Approaching Glory

To Dye Again

The other day I applied the "cover the gray" dye to my hair.  Now I've had some adventures with doing this routine before - read here.  After that little fiasco, I actually discovered a color I really like and for which I received several compliments.  I even had one lady ask me what the color was since she wanted to use it as well.

So it would seem all is well in the hair color land.  Right.  Until I get to the store and can't remember the number of the color.  Never one to be deterred - I decide to try the "match the color by the picture of the model on the front of the box" routine.  Ask me why I didn't call the friend with whom I had shared my hair color number?  Because the logic of that never entered my mind.  I played "lineup" dye.

I came home and without any horrible dye incidents - walked out of the shower with newly colored tresses.  Only to look in the mirror and gasp!  Does deep shiny black mean anything to anyone?  The box said dark brown -not black! The guys tried to reassure me that it looked okay.  I tried to tell myself that I could live with it for however long - afterall hair grows.

Nope.  Not gonna happen.  Yesterday I waltzed down to the store and got the correct color and I am sitting here baking as I type.  Who knows what the outcome will be - but anything's got to be somewhat better.  I hope.  Maybe.  Perhaps I should surf through some wig sites.

Update:  It didn't work.  It did take care of one little patch I had missed - so at least now I'm even.  Of course somewhere in the back of my brain I knew the only way to do it is to strip it all and then start all over - ain't gonna happen.  I'll live with having the color hair I had when I was seven.

Frame Me

Last visit to J's pediatric dentist.  What a super dentist this has been.  He's been so wonderful through the years.  Got the name they recommended for J's adult dentist.  Of course J didn't have any cavities.  Must be nice.

Then we drove over to the new frame shop here in town.  Very nice man and great service.  I'll be taking the pics back to him on Wednesday for framing - one for the show - two for me - and a couple more that need hanging gear.  Costly - but done right.  Art is NOT cheap.

Still haven't gotten stuff off to ACT - must do that.  Grass pollen must be increasing - having to us inhaler more each day.

Hope you have blessed one.

Child Out Til Ten

My one and only is out there in the world by hisself!  He went to a Bible study, dinner, social time in Forsyth tonight.  And we let him get in the vehicle and drive down the road!  Oh my.

Call when you get there.  Call when you begin to head home.  Remember what to do in emergencies, stay focussed, make sure cell phone is on and charged, don't answer cell phone while driving, don't listen to the radio... etc. etc.  Sometimes I sit in amazement and ponder that people have been letting their children do these things for decades and they're not all raving lunatics.

I mean - do you think mothers have suffered these goofy fears when their kids first rode the family horse over to the neighbor's?  Yeah.  Probably.

BTW - child returned safe and sound around 9:30.  Only got lost twice and got scared cause a policeman put his sirens on behind him (he only wanted to pass Jbird).  The child has my poor sense of direction - bless his heart.

Brings to mind the Twila Paris song, "Do I Trust You Lord."

Yes Lord - I will trust You.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

This morning the pictures that my friend took for me were waiting in my email.  I looked at the one picture again and again and started to have a bad feeling.  I surfed through my pics and remembered it was photo I'd downloaded and then solarized.  Okay - that's one down.  Then I looked at one of the other pics and the blues were off.  The photographer had seen it also and offered to reshoot the pic.  Which was SO generous but I just didn't have the time. 

So I hauled out my little Coolpix, put it on museum setting, shut the blinds, grabbed an old navy piece of material, get Jbird out of bed to hold up background and shot several pics.  One is "good enough".  Not the quality of my friend's professional shot - but it will do.

Name the pics - The Sixties Tango and Garden Times - to go along with the theme "Memories".  Burn the disc with pics on it, go to post office, run by the Quinlan, pay submission fee - and voila!  I am now being considered for entrance into the show.  Takes my breath away.  One thing I did learn big time - was the importance of considering what you want your signature to be and look like.  I've been struggling with that for some time.  Each painting has two different looks (bad bad bad) cause I was in the middle of trying different things.  And to tell you the truth - I may sign my next paintings another way all together.  Must discuss this with instructor - I may be backed into a corner already.

Drove down to Gwinnett to look at possible framing solutions for the one picture.  Let's just say I wasn't thrilled.  I came home and told Hubby the quality and price.  He told me that the father of one of his students just opened up a frame shop here in our town.  I was surfing out local news site and there was this coupon for $25.00 off from the very store Hubby mentioned.  Sounds providential to me.

Stopped by MIchael's and picked up two big canvasses.  Sonny boy says, "Just don't make any more lime green dogs!"  Okay - how about some electric blue trees?

And last but NOT least:  I got my book from Michele in the mail today.  Wow.  The card was lovely thanks Michele.  Thank you a thousand times.  But - Wow!  I started reading the first chapter and begain crying.  There I am in all my glory - lol.  I can not wait to continue to read this book and trust me you will hear more about it - "Barbara and Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest".  One problem though - man - this ladies look great - ummm - they have how many children and grandchildren?  Oh my!

