The Fast Lane

Are You Kidding?

2008-03-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

So I took my before pictures for my Body for Life 12 week challenge. Oh my. I could never show them. To think if I don't take some serious action I could look like that at Lake Powell in June. Talk about motivation, something has got to motivate me. After two weeks of being diligent on BFL I got the flu that has been going around. It took me three weeks to get over it and now I'm having a hard time getting motivated. I'm having to bring out the big guns, I'm going to print the pictures.

One More Try

2007-05-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to try it one more time.
I'm not much of a blogger, but I guess it really doesn't matter does it.
I finally found an Art group in Orem that I can belong to. It really should be alot of fun. The women are so nice, and they are interested in the same kind of art that I am.
I'm leaning more to the altered art, journaling kind of thing right now. I won't give up the colored pencils but it would be fun to do something a little faster.

James got sent to the principals office the other day. I'm the type of mother who believes in guilt until proven innocence, and I'm likely to side with the teacher, but James. I don't think he has ever even told a lie before. He said the people in the office said to him "your a good kid why are you here." He has two teachers this year who really seem not to like him much, which is strange because every teacher he has ever had has loved him. I've never had any complaints. So he got sent to the office because he was late getting into line, and then his sister Hallie showed up making farting noises, great.

I'm Back

2006-12-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to return to the world of blogs. I'm doing a Christmas journal. Will see how it goes.

Dance

2006-06-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at adding things to my blog but here it goes, we will see if this works. If you like Nepoloeon Dynamite you should enjoy this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIeIWkK0t4s&search=Evolution%20of%20Dance If for some reason it doesn't bring up the video you can always put "evolution of dance" in the search.

Girls Camp

2006-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday at girls camp with two of my daughters. We had a great time. I'm normally up there for the week and was a little sad to be only spending the day up there. but in the evening when i twas time to leave I was happy knowing I would be sleeping in a comfy warm bed and that I would be able to take a shower. Our girls camp is very primitive, no electricity, no showers (well they have showers but the water comes straight from a glacier),no phones or cell phone service and the elevation is over 9,000 feet. We do have a blast though, wonderful girls leaders and a cook to die for.

Hurtles

2006-06-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this latest peice I've been working on. I keep thinking if I get over this hurtle then I will have some time to do some art that I want to do. Wrong hurtles are popping up everywhere. I'm just going to have to find the time to heck with the hurtles. Todays Hurtle is about a 100 or more peices of tissue paper I'm supposed to iron on to freezer paper. Well the iron is calling.

Life

2006-05-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Things have been very busy, but they are finally starting to slow down. This is the last week of school and most of the important stuff is over. I still have an awards ceremony for one daughter and a swimming field trip which I volunteered to get in the water (what was I thinking). I also need to put this dance CD together and make a flag for girls camp.
The Dance photos went really well. I hope I made everyone happy. If not oh well they can get their money back. I took about 2000 pictures, the CDs will have 1000 on them.

Busy Week

2006-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the second to last week of school. We have a wild week. The entire month has been full but this week will be the worst. I have been hired to be the photographer for my daughters dance performance. That means for the next three days I will be at dance from the time that school get our until late in the evening. I hope it works out. I worry about making everyone happy. Oh well all I can do is my best. It should be fun and a great experience. This is a picture I took Friday at rehersal

Still Playing

2006-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Playing

2006-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

The Lake

2006-05-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

We spent yesterday evening on the lake with my sisters and their families. The weather was perfect and the water was great. I had a blast with my new camera.

This is Emily in the pink swimsuit she has just come out of the bathroom. She said "there is no flusher, it is just a big hole."

Frustration

2006-05-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

The last posting I wrote for my blog didn't post. Oh well.
So life is just way too busy. We are going through the calender this month and trying to decide what our priorities are; Choir, baseball, piano, dance, band, school programs the list goes on. As I sit here and write this the phone rings, can I add another thing to the list. No, unfortunatly or should I say fortunatly that day is already taken. Guilt.

Workshop

2006-05-06T10:51:00.002-07:00

I had a wonderful three days this week. Ann Kullberg was in town this week for her anual Provo Colored Pencil Workshop. It was a blast! Ann is so friendly and fun. She is always smiling and laughing. There were alot of new people at the workshop and it was fun getting to know them. Now it is back to real life, cooking, cleaning, driving, laundry etc. Going to the workshop and working on art all day makes it very hard to get back to real life. I would love to have more time to spend working in my studio. Someday that will come. In the meantime I will have to be content to steal away for a little while at a time, I have more important things to do.

Humanitarian

2006-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for the last hour of church they talked about humanitarian aid. It was very heart renching. I'm great at controlling my emotions, but I lost it during this presentation. Here I am living in the lap of luxury. We spent our weekend planting new flowers putting in a new water feature going to baseball games, eating out. We live an incredible life. I don't think we relize how many people have nothing. We saw video of people who have to walk five hours round trip to fill their buckets with muddy water. People who have scooted around on their hands or who have to be carried anywhere they go because they can't walk and wheelchairs aren't availible. My husband and kids are on the same page as I am. We have to do more. We already do some but we can do so much more.
If you have a chance click on this link http://www.lds.org/ldsfoundation/welfare/welcome
there is incredible videos to watch. The wheelchair video is especially moving.

New Camera

2006-04-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Weekend in Vegas

2006-04-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last week was Spring Break. We were so lucky it fell after Tax season was over. So on Wednesday we headed down to Southern Utah. Then Friday we went to Vegas. Vegas isn't so kid friendly anymore. There is still alot for the kids to do and they had a blast. But oh my, what can I say.
We stayed at the Mandalay Bay. They have a beach for a pool with a wave pool and a lazy river. It was great.

