My sketchbook is on tour!

Remember when I filled up a sketchbook and sent it to New York City to be part of The Sketchbook Project? Well, it's now on tour along with many others! The chances of anyone actually looking at it are infinitesimal, but it's an interesting happening (for me) just the same.

 Pom, the tour will come to North Boulder on July 23. You can find details here. Apparently, you have to RSVP if you want to go. This is probably the only stop on the tour where I know anybody. (I used to live just outside of Boulder, so I can almost visualize where my book will be!) If you should decide to go I think they can look up the book by my name or it's ID# which is B826081. Anyway, it's fun that mine actually made it on a tour. They don't all get to do that. (I think it's a random pick thing.) You can find more posts about the sketchbook here.

Josh and family came up for a visit for a couple of days. It was good to see all of them and spend some time with my grands, Nathan and Starry. I miss my boy, but it looks like things will work out better for them in Kentucky than here. Jess's large family offers her lots of support with the kids as the whole family faces some challenges. (I talked more about those challenges in this post. The problems with Jess's siblings that I mentioned in that post seem to be resolving themselves.) They do hope to move 10 or 15 minutes away from her family to a place of their own in the future, but for now will live with her folks and siblings. They live on a very nice farm in the country near Paint Lick, Kentucky. (Love that name!)  I think communal/extended family living is an idea whose time has come in our present economy. So many struggle financially or health-wise, and an extended family living under one roof can help to share burdens. Of course, being human beings, it can be difficult living in close quarters, but it can also be an opportunity for growth. Anyway, I'm praying that they will not only survive, but thrive!

Nathan and Starry walk in Paul Bunyan's footsteps in Pequot Lakes, MN.

Starry playing in the lake just a couple of blocks from my apartment.

Nathan having some park time. They went to a LOT of parks while they were here.

This picture popped up on Facebook. Son Jordan, skating with friends somewhere in the Fort Worth area. :)

And a few cute pictures of Micah's three girls...

Adele, with her hair blowing in the breeze, lol.

Sweet Audrey. She's trying to loosen another tooth so the tooth fairy will bring her something good!

Hazel and Audrey

Hazel aka Hazey

Ha, ha. So much fun!

Sorry! When Micah does these "photo shoots" I just have to put them all up here for posterity!

Now that the company has headed home I may settle back into some art projects and reading. I have several books going at the moment.

I came home a little early today because I was feeling kind of puny and we were pretty much caught up and well-staffed at work, for once. So, I'll take it easy and play a bit. Thanks for looking in on this rather longish post. If you made it this far...THANKS! :)

Have a great rest of your day!
Shalom!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

May you all have a blessed and joyful 2016!

I, for one, will be in bed by 9 tonight. Early to work tomorrow. I never have been one to stay up until midnight, but have fun if you do that sort of thing. :)

Remember this?

I wrapped up 2015 by FINALLY finishing my Sketchbook Project sketchbook!!! Here's the last page. I'm not sure if I'll add color to this or not. I'm so ready to stick it in an envelope and mail it off! I look forward to doing art just for the fun of it, with no deadlines involved! There are a few paintings in here that I really like. Glad I made copies, and they will be available online as well. Glad that's wrapped up!

 

My last dinner of 2015. Yes, it was delicious! :)

This is what I'm currently reading on my Kindle...It's fun!

And this is waiting in line...

 

Adele is 9 months old today!

This is what her Mom said about her on Facebook:

Someone is 9 months old today! And this little peach has been standing here pushing hot wheels cars around for almost 20 minutes! She has been doing a lot of standing and letting go for quite a while, soon enough she will be running around with her sisters ☺ she is getting her 7th and 8th teeth, is eating 2-3 jars of baby food a day, working on saying "dada" which comes out as "gaga" and she found out she can scream, really loud and at a pitch only dogs can hear, always with a big smile! She is the happiest lady around! Love you Adele JoLee, I'm so blessed by you!

