Xmas Gifts To and From

The other night, Natalie brought home a gift from her school. It was a little handprint santa card and a package, well, inside the package was an ornament with her photo on it! Way cute.

I really love the way they do the XMas cards, the kids talk and they write it down. I have a father's day and mother's day cards like these too, I laminated, them, but I can't seem to find them, I bet they are in a safe place!


These are the custom coffee cozies that I made for my boss and team, they turned out really cute actually, shoulda saved one for me, maybe I'll make an "A" one....they were fun too.

Today is the funeral, so that is that.

Wow and More Wow

Sunday, I wallked into the kitchen and Natalie had done this:

She actually colored Tyrone exactly how he looks. For his hair, she grabbed a crayon (for that mixed media affect) orange that was more red-ish and colored his hair, she was able to tell the difference between all three shades of orange that Tyrone has and how the pens differed in color hue. She is amazing, how does she know that? Even the antlers are the perfect color, oh and she colored Pablo's bowtie too, perfectly inside the lines and with great colors, blue, yellow and orange! I love her creativity!

We also painted a bit tonight and my fortune cookie said "You are heading in the right direction." How cool is that!

Cherish Everyday

Well, sadly my mother called me yesterday and said that my uncle had passed away. He had just gone out to lunch, came back and had some bad heartburn and soon after that, had a heart attack. He was a great man, loved his family and definitely his Harley's. Today we went out to my aunts house to see her, help with anything, and just be there. Tons of other family members came by from all around. So, this week is going to be a whirlwind of this and that, so I am really looking forward to the Xmas break!
On the work front, our office is shut down for 2 weeks starting Dec24th, so I will be home, off and working throughout the two weeks, returning Jan. 7th.
Enjoy every day like it is your last!

SuziBlu

Ok, I love love love this girl! She is the coolest ever!

What is that thing she has that she is using over the crayons...I think it is heating them up and melting them, wowee that is cool!!

Seeing Inside

Sight Versus Vision
Sight is the ability to see the physical world while vision is the gift of seeing beyond it. Sight enables us to take the physical world in so we can participate in it with knowledge. It brings us pleasure through our eyes, which perceive the colors and shapes of all the myriad expressions of nature and human beings. It helps us feel in control, allowing us to see what is coming toward us, which way we are going, and exactly where we are standing at a given moment. We are able to read signs and books, navigate the interiors of buildings with ease, sense and perceive how a person is feeling by the expressions that cross her face.

As anyone who has lost their eyesight can tell you, though, there are things that are clearer when you cannot see the world through your eyes. One of the reasons many meditation instructors advise sitting with the eyes closed is because we automatically become more in touch with our inner world when we are not distracted by the outer world. It is in this state that vision becomes our mode of seeing. Vision comes from within and shows us how to navigate the realms of thought, feeling, and emotion. It enables us to see things that aren’t yet manifested in the world of form, and it also connects us to that part of ourselves that exists separately from the world of form.

As we age, even those of us with perfect eyesight will generally lose some of our acuity, but this loss is usually replaced with inner vision. This is the time of life when we are meant to turn inside and take what are sometimes the very first steps of a journey that cannot be traced on a map. We call upon intuition and feel our way along a path that ultimately carries us beyond the realm we can see with our eyes and into the land of spirit.

DailyOm.com

Dymo Disk Painter

This looks really cool! It is the Dymo Disk Painter, a lil 6x12 printer that prints directly on CDs and DVDs. Can print up to 600 dpi and it goes FAST too. Kinda expensice right now @ $279 retail, but it may come down soon. Maybe Costco will carry them, I'll be looking out, if you find any cheaper than this price, lemme know.

Natalie is still sick, so we will be hanging around the house today and I will be working a bit too. Oh well, holidays=sick kids.

Oh my - What a Stamp Set!!

A few months ago, I saw this stamp set on Ali's blog I say Ali like I know her or something and it looked awesome! This week I got an announcement that it was for sale as the December Kit for CK, now sold out. I ordered it in time and received it today and OMG this is a stamp set.

It came in a lil box, just PACKED!!! These are going to work great with paint!
Donna made a cool album with them, she used paint and fabric, too cute! Whoohooo!!!

Wi-fi for your Digital Camera?

Pretty cool eh? Ever go to use your digital camera and you turn it on and realize that there is no card in it? It is still in your computer or reader?
Check this out, you can now take photos and never take your card out again. Good stuff!

Natalie's Xmas Wish List - Now Available

Hi all - I am getting the "what's Natalie into these days?" questions, so here is her Amazon 2007 Christmas Wish List. Hopefully you can see what she is into through this list, if course these are not in order of what she wants more, it is just a few things that she has been circling in the Sunday ads. She circles things and says, List...List....List. And when we are in the stores, I just tell her that we will put it on her list this year, so that gets us out of buying toys this time of year too!

