Here’s to the Kind Hearted

Each blossom

Shameless….

These “naked ladies” are already out doing their thing!!

Beautiful!!

 

 

“Each blossom still blooms in its field;

each child still clutches your hand;

each friend still lingers in your heart.
And that, dear, is where time goes.”

~The Universe~

Playing Around

Today I bought some watercolor paint and some watercolor pencils…..the pencils were cheap

and the water really wouldn’t transform the pencil into watercolor like I thought they would.

So I’ve been doing a bit of research on trying to find a better brand.

 

Playing with the watercolor paint, however, has been fun!

Dreamy Friday

A home with a red picket fence….

grass growing on the roof….

a tire swing….

a nice clear creek or stream to dip your feet in on a hot day…

a darling bicycle, filled with fresh flowers to ride and give to friends.

 

What does your Dreamy Friday look like?

Summer Reads

Yesterday the heat was downright oppressive.  Luckily, I have an indoor job in the a/c…

thank heavens for that!!

I’ve finished reading “Wild”…..great book, really enjoyed being able to lose track of time

while I read it.

My favorite quote from the book,

“Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren’t a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was.”
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition): From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

I’ve started on another book I found at the library…..

“The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation”

This book is laugh out loud funny!! If you’d like to read an excerpt from the book, click HERE

If not, here’s a small snippet….I can SO relate!!

I don’t have a hard time staying at the same size, but in my head I feel like I’m always having to

plan ahead about what I eat. I’m definitely the girl who cuts off a small piece of cake, but wants a

big piece!! I often eat half of my portions when I go out to eat and take the rest home to have for lunch

the next day, but I could easily inhale the entire plate,

as well as having bread with butter from the bread basket before the meal…..sad but true!

By now I was feeling the shame but also defiance. Like here, I’m carrying the banner for all of you who cut off a little piece wanting a big one,

who spend a good third of your waking hours feeling bad about your desires, who infect those with whom you work and live with your judgments

and pronouncements, you on the program who tally points all day long, every day, let’s see, 7 for breakfast, I’m going to need only 3 or 4 for lunch,

what the hell can I have for so little, oh, I know, broth and a salad with very little dressing. And broth is good! Yes! So chickeny!

That’s what we tell ourselves, we who cannot eat air without gaining, we who eat the asparagus longing for the potatoes au gratin,

for the fettuccine Alfredo, for the pecan pie. And if you’re one of those who doesn’t, stop right here, you are not invited to the rest of this story.

 

What are you reading this summer?

What’s the Point?

Kenny keeps asking me, “What’s the point of this sketching?”

Does it really have to have a point?

It’s something I’m enjoying.

Here are a few sketches from Sunday.

The sketch above was inspired by this scene in our back yard.

It’s a lovely hydrangea bush….I love the whites, with the bits of pink.

Below I plucked one of the hydrangea flowers and worked on it in a bit more detail.

My little spot on the back patio.

Front patio

Back in May we started a renovation of our front porch….you can see the “before”

pictures and read about it HERE.

Lindy, over at The Gingerbread House, reminded me that I had never give you all an update…..

So we’ve gone from this….

 

to this….

When the wooden decking was torn off, the original landing was exposed as well as the original planter.

We had the concrete landing covered in flagstone and we kept the original planter.

We also had the leaded glass windows replaced with double-paned windows that are etched

with the same diamond pattern as the original windows….our house is so much more quiet inside now!

Kenny moved a fountain from the back yard to the new porch/patio.

It’s so nice to sit out front and visit with the neighbors and have the little babbling fountain in the

background.

He has also worked his magic with the planting as well….

I should take a picture of myself in front of these elephant ears, as one ear is about the size of the hood of a car!!

Seriously, they are HUGE!!

Old grinding stones lead from the patio out to the yard.

Buzzbee is healing nicely from his giant hotspot and no longer has to wear his socks, but he said he really

didn’t mind them at all.

Branching Out

I’ve started sketching and it makes me feel like a kid!!

Drawing just for the sake of drawing.

I used to do that a lot as a child.

But then we go to school and “art” gets all “judgy” and “graded”

and honestly it sucks some of the joy out of it.

I remember painting a swan on water and it’s reflection….I thought it was beautiful….my teacher,

not so much….I was so bummed….yes, I still remember that day.  Sad, huh?

My age….I’m thinking junior high.

 

This is something I’m doing for me.

I’m sketching in ink, that way there is no going back and trying to make it “better”.

For me this is an exercise in creativity and just getting back to the bare bones of art for the soul.

Art and creativity for self.

Making myself smile on the inside.

I’m trying to do one sketch a day.

With Buzzbee being my little invalid, I missed a few days, so I did a couple of sketches Wednesday night.

