The Gypsy on Adventure

Happy Birthday Baby...

I am now officially going to STOP telling every one how old my son IS! LOL I shall now live in denial! LOL He turned THIRTY at 3:14 p.m. today...and I have started to freak out a little since he is that old...WTF...where did the time go???  He came by and we went out to Breakfast at Hobees I had artichoke hearts, olives and feta over hashbrowns! He had a ham and cheese omlete! SO good! 

He was talking smack about iPods and iPhones so I thought I had made a huge mistake buying him a 16 gig iTouch for his gift WITH a note engraved on the back so nope couldn't RETURN it if he hated it...sigh...but seems he didn't mind after all...he didn't bring his computer for the FIRST time so we couldn't set it up for him, but  I did have it all charged waiting for him! Sigh  WGB went over all the functions that he will love once he starts using it...I think he liked it...

We had a nice short visit...and he was off to his aunts house for a B-B-Que...

I ran over to Borders and bought the book I wanted with a 40% off coupon! SO worth it! A magazine and then I came home and watercolored some of my sketches that were left waiting for me...all so good...but a now I am a bit sad...I always miss my son way more the day he leaves...pout...

 

How do you spell MISERABLE? Heartburn!

Ack...the Heart burn just refuses to GO AWAY! Which has me worried with all the swelling, and not feeling so good...Thought Vernon was going to be here tonight for dinner...so I had made Ugly Chili...but he has decided to come tomorrow morning for breakfast. Sigh. Kids.

I worked on the last two pages in my Teesha Moore type journal...liking the way they are coming along! Soon, all I will have to work on is the wording in the journal! I am exhausted from dealing with my body! I am off to relax!

Thou shalt revel in what you really are: don't change your looks, don't stop talking, go ahead and be. — Alta, from Poems From the Women's Movement

Sleep well...and I hope you find as much fun on the other side as you did here...

 

Remembering

Vision looks inwards and becomes duty.
Vision looks outwards and becomes aspiration.
Vision looks upwards and becomes faith.
Stephen Samuel Wise

Missing you today and remembering you on what would have been your 104th birthday...time goes by shockingly fast. A day does not go by that I don't miss you...but I am grateful for the time I had with you, that you loved and adored me. That you nurtured my soul. That I survived because of you!

I needed this laugh - He's my hero! LOL

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Collage Play with Crowabout - Week 40 in the group

This is my FIRST week playing in the Crowabout group and I  seemed to have used all the images on the sheet provided...it was a fun exercise in using what you have in front of you...and then random journaling...

Wiiiiiiiiii Torture!

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are.-- Bernice Johnson Reagon

I made my goal of 30 min, I ran, Soccer, Yoga, Balance training...and broke a sweat! My Wii age went down MORE today! Yeah for me! AND I was told I was a Yoga Master! Yeah me! I had a hard time with the tree pose today...it is hard to do that when your ankles are swollen!

Weeeeeeee or is it Wiiiiiiiii?

One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered. -- Michael J. Fox

This is a perfect quote since today is the first day in the life of having a Wii...

It is Tuesday with Taco, a group I am in and time for the photo! So I thought I would share it here too! Lil Mizz was with me when I got dissed by the Wii...called Fat and my avatar gained enough pounds to make it rolly polly! AND told me my BMI was way too high. LOL Nothing like your FIRST day of Wii...and it is the MOST I have seen of WGB's daughter in a year! She stayed out and played for two hours! LOL  And Lil Mizz encouraged me on even though WGB said I was weird!  I only lasted about 12 minutes...but its a beginning!

Fresh food and fleurs!

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. -- Elvis Presley

Today I got to work and there were surprise fleurs from Wade! From his garden! ROSES!!! And the red smell devine!!! It was nice since I was a little grumpy walking in the door...suddenly I wasn't so grumpy! LOL Part of it was how grumpy WGB was ALL weekend! He really should have told me he was quiting smoking!!!! I would have been ehem, more tolerant! LOL  Yeah for him!

When I got home, Crackers was a brat again, I decided to torture the neighbors who's kids torture me...and she SCREAMED at various levels while in time out! And where I think she learned this new annoying scream...so they can deal with her for awhile and we can have a break! LOL

And LOOK at all my success in the garden!!! Whoot whoot! I am a farmer! LOL Except I don't like all the bugs!  I have a RED people RED bell pepper going!

