Family Pics - 1970

Blog-watching

The grandmother that I'm named after was an avid bird watcher. I'd like to pursue that but at the moment I'm positively taken by blog watching. I have the rounds that I do most every day. Starting at the top of the list (which my computer set up alphabetically and I've been futzing around with... favorites floating to the top. ;) ) and working my way down through all of them. Some of the blogs belong to knitters, some artists, a quilter or two. All women, I think. Except one. LOL! My Dad's blog. He isn't a woman, is he? :) And every time I go to a blog, I'm looking for something new. My favs, the floaters, are updated daily. I've already mentioned my love for pictures. Yes. Pictures are a must. Words I may or may not read but pictures? Love pictures.

Last night at my Knit Night, (mine because I'm a part of the group, not because I own it. LOL!) one of my knitter friends said that she visits my blog nearly every day and is disappointed when there's no update. LOL! Poor dear! There's not been an update for a month.

Anyway, I know what she means. I hear you, my friend.

So, blogging and blog watching. Can I do both? And play "Farmville" and "Country Life" on Facebook and now a friend and I are going to start playing Scrabble together online. (Doesn't that sound fun!? I LOVE Scrabble and no one here will play with me.) Oh! And just for a touch of reality, how about the other parts of my life. I really can't ignore those. My kids, husband, home... cooking, baking, laundry... ad NAUSEUM! :D You know what I mean. All that never ends.

As I've watched others with their creative endeavors, blogging is a way that they share and network. I suspect that their blogs feed their followers (which I have become) and then help the artist in some monetary way. I suppose.

What would that be like? To live creative, work creative and make money doing it? Hmmmm... Found a book at the library today, "The Artist's Guide - How to Make a Living Doing What You Love". Checked it out. Without looking at it, I'm sceptical. (YEAHRIGHT!!) "A living" is very relative. You can lower your wants and a lot of you "needs" and live on much less, true enough. You can write a book like the above and make $$ that way... I don't know. There are a few artists currently and historically who made a living with their creativity... but then again! LOL! That's realitive. Making a living? I don't have to MAKE a living. I need to suppliment our family income. So, it should be easier, shouldn't it? LOL! I don't know.

Another thing. My Mom's portfolio is here in my home. I pulled it out last night and shared it with a couple friends. I tell you what, I'm very much overcome with feelings of inferiority when I look at my mom's work. Or my dad's. Or my sister Lia's. And certainly my sister Dea's. They all do the most brilliant stuff. I'm amazed.

And so I blog watch. I'm continually looking at other artist produce creative things. And I don't do any of my own. The only time I've been creative, truly, was the times that I've jumped into a college art class and played like a dophin in the waves. OHMY!

I think there is a conclusion here. LOL! Truly. Two things (at least) prevent me from being as creative as I'd like. The first would be my reality-responsibilities. I wouldn't ever choose to leave those behind. Ever. No NEVER. And the other... the second thing that I know prevents me from getting out there and being endlessly creative is between my ears. Fear of failure. Fear that I won't be able to pull it off, that it won't turn out right that... And the overwhelming feeling of inferiority. They can do it SOOOoooo much better then I can, what do I think I have to offer...

Under the microscope of blogging all this, I can see that the first, the reality-responsibilities are a lovely, joyful and necessary part of life. It's the fabric and the foundation of my creativity. It's not negative, other than maybe in the way it eats time. :). And the second... it's just GOT to be dealt with.

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" This was on the front of a card that I bought and stuck in the front of a notebook that I keep current project patterns in. PROFOUND thought. Something I really need to ask myself continually. Over and over and over.

Another thought. Just PLAY. Play. Do it for the joy or it or it's not fun. It's scary and weird and... it doesn't work.

Tonight I'm going to ruttle around and find my portfolio. I really do need to look at what *I* have done. Look at what I CAN do. And then? Block out some time for the Playing and GO TO IT!? ;)

Shall we see how it goes?

Okay. Now, if you've read to the bottom of this tome, you're truly devoted and I love you to bits. LOL! No pictures tonight. Just a page full of words. But I really DO want to work on this. Really.

