paint and doodles . . .

 We made a little more progress . . . primer on the front fence and the roof is started.

I have a lot of painting still to do . . . but I am happy to have it started. 

Avery loves to paint . . . I have a bunch of small canvases and lately she wants to use them.

She paints with the freedom of a child. 

 I love watching her . . . and I love how everyone of her paintings turns out.  (It's a grandma thing.)

 I decided to do something with her latest painting . . . just for fun.

Avery's painting and Amma's calendar doodles.  

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world

around you because the greatest secrets are always

hidden in the most unlikely places.  Those who

don't believe in magic will never find it."

                                                   ~ Roald Dahl

lil monster . . .

I love this little monster body.  Now . . . what to do with him . . . or her next?

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Getting my walk in before the sun was up

Planting tomatoes and zucchini with Lily and Avery

Sunflower seeds have sprouted

Ideas for this little monster doll

Avery looking at her "Ampa" . . . and telling him, "You're a little weird."

A husband who cooks when I don't want to -  (delicious pork chops with bleu cheese last night)

Laughing

good things today . . .

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

A beautiful sleeping baby (she is a sweet one)

Progress on the fort we are building

Starting a new doll

A FaceTime visit with Avery Rose (so I could see her walk on her balance beam)

Not letting my grey hair bother me . . . the time has come to just go with the grey!  (It will take some time, but I am really excited about this change.  It just feels like it is time.)

A new llama pool float 

Squirt guns

Living Simple . . . 

Finding my JOY . . . 

JOY . . .

I truly believe that you can find JOY in every day . . . and in doing that life is a bit easier.

Still working on this - (the painting and doodles - not finding joy) . . . I do that every day!

We celebrated my mom's 90th birthday this past weekend.

Not exactly as we had planned - but it was really nice.  My brother decided to make the trip to celebrate her birthday even though we postponed the full party.  (We now have to find a date where we can use the taco truck we had arranged . . . maybe we will use that to celebrate the day we can get everyone together again.)  We were able to get most of her grandchildren and great grandchildren to participate in a "Zoom" birthday party?   We all sang Happy Birthday and she blew out her candles.  I had baked pie for her birthday, but Avery she had to have a birthday cake - so thanks to Avery - she had a cake also.  

Talk about JOY . . . it was the kind that brought tears to our eyes.

Clay being Clay - he didn't stay long, but it made the weekend so special for her.  

I asked people to send mom birthday cards.  This was really fun!

She ended up getting more than 70 cards!  It took her awhile to go through them all.

There were fancy cards, old cards, handmade cards, recycled cards, photographs, cards from family, cards from old friends, new friends, and people she didn't even know.

JOY!

I love this photo of Mom and Dad on their wedding day 70 years ago

April 15, 1950

A lot of life lived in 90 years.

The secret to living well and longer is: 

eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.

good day for a good day . . .

I made these a few weeks ago - just never posted a picture. 

They are small bags filled with rice.  They can be microwaved for 2 minutes to use as a heating pad, or put in the freezer to use a an ice pack.  

My granddaughter Avery loves them when they are cold . . . just to cool off when she is hot.

I have made larger one also that you can actually put around your neck, but I like these smaller ones better.  My scraps of fabric are now being sewn into masks . . . but this is a great way to use up fabric.

Our little Tatum Mae out for a walk.  She is growing so fast.

I could watch you for a single minute

and find a thousand things I love about you.

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Sunshine and temperatures over 80 degrees

Walking every day

Taking pictures

Flip Flops

Staying up late 

Feeling rested

Binge watching shows with Richard (presently we are watching Ozark)

Planting sunflower seeds

just because . . .

"I am learning to find JOY

right here in the mess of things."

                                                ~ mhn

I am pretty sure I was the cause of this stain on the driveway.  I get a little

sloppy sometimes when I am having fun with a project.  

Then I hate that there are stains on the driveway.

Oh well . . . I will go with a fun project any day . . . and the stain turned out to be fun also

Richard sent me this the other day . . . just because!