Enjoy!

The Tree is UP

Well, we, or should I say I, put up the tree Friday afternoon. Isn't she pretty! Just a few mishaps since then, the cats seem to think that the skirt underneath is there is to be messed up and hide under, um, no, it is decoration cats! They also pulled down one of the drapey ribbons and I thought for sure I didn't make them too long, but who knows, these cats at night are a bit crazy!

Also, Natalie seems to think that the ornaments are there for her to take down and play with, um, no, she is too silly!

Oh and I finished another painting, it is a fairy angel and it says "WISH"

Pink Elephants on Parade

Painted as Natalie discovered Dumbo. Have you seen that movie as an adult? Kinda strange and there is this part where strange looking elephants with a black background sing 'pink elephants on parade,' very LSD-ish. This movie just deals with a lot of more mature issues that how I remember it, but that is a good thing.
I call this: Believe in the Unbelievable

I am thankful for...

Family, Friends, Health and Freedom

Another Painting & Natalie and Talula

Good vacation so far, kinda board, but got to paint!
This I call: Ask And You Shall Receive.
UPDATED: I had to give her some eyelashes and a big smile!


Also, Natalie and Talula have been relaxing together!

Way cute!

Painted Today...

Well, today we played hooky from dance class and went to Michael's to get more paint. Specifically some glitter paint...and I wanted to get some flat canvases too. I will be showcasing my work @ Wendy Butlers' House Boutique Dec 15th. I thought I would have some scarves, but they take a LONG time. So maybe some scarves, maybe some artwork. We will see, no stress, all fun and games!
I call this 11x14 canvas panel piece: Seek and You Shall Find


I have been truly inspired by SuziBlu and really enjoy learning and experimenting with paint and mixing and moving it around till it looks good. Oh and can you see the glitter? It is on her crown and wings.
Have a good weekend everyone, I hope to paint again tomorrow.

Tough Day Today!

You know, it is really rough when your manager tells you that working a 40 hour work week is not enough. I asked to add a headcount to the team because they are working more than 40 hours a week and I was told that since I work 40 hours a week, that we cannot justify another headcount unless I was at 50 or more hours a week and totally burnt out.
This was somewhat disturbing to me. I honestly believe that I complete way more than most people in 1 hour and that I have been working really hard to get this team up and running and darn-it there has been tremendous change since I started.

Is being burnt out something for which one should strive?

horoscope today = If you are feeling like you want some time on your own, this is a good time to take it. Whether you want to take a vacation day, work from home, or schedule yourself a getaway solo weekend, do what it takes to get some alone time. As far as your friends and family go, just keep them informed as to what you need and where you want to go. They'll understand. Your inner extrovert is being overpowered by your inner introvert, and it will create some long-overdue parity.

I shoulda taken off to some far away place today, that woulda made me feel better, or even spent $ I don't have, that is always fun fun fun!

UPDATED: Instead, I made this today. Get it?

Went to Walmart Again & New Art Jourrnal Pages

You know, I took about 8 photos of her wearing these, but this one just summed it all up, it is perfect. Silly face, she loves to make that face!

Recent Art Journal pages - the bottom left is a collaboration with Natalie, she drew a monkey and a gorilla - and her as a scarecrow...ok....that works!

AC=Inspiration

Angel Card of the day was INSPIRATION!

Great horoscope too!
Your priorities should be easy to establish today -- there is a lot of clarity to your thinking, and no shortage of motivation. You are ready to roll up your sleeves and get things going, because there are vivid concepts about birth, growth and nurturing fulminating within you. You know that something new and wonderful can get started today, and you have no interest in wasting any more time thinking about it. You're ready to move, so that should be the thing you focus most on today.

Soooo Exciiiitteeeddd!

Ok, one of my very bestest friends in the whole wide world called me and said, "I am preggers!!!!!" Yes it is true, Jennifer Mackey (Stubbs) is officially 12 weeks pregnant! How cool is that! I am so excited for her and Pete and think that these two are going to be the bestest parents in the whole wide world.

Ok, it is late and I am on antibiotics for a sinus infection, I really should get some shuteye-but can you believe it! Yenny is Pregant!!! WhoohoO!!!

Pumpkin Carving Night!

Check these out! We had Pumpkin Carving Night. We decided to paint on them a little this year and boy am I glad, the cat turned out great and you can actually see him on there....Natalie painted her's too, like a clown. They look great on the porch flickering away! Can't get a good photo in the dark tho, but take my word for it, they are very happy next to the scary rat on the porch!


Natalie took these photos below, she has got some mad camera skills. Well she is OUR daughter!


While outside I took this one, see the orb?
Hope he/she is a nice one...boohoohoooohhaaahaaaa!!!!!