This month started off with a whimper with each of us, in turn, being laid low by illness. This followed by being snowed in for the better part of two weeks did not make for the most interesting photo opps! Still, we tried to live what life we had to the best of our ability.

Here are a few of my favorites from February:

The List

Take a Trip to Alaska

Take a Cruise

Camp in the Pacific Northwest

Drive Along the Pacific Coast Highway with the Windows Down

Visit Chicago for a long Weekend

Take Miranda Anne for a Ride in a Helicopter

Go on a Long Road Trip by Myself

Take Mae to New York City

Visit the Grand Canyon

Ride on the Orient Express (Venice-Simpleton is close enough!)

Visit Europe

Learn more about Yoga and practice it more often

Finish My Right Arm’s Ink

Do a Chin-up

Take Voice Lessons

Learn More About Buddhism

Take a Class in Conversational Chinese

Live a healthier lifestyle

Retire at 55

Create a Window Herb Garden and Keep it Alive

Make $500 ANY Profit off of my Etsy Shop

Get my Retirement Finances in Order

Plan and Pre-arrange my Funeral and Write my Will

Get Jason’s Building Finished

Put a Porch on the Front of the House

Start my Weird Taxidermy Collection

Collect and Maintain a Proper Shelf of Curiosities

Have a Proper Vegetable Garden

Throw a Masquerade

Have a Sledding Party at the Huge Hill Outside of Town

Take a Cooking Class with a Friend

Make my own Lemon and Vanilla Curds

Learn to make homemade amaretto (http://www.chow.com/recipes/29035-homemade-amaretto)

Throw a “Grown-up” Dinner Party

Take an Artist’s Retreat

Buy a Bass and Learn to Play

Write, Illustrate and Publish The Mother

Hold an Art Show featuring my Work

Make a Plaster Cast of my Head & Learn to Work with Latex / Effects Make-up

Take a Class on Watercolor

Set up my iPhoneography and Journaling Classes

I decided to pursue a daily photography practice using the iPhone this year. It’s been harder than I originally thought, to be honest. Some days I just didn’t do anything interesting enough to warrant a photo! Still, I shot at least something every single day.

Here are a few a favorites:

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking as much as I enjoyed taking!

Have a great weekend,
~H

The cover for our non-existant album: Alien Slugs & the Dirty, Dirty Dish Water

As a young child, I was obsessed with the overly dramatic. The flashy, the amazing, the unnatural, the fantastic… Bowie, Madonna, Toulouse-Loutrec, Love, Hensen, Escher… These media darlings, so intent on attention whoring, amazed and fascinated this latch-key kid from a small town. I would get out of class, walk the lonely walk home (Often going waaaay out of my way to walk people home who could care less if I was there or not just to have the company!) and spend my afternoons with a good book, a box of cookies, a piano and MTV a lot of MTV. For me, the Muppet-magic of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem turned into the real life antics of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Soon came Madonna and by 16, I’d become a teenager partially raised by  these mavens of personality. The likes of Hole and Nine Inch Nails took over my sensibilities. Talent I had, but recognition I didn’t, so I traded sweet girl in plaid and curls for combat boots, flannel, leather, goth… Stripper-chic to librarian specs, I’ve tried them all and I have to say: I’m no good at any of them!

Over the course of my nearly 34 years, I’ve been crushed in a car and rebuilt, I’ve garnered a degree, with honors, and have taken on the pursuit of another, I’ve become a mother of twins… I’ve learned to play, marginally, the piano, the guitar, the drums and the game of rummy.  I’ve been diagnosed with MS, I’ve changed my hair color more times than I can recall. I’ve owned two houses, 7 cars and have lived in places as picturesque as the view from my old apartment downtown to as dingy as the mouse infested trailer I lived in during college. I’ve held the oddest sounding yet most mundane jobs you’d ever think of yet this desire for fame and attention, the need to create something that will add to society in some truly meaningful way or simply make people stop and think, remains…

Such is the conflict of life?

