La Sha

A couple of bears at a farm...

2012-01-18T05:28:00.004-05:00

I'm not really a people person, but when I'm feeling ill, (re: right now) I'm especially prone to being a crank. Honestly, I kind of feel like a grouchy old bear trapped in a lady costume.

(Not that it takes illness for me to relate to bear-dom. I know most people would probably like to think that if they were an animal they'd be birds or cats or something sweet, but not me. My animal self would probably be a cranky old Momma bear- hanging out in the mountains by some river ready to tear apart the first person to try and hurt her cub. Also, Winter- I could sleep through it.)

I guess the flip side of that would be my little lady who likes to hang out in her bear costume. These pics were taken at Cooper's tree farm. Geez, from just reading my blog it kind of looks like I spend an inordinate amount of time hanging out at farms, but it's Georgia, so yeah.

Things I Forgot To Mention #3... Water Lily costume

2012-01-17T05:08:00.006-05:00

The thing I forgot to mention about Elsie's water lily Halloween costume... After looking at every single costume for 6-9 month old babes I still couldn't find one I liked, so I got out my sketch pad and drew up a water lily costume. Then I stitched every last stitch with my two tired hands, right down to the little satin booties. It took me over a week to sew but in the end, I think it was so worth it to give my little lady a completely unique, entirely custom made dress to wear for her first Halloween. Also, because she is so tiny, it only took about a yard of fabric to make (not counting some of the details where I used stuff I had on hand.) Which means that I paid A LOT less money than all those crappy ma de-in-China ones in the stores. The white petals were reincarnated from an old work blouse that didn't fit well (ever) and the fluffy underskirt was cut from the bridesmaid dress my mom wore to my aunt's wedding in the late 80's. (Oh, you can bet I've got more plans for that hot pink monster!) For the headband I didn't make any pattern at all- I just free handed it, and I was so thrilled with the results. I loved making the headband so much, that when I get a little free time I want to open an Etsy store selling nothing but unique head gear. I was actually shocked with how much she loved wearing the whole get-up! Maybe it was because she got so much attention- everywhere we went people goo-ed and gah-ed over her! Even the lady working the window in the Wendy's drive through as we stopped for a frosty on our way home exclaimed, "She looks like a flower princess!"

(She's totally playing air guitar.)

As I was undressing her after our little in home photo shoot I couldn't help but pause to take a picture of her looking like one of those Cabbage Patch dolls at Babyland General Hospital with their heads poking out of the cabbage!

Things I Forgot To Mention... about the sunflower outfit

2012-01-14T08:24:00.005-05:00

Did you like Elsie's outfit from the last post?

I forgot to mention that I totally made it.

Well, I made it cute.

Before I go any further in writing this I'd like to take you back about twenty years.

To a Wal-Mart.

In Dawsonville Georgia.

You see kids, back in those days Wal-Marts were not "super". They closed at 9 pm (earlier than that on Sundays), and sold a somewhat limited range of items. (Limited here meaning that you could only buy a shot-gun, tennis balls, a fish-tank, some fish to go in your fish-tank, and some cheap blue jeans- unlike today where you can get all those things AND a ham with Paula Deen's face on it... at 2 am.) Also, back in those days (1991) they ALL sold fabric too- which brings me back to where I'd like to take you- the fabric aisle of a Wal-Mart in 1991: the place where I bought my first fabric. I can't remember what my Memaw (re: Grandmother) had brought me there to buy- in all likelihood some of the aforementioned cheap blue jeans- but I was not leaving without a yard of what I considered to be the most beautiful fabric I'd ever seen. It was red and white gingham- dress weight- with bright blossoming sunflowers printed all over. Memaw asked me what I was going to make with it, and I said, "Everything." I wanted a dress made out of that material. I wanted a shirt covered in those glorious sunflowers. I wanted my bedspread to look like an autumn picnic. And a hat. And shoes, too. Memaw asked me how much of it I wanted and I spread out my arms, and she must have misunderstood me, because a gesture which in I meant to infer a measurement of "infinity" she took as "about a yard". Clearly she didn't understand my deep love of, and grandiose plans for "the most beautiful fabric ever made". Still, to my six year old eyes, a full yard of the stuff looked pretty darn close to infinity. Over that Summer I fretted over what to make. Barbie got a dress made out of the stuff- that goes without saying- then, realizing I didn't have quite enough to upholster my entire room, I sewed a little pillow in the shape of a heart. At this point a third of it was gone! I had to be realllly discerning with what I made next- fortunately that is where my Brad's aunt Johnnie came in. In my eyes there was absolutely nothing she couldn't make, so when she offered to babysit us one day at her house I brought my precious precious sunflower gingham along. Like Memaw before her, she asked me what I wanted to make out of it, and I showed her a picture I had drawn- kind of a rudimentary pattern. On the back was a picture of me wearing the finished product- kind of an insane sunflower covered wedding dress, with a matching giant sunflower covered hat. She looked at the fabric with my jagged zigzag cuts in it where Barbie's dress and my "heart" shaped pillow had come from and broke the news to me- there wasn't enough there do to much with, but she might just be able to get a little sundress out of it for me. I consoled myself to the fact that there would be no giant matching hat and entrusted her ever skillful hands with my prized material. What came out of it was no cinderella-at-the-ball-looking-insane wedding dress, but it was the sweetest little sundress my heart had ever seen. I wore the heck out of it. My mom even bought me a hat with a big silk sunflower glued to the front of it to go with it. Aunt Johnnie put the scraps into a little plastic bag for me, and I kept those scraps in my dresser- I knew someday I would have something I could do with them, but it had to be reallllly good and special to warrant the use of my beloved sunflower gingham.

Years went by, and I moved out, and moved around a dozen more times. Over the years I saw most of my belongs get sold, broken, lost, given away, thrown away, but a few things remained safe in my parent's basement. Then this year I moved back to Georgia and my mom asked me to clean out her basement. That was when I found my tiny bag of scraps that brought back the memory of my very first sewing projects inspired by a material I adored. I emptied the bag and the contents were so few that sewn completely together, you could barely get one quilt square out of it, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it: make something for Elsie. I'd waited years to find something that merited it's use and the time had finally come. I took a pair of plain boys overalls, and stitched it over the bottom cuffs, having to "Frankenstien stitch" in the back a little because I didn't have quite enough of one solid piece, so I had to put a few scraps together in order to go all the way around. I put the last tiny scrap across the front pocket, and finally sewed on a bow made of matching ribbon I had lying around. I knew the outfit wouldn't be complete without a matching hat or something of the sort, so I disassembled a big silk sunflower and stitched it to a strip I cut out of an old red t-shirt to make a headband. Elsie probably has 100 outfits, but this one is my favorite. .

Things I forgot to mention... In October

2012-01-12T02:50:00.009-05:00

In October we went to Burt's pumpkin farm, which, if you live in North Georgia is THE place to go to buy a pumpkin. It's not just about buying a pumpkin, it's the whole "visiting the pumpkin farm" thing. All the cool kids go there. (And by "cool kids" I actually mean dorky parents who get their jollies going places and having wholesome fun with their family).

I really just wanted to go to take pictures of Elsie looking adorable in the giant pumpkin patch, and maybe take the hay ride, where halfway through, the ride stops at a little barn-stage thing and animatronic pumpkin-people things come out and tell you about Jesus. (True story.) I was going to just buy a tiny pumpkin to take home, and paint Elsie's name on or something cute like that, but Grandma and Grandpa insisted on getting us the biggest bestest pumpkin you ever saw.

It took several days of planning and sketching to decide what I wanted to carve out of such an awesome vegetable canvas. At one point it was going to be a cat, at another point I was going to try to do something inspired by my art deco book, but in the end I just sat down with a knife and started carving away until I got a face I was pleased with. My trusty sidekick helped out by pushing errant seeds through the slits in the deck- we'll surely have a pumpkin plant growing under there next year! Then the pumpkin ate her!

But she was pretty happy about it.

It was really warm and I had put a towel down inside the pumpkin to protect her from encountering any lingering pumpkin guts. I don't think anyone sends out cards for Halloween, but wouldn't this just make the cutest Halloween card?

The face I got out of my pumpkin didn't turn out too bad either! I know she's too young to remember her first trip to the pumpkin farm, but hopefully one day she'll enjoy looking at the pictures from such a sweet day!

Things I forgot to mention...

2012-01-12T02:00:00.006-05:00

I joined Blogger in 2006.

I became a regular blogger in 2008.

I wrote constantly.

We moved out of the country, we moved back to the US, we moved to NYC, then we came back to Georgia.

In 2011 Elsie was born and my online presence became a ghost of it's former self, generally consisting of Facebook status updates from my phone while nursing. (Mind you, I never posted updates about nursing, thank you very much.)

Then I got tied up in a writing project of massive proportions, which, sadly, goes yet unfinished.

Then the holidays came, and as they waltzed in, all my free time waltzed out in the flurry to make make make paintings and pillows and ornaments and scarves and frames and wreathes and curtains and candles.

And then suddenly it was 2012, and even though the world *may* end this year (or whatever) I went back to college. Honest to goodness college complete with professors and desks and $200 text books. Oh my!

So here it is the middle of January 2012 and it's after 2 am and I was lying awake in bed thinking of all the things that I'd like to do tomorrow- meet up with a girlfriend, finish a paper (actually, I should probably be working on that right now instead of writing this, but come on- this will only take a minute and besides, what kind of a college student would I be if I didn't have a deep seated love of procrastination?), also fold all the laundry and vacuum the living room made the list but they're both too loud to do right now, and I dare NOT wake my little sleeping beauty or her father.

And as I was lying there in bed thinking of all the things I should have accomplished earlier and everything I want to do tomorrow (hopefully after a little sleep) I realized how much I missed blogging. So I got out of bed and scrolled through my blog's pathetic little posts for the past year, and realized that not only have I missed the writing aspect, but I miss reading my own posts, especially in a year that has brought so much change and joy I can't help but feel a sharp tinge of regret that I didn't document it better, so I'd like to take the next couple of posts and call them "Things I Forgot To Mention..."

Make your own baby food!

2011-09-13T13:15:00.006-04:00

One of the awesome things about living in North Georgia in the Summer is getting fresh fruit and veggies here.

Thanks to our almost weekly visits to Jaemor Farms I have a freezer so full of baby food it could last us till spring.

I know generations of babies have been raised on prepackaged Gerber baby food, and I'm sure it's just fine, but since I'm a stay at home mom now with plenty of time to do things for my baby I love love LOVE to make my daughter's meals from scratch.

Honestly, I just don't appreciate the fact that I have NO IDEA when Gerber food is packaged, who handled it, how clean the machinery is, or how fresh the fruit was when it was processed.

Oh, and those little containers of prepackaged babyfood-

pound for pound they cost MORE than homemade organic food.

Also, I always find a special joy in walking through the rows of fresh veggies at the farm where they were grown, picking out the most beautiful apples, the most perfect peaches, the juiciest pears for my little Elsie.

(You don't get that feeling pulling plastic containers from a grocery store shelf.)

I try to make her food each day on the spot, but sadly, those pretty peaches don't stay pretty for long- so I have to prep them and put them in the freezer. (Elsie, sampling a home-made biscuit).

If you want to make babyfood for your little one too, it's extremely easy:

1st) Rinse your fruit and veggies VERY WELL.

2nd) Most fruits and veggies will need to be peeled- The skin contains most of the pesticides (unless you buy organic)

3rd) Some veggies need to be steamed before you can blend them- carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc... just steam them for a few minutes to soften them, but don't overcook them or you'll lose all the nutrients. Soft fruits like peaches, plums, apples, and avocados don't need to be steamed.

