Jane

So, after much back-and-forth, Spring has finally arrived here in my part of the World!

Yay!   =-)

It seemed like it took it *forever* to decide if it was gonna come around, but 

Finally!

So i've been taking a  few pictures here and there with my camera:

Jane Magnolia

Also known as a Tulip Tree around here

'Jane' again

 Jane last week...

 And Jane this week!

 'Jane' buds -n- blooms

 See Jane.

See Jane blossom.

(Showing my age a bit, huh.)   =-)

I hope you're able to go outside some and see the Glory that surrounds you!
And Smile!
Have a beautiful week!
=-)

No New Painting

Sorry.  No picture today.
I guess i could use one of Bunny's photos, but...  
I dunno.  We'll see.  =-)


Anyway, i mentioned in a post the other day something about getting an idea while i was in Yoga class.
Actually, that has happened a number of times for me.
I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but sometimes i'll have a problem or some situation will be buggin' me, and while i'm in Yoga, 
suddenly 
that problem will become clear; 
a solution for the situation will suddenly appear in my head.


And that's really nice.  
And comforting.


It's happened when i was working on a quilt and got "stuck" in a place of "i don't know what to do now" or "i don't know how to do this next step", 
and then,
in class,
when i wasn't even thinking about my quilt,
suddenly,
BAM!  There it is.  There's how to work out my sewing problem.


And while working on that Beaded Cuff that i still haven't finished (just sayin'!), i've had technical issues that have finally been resolved while in Yoga class.


And when i was feelin' sooo bad about Kitty, and not knowin' what to do for her, during one class a really good idea occurred to me that i will be able to do to help others in the future, since Kitty doesn't want to try it for herself.


And that time, a few months ago, when i was falling into an old deep, dark place...
I forced myself to get up out of bed anyway.
I forced myself to drive to class anyway.
I forced myself to get out of the truck and go into the Studio anyway.
But do't let me mislead you.  Yoga didn't miraculously make me feel Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed, but it DID help me begin to feel better.  And one lady noticed how badly i was feeling, and she stood there and hugged me.  
Even though i told her i didn't want a hug.
But it helped.  =-)
(And i didn't break down crying like i thought i would.)  =-)



So Yoga class is good for me in many ways!  It's good physically, but it's also good mentally and spiritually.  It's just good all around!




I love it!!!

So...
What helps you figure out how to work out something?  Or what helps you feel better?


(I know you're showing up to look.  I have a Counter on here.  Why not leave a little comment?  Even if it's to tell me that this post is Lame.)  =-)




And, since this post seems to be about Sunshine breaking through the clouds:

photo by Bunny

I hope you have a SUPER Wonderful Day!!!

=-)

New Quilt!

It's taken me a looong time, but i've finally finished Kelsey's Baby's quilt!
Yay!!!

The thing that took me so long was the label.
I struggled with how to do the label, and then, after i decided i'd just hand-embroider it myself... Well...  Then i had to sit around and think about that for a looong time too.

Anyway, i FINALLY got it all finished week-before-last, and then i had to wait around for the Sun to come back out so i could finally take pictures of it!  =-)

Without further ado, here's Sophia's quilt:

While she was pregnant, i asked Kelsey what colors the Baby "felt like", and she said

"Pink and Green",

so that's what i did...

plus some.  =-)

 Kinda close-up

(Bunny was NOT here to help me, so i just did

the best i could.)  =-)

The back of Sophia's quilt

The hand-embroidered label

(i'm so proud of it, can you tell?)

Folded up, almost ready for me to mail it...

(Now where's that box)?

The trip to my sister's was very nice indeed.  =-)

We talked.  A lot!

We did a little Yoga.

She tried to get me to do some Yoga with her husband, but i honestly don't know where to begin with him just yet...  He has Rheumatoid Arthritis really really bad, and i look at his back and just get stymied.

He walks like he hurts ALL OVER, and really?

He DOES hurt all over...

So i don't know where to begin.

But this just tells me that i need to go ahead and take a Yoga Teacher Training class and specialize in seniors and people with arthritis, and i really need to

GET GOING ON THAT!

I know, i know.  I've gotta be careful what i ask for, but...

I'm sincere in this! 

I read a book called "The New Yoga for People Over 50" by Suza Francina, and she just has me fired up!  =-)

Now i'm working my way through another excellent book called "Yoga for Arthritis", and it's SO informative and good.  I'm gonna start doing some of those poses with props with my Dad today.

Actually, i REALLY need to get busy 'cause i gotta make a Bolster (or TWO) for him, and a couple of eye "pillows" - one for Daddy and one for Boyfriend.

Wow!  I'd best get BUSY!

=-)

And I Did It Again!

A few weeks ago, i was "piddling" in my notebook, and i cut strips of pages of a magazine, and glued them side-by-side into my notebook.   I didn't know what i was going to do with it after that, so i just let it "sit" and ruminate/marinate.

Yesterday, i was watching Connie again, and i decided to go back into my kitchen and see what would "speak" to me in my notebooks and paints...

