Saturday, December 12, 2009
Charlie and Ben
Here's Charlie....wonder what he's thinking!!! He's 10 months old in this photo that I took over Thanksgiving.
And here's Ben...looking through the wish book! Ben's 3-1/2 years old...another Thanksgiving photo!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hyacinth Bean Vine
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
New photo of Ben and Charlie...
Monday, August 17, 2009
This is so funny, I just had to share it...
If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers...
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery. (The kid gets an A+ for this answer!)
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does 'varicose' mean?
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in
Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
New photo of Ben and Charlie...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Rain all week...brings cooler weather!
last Saturday at the music workshop. First time I've
ever seen one.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
And here I find....
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Squirrel on my Yankee Flipper bird feeder
Squirrel and the Yankee Flipper bird feeder
Where has time gone!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
We've got BABIES!!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Squashini...Squachini...Zuquash...what do you think?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Odd Place for a Wren's Nest
We recently bought one of the "topsy-turvy" tomato planters and hung it on our deck. After the tomato plant was a pretty good size, along came a bad storm with lots of wind and the tomato plant broke off. We added a new tomato plant and along came Mr. and Mrs. Wren and decided..."hmmmm, what a nice place to build a nest and raise a family!" We water it from the upper deck and every time we start adding water...out they fly...and as soon as we move away from it...back they come. What determined little birds they are. Not sure whether the eggs will hatch...but we'll see.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
More painting on the Pink Rose
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Pink rose - unfinished
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Mighty Like a Rose
Friday, May 8, 2009
Geranium Painting
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
My yard...the last of the azaleas...
Finally, I've had a chance to do some more painting...finished this one tonight.
Added note: I've been playing around with my new printer/scanner...trying to figure out how to get the colors in the image to look more like the painting. The top image is MUCH better.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Yellow Clover
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Meeting in the dark...
Years ago, we lived out in the country next door to my husband's cousin and her family. We all had dogs...ours was a male...theirs was one female and one male...and their female was not spayed. When their little dog would go into heat, they'd put her in a wire pen about three to four feet off the ground...so that ALL of the numerous male dogs in the neighborhood could not get to her...but they could all stand around underneath the pen and "sniff and growl and fight".
At night, we would bring our dog inside...but one particular night, he kept whining, moaning, and barking...and we could not sleep. Finally, in desperation, I let him out thinking we would have some peace and quiet and would be able to SLEEP! Well...forget that! As soon as I opened the door, he nearly knocked me down getting through the door. Across the yard he dashed...and I went back to bed, thinking "sleep at last". I had hardly closed my eyes when the "fight was on". There was the loudest growling, snarling...and barking that I had ever heard. I put the pillow over my head to no avail. My husband finally declared to me..."you put him out...you go get him!!!!!" Oh me!!!
With me in my nightie and short at that, I put on my slippers...grabbed the broom and across the yard I stormed. I had no light...but they had a large overhead outdoor light that lit up their entire yard...and part of mine, too. Well...as I got closer, but thankfully still in a darkened area of the yard, I saw my neighbor out there in his "briefs"...hollering and chasing those dogs with his broom. Well...I nearly fell over on the ground laughing so hard...but I stiffled it as much as possible...not wanting him to see me in my nightie...but what a sight! Too bad we could not laugh over this later on...he was so quiet and reserved...and probably would never have been able to face me again.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone!
In trying to step out of my comfort zone, I had lots of problems with this one. I definitely need to do some more on it...right now, I just can't figure out WHAT it is that I want to do. I'll keep looking at it for a few days and see how I feel about it then.
P.S. After brightening the colors a bit and rescanning...it now looks better.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A weed from my yard...
Note:
Thanks to Spinnerta, I learned this is a wildflower called Yellow Avens.
A walk around my yard...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Dogwood Blossoms
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday doodling...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
White Azalea
a beautiful sunny day...
a day to enjoy the beauty of God's world around us.
For this painting, I used a masking fluid to mask
out the entire flower. Then I painted the
background with a wet-into-wet technique.
Removing the mask can sometimes be a daunting task,
but it's always nice to see the clean white area
of the paper to begin painting
the flower.
Also, sometimes it's difficult to paint the white
flower without using any white paint.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Red azaleas
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Another Azalea Watercolor Painting
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Azalea in watercolor...
That's fine with me, because when I paint backgrounds,
I never seem to get it painted so that I like it.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Azaleas are blooming!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Pink flowers blooming in the spring time!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Trees
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Getting locked out...
I was able to get in the garage where it was warmer…and when I got in there, I looked around for something to break out a window…when I realized I could get in my studio where there was a phone. The lady who pet sits for me has a key…but it was so early and I really hated to call her…but I didn’t want to sit in the garage for half the morning. I decided to call my husband who was down at the river house for a few days fishing. I didn’t know what he could do…but at least I felt better calling him. Now in cold weather, my husband is NOT an early riser…so I knew he’d be sleeping in… and I was afraid I wouldn’t even be able to wake him…but he finally answered the phone. I said…”I’m locked out…which door do you want me to break out a window…I’m cold and I want to get in”. To which he replied…”I don’t want you to break out ANY window…I want you to get the key out of my tool box and unlock the door”. And then, of course, he asked the “stupid question of the day”, “why did you lock yourself out”…to which I replied…”so I could wake you up this morning to see if we had any spare keys hidden anywhere outside the house”….but we did finally laugh about it and I felt so much better knowing I could get back in where it was warm. Chloe was at the door where we went out…barking “her head off”…mad, ‘cause she thought I’d forgotten and left her outside…and she hadn’t had her breakfast yet.
Make Your Own Notecards!!!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A New Sketchbook - A New Beginning!
When you are hesitant to start working in a new sketchbook, turn to the first page and make a mark...whatever...but make a mark. Draw something that you're familiar with or is easy for you to draw. Doodle drawings are non threatening and fun. You can do these without even thinking about them.
I taught middle school and high school art. The first thing I would have them do in their sketchbooks was to do a creative name design. They'd write their name in large decorative letters to fill the page...then fill the letters and page with patterns, designs, and colors. They loved it. I did, too. I wish I had an example of one of these designs.
Something else I like to do to my sketchbooks is to paint the covers with abstract designs using brightly colored acrylic paints...so much fun...and what a beautiful book it makes.
I used to feel the same way about starting a painting on a canvas. I'd set it up, then look at it "forever"...afraid I'd mess it up. I'd want to paint...but just couldn't get started...so I'd keep looking at that blank canvas. I began to realize that once I got started...I got so involved I couldn't quit...or didn't want to. So...as I walked by that canvas...I'd grab a brush, pick up some paint or some medium...and smear it on randomly. Then, it was easy to keep painting.
Once you've started your sketches and drawings...if you "feel" like you've messed it up...put it aside for a few days...then look at it again. Things always look better the next day or a few days later. But...if you're absolutely SURE you've messed it up and you feel like it's going to inhibit you from doing future drawings...then collage something over it. Your art is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and satisfy that "creative urge" inside you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Lost keys...
I got ready to go to a meeting last night, reached in my purse for my keys...no keys...so I ran to the bedroom and went through the pocket of my jeans that I was wearing when I went out yesterday morning....no keys...darn...where could those keys be?
I grabbed Gene's keys, jumped in his car, and took off for the meeting. I tried to put the missing keys out of mind so I could enjoy my dinner and the meeting. But when I got home, I dug in and started looking again for those keys. I looked everywhere...even emptying my purse...which is good, because I got rid of all the receipts that seem to collect and clutter my purse. I traced all of my steps from that morning...even going out in the rain and checking around the car...also checked the yard where I had walked the dog as soon as I got home...but...still no keys. I was missing "Dancing With the Stars"...and I was getting very frustrated. I knew the keys had to be SOMEWHERE!
My husband told me that if they didn't turn up...to call and get a replacement set of keys from the serial number...and I was sweating that $200 cost!
I kept trying to think if I had missed anything else I had done during the day. The only other thing I remembered that I did was to lay back in the recliner in the couch and grab a short catnap! But I had already run my hand all around the inside edges of the seat, then laid the recliner back and checked under it with the flashlight...no keys. I was in a quandry. I happened to remember that you can take the back off this couch...good thing I even remembered that you can do that...and Gene's jaws dropped when he saw me doing it. He thought I was tearing the couch apart...but the first thing I found lodged back there was a toy from my grandson, Ben...and the next thing I found were those keys...thank the Lord!!!! That was enough to make one cuss...lol!
THE STORY CONTINUES....
I decided to buy a "key finder"...so off I went this morning searching for one...an item which is apparently more available at Christmas...but anyhow, at Walgreen's, I found one....tried it out and bought it. When I whistled, it started beeping...and I whistled again, and it beeped again. So, I'm hoping this will help me in the future...hopefully, I will NEVER need it.
This drawing of my keys was done after Claire posted the suggestion in her comment that I do so...and you can see that I've added my key finder.