A Cheap Greenhouse

It's time to start some seedlings. Found this great video to make a small greenhouse with household items. Toot got some gardening tools for her birthday and she's ready to get some dirt on her paws. We don't have a lot of windows that get a lot of sun so I was lucky to find this great video.

This is who I Am today.

I was looking at what I identified myself as "Artist/Homemaker" on the upper right of my blog.

Yes, when I started this blog my Toot was a baby and I had time to paint when she slept. She'll be five this month and so much has changed since then. No longer do I have an art table with fabulous light coming through the windows.

This is what my table looks like today.

It's full of toys that manage to get on my work space because I don't use it.

Whenever I want to paint I move my painting tools and papers over to the dining room table to work because it's the only room that has the best light in the house.

Today I am making our home a place to homeschool.

I've been researching everything about Homeschooling and finding support groups around our area. Also reading a great deal about homeschooling and enjoying every bit of it. Yes, I'd like to paint more regularly, but right now this is what I have to do and it's rewarding for me to see my girl learning so much. So I may have to change my title to, "Homemaker/Homeschooler/Homeartist". Like that!

I'm making up my own words here.

Look out Oxford dictionary. Do they even print the Oxford dictionary anymore?

Here is something I wrote this morning on a scrap piece of paper while I waited for Toot to have her fill of fun at the McDonald's play gym.

It's another rainy day. Toot and I are at the McDonald's in La Canada for breakfast. What a pleasant surprise to find out that they have an "indoor" play gym. I decided to give her a break from being indoors all day yesterday because of rain and my baking cookies. She was in the zone- Kids! Kids! Kids! I'm sure all these kids are happy to get out of the house and have some good fun. She made friends so quicky. I admire and encourage her to be sociable. I on the other hand am far from being the social butterfly. I am taking steps to change for the better because of her and because I know life is a better place when one changes their attitude to be happy. We've been here an hour and it's time to go back home and continue with my Christmas cookie baking.

It's now 12:05 am.

I finally finished all my baking. Tomorrow we'll have a great time delivering our Christmas cookies to family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

The Last Drink

It's 4:30 am and I can't sleep anymore for this morning. This past week I've been plodding along with my homemade/handmade Christmas cards and I finally finished twenty=nine of them last night. Now the next step is to sign them and address them. Small originals is what my close family and friends will get. I hope I don't forget anyone.

All is good here at home. I'm taking it pretty slow and simple. The house is still a slight mess and that's okay for me and my wee family. Not to many presents to give out this Christmas and that's okay for me and my wee family too. Every year it gets easier to not feel the pressure to fall into the buying frenzy. I will bake cookies and be dropping them off to family and friends later this week.

My twenty-nine Christmas cards have been my creative outlet for the past week. I've been busy with my Toot's classes and researching Homeschooling that I haven't had anytime to paint. That creative surge is starting to rumble in my head and heart. I will be making something with my paints and paintbrush very soon.

Is that all there is?

I've just finished putting my mother-in-law to bed.

One hour went by in the restroom.

I apologize to her because I have to clean her.

Is this something she does not remember a few minutes later- I think.

She thanks me. I'm sorry and at the same time I'm humbled.

I say to myself...I can do this...I can do this...I can do this.

A list:

The smell of stagnant water

Wipes

Liquid Soap

Night Time Depends

Gloves

Layers of clothes

Raining outside

My Cave

A bottle of boooooooze sounds goooooooooooooood about now.

AA cake

My commitment..

4th step

5th step

Everyone is asleep and I am not ready to turn out the lights.

Not yet.

Smell gone away.

A second list:

Lysol