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  • Yellow, Brown & Green

    July
    14
    2005

    I didn’t realize until I started cropping and resizing this morning that all of the photos I took in my wildflower garden lastnight, although each a different flower, are very much alike. I’m wondering if I was attracted to them photographically because of their common color scheme? Regardless, I took all three lastnight without a conscious thought about how well they all go together. I was more inclined to get photos of my sunflowers so that I could have a little record of how they bloom, as I’ve wanted to paint a sunflower for quite some time.

    The bug, well, he was just a well-positioned guest in my eyes. Hey there! Don’t jump! It’s not worth it!

    Here are the other two:

    Keep reading »

    Snarky Little Bird

    July
    13
    2005

    Caption this Bird!
    (As many times as you want, just for fun!)

    How Do You Do It?

    July
    13
    2005

    I have to know.

    Over the past year, I’ve forced myself to get on the treadmill and forced myself to exercise when I actually have taken the time to do it. Why do I have to force myself? Why do I find every and any excuse and grab on tight to it nearly every day?

    In talking to my buddy this morning, we asked ourselves some really important questions that neither of us can answer.

    Why do the temporary side effects (sweat, breathlessness, time and effort) seem to outweigh the ultimate benefits and immediate results of exercise (increased energy level, weight loss, strength & endurance)?

    HOW does one go about becoming addicted to exercise, to the point of needing it every day?

    Over the past year of pushing myself mentally, I still do not feel like I need it. I know the benefits, I enjoy seeing the decrease on the scale and on the tape measurer, I love seeing the size of the clothes I pick out.

    Still, I dread it, I procrastinate, and I talk myself into putting it off until it’s bedtime. I’m proud of myself when I get on the treadmill, when I make time for it.

    Here I’ve been making a whole bunch of positive changes, but I’m still falling short. I still purchase prepackaged foods, still eat out, still choose the wrong things to eat most of the time, still have no idea how to combine foods for maximum nutrition and have no desire to learn.

    So what do you do? And if you don’t, do you want to? Do you wish you could make those permanent positive changes? Or do you think those changes really just suck, and if you’re alive you may as well enjoy the time you’ve got? Where does one locate the motivation and stick-to-it-iveness? And how much does it cost?

    Floppy Bear

    July
    12
    2005

    Today is glum here, for some reason. The remnants of Dennis have reached us and we’re finally getting a little rain, but I think that it’s blowing westward has me feeling a little out of whack today? I’m not sure what it is, but I’m really sleepy, and when I go outside I get stuffy really fast and my eyes start itching. I’m not entirely over the whole blechy bug thing from last week, either. So, I’ve been lazy today, trying to keep my eyes open.

    I realized today too that during my daily news & bloghop, I really don’t have a whole lot of profound thoughts that I share here. Probably why I’m not a huge name in the blogosphere, but then again I don’t mind. There are enough profound thoughts out there and I like to think that my blog is a bit of a retreat, a little rest for the brain, a little fun, a little eye candy. Life is hectic enough, eh?

    Lucy’s underpainting is dry, so I can start working on the next layer. I’ve also got a custom blog graphic in the works, and I won’t share that one until the graphic has been implemented into the template. I’m not totally lazy, but it sure does feel like it!

    On that note, this bear pretty well sums things up, huh?

    Caption this Bear!
    (As many times as you want, just for fun!)

    Oh yeah, I made a little graphic if you want to snag it for your blog, you can link it directly to my Captionable Critters category, that way folks can keep on adding captions! I think they’re fun, and really enjoy it that you guys play and give them a voice! 🙂

    100 Things About Me

    July
    11
    2005

    It seems this is a ‘must-have’ for blogs anymore, so here’s mine:

    100. I was born in 1971

    99. In Lake Forest, Illinois

    98. I have 1 brother and 2 sisters.

    97. I have 1 mom and 2 dads.

    96. My real father gave me (and my bro) up for adoption when I was 5’ish.

    95. My stepdad adopted us both.

    94. He really wasn’t around much, either.

    93. I only remember a few things about my childhood.

    92. I remember even less about my real dad.

    91. I remember living in Utah and Florida as a kid, but I don’t know how long we were there, and I don’t remember school at either place.

    90. I really don’t remember much at all.

    89. I would like to see a doctor about my lack of memory, but I keep forgetting to make an appointment.

    88. My mom had an orange mustang, and on a road trip I left crayons in the rear window area that all melted into one big colorful puddle.

    87. My stepdad had a 66 Mustang GT that I always wanted to drive, just once, and he sold it just before I got my license. I’ve wanted one of my own ever since he rebuilt that one. I prayed he would give me that one for my birthday. heh.

    86. I like cars, I like seeing the new models and challenge my photographic memory when I’m on the road by “naming that model”.

