Life is Good

My friend Lis at Dandelion Seeds and Dreams gave me this award. I need to answer the following questions.

1. Do you have a special gift and what is it?

A special gift, I think I am a really good friend.  I listen and I counsel when needed and I am loyal and would do anything for a friend.  I am not sure that is a special gift.  Perhaps its my creativity. I do so many creative things, I am the queen after all. I am not sure there is anything special about that. 

2. What would your perfect day consist of?

My perfect day would be some time alone and some time with friends and family. I'd want to spend some of that time in nature and some of it indoors. I'd see those people I rarely get a chance to see.There would be food and drinks involved and maybe some dancing too.

3. Who do you miss and what do you wish you could say to them?

I miss my mom,  I would love to be able to talk to her again.  I would want to know more about her life and my grandmothers life.  I'd want to know how she transitioned into midlife. I would love to just talk with her about my life, the things I have seen and done since she died. I'd love to just sit and have a cup of tea with her.

4. Do you have a recurring dream and what is it about?

In the dream I have I am lost one time I was in some kind of shopping mall and there are all these different escalators some go to the 4th floor and some to the eighth and some you an only get to on certain floor. I am trying to get somewhere but this maze of escalators is confusing and I get upset always being on the wrong one.  Then I meet someone and he is helping me to get to the right place.  I never get there I always wake up first.   My dreams like this take different forms but the idea is the same. I am lost till this person helps me.  I think I am both people and it is either my higher self or an idea like trust.  If I just trust my instincts then I won't be lost. Dreams are interesting things.

5. Who inspired you as a child? Do they inspire you today?

I don't remember much of my childhood.  I know that I really loved my Aunt Margaret.  She must have died when I was 10, and she was in her fifties, way too young. In addition to raising seven children, she wrote a column for a local newspaper. Maybe that is where my writing desire came from. Many of my childhood memories surround visits to her home on her birthday which was close to Christmas. 

6. How do you hope you will be remembered? 

I would hope to be remembered as a woman who lived an authentic life.  One who followed her dreams and did all she wanted to do.    I want my daughter to be proud of me.  I want to be known as one who inspired other women to explore their creativity.

7. Is there a moment or an event you wish you could do over and why?

My brother recently died suddenly after returning home from the hospital after having open heart surgery.  It was a blood clot that killed him. I had planned to call him when he was feeling better. I wish I could have had that one last conversation with him.   

8. What artwork would you like to own? 

I would love to own a piece of Nina Bagly's jewelry, Or a painting by Sharon Tomlinson or DJ Pettit.  If I could have something from a famous artist I would take The girl with the pearl earring by Vermeer or anything by Monet or Renoir.  I do like my impressionists.

9. If you could have any talent, what would it be?  

Teleporting then I could go visit anyone I wanted at anytime. That would be so great.

10. Describe the best meal you ever had (or perhaps your dream meal) and who was with you (or would be with you?) 

It was the first time I had an entire lobster not just the tail.  I enjoyed every morsel of that meal.


Wow these were hard questions to answer but rewarding.  Thanks for the award Lis.


Check out Lis post on self portraits and photography in general.  Its wonderful and well worth a read.

Yesterday Sarah comes in the house and says something is hooting outside.  we go outside to the tree in our pasture where we have been seeing a Great Horned Owl.  Now owl in that tree but in the backyard we see this.

But that is not all we saw.

It was exciting thing to find a family. If you look close you will see a parent on the right a branchling hunkered down in the nest in the middle and another branchling outside the nest on the left.

We also have kestrels nesting in the house we built for them like last year. Plus we found a hawk nest in one of our spruce trees but its about 50ft high so you can not see much. I love being able to see these birds so close.

Kreativ Blog award

My dear friend Olivia awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award, thanks Olivia your friendship means the world to me. I am honored to receive this award.

So for part of this award I need to share 7 things you may not know about me. I've done this so many times that its hard to find things but I will give it a whirl.

1. In college I majored in Political Science although I wanted to major in Art. I was not one of those kids who drew all the time as a child. When I drew a picture it took me a long time to finish. I thought that made me not artist material so I didn't follow my dream. That was a big mistake.

2. I have written in journals on and off since I was a kid and didn't discover that I wanted to be a writer until I was in my late thirties. I spent the next 15 years reading about writing instead of getting down to actually doing it.

