Ahhhh! I have the house to myself again and the task master has gone back to work. hahahaha
Punk~ how nice that you posted what I'm sure we are all feeling about this forum. When you are passionate about painting but nobody around you gets it (as in my case) it is so nice to have people around who get it! ha Plus it's fun to know how all of you spend your days when I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry. ha

We got quite a bit done in the yard and the roof and the attic last week, but now I've got to catch up on my housework. My kitty had a UTI last week so today is his first day out of the bathroom (had him locked in on the tile) and I am waiting to see if he is going to use his litter box exclusively again before I cleaned my carpets at the advice of the vet. Sigh. Remind me again why I have an indoor animal. ha He has to take medicine for another week or so before it's cleared up completely.

Punk I have something that you'll probably get a kick out of. My oldest DD (14) was looking a little too long at my youngest DD (4). Youngest says to her "What are you lookin at?" Oldest says "An idiot". (They are always so polite to each other....NOT) Youngest doesn't stop what she's doing, doesn't miss a beat she just cuts her eyes at Oldest, looks her up and down like she sees something nasty and says "NO! If you are looking at me then you are looking at a princess" She then flips her hair at her and continues on with what she's doing while oldest stands there with her mouth hanging open. ha I told oldest...Pretty bad when a 4 yr old can shut you down like that, ain't it!! hahahaha They crack me up. Youngest acts like she's 20 instead of 4.

Ok, gals, I have got to get to work. I have all my stuff lined up and ready to paint on Friday. Yay! I'm excited to get to it, but I have a lot to get done in the next few days so I can play with ya'll again. I will try to get here at least once a day to check on ya'll. Have an awesome day!

Luvs~ glad you are able to be outside enjoying the pretty weather some. Must mean warmer days ahead for me. ha Have you found anything to paint for your family gifts? I don't know what you've given them in the past, but flower pots are always easy and you could stack them with tissue paper for traveling. Pretty flag soaps?? I'm thinking patriotic for summer....of course I'm thinking patriotic all the time! ha Hope you find something cute.
~Anj

Oh, and Punk don't you dare start posting LESS! Post away, honey!! ha

Good to have you back full time Anj! Glad you was able to take care of things that needed attention while DH was off. Even happier that you'll have more time here. LOL

I started painting when our kids was is school. I wanted all the cute things and didn't feel I should pay the price to buy everything I liked. There is a little gal with cancer and they are having a benefit for her the night before Mother's Day so I will try to paint some things for the auction. I don't know her that personally but she was a good friend of my late SIL so I have met her on previous occasions. Sad never the less. DD brought me two more of the trays like I painted for MIL so I might use the same idea and make another. I want to paint a patriotic one just for you Anj, so maybe that should be my next try.

Thanks for sharing your story about the girls. That would of cracked me up too. Sounds like the 4 year old is on top of it and knows she's a princess.

What kind of a day did kitty have? We love animals just like kids, don't we? The reason we have them is their such dedicated creatures and always there for us.

Luvs are you getting ready for your trip? Missed you today over here. I need to pay a few bills so better go do that. Anj, I hope you mean it when you say keep posting cuz I don't want to get kicked off here yet. Punk

Yeah, Punk, I don't think you have to worry about getting kicked off here at least not for posting project pics.ha ......now I may get the boot if I DON'T post something soon. ha JK We come to see the projects and to share so yes, keep em comin.

The kitty is doing much better. Back to using his litter box. TG!! Can't handle that. Have to buy this expensive Prescription Diet food for him (they said for 7 years), but he's eating better than we are and I'm not sure I can afford to keep him now. ha May go 1/2 and 1/2 with his old food to make it stretch. Fell asleep on the couch last night and forgot to give him his meds, but hopefully missing one dose won't set him back any.

