(Watercolour, pencil, and coffee)

Unlike previous years, when I've done a "Big" list on my birthday, I had no "Big 36" list this year. I've found that making a laundry list on one day of the year makes me feel obligated and doesn't take into account the fact that I change, darnit. But I do like to have a goal and a purpose and a reason to things. In 2007 I tried a lot of things, and some worked, and some didn't. What I want to do this year is to let my focus go to what is most important to me: my family, my artwork, my self. Once I have down a clear set of priorities I can figure out if other things serve my purpose or just distract me from them. For instance, after the craft fair and NaNoBloPoMo, I realized that more than a month had gone by without painting. And for me, painting is a necessity; I was shocked that I had let so many days and nights go by without it. Sure, I spent time on my site, and on scanning in and making prints, and framing things, but not painting. And that's where my heart lies.

I'm working now through this list: the Simple Living Manifesto. I really think it's going to help me focus and get back to basics. Paul's trying to do it as well, including naming Sunday nights Art Night for him as well (although in his case, it'll be Piano Night.) But I love the idea of the two of us filling the house with creative energy from top (me in the Tower) to bottom (his studio is on the first floor) at the same time, while the kids are asleep. We will also be making some plans on what the focus is for our family, as well as planning some regular date nights.

So here's to a new year. And to letting your imagination soar.

Wishing you and those you love a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year! (left to right: Angela in her gorgeous pink glasses, Sophie the wondergirl, and my boy Petey Pop.)

In any cases where I've found my work being used without permission, a simple email has cleared everything up. Most times people don't even realize that artwork on the internet can have a copyright. This blog post about Lane Hartwell (and from there, you can find links to several points of view) outlines the dilemma of people who want to share their art on the internet but not have people use it for free simply because it's easy to right-click.

I'm interested to know - if you are an artist, do you care if others use your work in a youtube video? Can people use it as long as they link back to you? If you're on the other side - an appreciator (is that a word?) of art - do you only use work where people have used a Creative Commons license? Or does that not really enter into it?

As for me, I'm pretty easy - if you ask permission, 9 times out of 10 I'll say to go ahead and use it. But that's only if you ask first.

I've been working on this one for ages ... it's Alice and the Unicorn from Through the Looking Glass.



The text reads:

`Well, now that we HAVE seen each other,' said the Unicorn, `if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?'

`Yes, if you like,' said Alice.

Here's a bit of a detail shot:



Done in watercolour, pencils, acrylic, and coffee. I do so like to be thorough. Hmmm... I wonder if anyone else has done an Alice painting for this week?

Sophie came home from school today, eager for me to look in her backpack. "I did a picture of an invisible lamb! I did a picture of an invisible lamb! Let me show you!" She gets the zipper open and hands me a blank piece of paper.

Where do they get this stuff? She must have her teachers in stitches.

*It also greatly resembles a picture of a cow eating grass.

Faithful readers will know how much I adore the song "Little Things" from Sesame Street. While I have always appreciated the little things in my life, the more Mama-years I have under my belt, the more deeply I realize it. This song has always touched me.

Go listen to the song (and watch the video) here.

One of the last things we do in our yoga class comes at the very end of our meditation. The teacher asks us to open our heart, put three things we want to keep safely inside it, and then close it up tight. Then, when we're having a rough day or feeling ungrateful, we can take them out to remind ourselves what's most important and wonderful to us.

Inside my heart at this moment is:

1. My family. 2. My art. 3. My imagination.

What's inside your heart right now?

Last post about art for sale! :) $3 each, $.50 for s&h. Business-card sized, they look loverly on a fridge.

HOLIDAY CARD SALE: Each set of cards is now just $10, including shipping and handling! And as always, if you order 5 packs, you get your choice of an 8" x 10" print. (If you've already placed your order, I gave you an extra pack!)

♥ Also please note: after December 15 I will not be filling any more orders for either prints, framed prints, or cards, until after the new year. ♥

One of my most favorite songs, ever. I've enjoyed the 30 days of posting, but now I'm off to spend more time enjoying the Little Things in my life. Enjoy.

Little sketches of my kids...

Did you ever hear the story about how having kids is like having your heart walk around outside your body? That's what I think of when I look at Sophia. She's 4-and-three-quarters. She stuns me, almost every day, with something new that she comes up with. Sophie has this long long brown curly hair that she can sit on when it's wet. She's bright, inquisitive, and everything she feels shows on her face immediately. She's like a little elf, some bit of magic that I can't believe came from me because she's so totally her own quirky little self. We haven't had her tested, but we already know from others that she is Off The Charts. A typical dinner conversation with Sophie contains references to animals, her artwork, which numbers are odd and which are even, Spanish vocabulary, the 8 times table, and the workings of the central nervous system. She has begun to play the piano and have lessons from Daddy, and now plays "Jolly Old St. Nicholas", with two hands, actually reading the sheet music, with great seriousness. Then she flings herself off the bench to do the most dramatic bow ever. She tells me, "The ponytail has to flip over my head for it to be right." I could go on and on about how smart she is, how talented she is, and none of it would be good enough to explain the beautiful spark of life that she has in her heart.

