Pupp-e-mail

Dear Radar,

Sorry I forgot to say goodbye to you. I was in a pretty big hurry to leave today. Life and death…that sort of thing. Anyhoo. Be a good boy while I’m gone. Don’t lick General Beauregard too much. You know he hates that. Be good for Pastor Tim. Try not to get his kids too dirty! I was going to give you a bath before I left you with them, but you know… life and death, etc.. Peter would give you a bath, but he knocked a fingernail completely off and he’s trying very hard not to get it wet. I guess I should apologize more to the Richmonds than anyone- you don’t really mind being a dirty dog. In fact, I’m pretty sure you prefer it. So, um, enjoy being stinky. I know you’ll have fun licking lots of kiddy feet. They’ll probably find your love for sneaking up and licking people’s feet as gross as I do. It’s a very weird way to wake people up, you know. Most dogs would just bark.

Love,

Your Sha-kins

Red eye(s)

Tonight I’m blogging from 14000 ft.

I think it’s about 1400 ft. Isn’t that cruising altitude?

I was planning on driving down to Georgia later on this week, but you know what they say about plans…

(No, what do they say about plans?)

If you what to make God laugh, just tell him YOUR plans.

I was planning on working a long day today but then around noon my phone started ringing off the hook.

I don’t usually even carry my phone, and if I do have it, then it’s uncharged or on silent.

I really have no love for the thing.

But today I had it.

And charged, too.

(Thanks God!)

Because otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten the calls that told me I needed to catch the first flight I could and get down to Georgia as fast as I could if I want to say good bye to my Papa… for the last time.

Now I’m on a red eye flight hoping to make it to my Grandpa’s side before the cancer takes him away.

There is a baby wailing in the seat in front of me. I wish I could hold it because I feel like commiserating. Life is hard and cruel and just so so so sad.

That baby seems to be aware.

Then again, he may have just pooped himself. on a redeyeood bye to Papa for the last time.o catch the first flight I could and get down to Georgia as fast as I could if I

Why be dirty, when you can be flirty?

(Sweetheart style)

Juz so you knows, the last of the aprons are now in my Etsy shop.

If you want one you better jump on it quick, cause

1) I'm out of the beautiful vintage fabric I made them from

2)These are the very last ones left and

3) I really don't plan on making any more.

Unless you're someone I love and you ask really nicely.

(gardener style apron)

These really are so so lovely.

(Gardener style in "Lady Traveler" print)

What? You don't run in corduroys at 3 am?

Did you see a crazy person running down Queen's Blvd last night around 3 a.m. wearing blue corduroy pants, a turquoise t-shirt, a long black rain coat, and crocs over bright red fuzzy socks, no makeup, and Ka-Razy hair?

That was me.

Why, oh, why would I be sprinting down the boulevard in randomly acquired clothing?

Because last night Peter said, "I think I'll play with the dog for a minute then go to bed. It's sooo late." Then he proceeded to knock his entire fingernail off by banging it into a doorjamb while rough housing.

Talk about a bloody mess. Literally.

Unfortunately, we are running a little low in the first aid department so I high tailed it out to the pharmacy by our building, which turned out to be closed, so I had to run (literally) to the Rite-Aid a few blocks away.

While I was running I encountered a woman walking the opposite direction of me. As I approached I noticed her expression became wild eyed and fearful.

Oh crap! I thought- is there something scary behind me? Then I realized- I was the scary looking thing.

I guess I'd be pretty frightened to if a crazy looking person was out for a run at 3 am and coming full force right at me.

(In my haste to get Peter some medical supplies I had exchanged my pajamas for the first articles of clothing I encountered in my dresser.)

I called a 24 hour clinic hot line and they said to go to the emergency room, but Peter, being the tough guy that he is, said his fix would hold it till morning, when we could go to the regular walk-in clinic. (Which turned out to be pretty fantastic- but I'll save that for another blog)

Turns out fingernails can be re-attached.

Kind of.

Who knew?

Sooooooooooooo true.

"When making a decision of minor importance I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of mate or profession the decision should come from the unconscious; from somewhere deep within ourselves. In the importantant matters of personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature." -S. Freud

I made this poster years ago(during my experiment-with-calligraphy phase) but I still abide by the truthfulness of the quote. I know that I for one find myself agonizing about small things (baking vs steaming, sneakers vs sandals, etcetera vs etc.) but when it comes to the biggies in life, my gut knows best, and I trust it enough to just go with it.

I am exactly where I am right now because that is exactly where God wants me to be.

There's time for all things, right?

Right now I'm working a little harder than my body would like.

"Sit down!" whine my feet.

"Lie down!" pleads my back.

"Relax!" scream my arms.

Yep. If it were up to my tired bones I'd be the human approximation of goo right now.

But there's work to be done (And I know a little something about getting while the getting is good when it comes to work) and there's church to be attended. (I ran into my pastor on the way home from work- clearly a sign that I should cancel on that nap I was lusting after and drag my butt to Thursday night Bible study.) And there's puppies to be played with, and kitties that need petting and a husband that needs love and kindness and conversation (and dinner).

It's hard.

But it's the good life.

Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed, but I just keep pluggin' on and give my worries up to God because I know that ultimately (acrylic on wood available here July 1, '09)

How to make a candle holder out of...

I needed a candle holder on the fly, so I made one out of stuff sitting around my place.

So today I'm presenting "how to make a candle holder out of a tea cup".