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Another rainy day

Flowers blooming everywhere

Logan giggling like only a one year old can giggle

Richard seeing the face in this stain . . . 

doodling . . . sewing . . . reading

Schitt's Creek . . . I love shows that make me both laugh and cry

The creative mess that is still going strong in my house

. . . and not letting that mess bother me

Being able to stay in touch with my family and friends through this "lock down"

My orchid is getting ready to bloom

pluviophile . . .

"I know the rain is cold my dear, 

but dance in it a little while you wait for the sun."

                                                                     ~ a.j.lawless

Yesterday was a tough day for me.  I try to deny that I have tough days . . . because I think
I need to be strong all of the time, but how unrealistic is that? Today was much better.  Maybe I just needed some rain to wash everything away . . . and start fresh.  I was driving later in the day and it seemed like I haven't seen the sky look so blue in quite some time . . . and oh the magnificent clouds.  The sun was shining on the back of them . . . it was one of those moments when you feel that heaven is just beyond those clouds.  Our world is full of magic if we just take the time to notice.

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Walking in the rain

Talking with Lily . . . how this girl get me.  :)

Getting Easter stuff ready for my grandkids

Laughing with my mom

Getting packages ready to mail

Praying!
Mother Nature

just breath . . .

I was all over the place today.  My intention was to work on the pair of jeans 

that I started patching, but then decided to send for some specific thread to do that.  

That thread will be here on Thursday. (I love Amazon prime!)

     Brent called and they could not find the heating pads that I made them - so I moved on to sewing some for them.  They are simple - filled with rice and can be heated in the microwave or put in the freezer to cool.  I took a couple over to Brent and Ashley

. . . then came home and cut out and stitched a few more 

Then realized that the rice I use to put in them had dwindled down to almost nothing because Avery had come over to "play with rice" (She loves sensory activities.) 

. . . I then worked on a couple of dolls that I  started ages ago.

I watched some online art classes that I signed up for . . . 

. . . and tonight I am playing in my art journal

Yesterday my house was clean and pulled together and today there is stuff everywhere.

God how I love a creative mess!

Being home this past couple of weeks has made me realize that I am not quite ready to retire 

and that it also would be wonderful to retire.  

So for now . . . I am just trying to making the best of a unique situation. 

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Sunny and WARM!

Participating in a walk/drive by birthday party

A husband who can make and fix about anything . . . with extra time on his hands.

That same husband . . . making and fixing things.

Praying

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

~ John 14:27

good things today . . .

 This has to be the sweetest cat we have ever had.  

He also is the only cat that I have had that seems to pose . . .

. . .  and wait until I am finished taking pictures of him.

I was going to throw this pair of jeans out since they had a hole in them, but they are the only pair of jeans that I have that I really like . . . so I am going to patch and play with them and see what I come up with.  I'm starting with stripes and an alien . . . LOL!

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

Walking

FaceTime with Avery & Tatum . . . I even got a smile out of Tatum

A quiet morning to myself

Timehop App . . . today's photos made me laugh

Doodling . . . Reading . . . Painting . . . 

PRAYING!

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. 

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don't be troubled or afraid."

~ John 14:27

good things today . . .

Richard made this shelf to hold the kid's are work for me and we got it hung up today.

There are some definite perks to this working at home.  I have been busy with work all day, but

it is nice to be able to get some things done at home also.

These painting are by Charlotte, Lily and Avery and were done a few months ago.

  I am excited to finally have them displayed.  

I liked this idea better than hanging them . . . so I can change them whenever they create 

something new . . . and also not having to put a lot of nail holes in my wall.

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . .

Art work by my grandchildren

Talking to my brother

Breakfast Burritos

Working from home . . . and getting a lot done.

Sunshine and flowers

Working on some dolls

Hearing from old friends.

"I don't know if time heals, but perspective does." 

                                                              ~ Steve Maraboli

doodles . . . journals . . . books . . .

