Day of the Dead ICAD

            You know I don't believe I have ever told you I really like Day of the Dead artwork.
                                                     These are some of my tributes .

The first two are canvases - Esmarelda and Edmund. You may be seeing Edmund and Esmarelda again in other projects.

I Have Returned

I have been gone for some time but I'm baaack! Man have things changed since last I was here. I have sold all of my houses, well except for the one that burned. Yep BURNED! Lost everything in the house. I have been trying to salvage items, but alas they seem to crumble under the pressure of restoration. But such is life...so they say. I choose to move on, because if I dwell in the thoughts of what has been lost. I would go insane.  I know you can't take it with you. You're more important that the house and the things inside. But really !?! A house fire! Enough of that business.

I have bought another house (close to the one that was destroyed) and that took almost a year. My dear, sweet, loving son opened his home to me. Gave me a bed and a place to call home for several months after the fire. We are so compatible, which made it easier during the investigation of cause and insurance payout process. Man that business is a ROYAL pain in the....you know where! But even that adventure came to an end. So I now have a new home, new furniture, new clothes, and a new story to tell that happened during my life.

So as I said I choose to move on. I could dwell in that bitter place of "Why me" ,but I don't want to linger there. So ahead I go. Life is way too short to look backwards. Sometimes there is too much pain in the "backwards".  The light of what can be is ahead. I want to go "into the light".

So for my forward motion I will be "showing and telling" about some new art adventures I'm enjoying so very much. And if my lazy side doesn't get the best of me, I'll show the process pictures.

One of my new interests is something in the mixed media world called ICAD. Index Card A Day....ICAD is art on...you got it... index cards. Everyday index cards. I have chosen to use the 4x6 unlined index cards. This new media is cheap and if it is a bust ,no big loss. Just grab another card and start again. Paint ,draw ,collage ,doodle whatever calls to your creative side that day. How fun is that!?!  So let me show you my first card.....

Staring At The Mess

Staring at the mess I've made.......that is an understatement!
Packing ,moving ,packing ,moving ,still more packing and more moving! I'm ready for the unpacking and settling in part of this adventure. But still more packing ,sorting ,handing down ,giving away ,garage selling ,throwing away parts to accomplish. Uprooting and moving is a many faceted jewel to add to your crown of life. My crown is begining to be too heavy to wear. So I'm settling into the cottage by the lake and burrowing deeper to make my home ready for family and friends.
New traditions await to intergate into this Conrad family. And they will come alive at Cottage Conrad.
At this moment of blogging, I'm watching the rain falling through the many trees around Cottage Conrad ,sitting in silence and knowing this was a good decision. I do love my little cottage in the woods. Come visit and you may love it too.

Yes there is still work to be done before it is a showcase home ,but my vision is vast and I see the home it will be. The work ,for me, is part of the pleasure of this little cottage. Putting my touch on it. When you come to visit you will see me in the house and surroundings. Please come? I will be here waiting for you.

V - Memories

So.. I noticed a wish for Valentine's Day to be over and,at first, I agreed. I was very tired of the Love Bug stinging everyone else but me. All that love and sweetness floating around was only causing pain and I was also ready for it (Valentine's Day) to be over. Back to normal....as they say. As normal as it gets now a days.

Then I had a memory......a sweet ,good memory.   
This one is for my children.
There was a ritual in our house.   
Every Valentine's.  
Every year!  
For everyone of my children.         
It was the same everytime.

Valentine's day... people in our house getting up and starting the day. Dress for school or work, if it was a day we had to be somewhere. Otherwise it was sleepy faces coming alive for some breakfast.
One by one every child would have to pass by their Dad as he sat in his chair drinking his morning coffee. One by one he would reach out and grab one of them, pull he or she into his lap and ask the question. "Do you want to be my Valentine?"  And if the answer was yes the affirmation gift was a heart shaped box of candies escorted with a hug and a kiss.

Most holidays gift buying was my duty.Gifts that would be accompanied with an occasional signature from Dad.
But never on Valentine's Day. Dick bought the Valentines he was handing out to his sweethearts. He found the card or cards he would then inscribed with words of love.
For a man who rarely showed outward displays of emotions he had no issues when Valentine's Day came around.

On those rare occasions when a YES was not the response. The prize would be withheld. Then the begging would begin. "Please Daddy......I want to be your Valentine !"  "Please...Please"
" Yes Daddy... I want to be your Valentine!" 
And the routine would go on with every child.......every Valentine's Day.....every year!

The rest of his Valentine's Day ritual will forever be in a special place in my heart.

So the question was........"Do You want to be my Valentine?"

My answer........"Yes then. Yes now. And yes until the end of time!"

One Thing I've Noticed.

There are some times in one's life when you have an "Ah Ha" moment where everything appears crystal clear. And there are those times ....you know ... those other times when not one damn thing is even trying to come into focus.

Well guess...just guess which one I'm having. Go ahead. Go on...you can say it! Yep... it's the not a damn thing coming into focus time. Been stuck here for some time. And I don't like it.....not one stinkin' little bit!