  

Mall horrors...lunch...and journaling in public

Ha I tell myself to go live life without make up and cringe when I meet up with people. I went to the mall today, and of course we ran into some one we knew! From work! Snort...and the irony was the fact that I was there buying my make up! LOL And damn I forget how expensive my make up is! But glad it lasts for a long time!  Plus the fact that people strut like peacocks in malls dressed like they were going to a fancy evening! I was under dressed! LOL

After that we went for lunch, where I remembered to sketch in public...yeah me!  And I finished another fantasy page...and I am loving the look of my pallets as I paint! I feel like an artist! Snort

Wings...crabbiness...and painting

Crackers went to the vet first thing this morning for toes and wings. After we left I realized that we didn't do her beak! Sigh
WGB was in a nasty mood all day, and doesn't see it. I did painting and then lazed around...Journaling - Catching up with the painting of the pages - Inspired by Violette's Book

Hoping your days are not filled iwth disappointment

Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone. -- Jim Fiebig

Today I wore my LoriMarsha tunic with my Target Linen Pants...I love LoriMarsha's clothes and she started a chunky line! So now I can wear her! Yippee!

I have been forgetting to post my sketches...not colored yet, but here are the sketches...

Home Grown and Crocks

I am SO happy that I am having success in my garden!!! I can't believe I am getting such good results!!! And it all tastes so good! Also, here is the finished watercolor page finally.

 Today I woke up with a head ache and crackers is being a brat and constantly screaming today...rolling my eyes...good thing for good weather...she can go outside in her outside cage for awhile. The highlight? My new PINK crocks are rocking! (And yes, my feet are swollen AGAIN)

Today...I have been at my job for TWENTY-FIVE years! How scary is that!?

Re-dedicated

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power. -- Clint Eastwood

I took this quote to heart today and renewed my commitment to DE-clutter my home... (6 green garbage bags of clothes are now in the garage to separate this weekend) Movement I have 3 green garbage bags of clothes to good will, 1 green garbage bag of SHOES to good will, now to keep the motivation up! I have to dig out of this cluttered house to gain my emotional health back and my goal of having people over to do art!

WGB was a BRAT today!!!! We got Cable TV today, my channels are still downloading...and I was sitting in my family room going through my pens and he was changing my TV channels from the other room trying to freak me out! Which he did! Snort! Brat!

Tuesday with Taco Group

Since it was Tuesday and I had a date with Taco, Little Mizz Gypsy went with me to the Heart Test, Ultra Sound scary test...I was so freaked out the tech told me not to worry every thing looked NORMAL! NORMAL peps! Maybe I can sleep tonight!  Isn't it a great experience when you find strangers who are kind and willing to be open?

(Note:  Tuesday with Taco is a group that chooses a toy and takes a photo with them every Tuesday...makes you get creative)

SO time to get tough with myself and EXERCISE this weight off...

GREAT mail day!

Oh sweetness of mail today! I received a RAOK from SoManyIdea's!!!! Squeel with delight! She made me a skull rock!  I am so excited I have one of her rocks!!!!  It came at a perfect time, since tomorrow is the ultrasound on my heart...it can bring me courage and good luck!

And I got a couple of great books, and I have started to do some sketching like violet.  And it is a lot of fun! And after work I even ran over to Target and got a new purse! Ah, life is good!

Amazed

"Square your shoulders to the world, be not the kind to quit. It's not the load that weighs you down but the way you carry it." -- Anonymous

Today was a lazy Sunday. Consisted of blogging, coffee, laundry, movie watching, and watercolor journaling....
AND I have my very FIRST bloom on the trumpet plant!!!! After 2 years it is blooming!!! It was pretty much a lazy day but I sat down and did my best to draw a Fairy...OMG I am so excited! It really looks awesome!!!

  

I could be a farmer!

I am so excited to find just how well my veggies are growing! Check it out!!!! I actually have some great fruit growing here!

Inspiration!

"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress."  -- Alfred A. Montapert

Today I had lunch with my fav person, my old boss and I wore my food well! We went to Japanese and I had dipping sauce ALL over the front of my shirt! LOL So classy! You REALLY can't take me anywhere!  While I was at lunch with him and Sherry, I had this BRILLIANT idea!
I have to start making some REAL progress on my clutter projects! Apparently I can't do it all on my own, and Sherry's daughter who is waiting to go to college and can't find a job, IS an organizer! SO I asked Sherry to ask her if she wants a job ORGANIZING AND DE-CLUTTERING my studio and family room!!! I am SO excited about the prospect I can't stand it!