4th) Put them in the a blender (I use a Magic Bullet- not the Baby Bullet, mind you- but a regular blender will work just fine). Blend them until they're smooth.

5th)Pour the puree into ice cube trays and freeze until hard

6th) Store the cubes in plastic ziplock bags or tupperware- make sure to label your babyfood very well- You'll need to mark what's in the bag, and the date you made it because once your freezer starts to fill up, it becomes harder to recall whether those orange cubes are carrots or sweet potatoes. If you're storing your food in tupperware, make sure to use a dry erase marker instead of a sharpie, so you can reuse your boxes. If you don't have a dry erase marker handy, a piece of masking tape works great as a label.

If you think I'm nuts, go try this:

Go buy a fresh peach and a container of peach babyfood.

Put the peach in a blender and taste it.

Tastes like a peach, right?

Now taste the factory-made baby-food.

What's it taste like?

Feet. That's what.

One more bonus- Always having frozen fruit around means you can toss a couple of your fruit cubes in the blender with some ice cream or fro-yo and you have a milkshake or smoothie!

I want to be cooler than tv...

2011-08-29T14:39:00.004-04:00

I have about a bajillion irons in about a bajillion fires right now.

(That I work on exclusively during Elsie's two daily half hour naps. The second she closes her sleepy little eyes a whirlwind of work is unleashed in my studio.)

Here's a peek at one of the smaller projects I'm doing this week: Here, go ahead and have seconds...

Which one is your favorite?

Personally, if I'm going to wear a t-shirt, it might as well have a dinosaur on it.

Also, I can't get enough of this guy and his happy folky music:

I know you didn't just scroll on past that video.

Click it!

Watch it!

Learn the lyrics and sing it to your kids...

Especially when you're trying to get them to sleep so you can work on stuff that's way less important then them!

It will get stuck in your head and make you a slightly better person because of it's residence there!

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I want to hold up my head with dignity, proud of a life where to give means more than to take.

I wanna be cooler than t.v. For all the kids that are wondering what they are going to be We can be stronger than bombs If you're singing along and you know that you really believe We can be richer than industry As long as we know that there's things that we don't really need We can speak louder than ignorance Cause we speak in silence every time our eyes meet.

You can take a different road to the same place.

2011-08-22T12:04:00.007-04:00

In New York City, I somehow managed to live, work, and play for two years without making any real lasting friendships. I didn't know anyone who was

1) My age

2) Married

3) Enjoyed church more than clubbing.

All of which are pretty much pre-requisite for being a friend of mine, because, believe me,

who you surround yourself with matters.

It's kind of remarkable really- In NYC I encountered hundreds of people every day, but connected with no one.

Now that I'm back in GA it's completely flipped. I'm home almost all day every day, and I encounter less than a dozen people a week (not counting church) but almost each and every one of those people are near and dear to my heart.

If my house were to burn down while I went to the mailbox I could walk a mile in any direction and find a close friend or relative.

Coming back to Georgia has also given me a chance to reconnect with friends I haven't gotten to see since we left the country years ago. It's so great to rediscover old friends, and remember why I loved them so much!

Of course, there are the occasional grocery store run ins with folks I kind of wish would fall off the face of the Earth.

(Bless their hearts).

But the lady at the post office (Doris) knows my name, and I have to plan weekends well in advance to make sure I have enough time for every one to get together.

There are some people who, no matter how much time passes since we last spoke, I'll still want to be friends with.

With a very small group of people, I can pick right up where we left off.

Some people are just classic.

This is me and my friend Mrs B when she was still Miss J and I was Miss L circa 1997 at Skate Country. 14 years later we are still totallllly awesome.

And so are our kids!

Why I Do What I Do: PART2

2011-08-04T11:07:00.004-04:00

He asked me why I paint

I didn't really know how to answer.

I could not paint?

Since I first picked up a brush the thought hadn't occurred to me.

Why do I paint?

I tried to come up with a coherent answer.

My mind went back to when I lived in St Maarten.

In a tiny apartment in Cupecoy.

My car got stolen, and it wasn't safe to walk anywhere after dark.

I paint because some Haitian guys stole my car?

Little boxes watercolors were cheap at Van Dorp.

I paint because a dutch art shop was having a sale?

Peter could study all night long and I wouldn't mind that we didn't have cable because those long quiet hours flew by when I was trying to get the shades just right.

I paint because my hands just naturally seemed to understand how to move the brush.

I paint because it's easy?

I paint because it's natural?

He could see me kind of floundering to give an answer, so he changed the question a little.

When you start a painting is it for someone in particular?

Do you paint for yourself or for others?

Me.

All me.

Little pieces of my soul are tucked away in the brushstrokes.

There's a story behind every canvas.

Each piece is a mile marker on this (literal) journey I've been on for years.

It's taken me abroad.

It's brought me home.

It's blown me to the city, and swept me to a small town.

Some mark miles of darkness and depression,

some joy and friendship

love

motherhood

It's all there

for anyone to see

my story laid bare in cyan and chartreuse.

I do what I do because it's what I was made for.

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I plan to tell the very true stories behind the paintings here in the next few weeks.

Why I do what I do.

2011-08-03T12:09:00.005-04:00

"The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career. " — C.S. Lewis

I can't put my daughter in daycare.

Not won't.

Simply can't.

My head, my heart, my entire being rejects the idea.

Being away from Elsie for more than a couple hours actually causes me pain.

Physical pain.

I become so anxious that my stomach churns, my head hurts, and my chest aches. I know women all over the world drop their babies off every day on their way to work, but I can't. I guess I'm not as strong as them. or something.

That is why I'm determined to contribute to our family's finances without leaving my daughter for hours on a daily basis.

Right now, I've got a list of over 100 things that I intend to do to ensure this endeavor is a success.

I'm only on step 7.

Yikes, I've got a long way to go, and a lot of work ahead of me.

But it's worth it, if it means I never have to let that little lady out of my sight.

How To: Make an awesome Etsy Banner

2011-08-02T10:50:00.003-04:00

Having a great banner for your Etsy shop might not make your shop an instant success, but it definitely doesn't hurt to have one that's awesome.

Your banner is like the shirt your shop wears.

What is it saying about you?

Is it saying that you are awesome, unique, and clever?

Is it saying that you really don't give a dern?

After settling more often than I'd like to admit on banners that really weren't very good (they were always blurry, or dull, poor quality, cookie cutter, hard to read, or infested with termites.) I think I've finally found a formula to make one that's just right (at least for me), and easily changed with the seasons or what have you.

And so I present to you

How I Made My Awesome Etsy Banner

First and foremost, keep in mind is that your banner is short and fat. It's supposed to be 760 x 100 pixels, but don't worry about that right now. I like to draw my banner out by hand. This is what my rough sketch looked like:

2) Next, I ran it through the scanner.

3) Time to croppity crop crop.

Now Etsy says to make it 760 x 100 pixels. Now I say phooey on this because EVERY SINGLE TIME I've ever uploaded a banner of this size it has been blurry and degraded, no matter how high res the original was. So, this is the absolute most important thing you can do:

Crop your image to 1140 x 150 pixels.

Do it!

Your mom called me and said it was ok.

This will keep your image from getting blurry & degraded. There is nothing worse than spending hours creating what you think is the perfect banner only to find that it looks nothing like the masterpiece you worked so hard on, after you've uploaded it.

Step 3) Once you've got your sketch cropped, open it up with your favorite photo editing software- I prefer paint.net but you can use whatever you're comfortable with.

Next, crank the contrast alllllll the way up.

Crank the brightness as far up as you can without losing too much quality.

Crank the contrast alll the way up AGAIN.

At this point you should have a pretty clean line drawing.

You can use this as your banner if you like black and white or you can use the "fill" tool to color your image in.

My banner is just a mish-mosh of the swirls that are in a lot of my paintings behind my store name, so I saved a copy of the black and white image, and now whenever I want to make a theme change, I can just recolor it. Come Christmas time, I can turn the banner red and green, or go patriotic for the fourth of July.

Hurrah for simple and easy customization!

Doing The New Banner Boogie

2011-07-31T22:02:00.006-04:00

What do you think of my new shop banner?

I know it's just an ink sketch, but I plan to buy a little canvas and get my monotone swirl on with this basic design concept.

This works for now, though and I feel like it's better than my old one- it always made me a little sad, because it featured a painting I made a while back that I really loved... that I sold.

Yay!

(and sigh.)

I was really tempted to leave the old banner up, and put off installing the new one until I had a more polished piece, but like my catalyst agent buddy warns, I don't want to

ruin good with perfect.

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Elsie took an extra long nap this afternoon, so I got a little editing done.

This is a slightly more finished version:

What do you think?

Writing this counts as action!

2011-07-31T16:38:00.008-04:00

If you look to the right side of the screen, you'll see a list called

"Blogs I Actually Read".

A more accurate title would be

Blogs I Can't Wait To Read

because the second one of these is updated I can't help but pounce on their site. Long time followers of this here lil old blog may (or may not) notice that there have been some changes to that list recently.

For one, I removed the Blog of Paul Kyser. After two years of hoping his link would read "Updated yesterday" I finally had to give up. After confirming the death of the blog with the author himself, of course, just to make aaaaaabbbbsolutely certain that the day after I deleted my link and never ever ever went back there ever again, that he does, in fact, have no intention whatsoever of writing there again in the near future.

Also, you'll notice a few additions- there's the blog of my good friend, Elsie's fairy godmother, Skye. Her blog is called Life Is A Carnival. It doesn't always get updated often, but when it does, it's always worth the read. (Elsie looks pretty comfy on Skye's lap. Little Awesome looks like he's about to grab some baby toes!)

And then there's her husband, Da Godfatha, (That's an ItalianAmerican accent there- did you get it?) with his better business blog, aptly titled

A Better Way of Business | Showing businesses and people a better way. I think the name says it all. Yesterday, we had our first meeting about how to get my business going. really going. So now I have about 100 hours of homework, which I'll try to squeeze into Elsie's two nap times a day. I think if I really follow his advice I can turn "Oh wow! I got a sale today" into "Oh wow! I got soooo many sales today!"

It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of not watching t.v., and maybe a little help/patience from Dr A, but more than anything, like Ivan says, it's going to take

ACTION.

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If you're reading this and you have a blog, leave a comment and we can link to each others' blog- building an encouraging community is on my list of actions I'm working on!

----------------Post post edit---------------------------------

If you don't like hearing me talk about businessy stuff and only like the baby stuff b/i/s. They've really got me pumped about getting this art show on the road. Also, don't worry, I plan to keep this blog mostly cute and cuddly and keep 99% of the art stuff elsewhere.

LoveAboveAll now has a Facebook Fan page!

2011-07-29T23:50:00.004-04:00

	LoveAboveAll is about seeking out what/who/where you love. It's about putting that love first, above all else.

LoveAboveAll began in May of 2008 when artist La Sha Ackerman realized she had more art than she could possibly hang. The call to create is a passionate love which refuses to relent. It is a hurricane of the brain that leaves behind a trail of beauty, exalting that which is most loved in life- beauty, travel, friends, music, and the magic in every day life. And labradors. Cause they're awesome.

LoveAboveAll is the studio name of Georgia native, former ex-patriot, chronic traveler, wife, baby-maker, book-reader, harp-player, painter, Jesus-follower, and tomato-grower La Sha Ackerman. Click here to become a fan!

Grandpa Claus Brought Christmas in July

2011-07-24T22:45:00.004-04:00

This is what a lucky little girl looks like: If you were to describe Santa to Elsie, she would probably be all, "dude, I totally know that guy! We eat dinner together once a week, and he never minds when I drool on him- he's my grandpa!"

(If she could talk, that is).

Last week my parents took the tiny Miss A on a toy shopping spree, which resulted in her getting pretty much one of everything marked "6 months+".