The twins are 3-and-three-quarters. Peter is just such a hoot. I've read things I've written about Peter last year, and he is still so solidly Peter - so many things are the same. Peter is passionate about cooking; he wants to know everything there is to know about it. He pretends he's cooking, he takes cookbooks to bed with him, he loves nothing more than to help stir, mix, set the table... and he will gladly tell you what he likes to eat, which is pretty much everything, but tortellini is his favorite, followed very very closely by pierogies. His latest thing is for us to watch cooking how-to videos on youtube, especially the ones about how to make sushi. Not that he's ever had it, but he is completely fascinated by it. Petey is the only one in our family with blond hair, and he has these absolutely gorgeous hazel eyes (like Daddy!). He's totally going to have our phone ringing off the hook when he gets older. One of the greatest things about Peter is that he has the most awesome laugh ever - it's completely infectious. He laughs this deep deep belly laugh that sounds like it's coming from an old man, and you can't help but laugh with him, which only makes him laugh harder... He's bright, he's very very silly, and it's easy to forget sometimes that he loves to snuggle just as much as he loves to run and jump around. Here's a perfect Petey snapshot: when he has ants in his pants, he will run over to me and ask me to put on "Shake Your Tailfeather" so that he can dance it all out. (His other faves are "I Feel Good" and Rockappella's "Falling' Over You".) While I love dancing up a storm with him, I love his hugs and smooches even more.

Angela is so completely her own person. She has this gorgeous cloud of dark curly hair that she pulls on because she wants it to be longer (like Mama, like Sophie). She got glasses this year, and on Sophie they would make her look owlish, but on Angela they're pure glamour. Angela, while sweet, adorable, girly, and having a huggability rating off the charts, has a streak of pure willfulness that's making me very afraid for her teen years. One morning at the breakfast table she wanted something, like a pear, but we didn't have any and told her so. She got really angry and yelled, "But I WANT A PEAR!" Again, we said we couldn't give her something we didn't have, and how about an apple? She slumped way down in her chair and gave us the nastiest evil glare ever. Paul and I laughed so hard we almost fell under the table! It was a total fast-forward to Angela at 13, when I tell her she can't wear that skirt. I've written before about Angela and being strong-willed, so I don't want to write more about it because she really is a sweetheart. She has a great imagination and loves to play creative games; I can totally see her being an actress some day. Angela snapshot: the other morning I asked her "And how are you today?" and she said, in all seriousness, "Gorgeous." She loves to draw, and she can write all the letters of her name, although not necessarily always in order. Angela is frequently the first one up and about in the morning, and she will come into our room with her arms up in the air, huge smile on her face, singing, "Good morning! Time to get up!" And then she comes over to my side and says, "Good morning, sweet bunny!" How could you possibly ever get up and have a grumpy day after that kind of love?

When the three of them were all tiny (and they were quite tiny), everyone would tell me how blessed I was, but I was kind of too shell-shocked to agree. But now I know it, truly and fully. And I am so, so thankful for them.

What do you want me to write about? There are two days left to NaBloPoMo; what would you like to know?

I have been trying for at least two weeks to put the framed prints I have up online. In a perfect world, they'd be up on Esty, or better yet, in my own store. Rather than have everyone wait until January when I have time to figure it all out, I'm taking the easy way out and posting them all here for now. You want one? Email me (take the spaces out of the address) and let me know, or leave me a comment below. All prints are with long-lasting inks on bright glossy paper. Shipping is currently to the US only. Stands shown in picture are not included. And once they're gone.... that's it! And please note: all the images in the frames are bright, vivid, and clear, regardless of how they photographed. :)

The sets: three matted prints in a white wooden frame with glass. Images measure 4.675" x 6.675". Entire piece measures 10" x 20". Each piece is $40 (+ $10 USPS Shipping: Priority Mail, Insurance, and Signature Confirmation. )



Framed and matted prints in black wooden frames with plexiglass. Images measure 5" x 7". Each is $15 (+ $5 USPS Shipping: Priority Mail.)



Framed prints in wooden frames with plexiglass. Image area is 5" x 7". Each is $10 + ($5 USPS Shipping: Priority Mail.)

SOLD

Framed prints in hand-painted wooden frames with plexiglass. Image area is 4" x 6". Each is $8 + ($5 USPS Shipping: Priority Mail.)

SOLD SOLD

I've spoken before about the book "Food Revolution", and how it was life-changing for me. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough. While my family doesn't eat completely vegetarian, we're not too far off - we do still eat chicken, once a week. (And the boy can't kick the weekly bacon habit, but we're working on it.)

And that's why I thought it was really interesting when I saw the commercials for Tyson chicken where the kids thanked their mother for giving them chicken that's antibiotic and hormone-free. Because here's something many people don't know: chicken by federal law has to be hormone free. So I was interested that Tyson was pushing this as a marketing tool. And yeah! Great! Educate people! If you're going to promote antibiotic chicken as well, that's even better.