My grandmother celebrating her 83rd Birthday

My mother was 25 when she had me and her mother was the same age when she had her. I’m not certain of the age of my great grandmother when she gave birth to my grandmother, but I’m pretty certain she was younger than that. I know that gram was an only child and that her mother was a fraternal twin, having a twin brother who had, at various events and reunions, been pointed out to me as such. However, I never knew my great grandmother on that side. She died when my grandmother was a teenager (18, I believe) and my grandmother cared for her over the course of her illness.

I only mention these things because they are the things that I am certain of when it comes to my grandmother’s life. These are the things I will tell my children and grandchildren about my grandmother when the time comes that she will not be able to tell them herself. And I will tell them these things as long as I am able to do so.

To carry forward, I know that she was a nurse, trained by the nuns of some order I’m not quite certain of (but I want to say St. Anne’s in St. Joseph, MO). I know that she was in the program, along with a group of other girls her age, for three years. They dormed together, studied together, lived together for three long years. I know that she married very quickly out of school and was fearful that the nuns would be annoyed, since in that day and age marriage meant you no longer worked and, had they known she had a sweetheart, they’d have booted her out of the program for fear of wasting their time, energy and money on someone who would not actually use  the training.

I can say that my gram did, indeed, use the training and worked until retirement as a nurse (and, at times, a nursing instructor).

I can remember events that took place in my life time. Silly things like going with her to the old TG&Y as it went out of business and trying to stretch the $2 she gave me as far as I could to purchase trinkets there.I remember her sick in the hospital after having surgery telling me that I needed to take care of my mother and aunt. I remember her strength when grandpa had open heart surgery, her knowledge when my uncle ended up with diabetes and her pleasure at seeing all the young grandchildren and great grandchildren over the years.

I remember her advice on funerals (“We’re here to comfort people who are also experiencing loss, not to blubber on or act petty.”) Her thoughts on family troubles (“Sometimes it’s just easier to let things go… fighting shouldn’t be amongst family members.”) Her ideas on conflict (“Pick your battles. There are times when it just doesn’t matter and those can go… But, when it does matter, you must fight.”) and her thoughts on gossip (“What does it matter who she marries, what she wears or how she does her hair? We don’t have to live with it! ;D)

But most of all, I will remember her generosity. When I was sick, my grandmother stayed with me. When I couldn’t walk or take care of myself, she was there to help. When no one visited or cared outside of my home, my gram was there for me. I will never, can never forget that.

So, here’s to you, Grandma Arley, on your 83rd birthday. May the next year bring you all the things you want it to and none of the things you don’t.

~H

ADDENDUM (10/10/2011):

All it took was 15 minutes in the local costume shop while looking at all the goodies there, for my peaches and cream duo to decide they wanted to be something else for Halloween. Since we’d not gotten started on the sewing, I indulged they’re pandering (There were a lot of whines and promises, to be certain!) I agreed and helped them choose their new costumes. Although the new choices are spookier, I think the girls will be happier with them, ultimately, and I’m glad we rethought this project!

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Post 1: PLANNING STAGE

As previously mentioned, my six-year-old twins have chosen a rather retro and, in today’s costume purchasing world, ultimately unheard of costume theme this Halloween season: She-Ra, Princess of Power. For those of you too young or not quite hip enough to know who or what that is, feast your eyes on this! Of course, Miranda, my active tomboy type, chose She-Ra’s super strength and abilities as her inspiration, where as Mae, my girly-girl, chose Frosta, who is a bit more tsk-tsk. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself with a little Adventure Time reference in there!)

I’m not kidding myself. I realize that turning two unruly and, quite often, dirty children into glamorous super heroes is NOT going to be easy… But, we’re trying anyway!

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

Mission: Transform SIX to SUPER!

~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~ ~•~

Making
	&		INTO		&
Takes Planning!

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Needs:

~•~

I’ve been trying to plan out how to make and what I’ll need for most of these items and I think I’m on the right track, so far. Wigs and bodysuits have been purchased and a Sunday trip to my mom’s house is planned for sometime in the next couple weeks to spend the day sewing and fabricating. (Her craft room is a treasure trove of sewing machines and other odds and ends that should come in handy, not to mention her years of sewing experience from which I can draw!)