Her little world has never been so musical and bright.

Two Tacky Mamas #1

2011-07-22T21:27:00.005-04:00

Long ago

In a galaxy far far away

Two uniquely fashionable women tried on hideous clothes,

laughed till they almost peed their (high-water parachute) pants,

strategized how to improve said hideous clothes,

and talked about starting a blog on the topic

(which, for the time being, will just be incorporated into this here old blog I've been writing for years)

And so, without further ado, I bring you the very first installment of

Two Tacky Mamas

Episode #1: The Case of the 1990's Maternity Dress of Horror

Mrs A pulled thousands of feet of velvet trimmed denim from a box of hand-me-downs.

"Holy-mother-of-all-PTA-moms!" Mama D exclaimed.

At first glance it seemed as if Mrs A was holding a denim bed sheet, but if you stood back a few feet and let your eyes carefully refocus, it became apparent that the king-size bed sheet was in fact a dress.

A maternity dress.

From the 90's.

It was a sartorial black hole capable of completely sucking you in,

and crushing you with such copious denim,

and a velvet collar,

and velvet cuffs,

oh my.

Mrs A took a deep breath, wrestled the beast to the ground, and cut off the menacing crushed velvet bits-

veritably chopping the the sleeves in half.

Then, in order to give her ankles some breathing room, she cut off about a thousand inches of fabric, to give the creature that now more closely resembled a dress a more fashionable hem-line.

Next, where once lived a massive heavy black velvet collar, now was just a savage raw cut, which Mrs A neatly turned rolled and hemmed.

The same treatment went to the fray-full sawed off sleeves, which were then folded to above the elbow.

Then the tiny princess woke up from her tiny nap, signaling the end of Mrs A's crafty time, and the beginning of dinner time. So Mrs A donned the now streamlined carcass of the 90's nightmare and enjoyed some time grilling on the deck.

And they all lived (and dressed) happily ever after.

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If you'd like to see The Ackermans in some photos that are actually decent for a change, go here, 'Like' Swell Studio's page and then vote for us by Liking the pic of us you see there. Since either Dr or Mrs A are almost always the one behind the camera, there are virtually no good pictures of them together with tiny miss A, so winning this would be a real treat!

-------------------Post Post Edit----------------------------

Your turn Mama D!

The past five months

2011-07-17T12:13:00.005-04:00

I haven't really been writing for the past five months.

I've been a little busy.

These past five months have been

the most exhausting

the messiest

the snuggliest

the loudest

the kissiest

The happiest months of my life!

The Best Thing In The World:

2011-07-17T00:18:00.004-04:00

The best thing in the world is

holding you in my arms

when you smile in your sleep

how you laugh when I tickle your tummy

the way you smell when I kiss you goodnight

how happy you are when you bounce in your jumperoo

watching you sleep in your little swing a few feet away while I write this

The best thing in the world is:

you.

On and on and on

2011-02-07T20:57:00.006-05:00

Dear Little Daughter of Mine,

You have the best of everything waiting for you:

a super loving family

the coolest of baby toys

the gentlest pets

a closet full of the cutest clothes

hand-stitched quilts and hello kitties

and everything else a little girl could ask for.

So come on out whenever you're ready cause your due date has come and gone, and I can't wait to hold you in my arms.

Love,

Mom

P.S. If you ever wonder if your dad loves you- know this: he read the instructions. For you, the knowing-it-all-est man alive followed all the directions in the manual for putting together your things to make absolutely certain he put everything together just right to protect your tiny toes and fingers. That's looooove.

On Names

2011-02-04T20:37:00.005-05:00

Almost none of my paintings have proper names, so I end up referring to them by the subject followed by the medium, but this one has a name

(because Peter named it):

The Creepy Tree I don't really think it's that creepy though. I suppose if I'd used a different color scheme it would have conveyed an entirely different sentiment while still expressing a complicated/solitary subject.

------------------------Post Edit/ more hormone induced crankiness------------------

If a pregnant woman tells you what she has decided will definitely be her child's name, please, for the love of all that is rolly, DON"T proceed to tell her about everyone you know with the same name, what you think of all those name-sharing folks, every possible nickname and how you think it should be spelled. Sure, outwardly the pregnant woman might smile and nod and say "how interesting" but inside she is a bear and you are a hiker with a backpack full of granola and honey.

On the phone

2011-02-03T14:21:00.006-05:00

I recently googled "What I wish someone had told me before I went into labor" hoping to find some nugget of knowledge that would help me in some way. Unfortunately, all I found was trivia that, well, lets face it, the moms who'd written really SHOULD have already known. Come on, people- you have 9 months to read up on this stuff!

Something I would like to share with the general pregnant population is this:

Turn off your cell phone,

because, in your last week your phone will look like this: and every message/ call will be the exact same, and you will want to, but not be able to, say the exact same things over and over and over:

Hiiii! Have you had the baby yet?

Nope, not yet

How are you feeling?

Awesome, thanks! (aside from the excruciating back pain, swollen feet, nausea, headaches and insomnia)

What did your doctor say?

She'll be born when she's ready. (Actually, that's a summation of a twenty minute conversation about my cervix).

Anything I can do to help out?

Nope, we're completely ready, when she is. (But feel free to come over and cook dinner without judging me for wearing the hideous pineapple print housedress I bought in the caribbean for about the millionth day in a row.)

Well, make sure you call me when you go into labor!

Absolutely! (Because I definitely want to be annoyed when I'm trying to have a baby).

--------------------------------------------------------------

So, really, the bottom line is, turn off your cell phone during the last week of pregnancy. You'll avoid a whole bunch of aggravation, and you won't feel compelled to return the gazillion missed calls/ messages because really, the people who call during that last week can be split into two groups: and those who really need to talk to you will find other ways that doesn't involve driving you crazy.

----------------------POST EDIT-------------------------

I don't know if this is how it is for everyone, but Pregnancy week #40 finds me exhausted, in pain, swollen from head to toes, and just generally super duper cranky. Why do so many people want to chat with such a miserable creature?

On 127 Hours

2011-01-31T10:57:00.004-05:00

This past weekend I went with The Ackerkids to see 127 Hours- the true story about Aron Ralston, the hiker who had to cut off his arm to save his life.

I have to admit to liking it much more than I thought I would.

To me, it served as reminder of the strength of the human spirit.

We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

What's more amazing to me, than his acurrately assessing the situation as do (cut off his arm) or die and taking the extreme measures he did, was his life after the accident.

You should go see the movie to see what I mean, but trust,

it's joyous.

-------------------------Post Edit-----------------------------

A lot of times when I see a movie and it has cussing in it, I think "Was that really neccessary?" Because a lot of movies could be enjoyed by younger audiences if only the language weren't so vulgar. But after watching 127 Hours I can't help but think that if it were the true story of La Sha Ackerman being stuck under a rock for almost a week that it would have waaaay more expletives. Seriously, you'd only be able to show it in movie theaters in Las Vegas after 11:00.

On Stuff On My Husband

2011-01-13T16:49:00.005-05:00

In a lot of homes The Man gets the best seat in the house.

In our home Dr A. apparently is the best seat in the house.

On Napping and Nesting

2011-01-12T22:16:00.004-05:00

Last year I was living in NYC and went to work in a foot of snow.

This year I'm living in Georgia and four measly inches of the white stuff has had everyone snowed in.

Even if you have the gumption to crank up your four wheel drive and get out on the completely unplowed and unsalted roads, there is nowhere to go because everything is closed.

It has been awesome having a few days to enjoy just spending time with my husband and indulging the increasingly overwhelming nesting instinct.

Never before have I felt the need to use every single attachment that came with my vacuum cleaner; but suddenly I find it imperative that all intake and outtake vents in the house be vacuumed thoroughly, all ceiling corners be inspected and deemed spider web-less, and you know that super skinny attachment?

You can use it to get all the dust out from the area UNDER the television.

I know Dr A., lover of glass topped desks and 90 degree angles, is certainly enjoying this new trend, even if it does mean being asked to heft heavy things all over the house.

On the flip side, though, being trapped in the house for four days straight with an extremely pregnant lady exposes him to all sorts of things he'd probably be able to avoid if only he were at work.

For example I can't hide my narcolepsy from him if he's going to be home all day.

Since I only get about 3 hours of sleep during the night these days due to constantly being woken up by the extreme urge to pee combined with a routine of 4 am nausea and just a general running wild of the mind when everything is still and quiet, I find taking a hundred little naps during the day essential to normal functioning.

(Don't ask me how I get through work days. It generally involves a lot of tongue-biting and by the end of the day an inability to see straight).

Lately my routine has become sort of...

Wake up, eat breakfast, nap, take a shower, nap, check e-mails and Etsy sales, nap, wash laundry, nap, start folding the newly cleaned laundry but then fall asleep on the couch sitting up with the tv on because the clothes are warm and smell good and unintentionally spend the rest of the day there, until someone calls or rings the door bell or until a tiny uterus dwelling creature decides its time to give the old bladder a kick.

Also, since we've both been home... together... all day... for days now, when normally neither of us would be here, our house has taken up a new motto. Actually I guess it's more of a mantra, since it's less of a credo and just something that has become a repeated statement within our household micro-society:

"I was going to eat that!"

Whether it's the lone orange straggling in the produce drawer or the bottom of a jar of mayo- nothing is exempt as a cause to exert the decree of an intention of being consumed by one or (usually) both parties.

Let's hope tomorrow is sunny!

Meditation and Creation: Week 37

2011-01-11T23:03:00.006-05:00

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. ~ Psalm 139:13-16

---------------------------------------------------------------

Before I sit down in front of the easel

before I ever open a tube of paint

before I even buy the sheet of canvas

I know what I'm going to create.

I can close my eyes and see it.

Finished.

Framed.

Often times the painting takes turns and twists along the road to completion and becomes something different than I had intended, but paint never touches brush until it has a destination.

As the day that I'll get to meet my daughter draws nearer and nearer I can close my eyes and imagine what she'll look like- this ultimate creation of my life- and speculate on what personality traits she may inherit, but ultimately, her finished and framed life is as much a mystery to me as it will be to her. The best I can hope for is to nurture the joy that revealing the mysteries can bring. From the day she discovers her tiny little toes to the day she discovers her true love and beyond; what she uses this pre-ordained canvas for will be incredibly, and uniquely, her own to reveal.

Home sweet home

2010-12-05T01:13:00.001-05:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

but teh fires iz so deliteful

Cats know that the sole reason you split firewood, vacuum the floor, wash the pillows and build a fire is to appease your bitey overlord.

Be Thou My Vision

2010-10-19T08:54:00.003-04:00

Be Thou My Vision

Ancient Irish hymn, possibly from the 8th Century, tr. by Mary E. Byrne

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3. Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight, Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight. Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower. Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

4. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5. High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Lol Pretty Purple was sliding away from me the whole time- I should've picked a less slippery chair!

Art aRt arT

2010-10-15T20:56:00.002-04:00

Say you're looking for some art, like the kind made of paint and dreams. and animals. Then you should probably go here:

www.thelifeartistic.webs.com

Five and a half months

2010-10-06T14:20:00.004-04:00

What does being 22 weeks pregnant mean?

Today it means trying on all the clothes I own and realizing

I own 12 pairs of jeans/ khakis

Approximately 4 of them will still pull up over my hips.

Exactly none of them will zip up or button.

I think it's time to go shopping.

Thank heaven for stretch pants, or I'd have to go to the store half nude.

and thank heavens for Dale Evans

This is the song I find stuck in my head every time I go shopping.

Also, singing cowboys make my day.

Secrets of the circus tent

2010-09-11T18:50:00.005-04:00

Peter and I don't have many "couple friends"

I suspect it's because we're odd folks on a life track most people have a hard time keeping up with.