Thank you. Thank you to those of you that keep me coming back to your blogs (chances are you won't be reading this :D) and thank YOU to those of you who keep coming back to my blog, in hopes of finding something new.

ONWARD!

Practice makes...

pictures!? Well, I have been working on taking pics with this fancier camera. I downloaded a huge bunch, sorted and deleted about half of them (not too bad!) and now, I'll share a few.

Multi-grain bread, right after it comes out of the oven. And yes, I'm back at baking bread, which includes grinding the grain first, of course. ;) This is something I've always enjoyed and now, with a lighter work load and in an effort to save money, I'm back at it. Oh sorrow! LOL! NO ONE is complaining, trust me.

When I was getting ready to bake again, I noticed that my bread pans were SADLY in need of being replaced. They only safe thing that I could think to use them for is to catch the excess water under my house plants. (I have a serious green thumb)  NO more bread in these pans.

So, I went looking for new ones. Yikes! They looked toxic or were horribly expensive. Not good. Then I remembered... Momma use to use juice cans as bread pans!

Someone suggested that when these cans are manufactured, they use lead to seal the seams. AURGH! Did some Googleling and... nope. They use to, but they do NOT any more.

So, I collected some juice cans and here you have it! Neat little round loaves. It makes the coolest little round sandwiches, the kids love them. Love it!

These next few are some foto-noodlin' that I was doing the other night
when I was practicing with the camera.

Stuff around my computer. Happy clutter.

 Shots of a couple of my favorite peeps!

It's impossible for this sleeping son to get enough sleep. Too cute. And the daughter's reflection in the mirror... it's blurry, but I LOVE it. It's a keeper. (the daughter, of course! LOL! But also the pic.)

 

A snap out of Daughter's room. The mannequins were kidnapped from my studio...

But it's okay. I know where to find them. ;)

These last to head shots are of a couple Tuesday Bowlers. The gal was passing by

my van and I snapped the pic through the rainy windshield. I like the effect. 

What a great smile. This guy really likes Tuesday Bowling.

I really enjoy Tuesday Bowling, too. It's lots of fun. I rarely play, but I visit with my clients, the other staff and providers and their clients. It's relaxed. Easy. I always bring something to do, usually knitting.

Today I watched my 2nd son bowl with a former client (who moved into a group home and no longer required my services. My other clients and I miss her so we try to see her every Tuesday. A lunch and bowling date,) and I helped another client so some of her paper work.

AND!!! And I doodled on a canvas bag with pencil. The plan is to paint the bag this weekend and I wanted to get a design plan penciled in... so, here you have it. I'm starting the design... and then later, the ends and one side are pretty much done. I've got the other side to work on and some more filler, I think, but it's coming right along and making me VERY happy. Every time I look at it I GRIN! I'm excited!
Can't wait to work on it again.

And I'm getting tired. Seems logical, it's 1am. Insanity! LOL! G'nite!

The Thing I Love Most About My Favorite Blogs

Yes, there is ONE thing that makes or breaks a good blog. Well, one thing that catches my attention and keeps me there. That one thing is pictures. I love the pictures. Close-ups of life-as-it's-happening. The little stories they tell. The tid-bits of inspiration... I love pictures.

I'm not a photographer. I rarely pick up one of our two cameras and shoot off pictures. I appreciate good photos. My parents were professional photographers during my first 14+ years of life but...me? And the cameras we have are so technical. I squirm and duck. I'm not smart enough to... it'll take to long to learn...

Well, pooh on that! Today I pulled out the manual for our best camera and... I'm on page 40 of 139. I WILL figure this out.

So, expect pictures and soon. ;)

Huh!? =)

The question of common sense is always what is art good for? A question which would abolish the rose and be answered triumphantly by the cabbage. ~James Russell Lowell

Quotes

I've always been drawn to quotes. Quotes about all sorts of things. In fact, in college I spent a ton on a big huge thick book of quotes, just for the pleasure of having it available.

This year I have a desktop calendar that, among other things, has a new quote for each day. This morning's quote was quite profound, especially for me at this point in my life.