 

So many blessings in 2015! God is good, all the time!

 

Praying for much peace and joy in your new year.

 

Shalom!

 

 

New book and art...

Just to update my record of art I'm doing for the Sketchbook Project. Here are the two I did today. As I mentioned earlier, this project is beginning to lose my interest (I'm SO ADD!), so I'm trying to do a couple at a time to get finished! The deadline isn't until March 31, 2016, but that just draws things out all the more. Anyway, I'm GONNA finish! :)

I did the deer in ballpoint pen because watercolors bleed through so much on this paper. I may do more of that!

 

 

This Paul Bunyan statue is just 5 miles down the road. I've sat in his hand several times. Visiting grandchildren must be photographed with him. :)

I just got  a new Elizabeth Gaskell book for my Kindle. It's called The Moorland Cottage and I'm really liking it. She has some keen insights into human nature.

As I read, a batch of Cowboy Cookies is baking.

Are they called Cowboy Cookies because it only takes one to fill up a cowboy? I think so!

 

I'm trying to squeeze as many delights into my day off as I can! I hope you're having a good Sunday as well. :)

Shalom, all!

Art stuff, etc.

 

So, here are the last two ATC's for the Fabric and Fiber Landscape swap.

 These were kind of fun! I love Mod Podging things. :)

 I went shopping yesterday and found two pairs of slacks for work. Then I made the mistake of cruising through Hobby Lobby! I've never been in one before so I wasn't prepared for the huge size of the place. To find the little items I wanted took a long time. Actually, I went in to see if they had individual Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. I need several colors that aren't in my set. Yes, they did have some (sort of a picked over selection) in the VERY back of the store. On my way there I found a great set of colored Micron pens and a set of sparkly gel pens. Both great finds! I also picked up a couple of coloring books for Audrey and Hazel. You can never have too many. ;)

 I need black shoes for work. Do you think these will qualify? They had better! They were all I could find in my budget, and were still very expensive. Sorry, not gonna pay $140 for work shoes. These should last a while...I hope.

 I have to admit, I'm getting a little impatient to finish this Sketchbook Project thing. My entries will probably get simpler as I go along. Like this colored pencil sketch.

 And this one. Colored pencil isn't my favorite, but the watercolor seeps through this sketching paper (like on the left-hand side of this page) and I'm hoping colored pencil will cover better than trying to paint over it. If you look closely at the enlarged photo you'll see I've sketched some morel mushrooms where that dark blotch is. I can color them fairly darkly and maybe it will look okay.

Have you had a hazy, peachy evening sun where you are? Ours is caused by smoke from wildfires in Canada, I think.

 

I did get my back lawn completely mowed yesterday. The front is sort of half-mowed, but that will have to wait for another day. I'm not going to over do. Big week ahead, as always.

 

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday evening!

Have a great week!

Shalom.



My camera goes kapoot...

Sure, just when I get around to buying a new memory card my camera decides to die of old age. It keeps telling me the lens is obstructed and won't pull the lens in or take pictures. I'll just have to rehash old pictures or borrow some from the web, I guess, until I can shop around and decide if it's even worth the expense to get a new one. Anyway, here are a few of the last photos my little Kodak took...

My latest Sketchbook Project page. I have a friend at work who is a sled dog racer. She's the only one I know, but I think it's kind of a popular past time for a certain subculture of Minnesota. I made the lady musher a little...short. You can pretend she's crouching down, lol.

 

This was night before last. It was 9:30 p.m. so it was amazing that the camera got any picture at all. I had been closing my patio door blinds for the night and I caught sight of some beautiful thunderheads in the distance. After looking for a second I noticed they were lighting up like a light bulb every few seconds. I wanted to call my daughter and son-in-law and tell them to look out the window at the light show, but didn't want to call so late. I found out that they were outside doing chores and not only saw them, but videotaped them. :)

Little Adele is getting strong! Mama Micah needed to do some work on the web, so I got a nice visit today. They were soon off on errands and Grandma took a nap!