We are a couple on wheels (Lord knows I was born with mine) always on the go,

always willing to follow the arrows that point the way to dreams,

where ever they take us,

because, no matter what, everything is held together by faith,

and we always get by.

We do what we have to, and blow kisses to our past as we wave goodbye

again and again

and move on to the next part of our lives

with only each other in tow.

UNTIL NOW

because in a few months our traveling circus will gain a tiny magician.

and until her grand magical appearing act we're hunkering down in a North Georgia town that is positively crawling with relatives, and old friends.

It's the only place I know where she could get the welcome he deserves.

Until that day, all I can do is try not to worry, and instead choose to wonder

Will she be blond like his dad or brunette like me?

Will she have big dark eyes, or Peter's gold flecked blues?

Since I'm always cold and Peter's always hot, will she be juuusst right?

Only a few things can be known for sure-

as sure as the sun rises in the East she'll be born with wheels, always rolling alongside, as we continue this journey Peter and I set out on when we were still kids ourselves.

She will be pale pale pale.

and finally, and most importantly

She will be insanely ridiculously intensely completely

loved

__________________________________________

Below is a repost of one of my favorite posts ever. I don't generally repost, but given the current situation certain things could use reiterating:

Dr and Mrs A

-married 6 7 years

-moved ~~7 (soon to be 8)~~ 8 times

-survived high school

-survived undergrad

-survived medical school

- said "adios!" to 99% of our earthly possessions twice

-survived fast food jobs, night shift jobs, ultra-demanding overtime-all-the-time jobs and life without jobs

-survived living in a foreign country

-survived trying to restore an old as dirt cottage

-Survived living in a teeeeny tiny Caribbean apartment, and an even tinier one in NYC

- survived 1000 pointless fights

- and 100000 odious puns

- has taken hundreds of walks with our pup

Even though....

-He's science... ...and I'm art

-He's digitally generated compositions and I'm folk

- he's video games and I'm crosswords

-because after almost a decade of hanging out together we still both think the other is cool and fun and interesting

-because we have a strong mutually shared belief system

-because when one of us is all "this sucks and I can't stand it" the other is always "it's going to be ok! We'll be fine without any of our stuff/living a million miles from home/ after we bury the dead cat/ completely broke/ with no privacy. We'll get through it."

-Because we know God won't give us more than we can handle.

- Because at this point we're fairly used to living by the skin of our teeth

Because we're awesome

One more day up in the canyon.

2010-08-28T00:15:00.003-04:00

"I always heard the best delies are in the lower east side, and theres a store that sells nothing but gourmet homemade pickles, too."

"Sweet! I love homemade pickles. Lets go there for lunch!"

"Nah, I never could find it."

"Why don't you just Google it?"

"Because there is absolutely no way I'm going to Google 'pickle store'."

I think, of all the gazillions of pictures I have, this one sums up Peter and La Sha the best.

So much is going on right now, I don't even know where to begin.

Ironically, right now I have more blog posts than ever, yet am posting at almost my slowest rate ever.

I am a busy and excruciatingly tired lady.

In a couple of weeks there'll probably be a blogsplosion of wordiness.

I've been working on a series of essays that I'm tentatively calling "Things I Swore I'd Never Blog About". Tantalizing, n'est pas?

Also, I've pretty much finished up the Fierce Flora series. Unfortunately, plastic wrap and cardboard is safely secured around all the vines and blossoms, and they probably won't be making their debut for a few weeks.

I've got lots of NYC pictures dragging along too, that I'll get to posting sometime. Though I could be living in Timbuktu by the time I feel caught up.

Caught up- isn't that a nice thought.

Speaking of feelings and not-sureness, I've been ultra-contemplative lately and I can't quiet put my finger on how I feel about NYC. It's a place I simultaneously never want to spend another day in and that I never want to leave. There's a mixture of regret when thinking of it in the rearview and joy in looking ahead. It's a place that has so much more to offer a creative young lady than anywhere else on this planet, and I can't help but feel like I never made the most of it. Surviving takes so much effort that looking up and making the most of the opportunities that may be waiting for you seems like an option best put off till tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Was a big break waiting for me, but I was just too busy, too tired, too frazzled to notice? I'll never know- that's the stinger on the hornet of regret.

The only thing to do is to look ahead, because I have no doubt that what waits in the future is more amazing than everything in the past.

Even though it's September, there's an air of New Years Eve hanging around. The Christmas-esque frenzy of deciding what I really want (to keep, to do) is over and now I can enjoy a couple days merriment. Starting over (yet again)- I want this year to be full of intention (even if it isn't really a new year). And like on the precipice of every New Year, resolutions abound:

Be more focused.

Live more simply.

Work less.

Ignore everything and everyone that adds stress.

But more than anything- to just SLOOOW DOWN.

I have so much to not do, and I can't wait till I can get started not doing it. Until then, I just have to make it through this long faux December.

"... a lot of oysters, but no pearls."

Yep, that pretty much sums up my NYC experience.

Job security

2010-08-18T23:22:00.003-04:00

Job security:

I haz it.

Bet these guys don't hang around your workplace.

God bless the guys (and sometimes gals who defend us (Americans, New Yorkers) from the crazies who'd love to do us in.

Evening Govna!

2010-08-15T23:21:00.009-04:00

As our time in New York comes to an end I'm trying to fit in as much fun as possible (on my oh so very rare days off).

So Doctor A and I hopped on the ferry to Governor's Island to enjoy a free show featuring my fave singer (you know who she is- re: previous post!)

(I just noticed that the guy standing up in the middle of this picture is Josh Kaufman- click to enlarge!)

Unfortunately, the island's website is very misleading about the availability of food there. The only thing open when we got there was one lone food cart that turned out to be mostly a mirage- nothing the kindly lady had left to proffer even remotely registered as food- there is not enough Pepto Bismal in the world to entice me to eat jerk chicken from a cart.

So we roamed the place for a while like a couple of hungry dogs, until finally giving up and trudging into the music venue- where, Heaven be praised, we got friendly like with a couple delicious right off the grill burgers and all was well with the world again.

We found a primo supreemo spot amongst the electric palm trees over looking pretty little Gotham and got ready for the show, which did not disappoint! (Except that Dawn And The Hound's set was much too short.) They did play "Straight Lines", though, which pretty much made my century.

(Cutest concert outfit ever! Where do you even find something so awesome?)

And, oh, Justin Townes Earle! Lord how I love his music. However, I've got to say- this was the first time I heard him live and there is just something strongly disingenuous about his onstage persona.

Unfortunately by the time Mr Ritter took the stage I wasn't feeling so hot and we decided that since we both had to work in the morning we might as well set sail for home.

Post Edit: One thing that I absolutely adore about the quirky Dr Ackerman is that whenever we're going to the beach, instead of wearing a t-shirt or other casual wear, he dons khaki cargos and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Best outfit ever. (Does it remind you of Ethan Crane? It reminds me of Ethan Crane, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that ever watched that show.)

You can stand me up at the gates of Hell, but I won't back down

2010-08-11T22:46:00.005-04:00

From Young Folks:

"It doesn't matter where we're going.

It doesn't matter what we do.

We'll just stick around

and see this life through." I think that may be my favorite cover ever.

Nope actually, this song is:

-----------------post edit-------------------------

My senior class voted Tom Petty's "Free Falling" to be the graduation song. awesome. Btw, the vids posted above aren't much for the watching, but the tunes are sweeeeet.

less is more

2010-08-06T21:23:00.007-04:00

I want one of those big gold necklaces that are popular with Latina chicks, but instead of spelling out my name I want it to read

"I'm aware you have an opinion

but I'm not interested in hearing it."

I don't know if the flea market jeweler will be able to fit all that in though, so maybe I should just get one that says "hush!".

Hmmm, my latina-jewlery-advice-dodging plan smacks of bad attitude, so maybe I should just stick with my old aversion tactic that's as follows; anytime someone starts in on me for something random, or goes on unwarranted advice tirades, or is really negative, or just makes me uncomfortable in any way, I try to find something (positive) about them to talk about. It works. every time. because the only thing obnoxioius people love more than giving someone a hard time is talking about themselves.

"You shouldn't eat dried pineapple- they preserve it with sulphur dioxide, you know. I only buy organic. You should shop at WholeFoods. "

"WOW you shop at WholeFoods, you must live in town, I bet you love living in the center of everything, how's your parking situation?".

Obnoxious tirade ended and further food snobbery averted.

(Sulphur dioxide is completely harmless and naturally occurring btw.)

Do you know what else annoys me and drives me crazy and thrills me and gives me absolute peace? painting. Here's a new one. I'm not sure how she fits into the "Fierce Flora" theme. Meticulous flora, studious flora, somber flora- any would be more appropriate I think.

You probably can't tell, but it's a close up of a Peony- my absolute favorite of all flowers.

They are such silly flowers- big round blossoms on skinny stalks you soak in warm water to open. A sensible flower would die in warm water, but peonies just blossom and smell like heaven.

Where you gonna go with a heart that gone?

2010-08-04T13:21:00.003-04:00

I've been sorting my Earthly possessions into three categories:

Boxes= keep

(Favorite clothes, expensive art supplies- liquefied pumice ain't cheap ya know- finished paintings, books I could read more than once, and doodles from my doctor.)

Garbage bags= throw away

(Failed art projects, things I always said I'd fix but I know deep down I won't, shoes I loved the soles right off of, a million miscellaneous things I gathered as art supplies but which now must return to their true identity as garbage- broken calculators I'm talking to you- and clothes simultaneously luxuriously comfortable yet so ugly a hobo would be embarrassed to be seen in public in them- Legends of the Confederacy t-shirt, that means you

Bags with a ribbon tied on= give away

(Books I bought that never quite made it into my heart- don't worry Watership Down, you're safe-a warm but ugggly man's wool coat I got at a flea market before I got my down-filled LL Bean dream, extra sunglasses, clothes that are too small, too trendy, too uncomfortable, or "unlucky"- if I have a really bad day in a particular shirt I will almost never wear it again- weird, I know, but that's how it's been since middle school. Maybe for someone else, my cute cable knit tan sweater won't be such a bane.)

Purging my possessions always takes me back to the other times I've been through this- in distant places, basements, foreign countries, trying to convince myself I won't miss my junk, like I won't miss the friends I've made or the family members left behind, like I won't miss my favorite local restaurants, and all the other things you take for granted when you live someplace long enough to get comfortable. Orthodox Jewish little boys on skateboards, there are none of you anywhere else I've lived. Doorman who is crazy about Radar, who ALWAYS asks if it's OK to pet him even though we see you every single day, it cracks me up how you always want to hug my white dog even though you wear a solid black suit and end up covered in dog hair- I would take you with us. But I can't; you and the kosher deli and the hipster Brooklynites will all be staying here in NYC.

with one third of my stuff.

If this song doesn't get your feet stomping, then you're probably a robot, which is also cool.

**********************Post Edit*************************************

Holy run-on-sentences Batman! I think I must be channeling Jack Kerouac.

I get points for using public transportation, right?

2010-08-03T14:55:00.004-04:00

"Karate Kid, A-Team the movie, Robocop Reborn, The Tron movie; what next, Captain Planet The Movie?"

"Wouldn't be the worst callback film."

"Actually, I loved that show! I reeeeaaalllly wanted to be a planeteer, and save dolphins and stuff."

"Funny, cause you're the one that leaves all the lights on and runs the shower for half an hour before getting in.

I guess you kind of took that whole planeteer thing in the opposite direction, huh?"

I was looking for the Captain Planet theme song- what I found was chilling evidence of how the Gulf oil spill really happened.

