Words of Wisdom

So has anyone else cancelled Christmas?

I've had 4000 bucks worth of car repair in October/November.

One nice thing, though. I feel so much more relaxed this season since I don't have to brave the shopping crowds. I'll just decorate the interior of the house, participate in church functions, and spend time on Christmas letters and relax.

Maybe it will become a new tradition...

On the upside, Sarah is nearly through her first semester of college and appears to be doing better than in high school.

Barbara

The show was the 20th and 21st. On Friday there is set up and then the competition. I got 1st and 2nd for Woodburning:  Human.
My daughter was doing her first show and got 1st and 3rd for Woodburning:  Animal. She really impressed the carvers. She really left another impression when she competed in the wood carving contest and stabbed herself through the protective glove with a detail knife. Lots of blood, embarrassment and attention from the carvers and their spouses. lol

At least she tried to carve!

Didn't sell anything. But on that Sunday, the art gallery called and I'd sold a painting and a print!

Barbara

My kid got her acceptance letter from the college she wants to attend. Yay! Now she just needs to pass English.
It's always something.

She did get to meet the head of the art department (she plans on minoring in Japanese and majoring in studio art). We also got a private tour of the art department by the professor who teaches print making.

Now to figure out how to pay for it all.

Barbara

Krinkles asking for a belly rub.
Kyo is on the left, younger, but bigger than the old guy, Blackie. They had their paws around each other, hugging. Of course, they were laying on the heat register so the bathroom was cold.

Jago hated cats, but since she was stuck the past few months in the house with them, they sort of grew on her. That's Blackie, the old man of the cats. At 9, he has never liked dogs, so this was literally a once in a lifetime shot.

Jago allowing a cat to lay on her Blackie and Jago	Krinkles Krinkles in new bed.

Two months ago, my indoor/outdoor cat, Trixie, was killed by a car. She'd been a very savvy cat when it came to cars and for nearly 6 years avoided them while exploring the outdoors. She'd been a stray I took in who loved people and hated other animals. She was the one who slept with me, mainly because she thought my bedroom was hers. My next door neighbor buried her for us and offered us one of his yet unborn kittens. Well, when the time came, they decided to keep the one I'd shown an interest in and didn't even ask if I wanted one of the others. They'd all been found new homes already. So I adopted a shelter kitty from Petsmart (they had a deal with local shelters to put them up in the store for adoption). It said 5 months old on the sheet, but I just did the calculation and my new fellow is actuallly 7 months old, which explains why he looks more adult than kitten. Krinkles (I kept the name they had on him) is a tabby and white dsh. Only about 8 pounds now, but his body is built like Trixie's in shape, even down to the round face and big eyes. Personality-wise, he likes everybody and everything and is very much a kitten still.  Pictures will be posted later. The icon I'm using today is from a drawing I did using Trixie as the 'model' cat.

Yesterday we had to take our old dog (nearly 13 years old, a rottweiller/shepherd mix) to the emergency vets to be put to sleep. She could no longer get up due to arthritic hips. I'd figured she wouldn't have been around 2 years ago, but she responded well to a diet with increased glucosamine in it. She was in pain and upset that she couldn't get up. Even her appetite was nil yesterday. She had a long life and much better than it started as she came from an abusive situation when we rescued her.

Barbara

I pick up gifts year round, ususally the small stuff or for friends who don't have specific requests. Otherwise I start in October/November for the specific items, assuming the receiver has given me their list.

MaryCrawford, this one's for you!

Kid  needs to look at some universities...so looking at MSSU and MSU in southern MO...beautiful weather too. Stopped in Carthage to see the Precious Moments Chapel and museum. I don't get into PM, but the grounds are gorgeous and well manicured. Nice gardens and the museum in cool. So is the chapel.

Swim time for the kids (caravaned with another mom and her kids) and then dinner....I get to go back to the hotel and clean up and scout out restaurants.

B

 This is the one that was also sold, but via a fine art show. Pastel on suede mat board.

 Sold another piece of art. Small watercolor. Actually sold two...one was sold at the gallery (Northland Exposure in Parkville, MO). Title is "Storm's Coming" and was matted and framed.

This is the box I woodburned and won the ribbon for the woodburning, animal category.


 

Router died.  AT&T came, guy said to buy a cheaper one than theirs via Best Buy, did, router didn't work. It made the dial tone disappear on my phone!

Ended up with getting and AT&T router, 2Wire. So Linksys goes bye-bye and I'm back online with both computers.

And while this was all going on, my cell phone died (but I got it resurrected) for no apparent reason. It just beeped a few times and went blank. Didn't register the charger (it had 2 bars to begin with) even. Then 12 hours later, it worked again.