 

My first sketch I did while sitting in my car waiting to go to work…..

My sketchbook is about as big as my hand….small….I like that….not too intimidating!

This next one I did in the kitchen, then went back a few days later and filled it in with soft pastels.

Okay, my perspective is wonky on the next one, but that is why I want to sketch some everyday….for the joy

and the practice. I like how the pastels from the previous page have rubbed onto it.

A little poolside vignette….the weather here has been glorious, so my next few sketches were done outside.

Again, another glorious evening…..sketching outside (2 sketches)

Not much ink pen on this one….mainly just pastel.

Yes, I’m still rug hooking, but sometimes I just need immediate gratification and it’s fun to explore

something that I haven’t done in a really long time.

Curveballs

I keep meaning to write more here, but I keep getting curve balls….

some from life, some from myself.

I had really been on a roll….feeling more balanced.

Eating healthier, doing yoga, doing a cool program I like on the elliptical

trainer at the gym that involves cardio and arm strengthening.

 

Dulcy and I had talked about joining an on-line group called Sketchbook Skool, but it had

already started it’s 6 week program, so we are going to join in later this summer instead.

 

In the meantime, I’ve bought a few little sketchbooks that I’ve been sketching in with pen, so

I don’t get caught up in trying to make things “perfect”…just trying to sketch a little bit everyday.

 

That was going along great and then little Buzzbee developed this giant hotspot on his neck and chest.

He had to be sedated and shaved and is having to take prednisone and an antibiotic twice a day.

Yesterday, I got up early to take him to daycare at the vet so they could keep an eye on him.

 

We’ve got him wearing little baby socks on his back feet so when he does scratch at his neck or chest it’s not

as damaging to his skin. (Can you believe he doesn’t try to take them off?!!)

This morning he is staying at home with Lonnie (who has not been on the lam in a while…thank goodness)

….he sleeps a lot due to the meds, so hopefully that will go okay.

I guess we’ll find out when I get home from work.

Have my fingers crossed.

Serendipity in my inbox

I subscribe to several sites that send inspirational e-mails and just funny little things.

This morning I awoke to these.

 

“Life is a chance to do things your way.

Not the cheapest way, not the most popular way, and not how others think you should.

And a very, very, very precious chance, at that.
Got chills?” 

The Universe

 

"Many of us are afraid to follow our passions, to pursue what we want most because it means

taking risks and even facing failure. But to pursue your passion with all your heart and soul is

success in itself. The greatest failure is to have never really tried."

Robyn Allen

 

I have a few things I’ve wanted to explore…..I guess now is the time!!

 

LOve YOur LIFE!

~Tammy~

Ahhhh, a long weekend

I just love a long weekend, don’t you?

Time for reading, crafting, cooking, lounging by the pool.

It’s the best!

I finished reading

Loved it!!! If you love dogs, eating, having besties and family, this is a great read whether it’s summer or any time of year.

Yesterday, I started on

It’s the fictitious story of Anne Frank’s sister. The premise is that she escaped the Holocaust and is living in America, at the time when the movie of her sister has come out.

Quite fascinating so far.

I’ve worked a bit on the little rug I started at rug camp with Heather Ritchie.

I’m loving working with different fibers and just having fun with color…..very freeing.

It’s got me thinking about some other projects that I’d like to work on, but I’ll talk about that in another installment on the blog.

I think we’ve taken care of all of Lonnie’s escape routes….he’s been staying home like a good boy.

Although he likes to lay in the hydrangea bushes, as evidenced by his corsage that he came in the house with stuck to his collar.

I made some white chocolate, cherry, coconut blondies to take to a 4th of July celebration

However, they never set up in the middle….they were like goo no matter how long I cooked them for….

what a disaster! I proceeded to make them into balls, freeze them and was going to make them into blondie pops.

Well, the sticks wouldn’t stay in, so I dipped them in white candy coating and sprinkled colored sugar on them….

I ended up calling them dingy blondies, because they were a hot mess!!

 

They look pretty in the picture, but by the time I finished them, I had candy melt stuck to my fingers and sprinkles EVERYWHERE!!

 

Sometimes you just have to make the best of a bad situation!!

LOve YOur LIFE!!

~Tammy~

A Little Bit Every Day

Trying to get in the habit of blogging a bit every day.

Jan Sluijters (1881-1957)

Maannacht 1910

 

Unfortunately, I’ve not always got something big to talk about.

I’m happy that today is a Friday on a Thursday!!!

Plans to attend 2 4th of July parties, so will be spending time today thinking

about what type of food I’m going to take.

Sweet or savory?

 

Myself, I love savory, but sweet is so much fun to make!!

All photos are from tumblr or pinterest.

Isn’t this giraffe just the best?!!