Also, I never realized that Whoopi Goldberg was Gaia.

home-sick V. sick-sick

2010-07-04T15:10:00.003-04:00

On the fourth

last year

I watched the fireworks over Chateau Elan with my family

I watched a steam engine parade in Dawsonville that inexplicably is focused on the Confederacy.

I watched a couple hundred of my relatives get together for a mass potluck.

I watched my Grandpa slowly losing to cancer.

This year I'm in NYC

Camped out on the couch, feeling equal parts home-sick and sick-sick.

Home-sickness is confusing when you've tumbled as much as this little stone has.

In my fevery pityparty there are strings pulling my heart to the familiarity of family and small backwoods towns,

and also abroad to a big open apartment on a hill- ocean breezes and the sound of waves, and good friends always afoot.

Also, there's an odd vague home-sickness for the road. Where stagnant wandering shoes can shake of the dust and get life moving again on to the next step.

Today it's the fourth of July, 2010.

I'm watching a baseball game and tangoing with consciousness.

Looking just out my window I saw my Haccidic neighbors setting up an awning an table then I fell asleep.

Now I can watch them having a cookout that looks more like a see-who-can-grow-the-best-beard-competition.

Happy fourth

silly band fans

2010-06-21T21:41:00.001-04:00

I know...

we r silly

wierd little things that stick with you

2010-06-20T23:58:00.006-04:00

Getting braces is kind of awful.

Especially if you're already an extraordinarily awkward self conscious young teen girl.

I got my braces on a Monday.

I'm sure it was a Monday, because we had dinner at my Grandpa Frank's house, just like EVERY Monday.

Sometimes we ordered pizza, sometimes roast beef sandwiches, but when the vegetable garden was in full swing you could bet your bottom dollar we'd be having what papa Frank clearly considered to be the only correct formula for a meal:

1 meat + 2 vegetables + biscuits + dessert

The favored meat was chicken in gravy- a recipe he'd gotten from a Campbell's soup can and taped to the back of a cabinet, the biscuits were from a can, but always hot out of the oven, dessert: strawberries or Pecan Sandies.

The vegetables were out of the garden- thin sliced fried okra, or cantaloupe, but on this particular night like many others, it was fresh corn on the cob.

I, the posterchild of all moody unhappy teenage girls, declared my teeth hurt and that I wasn't going to eat anything. My mom tried to bend me to her evil evil will of sitting inside and enjoying a delicious dinner with the family, but in the end I escaped to the deck with a book where I read a paperback and sulked about the misery of life and dentistry.

A couple minutes later my Brad brought me out a plate. He could've just brought me a fork and knife, but instead he took the time to cut the corn off the cob so I could eat it without hurting my teeth.

He did that every single time we had corn at a family dinner all 5 years I had braces.

I never had to ask.

Like a thousand other times, he just did what a good dad would do.

Happy Father's Day.

I need a fresh set of drawers.

2010-06-14T13:59:00.006-04:00

I wandered the back streets of Queens regularly when I was working as a delivery girl (years ago). One day, after schlepping 5 dozen roses to an elderly Jewish lady in a building where the doorman wouldn't let me use the main elevator, I skulked slowly back to work down some intentionally crooked streets avoiding the boulevard, until I came to the turnpike.

That was when I saw it.

A perfect beautiful antique sewing desk sitting next to crippled Ikea end tables and the other cast offs sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the garbage man.

After work I enlisted Peter's help and we tried our best to load it into the Sunfire.

It was gorgeous, ancient, in perfect condition and there was no possible way to get it home.

Finally, we abandoned the treasure and went home. Only, some of the drawers were still in the trunk.

Beautiful solid wood, tongue-in-groove construction, most likely hand constructed little drawers.

So... I banged them apart.

and painted on them.

and now I need more.

Only, you can't go to Michaels and pick up turn of the century wooden bits.

So, if you see me eyeing the junk on the sidewalk extra hard, it's just cause I'm looking for a fresh set of drawers.

a sartorial post of my very own

2010-06-06T00:05:00.009-04:00

I was walking down a busy street in Philadelphia with the Ackerman Medical Squad (Dr Peter and nurse Jamie) when something happened to me that had never happened before:

A gorgeous fashionista walked up to me and said "I LOVE your outfit!"

The thing that makes this story awesome is that everything I was wearing had been dug out of clearance sale racks and altered by yours truly. (Except for the denim jacket. It needed no alterations- it was awesome as is.)

This dress came out in the middle of Winter (cause that's when everyone wants to buy a light as air strappy dress, of course). I tried it on, but beautiful as it was on the hanger, it just did not hang well on a human figure. at all. so I passed.

A few months later when I was digging through the aforementioned clearance pile I decided to make peace with it's awkward draping and pay it's $10 ransom from sale hell.

It hung around for a few days until I woke up and decided that it was finally the day to wear it, so I put it on, and in what is probably the worst idea ever, started cutting first, and measuring none. I cut off the goofy gathered high collar, but kept the fluff of tulle and kind of rolled it down, till it was the same level as the underdress. Next, I put a couple of stitches in the side to make it fit a little better, and sewed the shoulder bows onto the straps. Snip snip snip and done.

add awesome denim jacket

mend the small rip in the super clearance tights

slip on some old cowboy boots

and you have the awesomest outfit ever

(Except maybe my gallery opening outfit, but believe me honey, I payed the piper for that piece of beauty.)

A few weeks later I wore it to a concert and when I was getting a record signed by the band Dawn Flippin Landes asked me where I found my dress!

Jiminy cricket, I never spent $12 on clothes better!

The whole experience has encouraged me to make the alterations I've been thinking about on my other clothes.

Now my motto for all my ill fitting/ old/ paint smeared clothes =

cut it till you love it!

__________________________post edit___________

new link alert in the Blogs I Actually Read list: rugged/refined -a style blog that's actually well written

Treasured

2010-06-04T21:37:00.003-04:00

Tonight I opened my e-mail to find my little lambs have been featured in not one, but two treasuries.

Have a look:

Number 1

Number 2

busy bird

2010-05-31T23:21:00.003-04:00

Tonight I'm too busy to write a real blog post, so here, have a look at my latest painting:

Fierce Flora #3:

"Desire"

Unwavering Water Lily

2010-05-29T02:42:00.005-04:00

This here's numero dos in the fierce flora series:

Water Lily

Standing strong and straight amidst the constant movement of the water.

side note: I dream about being underwater a lot

Another side note: After many years of painting, I finally feel like I'm coming into my true artistic self. Even though each piece is different, there's definitely more cohesiveness to it. or something.

Yet another side note- this painting, and many others can be bought here: www.loveaboveall.etsy.com

Bah!

2010-05-25T20:14:00.005-04:00

Will we be going to SXM for graduation? nah.

Will we be renewing our lease here? nope

Do I know where I'll be living next month (in 6 months? next year?) negetory

Will we be taking a vacay this Summer? nu-uh

Have any of the plans I've ever made worked out? absolutely not

Am I finding it easy to stay optimistic? not really

but I don't think it's by accident that when "researching" for my sheep painting I stumbled across this quote:

"David wasn't thinking of being king when he was tending sheep; he was just doing what God sat before him." -John Fisher

I think right now I'm being taught about patience and frustration.

Oh well.

_________________________ALSO________________________

Look at this video! I just saw it on Dr Nick's Blog and was all like omg that's my hood! (Actually, it's about a mile away from my hood- I hang my hat in the heart of Russian Jew country, which is awesome, cause they're awesome. All my neighbors have like five adorable super respectful yamica adorned kids each.

Also, I feel pretty safe here- no one is going to mug me and steal all my cash while I walk to my building... but if they did I'd bet they'd invest it wisely. Only downside: They make me look like the biggest wuss in cold weather- nothing like waiting for the bus in two sweaters, a parka, and snow boots with women in stilettos and knee length dresses talking about how it feels like springtime in Belarus. )

feeling a little sheepish

2010-05-24T20:06:00.003-04:00

Dear Art School Slackers,

I do not feel even a little bad about "dumpster diving" your terrible landscapes (on exquisite canvas!).

I don't feel bad about sandpapering them down.

and I don't feel bad about painting them black.

I'm glad you don't take the time to create something anybody would appreciate, but moreso, I'm just glad you're too much of a slacker to claim your artwork before it (and it's exquisite canvas) gets thrown out.

Keep on underachievin'!

Thanks!

-Mrs A

Below: Underachiever's landscape post sanding and blackcoating. Thars gonna be some sheepies here soon!

Cherry blossom girl

2010-05-22T14:58:00.003-04:00

Old light bulbs make lovely vases.

I'm in love with the cherry blossoms floating around my back yard right now.

Unfortunately, Gen Beauregard decided that these were so delicious, I didn't get to enjoy them inside very long before he devoured them.

Cherry blossoms aren't poisonous to cats, right?

Fierce Flora

2010-05-22T01:13:00.003-04:00

I hadn't been living in NYC that long, and I'd never seen the beautiful Brooklyn promenade, so my friend Juliet gave me the grand tour one night after Etsy Labs.

Gorgeous!

Making our way back to the sketchiness that is the NYC subway system where we'd part ways she gave me some of the best advice for a new New Yorker.

"Listen to your instincts.

If it feels like something isn't right, it isn't."

I don't know how many times I've heard her words echo in my head seconds before I dart away from where my instincts say somethings about to go down.

Like when I crossed the street only to look back and see a mugging and other times, too...

I think living in a city with so many people requires you to turn your instincts up a higher level than other places. Not that you're completely safe anywhere, but in NYC anything can happen any time.

After spending a nice chunk of my life here, I try not to get into situations where self defense might be required, but I've found that tuning into your instincts will serve you well as a first line.

-------------------------------ALSO-------------------------------

Thistles are awesome.

They're beautiful, but are clearly quite capable of tending to their own defense.

Here, have yo self a juicy little history nugget:

In 1540, King James V established the Order of the Thistle. He and his 12 knights wore a badge depicting a star, a thistle and the words "no one harms me without punishment."

Love is a temple

2010-05-16T22:40:00.005-04:00

Dr and Mrs A

-married 6 years

-moved 7 (soon to be 8) times

-survived high school

-survived undergrad

-survived medical school

- said "adios!" to 99% of our earthly possessions twice

-survived fast food jobs, night shift jobs, ultra-demanding overtime-all-the-time jobs and life without jobs

-survived living in a foreign country

-survived trying to restore an old as dirt cottage

-Survived living in a teeeeny tiny Caribbean apartment, and an even tinier one in NYC

- survived 1000 pointless fights

- and 100000 odious puns

- has taken hundreds of walks with our pup

Even though....

-He's science... ...and I'm art

-He's digitally generated compositions and I'm folk

- he's video games and I'm crosswords

-because after almost a decade of hanging out together we still both think the other is cool and fun and interesting

-because we have a strong mutually shared belief system

-Because we know God won't give us more than we can handle.

- Because at this point we're fairly used to living by the skin of our teeth

Because we're awesome

Threepeat

2010-05-04T22:25:00.006-04:00

subject: Radar the labrasaurus

breed: labrador and golden retriever, but looks 100% labrador

job: dragging humans around on the end of a leash & cuddling General Beauregard,

hobbies: fetch, fetch, fetch, and FETCH!!!!

habitat: wherever Dr and Mrs A are!

goals: finally getting that thing that's under the fridge & catching that waggily thing just behind him

Lately, I've been having a little luck with prints. It's inspired a whole streak of experimentation with digital alteration.

With an original, what's on the canvas or paper is all she wrote, but when creating prints, you can enhance certain features, alter color tones, or even change hues completely.

drawn again

2010-05-03T01:33:00.004-04:00

There are few things in life that make me as happy as my dog does.

There are few things in life that make me as happy as art does.

Lately I'm finding myself dragging in dog tired and sitting down with the sketch book and reworking the same thing over and over again.

