Hey Lolo, when you read this can you confirm this is a Gerber? I’m pretty sure it is, but of course I’m more knowledgeable about animals than flowers.

Well, it’s not quite fuschia yet, but it will be. I spent a couple hours yesterday trying to mix it from primaries and got close, but frustrated. So now by george I think I’ve got it! This is a reeeeealy deep pink right now, not as red as it may look to you, and my next stages will be lightening it up and adding the details. The background color is very cool, it’s not black, it’s like a midnight cobalt blue. I’m thinking about painting the sides of the canvas another color, maybe green? Pale pink? Not sure yet. We shall see.

So there! I’ve been painting! Happy Happy!

Oh yes, ok, I can do a weight loss progress update too, since I’ve been sick and it’s assisted my goals for the month. (iew! but ok.) Ok just counted on the calendar (man I’m behind!)

75 days, down 25.5 lbs., 4.5 lbs to go for goal for the month of April!>Mark called Tuesday night. Once again, thank you guys for keeping him and the guys in your thoughts and prayers. They’ve successfully made their way through some of the tougher times to be had over there. He’s anxious to get the care packages that are on their way, there are a few coming to him from different directions – thank you guys for that, too! You’re the best!

The weather here has been beautiful, my stomach flu is about gone (I couldn’t take it anymore after lastnight and got some quick-stop medicine in my system finally), Lolo thanks for the bag! 😉

So there you have it, on the upswing once again, the pits are the pits are they not? I can do without them!! I hope you are all staying virus and bug-free so far this spring.

Ooh yes I will post a WIP of Mark’s second portrait that I started soon too. Now that the daisy is drying for the day/afternoon I may start working on filling him in and might have something identifiable to show you. My in-laws LOVE it so far… but I think they’re biased, you know? Maybe? A little? Eh that’s ok, doesn’t make ’em wrong, hehe! ::wink-wink::

Feels good to be sorta almost normal. Phew. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! I’ll be back!
xoxoxo

I’ve been sick. 🙁 Spent most of the last two days curled up in a ball on the couch, Cait took care of me and Jay yesterday the little sweetie. She was back to school today though, nice spring break, taking care of sick mom.

Haven’t heard from Mark on the phone, but we have gotten a couple of letters from him dated the end of March. He said he’s going to send a camel home for Caitlin. eek!

I got two pieces sketched on Sunday before I went out of commission, hopefully I’ll be feeling “normal” tomorrow and can get back to the easel. I don’t get sick like this often, I think it’s been a few years actually. Anyone else get this yuky stomach flu?! It’s MEAN!

I hope you’re all doing well and had a nice easter. I’m headed back to the couch and Mark’s blankie.

xoxoxo

Good evening everyone. 🙂

Believe it or not, this is a purple tulip growing in MY front yard! I did a little magic in PSP with it and thought it turned out very easter-y so here you go. A purple tulip to wish you all a blessed Easter with your families and loved ones. Did you know purple is my favorite color? And tulips are my favorite flower.

My husband sent me over 50 tulips for my birthday last year. They were fresh cut, and I had to split them into 5 different vases and had them all over the house. What a man.

Tomorrow we will celebrate with the standard morning egg hunt, the girls will follow purple bunny prints around the house to their baskets and treats. I tried to incorporate as much of Mark as I could. We will have dinner with his family Sunday night at Mark’s favorite restaurant.

I am working on three paintings this week. First, another portrait of my hubby in oils. Second, a very bold and beautiful fuschia gerber daisy. Third, I believe I will paint this lovely purple tulip, maybe take another close-up shot of my beautiful tulips in the front yard while they’re open.

I am also very excited to announce that my peonies are growing! I have been trying to grow them for years. FINALLY. ::taking a bow:: I look forward to dark pink, white and light pink peonies covered in ants and smelling up my yard in the most beautiful bumble-bee kind of way. 🙂

Have a wonderful, wonderful Easter everyone.

xoxoxo

Boy I tell you what though, if the next 348 days 7 hours 45 minutes and 14 seconds are anything like the last few days, I’m not sure exactly what I’ll get accomplished if anything.

Thank you all again for your prayers and continued thoughts and support for Mark and his guys. I can’t tell you how much they are truly appreciated. Please keep them coming. Been spending a lot of time thinking about things, being a little sullen, and still recovering from this cold which is kicking my butt.

I hope to get caught up with everyone tomorrow.

Love you guys.
xoxoxo

Mark called this morning. Thank God. And thank you for all of your prayers, they are indeed working. There was an incident on Saturday that I won’t go into here, I will say that he thanked us for praying that Hedge of Protection around him and that at that moment he said he felt it, and that it’s some pretty strong stuff. He asked that we keep praying for him, for his guys, to keep them safe so that if another similar situation occurs they are again able to walk away unharmed.

