2011 illustration

A Frosty Christmas Morning

Boredom

Year in Review

Midas, the Gallery Cat

 

 

Bus Adventures, December 18th, 2010

Bus Adventures, December 17th, 2010

Today on the bus there was this guy who had the COOLEST winter hat with triangles on it. Very draw-worthy.

Hello, this is

Bees Knees

This is the tree man

He resulted from a teensy bit of late night doodle-sketching.
M helped me pick out the colors in the tree.

(It felt fabulous drawing with markers, by the way.)

2 Things:

1) I went to see "Tangled" yesterday with M. We went to a matinee and shared Red Vines and it was so wonderful. It had been FOREVER since we had actually seen a movie in a movie theater, so it was an extra treat. And BONUS, the movie was FANTASTIC! I absolutely LOVED the entire thing! I want to go back and watch it again. It was beautiful, hilarious, romantic, musical, but not over the top and gaggy like some unmentionable animated films are. If you haven't seen it, make a decision to go soon. It's totally worth it. Five stars.

2) I like my outfit today. I took a picture.

That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! :)

Some stuff i'd like to have

oh well. a girl can dream, right?

Winter animals II

A little different.

winter animals

A work in progress. Think I'll add a big red scarf next.

I'll just keep going

Inspired by some new socks

flowers and tears

I taught M how to make a flower pin!

Pardon my messy hair and disgusting face, which I am trying to hide behind this flower pin. I had just recovered from a VERY tear-jerky movie called "Still, Lovely" that M and I watched on Netflix this evening.  I was a total nerd and had cried a BUNCH. Thus the lack of eye make up, the blotchiness, and the messy hair which was from the hug I needed from M when the tears wouldn't stop.

I get so embarrassed when I cry watching a movie. It's just a MOVIE. (But it was sad!)

A Happy List

• 3 delicious flavors of hot chocolate and cider in the cabinet

• A sound sleep, in the present time zone

• Coming back to my closet. I always miss my clothes. Is that weird?

• The way M got into the habit of putting dishes in the dishwasher while I was away

• My giant purple purse

• Dr. Seuss' holiday appearance every night (practically) on TV during the holiday season

• A picture text message of the gallery cat with the scarf I gave my co-worker for her birthday wrapped around said-cat's neck.

• Twinkle lights on our window

• The girl I sat near on the plane ride home had the COOLEST backpack with an embroidered tree and button leaves on the back flap. 

• She also had pretty hands

• Listening to my niece's ipod on the plane trip home and how I almost lost it when the "shuffle songs" mode led me to Weird Al's "White and Nerdy." Such a funny song.

• Catching up with D before he left for a quick trip home, then off to South America!

• The Salcido painting he left us to babysit while he's away

• The fact that he trusts us with his condo key and the passing of our phone numbers to his emergency contact

• Setting a deadline for myself to help get a friend's project complete that I have let slide to the back burner for a bit longer than I intended. 

• Thinking about how much of a dork I was in junior high and high school. I know I'm still pretty dorky now, but at least I can laugh at myself about it! 

• Eating cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli

• Listening to my body tell me to relax. Being able to relax and feel able to focus and handle my day with grace and ease.

• Acting like a kid with my nieces and nephews on my holiday venture home

• The way we hid Christmas ornaments at my mom's house when we were decorating the tree. We decided there were far too many ornaments for such a tiny tree (but the gaudy, crowded trees are the best kind!) and we wanted to see how long it takes for her to notice the ornaments, in all the different hiding spots!

• Catching up with both of my sisters, all three of us enjoying each other's company, talking, and being a family together. It felt so good, even if I was sick.

• Wonder Woman on the folder where I hold my student loan bill I must pay every month. Wonder Woman somehow makes it easier to dish out the dollars each month, and I thank her for that.

• The lessons I have learned, and continue to learn each and every day of my life.

Oh what a rug!

Listening to the record player. 

I'm back!

Well, I'm back home again! M had yesterday off to pick me up from the airport, and I was VERY grateful. Waiting in an airport makes me feel lonely! But I didn't have to wait at all. So yay! Mo seems to remember me and today while I was unpacking my suitcase, he decided he never wants me to leave again, and told me so by laying on top of my suitcase in complete and utter protest.

Yes, it's blurry. I had to move quickly because he was only looking at me briefly. My hands shook!

I am weather adjusting slowly, I think. I went from 50 degree weather into the winter wonderland of the mountains. It's COLD! But I am snuggly by the fire, thank goodness.

This is Jodi on a camel. She has a blog about her life in India, where she has been living temporarily with her husband while he's on work leave there.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back out-West I go...

Even though I was sick for most of it, it's been a good visit home, and I'm going to miss my family and friends. 

Tuesday is travel day!

Been drawing a little now that I'm gaining some energy...

~

Sick days

Well, here's what's been going on.