"Noise is an imposition on sanity, and we live in very noisy times." - Joan Baez

Well put, Joan!

Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about!

This morning I woke up at 7:20am and stayed in bed reading until 8:20am. I'm usually awake before 4:30am, even on the weekends.

Sid says I haven't snored for the last few nights.

I feel calmer and less tired. More energy, but not using it except for puttering around.

THIS is vacation. Renewal. Rest.

ONWARD!
A

"Vacation" Days

This week I declared "Vacation" for myself from Tues. until this coming Monday. Well... Okay a modified vacation? Something close? LOL!

Defining my "vacation" is in order. I'm still working with my clients in the afternoons, going out and doing what I need to do with and for them but when I'm home... I do whatever I feel like doing. Period.

So, Tuesday morning, after everyone left for school and work, I crawled into the hot tub and didn't get out for an hour. In fact, I floated on my back for a full twenty minutes straight. Thinking... "Relax. Listen to your heart beat. Relax. Breath in and out slowly." I even closed my eyes for most of that 20 min.

Now, I know that doesn't seem astounding. But let me explain. Up until this week, it's been hard for me to sit still in the hot tub and hard to stay in there for more than 30 min. LOL! Too keyed up, too much going on between my ears. So, this hour with 20 min. of it being a float... that's really something for me.

Vacation. Rest. Catch my breath and slow it down.

Wednesday morning I dipped pretzels and baked cookies for a friend's birthday. All alone in the house. No other humans, just the dogs and the cat. No music, no extra unnecessary sounds. My brain quieted down a bit more.

Wednesday evening is Knit Night. My favorite evening of the week. LOVE IT! I meet up with my knitterly friends and we have a fabulous time together. This group has been meeting for a couple years or more. Very diverse in every possible way.

Within just the spectrum of knitting, we've even got the entire level represented. Beginners to Master Knitters. It's great because I know that no matter what I attempt in my knitting adventures, I'll be okay! I get stuck, someone at Knit Night can help bail me out and/or show me how to do it. It's lovely. No fear. Onward! LOL!

Thursday morning I watched "Phantom of the Opera" and knitted. After that was over, I puttered around the house. Did a bit of this and a bit of that... quietly in solitude. Delicious.

This morning I had planned to putter around the house again but with a bit more focus and speed. My plants were needing attention and water, the blankets over the couch needed taken off and washed, the floors... And I did have to go out and work for an hour. Something came up that was unavoidable. But that was finished quickly, I got grocery shopping done (alone!) and then came home to fix a lunch.

Lunch was stir-fry. And the way we do that is like at one of those buffet grill places. All the veggies, etc. are prepared and in seperate container. Each of us took our bowl and filled it with whatever veggies, etc. that we wanted in our stir-fry and the each is cooked individually. With ramen or brown rice. Jess decided both. (one for healthy, the other for fun) Yummy and very healthy. Win win.

After lunch I set up the "barbershop" and cut Sid's hair. He was looking rather shaggy. For once, I didn't scalp him. LOL! Amazing!

Then back to the puttering and cleaning.

Lovely vacation, so far! Doesn't it sound like a vacation to you?

I guess thing elements that I long for the most would be -
     Solitude sprinkled liberally with long overdue and much desired phone visits with friends.
    Quiet puttering around the house, doing whatever.
    Sleep is very important, but my desire to make the most of my alone time has the sleep looking more like going to bed early and sleeping in an hour or so. No naps, but I may get one in tomorrow.
    Being at home, amazingly is a big part of it. Not running around in town or going some place. No, I just love being in my own home space alone. It's delicious and something I crave. So...vacation = home alone.
    Good food is a must. LOL! This time I'm thinking in terms of good for me, rather than the "fun" and fattening. So it's been lots of fresh fruit, whole grains, veggies and legumes. YUMMMMM!!!! Have you had a little Clementine or Mandarin yet this year? They are SO good and sweet. And Fuji apples? Is it possible to ever get tired of those? Snappy crisp and sweet juicy... it drips down your chin, better have a napkin handy! And pomeagrates? OhhhMY! I went online and figured out how to open them. Very easy! I polished one off for breakfast this morning. ;)

That about covers it, I think. The essential elements for my favorite vacations.