3. I like to have lots of time alone and at the same time I like to have lots of social interaction and activities.

4. When I was 21 I had friends who lived in a college town and they were renting a big house that had some extra rooms, they convinced me to move out of my parents house to a place 2.5 hours away. I never came back.

5. I lived for a year in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in  Houghton where it snows more than 300 inches a year. Since then I gauge winter in comparison to the one I spent where it really snows.

6. I love being by the ocean and its strange that I have never lived by one. I have seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I wonder if its my Irish heritage that has me longing for the sea of my ancestors.

7. I really enjoy cooking when I am making desserts. I like to make cobblers. A favorite is to mix peach and blueberries together. So yummy.

Lastly, for the Kreativ Blogger award, you must pass it on to seven other bloggers.  I wanted to choose people that I have not chosen before. They are all women who inspire me in many ways. Here are the rules for the seven recipients:

1. Thank the person giving the award.
2. Copy the award to your blog.
3. Place a link to their blog.
4. Name seven things people don't know about you.
5. Nominate seven other bloggers who you admire.
6. Place a link to these bloggers.
7. Leave a comment on their blog notifying them of the award.

Gemma's Daybook    
My friend Linda at is one of the blogger on the list who I have met in person.  Her blog is full of creativity personal insight and wonderful art.

Dragonfly Reflections  I met Kelley when I attended the Writer's Spa in Taos, NM.  We were roommates and were delighted to find out we were both Art Journalers. Kelley's blog is honest and pure and full of wonderful ideas and art.

Everyday Possibilities 
Sherry is such a kind soul, I found her blog through Kim, the Queen of Arts. I love Sherry's art and her commitments to a better life.

Just Me and My Art  Jane is one of my glitter sister. We share a common art bond and have taken many classes together. I consider her my art sister.  In her blog Janet shares her daily journal pages and her journey as an artist. You'll be inspired if you visit her.

daisy yellow  
Tammy is from Texas and oh her blog is amazing. SHe does these incredible mandala's and many other wonderful tutorials and creative ideas.  I am always inspired when I visit her blog.  Its a riot of color.

ihanna 
Hanna is a an amazing creative artist from Sweden.  Currently hosting a post card swap.  She has some fantastic tutorials on her blog and always inpires me.

Art by Serena Serena I met when I did The Artist Way online.  She's from Australia and shares her life an art. She does beautiful drawings in her journal pages.  I wish I could draw so well.

Visit these ladies whenever you can, you will not be disappointed.
Have a creative day everyone

Nano nonsense has begun

Well the Nanowrimo nonsense has begun. Its only day 1 and I already think my story idea sucks. it doesn't take long for the inner critic to rear his ugly head. I just have to remind myself that I go through this every year and it always turns out so it will be fine. I have abour 500 more words to write today to make my quota and that should be easy.

I have already made the food run to town. What made me think I could do this without treats. Now that is insanity. So now I have a stash of chex mix, Cheetos, red licorice, milk duds. It covers the salty, chewy, crunchy and chocolate categories. My idea is little portions and more exercise. OOPS, i just realized I put some meat on to cook for tacos, I hope its not burned... Oh I caught it on time. That won't be the first time put something on the stove to cook and went to do something else....

Anyone out there who is doing Nano, what are your favorite snacks to get your through the month?










I got an award from Lisa She thought it approp for the Queen of Creativity to get the Kreativ blog award. I concur and thank you very much Lisa. You have to read Lisa's post she is a very fun lady from across the pond.

An award to pass on

My new writing friend from across the pond at The Wright Stuff awarded me this fun blogging award for my perseverance in the pursuit of my art and blogging. Oh what fun this is, now I get to pass it on to these other desereving blogs that I really love. They all inspire me whenever I go to their blogs.

The Queen of Arts
Just me and my Art
Jamie Ridler Studios
Creative everyday
All Norah's Art


















I have been wanting to try doing a face using watercolor crayons after seeing Sharon's videos on the subject. I had all sorts of problems with the colors bleeding and so forth but this is my first try. Its done on muslin backed with interfacing. The eyes are lopsided and two sizes but I think it was a good exercise to do and I think the next one will definetly be better.