Well, today is my errand and grocery day. I'll be out for a while. May stop by the TS that is over by my Wally's. It's rainy today so we'll see how I feel about it when I'm out. Ya'll have a good day. I'll try to pop in again later. ~Anj

Hmmm! Thought I posted here yesterday--I must have clicked the "return to forum" button instead of the "submit" button AGAIN!

Glad you are both on here chatting away. I love it when I click over here and see that someone has posted. Fun to hear what is going on in other people's lives.

Anj, it's good to have you back. Bet it feels good to have gotten so much taken care of around the house last week. Probably nice to have some quieter days now as well. ;o) I love your 4 yr old's response to her big sister. Shows she has self confidence and didn't even let her big sis goad her into a "fight". LOL Let's hope she can still do that when she gets in school--little kids can be brutal to each other! LOL

Punk, don't you dare stop posting. It is soooo nice to come here and find pics or conversations. I love painting and talking about painting--that's why I was so thrilled when I discovered this forum a couple years ago.

If you look back at the archives, you can see that it used to be quite busy and there were lots of posters. I guess many of them went away when Spike started charging a fee, and they probably do not even know it is back to being free now that GW took it over. I think allot of people come by and look, but they seldom post.

I cut a few pieces of wood yesterday to make some signs. Anj, I like your idea about the pots. In fact, I just ran across some really pretty painted ones in one of my mags and guess what? They were patriotic but with softer shades of pink and blue. I think they were Kim Christmas or Jaime Mills Price. I bookmarked the page to go back to later. One of my SIL's is really into Patriotic, has it in her living room and wears allot of red, white and blue as well. A couple of those might be perfect for her. Another sis loves bird and garden things--and that kind of thing usually appeals to most people. My niece loves Christmas, so I'm planning on a couple Christmas things too. None of them know I'm bringing stuff, so I'll just take what I get finished and not stress over it. It is fun to have things to give each one when we visit them.

Well, I need to go take a shower, maybe get out of the house a bit today. DH and I used a couple of coupons for free Blockbuster movies, so I know tonight will be movie night. Might go put a roast in the crock pot and maybe we'll just have hot beef sandwiches tonight.

Anj, I hope you find a "treasure" to paint at the TS today. I went yesterday but only found some new napkins and a little bottle--nothing to paint. Oh, I should tell you this story. You know how I now have this "thing" about acorns, right? Well there was a metal piece that could hold three candles. Sort of curved, not too big, not really pretty at all--BUT I noticed it had "acorns" on the sides! They wanted $5.99 for it, more than I'd normally pay, I like cheap bargains. Anyway, I carried it around for awhile so no one else would get it while I was "thinkin" about it. Finally convinced myself that it wasn't really cute, I really didn't NEED it, and they had it priced too high--and the only reason I was even considering it was because of the darn ACORNS! LOL (I put it back on the shelf,--but you know if I go back and it is still there and maybe they have reduced the price, it will probably end up coming home with me! ;o(

Have a good one!

Luvs

Luvs you are making me laugh. I haul stuff around "thinkin" about it too. ha I found a Tole World mag and a Paintworks mag for 25c each. One is Christmas stuff the other summer, but most of the stuff looks like it might be out of my skill level for painting. ha I can only try and see. ha Didn't find anything to paint on....looked like they had just cleaned the shelves. Every now and then they wheel out a big garbage thing and just start throwing stuff away. Makes me want to scream! I may have to get a job at the TS when my youngest goes to school so I can snap these things up. ha I'm sure DH would appreciate that. I also came home with the cutest little Nine West shoulder bag and a big red canvas bag with a red front panel with white flowers and leather trimmings that I just love. I can think of so many uses for it, but will definitely be taking it on trips from now on. Very spacious. ha Got them both for $2 each and they look brand new. yay! I love the TS. Oh and one little pyrex bowl with a cute pattern. Love pyrex. That was it.

What movies are we watching tonight? A movie night sounds fun. We watched Space Monkeys with the kids the other night and said we were gonna take another night this week and watch Bedtime Stories, but it depends on which night we are all home together. =) We just rent ours On Demand Cable so we don't have to worry about returning them.