No More Pets

2006-04-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Eggs

2006-04-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

I taught art in Hallie's class yesterday, we did Easter eggs. I love covering the eggs with tissue paper. It is a little messy for first graders but they still turned out well. The prep work took all my morning free time. Trying to be an Artist and a full time my mother of five is difficult there is always something or someone needing my time.

Tomorrow is April 15th tax day (well technically it's the 17th). I should have a husband again by Tuesday. I can hardly wait for life to be somewhat normal again.

It's Sunday

2006-04-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week. Hallie has been ill this week. We haven't been quite sure what was wrong. Throwing up, which is not that unuaual for her. Then a fever which she usual doesn't get much of a fever because she has weird body temperature issues. Friday she went to bed and we just prayed that she would be better in the morning. She (James and Madeline also) had a part in a BYU student film that they were shooting on Saturday and she so badly wanted to be in it. Saturday morning she seemed well enough to go so we let her. I worried all day and spent most of my day at the set or close by, but she made it. It was along day they had the kids there from 7am to 6pm. They were exhausted. Next Saturday is going to be the same.

I'm Done!

2006-04-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished. At least for the moment. I'm sure I'll go back to it a few times before I frame it. The mouth looks weird in the photo but I tried to fix it on the painting and it looked fine. Miranda (pictured) wants to call it Paradise because it is a picture of Laguna Beach her favorite place.

Now I would really like to try a few new things. I have a commission to start but I think I'll take a week and experiment with some new mediums.

2006-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Instead of finishing my latest piece I'm writing. I'm trying to finish the eyes and they scare me. So why not put them off a little.

We had a wonderful time visiting with family this last week. It really took all my time. Last night we all got together and the kids decided to go bowling. They all left and shortly after we get the dreaded call that they had been in an accident. Thank goodness no one was hurt and it wasn't their fault. Some poor girl turned left in front of them.

Well I've got to stop procrastinating and get back to work.

2006-03-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for all your nice comments. It's really nice to get comments from other artists.
I've been really trying to finish my beach picture. I think I will have it done by Friday. Colored pencil is a very long process. I usuallly don't have less than three layers of color on any portion of the peice. On the skin I will often have ten or more layers.
Things have been very hectic lately. The croup is making it's way around the family. My parents are in town from California. Matt's (my husband) brother and family has been visiting and his other brother and family will be here this weekend.

2006-03-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday
I am so computer illiterate so downloading these photos is a big deal for me. I am learning though. Maybe next week I can learn how to scan my work instead of photographing it.

2006-03-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 4 on Friday. Where did the last 4 years go. Four just isn't a baby it's a little girl. I can't believe that the baby phase of my life is over. I'm now officailly in the teenage phase with two teenagers.

So this is the scene we have been waking up to every morning. What happened to Spring? I'm a Californina girl at heart. I don't do well in the cold.

2006-03-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Mountains looked beautiful yesterday with the sun going down. It almost makes the snow and cold worth it.

Right now I just don't have the time or engery I would like to work on art. Hallie called from school and came home sick. James has croup. He went to school today but stayed home yesterday. He has such hard time with croup when the temperature changes. You would think he would have grown out of it by now. Croup keeps me up at night, it is scary.

I haven't been to spinning class all week. I think not going to spinning class zaps my energy. I keep waiting for life to get less hectic. I need to relize it's not going to happen and accept and enjoy it more.

2006-03-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't get the sand finished this week. There is always so much going on. Yesterday by the time I got the kids off to school all I wanted to do was curl up with a box of chocolate in front of Pride and Prejudice(I've been trying to watch it for two weeks now). Emily (3) had other ideas. I ended up entertaining her and her friend all day. Matt (husband) was wonderful and took the three youngest plus one of their friends to Curious George in the evening. He has worked so many hours this last week I don't know how he had the energy to take the kids out.

This morning I decided we have been to laxed on Saturdays so I put the kids to work. I gave them each a long list of chores. I assumed they would be complaining, but not one of them did. They all did everything on their lists and Hallie(6) even asked for more. I thanked them for not complaining and James(9) said "Well I was complaining on the inside".

2006-03-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

This is the latest peice I am working on. It's Miranda at Laguna Beach. The photo lightened everything up alot. I'm having a hard time with the sand, I'm hoping when the whole peice is done it will look like sand. My goal was to finish the sand this week, I'm running out of time.

I've been working a little each day on mixed media. Nothing good enough to post. I'm havig fun just looking at other peoples work. It is very inspiring.

2006-03-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

It has been one of those days.

The dogs sick. I've gone through a bottle of carpet cleaner. The dog issue was the least of my problems today.

I think somedays I tend to dwell on what went wrong rather than what went right. I've been very blessed. And somethings that look like a problem at the time actually turn out to be blessing in the long run.

I attemped a collage today, I will be gessoing over it tomorrow. If at first you don't succeed try and try again.

2006-03-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

So I have almost no idea what I am doing? I'm not very computer literate, but it is about time I learned. I do use it all the time I just have never taken the time to really learn how to use it.

I took this picture yesterday on a walk the family took down by the river. It was still a little chilly but Spring is definately on it's way.

The kids are out of school today. Some teacher development day. I've had them working all morning without too much success. It is easier to do it myself. I've really need let them do it. Miranda and Madeline are so good at cleaning if it is someone elses house.

I really need to make some time today for art. I've really slowed down on the portrait of Miranda. And I'm dying to dive into Collage and Altered Art. It looks so fun and not nearly as time consuming as Colored Pencils

2006-03-02T17:03:00.000-08:00