Entering the Fray

A week ago Thursday something happened which test my faith and revealed my flesh - again.  I've mentioned before that one of my goals this year is to enter a show.  My idea was to get into one of the Art League's bi-monthly little shows in the basement area of the Quinlan.

One of my co-painter's had produced a lovely picture and some of the higher powers that be were admiring it.  They asked her if she was submitting it for consideration for a "big" show for the upstairs gallery.  The theme is "Memories" and her painting is a beautiful waterfall where her family has taken many a picnic.  Needless to say, we were all wowed at the suggestion. 

Now the current rules for show participation are that if a work is produced in a class it can't be considered for an upstairs show.  This is their way of not having student work that the teacher has touched and to have multiple copies of a stiff life - if the class functions that way.  Everything about the picture must be your own work and original content.  Nice rules - but - our class functions primarily as a studio - and our instructor does not touch our paintings unless he asks permission and we grant it or we ask him to.  Suffice it to say - he doesn't touch mine and I know for a fact that he had not touched my friend's painting - I watched her paint it.

Well - let's just say - she was able to submit her work for consideration.  Now I had to deal with my jealous flesh and struggle with some law issues.  After some prayer and asking for forgiveness for my attitude, I came to some peace with the situation.

My final decision was to work only on technique in the class and do my paintings at home.  That wayI could have some eligible paintings.  Today, I mentioned this to my teacher and he said that just wasn't right.

While I drove J to karate, my instructor went upstairs to talk to the powers that be.  He came down with two applications - one for me and one for another student.  I was shocked.  They had extended the deadline and I had until Friday to get a digital picture of my painting(s) done, burned on a cd, fill out the application, go to the postoffice for pouch to return cd, consider titles, price, and framing.  I just sat there stunned.  My instructor comes up to me and hisses, "The door was closed.  Now it's open - you'd best go through it."

One of the ladies in my class came over and told me to get my paintings (I had to drive home to gather a few up).  When I got back she took me across the street to her office and shot my pictures.  She's a professional photographer!  I know that this service can cost well up to $100.  I asked her how much I could give her - she said - nothing.

I don't care if my paintings get accepted - it is the care and love that was bestowed upon me that means everything to me.  I am stunned.

Through My Eyes

The other night whilst Jbird was performing I was walking around the Gainesville State College Campus enjoying a beautiful spring early evening.  Hubby and I attended and graduated from the college back in the eighties.  Of course then it was Gainesville Junior College.  We were in our thirties and working full-time and going to school full time.  Looking back - I wonder how we did it.  The campus is always quiet at this time of day.  The day students are gone and the evening students haven't really begun to trickle in yet.  So while J did his violin thing - I chilled and went with memories.

Needing some shots from which to paint - I snapped pictures right and left at the trees and folliage on campus.  Of course what you see isn't probably what I'd paint.  My canvas would more than likely look more like this:

1. This means I know I can't paint realistically enough to be satisfied that the picture looks like the beautiful nature and
2. Part of me likes being able to be "okay" with seeing the world at a slightly different angle.

I see this on a big canvas - like I mean big.  Well - okay - big for me.  Right now I'm working on a 24 x 30 and it seems enormous.  Which it isn't if you are going to try to do something professional with your work.  Most professionals work BIG.

Stopped by J's pediatrician's office to pick up the letter we needed to affirm diagnosis of certain things.  Must write the cover letter, make copies, and send all things off to ACT - like tomorrow.

Went out to eat with son - love the chicken salad sandwich  at Sweet Magnolias and it is a big "no no" on anyone's diet.  I had an asthma attack out on the square - thankfully I had my inhaler with me.  The pollen is just crazy.  Came home and laid down on the couch and woke up a few hours later!  Wow.  So much for the day.

I did work some on a painting for a little while  (not THE painting - the masters copy).  Think I've finally got the layout right and should complete it tomorrow.

And a special thanks to Michele.  See the comment she left me on one of my posts.  It truly blessed me.  She is also starting a new blog.  You can read her here.

Gainesville College Strings

Thanks to Claire (an enterprising young cellist) we have the following video from J's performance last night.  Cool beans.

That's J just one left of the conductor in second violins.  They sound a whole let better than when they were practicing.

The Growing Up Trail

I know you have all heard it before, "They grow up way too fast."  It sounds like a cliche until it happens to you and then the reality grips your heart.  You find yourself sitting with a cup of coffee and staring out the window wondering where, when, and how the time evaporated.

