questions

Hello, readers! (Or those of you that just happened upon this little corner of the web.) What's shakin'?

There's a lot of new stuff here -- new house, new projects, new opportunities, possibly a new look/feel/name/host to this blog, too. Pull up a chair, grab a beverage and help me think through this, will ya?

How many of you would be affected if I change the name of this blog? Would you still be able to find me? Does it matter? 

This blog is currently hosted on Blogger, a Google platform. I'm hearing and seeing all sorts of nifty stuff with Wordpress these days, though. If I go to a new name, should I switch to a new, and possibly more user friendly, platform too?


With the popularity of microblogging sites like Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, do I need a real blog any more? (I obviously haven't been updating this site so we probably have an answer to that question without having to break a sweat.) Should I concentrate on those aforementioned sites and delete this blog? If you had an option to see more of my artwork here, would you visit more often?  Conversely, if I put more effort here and not on the other sites, would that be better?

Suffice it to say, the overall design of this site will be going through some major overhaul. It's going shopping for a new wardrobe, getting some nips and tucks here and there, some dynamic photos will be flying in, and generally adopting some more zing. If I keep it. Because, hey, if I keep it, it definitely needs some updating! 

One more thing, what if I have some art to sell, would you want it here or on Etsy? Would it be worth it to have a link to, say, an Etsy shop, or would you want the ability to purchase some mixed media goodness here?

And that, my friends, is the name of the game these days. Mixed media. Yep. Over the past two years I have grown in to a mixed media artist in addition to my normal professional gig, motherhood, sister, daughter, friend, etc. I want to jump in to the art pool with both feet and fully submerge myself in paint and glue and pens and all sorts of assemblage materials. In my own studio.

There. I put it out in the universe so let's make it happen, shall we?

My own mixed media studio.

Whee! :-)

hello, dolly!

Well hello, Dolly Dalai!

On May 7th His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke at the University of Maryland. The Turkey and I were lucky enough to score fab seats for the occasion.

Fuzzy cell phone image. Proof that I was there. 

Ah! Much better! This was taken by my friend Mike Morgan of www.mikemorganphoto.com 

Click here if you want to see the professional video and the Cute One they call the Dalai Lama. The first part of the video is mostly photos. He starts talking around 37:00. He was funny and endearing, and his message of love and peace and hope for all was truly remarkable. (It sounds easy, doesn't it? That love and peace and hope thing. Funny how it takes a celebrity monk to remind us of that from time to time.)

This was taken after the event. Doesn't he look handsome?!

I've met and worked with and heard a lot of famous folk speak over the years. This Dolly Dalai was probably one of the most inspiring and heartwarming. It was truly a memorable and awesome occasion for us. Go and listen to his speech. Really. Do it. Watch and listen. You won't regret it.

Peace, peeps!

i spy

In a wild twist to life my eyes suddenly gave up on contacts after 30 years of use. Wild indeed! I whined for a couple weeks and then embraced the opportunity to shop for new specs. Two pairs and a few Benjamin's later .... whaddya think? Professional, no?

updatey-doo

I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately. Thinking about deleting it. Thinking about adding to it. Thinking about redesigning it. Thinking about what it means to me. Thinking about why I started it and how it's evolved (or hasn't). Thinking about updating it.

All in all, this blog is here and I've been very neglectful lately. Mea culpa. So before I get to the next step(s), let's take a look back at the last few months.

The nest might be technically "empty" now that the Turkey is away at school, but I've been far from wallowing, lonely, or bored. September started out with the Turkey's birthday (18!) and Cutie Patootie Nephew #2 turning 1. Then I headed for Chicago for a few days for a conference and snapped these pics.

Chiago's "bean" by night.

A view of Chicago from Lake Michigan as the sun was setting.

Art installation outside the Chicago Museum of Modern Art.

A traditional neighborhood fire station in downtown Chi-town.

Chicago was fun and full of learning (not to mention food, camaraderie and great walking tours of the city). I was home just for a a few days before driving over to Delaware for a long weekend that was equal parts work and fun.

Two quick views of where I stayed. Adorable doesn't even begin to describe it! That shed framed the back yard which was peppered with colorful chairs that just made me smile. :)

Pumpkins!

Somewhere in September or October (it's all a little fuzzy now) I started taking Zentangle classes. "ZEN-what?!" you ask. Here's a link to a description of Zentangle. The originators/artists responsible for it can do a much better job of describing it, but here are a couple pictures of my artistic tangles

This is called an explosion box. It opens to reveal many different surfaces for photos, art, zentangle tiles, or whatever you want to include. It was a super fun (and easy!) project. Might need to make more of these soon.