It's super easy and almost instant. like making tea. hmmm....

Anyhoo.

Here's what you'll need: a tea cup, a chunk of styrofoam, and a knife.

First, Turn the cup upside down on the foam and trace around it.

Use the knife to carve out a piece of the styrofoam using the knife.

After you've got the foam chiseled into a shape that will fit into the cup, whittle out a small hole approximately the same circumference of your candle into the center of the foam.

Voila! You have a candle holder.

Now go set the mood, ya crafty vixen.

I'll always love you, New York.

I swore I wouldn't.

I was planning to hate you.

But somewhere between 5th ave and Queens Blvd I fell in love.

You challenge me. As a Christian. As an artist. As a person.

I don't want to stay with you forever, but I'm glad to be with you now.

A Father's Day Post!

When I was a kid I was easily bored and fidgety.

(Much unlike how I am now, right?")

I could barely sit still through a t.v. show I actually wanted to watch, so having to "behave" while a room full of adults (my parents, aunts, and grandpa) watched... ugh... the evening news was pure torture.

Unbearable.

Impossible.

So I made up little games for myself.

One, undoubtedly inspired by Wishbone's portrayal of Oliver Twist, involved stealing my Brad's watch, (and, you know, whatever else was handy- i.d. card, pen, etc).

Sometimes he'd "catch" me (during commercial breaks) and I'd be sentenced to death by tickle bees. (Although usually he'd be the one to get kicked or elbowed).

I always gave everything back, but never in a direct way- I'd ask what time it is, or if I could borrow a pen or whatever, and laugh my head of while he faked confusion about where his stuff went.

I played that game for years- stealing his watch well into highschool.

Then one day I took his watch, but when I looked at the time I realized I was supposed to be at a cross country race, so I ran out the door still wearing it.

I was so excited about the race I didn't even think about the big ugly plastic digital watch still on my wrist.

Until I got out on the course.

Lots of things go through your head when you're long distancing running.

Little conversations with yourself to take your mind off the pain of burning calves and aching sides.

Looking at my Brad's watch gave me an entirely new kind of focus.

It was like having him with me.

I ran my fastest race ever.

I borrowed his watch for every race after that.

The cheap black plastic held almost magical properties in my view.

Then came my last race.

I ran and enjoyed every last exhausting second.

After the race, I went to give him back his watch, knowing I'd probably never "need" it again. But instead he let me keep it.

I didn't wear it all the time. After all it is a big plastic man's watch, but I did wear it sometimes.

(Because of this, people kept giving me watches as Christmas and birthday gifts. I guess they thought the one I wore wasn't very nice.)

But that watch is not about looking nice. It is not even about knowing the time. It's about a game I played for years while everyone sat watching tv together at my Grandpa Frank's house. It's about always knowing that there's someone cheering me on.

In the past five years I've moved seven times. Each time paring down my possessions to the necessities- twice whittling down everything I own into what could fit into two suitcases. But Brad's watch avails.

I'll be needing that watch long after it's counted it's last minute.

Casio watch from Wal-Mart: $10

A constant reminder of your dad's love: $Priceless

*A Brad is a step-dad who is exponentially better than a dad. If you don't have one be jealous.

Some art just makes itself.

Some paintings just seem to make themselves.

Like this one based on a well loved verse; "I will hide your word in my heart that I may not sin against God."

One part found object (a wooden tray)

One part paint.

A dash of old wire, and a smattering of beeswax

Mix well with a heaping helping of inspiration from this lady's style, and voila- a gloriously gritty work of art.

Buy it here.

Things I Love About New York #6; Grace Baptist

No list of things I love would be complete without Grace Baptist Church!

I've had several church homes in the past, but Grace Baptist really takes the cake.

It's been in existence less than a year, but its growing steadily.

What does it take to fall in love with Grace Baptist?

One visit.

That's it.

I've never left a service without something new to think about.

(And I'm that really annoying connoisseur type lady who's been to/listened to a billion sermons and is unimpressed by familial anecdotes, even if watching kids play tag did remind you of 2 Timothy... or something... I don't know... you lost me at that part where you strayed from the Bible for 20 minutes.)

But I'm not the tough customer.

HE is.

Never have we ever been able to completely agree on a church home... until we found Grace Baptist.

We looked and we looked and looked then we found this fantastic little gem.

Not only are the sermons consistently on point and crammed full of 100% Pure Bibley goodness, but the people, oh the people!

I've never met such a warm bunch of folks in one spot.

And at this point I've spent enough time with them to know that it's real.

They have real genuine sweetness in their hearts- not just that saccharin you get when walking past a greeter into a mega church.

Good Sermons+ good people= GREAT church

If Anne Frank could be happy...

The first time I read the line

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy"

in The Diary of Anne Frank I kind of went into shock. I read it over and over in complete awe at the sheer unlikeliness of it all. I mean here was a girl living in an attic, knowing that unimaginable horrors could fall on her at any moment, and she still believed there was beauty in the world, and in being happy. I snagged this fantastic old wood tray at a flea market for a song.

I love painting on random wood objects so much more than on canvas.

Oh, the textures- fantastic!

And honey the price is right!

Unfreeze me when there's a cure for freckles

I was going to write a blog post today, but I can't because I got to ride in one of the new F trains on the way home.

They are air conditioned... extremely well.

And I, of course, was wearing Summer atire. So now I'm cryogenically frozen.

Meh. It happens.