what was he thinking?

honey, i'm going to get my computer fixed at best buy. and, yes, that is a euphemism.

little of this and that

so maybe my birdgirl's a little "fond of the pasta" as my husband said. :D i'd like to imagine she's just snuggly. as if she were a pet, she would be the kind who would hop over to you and rub her head on you for a little love and maybe a treat or two and you wouldn't be able to refuse. no, i am not the former owner of that 26 pound cat on msn but not for lack of trying. hehe (ok, seriously, no emails, my cats are very healthy, no people food and only the occasional greenie for a treat for one. the other one doesn't care for treats.)

so last night i read i hate to see that evening sun go down by William Gay last night. it was very good. a bit on the darker side of life and some might even think it bleak. but those are probably the ones who like their books/movies to wrap up nice and neat in a happy little ending. it's definitely a keeper. i got it for a buck off the bargain table at the bookstore. oddly enough, i have found some of my absolute favorites on the bargain tables. i must be outside the mainstream fiction audience or something. if you're curious what other books i own click over on the link in the sidebar "books i have". it'll take you to librarything where i have most of my favorite books cataloged, fiction and non-fiction. there are some juicy art books listed there, too. have fun.

don't forget earth hour!

still unplugged?

why, yes, thank you for asking. ;) we've had four successful unplugged nights so far. that's one whole month. 11 more months to go. and to be perfectly honest, i haven't missed a thing. i get more painting done. i get some house things done. i spend more time with the kids. cameron and i both get more reading done. (altho i need to step it up if i'm going to meet my goal of reading 50 fiction books this year. i've only managed 8 so far and it's almost april.) kaitlin got ungrounded and is now joining us on unplugged night. not necessarily voluntarily, tho. :D oh well, it's good for her.

i highly recommend it to everyone who feels like tv/internet/electronics are taking over their whole life sometimes.

new stuff

Renee

Tanya (named after my sister who will email me anytime now to say those look nothing like her breasts and she hasn't worn a side ponytail since the eighties)


Sakura (because it's cherry blossom season in Japan)


The Furies

Earth Hour

we're signed up. how about you?

100 great artists @ Etsy you might want to visit…

i am extremely honored to be included on this wonderful list at a thing of beauty today -

http://www.thing-of-beauty.com/100-great-artists-etsy-you-might-want-to-visit

just a warning, tho... there are some gorgeous artists and illustrators included. hold tight to your wallet. or not. ;)

etsy update

i've been sidetracked with cameron's bronchitis and lots of painting. the second day of being "unplugged' went well, tho. more later.

Blue Eloise

a little slow on the art front here as at least one kid has bronchitis, if not both.

one more week til spring break, tho. can i get an amen?!

1st night unplugged 1/52

so the first night went by so quickly i didn't even have time for anything art or craft related. and while i didn't do anything earth-shattering, i didn't spend my evening surfing news and blogs, either. what i did do:

1. fixed a faulty drain that has been plaguing us for weeks (oh the joys of home ownership!)
2. went grocery shopping with the kids
3. helped a little with supper. yay for husbands who cook!
4. started the first of a continuing wed night game of Monopoly with my 11 year old. (1.5 hours)
5. read a couple magazine articles and discussed them with my husband. he hates when i share the ones that make me teary because i have to pause so often. :D
6. snuggled and goofed off with the kids just before bed

all in all, it was most satisfying. in fact, it made it feel like a weekend or holiday.

i sat down at my computer and reached for the mouse once out of habit but that's all. and my son had no problem with it at all, either. no tv, no computer, no video games... he rode his bike, he shopped with me, monopoly, just hung out. i was pleasantly surprised.

i know i mention kids plural when i write so a person might wonder about my other child or children. i have a 15 year old daughter. she is currently on "unplugged" status involuntarily until her report card comes back with satisfactory grades. that's just a rule of the house. she doesn't get a's and b's, then she gets grounded. that includes electronics except when the computer is needed for homework. that's what works for us.

anyway, so i'm looking forward to next week. maybe i'll have to plan a craft activity or something. it's amazing how those hours seemed to fill themselves up. :)

the books on my endtable

so here's the stack on my endtable. they can be interpreted in sort of an archaeological dig way - oldest on bottom, most recent on top. i edited out the various "fluff" magazines. they cover the period beginning from january 1st to now.

The Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories by Nicholas Gurewitch - NSFW heck, even the "search more" on amazon isn't safe. but it is hilarious as hell.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian - unread, next on my list

The Last Song of Dusk: A Novel by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi - absolutely wonderful

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn - 2/3 read, thought-provoking but the way it has become sandwiched between two already-read books indicates to me it was dry enough that it won't get finished this go-around.

The Language of Light by Meg Waite Clayton - decent

oh, somewhere in there i read the first volume of an absolutely horrible but somehow compelling manga called apocalypse zero and a couple volumes of bizenghast. but we all know manga isn't real literature, right? ;)

yeah, so i won't ever be one of amazon's top reviewers. :)

it's snowing today. stupid freakin' weather.

yay! I did get some work done

spring in march?

it's 8:30 p.m. and 68 degrees outside. amazing for march 1st even in texas.

earlier my son, cameron, went down to the park with a friend of his for an hour. two hours go by and i head down there to check on him. imagine 15 or so 10-11 year old boys playing sand volleyball (with a little dodgeball thrown in every few minutes), the sun setting in 70 degree weather. no wonder he lost track of the time. who could blame him? naturally i let him stay til dark. we'll talk later about courtesy and letting me know where he is so i don't worry. :)

i wish i hadn't wasted most of the day sleeping with a migraine. hopefully, i'll get a little painting done this evening. i've been working in a simplistic style lately but i really love to do some grungy stuff with depth, too, so that's what i'm working on right now.