Don't get me wrong, I reallyREALLY enjoy traveling. I really do. I've enjoyed the conference type vacation where you go, take classes, shop... I enjoy traveling with my family! I like camping, even sleeping in a tent! Well, okay packing for camping sucks but once that's over it's fun!

I wonder... I wonder if someday I might be able to schedule in literal vacation time, away from work entirely AND sent my family off on a camping trip or something so that I could have an entire week of this vacation bliss? Hmmmm... I need to think about that one. Maybe it could be done! Just maybe! Even a few days!?

Stand by! The creative and motivated mind is at work! LOL!!!!

And while I'm thinking on that... I'm going to go have a couple "baby oranges" as my kids call them and then sit and knit.

What am I knitting now? HA! Dishclothes. 38 stitches across, cast on and stitch away for about 62 little rows, bind off, weave in the beginning and end tails... Quick & easy. In and out in a day. Knitting candy. And it's helping restock my gift cupboard! Love that!

Okay, off of here. I've got a really FINE vacation to plan, yummys to eat and stitches to stitch.

ONWARD!

HAPPY 2010!

(The New Years Pretties gifted to me by Sid ;)! )

I wonder how long it will take me before I finally and easily remember that 2010 number when I write it on something? LOL! One time I caught myself writing 1980-something and totally cracked up. My levels of blissful insanity never cease to amaze me. HA!

So, it's a NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Our family kicked off our New Years celebration with a fun meal of fancy artesian breads, cheeses (vegan, brie and havarti) and yummy fresh fruits (two kinds of pears and fuji apples).

When we had that cleaned up and cleared off, out came the games. Sid and the teens played Quad, a tick-tack-toe game on steroids, that Sid's had since he was a kid. The teens had a blast trying to beat their dad. They did, too! You should have heard the them. It was a show unto itself.

Ben and I opted for Dominoes and Uno, his two favorites. (And I like them much better than Quad, let me tell you. LOL!)

(He's putting them away in these two pics. We were ready for Uno!)

(I made the cardboard card holder years ago...makes playing Uno much easier for Ben. And he LOVES playing Uno!)

After the games... well... honestly? I went downstairs, flopped across our bed sideways with the intent to rest and read a bit and POOF! I was out. HA! After a while of peaceful zzzzzzz stacking, I was tortured awake by Jessie. "Let's go out to the hot tub, Mommy!", "Come on, MOM! You can't sleep thru the New Year. Wake up!" On and on it went, the endless lines of torment laced with liberal mix of guilt and temptation. LOL!!! And yes, I got up.

Into the swimsuits and out to the hot tub. (What a GOOD idea that hot tub has proven to be. It's a family thing that we all enjoy and can share... well, all that is except Ben. He hasn't been in there yet and isn't about to start now. Okay?!)

We shouted and whistled in the New Year from the hot tub. What FUN!!!

Back inside for some home made sparkly, (a can of concentrated fruit juice, I used white grape and raspberry this time ) using club soda instead of water...YUMMM!!!

(my new fav...straight and on the rocks)

The rest of the family finished up their celebrating with funny late night TV and I finished it up by going to bed "early". HA! I had to work this morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
May this year be filled with lovely and happy memories of times spent with those you love.
May it be spent doing something fun and creative, just because you can.
Be well.

BIG HUGS!

Espresso Afghan

The latest project that I finished was the Espresso Afghan for our son and DIL, David and Mandy.

A year plus ago, Mandy sent me this picture out of a Pottery Barn catalog. "Arline, could you make this darker brown and without the tassels?" I don't know, could I? ;)

Mid-October I finally found and special ordered the perfect yarn. Bulky washable wool in DARK brown. By the first of Nov. I was hard at it with a deadline of Dec. 18th. That would leave enough time for it to travel via USPS and arrive in time for Christmas.