Well, better start supper. We have to be at the Scout pack meeting tonight at 7pm. 9yr old is moving up to the next level. Later. ~Anj

Good Evening,

I had a client I forgot about tonight until she called. So we rescheduled for tomorrow evening. I think it's the weather.haha Has to be something.

I enjoyed reading your posts and had to laugh alittle. If you think something is over priced just ask if they would take less and I'll bet you'd be surprised at their answer unless they are just not nice people. I ask at yard sales if I don't want to pay that and sometimes end up with something for a $1 that was priced $10. At our stores if someone asks for a discount we always give one. A $40 battery becomes $30 so do ask because it might be your lucky day. Now Luvs go get your acorns! LOL

CC ask how she get emails addresses on my sittin santa post and I answered but not sure it was the right answer so could you post so she knows for sure? Thanks in advance. I also invited her over here to chat with us so we'll see what happens.

Thanks both of you for encouraging my posting. I just feel bad when it seems like I have to many on the gallery and thought maybe I should slow down or do something different. If I don't post when I'm done, I'll never post later I'm afraid cuz most of the time it's out the door.

I don't watch many movies but once in awhile someone convinces me to join them. I always enjoy them so not sure why I don't watch more. We get HBO and Showtime all the time so can watch one whenever I want so I thinks it takes the want away for me.

I want to see your purse and bag. I think we should post more pictures on here for all of us to enjoy, so Anj lets get started, girlfriend. I'll check back to see if you read this and got with the program. haha

Punk

You got it Punk, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I just got home from the Scout meeting, fed the kids before we left, but DH and I are on a strict diet so had to hurry home and start our supper. He gets home late so I probably shouldn't wait to eat with him.
Oops, that was quick, my timer is going off. I'll be home tomorrow paying bills and whatnot so I should have time to take pics then. Night. ~Anj

Hi everyone. Punk, please don't stop posting, I really look forward to seeing what everyone is painting. I have had a really busy week, two funerals in less than 7 days. Makes you realize how fragile life is. I was able to paint with Mary Wiseman this weekend. I love how she mixes her paints and doesn't always use the paint the way it comes in the bottle. I painted a vignette on Saturday and a pear, peach, and plums on Sunday. I still need to work on it (I never finish in class). It always looks a little different with fresh eyes. At any rate, I posted the angel I finished on the discussion side. I think when I varnish my pieces and then take a picture, you don't see the true colors.

Anj, I am on a diet too. I have lost about 4 pounds over the past 2 weeks but still have way too much more to go. But I am trying.

Luvs, I haven't been able to find much of anything at the thrift shops lately. But I did purchase several teacups at the antique store. I already have over a hundred sets but I don't think you can ever have too many.

Looking forward to seeing what yall have been up to.
B

Bebe, you are my kinda lady--if you love something, you can never have too many! LOL I love teacups and saucers too, but only have about a dozen of them! And I'm always watching for pretty plates with roses on them--but I only buy them if they are cheap.

Anj, I'd love to see your purse and bag too. We used to do posts of our finds, but haven't for awhile have we? I always like to see what treasures others find. I've been keeping my eyes open for a small summer purse--might just have to pull out the old one in my closet. Do you gals like the ones you have to hang on to? I've always looked for purses that I can sling over my shoulder, but I know I am just never "with it" on the new fashion trends. I would have bought those two tole painting magazines just to look at them even if I knew I would never paint a thing out of them! I love looking at all the pretty painting even if the realistic style is beyound my skill levels--besides they usually have a variety of projects. Punk, I didn't even think about asking for a better price--I'm pretty chicken about things like that. ;o(

I told DH that when we get back from our trip to the Midwest, I'm going to join Weight Watchers. I did their program several years ago. I think I've gained 15 pounds just since DH retired in August and I already needed to lose weight even before that! I just love food, so it's always been a problem for me, but I know it's not healthy to carry extra weight, and I sure would feel better if I could lose some of it. Anj and Bebe, good luck on sticking with your new eating plans.