Well, here's what i did:



First i gesso-ed my pages (a white sort-of-watery paint).

Then i pulled my metallic purple paint and made the heart.

Then i added the back.

Then i suddenly wanted RED.

I had originally thought i'd add some white on top of the black, but the redpulled me too hard first, so i went with it.

Again, i felt REALLY GOOD while i was doing this!

I felt "free".

I felt young.

I felt somehow Empowered.

I was playing a classic Rock station too, so i was Rockin' OUT!

But yesterday was a VERY GOOD DAY for me! 

=-)

And i was having so much fun that i didn't want to stop, so the metallic gold caught my eye and i started the next page:

First i painted the gold heart, and then the black, and then i added the white.

I thought i was finished, but then the metallic green "called" me and i added the swirls in the corners.

Then i pronounced it "Done".

And i was STILL so HAPPY and feelin' GREAT!

It was a wonderful day!

=-)



And that's the double-page spread, though i really consider them two different pictures, kinda like the one from the day before.



Do i consider myself a painter?

No.

But am i happy while painting?

HELL YEAH!

Thank You Connie!

And No i haven't forgotten the rest of the pix from the Keys!  I'll get 'em up...

SOON!

=-)

My Latest Thrill (Which Surprised Me)

I  know i need to get some more pictures up from our trip to the Keys and finish telling you about that, but first i just have to let you know about something i've found.  I belong to a group called "Wild Precious", which is really cool all by itself, but i got an e-mail from Effy (she's the one who started "Wild Precious") and she linked to this site, Dirty Footprints Studio.
First, allow me to tell you emphatically that i've never been a painter.
I've never really considered myself to be a very creative or artistic person, but i've certainly never really tried to paint (other than "messin' around" with mixed media "journals").
But this lady!
This lady makes me feel like i can paint!
Actually, after watching the firsts video yesterday, i went in my kitchen and started "messin' around" with some paint in a couple of my journals, and then!
Then, today after yoga, i watched another of her videos and i got out some colors that "spoke to me", and i made this:



Let me first say  i am not a painter!
But This Lady!
This lady made me feel like i CAN go for it!
And while i was "going for it", FEARLESSly, i might add  =-)
While i was painting, i felt Fabulous!!!

And it doesn't really matter what the painting (the noun) looks like.
What truly matters is how i feel doing the painting (the verb)!

Anyway, since so many colors "spoke to me" while i was looking in my paint tube drawer, i had to do another one.  =-)

I had absolutely NO pre-conceived notions a bout what this one was going to look like when i started it.  It was just important that i use different blues.  The waters from my trip to the Keys is still on my mind...

Anyway, i'm fine with the outcome.

I'm not a Painter, and i'm totally okay with that.

BUT!

I like what came out of my hands and my heart.  =-)





I painted them in one of my "art journals".

Seriously?  I really don't know what to call these "bound mixed-media paper" things...  I seriously hesitate calling them journals, because to me, a  journal is something in which you write your words about how you feel and what you do and what's happening in your life.  So to me, this really isn't "A Journal".

But then, i don't know what to call it.  I use the word "journal" because i forget to simpy call it a notebook, and i don't know what to call it.

Anyway!

There's that.  =-)

Love it.  Hate it.  Whatever.

It makes me feel GOOD!  =-)

I'll be back "shortly" (whatever that means in my little World) to add the rest of our Keys trip pictures. 

Sending you Light and Love and Good Feelings.

=-)

And Now I Wanna Move to the Keys!

Boyfriend and i went on a vacation with some friends.  We left on July 29th and returned on August 3rd. 
We had a Blast!
We went with our neighbors, W & C, our good friend E, and a couple of his friends, Anne & Paul.  It all started at the Wine Room when Anne said she was gonna be "free" of her boys and wanted to go on vacation somewhere tropical, and we all said "We're in!"
She booked us rooms at the Lime Tree Bay Resort in Long Key, Florida.  We flew from Charlotte to Ft Lauderdale, took a 15 passenger van from Ft Lauderdale to the Keys.

First we stopped at a winery in Homestead, Fl

called Schnebleys.

The winery was a really beautiful place, seemingly in the middle of nowhere i might add.  They do weddings there and stuff.  It's *really* beautiful.
(Just as an aside, i didn't like any of their wines, but everybody else did.  They don't make *grape* wine; they use fruit such as guava, coconut, lychee, etc, and they also make an avocado wine that Boyfriend really liked.  It was interesting, but not my style...)

We got to our hotel, got checked in, and hung out at the pool for a bit, and then it was time for the sunset.

The sunset over the bay outside our room

The next day, we headed to Key West.
"The Keys" are made up of over 1000 islands at the southern tip of Florida.
I loved them all!  =-)

A tiny island we passed on our way to Key West  

We stopped at a place called "No Name Key" 'cause Anne had read about this small bar called "No Name Pub".