There's a freedom in doing something for the tenth time you'll never get the first time. The first version of this piece was a ghosty shell of a dog. One of my biggest artistic hang-ups is the fear of messing things up by doing too much too it. It's a mistake I've made time and time again. Take the same sketch and draw it and redraw again and again and more and more comes out of it. The ghosty version was followed by more intensely colored versions, inked versions, and swirly skies. I don't know about anyone else, but for me it takes a lot of comfort with a piece to be brave enough to start drawing swirls with a pen.

animal magnetism

2010-04-30T00:55:00.003-04:00

Immanual Kant said

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

I'm pretty sure Dr A passes the test.

If you want a friend for life get a dog.

2010-04-28T22:18:00.004-04:00

For me a house or an apartment becomes a home when you add one set of four legs, a happy tail, and that indescribable measure of love we call a dog. - Roger Caras

Art Hound Hooray

2010-04-27T21:42:00.002-04:00

Goodness gracious!

One of my paintings was featured as a pick of the week on Art Hound!

(A couple weeks ago.)

Art Hound is awesome, and henceforth will be found in the List Of Blogs I Actually Read.

A Muir Inspired Doubletake

2010-04-27T00:37:00.003-04:00

John Muir quote and the mountains take #1

Keep close to nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

John Muir and the mountains take #2

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!

Let's get digital... digital. I wanna get digitaaaal.

2010-04-26T00:57:00.004-04:00

Geez, la sha, paint birds much?

Photoshop artwork while Dr. A plays Smash Bros much?

Sell them on your Etsy page much?

Nope. not much... yet.

Blog weirdly in third person perspective much?

nerd.

Dawn at 8:00 pm

2010-04-22T14:17:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow night I'm going to see this lady and also, this guy (Elvis Perkins in Dearland) at The Bell House in BK.

For well over two years I'd shake my paint and turn on some Bright Eyes (AKA any band Conor Oberst is in) or maybe some Iron and Wine, then get down to business. After a year Peter, who never really liked it much in the first place was sick of it.

Near the end of the second year, I pretty much was too, but I couldn't find anything else that was the perfect background music for creative contemplation... until we were out driving on a sunny day and Dawn Landes came over the radio doing an interview in her sweetness-drenched voice explaining how the song Little Miss Holiday is about an imagined meeting between a 12 year old Jane Fonda and the 15 year old prostitute she played in Taxi Cab. After we got home I bought her album "Fire Proof" then every other album she's made.

Happily, it wasn't long until I got to see her live at The Mercury Lounge, where she was so genuine and magical (and maybe just a little goofy) that cemented her spot a spot on the short short list of music I love so much, that I could listen to it all the time any time. You know what I mean... songs so precious, you keep actual physical c.d.s of it, just in case your computer crashes and your ipod drowns on the same day. My Bon Iver I could survive without, but not Sweetheart Rodeo.

Now, when the paint starts shaking, Peter knows who's about to start playing.

Post Edit: If you're in NYC, and you need an awesome way to spend this Friday night, why don't you come along? Buy yourself some tickets here, and get thee to The Bell House in Brooklyn.

100 percent chance of rain

2010-04-21T22:22:00.006-04:00

I'm so ready for Summer

Sunshine and bright colors

sunburns and bug bites

the whole shuhbang

But tonight it's cold and raining, and I'm painting in a poorly lit little NYC apartment listening to Beatles.

Sun sun sun... here it comes.

I totally wish.

Post edit: By the way, if you're on your way out to Pier 1 to buy a crap crapp crappy piece of crap, please consider going here instead, or really, just annnny where else.

Friday night in the Ackercave

2010-04-10T01:49:00.003-04:00

It's 2 AM.

Where are the Ackermen?

Base jumping?

ice cold.

reanimating dinosaurs?

Still extremely cold.

Carousing with celebs in the bustling Manhattan night life?

Sliiiiiightly warmer.

In bed asleep?

warmer! but not quite

On the couch looking at trail maps, reading icanhascheezburger and www.gotquestions.org?

BINGO!

We're awesome.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Gotquestions.org is one of the new sites on my fave list.

It's a good read.

Best when read with your spouse and a labrador.

photofail

2010-04-09T01:50:00.006-04:00

I think you misspelled "see"... oh wait I get it.

2010-04-06T13:16:00.007-04:00

Once in a while I'll sell a painting, then miss it a ton and try to recreate it.

Usually it doesn't work out and the finished product never sees the light of day, as it gets painted over pronto, but sometimes....

sometimes the second time around is better than the first.

That's definitely the case with one of the newest additions in my Etsy shop: I actually finished this last November for a show, but am only just now getting around to posting it cause I wanted to enjoy it for a while before possibly having to ship it of to a new home.

LOL Last November, when I got to the gallery with all my art, the curator asked me for the names of my pieces.

Names?

You mean "cute-square-painting-of-hands-making-a-heart-shape-in-front-of-the-ocean" doesn't work?

So this is what being put on the spot feels like.

Unfortunately, all I could come up with were weak puns.

Thus the name of this piece is "I'd Love To Sea You Again".

Also in the show was "You Are So Deer To Me"

And the smaller, but much loved "Wire we all just sitting around?"

Fortunately, the names weren't posted on the wall.

Unfortunately, I still can't think of good names for paintings.

The center of the stage is wherever you are.

2010-04-06T01:53:00.008-04:00

"The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it is so accidental.

It's so much like life."

-Arthur Miller

I, for one, would love an encore!

Post Edit: We're prancing about here in the Naumberg Bandshell- a gorgeous relic of New York's 1920's opulence. It's hard to believe how widely ignored a place that has hosted everyone from Sousa and Irving Berlin to M.L.K. and John Lennon has become. Central Park is brimming with insanely gorgeous gems that inspire, nay, demand childlike play.

Q & A

2010-04-01T12:01:00.007-04:00

Q: Where have I been and why have I not blogged a bit for 2 weeks (or so?)?

A: Working my fanny off and also... AcKeRpAlOoZa

Q: What, pray tell, is Ackerpalooza?

A: It's when the Ackerkids (Dr Peter, Nurse J., and meself) bend time and space to get together for adventures.

Verily, having time off and cash money enough to do stuff is a magical combination.

Q: Will I be recapping the adventures?

A: Absofrigginlutely! Let Ackerpalooza recap part one begin...

You know the party don't start till J walks in! The weather looked a little something like this: on day 1, so after getting settled in we went to Alice in Wonderland. Tim Burton is probably my favorite man in Hollywood, but Mr Depp seems to be slipping.

Day two was still rainy, so it was spent at Spa Castle where absolutely no pictures were taken. Absolutely none! Not one! Because taking pics at the spa is seriously not cool.

Day three was gorgeous, so we pulled out our compasses and other very serious hiking gear, and went exploring... in Central Park.

(By very serious hiking gear, I mean dresses with belts and cardis)

Random Things

2010-03-04T23:56:00.005-05:00

Random thing I bet you didn't know about me #1

One time a couple years ago, a wanted murderer wandered into my apartment.

I offered him lasagna.

My friend kind of stole his shoes.

Then they played poker together.

mo MoCa

2010-03-04T11:48:00.004-05:00

MoCa is THE BEST restaurant around.

(Around Forest Hills, that is)

The food is just sooo good. So I was really and truly shocked when I looked them up on yelp.com and found one bad review after another. I can't figure it out- everything is always so lovely there, from the food to the service to the ultramod decor.

Okay, maybe I could understand if someone is sensitive to the lights. The place does kind of have a Russian Disco meets Buddhist temple vibe. But personally, I find the effect combined with their gorgeous indoor water features completely enamoring.

The thing I just absolutely don't get is the complaints about the food. EVERYTHING there is so delicious! Especially their chicken pineapple fried rice.

It's served inside a pineapple.

Don't you love dishes served in fruit? I do.

I do sometimes have wonky food tastes, though, so I checked with Peter of the Red-Blooded-American-Man-TasteBuds to see if his picks all passed the normal tastes test and got an unequivical "it's awesome."

We went to MoCa for our last anniversary, and most recently, we went there for Valentine's Day after I found the surprise Peter got me (A Yudu screenprinter- WOOT!) Finding it involved solving complicated riddles and venturing out on the snow covered roof.

Because really, what holiday isn't complete without riddles and REALLY REALLY GOOD modern Asian fusion?

morbid snowbesity

2010-03-03T14:29:00.003-05:00

Obesity. It's an epidemic.

Even the snow men are getting fatter.

This guy is going to take forever to melt- huzzah!

Also, I've updated the etsy shop with these two beauties.

Click here.

Introducing the Wine Flower

2010-02-28T22:33:00.005-05:00

QUICK POST:

I made this.

Actually... I made these.

They're mighty purty.

You can get one here.

I'll be adding one a day for the next several weeks.

So if'n you like the concept, but don't fancy the color, then you just tune right back in tomorrow to see the next one I've listed.

Art!

Crafts!

Good times, whoohoo!

The Lost Mermaid

2010-02-11T19:51:00.004-05:00

I was doing a full clean of my apartment today, and I found this painting.

I don't think I've seen it since the day I painted it.

Sometimes things get tucked away on the shelf and fall into oblivion. Books especially, or in this case, a painting on a book.

It might not my favorite, but it is much cuter than I remembered it.

Anyhoo, it has finally made it's way into the Etsy shop.

By the way, did you notice that my old store Loveaboveall magically became my new store Cleverish?

I'm still not sure if it's going to be a permanent switch.

If Cleverish doesn't earn it's keep, it might just die an untimely death, and loveaboveall will take over again.

We'll see.

Snow Day

2010-02-11T17:29:00.003-05:00

Today, the weather looked a little like this...

Fortunately, I had the day off, so I played find-the exact-snowball-I-threw with Radar for a while. It requires very little effort on my part, because every time I throw a snowball (and it breaks up immediately on impact) Radar spends twenty minutes running around trying to find the exact snowball I threw.

Unfortunately, Mr A wasn't quiet so lucky- he had to work today, regardless of the weather.

He was counting on parking on his usual spot in the parking deck, but of course, the entire deck was full.

It wouldn't have been that much of a bother to have to park out in the snow except that it continued snowing while he was at work, so that when he came out in the evening his car was under a foot of snow.

There is a little known rule of weather that states that you will have a snow scraper in your car 100% of the time that it's unneccesary.

Today was no exception, so he scavenged around inside the car to find something to dig the car out with.

Mr Clean keeps his car pretty tidy, so his only tools were textbooks, scrubs, a Bible, sunglasses, jumper cables,....

and a big plastic vagina.

Because who doesn't have a big fake vah-jay-jay in their trunk?

giggity

(Actually, if you do, you better have just come from an I.U.D. lecture, or you got some 'xplainin' to do.)

I'll let you guess which one he ended up using to dig out the car with.

hijacking begets hijacking

2010-01-31T18:18:00.005-05:00

Thursday: pop-ups began popping up constantly

Friday: YOUR SYSTEM IS INFECTED message took over my desktop

Saturday: Peter and I spent hours trying (to no avail) to resurrect my pc friend

Sunday (Today): My computer won't even turn on... as soon as the "logging on" screen appears, it instantly begins logging off.

Tomorrow I'm taking her to the pc hospital, to see if they can bring her out of her coma.

(We've figured out how to get to where we can wipe it clean, and get her back to her original state, but ouch... all my music... all my photos... videos... unpublished blog posts... my software... basically my life for the past four years.)

A clean slate is better than no slate... but again...

ouch.

I'm only able to post this tonight on Mr Medical's precious Alienware because he's away concocting a classic Peter culinary creation; tomato rice.

So... lets fish around in his photo vaults for a change, shall we?

surely.