We watched Bedtime Stories tonight. It was a cute show, we both really enjoyed it. I've got Prince Caspian and Australia to watch sometime this week also. I know the Chronicles of Narnia are kids stories, but I love them too! LOL Guess I'll always be a kid at heart. ;o)

I've been working on some signs today. Did a checkerboard pattern on one of them. These will be Christmas signs that I will take with us on the trip as give aways.

Okay, gotta get going, so fun reading all these conversations today.

Luvs

Luvs....hope you are steering clear of the swine flu. See that there are some outbreaks over your way. I will get those pictures up sometime today of my purses. =)

Bebe~ good to hear from you. I will go over and check out your angel. I have lost 8lbs and 4 inches off my waist and today is my 13th day on my diet.

Didn't have much to say just wasting time while I wait to take DD to school. Ya'll have a good one. ~A

Good Morning Ladies,

What a nice surprise to come here and see that all of you have posted.

Bebe so sorry you've had funerals to attend, that is something that makes us realize life is fragile alright.

I can't imagine having so many tea cups but my sis collects them and has alot. Do you display them? I've seen Luvs plates on the wall and their beautiful.

Is your little angel by DeLane Lange? I have some of her books and I've seen that little face before but it didn't capture my attention like yours did. You bring out the best.

I'll have to check out Mary Wiseman's painting. She doesn't sound famillar but I could have a book or mag with some of her painting in it. DeLane has some fruit I've wanted to paint so maybe seeing yours will inspire me.

Anj, woohoo you go girl, congrats on your weight loss. It's not easy to stay away from the wonderful food choices we have today. I should loose 10 lbs but I'm hoping if it ever gets nice outside that will help.

I went on the Mayo Clinic diet a few years ago and lost 9 lbs the first week but I was really active back then. The best weight loss program for me is not eating after 6 at night. One of my friends is on Weight Watchers and only has another 10 lbs to go after 2 years. I'm so proud of her diligence. Weight watchers has some great recipes don't they?

Luvs, looking forward to seeing your finished projects. The grapes I'd like to paint Someday have a checkered black an white background so it'll be fun to see yours. May be enough to inspire me to get painting them.

I have clients again tonight so best go and make sure the house is in order before heading to work.

Punk

Hi Punk, I display my cups in my mother's old china cabinet. It is very small so I can't get all of them in there. And I use some of them to drink tea from.

The angel is a Jill MacFarland design as well as the mermaid. Mary Wiseman has been around the decorative painting field for many years. Check out her website at www.marywiseman.com. I really didn't think I would like doing the fruit but I really like it now. I just love painting with friends so we all have such a good time when we get together.

I also went on the Mayo diet once and lost 20 pounds but when I started eating rice again - it came right back on. And as you get older it is so hard to get it off. And I hate to exercise.

B

Bebe,

How nice that you have your mothers china cabinet full of cups and saucers. Your home is beautiful so I'm sure your cups fit right in. I have mugs and a canister to match that came from Costco that we use the most. haha The days of my fancy entertaining have vanished for now.

I have one of my moms with alot of her dishes in it. Her oldest set of dishes that were inherited from her aunt has yellow roses and came from England. They are so special. She had them appraised years ago and each large plate was worth $175.00 so I've never used them and probably never will.

Thanks for the info. on the angel. Does Jill's book have mostly angels or is it mixed with other projects? I have so many stinkin' books that I can't find what I want most of the time so I'm being picky on what I buy nowdays. I went and looked at Mary's site and she does beautiful work. I'll go back when I have more time and look again.

I bet you gals have a blast painting together. I hope someday I'll be able to get back into painting with friends. I can't thank you enough for all the help you give us and you have inspired me alot.

