Lazy Sunday

Today is the only day of the week that I don't have an obligation to be somewhere, doing something. And because of that, today is wonderful. Of course, there are other reasons too..... like knowing that Brant (henceforth to be known as B) and I will spend the evening watching episodes of House and CSI Miami while eating something delicious (I'm thinking pasta with myzithra cheese and fresh bread with olive oil and balsalmic?). I am going to clean our house today, while he is playing football, which might sound like not so much fun, but really, I love the way it feels after the house is clean - then I can curl up with a cup of rooiboos tea and relax even more. (Is that how you spell rooiboos? Not sure). So today is a lovely day.

I have been undecided with the direction of this blog - do I make it mostly business, concentrating on my art and sharing design sources I love? Or do I make it a little more personal, and share other aspects of my life mingled in with the art? It is kind of scary to be more personal. But this is what I have decided: when I look at the blogs I love to read, I find they are the ones in which I feel like I end up knowing the person writing, in some sense. I love the personal details and am bored when the blog is kept at more of an arms length. I am in this for the relationships, and because of that, I have decided to make this my personal blog - with my art thrown in. When or if it becomes beneficial, I will make a

separate website devoted entirely to my art. I feel like this frees me up so much - now the internal editor can relax with the "is this appropriate? Too much sharing? crud. So there. Get ready for my life. Ha ha.

Here are some gratuitous dog and house pictures to get things started. I've been promising my family these for ages. So may I present to you our three dogs Maddie, Lucy, and Emma - and the house we were blessed with this summer.

Today

It is raining outside, and it is simply beautiful.

"I believe I ordered a large latte"

These days I find myself working part-time at a local owned coffee shop. Fairly pleased about this, as it is an answer to the ever needed paycheck dilemma. Also, and perhaps most importantly, it doesn't seem to interfere with the art I am working on. I can work early mornings, get off at noon and be pumped full of caffeine - ready to work Trained Monkey till dark. Like a slave driver. With a whip!
In other news, we had family in town all last week and I got very little done. However I did find a high gloss finishing spray to use on my pendants and I am looking forward to trying it out. Also - while my sister was in town, she came up with two fabulous ideas - 1 - to make a chandelier/light fixture out of the resin disks. 2 - to make a catalogue of all of my products. I am fascinated by both of these ideas and think that my homie should be paid to come up with fantastic ideas - because she is coming up with them ALL THE TIME. She is really just that good.
So. With all that said, that is what I am doing. Catalogues, chandeliers, high gloss finishes, and coffee.

Loving lately: Amy's Organic Indian Food (especially the Mattar Paneer. YUM)
Peppermint Water (thanks, jennifermarathon)
Kombucha

The lowdown

So here's the thing. We've been moving. Into a new house. More on that later.

Why, oh why, when I come here, do all of my funny thoughts, ideas, sentences, fall out of my head and stare at me blankly? Like they were never in my head to begin with? I want to say things here, and I will. Even if I have to grab their grubby little hands and force them to admit they are mine.

I want to tell you(who?) that I have quit my job, quit school, and started a business. Well...the business is at least in the beginning of being started, but still. Amidst all the quiting and starting I am mostly excited. And a little scared. Mostly I think I am scared that I will wake up tomorrow and be like Elsa? What. have.you.done?
But, in the last 2 1/2 weeks of being unemployed I have been in such turmoil about what to be doing with my life at this point, that really, that panic is nothing new to me. I know what to do with that panic.

So. The business details. I want to make stuff and sell it. More specifically, I want to make beautiful things and have people buy those beautiful things. I want to cultivate relationships around those beautiful things. I love art, design,....and long walks by the beach. Seriously though, I have so many ideas floating around of things that I want to design and make, and this business is going to be me doing just that. My first project is jewelery oriented. I am making pendants out of resin. Right now it is a lot of trial and error - but I am mostly overwhelmed by how well it is going, and the peace I feel about going down this road. I'll post pictures as soon as we get settled into the new house and get our Internet going.
So that's it for now.

I've been.....

• Recovering from a wasp sting that caused my arm to swell from my fingers to my elbow. Apparently my body does not like wasps. Many prescription antihistamines and antibiotics later...I am feeling better.

• Moving stuff, ever so slowly into our new house. There are weeds to whack, bobcats to rent, a huge amount of dirt to scrape out of the yard and replace with clean, non-weedy topsoil, and a fence to put up for the dogs. It will all get done, and even though I wish it was getting done today, I have to be patient. Ugh.

• Dreaming of the juicy blackberries that are growing ripe in our new backyard.

• Thinking about the 7 miles I am supposed to run in the morning (I'm training for a marathon).

• Feeling like I might want to start working on my writing again, maybe make another chapbook.

• Feeling like there is so much stuff I need to surrender, but holding myself back. Things like this school situation, my job, - it all comes down to me consumed with what I want, and not willing to ask or look at what He (as in God) wants/has for me. Feels like I've drifted with the current up to the dam and now I am pulling back, bracing myself, not allowing myself to go over, go through. The other side is calm, I know. And I know He has good things for me. But this surrender is hard.

• Feeling overall: exhausted, overwhelmed, and happy.

A jumble, really.

We just got back from signing the closing papers on our new house. We get the keys tomorrow! This has all been so overwhelming and such a miracle. There were so many reasons for us not to get this house, every time the deal looked hopeless and gone, it all of a sudden sprung back to life. So now we have a lot of work to do! I am going to start packing tonight and hopefully we will get a lot of moving done this weekend.
On another note, I called about a job teaching art at a private school today. Waiting for them to call back. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to go with this whole "art" thing, so I guess I am knocking on a lot of doors. I do know that this blog is part of my direction with art - a place to chart my progress, develop connections and relationships with other artists out there in the big ol internet world.





For now, a picture of the card I just made for my sister's birthday. It's not the greatest quality picture, but soon, soon, I will get this photo/blog thing figured out and have fabulous pics to show.

A New Season

So here's my blog. Been wanting to do this for awhile now.