So....the one thing I've noticed bit is....as much as it may have been the cause of a few arguments to have someone around to discuss any subject with....it likewise was a very big help to bounce back and forth ideas until a solution came into view. I miss that. When everyone is on the same playing level and the decision made effects equally.

When I was a partner of two, we would both live with the outcome of the decision. Now that there is only myself why is it so much more difficult to make any decision? What's up with that!?!  Now it is only my feelings with which to be concerned. Not so. Because I never truly was just a partner of two. For so many years I have been connected to so many. My decisions affect several.

I really don't remember, when I married and moved away from home, of thinking how that would be with anyone else except for my new husband and myself. I do believe this may be the first time in my life (except when my husband died and I moved from our house to another one) that I have thought about what a big move would be for other's in my life. How would it change these relationships? How would it change me? Is it smart or selfish? Is it wise or a mistake? Have I really put  "a lot of thought" into it?  When did I turn into this person that can not make up my own mind? Is age really making me weak?  Cowardly?

I know, I know....put my big girl panties on and get on with it! I wanted to be a grown up....well here is the grown up stuff to deal with. I would give anything to have someone around to argue this with now. We are meant to be connected with others. We are stronger as a partner. Or for me this appears to be the case.

Thanks for reading my rant and rave session once again. I just don't know...............still.

MAM= Meals At Mom's

I think I have posted before about our MAM sessions. If not, we gather as a family once a month just to get together and catch up on everyone and their news. At these gatherings we share a meal,play games,visit and do some kind of project. So for our November MAM we made snowmen jars. A very simple to make Christmas decoration for everyone.

The jar was really one half of a salt and pepper set.We removed the shaker top and replaced it with a paper clay head that was prepared a day ahead so it could air dry. Eyes and mouth were small carpet tacks pushed into the paper clay before it dried. Same application for the wooden toothpick nose-painted orange to appear to be a carrot. Paint the head with white glue and cover in glitter. Be sure to leave the eyes and mouth untouched with glue or glitter. They will look like coal once the glitter is on the snowman's head. We then decorated our snowmen with top hats and scarves. Left to dry while we filled our snowmen's bellies with beads, buttons, pearls and small ice cubes(fake of course). Last step is to glue on the head. Let it dry and admire the work.

Every snowman was unique and simply fantastic! Here are a few of our MAM project snowmen.

These snowmen appear to have eaten their Bling and Sparkle.

Well No One Has Been Here In Sometime!

Guess it is a little obvious that I haven't been here in sometime! I have been busy. Well maybe not that busy. Just not here in a while.

Since last I was here I started back at Weight Watchers. So far so good. First week back I lost 3.4 lbs. and I intend to keep going in that "downward" spiral. I need the discipline of the scales and the companionship of others in a similar mind set. I enjoy the sharing.  And I enjoy watching the achievements of others as they move closer to their goals.

I had started down this road a few years back and was well on my way to my goal weight. But life took a drastic turn.  At that time my weight loss journey just did not carry the same importance. I had lost one of the most important people in my life and I just did not care.

Well I have begun to care about my weight loss again. I have found my way back to WW and the meetings. I have a new goal in mind. So I step again on the weight loss train. I intend to be on this train for a longer ride.

Wish me luck!?!

At the end of this ride my Bling will shine with such Sparkle!

MAM-- Meals at Mom's October 2011

Another MAM at my house and it was Fantastical !!!!
We had Taco Salad, Melons and a new salad or dip or relish- whatever you want to call it. I call it delicious!

Grilled Corn,Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing.
pint grape tomatoes cut in half
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
2 ears of sweet corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
 Slice tomatoes in half. Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. Corn should have brown spots and be tender, not mushy. Cut the corn from the cob. Scrape the cob with back of knife to remove juices,set aside to cool. Dice avocado and chop cilantro. ( I also added some chopped red onion and bell pepper to my salad. I would have added jalapeno if not for serving to children).

Honey Lime Dressing
juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
Add all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes,avocado,cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sir for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend. Enjoy.

I served my salad with chips and crackers.

We made MUMMIES ! Mummies from painted (white) 2x4s,gauze and googly eyes. Wrap gauze around painted 2x4s and secure with hot glue. Seperate two strips of gauze to insert google eyes and hot glue in place. Mummies come from tombs - right? Well they are dirty ,so be sure to "dirty" your mummy. We used ink stamp pads to rub "dirt" on our mummies. Let your dirty mummy set for some time or you will be "dirty" too.

We also made Faux Metal Letters.....what do you think? The letters were made a few days before our gathering during one of our Crafty Days.

Come back to see what happens at our next MAM-Meals at Mom's. You will Sparkle at seeing our new Bling we make.

This last project wash suppose to be an enrty item for 31 Days of Halloween on the Smeared and Smudged Blog,but alas I was not organized enough to jump into such a commitment. So I share with you. I call it "Night Wishes". A mixed media piece. I hope you like it.

Lovely

Happy 62 ! I'll Love You Until the End of Time

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms,
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

"Sonnet 17" by Pablo Neruda