To bad your weight came right back on with the Mayo diet. I think weight is an age thing that we will have to accept for the most part or work like the dickens to keep it off.

It's been great chatting with you again so hope you find more time to come here and visit. Hopefully Luvs and Anj will be back tomorrow to join us here. Punk

I know....Where are the pics of my purses??? ha I worked my bootay off all day yesterday in my kids rooms and I'll be back there again today. I have them both torn apart. Those kids can packrat up some junk after only a few months. I have my B&SIL coming in June with 2 kids under age 3 so I'm trying to childproof plus going thru winter and outgrown clothes. You know the drill. Have to run to Wally's and see if I can get 2 bookcases and some baskets and hopefully I'll get everything done so I can paint tomorrow. That's giving me an extra push of energy. ha So if I don't get those purses posted today....look for them tomorrow.

Ya'll have a wonderful day. I've got to go cook some fish for DH to take for lunch today. We are on the HCG diet. Not for everyone, very strict diet, no exercise needed to lose weight, but you do have to take shots every day. My DH has lost 19lbs in 15days. His pants were falling off so had to go buy him some new ones. I didn't have as much to lose as he did so mine is going slower, but my body is definitely reshaping which is soooo nice after having 4 kids. If you do all the phases right then the weight will stay off. It gets rid of the old stored fat that is hardest to get off and you don't lose muscle or energy. It resets your hypothalamus and prevents the body from abnormal fat storage and resets your metabolism. Have lots of friends who did it before us and they've all kept it off. We'll see how it goes with us. =)

Ya'll have a good one! ~Anj

Good Friday Morning To All Of You,

Wow, where did this week go? Where are the purses? Just kidding, Anj. This is your paint day so hope you find time to paint. You sound like such a good mom that you deserve your paint time also.

Did you get the kids rooms all spiffed up and organized so they have something to do? Like go in there and go through everything now that they can find it.haha I use to throughly clean my kids rooms every two weeks just so it wasn't to big of a chore and I never allowed food in their rooms so I didn't have to deal with that issue.

Your diet and shots sound interesting. How can I reseach more on this? Sounds like your doing well on it. I would never go get shots every day. Been there, done that when I was in junior high with allergys. I finally had to beg mom to let me stop cuz it didn't seem to help. I still have alot of needle marks inside my elbow. Any time I have to have blood work done I'm sure they think I was an addict.LOL I don't even go there.

I went out and played in the flower beds for a few hours last night and decided I will have to use some chemical to help me conquer the task. I bought some that kills grass and not flowers so hopefully will be able to go out tonight and apply some. Then I'll need some roundup for the other weeds.

Best get ready and head to work. Have a wonderful day and I'll check in later.

Punk

Punk, last year AFTER I got the weeds chopped out of my rose beds, I used some of that Preen in the flower beds. It fertilizes the plants AND keeps new weeds from germinating. First time ever that my beds stayed weed free for months! I need to use it this year as I've already been pulling a few weeds out.

I am so proud of myself, I actually got outside early this morning and trimmed up a big bush. It was getting too tall and so wide it was blocking the side yard gate! I had to get up on my little ladder to trim the top. Now it's done, and I feel good about that! LOL

Anj, so glad the diet is working for DH and you. It sounds like one that a friend did several years ago. She had really good success on it--but I always remember her opening a can of green beans to munch on while she made dinner for her hubby and son--she said it kept her from eating bites of other stuff while she cooked! Whatever it takes, right? LOL

Kids accumulate so much "stuff", I don't know how you ever keep them picked up! I've got to do something in my guest room--it's overflowing with little GD's stuff now too. I really need to sort through some of it and get rid of the things she no longer plays with too.

Bebe, I hate to exercise too. I get tired just doing housework and yardwork--and I'm supposed to enjoy exercising! LOL I do like taking our dogs for walks, so that's about the extent of my exercise. Just wish I could become a "picky" eater so I didn't love the taste of food so much.

