A Weekend Away!

So, as promised,  here’s some sharing about mine and Matt’s great weekend get-a-way combined with his marathon. We had a wonderful time!!

First, here’s something I started working on while we were away and then finished with watercolors last night. I love the verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” Words I need to remember. Words I need to have tattooed on my forehead, actually. How often I forget and think I’m in charge! The lettering continues from letterLab and I’m posting this on AEDM. Take a look at all the happy things going on over there!

And here’s my guy just after running 26.2 miles. Amazing, isn’t it? He did quite well in the marathon he’s been training for since June. Not as fast as he was hoping, but good just the same. I think this is his 4th or 5th. Tack on a couple of 1/2 Ironmen and it’s not too bad for a late (ahem!) 40-something father of three. (By the way…. from this photo, can you see why I call him George as in “Curious George”!? Not everyone gets to be married to their favorite childhood  literary character!! Love this guy!!)

This is the lovely inn George booked us in for the weekend. Probably one of the nicer places we’ve stayed. I’ve only been to the Outer Banks once and that was with a work group so I didn’t get to explore much. I absolutely fell in love with it this weekend. I think I must have sea-faring blood in my veins somewhere. I feel so good when I’m by the ocean!

This was the view from our living room. It’s downtown Manteo (pronounced man-e-o). It’s where the finish line for the marathon was at. Our inn was actually on the last mile of the race so I was able to just walk to the finish line to meet him. To the right is Nags Head.

This is where I found my guy after he left me browsing in a bookstore in Duck.

Here’s a closer look…. cute, isn’t he? :-)

Speaking of bookstores, this is the bookstore we visited. Pretty quaint.

Here’s an inside shot, too.

And after the bookstore visit, we went for a drive on the beach…..

And we spent a couple of hours in the outlet mall buying George some very much needed new clothes, especially since he starts a long-anticipated new job next week! Hooray for George!

Ok, more to come creatively..... I started reading a great book on writing.... and I finished the crochet portion of a pillow project I've been working on for some time now.... So more on those things later this week! Blessings, bloggy friends!

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Words Popping!

I’m continuing to work through the LetterLAB workshop. I’m learning how to add shadows. And now I’m packing up a little bag of pens and pencils to take with me on the road this weekend! Hooray!


Check out AEDM today!

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AED: LetterLab #1

So, I did it! I signed up for LetterLAB with Lori Vliegen at Elvie Studio. I started working through the videos today and am practicing my cursive writing then learning how to turn it into “magic”! Here’s a practice sheet I worked on tonight. Now it’s time to go do some real dreaming.

G’night, Bloggy Friends and thanks for the kind comments on The Boy and The Girl’s anniversary present.

Oh! And don't forget to see what other creativeness has been going on today at AEDM!

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Mayhap Monday …. on Tuesday!

Yep – I’m alive. The little surgery I had last Wednesday was a might harder to get over than I thought, owing mostly to general anesthesia, I think. But all is well in “Upside Down B Land.” ;->

We have had an addition back into the house since last I wrote, though. E, with health issues to straighten out and maybe a sprinkle of college disillusionment, has decided her school of choice in DC does not fit her cost/benefit analysis model. So – she’s back in our sleepy little town, regrouping, trying to get her health in order, and making plans for a closer-to-home college choice for the spring. I have to say I’m proud of her for being willing to speak up and say her experience wasn’t what she thought it would be and didn’t want to fork out the cash that was required. As a friend told me, there’s great value in knowing what you don’t want. Perhaps this was the only way she was going to learn that for herself.

So we are back to a mom, a dad, two girls, and two puppies! (Puppies below on their way to haircut a couple of weeks ago.)

So – plans for this week, you ask with baited breath?

Monday – the day’s already gone but was spent at home, working via computer a bit, continuing to rest, doodling, sorting through junk in art room, and kick-off for new Life Group.