(I'll get back to Tyson in a minute: but here's something else interesting most people don't know: that lots of the feed chickens eat has animal byproducts in it. That's right! The chicken you eat might have eaten other animals! I'm not even getting into the way many chickens are treated, I'm talking about them purely from a consumer point of view. I do not want to eat chicken pumped full of junk, being fed goodness knows what, and I don't want to give it to my family either. And do not get me started on beef: there's a reason we don't eat it. Go read the book.)

So when I'd first seen these Tyson commercials, where the kid stands up on his chair and thanks his mom for caring enough to give him Tyson chicken, I almost wrote a post about it. But then I realized recently I hadn't seen them for a long time, so I did a little research. The commercials were pulled because there is a medication in the chicken feed that is - guess what? - classified as an antibiotic! I give them credit for trying...

Still want to eat chicken? I can totally recommend Readington Farms (we have it in ShopRites in NJ): the chicken has no antibiotics administered, no artificial growth hormones, no animal byproducts, no artificial ingredients, an all vegetable diet, and is free farmed. Plus it costs almost the same as your average chicken that was fed who-knows-what.

One week ago... My hubby was making our entryway an art gallery, and my sis and her fiancee arrived from AZ, sleep-deprived, to come eat lots of pancakes and bacon with us (also sleep-deprived).

One year ago... I was doing NaBloPoMo, and was writing about how Peter and Angela needed their pj's on backwards and duct taped shut so that they would stop decorating their cribs with the contents.

Two years ago... I was dressing the kids as flowers and painting lots of pictures of them.

Five years ago... DANG! I was pregnant! And I was trying to work through setting up the store online and sell cards. Some things never change...(I'm referring to the trying to set things up online, not the pregnant part. Can I repeat? NOT PREGNANT NOW.)

Ten years ago... I was getting ready to celebrate my first Christmas as a married lady, in our sweet apartment. The first day I walked in, I knew where our Christmas tree would go.

And what have you been up to?

I know, I know, we stink because we watched a Christmas special tonight and it isn't even December yet, but I really really really wanted to see Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas again. It's not all that Christmasy; more about giving and caring for others. A good lesson to show anytime. (Not to mention the stellar puppetry, wonderful music, and super-cute furry animals. Oh, and the RIVERBOTTOM NIGHTMARE BAND! How could we lose? )

For a hysterical outtakes reel, check this link.

And WOO HOO! Via angrychicken: you can download the soundtrack here. I think "Barbecue" is just what our Christmas mix needs to (ahem) spice it up.

ps ~ I did cut me some bangs. ♥ Today the hair, tomorrow the wardrobe!

I am getting really really really tired of my "look": I seem to have a lot of plain t-shirts and turtlenecks, jeans, dark colors. This summer I went searching for clothes that were more me: bright prints, whimsical/artistic shirts, and everything I find either seems to be (a) ridiculously expensive; (b) made for someone without my bosom/waist ratio (I refuse to wear clothing that makes me look like an opera singer) (c) only appropriate for a 14-year-old, which I am so obviously not. So it seems like I am going to be trying to make a top or two. Does anyone know of any good, tried-and-true blouse patterns?

And in the meantime, here's the Should I Do It part: I've had the same hairstyle forever. I'm thinking of getting out the scissors and cutting me some bangs. Should I do it?

Dinner was quite dramatic tonight as we witnessed my sister's ENGAGEMENT! The proposal was met with much crying (my sis, my mom) and screaming and jumping up and down (by me, natch!) When everyone had calmed down, my sister tried calling friends and only got answering machines. So she took a photo of her hand with her camera phone and sent it around and waited for the calls to roll in. (Ah, technology... )

Congratulations, Mary and Jeff! Woo hoo!

This one's for sharing: print this out and bring it to your table tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tagged by Leandra, painter of lovely flowers, here goes!

1. I have been mistaken, twice, for being black, which is very interesting since I am pretty darn pale. My favorite was the co-worker who said, "You know, a black woman like yourself would understand," and I actually turned around to look behind me to see who he was talking to. I am 100% Sicilian, which means I look like lots of different cultures because heck, they were invaded by everyone at one time in history or another. I think it's neat.

2. My name is pronounced "EL-en-uh", not "eh-LAY-nah". Hence the extra-I-added-it-to-make-you-think-twice-before-you-say-it accent.

3. Twins run in my family. The last set of twins before mine were fraternal, a boy and girl, just like my Angela and Petey.

4. I discovered I was having twins the day I fainted at church while songleading, took out the podium, had to be carried out during Mass on a stretcher, and the outcome was announced at church the next week. Everybody knew my story.... the cat was rather spectacularly out of the bag.

5. I took 5 years of German in school. Unfortunately, I recall very little of it.

6. I do remember lyrics to songs, commercials, and tv show themes I haven't heard for 30 years. Not to mention practically every Beatles song ever written. And I will sing them to you.

7. It is very hard for me NOT to sing. I sing at the store, to whatever's playing over the loudspeaker. I sing in the car, while I'm working, while I'm doing dishes, and make up my own (usually very silly) songs all the time.

And that's my meme for today! I have to tag seven people... so I'm tagging (do it or don't, whichever you choose): Egotistical Productions, Snowflake, Allyson, Craig, Kevin, Dan Ward, and Mimi. Go for it!