    85. I love animals, but am allergic to just about all of ’em.

    84. I wasn’t allergic to anything until the early 90’s.

    83. I have a mild escalator phobia, and board them with caution.

    82. I have grown to dislike being in public places with large numbers of people very, very much.

    81. I used to have a fear of driving over bridges. I’m all better now in my Camry. 😛 (update 11/8/13 – I am not all better. I lied.)

    80. I am most definitely afraid of heights. I can get up there without a problem, but I cannot look down without either wanting to throw up, wanting to jump, and wanting to pass out all at once.

    79. I’ve been in love with my husband since 1989. (Written in 2005 — now 2013, we are now divorced.)

    78. I have 2 daughters.

    77. I’m an/was Army National Guard wife, and don’t know any of the other wives my husband was overseas with.

    76. My husband was gone for 18 months – beginning in October, 2003, deployed to Iraq in March 2004, returned home in March 2005.

    75. I thought about politics, war and God every moment of every day for 18 months straight.

    74. I upgraded, demolished, rebuilt, re-organized and redecorated all but one room in our home while he was gone.

    73. I painted commissions for other kids in high school, mostly album covers.

    72. My art teacher thought I was a big doofus and I never got good grades in his class.

    71. I was accepted to Columbia College in downtown Chicago in their Graphic Arts program but never went.

    70. I lived in Oceanside, California for a little over 2 years.

    69. I giggle every time I see this number.

    68. I’ve been through this whole deployment thing before, Mark was in Desert Storm & Shield while I waited for him for over a year out in California.

    67. I used to be an Executive Administrative Assistant (whoohoo) for a General Manager of a casino property. I thought that was a really cool job title to have.

    66. I’m really happy not to have that title anymore.

    65. I lost over 50 pounds while my husband was away.

    64. I’ve gained back 10 since he’s been home.

    63. I quit smoking in June 2005 cold turkey.

    62. I was afraid to paint in oils. My husband bought me some for Christmas, and I tried them and hated them.

    61. I tried again after he deployed, determined to learn it because he believed in me, as did two of my very dear artsy friends. I love painting in oils now.

    60. I have carpel tunnel in my painting hand.

    59. That scares the hell out of me.

    58. I love being able to stay at home and be here for our kids.

    57. Although only part Irish, I think I act like a flaming red head sometimes.

    56. I love to laugh, and love to make other people laugh, even if it involves me making an ass of myself.

    55. I have never broken a bone (not counting jamming a couple of toes).

    54. I had my tonsils out when I was 25.

    53. That’s the same age I had to stop wearing a bikini, because I got pregnant with our first daughter and my body has never been the same since.

    52. I had a breast reduction when my husband was overseas. I went down 3 cup sizes and my back and shoulders thank me for it every day!

    51. I love pens, markers and paintbrushes.

    50. It’s cheaper for me to order art supplies online and pay for shipping than it is for me to go to the store and overspend on pens, markers and paintbrushes.

    49. I love becoming friends with my clients.

    48. I feel sad when my paintings go away and I never hear from them again.

    47. I have had 4 tattoos. Only 3 of them are visible, one is a cover up for another.

    46. The tattoo I covered up could have very well been left alone. I’d be okay with it now.

    45. No I’m not going to say what it was. 😛

    44. My first car blew up when I was driving home from work one day, and I opened the door and jumped out of it because I couldn’t get it to stop rolling. Black smoke filled the air. No flames though, phew.

    43. My second car was a stick shift, and I had to teach myself how to drive it.

    42. I believe in God and the power of prayer.

    41. I live 2 1/2 hours away from my family.

    40. I’ve been married to and divorced from the same man, twice.

    39. He’s better at remembering our current anniversary, I am better at remembering our first anniversary.

    38. I like going to zoos, pet shops and shelters to visit critters.

    37. If we didn’t have allergies, we would buy more property and probably have our own zoo.

    36. I can’t do math without a calculator.

    35. But I can paint really good!

    34. I believe we all have a special talent/gift that each of us need to identify and use to the best of our abilities.

    33. I believe that if you’re going to make a friend, it should be a lifelong friend.

    32. I get more upset at myself for being thoughtless than my friends get at me for being thoughtless.

    31. I can’t paint without music playing, but can’t hear the music when I’m in my zone.

    30. I wrote a list of 100 Things I Love About My Husband for him, and I’m finding this list much more difficult to compile than that one.

    29. I use a wireless trackball mouse that everyone else in my house thinks is really weird.

    28. I do not like to shop for clothing for myself.

    27. I am insanely critical over my own appearance and wish desperately that someone would invent a “flesh and fat eraser” to go with one of my cool pens.

