Bug bites and essential oils...

Apparently, the colder weather is driving little critters indoors. I've had itchy bites and welts for about a week now. When I complained to the gals at work my manager said, "Just spray RAID everywhere!" Aw, man, sorry, but I'm just not comfortable with having all my household surfaces covered with RAID...

Some of the other gals suggested peppermint oil diluted in witch hazel. That's the route I took. It can be sprayed right on the bedding (I think I got bitten while sleeping because it was mostly on my neck and arms) and all around the house without being poisonous. It doesn't kill the insects. It just makes them move away from the area.

For the itches themselves I'm using tea tree oil mixed into coconut oil. It's working well today. Yesterday I think I made it too weak and didn't get the best results. Anyway, that's what I've been dealing with for a few days. It's hard to think about much else when you itch all over!

The only insects I'm seeing are the tiny flies that hover around fruit. I've tried to look them up on the internet, but I'm not finding anything conclusive. Anyway, things are better now.

Otherwise, I'm working and doing Sketchbook Skool and some ATC's. I'm also currently reading Sunlight on the Lawn by Beverley Nichols. This is my sixth book by him! He has such a cheerful outlook on life. I just enjoy his books so much for light reading. I'll have to start searching for another one soon!

As for artwork...I'll go scrounge around in my pictures and see what I have...hmmm...

Ah, yes. This is a 5x7 canvas board painting. I watched a video by Bob Burridge where he shows how to paint an impressionistic vase of flowers in two steps. First step...lots of colorful blobs of paint all over the canvas.

 Second step...paint over some of it to make a background, vase and table. It turned out okay, but I notice my highlight on the vase is on the same side as my shadow on the table...duh. But, it was fun to splatter acrylics around. I sent this to a gal in Alaska and she sent me a vase of flowers in return.

 My friend who gives ATC art to people in nursing homes is also sending art to kids in Haiti. These next two photos show some cards I made for them.

 These next four were made for the October Pick-a-Theme swap.

 And some faces I made for Sketchbook Skool...

I picked up this adult coloring book at Walmart the other day. I don't really intend to color in it. I bought it so I could get some ideas for more whimsical designs for my cards. It's full of really cute designs.

I'm taking it easy on my three day vacation, though there is a possibility of some babysitting. (I volunteered.)
You all have a great weekend! I hope to visit you all soon.

Shalom!

My daughter the super mom!

Ha ha! I just had to post this photo that my daughter, Micah, just posted on Facebook. She entitled it "Target Freak Show". She said she could hear people's conversations as they walked by. "Look! There's another one on the back!" "Look, there's another one on the front!" She prefers to shop alone, or at least with only the youngest along, when possible. It can get pretty stressful, as you can imagine. She said she's come home in tears a couple of times until husband Adam told her to stop going shopping without him! :) Today she didn't have a choice, but she said they survived!  Proud of my girl!

She said she seriously needs to start doing some squats...

That's the breaking news for now. God bless and shalom to all!

Catching up on art...

Just passing through to catch up on my art posts. It looks like it's been a while!

Life has been pretty much "the usual". Work, a little babysitting, lots of art and homey things.

Well, one thing happened that's out of the ordinary. My daughter Micah was visiting with a friend at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and her friend was excited that they had bought some land and were going to build next spring. Micah asked where the land was and it turns out to be the land where we lived in our log house! Micah was sad about that. She's secretly harbored a hope that she might "someday" buy the place back. I don't think it was a realistic dream, since hubby Adam doesn't want to live that close to town, but it sort of made her realize it wasn't going to happen. They are going to have the cabin burned down by the fire department and are going to build at the other end of the property. It is a sad event, but I think we can be glad that the place went to a nice little family who will love it as much as we did. And, on some level, I'm glad other folks won't be living in our log cabin. I think it was meant to be lived in just by our little family and now  its work is done. We built it together with our own hands. It was a dream of my husband's to build it, and though it was never really finished, we loved it. So many memories. We'll shed some tears (as I have been for some years) but God has so much in store for us. Nothing on this earth is forever, except our relationship with Jesus and our loved ones who love Him.

I told Micah that now her farm would be "the farm" to her kids, and they will love it just like she loves the old place.

Good bye old house. Thank you for sheltering us and giving us a place to raise some of the best kids in the world. May they always remember where they came from!

 And we'll miss the white house we moved into about 5 years ago on the adjoining piece of property. I'm told the new owners of this house built a shed right on the fence line next to the log house and filled it with goats and dogs! I guess that's why the new owners of the log house lot want to build at the other end of the property, lol. (Both houses are on our original 13 acre farm. We lost the cabin and 9 acres to the bank in 2011 and moved a manufactured home onto the 4 acre lot, for those not in the know.) The picture of the log house above was taken from the window of the white house. They're close.

Anyway, onward we go. Life is always changing, but the Lord never does. Keep your eyes on Him!

And now for the artwork...

This acrylic on a 5x7 canvas board is called Peace in the Storm. I gave it to my folks in Texas.

 My daughter and son-in-law bought me this tiny canvas, and I made another version of Peace in the Storm to keep just for myself. :)

 These were for a Halloween Pumpkin swap...

 These were for the Faith RAK (Random Act of Kindness). They will be given away to people in nursing homes. This is an ongoing thing I do. When I get a bunch I mail them to my friend in Kentucky and she and her husband, who is a pastor, give them away as part of their ministry.

 These were for a Pick-a-Theme (PAT) swap. Each member of my group requested a certain theme which I had to draw a picture for.

 

These were also for the Faith RAK. I thought men might like these more than the flowery ones. :)

 Last week I started a new Sketchbook Skool class. The teacher last week was Danny Gregory and he was teaching us to draw cartoons to illustrate an event in our lives. He was actually teaching about graphic novels, but we did something a little simpler.

 Next Danny had us do a cartoon of A Day in My Life.

 This week my teacher is Koosje Koene, a lady artist from the Netherlands. She's teaching about negative space. She had us draw things by outlining the space around the object. I don't do well drawing like this, but I tried. And now I'll go back to drawing positive space!

Sorry to heap so much art on you, but I really want to keep up my record so I have it all in one place since most of it is given away. :) Thanks for your patience!

And thanks for stopping by! Shalom to you and all your households!