 Bert and Ernie are taking naps in the crib and cradle...

 Audrey chose a book from the bookshelf. Her hair is so long! She usually wears it in a ponytail or braid, but today it's flowing freely. :)

 

Still feeling a little tired after that cold I had this weekend, and from just working the weekend. I bought a few colors of artist grade paints (M. Graham) which I've been playing with a little bit. Sorry I can't take a picture!! But take my word for it, they're a big improvement over what I've been using. Hopefully I'll be in picture taking mode soon.

 

Thanks for dropping in! Y'all keep cool.

Shalom.

Pickles and honey...

I awoke in the middle of the night (Saturday night) with a sore throat. NO!! Well, thinking upon the subject of sore throats (Micah and family were sick last week, so...) I remembered a little hint my mom had given me in one of those famous emails she saved for me. She said that she always eats a pickle when she feels a sore throat coming on. Her sister (my aunt) gargles with vinegar and water, but Mom always chokes when she tries to gargle. So, up I got out of my little bed and to the fridge to eat two pickle planks. Upon returning to bed my stomach was having a gurgling fit, but I ignored that and went back to sleep. My throat does feel better this morning, and I took a little honey as well. :) Thanks, Mom!

Just for the sake of having some pictures in this post...here is my latest Sketchbook Project painting. I'm afraid I'm not looking forward to creating these paintings like I did at first. I think it's because the cheap, sketchbook paper doesn't take watercolor well. The paint just soaks in and disappears. But, I will soldier on. Colored pencil would be too time consuming, so I'll probably stick with paint. But you never know! I'm going to find some interesting hand-lettering examples to use for captions. When I get around to it.

Micah and the girls dropped by the grocery store today and visited with me for a few minutes. The two older girls had just been to gymnastics and were enjoying smoothies from Caribou as they rode along in the little grocery cart "car". They were all smiles. This was Hazel's first gymnastics class, and Micah said she spent a lot of time on the floor having a fit. LOL. Audrey, on the other hand, is all concentration and grace as she practices. She loves it! I'm not sure what the future holds for Hazel's gymnastics career. ;)

This is a photo I took as a model for another page of my sketchbook. The monarch is our state butterfly. I didn't know that until a couple of weeks ago. :)

Oh man, almost bed time. My evenings slip by so quickly! The weather was beautiful today. It's cooling off a bit. Is autumn creeping up on us? Thanks for dropping by, whomever is reading this!

Shalom! :)

Clouds and grandkids at the zoo...

Lots of spectacular clouds lately...

 

 Whooshy...

 Why does the phrase "see the little puffer bellies all in a row" come to mind?

A bunch of baby clouds in a cradle of clouds...

 I made this little pen sketch from a photo. This guy will be going into my Sketchbook Project, but for that I'll make a pencil sketch and use watercolors. I'll probably add some sunfish, too.

 The kids and grands went to the Como Zoo in Minneapolis for a belated birthday treat for Audrey. It's a four hour drive one way and the girls didn't know where they were headed until they arrived. They were pretty thrilled! The ancient carousel was a favorite.

Hazel Jane on her steed.

 Audrey, lovin' it...

 Kiddie jail...

 Adele in awe...

 Adam and Hazey

 Lots of selfies!

 The caption my son-in-law Adam put with the photo below on Facebook: "Mad props to this woman here, for being the best mom that these girls and I could hope for!" I thought that was nice!

 

 Poor gorilla. He looks grumpy. It was HOT, so he's probably just trying to get cool.

Kind of a hot muggy day off. I tried to nap, but just tossed and turned. Sitting in front of the fan most of the day trying to entertain myself. :) I really get overtired over my working weekend and just can't seem to get rested. Oh well. I'm off to have a snack, watch a little Escape to the Country and then to bed. :)

Thanks for stopping by and shalom to all!