I didn't make the deadline. And yes, I cried. LOL! But I pressed on and took the last stitch about 4:30am on Dec. 24th. Now, it's packaged and ready to be shipped tomorrow, Dec. 28th. Maybe it'll be at their home in time for New Years? We'll see.

ANYWAY, here are some pictures. Pictures don't do it justice. They can't show "SOFT" and "SUPER-COZY". They don't show warm and "can I just stay under this thing forever?!" LOL!

Merry Christmas, David and Mandy! I hope you enjoy your Espresso Afghan for many Christmases to come. BIGFUZZYESPRESSOHUGS to you both.

This first picture is the one from the Pottery Barn catalog. I showed the picture to our local knitting Queen ;) and she helped me find the stitch pattern.

The afghan in this picture has been "blocked" and/orpressed to lay flatter with its stitches stretched out. I chose not to do that with the Espresso Afghan. I wanted it to look like it will right after it would come out of the washer and dryer. It's made out of machine washable wool. It won't have to be pampered, hand washed or dry cleaned. It's for living with.

Okay, here's pics of the one I made.

Folded corners

Close-up Texture

Ready for shipping

Another close-up

Opened up and stretched out - 48" X 72"

The final clean-up

The lint-picker knitter in Husband's bathrobe. HA!

Finished!

There have been times in my life when I've thought, "I never finish anything! I start, start, start, but never finish." Well, that's never been true. I have finished lots of things.

In May 2008, I joined a "Facebook" for stitchers at Ravelry.com. The site is only a couple years old but there are currently over 563,008 worldwide. It's a fabulous resource for those who knit and crochet. I can't even begin to tell you all the wonders of Ravelry. If you're a stitcher, go there and join! It's free and you'll love it. I promise.

One of the features available on Ravelry is "My Notebook" where you can put up pictures of your projects, at whatever stage they're in, and write as detailed a description as you'd like. I've been posting my pics and descriptions since joining and here at the end of 2009, I reaped the RICH reward of my postings. I have a pictoral and documented record of the projects that I COMPLETED this year.

I was curious a couple days ago and so I went looking. OHHHhhYEAH! The list is lovely and long.

Espresso Afghan
Two(2) Apple Tree Scarves
Mandy’s Ruggles Reversible Scarf
Two(2)RasBaby Hats
Birthday Socks
Daddy’s Watch Cap
Drawstringed Bagstopper
Elijah Elephant
Eleanor Elephant
Montera Hat
Hemlock Ring
My First Sweater
Selbu Modern Hat
Matthew’s Koolhaas
Koolhaas for me
Jessica’s Koolhaas
NoroStriped Scarf #2

There's the finished list, thus far, for 2009. I'll work on pictures as I can get them saved and over here.

HURRAY! This list thing makes me VERY happy.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

We've been listening to lots of holiday tunes. I just love them, so we pack them in for a month and then... Poof! They're gone for 11 months. :) So, the title of this post has been running through my head...it is REALLY cold outside! 12 degrees F, according to the Weather Channel. Brrrr!!!

And in between running up here for a woolie sweater or a cup of something HOT to drink, I knit. And knit. And... well, I do have a delightfully fun destraction.

Click on this!

SNOWFLAKES!!!!

A really LOVELY holiday tradition, whether it's done with paper and scissors or online. I love making snowflakes. You can find the ones I've created this year on Popular Front by doing a search for "Arline" on "Planet Earth".

Peace on! (or Piece on, if you're a quilter. ;) )

Well, Of Course... Don't You?!

Biting the Bullet

Okay, it's not a bullet but... AURGH!!!

After several weeks of pure and simple denial, I had to admit that I do, indeed, have problems with my feet again. Plantar fasciitis. Ouch and bummer. It makes it nearly impossible to exercise. Sure, I can exercise, but I WILL pay for it. Yesterday I walked all over the Tri-Cities stores, shopping for groceries and Christmas. This morning I can barely walk. I hate this.

Here's a picture of where on your feet the pain can hit. I'm VERY typical. It hits me in the heel red zone and a bit toward the inside edge. Oyyych!