 No Name Key

No Name Key wasn't directly on US 1.  We had to go "off the beaten path", so to speak.  But we found it!  =-)

 No Name Pub on No Name Key

Once we got inside and sat down, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness, i was *astounded*.  The entire pub, all the ceiling, and every square inch of walls, was COVERED in dollar bills! 
I couldn't talk for looking in wonder at alllllll the dollar bills!

Dollar bills hanging from the ceiling

(Boyfriend used an SLR without a flash for this one)

It was unbelievable!

Paul and Anne pondering how they can get some of that money. 

Eric, C & W are actually paying attention to Boyfriend

for the photo.

I, however, was off-camera with my mouth wide open in disbelief.

I finally managed to pay attention for a minute;

Here's Boyfriend & me

with more dollars than i've ever seen at one time

Just in case you missed it

it's called the

No Name Pub 

It's small, and it's old, but

it's Amazing!

We finally made it to Key West!
Hard to believe, i know.  =-)
But we *were* on vacation, so some in our group had a "checklist".
E wanted to go to "every bar Hemingway went to", so that was our first goal.
(I think, technically, that was his "minimum".  I think he *really* wanted to go to *every* bar in Key West...  We didn't quite make it.  But he wasn't really disappointed.  =-)  )

Captain Tony's Saloon

It *used* to be Sloppy Joe's, where Ernest Hemingway used to hang out

but then the rent went up, so Hemingway and the bar "owner" moved

to a place around the corner.

 (Sorry, don't know why this one loaded sideways, but i can't get it to turn.)

Taken inside Capt. Tony's

This place apparently collected bras from (in my opinion)

heavily inebriated women.

Not sure why, but Boyfriend really wanted me to "donate" mine.

HA!  As if!  I had on my Good Bra!

=-)

I  also liked all the old license plates from various states hanging everywhere.

 And here is the "new" Sloppy Joe's Bar

For some reason, there are "wild" chickens everywhere in Key West.

We saw this one in the backyard of "The oldest house in Key West".

He was a beauty! 

We had lunch at Willie T's .

(Anne & Paul wandered off on their own...)

They had dollar bills *and* license plates all over the place. 

(Again, i couldn't get this one to turn right-side-up. Sorry.)

Here's E and Anne at the Hog's Breath Saloon.

Here's the "porch" of Hog's Breath.

There was a lady in there with her dog

in a baby stroller!

Mallory Square... before the sunset.

Then we sat on the balcony at The Whistle bar.

Niiice views.

Nice buzz, too.  =-) 

That's me, E, Paul, Anne, C & W.

Boyfriend was the camera man.  =-)

And here's the whole gang

at Mallory Square

just before sunset. 

Boyfriend & me at  Fogarty's

where we had supper that night.

Good times, good times.  =-)

And that was the first 2 days!
We didn't get back to our rooms 'til around midnight, and then Bunny texted me.  She was the first to wish me a Happy Birthday.  =-)  (It's the same as Harry Potter's, and she thinks that is so cool.  =-)  )

Back in a couple days to show you some *more* pictures from our vacation.
=-)

Day Four: Bath, Lacock, Bourton-on-the-Water, Bath (again)

We drove our rental car from Bath, England to a small, old town called Lacock .  Beautiful little old town.  People actually LIVE in this town!  There are signs in most of the windows that say something about 'these really are houses and people really live here. Please do not disturb.' or something much nicer.

Lacock, England

The Red Lion Hotel on the left.

(W & C have stayed there before and highly recommend it.)

A barn built in the 1200s in Lacock.

Yep, you read that right!

An old church still in use in Lacock

(they were preparing for a service when we were walking around in it). 

Boyfriend (my husband) really likes this one.

It's an old gaol (jail).

Not even gonna ask what that says about him/us...

 After walking all around Lacock, we got back in the car and went to another quaint town in the Cotswolds area called Bourton-on-The-Water.  Another beautiful and old town.

This type of picture helps us remember where we were

when we're older and looking back on pix.

 There was a "Motor Museum" in Bourton-on-the-Water.  Very much worth the 4 pounds 10 pence admission price!  One man used to own most of what's in these seven or eight buildings!  He collected the cars, motorcycles, bicycles and other memorabilia for about 40 years, and he retired about 12 years ago and gave it to this organization.  If you're EVER in the area, give it a look!  You'll LOVE it too.

We  went to the Motor Museum.

Boyfriend LOVED it!  I thought it was really cool too.

Very worthwhile place to visit.

Just ONE of the MANY pix Boyfriend took in the museum.

 After driving and touring around, we went back to Bath for the evening.

Boyfriend and me in front of the Weir on the River Avon in Bath.

The Weir in front of Pultney Bridge, Bath, England

The Abbey in Bath, England

The Weir at Pultney Bridge on the River Avon on our stroll "home" in the evening.

Once again, it was another wonderful and beautiful day.  We had excellent weather and the sun even graced us with its presence off-and-on that day (October 17th).

Have i mentioned lately that i ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE ENGLAND!?!?!

=-)