Morris is a short hair orange tabby, so with this rich chocolate background color, he’ll really convey that kind of “regal” air about him that I picked up in his personality while I studied his photograph.

Here’s Simba’s underpainting – he’s a fluffy orange tabby, the fluff will come out a lot more with the finished piece. For now, I worked in the deepest shades into his fur and worked in his eyes pretty well, though they’ll still get more detail with the second session.

Quintin, our Quaker Parrot, kept lifting up his foot to me when I said “hi”. I think he’s waving back at me. He’s gotten pretty entertaining!

Here’s his current vocabulary (he’s just over a year old) :

• Hi
• Kiss Kiss (the words)
• Kiss Kiss (the noise)
• Muuuah
• Whaddaya say?
• Good Boy
• Yeah.
• Pretty bird
• Pretty PRETTY bird
• AaaaCHOO!
• Bless you!
• Thank you!
• Ha ha ha!
• You’re funny!
• Tickle tickle?
• Arf! (he barks like the puppy)
• Cat call (the whistle)
• Purr (the sound)
• Pllllllbt (the sound)

Not too bad for a baby bird, huh? Right now I’m working on “good morning” and “love you”. He rambles on at the television, too – some of his words aren’t totally distinct so I don’t really know what they are. He’s so awesome, I absolutely love having him around and I can’t imagine not having a bird now. (Thumps my husband for making me wait so long.)

We were at the pet store last weekend and they had about 6 African Gray parrots, two of them were still so young that they weren’t afraid of people yet. (The more they’re exposed to passers by that don’t know how to handle birds, the more scared/agressive they become.) Catie and I picked two of the snuggliest parrots and it was hard to put them down when it was time to leave, and believe me I would have taken one home but those beauties cost a minimum of $1200 just for the bird, their cages start at around $300. Yikes! They’re totally worth it, and I’ll get one eventually, when the timing is right.

If you’re considering a parrot, I really would recommend starting out with a hand fed baby Quaker (and here’s a great web resource on Quakers). They’re sweet and loving, cuddly and talkative without being obnoxious and loud. There are a few varieties, too – I initially wanted the Blue Quaker, but Catie ultimately chose because he’s her bird and will go with her when she leaves the nest, too.

There’s nothing better than a bouquet of fresh flowers cut from your own garden. My BFF sent me this gorgeous vase for Christmas that I was very excited to use for the first time with this arrangement. I shot this in the late afternoon, the sunlight was bouncing off the neighbors window into our family room giving them a really cool shutter pattern.

Last night I looked over at them and they caught my eye, the light from the lamp making them glow, bringing out the femininity of the petals and they had a bit of a romantic mood.

I thought you might enjoy a few shots from my late night tulip admiration. I was experimenting a bit with my cameras shutter speed and aperture. Usually I just leave it on auto, but the lighting made me want to try for something a little different.

Last week was crazy. I launched a bunch of designs, painted and snapped photos whenever I could and even managed to order an Edible Arrangement for my very good friend who celebrated her mmmpftieth birthday on Friday.

I didn’t post the blog designs, so here’s the list. Since the fitness blogs are all grouped together, I’ll keep ’em together even though I’ve posted about the top two previously. They all belong to the same dude.

• Atlas Juice
• Optimum Flexibility for Golf
• Butt Hip & Thigh Makeover
• Abs of Stone Core of Steel
• Upper Body Fitness
• Athletic Legs for Men

If you get a chance, watch Joey’s video intro on his Golf site, he is totally cool and such a really neat person to know. His fitness book is really honest and he’s very much a health conscious guy, I am happy to have had the opportunity to meet him. I’ve also been working my way through his Butt Hip & Thigh Makeover video, and have to say I am totally impressed (and have been very, very sore) with the effectiveness of his routine. It’s quiet, laid back, and actually relaxing. Also? Just at the moments in the video I was telling him to lay off because it hurt so much I didn’t think I could push forward, he would say just a couple of words that made me bust a gut, considering how I’ve been able to get to know him.

Having said all that (and sorry, Joey), I am so glad his projects are wrapping up. It’s a tough thing having a personal trainer waiting for non-fitness related projects, though my fingers and brain DID get quite the workout.

I did complete one more design last week, as well – this one was so fun and I just loved the graphic workup on this. The client had a custom illustration made for his real estate business (by another artist, who is quite talented but doesn’t appear to have a website portfolio I can link to) and – well – go have a look:

• The Keys to New Jersey

If any of you live in the NJ area, he’s a really nice guy and if you’re ever in need of an agent, look him up!

Now I’ve got more paintings and a couple more blog designs and upgrades on my schedule this week – so I’d better get to it!

Happy Monday!

Ice Stick Tulip

Curious Mourning Dove

First Red Tulip Bloom

(Shown for effect only. Photo quality sucks. So does the bug.)

WordPress 2.5.1 is out. You may now commence upgrading.

(Dear God, please let my upgrade instructions still be accurate.)

This is just the version I’ve been waiting for! :thumbsup: