Did I do Something?

Hey - I actually painted something this week - Yea!!! I got a wonderful book a the bookstore the other day called Celebrate your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam and I found it pretty inspiring. I had bought some acrylic inks over the holidays and didn't do anything with them, so after reading her book and looking at all her beautiful pictures, I pulled out my inks and just had fun putting it on my canvas. I created some texture and effects with some gel medium, aluminum foil, salt, and alcohol. The picture, of course, looks like crap - maybe my next thing will be a photography class. The bright red and yellow in the photo is not dry, so it's brighter than it will end up once dried. Anyway, I just had to share.

Mood: Feeling Good by Nina Simone

Insanity at its Best

Two post in one day - Oh my goodness. I must be bored. Actually, I'm just feeling slightly...disappointed to put it kindly. Since I love searching for new blogs and am now a single mom, I've been reading other single mom blogs and am left feeling rotten. I must be the worst mom in the world. To read about everyone else's life, it's easy, life is good and their children are wonderful. Not for me. I hate having to raise my kids by myself, I hate not having time to do the things I want to do - there's a lot I hate about my new life. My kids aren't perfect obedient soldiers and I stink at fitting 20 hours of things I need to do within a 24 hour day. I miss my alone time, being able to go out in the evening by myself, having a clean house and getting to relax when I get home. I get mad when I get a call from the school or daycare that one of my kids is sick and I have tot ake off owrk to get them. It annoys me that I get off work at 5pm, the school and daycare are 10 miles away, no traffic and I still don't get home until 6pm. This is my life. I lose my temper, am lucky if I make it to my bed at the end of the night, and never manage to get all the laundry done.
But...
I am a better mother now. I am learning to be patient. I am getting better at planning and prioritizing. I play with the kids more often and I don't let the little things bother me as much. So, maybe one day I'll be as good of a mom as other single moms. For now, I'm just me - an honest mom trying to raise two small kids without going insane in the process.

Time Heals All

Wow, it's been awhile. I didn't realize it's been since Thanksgiving since I've bothered to update. I'm snow-bound today, therefore bored and looking for something to do. I know it's not much snow to most, but there is ice under that pretty white stuff.
Where do I begin? Well, I am alive and well. In fact, I am more than well, I am the happiest that I've been in quite awhile. Something just clicked for me during the holidays. Maybe it was conversations with friends and co-workers, maybe I just needed time, but I have come to love my new status as a single woman. No, there isn't a new man in my life - no time for that. I think it is just learning to be me again and loving the person I am becoming. I have had countless people tell me that I seem so much happier now so I guess it must be true. The house is officially now all mine and I had to buy a new car. Just the thought of doing this on my own gave me heart palpitations before, but it was a breeze thanks to my wonderful loan officer/financial advisor where I bank (thank goodness for credit unions). So, with this now being "my" house, I have been working on decluttering and making it mine and my taste. I plan on repainting, already got the paint, and just changing the house to be how I've always wanted. I have to say, I can't wait until my husbands stuff is gone so I can get this done.
I have moved beyond my anger toward my ex-husband. In fact, I'm so over my anger that it does not bother me to have to talk to him or see him anymore. I just feels like I'm talking to an acquaintance. It's amazing how much weight is lifted once you let things go. I do have to say that it saddens me a bit to have let go and to feel this happy. It just shouldn't be this easy, but it has been. I am loving reconnecting with friends that I didn't even know cared. It is so true - you never know who your real friends are until your time of need. Thank God for my friends. Unfortunately, I have been cured of the bite from the creativity bug. I just haven't been moved to create much of anything. I haven't even felt like writing (obviously). In fact, I can tell you that I have been writing this post since before Christmas and it is now almost February. I also have 4 post in Draft that I've never posted (guess I'll proofread them and do it some time today). It's the winter - just not my season. Plus I haven't been in a class and I think I've realized that I feed off of other people's creativity. I've joined my local gym and really want to focus on that, so it doesn't leave me much time for other things at night - I have to have some time for the kids.
So, that's it, mostly. Nothing exciting or special, just life moving on. Well, there is that second speeding ticket...

Being Thankful

Today I had a wonderful thanksgiving with my family - just me, the kids, my mom, sister, her boyfriend and her kids. So nice to have a stress-free thanksgiving with people you know love you and you love in return.
My daughter and I made a thanksgiving tree and hung "leaves" of thanks on it with tinsel. On the leaves we drew or wrote things we were thankful for. It's something that I'm thinking we'll keep up for awhile because my daughter really enjoyed adding more things to be thankful for on it. I have to say that I took the idea from a good friend of mine since she did this at home. - so, thank you Sandra.

Faux Encaustic

Today I learned a faux encaustic technique. Encaustic is an art technique using beeswax mixed with damar resin and pigment, or at least that's one recipe. I love the look of real encaustic but it is expensive and toxic, so I'll stick with the faux. I can't do all the cool things that I could do with real encaustic, but it was still fun to try. Anyway, this was my mini creation, just something small to test out the technique. I found a piece of cardboard that I painted and used as a background for the piece. Sadly, today was also the last day of art class for the year. Cheryl mentioned the possibility of doing an open studio series so that we can just hang out and get advise as we need it, but also have a space to create, which I know I could use.

Serenity

Once I posted the picture, I realized I didn't like it and added more paint.



Thought I'd share my tiny corner in my house where I make my mess. I've really got to figure out a way to organize it better. This is also my sewing table which makes it even worse.

Three Little Birds

I finished this painting today and chose the theme
Because I like Bob Marley
Because I needed some positive inspiration
Because this song has been in my head all week...
And just in case you don't know the words:

Three Little Birds
"Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:")

Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', "This is my message to you-ou-ou:"
...

You ge the picture.