First of all, I've been sick. Sick, sick, sick! I haven't felt much like doing a darn thing. Everything hurt, nothing could breathe properly (nose, lungs), and I could hardly function without lots of medicine, which usually made me sleepy and led to naps that came in the middle of things like, oh, say... conversations! My oldest sister convinced me to go to the Urgent Care center in town and late in the evening I was diagnosed with ear infection and strep throat. Not to mention the congestion and cold-like symptoms that were tagging along just for kicks.

Yesterday I was NOT feeling up to having people over, but it's not as if I had a choice! It was Thanksgiving, after all, and no one can post pone that. I woke up from a painful nap on the couch after watching the parade to my little niece and nephew shrieking happily and running through my mom's house. I looked down at myself and realized it was nearly 2:30 pm, and I was still in my fleece pants and hoodie. So I got up quickly, decided to take a shower, and tried hard to convince myself to fake feeling well.

By the time my whole family arrived, I was faking it like a pro, re-medicated, still feeling like yuck, but dealing as best as I could. I put a flower in the hair of every lady in the house (good thing I had made so many!) and it was a sight to see. I wish I had take a snapshot of all of my aunts and sisters and mom and nieces with those silly flower headbands!

Here is the table in preparation for "The Feast." Sorry it's such an odd-angled photo. I'm still learning how to take photographs, and I'm usually not very good!

I somehow made it through the evening, feeling somewhat better nearing the time most people were leaving. My 14-year-old niece decided to curl my hair in beachy, loose waves because she's THE PRO at it. She also taught me how to do it on my own, and I practiced today! This is what it turned out like:

Sorry for the bad lighting... these were taken with my web camera!

Anyway, said 14-year-old niece wanted to experience black Friday shopping, so she somehow convinced my mom and sister and I to go this morning. I didn't know why we had to get up at 4:30, but we did. And we DEFINITELY experienced black Friday shopping.  We stood in several long lines and saw the craziest of crazy lady shoppers. But surprisingly, everyone was VERY polite and friendly and charming. I can remember complimenting some woman on her antlers headband at around 6:30 am and she genuinely thanked me. We even somehow managed to encounter friendly, cooperative drivers in parking lots.

By the end of today, I felt much better. I'm still feeling run down, hoarse, and a bit sore, but not nearly as bad as before. I hope I keep getting better!

Because of my yucky health, I have only been taking cat pictures. Forgive me, please, for my craziness. I don't have much else to show for recent icky sicky days. As you can imagine, I have been feeling far from photogenic.

It's so funny for me to look at these pictures. My cat, Pants, looks so very annoyed! But I swear I think she's just always sleepy.

Mom and I watched "17 Again" a little while ago, and I restored my mini crush on Zac Efron. As embarrassed as I am to say it, I am completely serious. He's a hottie worth "crushing on." (Gag, I can't believe I just typed that sentence!)

~~~

So, that's my sick leave from here in a nut shell! I will try to keep improving in health and in posts. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Tis the season of thankfulness

1. I am grateful for my sweet little super kitty who lives with my mother now and who
2. still remembers me when I come home to visit. Her name is Pants.
3. She just did a 360 on the fleece blanket I have wrapped around me.
4. She also has been extra snuggly since I became couch-ridden due to whatever bug I have captured inside of my body. Like a good kitty should.
5. I am grateful for my mom deciding on a quote for her Christmas card, and the ideas that have followed since she made up her mind. I've been drawing winter animals today in preparation. (My favorite is the bear!)

6. I am grateful for getting ahold of my middle older sister yesterday. She's so hard to reach, and she picked up the phone when I called her! This is pretty rare.
7. I am grateful for beautiful jewel tones. You know I love 'em!
8. I am grateful for people still wishing I lived here.
9. I am grateful for glue guns
10. I am grateful for fun music that cheers me up and makes me wanna dance!
11. I am grateful for waking up to hear the giant thunderstorm that happened in the middle of the night last night. I hardly ever hear rain any more, so when I was awake for it (albeit feeling not so wonderful), I texted M and shared the moment.
12. I am grateful for the Christmas spirit that is beginning to show up more and more as the days press toward December.
13. I am grateful for being able to seek out knowledge on my own and for the wealth of information that the internet has given me. It's a pretty awesome thing, the interwebs is. :)
14. I am grateful for tall boots and jeans, especially when I am cold.
15. I am grateful for my sketchbook and my pencils and pens.
16. I am grateful for having friends who can pick right back up where we left off, no matter how long it's been since the last time I've seen them.
17. I am grateful for left over soup.
18. I am grateful for my mom bringing me tea with honey this morning. It's nice to be sick at home. It's not as good as being at home and not being sick. But everyone wants their mom to take care of them when they're not feeling well, and as bittersweet as it is, I'm grateful for being sick at home.