This here picture is what pops up on the hubby's phone,when it's me on the dialing end.

This is the Mitsubishi Lancer we used to drive back in SXM , oh French liscence plates.

Here's the Lord Of The Furniture sitting on the coffee table I found on the side of the street before I stripped it down and awesome-ified it. (sorry, all I have is this cat filled "before" shot for you... the awesome "after" pic is on my computer... sigh.) And to wrap things up, here's a pic of Peter from last Summer. Ah... a Yankees game, then goofing off in Central Park. That was a fun day.

Mostly cause it didn't involve debugging my computer.

Advice for husbands...

2010-01-29T13:11:00.005-05:00

Dear Husbands, Here is a tip: If you come home from work 5 hours early, and your wife, thinking she is home alone, is taking a shower and singing at he top of her lungs, do not, I repeat DO NOT, bust open the bathroom door while yelling "MURDER!!!!" because your wife will promptly freak out, scream so loudly people twenty floors above will hear (and truly be convinced that a murder is in fact occurring), she will hurt her back really badly, and there is a good chance that you might just have shampoo thrown at you.

Just a tip.

You're welcome.

-la sha

**************POST EDIT***********************

Later, while laughing about the incident, it was brought up that no actual murderer would scream "murder!"..... unless the killer was a pokemon.

Building a Better Bird

2010-01-27T23:33:00.013-05:00

I have had some wonderful pets.

Radar... Beavura... Beauvra's mother, Panda

(Someday I will have to write a post about the 8 lb bundle of insanity that was PandaCat and my absolute love for her. I can't think about it too much, though, cause it inspires so much melancholy for me).

I've also had some bad pets... verrry bad pets.

i.e. Fiefel the hampster... my first (very poorly named) cat "Good Kitty"... and my involuntarily adopted pet skunk.

I can't think of words that describe how unwelcome that skunk was-

having a skunk living and BREEDING in the crawl space just below your bathroom is noooo fun.

Trust me.

Because, you see, the toilet makes a loud sound when it is flushed, which scares skunks, and when skunks are scared... well, you know what happens then.

"Hello... animal control? How fast can you get here?"

I don't know what compelled me to get the hampster... I guess he was pretty cute... but when all a pet does is bite you and run away, it gets pretty uncute quick... plus he learned this neat trick where he propped his back legs up into the corner of the cage, and propelled his pee outside his cage.

Did you know hampster pee is incredibly sticky and hard to clean?

Cause it is.

But there is one pet I would never imagine keeping... and that is a bird.

1) Why would you put something blessedly built for flight in a cage?

2)Birds do not WANT to be with you. I promise. They really don't.

3)They are LOUD.

4)Bird poop.

But I do LOVE birds...

as evidenced by my art:

Also, check out this pink lady who just took up residence in my studio:

Do you recognize her?

Yep. She's the message bearing birdy from this painting.

Adopt her today by clicking here.

I promise she won't poop on your couch.

much.

When the lease is up...

2010-01-25T01:31:00.003-05:00

Dear Peter, Radar, and Beauvra,

We're moving here, and playing with hula hoops and hay. (But we're not wearing tomatoes as jewelry, cause they'd probably stain).

LOL as if I'd ever have a say about where we live.

I think if I could only watch one music video ever again for the rest of my life it'd be this one.

Blogging from bed

2010-01-16T21:16:00.004-05:00

Today was one of those days where you wake up and don't really feel like getting out of bed

So you don't

Cause they'll understand if you call in sick to work just this once. So you go back to bed cause you can always get up around noon and still have a productive day.

But you don't.

Noon comes and goes and next thing you know it's one o'clock and the closest thing to a Saturday Morning cartoon marathon you can find is Nat. Geo's Locked Up Abroad series. And you give yourself permission to watch just this one episode, cause geez, Venezuela's Los Teques prison is insane when you're a chubby American dude who just got caught with a bunch of cocaine in hairspray bottles. You'll get out of bed after this show is over.

But you don't, and you fall asleep again around three in the afternoon thinking that Americans do a bunch of dumb crap when they're overseas.

At four you DO get out of bed

because of the impending need to hurl. But then it's straight back to hiding under the covers until your brainy freak husband insists you need to eat something "because your body requires protein to make antibodies and blah blah blah and I'm a medical know it all and here drink this Gatorade and lets play scrabble because you love scrabble and I love you and I hope you feel better and bleeble blabble"

So you do.

But then he puts on his scrubs and leaves cause he has an overnight shift in the ER.

So you put on new PJs and go back to bed, but you decide to write one quick blog before you embark on your 19th hour of sleep for the day.

It's one of those kind of days.

Space Deer: a deer from space

2010-01-14T00:24:00.007-05:00

Peter: What is it?

Me: Art.

Cause, sometimes, it just is. And it is also for sale.

With love, blue bird

2010-01-13T02:01:00.004-05:00

Some of my paintings are finished, viewed for a week or two, listed for sale, and put safely into storage until I can find it a happy home.

Some paintings become ingrained into my daily life. Though they're listed for sale, it's hard to imagine them being gone.

This is one of those paintings.

I listed it for sale, along with high quality print versions a while back, then promptly gave it a place of honor in my tiny kitchen.

It greets me in the morning, and bids me adieu as I leave for work.

It's become a pleasant part of every day life.

Here, it can be seen behind my Christmas Pot roast!

So when I learned the art of soft sculpture I knew I wanted to make a 3-d recreation of this, one of my favorite paintings.

I don't know why I love it so- It isn't my fanciest or most time consuming piece or most valuable, I mean- it's on an old cracked cutting board, but I can't help but find it utterly charming.

So far I only have one of the birds made, but I plan on creating him a mate before too long.

I went ahead and listed it for sale, but he's already made an adorable nest on the shelf while he waits for his mate to arrive.

****************************Post edit************ I was originally going to call this post "Be like the bluebird who never is blue" because of my undying affection for Cole Porter, but then I decided to change it at the last second because it was too long.

Secondly, in this wordy post edit of mine- I'd like to leave you with this video of Frank and Ginger dancing to "Night and Day", by the talented Mr Porter. It is the most romantic thing ever.

Feel like watching another video?

Ya!

Here's some Dutch high school kids in Anything Goes singing "Be Like The Blue Bird"

classic.

Obeskitty

2010-01-12T00:57:00.003-05:00

Beau was once a musclebound Caribbean cat.

Spending most of his time outdoors chasing iguanas and mice, he was a prime specimen of the feline physique.

Svelte even.

Since we've been living in New York, however, he's given up the whole "chasing things" game, and taken up the sport of professional napping.

Professional napping requires practice and a high degree of skill- After all it isn't easy to get the covers pulled up juuust right when you don't have thumbs.

Diet food be darned- This is what fat and happy looks like.

Whichever One Applies/ Tourist Edition

2010-01-10T13:32:00.009-05:00

Dear Tourists

I understand that you (are 21 years old/ have way too much money for your age/ don't know how to order a drink) but that does not exempt you from behaving like a decent human being. I realize that you (have never been to New York City before/ are big stuff where you're from/ didn't know there's vodka in a cosmo) but can you please pretend to be an adult. I don't know who gave you (their credit card/ such an inflated ego/ permission to be such a brat) so let's try to reign it in a little while out in public. Also, you should probably know that in Manhattan there are several subway stops that require you to use a (mile long/ incredibly slow/ probably Victorian era) escalator. On these escalators standing traffic keeps to the right, while people (walk/ jog/ run like their life depends on them making the next train) down the left. Didn't you think it odd that you and your little group were the only ones (not standing on the right/ blocking the entire path/ yelling the lyrics to a Keisha song)? Thank you for letting me by after I said, "Excuse me, may I pass". That was kind of you. Just so you know, I DID (catch your dirty looks/ hear you say "Ugh, What is her problem? B***h! Congratulations, you're like 30 seconds ahead now. Whatever!" / pick up on the fact that you all seemed to be wearing an entire bottle of Victoria's Secret Body Spray... each.). I truly appreciate the fact that you conceded to move to the right like everybody else NOT WALKING, but probably not as much as the Asian men behind me, who nearly knocked me down the aforementioned mile long escalator as they literally sprinted down the left side. I like to think they were (trying to get to a hospital/ carrying the antidote/ spies). I've lived and worked in NYC long enough to know that late at night, the trains don't run very frequently. I also usually know when they're coming, so if you see me hustling, it's for a reason. Your rudeness annoys me, but happily vengeance is (swift/ mine/ best served cold on a dirty subway platform) because I was seated comfortably in the train, as you all came within view of the train and immediately fell all over each other trying to get down the last stairs and across the platform before the doors shut. Enjoy (waiting 30-45 minutes for the next train/ watching rats playing on the tracks/ the smell of what I call perma-vomit) because you're going to be there a while. Making eye contact with you when the realization that you were 30 seconds too late, for the train that I was on, hit your faces was priceless. Enjoy the rest of your trip to NYC, but next time, don't forget to pack (some dignity/ manners/ less fake looking hair extensions).

Thanks

-la sha

Gifts of Christmas past

2010-01-08T23:56:00.006-05:00

Remember that holiday you just spent a fortune on?

Now that it's January it seems like a long time ago, huh.

(And to think, Martha already has the next one planned and prepped!)

Well, now that it's over I can blog about gifts that were given and adventures that were had!

RIVETING!

kind of.

Okay, not really. It was actually pretty quiet.

...and by pretty quiet" I mean excruciatingly loud.

Because the hubby got his wish for an accordion. And in good time too- I hear there's an opening in the Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. (R.I.P. Danny Federici.)

We had to travel to a distant land (Philly) to get it, and hoo boy, that trip deserves a post all of it's own.

Christmas shopping also took me to the magical NYC neighborhood known as Chinatown to buy my sis a 100% genuine fake Gucci watch.

I've got to hand it to the toothless African American gentleman who sold it to me- he was friendlier and more helpful than any of the sales clerks in stores where actual Gucci watches are being sold. Of course, those sales people don't have to abruptly close their shop up into a suitcase and run into the subway when a cop comes near.

I think they're spoiled.

I made a Bami Ballen for my eight year old bro (ala Cart Before The Horse- thanks again for being awesome! btw, my ballen came out super bumpy too.)

It's lots of tiny gifts wrapped up in hundreds of feet of crepe paper. As you unwrap the layers, different gifts come out.

Also, I have a now long standing tradition of getting him gifts that are going to annoy the socks off my Dad and now ex stepmom (RE: DRUM SET) so along with the candy, cash, gum, matchbox cars, and farm animals, I made sure to include a shiny new (ultra loud) whistle.

Did I mention he lives 12 states away?

Did I also mention I adore him? Cause I do.

He said it was a lot of fun to unwrap. I wrapped my sis's watch in the same way (with candy and junk included) but she thought it was less fun.

...less fun and fairly annoying. I guess how much fun unwrapping hundreds of feet of crepe paper is is largely determined by how close to eight years old you are.

I'm thinking the closer, the better.

How was your Christmas?

Merry and bright?

A Very Merry Cart Before The Horse Christmas

2009-12-21T23:03:00.008-05:00

I'm told I'm a creative gal.

Lately, though, my creativity's ego has been taking a few hits.

It's become increasingly difficult for me to think of things to give people for Christmas that don't involve canvas.

Thankfully, the artsy creative geniuses over at Cart Before The Horse have so much creativity that it flooded over and helped make Christmas happen around here.

For my parents I made puppy ornaments by altering their Cat Cone pattern.

Introducing DOG CONE!

There's Killer; the chihuahua

and George, the sweet old basset hound

another knock to my creativity's ego is the fact that a pattern is emerging... a pattern of puppy themed

presents. Last year they got original paintings: What next? dog sculptures?

