Journal - If Love Won't Fly

This flying heart was painted back home in Euless. Life must have been busy because I skipped a whole month. I was trying to be conscious of the lighting but I don't think I was very successful at it. The words are part of the lyrics from Nanci Griffith's Outbound Plane that played while I was painting this heart.

There was a man in my past that we agreed that if either of us didn't want the relationship to continue we would just say, "I'm going to fly south" and that would be the end of it with no drama. I wish I could say it had been that easy but the drama and hurt feelings that occur in breakups was present.

I picture this heart flying south because the relationship just became too complicated and too hard and I had to fly on that outbound plane.

My love for House of Shine and the Yellow Envelope Project won't fly south because it's way too easy to shine! It only takes 10 minutes and 44 cents. Anyone can do it.

Where It All Happens

This is where I paint. See that table? That's a square, fold down card table. Fine for small paintings but the Two Blue Guitars piece takes up so much room it runs into the paint.

I need a new table and I'm in search of something long and narrow that will allow some storage underneath. I'm thinking of going and purchases some small shelves and just propping a board on top. Tacky?

Okay- maybe I'll find something a bit nicer.

When it's daytime- those windows lookout on my pool.

See the corner space in the photo below? I want to add picture ledges there so I can prop up dry work that still needs work so it's not laying on the floor or stashed away and forgotten about.

I also want new curtains and new furniture for the room. Want, want, want! :)

This is where I plan to spend a lot time this weekend. Well, there and in my garage because you see the brown box in the corner? 5 canvases that need to be painted for a commission piece.

Time to get busy on that!

Guitars - Two Blue Guitars in progress

I'm excited to see where this one goes.

Flying Hearts - Dancing Under the Stars

This work is still in progress but I thought I would share two shots of it in the works.

One of my poems is collaged on it.

under the moonlight

let's go out into the night

dancing under stars

approx. 6 x 9" acrylic & collage

Haiku for you - Perfect

we are not perfect

perfection does not exist

and that is perfect

-cew

Music Monday - Outbound Plane

Nanci Griffith has a unique voice and I love it.

My flying hearts kind of all sing this song.

Seventeenth Sunday

You must do the things

you think you cannot do.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Journal - Shoot the Gap

These pages represent our time at the river. The card game Up and Back is a regular at our reunion as is the game of Scrabble. That's my chair in the middle with my floating cooler. My love of music is present as I had my iPod strapped to my chair.

After all of these years of going to Wimberley for our reunions, there are two constants. One is the hole that gets sat and splashed in by all. We usually put up a wall of smaller rocks to either slow the flow or build the depth. And then the second is a shoot/gap of rapids that the kids also play in. Kelly purchased a float and the kids were floating down them. Their little hands always get raw from rubbing on the rocks. It's a fun weekend.

Don't forget- today at House of Shine we are featuring a new nominee for the Yellow Envelope Project. Check it out.

Work in Progress - Seeking

Bad Hair Day

This is a sneak peak of a so-so painting. I have to accept that the lighting in my house is not acceptable for photographing artwork and if I'm not prepared then I have to also be prepared for the sun not cooperating with me either. We were overcast, gray, and drizzly when we got home last night.

The colors in the photo above are not the colors in the painting.

I'm sick today because this morning I realized that I deleted an important personal file off my work computer. sigh.

And, I'm having a bad hair day.

Guitars - Work in Progress

Needs a lot of work.

What in the world am I going to post for Thursday and Friday? :)

A children's story: No Pets

I wrote this story as a joke when my friend, Leah, talked about wanting to have goats as pets. Those goats that faint when they get scared. I'm not a pet person and I guess what that says about me is that I'm selfish and I don't want to spend the time that it takes to take care of a pet. But at least I'm honest about it, right?

When I re-read the story yesterday preparing for today's post I was saddened by something that this story says. I am the old lady. I do not like the fact that the old lady lives alone. I do not like the fact that she is happy living alone though if that is my future I hope I can be happy with it. So, as I share my story with you today, I still do not want a pet but I don't want to project to the universe that I want to live alone either!

The story needs some simple illustrations to go along with it and maybe I'll do that in the future.

There was an old lady. She lived happily alone but her family worried about her. They did not want her to be alone.

Her first son tried to give her a dog. The old lady said, "No, thank you son. I do not want a dog. They need too much attention and exercise for an old lady like me."

Her second son tried to give her a cat. The old lady said, "No, thank you son. I do not want a cat. Their fur bothers my nose."

Her niece tried to give her a bird. The old lady said, "No, thank you niece. I do not want a bird. They need to fly around and be free."

Her nephew tried to give her a fish. The old lady said, "No, thank you nephew. I do not want a fish. They need to live in the lakes and rivers not a glass bowl."

They all tried again. A snake. No, thank you. I do not want a snake. They need to slither in the grass.

A lizard. No, thank you. I do not want a lizard. They need to climb the trees.

A guinea pig. No, thank you I do not want a guinea pig as fun as that may be.

It became a great family joke as they tried and tried again to find the old lady the perfect pet.

A goat, a cow, a horse. The old lady laughed. I have no room for a goat, a cow or a horse.

What about an elephant, tiger or pony. The old lady said, "No, my home is not a circus."

No, No! Stop I say! I am perfectly happy alone in my happy home where I sit by my pool and enjoy the sun where every now and then a butterfly, a dragonfly, or a lady bug come by.