Well, until next time,

~H

… And all this piled on top of my newly registered business, my photography pursuits and my family’s needs and wants! Before I began feeling truly overwhelmed, I decided I’d better sit down and decide what my goals for the upcoming quarter really are.

Seasonal ToDo’s (Personal & Professional)

• Finish Kids’ Costumes

This is huge! Being big She-Ra fans, each has picked a character from the cartoon to mimic this year. Miranda is to be She-Ra herself, sword and all, while Mae has chosen Frosta with her blue hair and snowflake staff to emulate.

She-Ra: Miranda’s Inspiration	Frosta: Mae’s Inspiration

I think I’ve got a good bead on how I’m going to make them happen in a cost-effective manner.We’ve already got the wigs and I purchased body suits to go under so everyone stays warm (and non-wardrobe-malfunctional). I’ve also got a portion of Frosta’s blue leggings procured, I think. Now, onto the rest! With funds tight this year, cutting corners is a must, but I hope I can put together something pleasing for both girls! I’ll keep you posted via Facebook, Twitter and, of course, the blog as things progress, I’m sure!

• Seasonal Photography

I really need to get out and photograph some of the beautiful fall foliage, fun decorations, goblins, freaks or spooks and all the other stuff that really says “Fall” to me.

I’ve been looking through the festival calendars and have a few that I think would be best for the family and I to attend and that would give us a lot of great pics. I’ll be sure to post up my favs as they’re captured.

I’d also like to get some good winter shots as the season progresses. I mean, nothing gives good bokeh like Christmas lights!

• Get the Business in Order

My goals this season are to simply get established on Etsy, possibly put something together on Zazzle with Jas, and to figure out what I need to do the weekend art show circuit.

Since I only recently started my Etsy shop, I am looking for unique growth and promotion strategies and trying to figure out the best way to get my art noticed and items purchased.

I also hope to introduce some other items based on my photography, like tile coasters, hand bags or coin purses, jewelry and paintings/drawings, that can be purchased as gifts this holiday season.

Oh! And selling enough items to clear cost and propel some of my future artistic endeavors would be great!

• Help the Children Get Settled

We’ve been switching the children’s rooms around this month and I’d really like it all settled by the middle of October. We’ve gotten the toy room cleared out. (This in and of itself is a massive feat!) Now it’s on to Mae’s room, where we get all those toys, clothes, collectibles and other things sorted, thrown out, sent to Goodwill or filed away. Then, it’s on to Miranda’s room, where the same must happen along with moving her prized possessions into the old toy room, where she’ll have more space, brighter walls and, hopefully, a happier disposition!

The Toy Room After A MASSIVE Clean-up

Since everyone has full-time day jobs, we work on these projects primarily on our weekends since the day-to-day grind of housework, homework, product creation and school events takes up most of our week. Still, I think this is doable in 2-4 weekend days and everyone will be settled in their happy places before Halloween!

• Have a REAL Holiday Party

I’m hoping to host a holiday party for our friends to drop in, say “Hello” and have a drink or two… Maybe some other refreshment. I guess it’s more of a very casual, later-in-the-day, semi-cocktail party with light music and conversation, small gifts and prizes, some interesting beer, a few mixers and hors d’ovres? (What does one call this in the real world? :-/ ) I admit, my social skills are, at best, classified under “Awkward” and I don’t normally host get-togethers, because, honestly, I don’t have many to get together with! But I’m not all bad, once you get to know me (and if I am, then I’m bad in a good way, right?!) and Jas has a lot of friends and I’d like to host a party for them all to share some time with one another, throwing out the odd war story or spin a few new yarns.

I hoped the girls would play supervised hostess to any other children who might come, entertaining them in the upstairs play/media room we hope to put together once the rooms have been switched up.

(Ok, not quite like that… But you get the idea! )

• Art Stuffs & Reclaiming the Back Jungle

I’ve been working on an image that I hope will resonate with female mechanics, greasers and any girl who works on or enjoys classic cars of all ilks. The graphic is slow going, though, mostly because I feel like I have no where to be. My work room is full of Jason’s things and a gigantic mess that I can’t even muddle through. My living room, on any given day, looks like a tornado hit it, even after I’ve cleaned all day! (Thanks, Family ) and I really have no space to exist in my own home! I think it’s time to reclaim the back room, get Jas to sort through all the junk he’s piled in there and maybe, just maybe, carve out a little space for me. I mean, it is my house after all!