Seeing that the Turkey was now off at school and his old room was [still] a mess, I decided to do something about it. For weeks I scoured websites, design trends, stores, searched for bargains, and finally settled on what the new and improved room was going to look like. I wanted to keep it his but also make it more retreat-like, more suitable for potential guests, more manly. The Turkey knew I was "tinkering" with the room but was surprised when he came home for Thanksgiving.

Before. Plain white walls and a comforter that had been spirited away to campus.

After. An accent wall with a blue/gray tint, new linens, updated accessories, throw pillows (score!), manly window coverings, and streamlined pieces on the walls.

In November I made a trip to New York for a couple days and also spent some time in Philly. Both were work trips but I was able to include some fun and frolic for good measure.

Thanksgiving dawned bright and crisp. We were able to celebrate and dine al fresco with extended family. The food was yummy and the company delightful.

Selfies of me and the Turkey.

About to chow down.

My sister was taking advantage of the late fall sunlight to get some pics of Cutie Patootie Nephew #2.

Christmas was (as always) as very busy time. I realized that I continually let it overtake me. As much as I adore the spirit of the season and all the glittery, sparkly magic, I don't give myself enough time to enjoy those gifts. Thus, I got sick and spent Christmas Day in the bathroom. No joke, peeps! I came down with the infamous Tummy Bug during the wee hours of December 25th and spent the majority of the next 24 hours in the bathroom. Forget presents, forget family, it was all I could do to stay conscious.

I managed to get through Christmas and slowly regained some strength over the next few days. By January 1st I was ready to be human again. Thank goodness I was off work during this couple weeks.

(Um. I'm getting tired of typing, y'all. Are you getting tired of hearing all this yet?)

So January was a whirlwind. Crafted. Worked. The Turkey took a Jan term class. Trekked to Philly for Clover Market with friends. Helped Mom get ready for some coming renos. Slept. Ate well. (Too well?)

While in Philly for Clover Market we stopped for some real-for-real cheesesteak wit whiz AND ate outside in the balmy 30 degree temps (*cough!*) then headed to Sixth Street to walk around a bit. We stopped at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. It's a rowhouse built wholly with mosaics. There are a couple pics above but it doesn't photograph super well with a phone camera. It's utterly wild! If you're ever on Sixth Street stop in and take a peek. (And plan to have a better camera with you. It's worth it.)


In February I spent a few days in Florida on my annual whirlwind trip. The weather was gorgeous!

"Sea pests." LOL

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico.

Can't beat the sunshine!

Boca Raton

Clouds over the Atlantic.

I flew home just as the upper East Coast was bracing for a storm. Because of this, many travelers had changed their flights/plans and the flight home was practically empty. Haven't seen that in years!

Today is the first day of spring break. The Turkey is home for the first few days and is looking forward to sleeping a lot and eating some home cooked meals. He seems to be off to a good start -- it's just a few minutes before noon and he's still asleep! I will be bursting his bubble soon and getting him up and ready to face the day. We're going out for some big shopping today: both of us need new glasses and I'm also on the prowl for new living room furniture. Fun stuff, eh?! :-)

So now that you're caught up on my travels and activities from the past few months I will bid adieu for a little bit. I'll be back again soon with more updates and more news on the plans for the foreseeable future. Pinky promise!

nuts

Saw this on the side of a grocery delivery truck this morning:

 

"Driver does not carry cash. 

only cashews" 

*giggle* 

cheers!

"Mom, did you know warm beer tastes like carbonated piss?" 

It only took three days before he was trying beer. Aww. I'm so proud. 

???

moving day!

Everything fit in the car...

 

...including the Turkey (even though it looks like he was going to be strapped to the roof or something, he rode shotgun the entire way)! 

We were both giddy Saturday morning when the Moment arrived and we were on our way to campus. The Turkey was teasing me that I would cry like I did at his graduation and we were laughing a lot. (For the record, I didn't cry at graduation. Nope. It was more like a hurricane of tears. I had dry skin on my cheeks for a week!) We chatted the entire way to campus. 

Once there we efficiently got the car unpacked and everything in his room, hooked up his cable TV, put clothes in the closet, and then headed up to the bookstore to pick up his books. We made a couple of other stops throughout the morning and then got cold beverages, did "cheers" with 32 oz. soft drinks from Royal Farms, and I left. It was easy. It was probably easy because I had to go back the next day with a few more items (book shelf, bike, light bulbs, etc.) so it wasn't like I was leaving him in Kalamazoo by himself or anything. 

Not that there's anything wrong with Kalamazoo! 

But I saw him again on Sunday and we did a few more things, and once again I left without crying. It's been 48 hours now since I left him on campus for the first time and still no tears. I keep hearing of other parents who drop off their kids at school and cry buckets for days. Not me. Am I really that odd?  Dunno, but I'm heading out for happy hour with my peeps so I'll catch ya later, gators! :-)