So I Was Just Thinking

I am excited about the upcoming year and about these: The sketchbook challenge and You can click on either to find out more. These are my tools toward exploring creativity. I like that they are low pressure, but will provide me some much needed inspiration. Now here's my last submission for the Top 2000 Blog Party. I would like to thank the many people who have left posts on this blog over the course of the year. I have had over 7000 visitors since August 2008 when I started using ClustrMaps. The other counter at the bottom is not reliable because I think it counts when I come to the page, too. I have just never bothered to delete it. A lot has happened over the course of this year. I got my first passport. My husband "lost" his former job and was required to relocate to his current job. I played single mom over the summer and am doing it again. I went on a long awaited sabbatical from being a mommy for two weeks and did something people thought I would never do by going ...

As a girl, I loved The Police. I still do. Part of it might have had to do with the fact that my friend Renee used to sleep with the radio on and The Police was really popular at the time so I probably got a lot of it poured into my subconscious during sleepovers. When I saw Message in a Bottle on the TOP 2000, I knew I had to do it but couldn't figure out what I wanted to do. That's usually the case. I got this picture in my head and here it is: Lots of little circles. There is still one day left at Marit's play-along for the TOP 2000. Go on over and hear some good music and check out the great work everyone is displaying over there. Marit has some very creative friends. Just click the blinkie at the top of this post. I am done creating for this project. The last one was emailed last night. For once I was ahead of the game. I only missed one day of playing along. But this has given me the kick start I need to work on my word for the year: CREATIVITY. I already have in mi...

I decided that other than spending time with my kids, the one thing I wanted to do was expend some creative energy. My computer being down gave me the opportunity to do some things I would neglect like painting and drawing. Marit invited us to follow the TOP 2000 songs of 2010 as is her tradition every year. She said we could make ATCs or scrap or draw or whatever comes to mind in response to different songs on the list. Below are mine submissions and can seen over at her blog. MacArthur Park by Donna Summer (paper) Everybody Wants to Rule the World, by Tears for Fears (mixed media, tissue, acrylic) I Just Called by Stevie Wonder (collage) If You Love Somebody by Sting (Yes I know I wrote "something"...once you put something in ink...) (acrylic painting)

Quick! Take a read before my husband finds me on his laptop. :-) I took some pics and videos yesterday and today, so here goes... This kid is the goofiest kid ever, not that this is news to most of you. We were hanging out at my mom's house last night and started our new "tradition" of KFC for Christmas Eve dinner. Really mom was too cold to go to church and didn't feel like cooking so Andre suggested we have KFC instead. (Who knows? It might catch on.) We then played an old game I found in my childhood bedroom closet. After finally convincing James that Santa won't bring presents to boys that don't sleep in their own beds, Gary and I got to wrapping. And let's not get into the argument of whether Santa wraps presents. The point is moot. This morning, oddly enough, the kids didn't get up until 8:3o even with the tv on and Gary and I talking in the living. It was kind of nice. Finally, they woke up and emptied their newly made stockings to find chocolat...

Yet another cell phone post from western front. I could wax Quixotic about the joys of Christmas. Instead I will share this lovely photo. One could take this downpour many ways, so I will quickly share with you where my mind went this Christmas Eve. It started pouring like crazy while I was grocery shopping so immediately I began thinking how I was going to get to my car. At first I was annoyed. Then I found a place in HEB to wait out the storm rather than crowd with the other frightened rats on the front porch. When the rain slowed, I ran to the front to the checkout to get out before the rain came back but it was no use. The deluge began again. This left me with the drowned rats. That's when I saw humanity in action. A woman with an umbrella saw a man with a cart and offered to walk him to his car. It made me smile. Kindness in the midst of chaos. So as I sit in traffic in the pouring rain, I watch the rain refresh the land and bring cheer to someone - all because of an umbrella...

I know this is sideways, but I just had to show you what I have been doing. I finally pulled out the sewing machine and made the kids christmas stockings. Caitlin chose the red one and James gets the green one. I don't have a computer right now. (Waiting on a motherboard on one and a power cord on the other.) Been having fun making candy cane reindeer with the kids, visiting with brother and lunching with friends. I don't think I want Christmas break to end. Merry Christmas everyone and a very happy new year!

I am not sure where my brain is right now. Don't have much to say. Haven't taken very many pictures lately. I guess my brain is experiencing renovations right now. See you when renovations are complete.

I enjoyed this. I used an app that allowed me to post the following image of a compilation of my status updates on Facebook. If you want to read it, click on the picture and it will show larger when you click the magnifying glass. It let you pick the statuses you wanted to include. I thought that it was funny that a good number of my updates were regarding allergies and lack of sleep. What does that mean?? I am not sure, but it makes me want to work on posting more positive updates next year.

I have an interesting outlook on life, but I don't think it is much different from many other American moms out there. We feel we don't have enough money. Now I am not including those out there that truly don't have money. I am speaking of the middle income American with a home and two cars and 2.3 kids (the 0.3 is the dog in our case.) Every payday, I plan where all the money will go - $75 a week for groceries, $40 a week for fuel, mortgage, utilities, insurance, dance school, eating out once a week because we aren't home, entertainment for the kids (entry to zoos, museums, fairs), etc. There are two things missing from this mix: the first being a tithe of my income (we can discuss that later) and the second is putting anything away just to dress myself. I have not purchased clothes for myself since before my trip for Norway and even that I had saved for 3 years to do. (My trip budget included travel clothing.) Why is it that I have no qualms over dropping money to clo...

Although I love fall, I have decided that December is my favorite month and since fall doesn't officially start for a couple of weeks December still lands under the autumn category, especially in Texas. The leaves are just now changing color and falling from the trees. My poor son is dying to live where we can pile up leaves and he can jump in them. I don't think our new townhouse in Kansas City has any trees, so he will have to wait a little bit longer until we get a house. I will have to make sure it has lots of trees with leaves that fall off. (Note to self: Tell husband to buy a rake.) This morning is just beautiful. The sun is streaming through my large picture window in the living room. Even though it reminds me that I should get outside and clean off the dog prints, it brings a smile to my face. The wind is strong enough to wave the branches of the strange little ash tree out front but not so bad that you want to stay inside. I was talking to a girl last night who moved ...