Wish me luck ,

~H

So, I started thinking this through and decided that my art could be made into one or two-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. For the moment, I’m focusing on bracelets and I really, really can’t wait to show them to you all. They really are, if all goes as planned, going to be beautiful!

But, until supplies finish arriving, all I can do is show you a few pieces of my inspiration for the first design. I promise not to keep you waiting too long for the final project.

Until next time,

~Hollie

This little doodle flowed from my pen while talking to the lawyer this afternoon on my lunch break. I like her. I respect her… but honestly, the conversation did not put me at ease in the slightest. That’s probably obvious from my journal today.

So: With that in mind, Happy Birthday, Jas. Here’s an octopus. What does that mean? I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll understand. And if you don’t? Well, have a happy birthday anyway.

~H

I’ve been busy doing nothing. Lot’s of long work days coupled with extreme heat and carting kids around has made room for little else. I did have a chance to ship off my entry for the 20th Annual Louisville National Juried Photography Show.

The Piece that May or May Not Make It Home!

This was the first show I’d entered and was really surprised to see that one of my prints was chosen! No, it won’t sell (probably) and I doubt it will win any places (Wouldn’t that be awesome?!?), but simply entering and getting shown was a big boost for me! I’ve plans to enter a few items into another showing and I’ve been considering contacting a couple of local galleries to see what their application for representation might be.

Speaking of my first experience of mailing an art entry: The shipping part of it was a nightmare. Since the show is two states away and my Challenger, as much as I love her, is a bit of a gas hog, I could not deliver the piece myself. Plane tickets were also far more than it would cost me to ship the bugger and I figured this really was the way to go about it…

I had, in the past, experienced good things when it came to FedEx and their facility was open later than everyone else’s on a Friday night, so I chose them to transport the precious cargo. That ended up being a huge mistake! After a very uninformed and non-tech savvy employee at their facility pretty much told me to shut up and do everything myself from a workstation in the back of the room, 3 hours of dealing with their ill-maintained equipment and trying to get the kids to behave and a lot of frustration and cash spent, my package shipped out the following Monday. Since return shipping was supposed to be included, I did… But I had to create an account with them, then they wouldn’t let me date the return shipment for more than 10 days out!! The gent (ha!) behind the counter said they’d probably honor it anyway and this was echoed by their phone support later that evening… but it caused me great headaches and a worry that I might not get my $150 canvas back when the show is over!

The Stump on Top of One of the Smaller Dirt Mounds

I’ve decided that if I use FedEx again, I’ll just print the shipping labels from home and have them pick up the package rather than stand around in a store with unhelpful employees and dilapidated equipment!! However, I think I’ll try UPS next time and see how that pans out.

Our driveway project at the house continues on. After a phone call to our contractor (read that as “After I called and reamed out my contractor…”) I discovered that he’d taken the money down already paid and used it to aid in the completion of at least 3 other jobs! Yet, mine remains unfinished nearly two months after start date. He hasn’t been paying his employees who are starting to leave him and I have a huge pile of dirt that takes up my entire front lawn pissing off my neighbors and causing a lot of problems. Jas and I have been clearing the rubble and dirt the best we can ourselves and I demanded that the contractor either reimburse us for this service that he was contracted to provide but wasn’t or discount the remaining money owed. So tired of this terrible mess and am unsure just what I should do at this point.

The Girls

The family is doing well. Jas has been attending classes on the company dime to become Mac Tech Certified.This is great news for him and will really help him out. Yay for Jas! The girls are good… They’ve been spending a lot of time with their KC grandparents since school is out and both got their hair cut much shorter!

And I’ve just been plotting my next shoot. Since I have a little time, I’ve been doing some maintenance around my home, both in real life and on the web, and hope that next term I’ll be full of great ideas and projects that will blow the past out of the water!

Until next time,

~Hollie