Tuesday – going to be moving around a bit more I hope today. May even venture out in the car this afternoon! Drawing this morning early…. the doodling yesterday got the juices flowing a bit. Drew and colored a “B” that I quite like. (Go to my flickr account to see evolution.) Coffee on the porch with The Girl. She’s written a BOOK!! More to come on that later. So proud of her. Work more via computer, catch up on emails, think about how to paint hardware for dresser Mary and I painted for art room (below), mmmm….. rest……  that’s about it.

Wednesday – Our church has an early morning women’s coffee at Flynne’s that has really turned into a sweet group I really look forward to each week when I can make it. I’m hoping to feel like going to that and then…. OFF TO WORK! Yay! Mary to youth group in the evening (hard to imagine she’s in youth group!!) Maybe I’ll talk Matt into taking me to our friend’s new restaurant. Best Italian food in the state! :-) 

Thursday – Early morning work, hair appointment (hooray!).

Friday – Work, Drink and Draw at Flynne’s (don’t judge me!) Matt is off for a weekend retreat I’m really excited he is getting to go to.

Saturday – NC Poetry Society Meeting! Really looking forward to that, although I’ve written zippo lately…

Sunday – Church, manning the welcome center, enjoying the Sabbath.

Projects for the week:

1. Finish yellow dresser for art room (mainly that means painting and installing hardware)
2. Begin painting chifferobe
3. Try to get to lesson 4 for Raw Art Journaling group… I’m just about hopelessly behind.
4. Begin new word study in Bible –  sleep? “but God”? or maybe a “normal” choice from Rick Warren’s list in his Bible Study Methods ebook:
   
   
   
5. Begin reading The Girl’s book. (It’s related to #4.) Ok, I can’t keep it a secret! I’ll go ahead and tell you the title: Biblical Hermeneutics: Understanding the Ancient Book in a Modern World. Cool, huh? Here’s a fairly recent photo of her below. Who knows? Maybe she’ll need a photo for her book’s jacket cover soon?
   

6. Blog. It makes me feel good to capture memories, think through ideas, and make plans. Plus, I just like you all my bloggy friends!

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weekWORD: Therapeutic

Therapeutic - curative: tending to cure or restore to health

What is "curative" for me? Lot's of things:

• Talking with hubby
• A glass of wine after a long day with a friend
• Reading
• Walking
• Being at home
• Our Life Group
• Work... at times
• Drawing

Yesterday morning I began drawing the letter 'z' to submit to Alpha Battle at Letter Cult. I was delighted when a bird (peacock-ish) landed on the top of my 'z' and decided to stay! :-)

By the time I left to take Mary to school and go to work, this is how it looked:

Then last night before leaving for dinner with some sweet friends, this is where I was.

I had scanned it in and began coloring in Photoshop.... the really fun part!

Using the first color combo (Blue Peacock found at COLOURlovers) I didn't really like it turned out.

But this one, Golden Peacock, I liked much better!

Then I thought it would look good in black and white, too.

All of this is very therapeutic to me, especially when I'm adding the ink. It's slow and meticulous and my brain gets lost in what I'm doing. I sit and think and pray... the worries of the day get ground up, mixed in with the ink, and bleed through my pen where they seem to soak into the paper. I get up feeling like a burden has been lifted.

Therapeutic.

For more interpretations of the word this week, click over to Domestic Scribbles.

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Letter A

One of the things I wanted to do this year was make an alphabet of my own. I made M & E in December as Christmas gifts for the girls. So, here's an A I did tonight. I used "Good Friends" color pallet I found from ColourLovers.

Some interesting words that start with A...

aborning

- during birth; while being born

accoy

- to subdue; to pacify; to soothe

acedia

- listlessness; sloth

agowilt

- sudden sickening and unnecessary fear

assot -

to befool; to besot

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Hand-Lettering

I love hand-lettering. Found this artist and loved her "A" so I tried my hand at it. Then made my own "B". After six or seven versions, I think this is the one I like the best. Not super happy with it, but...

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