Wino Show

So, I hit up the local Vintage Cellar Thursday afternoon mostly to get some bargains and see what was up. Of course, I walked out with 4, yes four bottles of wine. I had thought, "Oh, maybe one bottle- a white for dinner", but no, another white and 2 reds made it out the door with me. You must know, my wine criteria is totally based on art aesthetics- if the label art intrigues me or grabs me if you will, then I am hooked!! I took pictures of the best of my pics for your viewing pleasure. The kind salesman who, no doubt, thought I was an airhead, assured me "Bitch" was wonderful. lol As you most certainly have noticed, the tops of these wine bottles (screw tops- yes, this is VA) are quite decorative as well. The Strong Arms bottle lady reminds me of a wild thing from "Where the Wild Things Are." (I loved that movie and even bought the soundtrack- yes!) Have an awesome weekend and stay warm fellow soon to be snowbound friends!! Maybe you'll consider purchasing this and spending some time chilling out to the tunes as you drink your hot cocoa. xoxo

Morning's Happenings

This was my breakfast pre- run in my pretty little heart dish/ bowls. Aren't they cute? I thought the red one looked especially lovely with melon in it. ;)

So, I've been trying to keep up with running. My friend, George and I have a plan to run a 10k in March. I had a tough week with stomach upset last week and missed a few days, but I'm back to my around 3 mile run/ jog and walk when I have to (Cemetery hill) so far this week- it's only Wednesday, but 3 days is great! I'm hoping to run again tomorrow before the nasty rain/ snow/ ice mess moves in for the weekend. I feel for the Midwest now- Oklahoma sounds awful today!!!

I also picked up a running shirt from Old Navy that I had read about on katheats.com. I wasn't too sure about it, but since the price was decent for running gear, I went for it. Strangely enough, I pre- shopped on Monday, didn't see green in my size, but when I scooted by on Tuesday there was one in green in Medium. Cool!! It is form fitting but not too snug and light. So, in the North it makes a great base layer and as it warms up it will be great fro spring. I am in the mtn region (New River Valley) of VA so it's a base today and could be a shirt tomorrow- one never knows. lol! I look sweaty, but like I enjoyed myself, so even without makeup (yeah, it's a bit scary) I am happy. The bottom picture (I'll amend that - blogger has picture issues that I've no patience for so my pics are all jumbled up- sorry. ) has my absolute favorite feature of this shirt!!! Thumb holes!!! Can you believe it? Okay, so this is a staggering feature for those of us who ran through the 80s cutting or forcing holes in our long sleeved shirts for coverage of our freezing hands. You see, gloves can be too hot- you end up taking them off stuffing them in a pocket or losing one in the street and it is tedious. But, now the thumb hole shirt- woo hoo!!! I am in love. :)

Art Journal Updates

I'm sharing my journal pages from the last month. It seems I've shifted and am searching for a style if you will. The themes feel lighter, as does my heart when creating them. The JPEGs are not lining up the way they do in my journal, but this is essentially what they look like. My art moves from left to right often telling a story. The bottom images are supposed to be the stage with curtains on the left with the fairy dancer on the right. I am done fooling with Blogger for the day. :) Oh well, what do you feel when you look at the pages?

Re- Organization

In the last year or so, our home has felt cramped, dark and a bit dreary. Also, speak nothing of disorganization, lol!! So, after returning home from our visit in Fl, I felt inspired to re-organize. I approached Eric gently with this, sometimes my visions aren't readily apparent, but on these ideas, he went with me wholeheartedly- yay!!

This little bench is wonderful- just what we needed. Pretty organization tall enough for storage baskets underneath!! And it opens up for even more storage- dreamy!

Then, we tackled the entryway chaos we had with a switch. My former skinny desk is now our entry table for mail, candles and for dropping off keys, change, pens and the like. Right now we have a humidifier on it to get some relief from the dry mountain air here in the winter.

I even grouped my art by color- gold with gold and silver with lighter colors. So fun!! On my desk, which is a piece of heavyweight plywood covered in fabric on mdf bookshelves is a methods book I'm still reading and a canvas I've prepped for a mixed media piece I am working on. I started an embroidery project after my surgery in July (D&C) from my miscarriage. It is a rose and it helped me focus while trying to heal. I want to finish it and quilt it onto the canvas in some way.

Yay for re-organization, lightening up our house, and shifting energies toward hope.
Thanks for stopping by. Have you gotten a chance to do anything new like this?

Happy New Year!!

Today I got a call from my sister and spoke with my nephew whose picture is to your left. We chatted, he said "I miss you!" "I love you!" and things like that which make me smile, ache a little and glow with happiness. He's so very dear to me. I spoke to him quickly before we all hung up and said, "I love you!" and he responded, "Love you too!!" My heart just swelled- he's such a dear boy. His mom got on the phone, my sister, Maria, and said, "He never says that to me- you must be special!" I laughed, and noted not a stitch of jealousy in that comment was heard- just love and just what I needed. Don't we all though, don't we all!! Love to you readers who stop by my inconsistent sometimes happy and sometimes sad blog- love...:)

Strangely Emotional This Time Of Year

6 months ago, I lost a piece of us and it continues to haunt me. For some reason, I have grown more emotional in the last few days as Christmas draws nearer. The passing of time has healed me and allowed me to move on a bit, but this time of year leaves me aching for a family of my own. A child. Being older, wanting a baby and feeling disconnected from those things like family which encompasses more than just a baby, you know. It is like the past, present and future all rolled in to one thing (or many if you have a couple of children). The world faces greater problems than our little miscarriage, but it really meant a lot to me to have a baby.

Catalyst Art

I have created two more pages in my journal just this morning. Art has been my salvation through loss and it is morphing as I conjure a more positive mindset. Allowing the grief in, sitting with it, letting it go as it would and exploring issues I did not comprehend has forced me to grow. Better yet, I've allowed my soul to grow to accommodate my hopes and dreams instead of shutting them off stifling them from myself even. The prompt at creative Therapy asks us to express what it is we might be looking forward to and this is my art journaling attempt at a response. I am looking forward to saying goodbye to this past year. It was a year of joy, disappointment, anger, grief, insecurity, fear, delight and contemplation- but I am ready to move on to 2010. 2009 brought me many personal challenges amidst a world fraught with insecurity and heart wrenching issues (war, the economy, illness). 2010 seems a dream in some sense now, but it is full of possibilities, hope and dreams for us all.