So, taking this "bull" by the horns, I just made an appointment with a foot doc and by tomorrow morning about this time, I should have this taken care of, or at least a start. The anticipation is gonna kill me! LOL! I'm a big weanie when it comes to my feet. Even the thought of a pedicure sends me into orbit, so this is going to be interesting. Looking forward to a pain free life... that is what will get me to that office and through the procedure. Whatever it takes, huh?!

On the knitting front... I'm stitchin' away. I've got until a week from Wednesday to get it done and into the mail so...

ONWARD!!! I will get it done, I will! I will!!!

Every Moment

Every possible moment is spent knitting. I've got a big project going with a really tight (CHRISTMAS) deadline. I'd show you but then it'd ruin the surprise for the one(s) who will receive... So, ya'll will have to wait.

I started with 20 skeins, I'm about done with the 12th and... OHMY! I will NOT count the days. I WILL NOT! Just keep knitting!!! Knitknitknit!

Oh! I figured out how many stitches (approx) in this particular project. 79,360 stitches.

I'm learning bull-headed tenacity. That's a fact!

HA!

and HO-HO-HO!!!

Pup Pics

Someone asked for pictures of the Puppy. Well, Peanut is 10.5 months old now. He's about as big as he's going to get, I suspect and he is a super-duper little dog. We all love him to bits!

He doesn't consider himself a little dog. He thinks he's a BIG dog. That translates into wanting to be outside a LOT, not really liking to be in anyone's lap (though he is getting kinda cuddly with me) and he LOVES to play with Tux. Which means that if he was clean and white... within a few minutes of rough and tumble outside with Tux, he's a little piggie. LOL! Oh well!

He's not the least bit destructive, he was super-easy to house break...practically did it himself and he loves his toys. The groomer gives him what she calls a farm cut but that doesn't prevent him from getting stickers in his fur. Tonight I get to comb out those long skinny velcro like stickers from BOTH of his sweet soft ears. He hates it but it has to be done. I have NO idea where he managed to find those stickers, I thought I'd taken care of them all but, apparently not.

And then there's Tux. He's our Border Collie. He insists that he IS a lap dog. LOL! I loves Peanut and is very gentle in his rough play. (not an oxymoron, really!) He has BIG brown expressive eyes and a nose that wants to know.

This weekend I was working on our walnut harvest at the dining room table. The pictures say it all. He LOVES walnuts. I think he probably gets more of the nuts that fall from our walnut tree than the resident squirrel couple. Maybe that's why he hates them so much, huh? He wants ALL the walnuts. No sooner had I pulled out my boxes and a bowl... Tux took up a station. LOL! He loves those nuts and wants to catch any crumb that flys out of my grasp. He just laid there, quietly waiting, hoping. :) I made sure he wasn't disappointed. Of course. How can you resist that sweetness!? Or his patience?

Crayola Doesn't Make That Color!

Joy, Prayer & Thanks

Bits and pieces have been flitting through my mind over the last few days. Prompted, I suspect, by the season of Thanksgiving.

One of my childhood memories is hearing my Momma saying something about being happy when bad things happen to us. Huh?! That's insane! What kind of nonsense is that!?

Yesterday, our pastor preached on the subject of Thanksgiving. Timely, in more ways than just the obvious. At least, in my mind. He suggested that while we should give thanks to God for the obvious...all the things we list right off the bat. Home, family, freedom, etc., we should also praise God for the hard and seemingly bad stuff in our lives.

HELLO!!! What is wrong with this picture!? LOL!

And yet... looking back...

This picture is of our second son, all dressed up to play in the snow... wearing a helmet!?

In the looking back through the memories of my life, this picture shows a tiny bit of the absolute hardest thing that I've lived though and continue to live in. Benny was wearing a helmet to protect his head in case he had a seizure and crashed into something. But his troubles began earlier than this. His second birthday was spent in the hospital. Diagnosis - Insulin-Dependant Diabetes. And his third birthday was again celebrated in the hospital. This time it was for seizures that resembled an insulin reaction but weren't related at all.

