WiNteR WoNdeRlaNd

The girls are still asleep after an amazing snow storm. Snowflakes as big as cotton balls slowly making it down to cover the world. I relish the quiet of this morning, the gentle hiss as another log burns in the fireplace, the aroma of a fresh pot of coffee.

The sun is coming up over the through the trees on the east side of the property. The sky is the most delicate wash of blueberries and cream, with the faintest blush. This has always been one of my favorite views, one of hope and for a fresh beginnning, a new day. As I step outside to take a picture I hear birds singing, letting me know they survived the harsh beauty of nature.

Ahhhh...still quiet. They're gift to me this morning. As I type I hear little footsteps upstairs, and there is the second set. My day has begun.

Kendall's fieldtrip to the Butterfly Botanical in Bloomingburg

Kendall's preschool took a trip to the Butterfly Botanical's in Bloomingburg. Its on Petticoate Lane. It really is lovely and quaint there. They sell all kinds plants and their prices are comparable to the bigger stores. I had already purchased our plants plus we tried doing the seed thing this year, I guess it was okay but we really should have started much much sooner. Each year we learn something new and become just a little more sustainable. We are now SELLING our eggs, so the chickens kinda pay for themselves. The past few years we just gave them away, and Dan suggested thinning the flock to keep feed prices down. I told him to go ahead, do what you have to do, well...he couldn't do it except for the aggressive roosters whiched once they attacked the girls he had no problem shipping them off to Uncle Russell's.

This year we are doing a pretty big pumpkin patch. The plants are coming up like crazy. I planted the seeds from my 3 little friends I kept in the basement. It really was time for them to leave the nest and make babies of their own. (start the "Circle of Life", from the Lion King)I will always remember you Larry, Moe and Curly, watching you grow big and round and beautiful, your color changing slowly from that striped green into the most perfect shades of peach and browns and rusty orange. I would spend hours polishing and buffing you until you were luminous, the most perfect field specimans ever, My only regret, not showing you off to the world, maybe this year one of your prize offsping will make it into the county fair and bring us home the prized Blue Ribbon.

Enough about vegetation... look at my baby! She's 4 1/2 now and next fall she starts the 4 year old program at Little Lambs...even more shocking to us is our little Addison will be starting preschool as well. But this week is K's moving up day and Dan signed me up for cupcakes...so you know this is what will be taking up my week. So much to do. Dan is getting her a corsage and I bought her a pretty little white dress, then usually there is a fair going around and we take her to that, hehehehe she thinks we brought it in for her special day, we'll let her think that afterall we already will her head with Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, what's her moving up fair gonna hurt.

Here's our little Addie sitting next to her sister, hard to believe they'll only be one year apart in school. That's good for us because they'll be close enough to rat each other out! haha

Small Works of Love

I found this great bag of vintage jewelry last week, and then I went to the Earth Angels Spring Soiree wher I got to meet Jo Packham, Jen O'Connor, and all the rest of the Earth Angels. Inspiring, Fulfilling and Emotional are the only words I can use to describe that day. I still can't believe I actually got to meet Jo and Thank her through tears on all that she did for me.

Her book "Where Women Create" was the only book I had that survived the fire, for some reason I had it on me and it was not in the house when it burned down. When we where living in the shed and we were rebuilding, I would look through the pages of her book and get excited about all my dreams coming true as my studio was getting finished. How lucky am I? I totally know. The most important things were not in the house and for some reason that book was with me. This is what Karma and the Universe does. I am so blessed!!!!! I swear I was walking on cloud nine all week, which would explain the next pieces of work I have been doing.

I finally feel like I'm getting my groove back. These little mixed media pieces are 3 1/2 X 4 1/2 mounted on recycled foam board scraps. They are edged in ribbon and wired for hanging. The hearts are cut from actual love letters I wrote to my husband and they are on vintage sheet music or vintage french book pages. There is a silver sheen I added to them which explains the glary effect. I had a great couple of days creating these, which would expain why I haven't been updating my posts. Oh yeah and these are available to purchase $20 your choiceBelieve

Forever

True


eternal
Sweet DreamsSacredsoulmate

paper crowns 3 1/2 X 41/2

the party 4 X 4 1/2

Paris 4 1/2 x 6

Onward and Upward

Thank you all for the comments on the Sloatsburg Post. The universe does have a way of leading you down the path you should go. I should know better than to constantly go against what feels right because in the end I end up back at the origin looking at the same crossroads.