We're overcast here today--no sun so far. They say we might get a rain. That would be good, we need all we can get. Anj, hear that????? Rain might be headed your way again. ;o)

Gotta go, I'm finishing up some projects, so should have some pics to share soon.

Luvs

Good Evening,

I played in the yard today from 9 to 5 and accomplished alot. I soaked in the tub forever and it seemed to help all my sore aching body. My toes even hurt. All the large piles are gone and the yard looks good again. Replanted the strawberries and lupines in the garden and put up an arch in a flower bed for DS climbing rose that I thought died only to have him show up and tell me he wants it back. LOL Also got a great sunburn. ouch!

Luvs, I have a friend that uses Preen and loves it but she doesn't have near as large of flower beds like I do. Maybe I'll try some this year. Thanks for the reminder. We have pasture on 2 sides of the yard so always have lots of seeds blowing in.

Looking forward to seeing your projects. I need to clean house and do laundry tomorrow so maybe I can do some painting. Punk

Just over for a quick look at what everyone has been doing!
Some of you know that Garden junk is the forum where I spend most of my time, but do post here ocasionally. I don't have the knowledge, etc to post photos, but once in awhile I can get my DD to do it!
Phonegirl, please post MORE rather that less--LOL.
You want to come and pull weeds in my garden? I have lots!
Bebe, it makes me wonder if we didn't cross paths unknowingly, because in the same time frame you had 2 funerals I also went to several. Got another visitation tonight. They seem to come in bunches when you are a native of the area and as old as I am--grin.
Anj, I could stand to lose a few pounds--but Did I hear 'shots'? NOT for me! I will just have to stay the way I am! Glad it's working for you.
Luvs, Preen is too late for me--I even bought Brush killer and can't get it to work on the Chlorodendron and the dewberry vines! Just plain old fashioned pulling is what I will have to do. Too many years have passed since the hurrincane damage and Bill's cancer and my arm injury--I can't seem to really get motivated either.
See when I do post I just talk your ears off! LOL!!!!!
Been starting some painting projects, but it is slow going right now!

Nona,

Thanks for stopping in to chat. I will have to get over to the Garden junk and see what's new. I haven't been there in a long time but I seen some garden people and would like to make some for my yard.

I was totally amazed at what people come up with. I need to reitire so I have more time on here. LOL

What are all of you doing since no one posted today?

We got up this morning to no power and it was off 6 hours. So bet ya know what I did. Headed out of town to DS's and went out for breakfast and did a little shopping. It was sprinkling so didn't want to go out in the yard and play. To stiff and sore any way.

We stopped at a friends home and visited this afternoon and it was fun looking at her yard. They have 3 acres and keep it like a park setting. Every time I drive in it makes me smile, alot of hard work and dedication. I'm going to take her some of my flowers one night this week and help her plant some others she bought.

She was telling me she needed something to put her keys in. I remembered this little message center I had picked up at a yard sale and thought she might as well have it so I painted a quick flower and painted Faith, Family, Friends on it and will take it to her tomorrow. She gave me a cute wooden windmill and big bag of apples today so it will be fun to give her something in return.

I'm just finishing my laundry and DD said they will be spending the weekend with us to help DS on his new home. He's decided to put it on the market and start over. BIG Sigh, OH NO

GTG, Punk

Hi Nona, nice to have you joining in over here, I used to chat with you sometimes on the GJ forum and have looked at all your albums.

I have a very small yard and other than maintenance, haven't been doing much with it. Sometimes I paint a sign and put it on a stake in the flower bed--that's about it. LOL

Punk, you are always sooo busy, don't know how you do all that you do!

Had little GD all day today, she's such a cutie but I'm always exhausted at the end of the day. Hoping to finish my two pieces I'm working on tomorrow so I can get them posted. Sorry I've been so slow lately.

Our trip is getting closer and closer and I'm not ready. Oh well, will do what I can and not worry about it, right? Right! LOL

Hope we all have a good new week.

Luvs