Hubby and I had to drive Tango to the Vet for a final checkup the other day.  Hubby mentioned a program he had heard over the radio that was discussing the empty nest syndrome.  I was in the back seat holding the dog and he glanced furtively at me in the rear view mirror.  Evidently, this couple had been anticipating the graduation of their last child, when three months before the end of her senior year she decided to drop out of school.  It had been extremely difficult for them because it was so unexpected and because they had had all the graduation celebrations planned.  I got the eye glance again.

Then tears slowly began to trickle down my cheeks.  I've known that our son's senior year has been coming.   I've known bit by bit the apron strings would begin to snap - but living through it is another matter all together.  The dreams of the senior pictures, the ring, etc. etc. (BTW that's my child caught in the act of playing with a blue marker - look at that curly hair - wonder where it went?)  We've faced some milestones just recently:

Let's Not Tango

One of the things we've had to deal with (or not) since my writing hiatus has to do with our dog, Tango (of the lime green fame).  Perhaps you all remember the horrible time we had when Tango got bit by our across the street neighbors' dog.  We almost lost Tango that time.  We were sitting in the house one weekend just recently, when we heard a yelp.  Hubby had just been out working in the yard and had left Tango out.  I glanced out the window and screamed for Hubby to go intervene.  Our new next door (behind us) neighbor's dog was attacking Tango.  Come to find out, Hubby had left his sneakers out front to dry and our dog was trying to protect them - one is still missing btw. 

We got Tango in and Hubby looked him over.  Next time (and may there never be a next time) I will look the dog over.  Hubby declared Tango fine and that was the end of that - or so we thought.  Now this happened right in the middle of me being in a drug-induced stupor due to bronchitis.  That's how I justify my stupidity. 

Three days later I went to scratch Tango's ears and got a yelp.  And no wonder - his left year had been bitten and he had a tooth gouge just in front of his ear.  To say that I went ballistic is an understatement.  I was angry with Hubby (how he missed this is beyond me) and angry with our new neighbors.  Suffice it to say that a day or so later I found myself with the dog at the vet's - to the tune of over $300.  This was when I was still coughing so badly I could have been a poster child for Depends - if you know what I mean.  Right.  This is one of the world's most expensive mutts.  But he's my mutt and I love him.

And I say "not deal with" because I've yet to say anything to the neighbors.  Which makes me feel like a complete weenie.  I know the day is getting closer when this will have to happen because they are just letting their crew (at least three dogs) run out and about at all weird times and that is having our dog go nuts in his little penned in area and inside the house when he hears them (think middle of the night). Bark. Bark Bark.

Sonny boy just took our dog for his walk/run on a leash.  I swear we are the only people on the entire street who does this.  Remember we live out in the country and everyone just lets their animals run free - but our dog has been through too much at the mouths of these other big dogs to just let him roam free (even on our property - since two attacks have happened on our land).  I been told to get an air gun.  Like that is going to happen.

At least Tango is fine and acting like his normal self again.

Stuff and More Stuff

Okay - so it has been a loooooong time.  Plenty of good reasons for that.  I think our family has been the sickest it has ever been and we've been passing it back and forth for what seems like forever.  Started with the flu right after Christmas, then Jbird with bronchitis and a trip to QuickCare, then me to QuickCare with sinusitis and bronchitis,  Hubby to QuickCare with pneumonia - and then all of us with one of the nastiest cases of an intestinal/stomach virus that I've seen in years.  Hubby is still trying to get well.  I'm now battling my normal spring fling with pollen.  This year it has been outrageous!  The pollen count currently stands at over 700 with it having been as high as 3300 (200+ is considered extremely high).  However, compared to what I've been feeling like - I feel wonderful!

You will see different posts dealing with all the different "side" issues we've been dealing with - more than enough to give me a legitimate excuse for "being away".

Yes - I continue to take my painting classes.  Here are a few of the paintings I've done.  I'm finding that I really like color.  This surprises me.  When I was in high school I stuck to pretty muted colors.  I'm also surprised at finding I like big bold shapes.  I agree with one of the ladies in my class that says art therapy must be an intriquing field.  I would have thought I would be drawn to very realistic type painting.  Obviously, the lime green painting of our dog Tango proves otherwise!  I'm currently working on a large canvas copying a master's work - on the bequest of my instructor who said, "If you can copy a master you can paint anything."  Sure.  I love the master's work but I must say that to try and reproduce it is one of the most challenging things I've done so far.  I have a feeling it will end up being more me than anything else.

So here is the reproduction and it has at least 4-5 more layers to go before it is finished.  I'd show you the original picture but don't know if I can take the comparison at the point - lol!

Like I said, be prepared for alot of posts discussing what has and is taking place.  It has been a difficult but interesting time.  And some of the things I want to discuss because I know many of you may not know about the information I will be sharing - and you should.  Especially if you have a special needs kid or homeschool.  Off I go to take a shower and get ready to begin running errands.  Blessings to you all.  Thanks for writing to me and asking me if I'm still on the planet - yup - even if I felt like I was about to leave it several times.