Because Green Wellies thought my squash sketch was like hers...the bar has been raised...the book finally came in, she thought that I sketched like this book!

Heading towards the weekend

Not bad for an $20 dress! And I wanted to share with you the foundation of my new sketch...I am loving that I am getting more time in for the watercolor journaling!

Shaking off the inner talk that is negative

Real beauty isn't about symmetry or weight or makeup; it's about looking life right in the face and seeing all its magnificence reflected in your own. -- Valerie Monroe

A bit of whimsical inspiration from Teesha Moore. I actually like this page. FUN! AND check out my hot new shoes for the summer!!!!

HBD to my girl!

Happy 61st Birthday Stevie!!!!

Great Mail Day

If you see failure as a monster stalking you, or one that has already ruined your life, take another look. That monster can become a benevolent teacher, opening your mind to successes you cannot now imagine. -- Martha Beck  Feeling a bit like a failure...I choose to let the weight be my teacher...

Some times we just have to embrace ourselves just the way we are right where we are and stop making ourselves crazy! I just have to let go of the skinny gypsy and enjoy where I am!

I had a GREAT mail day though! Including a RAOK from LoriMarsha! Thank you very much!

 

 

Remembering

One of the ONLY photos I have of my Grandpa Leonard...he was SO young here! I miss him. He died in November 1979. My brother Steve looks just like him...

Cartoon

...hanging head...

Inspiration...

Even at 100 we can do what we love!

And even when you are not 100...check this out...I need to go out and sketch!

Lazy day

I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. -General Douglas MacArthur

Much needed down time, from make up and hair...to splaying out on the couch with the watercolors!

Long day

If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me. -- Ann Landers

I was the ONLY one at work today in my office! Pout...It was a LONG BORING day and I cranked the music and answered a whole 7 calls! WITH the 5 lines coming in! BORING!

And here are the results of my sketching today and adding the watercolor...I am happy my garden is doing well, AND the seeds I planted from my friend Loretta is baring flowers now! How pretty!  And look at my beautiful salad I had tonight! So fresh! Happy Friday every one!

 

This is in Pacific Grove, CA on Lighthouse Ave

Teesha Moore had a photo of this up, and I saw this the day of Lucy's funeral and wanted to draw it then. It lives down the street from the mortuary. I have been by it twice since then. It looks toward the sea. 

It was a very long day, but I listened to some good podcasts to get me through. No walking or riding my bike today...my leg hurts....there is tomorrow.  A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing; only at different times.  -- Baltasar Gracian

 

Secret Lentle Funny Story

I LOVE the artist behind Secret Lentle, and I have a problem thinking I am bigger than I am, so I bought this thinking I could fit in it,  and as I left my building from work today, the skirt was FALLING OFF ME!!!! Yup underware showing I walked out to my car! Snort

Gave them all a good treat!

For lunch WGB and went to the park to share a sandwich and I brought a salad from OUR garden,  fruit and healthy things! LOL We even shared some of our cherries with the squirrel! He loved it!  I gave WGB a nice money clip, since he has been using a funky paper clip...he said he liked his paper clip! Shaking head! men! LOL I also harvested some of my lettuce and brought some into work for the girls.

Rocking the vote

Light surrounds me...Even when I don't feel it, apparently it does surround me! What a whacky photo! Maybe an ancestor is protecting me?  I thought it was such a wild photo I had to share it!

Today I made sure to rock the vote! I forgot all about voting I was in my garden in a house dress when WGB said HEY we have to vote! So off we walked to vote...and of course we saw at least THREE people we know! damn it when will I learn I can't leave the house looking like shit?! LOL But at least I voted! And even the small walk was agony with the swelling.

I was so excited today! My new travel paints came along with my 24 pan watercolor!!!! Yeah MORE colors!

Inspiration and care....

Watching the news tonight was a little girl, Hannah, who has breast cancer! She had a mastectomy and has a lymph node that is cancerous and they are hoping to do radiation instead of surgery. There is a donation button on her site if you feel you can help, here, and send some encouraging words too.

Just think of yourself, being an adult, and then you as a 10 year old with breast cancer...

Send some good thoughts her way!