******* Post Edit: These sewn/stuffed/ painted scultpural ornament things are NOT very easy to make. Big props to CBTH for being able to crank out so many of these every week. These two took me for-friggin-ever to finish!

Be a deer

2009-12-17T00:37:00.004-05:00

I hope you are all having a loverly holiday season!

This year I made a little pact with myself. I sat myself down and said, "self, you are not allowed to go to the mall this year. You don't want to go to the mall for many reasons, but dear forgetful self, let me remind you of a couple of them.

1) You hate crowds

2) You hate impersonal mass produced cheapery

So far, so good! I'm almost completely done acquiring Christmas gifts for my loved ones and I've yet to step foot in a single noisy crowded shopping center.

I did, however take a trip out to the One Of a Kind Show. Twas simply amazing. All that beautiful handmade stuff; Reminds me of why I love Etsy so much.

So... be a deer and buy handmade!

Another Magical NYC November

2009-12-04T10:06:00.004-05:00

5 Unforgettable NYC November Moments: 1) Wrapping things up at Climate Gallery.

Me and a slew (sp?) of my paintings in their salon style show "Paint!"

2) Watching the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the incomparable Rockettes.

3) Enjoying more singing and dancing at Ellen's Stardust Diner with the even more incomparable Mr Ackerman.

4) Joining the thousands of folks swarming our fair city for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 5) Drinking what might possibly be the world's best hot apple cider while enjoying a traditional thanksgiving meal of wonton soup

How about you? How are your holidays going?

May the farce be with you

2009-11-10T08:12:00.004-05:00

LONG AGO

(about a week)

IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY

(Manhattan)

There was a young Jedi

who fell in love with an empress. Fearing the Jedi Council would not approve the starcrossed duo left Naboo to live underground on Mars

(Mars 2112 off Times Square to be exact)

Life was good on Mars- everyone danced in the underground tunnels to the space music.

But then he embraced the dark side ... and killed her.

Oh well.

****Post Edit**** Aren't these just the best costumes ever? Yes. Yes they are. And do you know what makes them even more impressive? The fact that I made them meself. How do I always manage to forget that I can sew really well. Like, disturbingly well considering the fact that I never have any idea what I'm doing.

What's blue and white and going to the World Series?

2009-10-26T12:41:00.004-04:00

How about that game last night? Woohoo! It's great to have a home team going to the World Series. I don't have any Yankees shirts, so I just wore the only blue tee I have- an old Johnson High shirt that says "we ROCK the south". I works though, cause it could just mean south Bronx.

sanctuaries of all sorts

2009-10-23T11:39:00.004-04:00

I love going to church.

I love singing the old old hymns

and imagining my grandparents, great grand parents, great great grandparents singing along

(Cause those songs were theirs before they ever reached my ears)

I love praying in a room full of believers.

I love getting something new from a sermon and putting the notes above my desk for further contemplation.

"Where two or more are gathered in my name there am I with them." Matthew 18:20 Unfortunately, not every Sunday morning finds me in church.

Luckily, there are sanctuaries of all sorts to be found in God's creation.

Plenty To Paint

2009-10-22T23:24:00.004-04:00

I think the best part about giving yourself a little change in scenery is the window of new perspective it can open in your mind.

A little time out of town can open that window enough to let in the fresh breeze of inspiration.

Even though I'm a Summer lover, I have to admit to that this autumn has been particularly pretty.

I know the golden leaves are really just the Summer's swan song heralding the short cold days to come, but right now, just for today,

I embrace it

accept it

celebrate it

and

paint it! (This painting now for sale in my super mega cheap collection of stuff-you-can-get-for 19.99 here.)

I guess the moral of the story is this; Change, whether in locale or season always gifts you with fresh ideas, and (at least for me) plenty to paint.

Happy in the Hamptons

2009-10-20T23:26:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't love the Hamptons?

A sunny day is reason enough for us to jump in the car and make the drive out to Montauk Point!

While Peter took pictures of the scenery I took pictures of him!

Everything is there- beaches, nature, history, art, and food the likes of which is worth the drive in and of itself!

Seriously, if you are ever in the Hamptons you HAVE to go to The Golden Pear for lunch. We had their Morrocan Lamb Stew and the Hunter's Meatloaf- both incredibly delish! (I'm kicking myself for not getting their cookbook... guess I'll just put it on the Christmas wish list.)

Honestly though, the posh shops and art galleries aren't the best part- the shore is! Even though it was too cold to swim, it was still so much fun to explore the rocks at Montauk Point watching the seagulls catch crabs and just take in a little ocean air. I just love being near the ocean.

This is me...

...and this is me if I had a moustache!

In New York. (For a yr now) (Edited)

2009-10-06T20:25:00.011-04:00

From "Empire State of Mind"

Now you're in New York

Concrete jungle where dreams are made.

These streets make you feel brand new.

Bright lights will inspire you!

I've loved this song since the first time I heard it.

I just wished someone would take out all the profanities... and make it acoustic... and replace Jay-z with a skinny white guy.

Look! The magical youtube fairies granted my wish!

(btw, adorable skinny guy, kudos for not making your bed before you made a video. *hearts*!)I heart my camera so much. I swear it has a setting for everything.

(Post-edit: OK, so it turns out the adorable profanity removing singer is Josh of Look at the Fields, a supertalented Florida based indie group. Clickie here for some good listening... especially "In God's Hands")

Bake and serve!

2009-10-04T20:49:00.004-04:00

Hey honey, what do you feel like for dinner?

Chinese food?

Done, and done.

We are more connected than we look.

2009-10-04T00:02:00.003-04:00

“Life just seems so full of connections. Most of the time we don't even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.”

This painting explores the relationship between two individuals who are connected in ways that the outside observer wouldn't realize.

Heavy (er)

2009-10-03T22:55:00.008-04:00

My newest series of paintings is my attempt to be a little deeper.

I don't know why, but somehow I got all hung up on painting birds.

I didn't plan on it, but time and time again I sat down to paint and each time a feathery little critter would wind up peering out at me.

So... instead of flowers or scenes or birds I'm trying to explore the concept of being connected.

It's been a recurring theme in my writing for years, most notably this poem;

(Long time readers will recognize this as the poem I wrote after the death of a friend in 2007.)

I fell asleep in the bath

and dreamt the whole world was an ocean

and everyone was connected

moving together in fluid motion.

Everyone who'd ever lived and everyone who

ever would mingled together unaware

that their past and future

were presently there.

Suddenly I found myself

tangled up in reef

and as I lost my last breath

friends waved goodbye with grief.

I closed my eyes as my heart stopped

then opened them to find

that I was quite healthy,

but completely blind

to everything that in my dream

I'd learned I could see;

Nothing but cold bath water as company.

So I observed my hands

my wrinkled fingers and toes/ and contemplated life and time

and how mysteriously she flows.

lolz (IMMD edit)

2009-09-30T21:24:00.007-04:00

I was working at a special needs day camp and a kid was picking his nose. I told him to stop picking his nose and he said,

“I’m not picking my nose, I’m cleaning my finger.”

IMMD.

La Sha LaSha Lasha lasha la sha Ackerman

2009-09-08T21:34:00.008-04:00

I remember when we first got the Internet at my house.

After waiting twenty minutes for the loud modem to crank up the AOL Internet Explorer homepage, my Brad gave me and my sister a lesson in computer safety.

Never go into a chat room.

Never download anything.

Don't click anything unless you absolutely must.

Never tell anyone where you live. Not even the state.

Never upload anything, ESPECIALLY pictures.

and never never NEVER use your real name.

(This is the short list, folks. Don't get me started on outdoor safety, travel safety, or fireproof SAFE safety. I shutter to think of all the danger that fireproof safe could have rained down without the solid set of rules involved.)

I don't think my 1992 self would believe that not only do I use my real name (and maybe a couple of variations) but I've got hundreds of pics stored online, and even some video... including this one I didn't even realize existed.It's pretty weird to google yourself and see a video of yourself you've never seen before. This is from the night that I taught my fabric flower technique at Etsy Labs.

The full tutorial is at this post.

Yep, I'm pretty fast and free with the info these days, even my crafting secrets. I could hoard my experiment-burn-melt-ruin-practice-perfect learned techniques (that's what we call learning the hard way) but I don't think there's anything to be gained to keeping it to myself.

Feel free to try it out. Make 'em, keep 'em, give 'em away, heck... sell 'em.

Maybe you could tell folks where you learned how to do that or just subscribe here or something.

Maybe you could even give me a little link on your blog.

Da roof! Da roof! Da roof AINT on fire!

2009-09-07T01:24:00.006-04:00

Last night my building was engulfed in a plume of smoke.

Flames soared into the pitch black sky.

Flames from next door.

The Opal was fine.

Completely untouched.

Of course, the people living upstairs who's open windows and a/c suddenly started sucking in copious amounts of gritty black smoke didn't know that.

I'd checked things out next door, and had determined that the 3 dozen or so firemen on the scene had things under control, so I decided to go home and loiter in the lobby.

Within minutes the lobby was filled with frantic women towing toddlers... sleepy little boys rubbing their eyes wearing crooked yamicas... little girls in pink night gowns clutching overloved stuffed bears... alert young men gripping their laptops...

Fearing the worst, people had come out carrying what they loved most.

I was the only one present empty handed...

everything I love most was playing out in the dog run.

Apologies!

2009-08-26T01:06:00.001-04:00

Soooorry if this site looks a little wacky for the next 24 hrs. I'm redoing the layout, and many of the changes will take hours to finish. Tune in next week to see the finished product ;)

A little something to crow about.

2009-08-23T12:27:00.005-04:00

I know you'll be shocked by this, but I have to admit...

some paintings never sell.

I don't mind this fact since painting is really just a beloved hobby, a wonderful way to spend the my spare time, an outlet for my apparently infinite amount of creative energy.

But I have to admit that I don't have the skills or time to find art buyer homes for every painting. Often, I plan on giving away paintings before they are finished. I haven't given my Grandma anything in a while, so I decided I'd make a painting based on things she might like. Unfortunately, that pretty much limits me to Elvis and cute livestock.

Originally I was going to paint her a little black billy goat, but then I thought it might be too sad since her last little billy goat (aka lawn mower) committed suicide by hanging itself from a tree.

I didn't even know they could do that, but apparently, they can.

and do.

(Moral of the story; don't tie your goat to a tree- it will jump over a low branch and hang itself.)

In the end I decided I'd paint her a cheerful rooster waking up the countryside.

With a blue border, because the lady loooooves blue. (re; blue sofa, blue curtains, blue flower arrangements, and so on, and so forth).

I'm putting it in the shop until I get to see her again (which will be months). If someone buys it, I'll just get her an Elvis collectible with the proceeds.

Nevermore.

2009-08-22T12:52:00.007-04:00

From Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - Perched, and sat, and nothing more. Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore. "Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore - Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." (acrylic on wood, $19.99)

I memorized almost the entire poem for Ms Noble's 10th grade lit class almost 10 years ago. Today I mutter it when trying to keep my mind off more troubling things... like when someone is walking too close behind me as I walk from the bus stop to my house in the dark. I guess there is something about a girl reciting dark victorian era poetry that says "back off."

Sugarbird

2009-08-21T21:00:00.004-04:00

This is the bird from this post.

I tried to paint it so many times. I don't know how I could be so torn up over losing something I'd known so briefly. but I was/am. Another little piece of my soul, only $19.99

Be like the blue bird...

2009-08-21T08:29:00.005-04:00

Be like the bluebird who never is blue,

For he knows from his upbringing what singing can do.

- From Cole Porter's "Be Like the Bluebird", 1934

I've had this very very old cutting board just hanging around my art space for the longest time, then out of nowhere I suddenly knew that it wanted to be painted red like a barn.

The bluebird just flew in of his own accord. For sale here.