    26. I’ve worn a cross and chain almost every single day since I was a teenager. I feel awkward without it.

    25. I have 5 holes in my ears for earrings and never wear them.

    24. I was baptized (dunked) just 4 years ago.

    23. My ultimate artistic dream is to sit with my best friend Paige in an Art Museum across from a collection of my works when we’re old ladies, and point and smile at the “remember when’s” of our youth.

    22. I’ve never read a “Classic” cover to cover. I hated reading books people told me to read, I hated doing what I was told, period.

    21. I just purchased 3 Classics and have been trying to read them, I swear! I intend to!

    20. I’ve read the Left Behind series a couple of times.

    19. I’m really not that interesting!

    18. I use International Delight Fat Free French Vanilla creamer in my coffee.

    17. I never add salt to anything.

    16. I rarely cook anything from scratch anymore.

    15. I’m a worry wort if I don’t hear from my good friends every week or so.

    14. I get giddy when I see the first robin in spring every year.

    13. I would love to move to a warmer climate.

    12. I do not have a college education.

    11. I started to go to college but halfway thru first semester I got pregnant with our first girl, and by the end of the year I couldn’t even sit in the desks.

    10. I only have ten to go. YAY!

    9. I wear glasses.

    8. I rarely wear makeup.

    7. I talk incessantly. Shut up.

    6. I’m having a hard time counting backwards.

    5. I do not like basements, at all.

    4. I love the smell of freshly cut grass.

    3. I love being barefoot.

    2. I try to find something wonderful and fun about every day, and every possible moment.

    1. I’m done! I did it. Whew. K. Thanks for reading this far. HEY! WAKE UP!!!!

    A Sense of Foreboding

    July
    11
    2005

    This fella just captivated me. I’m sure that everyone who saw him felt the same way, like he’s looking right into your head. What on earth is he thinkin’??

    Caption this Gorilla!
    (As many times as you want, just for fun!)

    Lucy WIP #2

    July
    10
    2005

    I’ve gone ahead and completed Lucy’s underpainting. For those of you new to my works in progress, you can browse some of my past works in progress to get a feel for how I paint. (I am just now seeing some wierd database error, if you happen to get that, just scroll past it. Hm. I’ll fix that.)

    I’ve worked the underpainting with the darkest values that I’ll layer coats of fur on top of. The underpainting colors then become the “shadow” of the fur. Her eyes have a really good underpainting, and they’ll get another coat as well, to really enhance her eye colors and make them even more glossy.

    Pins & Honors

    July
    10
    2005

    “..In recognition and appreciation of their role in supporting “their” individual citizen-soldier and the efforts of the Army National Guard as a whole.”

    ‘Tis a fancy little pin, eh? I have a medal, too, which oh my goodness, has to be bigger than an olympic medal. I’m not sure but wow. It’s big. Now we’ll be needing a display case for the honors, ribbons, certificates, plaques, medals etc. that we’ve received since he went back on active duty.

    It was really hot yesterday, especially in the Armory where everyone was gathered. Here’s a small sampling of the “Where’s Waldo” game we get to play. This is just one platoon out of 4, the place was just crawling with cammies.

    The pinning ceremony was scheduled so much earlier than the rest of the events that we just couldn’t hang out for everything. It was hot, the three of us being sick and all, it had spanned across the noon hour and we were all hungry and needed our medicines. Pitiful bunch aren’t we? At one point Mark but his hand on my head and I was dripping sweat but cold and clammy. Yeah, time for us to go.

    I have a few more pics to share if you’d like to see them…

    Keep reading »

    Saturday Entertainment

    July
    9
    2005

    Tussinex is wicked stuff, I say. I dozed on and off all afternoon yesterday, slept hard as a rock lastnight, and am feeling a leeeetle bit hungover right now. (In person I’m slurring my words, walking into walls, and tripping over invisible objects on the floor.) Huh? Wha?

    Somebody come help me stay upright today, I have to stand in formation or something and get pinned. That actually sounds a little fun, doesn’t it? (Getting pinned) It probably would be if I didn’t feel like crud. As much as I was dreading today all week, right now I’m wishing I weren’t so sick so I could feel as honored as I am for getting any kind of recognition for hanging out to take care of the homefront while Hubby was off being G.I. Joe in a Where’s Waldo sortof sea of desert cammies.

    Pardon my run on sentence this morning, I know it’s there, I really do, I just can’t think of how to fix it at the moment. 😛

    So while I’m off with my magnifying glass today trying to locate the guy I married (literally, it’s like playing Where’s Waldo! I kid you not. Those of you who know, know.), please enjoy yourself with this hilarious giraffe. I’ve been saving him for a special occasion!

    Caption this Giraffe!
    (As many times as you want, just for fun!)

    For those of you waiting on my next work in progress shot on Lucy and/or the Daisy, please hold tight! As soon as this crud drains from my head I’ll be back in the studio!

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