Boring day off

So another doctor visit today...now she wants to do an ultrasound of my heart to see if I have congestive heart failure...tomorrow I call for an appt.

GULP

She said it could just be benign swelling.

 I finished a couple of sketches today...

Hum moment...and weekly scope

I haven't been able to post since the 4th! Suddenly today...whalla! I can post again!

Cancer, this week you have no desire whatsoever to live in the real world. You're a very imaginative and emotional Moonchild, and you often rely on your intuition and hunches to make decisions. On Wednesday your perception and insight will increase even more than usual as the Sun enters your sector of intuition. You may become very involved in metaphysical activities, and your nighttime dreams will be especially revealing. You'll have a profound discussion with a former rival on Friday regarding the matter that took place between you long ago. Now you'll have closure on your issues.

and another hum...do we ever really have closure?

Lunch on a nice HOT day

You would think it was Summer...it is HOT HOT HOT! I met up with Coffeelatte, and had lunch with her and her mom Betty and sister Kate! We went to a little Mexican place, Cafe Lupe,  on Castro Street in the middle of the Ala Carte Festival! It was SO nice meeting up with her again and sharing a meal! Lots of laughs and a lot of fun! The only other thing I did today was play in the garden! It was too hot to really do anything! I worked a small amount of shading in my journal, but not much today.

Extended play on Dreams

I got to the class a little early to go over to store and buy some supplies! WOWZER do I love the store! Lots of fun things for this journal progress including some of the items that Teesha recommends! SO MUCH FUN!  The only issue I had today was how long it took for lunch...I was dying by the time it got there and I still am a little sick.

But what a GREAT day!!!

I was so happy to get a photo with Teesha and Tracy, and Tracy said "You don't want ME in the photo!" I was like "Yes I do!!! This is a dream come true for me!" It was so much fun seeing all the art going on, it was like electric waves happening in the room! AH-MAZING! And I was delighted to get some photos with Sharen, Cindy and to just see every one playing!

I am going to have to save my pennies and get to their retreats soon!

A dream came true today!

One of my dreams has been to Meet and work with Teesha and Tracy Moore! I am so excited I can't stand it...I can barely think of sleeping tonight! All the images of journaling are snug in my head! Snort! In MY area the Masters of Illustrated Journaling are here! They are lovely people and so awesome in sharing their skills and talent and enouraging us to move through their process and come out the other end with our own journals!

The class was REALLY large! So many fantastic artists in the crowd!  AND some of my friends attended!!!! Yeah for friends and even a Flickr Meet up!!!! I got to play with Coffeelatte who sat across from me!!! Yippee! Fantastic time was had! DELIGHTFUL! Loretta and Sharen were in the class too! Traci Bautista came and sat at my table too! What a great class! The last photo is one of Teesha's pages! Some thing to raise the bar to! ART HEADACHE!!!!! So exciting!

  

So PINK is invading my life!

A lot of people like to do certain things, but they're not that good at it. Keep going through the things that you like to do, until you find something that you actually seem to be extremely good at. It can be anything. -- George Lucas

Since starting the 365 Days of Pink project I am really noticing how much pink I have and buy! LOL Like this really cool messenger bag I just got today! I am using this to help shlup around my watercolor stuff! So much fun to find all the pink! 
You can find it messangerbag

Saying good-bye and making the most of it

Today was a  co-workers dad's funeral. Many of us from the Department went to support him and his family. The church is downtown only about 6-9 blocks away, and I decided to walk with a group and sadly barely handled the walk. I hurt SO bad by the time I got to the church I was only thinking of my feet! That walk should be a not a care in the world walk and it was agony!

As we sat in the church, I sketched a couple of pages...it was a beautiful ceremony for the family, and I thought if you have faith in the church it must be comforting to have this kind of ritual for the death of a loved one. Death never really does make sense to me. When we walked back to work I took a couple of photos of what I want to work on later...for my journal, some beautiful shots of Silly Hall.

After work WGB and I went and picked up some Chinese food at our fav little place...behind the glass was a poster that said  Eat like the Googlers and the Dead...apparently since the Grateful Dead are in town and love them they added a poster! LOL

Sketching and gardening

My garden is doing SO well! I have fruit! YEAH me!!!! I am so impressed with how it is working out, and looking so good, it is freaking me out that "I" am able to do any of this! How exciting!!!

And although it is only for me, I find this very satisfying. I just don't like the bugs!