I have written in a journal for years.  I started using a journal just to let everything out.  I was going through some tough times and someone suggested that it would help . . . it did.  There were times that I was amazed at how much better I felt after writing everything down.  Years later I burned all those journals.  There were things in them I didn't want anyone else to read and there were a lot of things I worked hard to let go of . . . I never wanted to read them again myself.  It actually felt great watching them grow up in smoke.  :)
I still journal . . . almost every day.  I have a personal journal, an art journal, a prayer journal . . . and various notebooks that I jot ideas down in.  Somehow it just feels right to write it all down.
I decided to use this post to list a few journal prompts that I was thinking about today.

1.  Good Things Today - just make a list . . . 

2.  What do you want your children and/or grandchildren to remember about you.

3.  What do you like most about yourself and why?  (Go for it . . . list more than one.)

4.  Write a letter to your younger self.

5.  Write about three things from your childhood that helped make you who you are.

6.  Write about three things in your life that changed you.

7.  Change . . . how do you deal with change?

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . .
a big hug and a sticky strawberry kiss from Avery Rose.  :)
Lily coming into the office today just to give me a hug
reading
talking to my Aunt Hess
watching "Bull Durham" . . .  (best baseball movie ever)
hot mint tea
folding paper cranes
dinner ready when I got home
candles and incense

"It's never too late for a new
beginning in your life."
~ Joyce Meyers

flashback friday . . .

This photo popped up in my Time Hop app this morning.  It made me laugh and it made me remember me - back then.  I was probably 21 or 22 . . . quite a few years ago and a lot of life between then and now.  Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder what happened to her - but when I think a little more about it . . . I was me then and I am me now . . . with some changes of course.  Life and time have a way of doing that.

My word for the year is CHANGE and this photo got me thinking about that also.
I'm still working through what changes I need to make.  Some of them are simple . . . some of them not so simple.  In fact, some are extremely complicated.  Wish me luck with those.  :)

I am feeling the need for change . . .
. . .  but maybe I am just becoming more myself. 

good things today . . .

More origami cranes today . . . this time with Mr. Ford's 4th graders.

I wish I could post a picture of all of the their faces . . . so instead I will go with some of their t-shirts.  I love all the t-shirts I see everyday at school.  I am thinking there may be a photo project there . . . I will have to give that some more thought. 

This group really caught on . . . and were finishing cranes in record time.  

PEACE ~ LOVE ~ CRANES

GOOD THINGS TODAY . . . 

1. Folding paper cranes with Room 11

2. Making smoothies with our Ninja (I love this thing)

3. Fresh zucchini from the garden

4. Someone doing me a big favor . . . going above and beyond

5. My work family - they really are amazing!

6. Coctel de Camarones . . . thank you Jessica!

7. Sleeping baby photo . . . our dear little Avery Rose

8. Coming home . . . 

9. Making some time to paint

10. Finding a boysenberry cobbler on my desk this morning . . . made by my boss

Let her sleep, for when she wakes up

she will move mountains.

some days are just like that . . . .

A new bike for every 3rd grader in our school!

I wish I could post pictures of their faces . . . and those of the adults with tears in their eyes!

Love our school!  Love our kids!

Some days are just GREAT!

Happy Wednesday!

Sunday Funday!

Walking around Old Town is always a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon . . . even when the temperatures are over 100.  Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 108.  I don't mind our Summer weather . . . although I do have to get out early if I am going to walk or ride my bike.  Our Sunday afternoon of antique stores was cut a little short . . . we decide lunch and a cold drink was needed.  I think I drank a whole pitcher of iced tea.

GOOD THINGS THIS WEEK!

1.  Reading . . . and more reading!  

2. Helping my friend Julie organize her house . . . We are getting quite a bit done, but also get easily distracted.  Today as we were working on her kitchen . . . we decided to make cookies.

3. Taking the braids out of Charlotte's hair . . . she loved it!

4. Riding my bike

5. Antique stores and lunch with Richard

6. Still on Summer break!

7. Taking pictures

8. Painting

9. Seeing Charlotte's face light up when she got the "fat cat" toy she wanted in her Happy Meal.

10. Seeing Richard's face when she asked if he would get her McDonald's and if he could get the "fat cat toy" . . . like he could tell her no.  

JOY IN THE SMALL STUFF!