The End.

Maybe her family should focus on helping find her a nice, old husband. Just saying.

Music Monday - In My Life

The first time I heard this song was at Jess Reid Real Estate at Dick Stoner's going away party. He played it on the guitar and I have loved it from that very moment and will love it forever.

Sixteenth Sunday

Stop leaving and

you will arrive.

Stop searching and

you will see.

Stop running away

and you will

be found.

-Lao Tzu

Journal - Tarzan at the Rope Swing

The squares in the middle and cross section were there in ink when I got to this page. On the 24th, we positioned our chairs further to the other side of the river putting us in the perfect position to see the kids at the rope swing further down the river.


I allowed my boys to go down to the rope swing without an older kid or adult. The first two down were Drew and cousin Abby. It was really cute to see how the two of them figured out how to get the rope over to the bank. They are both small pixie kids. Drew jumped out and got the rope swinging. It took two or three tries before he got it to swing to Abby, waiting on the edge. Something so small made me so proud. He will be so independent one day and he will be just like me and never come home to see his mom.

My nephew, Wilson (15), was in red trunks so that stick figure must be him. A couple weeks after this trip, he wound up having a serious accident on another rope swing in Concan breaking his hand and severley cutting the skin open. He was life flighted to a hospital in San Antonio. At the time I wrote this post he was recovering well. I sent him a Get Well Package where I nicknamed him Tarzan.

Okay- just like every week- swing in to House of Shine and the Yellow Envelope Project! Go!

Random - Shine for Claudia

My friend Claudia is the voice behind our blog at House of Shine. She would subtly drop hints that she wanted artwork for her birthday. Okay- it wasn't really subtle. But I didn't have a piece that I felt spoke to me about her if that craziness makes any sense! So, I decided I was going to make her a wood sign with the word Shine. How hard could it be, right? Well, the poor guy at Lowe's sawed the power chord right in half when he was cutting down the wood for me. I went home empty handed. He was terribly embarrassed and I felt bad for him. After I got another piece from Lowe's competitor, I employed my friend to not only loan me his jigsaw but to actually cut it out. No small task. I'm glad he offered and I'm glad my stubborn ass accepted. We had to rig up a sawhorse because I don't have one. I don't have a drill either and he needed one to be able to cut out the hole in the "e". We called my lawn guy who came over and supplied us with the drill. Cutting the word Shine out was no simple task.

And then came the job of sanding. Sanding with my little handheld and sanding with coarse sheets by hand. And then painting.

And then sanding and painting.

And sanding and painting.

And yes, more sanding and painting.

I couldn't get it right and I was totally rejecting mediocrity.

I was late for her birthday but I think it turned out pretty well. The reason I'm featuring it today is because I don't have any new finished paintings to show you and it's sitting on my dining room table because of a function we had last weekend at my house.

I think it turned out pretty nice. I also think I'll stick to painting on paper and canvas unless someone supplies me with a wood working workshop! The shadow it creates is cool, right?

Random - Happy Red Flowers

12 x 12 Acrylic

Flying Hearts - Everything

Not the best digital image and I was going to show you two but something went wrong with the sizing and frankly after a full day of work, cooking dinner, picking up boys from soccer, supervising homework, making up a batch of corn cake batter, fixing the garbage disposal (which was my proudest moment of the day) and now crafting a post for tomorrow- which was yesterday- is just all I can do. Oh! And I need to work on my National Postman Appreciation Day project for House of Shine where we decorate our mailboxes this Saturday!

Haiku for You - Scoot

scoot, scoot, spin around

scoot and dip and scoot and kiss

scoot, scoot, spin around

-cew

Music Monday - The General

I love this song! It is so fun to sing! I love the guitar in it. Enjoy!

Fifteenth Sunday

Nothing is impossible,

the word itself says

'I'm possible'

-Audrey Hepburn

Journal - Paint Me at the River

The only thing that was on this page when I started were the words Imagination and Creativity in the top left corner so it was the first page that I didn't have a bunch of stuff to work around.

It was in the afternoon at our annual family reunion in Wimberley, Texas. I was sitting in the river with my lawn chair, beer cooler and my paints. The sun was behind me. My shadow was on the page and I traced it. I don't have a bumpy shoulder like that... it was my tshirt bundled up.

This was one of my favorite years at the river.

Remembering good times is essential to our wellness. Giving to others is also essential. Go over to House of Shine today and read about the Yellow Envelope Project. You'll be glad you did.

On the Horizon - Love Cures

6 x 9" Acrylic & Collage

Guitars - Turquois and Gold

10 x 12 Acrylic

The more I look at it- the more I think it's just wrong.

Flying Hearts - 4 Paintings

Each 6 x 6 - Acrylic

Not sure they're done. You may see them again.

Haiku for You- Love

i love you today

there is more for tomorrow

loving everyday

-cew

Music Monday - A Kiss to Build A Dream On

I love the trumpet in this song and Armstrong's voice is so unique.

Fourteenth Sunday

We loved with a love that was more than love.

- Edgar Allen Poe

Journal - Wish

I'm not crazy about this page. I had drawn the stars and the word Star on the right with some other random doodles.

I WISH it had turned out better.

And, I wish you would join me at House of Shine today and help us recognize another nominee for the Yellow Envelope Project!

On the Horizon - Nothing Else Matters

6 x 9" Acrylic & Collage