And the kid called me at work on Saturday to tell me her car exploded. >:O
Radiator cap blew off, fluid overflowed. She DROVE it the rest of the block to the house. Anyway, took it to a radiator shop and the good old boys that run it couldn't find anything leaking. We decided to replace the thermostat in case it was sticking and one hose that was balding. They charged me $20 for labor and $35 for parts. Gotta love those honest old guys that aren't out to fleece you.

On a more positive light, the woodcarving show was better than last year. Sold more, made my fees and gas money, and won a blue ribbon for my elephant box in the woodburning/animal category.

I'll upload a picture eventually.

Next up:  Art Springs in Gladstone fine art show.

Barbara

I haven't gotten the official acceptance letter, but since I'm on the committee that's setting up Art Springs in Gladstone, I saw my name on the list of accepted artists (does Happy Dance-clothed this time).

April 18/19 with a special 'by invitation only' 90 minute opening on the evening of the first day. That pastel of the wooded area...that's my feature piece.

And then there's the Kansas City Woodcarvers show in March. So I'm busy getting ready for that. I'm focussing on pyrography this time. I have some solid pieces for it, ribbon-worthy, I hope.

Barbara

I got the opportunity to go to a life drawing session in the Crossroads Arts District. Anyone in the Kansas City area that is interested, the place is called Arts Incubator at 115 W. 18th Street (on the corner of Baltimore and W. 18th) on the Missouri side. Website is http://artsincubatorkc.org/

Any way, I dragged my daughter with me for her first experience attending such. lol...it was a male model. A good sized male model. Interestingly, most of her sketches were void of anything between the legs. Poor dear. She didn't do bad though. Her proportions were mostly spot on. Little or no shading this time, but she hasn't drawn many real life humans before, just anime types. All clothed.

Anyway, here are some of my efforts.

2 minute sketches

10 minute sketches





The messed up arm one...



The 20 minutes sketches

This one, he kept changing his facial expressions, which messed up the eye for me big time...





And my favorite...

I meant to post this back in late January. My kid is a junior in HS, and looking at colleges. I took her to an open house at Truman State University, the best kept secret in Missouri. Nice campus, good atmosphere and as public universities go, not too expensive for living on campus. She's in love with it. They have the fine art degrees she is interested with the added bonus of an Asian Studies minor with Japanese as one of the choices for a language. And an opportunity to spend 9 weeks in a Tokyo university in the summer. 

All of this is added incentive to get her to improve her grades. She did a 3.0 first semester, making the honor roll for the first time. Barely. :)

She's going to have to look at 2 more colleges as back ups in case she's not accepted as well. 

Barbara 

I was DSLless for 2 days. And voice phoneless. AT&T came by yesterday and the guy couldn't get to the source of the problem because of a neighbor's tree. And a patch of ice that the ladder didn't like. So he said they'd send a truck to cut the tree branches away. That was yesterday at 3 pm. They'd said I'd have service by 6 pm. No truck. No service. I called at 5:10 pm. Told them they needed to credit me for two days on both services and to fix it today. The gal muttered something about billing had to do that. Not sure if she put that in for billing to handle, so I will call them today maybe. Before noon when I'm sure they all turn into pumpkins and mice till the 26th.

Different guy came this morning about 9ish. Asked if I was still out of service. Duh. 

Had it repaired in 30 minutes without cutting down anything. Other guy was a wuss, afraid he'd get hurt. And apparently incompetent with a ladder, because I'd watched him mucking about for 10 minutes, unable to get the ladder up against the telephone pole. 

So now I'm back. 

Did you miss me?


Barbara

Happy Birthday, 3Jane! 
Go celebrate, you deserve it.

Barbara

I've been taking a pastel class. Haven't touched them in 15 years, so this was a challenge. I completed one and started another. Below is the first one, on Canson M-teintes. Very impressionistic for me. I usually like to do detail. The picture doesn't do it justice. The size is approximately 25 1/2 inches wide by 19 1/2.



The next is a work in progress on suede mat board. The piece is much smaller, maybe 8x10. I'm having way too much fun with it.

 

 I attended Parents/Teachers conferences Thursday and Friday. Usually I dread them because I'd hear from every teacher how the kidlet didn't turn in all her work, isn't working to her potential, etc.

This year was different. Maybe being told that the colleges she was interested in didn't accept less than a 3.0 GPA or quite possibly working for just above minimum wage opened her eyes, but with the exception of a C- in English, she's sitting on a B, B+, and 4 As. I'm stunned. Overjoyed. Pinching myself to make sure it's not a dream.

Go, Sarah!

It's about time.

Barbara