There have been many times over the last 22 years with Ben that have been HARD and totally completely rotten. One of the lowest points was the fifty-three days of his 8th summer that were spent at Children's Hospital in Seattle. We thought we were going to lose him or at best, bring home a Benny-shaped vegetable. HARD summer.

During that summer, my parents came to visit and Momma brought Benny a children's book called "It Could Be Worse!" Cute book, as I look at it now, but at that moment, there COULD NOT BE anything worse. I was far from rejoicing or praising God for the circumstances that we found ourselves in. It was horrible, absolutely horrible.

But here's Benny now! This picture taken two days ago..

He's sitting on the couch looking at his bird book. He loves to bird watch and then try to figure out what bird it is that he just saw.

Of course, he still has the diabetes and the seizure. And now we know that what the "umbrella" cause of his problems is. He has a Mitochondrial defect, that's at the cell level. And the other thing we know is that it's very unusual for children diagnosed with Mito to make it to their 21st birthday. Benny will celebrate his 25th birthday in February and he's going strong.

So, give thanks? Praise God for these circumstances!? Is that absurd? Well, you know, in the moment it's really tough. I don't even think of  thanks or praise. I'm just thunderstuck and in the moment. But, looking back, I can see God's leading and it's easier. It's much easier to be thankful in retrospect than in the present.

Today I'm grateful that God saw fit to let this mess happen in our lives. Yes, it's hard, but... Well, here... another picture I just found in my files.

I drew this self-portrait back in the late 80's or early 90's. I should frame it and hang it up somewhere where I can see it often. ;) It has some technical problems but hey... whatever. I love it. And it reminds me of the fact that I am NEVER alone. God has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me. He never has. Ever.

Another picture. This one of another period of my life that was hard.

 (click it and bump it up in size. You've got to see the details)

This was home, off and on, for about three years. We were as close to homeless as I care to be. Was it hard?! Tough?! SURE! But there was always enough! Another picture! Same time frame.

That's our little Datsun station wagon. Loaded up with the recycling that I dug out of all the trash cans in the State Park that we campground hosted at. This was after a busy 4th of July weekend. LOL! The inside was loaded with all the glass and other recycling that we could find, leaving only enough room for me to sit and drive. The money from the recycling helped supply the "enough". I have a big butcher knife in my kitchen from that time, I found it stuck in a watermelon in the trash. LOL! It's a great knife and a reminder... He's never failed to supply our needs.

A lot of us are feeling the crunch from the current financial situation in our country/world. Our dollars are worth less, jobs are hard to find, things are tighter and scary. In my little corner, with the problems with Client C's dad and the possibility of losing half of my paycheck when she has to live somewhere else... Ohhhhh... I tell you, the last two plus weeks have been weighing on me. I'm constantly praying... "OH GOD!!! Show me the way out of this!? Show me what I'm to do!?"

This morning in my quiet time, I found and explored 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  NIV

Okay, I can do the joyful pretty easily. It's part of my personality, I guess. And, pray without ceasing. I can do that part. LOL! I'm glad God doesn't put up a "Talk to the hand!" hand when I whine and blather on. But, give thanks!? GIVE THANKS!?

Looking back is a GOOD thing. Remembering how God has led us in the past? A VERY good thing.

"Lord God? I want to live this verse. I want to be joyful, prayerfulled and thankful in ALL circumstances. Remind me of where we've been, give me the faith and courage to press on into tomorrow. Joyful! Prayerful! And THANKFUL!!!!"

Onward!

Momma's First Painting in College

This isn't a great photo, but it's enough for this purpose. Momma painted this in her first college painting class Feb. 1985. She sets the bar pretty high. :)

Still THANKFUL

Woke up with a start. I forgot two MAJOR things that I'm THANKFUL for! They're not things, really but...

- July 2007-

(any of the pictures can be clicked on and made bigger)

I couldn't and wouldn't be who I am or where I am if it wasn't for these two wonderful, beloved people. My Parents!!! I've had a relationship with them the longest of any folks on this planet and we all still love each other and love to be together. There was a serious gap in our holiday celebration yesterday, they weren't here! (along with our son and daughter-in-law) I'd have screamed and pouted a whole lot more but a girl needs to share. Right?! The four of them were at my sister's place near San Francisco.