So here I am, back at the beginning, with only a dream and a paint brush ready to hit the road running. I'm bringing a friend to share this journey because together we can combat the nasties of self doubt and inner criticism and turn a little space at the edge of the woods into our wildess dreams.

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Appreciation week. Hooray for teachers, not all teachers , but most teachers. Wait a second....Mother's get a day, teacher's and secretery's get a whole freakin' week? AHHH, whatever. I 'm over it.

Anyway, after finding a great tutorial from craft magazine to make this yoyo brooch, I made a few to give to the Kendall's teachers, whom by the way I LOVE. Thank you Miss Diane, Miss Jo and Miss Kelly, you all are awesome and I thank you , thank you, thank you for all that you do.
It takes a lot to be a teacher, someone really special, so for all the teacher's out there, I appreciate you!

Sloatsburg show coming up

Here is the painting I am doing for the Sloatsburg Show in May with the Group of Nine. Each month we are painting a different town and showing in that towns Library, we give a percentage to the library from each sale. So far we have done Highland Falls which was a smashing success.

I think I am at a crossroads with my art right now. Although I love to paint en plein aire, and do these impressionistic works, I find myself wondering if it is really realistic to expect to dedicate so much time and materials into it. I paint for my soul and for relaxation but the pressure to produce and sell is getting to me. I have never found myself to do so well in a competitive athmosphere and the stress really gets to me, but that is in any aspect. My hubby says I'm an over achiever, is that such a bad thing? I like to do well at anything I try but its not life or death to excel. I think everyone tries to do their best when that do things.

Anyway... I am aiming for a drama free week. And for those of you who dont know I have added the task of repainting all of Pine Bushes windows this week for the Walk of Hope. People are taking down their aliens to be replaced with purple butterflies, each one carrying the name of someone who has been affected by cancer. If anyone would like to donate one in memory please contact me, the cost is $5 per butterfly, all goes to the American Cancer society.

Fairies vs. Aliens

It was an extremely successful day across the board. Not that a whole lot of money was made but more importantly a whole lot of people were happy. That spells success to me!

Here's a picture of 3 of the 4 Ladies who made it happen, that's LynneAnne on the Left and Sue on my right, incredible, noble ladies they are. The 4th is Judy at the Stewart's shop in town, they generously donated all the yummy ice cream.

What was great was after the kids found their required Alfie's they continued looking for ALL the Alfies. That's how much fun they were having. And to top it all off people where saying things like "I've lived in this town 20 years and I've never even been in half these stores!" That is cool yah.

Even channel 6 news came out to record the event. The nicest reporter and believer Doug came out to interview us and the town folk. Then he and Lynne went to a cow field in an attempt to get Doug abducted. I gotta follow up on all that.

But my highlight was my visit from the good witch Sarah. There's a few people that you meet in your life that you know have made an impact. She and Lynee's daughter, Tyler are two of them . Tyler is holding theleft side of thebanner in the following picture. These really cements that I want to do work with the Make-a-Wish foundation. I have to fill their paper work tonight, Hubby meets with them Thursday maybe I can tag along then.

I would sincerely like to Thank all the people who participated in this event, all the children, the business owners, our pit crew and All the believer's who encouraged us, loved us and kicked us in the a** when things got a little hairy. You guys ROCK!

And a special Thanks to our promoter and president of our fan club Vicki who always was there to calm us down, make us tea and remind us to just breathe. If it wasnt for her I would have turned blue and passed out in front of the Clever Caterpillar, now that would have been a sight, I would have looked like Veruca Salt from Willie Wonka but in a rainbow tutu and stripey socks (oooh the visual)