In the lazy after noon WGB and I walked our neighborhood and ended up at the Mexican Restaurant we like to go to some times. I sat and sketched and he called me weird! LOL All in a good day. But I am trying to sketch more in public, and I am easing up on myself that it all has to be so perfect!!

I get so inspired by all the great artists out there doing sketches of their lives, like Danny Gregory, Every Day Matters.  The entire purpose of this is to document your life in a personal and meaningful way. What a great way to add things to your journaling... And in that vein, I finished my rough sketch from yesterdays Tea and I love this one the best!

Then we finally made it to University Art and I found some air drying clay and the molding paste I have wanted but I am too tired to try them out! Snort  And then I found that Lisa had some great photos of our time spent at ZNE!    I LOVE the photo with Lisa and my bestest buddy Fan when we found each other at Michael's!!!!

 

Because of my anxiety I almost didn't do the High Tea at Christina's today! But I just couldn't pass it up! The drive there was interesting! LOL I almost got hit twice with motorcycles thinking they should be IN my lane around corners head on!!!! Frightening! I was shaking by the time I got to the house way in the Los Gatos Hills...SO beautiful! She has 3 acres, her parents have three acres and so does her brother! How great for the kids!!!!

AND such a wonderful artist house inspiration right out side the door or window!

AND I got to rock my new cool outfit! I love my jeans!

Maria gets me in trouble with links to where to buy supplies! Giggle! I LOVE it...and I Love all of her supplies!!! Such goodies! Sue is a crack up and I love being around her. All these people are so fun to be around! I was on an inspiration high!

 

There's no secret to getting started. You simply decide and then take your first step. With each subsequent step, the next one becomes easier... -- Tom Venuto, fitness expert

I just have to start...move...attempt to be better and let things go and live in the moment.  I am still attempting to learn crochet!

single
double
and triple stitch!

Whew! I lost a few leaves but its coming back! Nature DID give me a second chance!

The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
John Ruskin

I love this dress, it hides a lot of sin! Since I didn't feel good yesterday, I didn't water and now I am sad! All I can do is hope they come back!

Other than being tired I am keeping my spirits up! Won't let  this beat me down! Had the doc order DIFFERENT meds for the swelling, hoping tomorrow will be better. AND good news! Grandma got out of the hospital and she is home! Her cat was SO happy to see her she has been sleeping on her tummy!!!! Nothing like your fur baby to make you feel better!

Fatty Boy wants me to learn to spin! Still looking for a class...

Great mail day! Shoes came in! The crocks are great but I can't wear the sandals. Thought these would be better than tennis shoes...but I couldn't put my swollen foot in them...whaaa!  I have to try them out first thing in the morning!

Ah...home after a fun silly dinner with old comfortable friends where I could be myself...doesn't that feel good? To be yourself and know you won't be judged harshly? So nice! Laughed until my face cracked a new wrinkle! I am PROUD of that wrinkle! We had another great meal at Ammici Pizza! Love that place. Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I love the way Maryanne laughs!

 

After our talk I made myself a nice breakfast and then puttered in the garden...A good find! FRUIT on my veggies! I am doing well and don't have a black thumb! Its kinda brownish green!

"Hope is like a bird that senses the dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark." -- Anonymous

Grandma is STILL in the hospital, I thought she would have been released already, but when a 90 year old gets upset about her medi-cal charging her more and taking money from her bleak check, she had an episode this morning. Maybe a mini heart attack, but for sure more blood is gushing from her valves...the best thing was she was ALREADY in the hospital and the nurses caught it on her monitor! She was getting ready to come home, bathing, brushing her teeth when it happened! I feel so bad for her.

Yeah, nine days in the hospital is too long for her! She is now officially bored. I am hoping it wasn't a heart attack I won't find out until tomorrow. She is VERY strong and stubborn! Ha! A little of where I get my bull head from I believe! She is delightful though, she laughs and smiles through it.  The hard thing for me is THIS time she REALLY misses me...bad...she had never admitted that before this time in the hospital...she really wishes I was there...

I did get out a bit and bought some magazines...my girl friend Bewitched is in the somerset...I am so lucky to have some of her art!

Lets just say, it wasn't a good day...Dealing with a 19 yr old who doesn't want to work or get his life together is DRAINING! It was a LONG day! Especially when it is not my kid...and when I don't feel well it just makes me more grumpy!