If I could be the queen and make things really happen, I would buy the place just south of us and have Momma and Daddy for neighbors. I miss them.

Momma started having memory problems about 10 years ago. Alzheimer's. Matthew was three then. Jessie was 5. They don't remember her any other way. SOOOoooSAD! But I remember. My Momma is one of the most creative women I know. My earliest recollections are of her creative (YUMMY!) cooking. Back then if you'd go to her kitchen and open up the cupboards you'd think there wasn't anything to eat. There'd be jars and containers of lots of stuff but it's all ingredient stuff. Nothing to just pull out and eat. Nothing to just warm up, unless you'd open the fridge. Usually there'd be a warm-up-able left-over in there. ;) Momma cooked from scratch. And she could COOK!

Earlier in my recollections she was a retoucher for my parent's photograpy studio and then later for other photographers. She was SO good at tranforming those negatives! That's like what air-brushing is in today's modern photography. But that was labor intensive and wasn't reversible with a click of the mouse. She won awards for her phenomenal work.

- Pro-Photography Days-

The year she turned 47 she went back to college. Amazing. I have a painting right above my computer screen that she did in her first painting class. (I'll take and post a picture of it later this morning) UNBELIEVEABLE. She blew her teachers away. Within a few years she had completed all but her thesis to achieve her Masters of Fine Art (MFA). The highest university degree available to an artist.

Momma worked as an illustrator for a company here in Walla Walla until the Alzheimer's made it impossible. They say that one of the first things to go with Alzheimer's is your sense of smell. The second must be creativity. It's close.

Most of the paintings that Momma did in college were destroyed in a fire. There are pictures, I think, of must of her work, but still. OUCH!!! I have some of her ceramics from those days. Her major was in ceramics but when she left school, she never picked it up again. We TREASURE the works of her hands and mind.

Daddy is one of my best friends. That's a fact. He says we grew up together but... really!? Have either of us grown up yet!? LOL! Personality wise, we're very much alike. It's pretty easy for me to connect with him because of that, I think. We've had some great times, wonderful memories.

My Daddy takes such good care of my Momma. I'm so proud of him. I'm inspired by the love and devotion she showers on her. And that nasty disease has transformed her sweet personality into one that is rather hard to get along with at times. Daddy's incredible sense of humor has gotten him out of many a scrap with this new woman that he's married to.

When Momma started to not manage in the kitchen very well, Daddy set about to learn to cook and bake. "Can I do this?", he'd ask?! LOL! OF COURSE YOU CAN! Daddy is as creative as Momma is! It exhibits it self differently but WOW! So, with the help of the internet, some coaching and Momma's cookbooks he set to it. He's a GOOD cook now. He's mastered the basics and keeps exploring. I'm so proud of him!

Daddy went back to college just a year or so before Momma did. He finished his MFA. Get the picture!? This man is very creative and very talented.

And Daddy has a huge appreciation for music. When we were kids there was a massive LP record collection that we were encouraged to enjoy. Many genres. As a result, I have a great appreciation for many types of music and while I'm not a musician, by any means, Daddy's appreciation for this art was past down. It's a most lovely thing.

I think the thing that I'm most grateful for when it comes to My Dad is that he's always been there for me. When I need a shoulder, he's there. When I have an idea to bounce around, he's there. He's a good listener and a good talker. LOL! I appreciate that so much. I always know that he loves me dearly. Not only because he says it in words, but he says it with his eyes and actions. LOL! There's nothing like a DaddyHug.

Momma and Daddy have been married for 53 years. They have four daughters. US! Arline Marie, Lora Lea, Deanna Cheri and Linda Glee. Even our names are creative. All of us girls got a big dollop from their combined creative gene pool. And now there are 11 grandkids... music, art, culinary and more.

- Christmas 2004-

And so, this morning-after, I wake up, remember and am absolutely swamped with love, admiration and gratitude. I love you Momma and Daddy. THANK YOU! Thank you SO much!