Every letter that Caitlin writes to him she tells him that she prays for a Head of Pertishin around him every night. Last Tuesday when we talked he said he wasn’t sure what that was, and it took him a half hour to sound it out and know what she meant. Well, be it a Head of Pertishin or a Hedge of Protection, we’re pretty certain our guy’s head and hedge alike are glowing in the desert over there. (This is the story I tell Caitlin to make her feel better about him not getting hurt.)

He’s going to try to call again tonight or tomorrow. The line was a thousand men long. Wives and families across the country jumping to answer the phone today just like I did.

Took my lemon into the shop this morning to get a leak checked, and I decided to nurse it along for a while. We also went to the post office and got his first 2 packages off in the mail to him (if you can add a little ditty to God about they’re safe and speedy arrival too, that would be great!). One of the packages has a beautiful patriotic oil painting by Erika included in it. I can’t wait for him to get that hung in his trailer. I know it’ll be the talk of the camp! 🙂

That’s all for now. I haven’t worked on anything except a few small wooden bird houses with Caitlin. We went down to Dick Blick and picked up some things (including a few new tubes of oils) when I spotted the little bird house kits. We have some beautiful Purple Finches’ around who I’m hoping take to one of these little homes. I will post pics when we get them painted.

Gotta work on a few things tonight, banner, return e-mail, etc. I am behind, and still feeling stuffy and headachey from this cold!

Thanks again everyone for your prayers!!
xoxoxo

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

“May we indeed inculculate in the lives of others that like the rose, that like the baby breath, like every flower that blooms. For it does its best with what has been given it by man, to glorify its Maker with all its beauty, its color, with all of its love for the appreciation of spring, of the rain, the sunshine, the shadows. And so the man in like manner, with the worries, the troubles, heartaches, the disappointments, may draw closer and closer to God, knowing that this may be done as in the Son. He gave Himself that man might know that appreciation, that love, and how that in meting it to others we come to learn, to know the meaning of disappointments, of little hates, little jealousies, and of how they may grow by entertaining them; but more importantly how the joys may grow also just by entertaining them, as do the beautiful flowers that God hath given, that man might see His face in them.”

More later. Just had to share this from a mail I received from my bestest buddy this morning. Absolutely inspiring isn’t it?

Here’s more! I just finished the design and shading on the bowl. You might be able to guess by now where the baby possum is going to be sitting in the bowl. I am very excited for these layers to dry so I can rock & roll on the little critter! His tail is going to wrap around the side of the canvas a bit.

Still, no progress on the weight loss today. It’s frustrating! But I am not giving up! If I am not gaining, and not losing, then I am still on the right track. This will be a year of constantly battling my body to do what I need it to do! Walked over 2 miles on the treadmill yesterday, and so far today have just over a mile in. It is getting easier to walk a mile at a quick pace and get it done in under 20 minutes, so we’ve been keeping it at 30 minutes and ending wherever we end.

No other news to report today, woke up, cleaned up, treadmilled, painted. Nice relaxed life I lead, huh? Not sure what I’m going to futz with this afternoon, maybe some website changes, maybe try to sketch out a blueprint for the changes I’d like to make to the playroom. (Turning it back into a family room!)

Aaah decisions, decisions. 😉

Have a great afternoon!
xoxoxo

Woah can you see the possum? No? Hm.. I’ll have to fix that! 😉

Seriously, This is my progress for the day. Oils. Gotta let ’em dry. So today, the base coat for the bowl. Tomorrow, the bowl design. Thursday, the possum. Then on to the auction block!

I spent a good portion of the day making very cool labels for the CD’s I mixed for Mark! They’re so cool! Have a look! It took me hours to put them together. I love the one on the top left, that was taken on our (second) wedding day. It really shows how much I love him. Yep. It does. And I do. That much. He called today too. In the middle of the day even! There was a little skirmish today. They’re all ok. Thank God.

No Weight Loss progress to report today! Same same, a day later. I guess you’ll have days like that! Foo on days like that though! Foo I say!

I shipped out my Macaw study today, as well as a print of Possy 2 to the very wonderful owner of the reference photo. Of course all of my reference photo providers and copyrighter-givver-uppers get a free print of the painting if I use their photo. How fun is that! Almost like a free portrait, eh? It’s the least I can do. 🙂

I think I’ll be getting back on the treadmill in a bit. Gotsta stay motivated!

Happy Tuesday all!
xoxoxo