, and then a listing spree. And there you have it! My whole day wrapped up into one sentence. LOL

I hope your weekend was a great one! On to Monday, and some warmer weather! (Pleaaassseeeee!)

xoxoxo!

All over. From missing my hubby, to feeling like someone beat me with a big stick!

Spent most of the day yesterday outdoors on a sunny yet chilly spring day. When the studio construction was completed, they were supposed to clean up the yard and put the patio back as a “courtesy”, but since it wasn’t “in the contract” that courtesy was not extended in any form other than a verbal “let’s close the deal” pitch. Ah well, more work for me, lesson learned. My father in law, bless his poor achey back, brought his rototiller and helped break up the ground and concrete blobs left behind. We got about half of the patio done before we were both too sore to continue. Today, ow. Walked half a mile on the treadmill, if that. I walked and moved with extreme caution today!

I also miss my man. I’ve not heard from him since Tuesday, and with all the goings-on, I really would like to hear his voice. I know it’s ok that he hasn’t called, no calls are better than calls from the “other” kind of military people, so I reassure myself saying it’ll either be him, or nothing. And that’s ok, but still I miss him. Today was a rough day being so sore, the first day of spring break, girls at eachother from 7 a.m. until dusk. FUN!

The picture there is a very intricately beaded piece done by a client of mine. Isn’t it beautiful? She had been working on it for quite some time and when I painted for her and got to know her she decided that this was meant for us. I am such a gush, I wept when I opened it. It is truly beautiful. I meant to post it when I got it but kept forgetting to get a picture of it. I finally did, because I wrote to Mark about it and included this pic in his letter so he could see it. Anyhoo I wanted to share it because I have been thinking a lot lately about my clients who have become such wonderful friends that are so dear to me, and it means a lot to me that this sweet special bond is all created by a love for art and beautiful animals. 🙂

Have a good night & great Sunday, don’t forget to change your clocks! (Spring ahead!)

xoxoxo

The picture of the day! Jayden and Caitlin wearing Daddy’s spare hats. Awwww!!

Yes can you tell I am a smidge wired? You can call it excited, too. Here’s why!

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRESS: Down 20.5 lbs. in 58 Days!!!!!!!>I am now under goal for the week, and 9.5 lbs. from my goal for the end of April! Go me!

In addition, I’ve been SO motivated, today alone I’ve walked over 2 3/4 miles. Sorry, Paige – I walked more after our morning walk! After burning 5 new CD’s for Mark lastnight, I just had to test ’em out. 🙂

You guys are all so great, making me feel warm and fuzzy when I check in and while I’m thinking of my next entry. Thank you. For reading, for chattin’ back with me – I appreciate it! {{{huggles and snuggles for all}}}

My next artistic project is a baby POSSUM! Yep. A possum. Those little critters are just the cutest things! I’ve started prepping the piece and will get to painting here after I rid myself of the post-workout um…yiky smell! LOL

I hope you are all having THE BEST weekend!

Happy Thursday everyone!

First I want to share with you this wonderful concoction I put together lastnight! I’ve made it quite a few times, and love it. I don’t even have a name for it, so you can make one up for me. It’s really easy, very light, low cal, and yummilicious!

Things you’ll need:
Tri Color Rotini
1 Can of Del Monte Italian style diced tomatoes
Grated cheese blend (the good stuff that melts a bit!)
Steamed zucchini slices (get these ready before hand, I use a tupperware steamer with a smidge of water in the microwave for 10 minutes.)

Boil the pasta, drain, dump in the tomatoes, mix in the zucchini, sprinkle with desired amount of grated cheese and blend it all together. Voila!

Hope you like my quick mom-on-the-go-painting-in-every-spare-moment recipe!

I will be heading down to test a print of my Macaw painting. Keep your fingers crossed, I am hoping for a fabulous print! It’s tough to scan larger pieces in sections, and I found a place that has a large enough flatbed to capture all but about 1/4″ of the edges on that painting. YAY!

I painted more on the kitty yesterday, but had to wait for it to dry enough overnight to put the lettering on the cookbook. I painted his sweet nose. I couldn’t resist. But since there’s not a lot *more* progress, I will refrain from another WIP until I at least have the lettering painted. 🙂

Weight loss progress: down 18 lbs in 55 days!

HAPPY HAPPY! Have a good one, I’ll be back later today!

5:50 PM (CST) UPDATE
Welp, folks, It’s official. I’ve got prints of Alex, the Macaw! I am really excited! I put a lot of work into getting them just perfect. Color correcting, trimming, adhering to foam core, they look great! Here’s a shot of my very first Limited Edition (of 5), sitting right beside the painting. You like?

Ran errands doing this today and picking up groceries. I had a huge order arrive today from Dick Blick with 2- 18×24 canvas (one is for my remake of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring), 2-16×20’s and 3-12×16’s. They have modified their 1-1/2″ deep gallery wrap canvas and it’s PERFECT! Also picked up a few new colors in oil; Renaissance Gold, Transparent White, Winsor Yellow and Flesh Tint. I bought those with the Vermeer piece and the new (additional) portrait of Mark I’ll be doing in mind.

I haven’t had time yet today to work on the kitty painting. I would like to do that here in a little while. I will definitely have it finished tomorrow!

Have a great evening!

xoxoxxo

I just found another frog article that I hadn’t seen, have a look here!

🙂

Packing and shipping today, getting ready to head to the post office! It’s gorgeous even though it’s chilly out, the sun is so bright, the sky is a beautiful blue, my trees are budding, and the cardinals and ROBIN’S are singing!!! YAY for SPRING!

I worked on the site a bit lastnight, and am getting ready to dive in again today. Each gallery thumb is clickable to a larger image that requires its own graphic, and I need to create all of those graphics. I did change the link colors, darkened them a bit, hopefully you still know they’re links, yea?

In other news, I am still plugging away on the diet, lost another pound for a total now of 16 since Jan. 29th or so, and took a couple of weeks off there for my visit with Mark and recoup time.

There was a deer in my backyard yesterday! My yard is fenced in, suburbia you know, and I live along one of the main roads in my area. We do have some wooded areas and we have seen deer around, but I would never have expected one to jump my fence and hang out in my yard. LOL It was so exciting! I grabbed my camera and ran outside, but she was gone. A few moments later, she and her friend went galavanting down the easement behind our house and I was able to get a (blurred) picture of them.

Better get to work! Have a blessed Sunday!
xoxoxxo

What a day yesterday! I walked over 2 miles on the treadmill, and spent over 4 hours out in the front yard doing spring cleaning with the girls. Can you say “exhausted”? 😉

I would love to have the garden of Lolo, but I have to face it. I live in the midwest. Sigh. I am going to fill the front flower plantery thing we made last year with beauties though, a nice bright selection of flowers that will fill it up and make me smile all summer. Any recommendations? All will be considered, written down, and searched for at the nursery!

I am not sure if my daisies, stargazers, primrose or clematis are going to return. They still appear to be there, but I have no green thumb. In fact my thumb has blisters at the moment!

And I have to plug Erika’s latest portrait, she is gorgeous Erika! Well done! I know your client loved her, am I right?

Caitlin is spending the weekend with Grandma & Grandpa and Cousin Stacie, and since this marks the 16th day in a row of “no break from the kids” it will be strangely peaceful with just me & Jay. I’m not even sure what we’re going to do yet!

I hope you all have great plans for your weekend!