And the winner is..........

Thank you to ALL who entered my one-year blog anniversary giveaway!!


With the help of Random.org I have a winning entry!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS COLLEEN
of Main Street Memories!!

I will be contacting YOU and I HOPE you'll send me
your address so I can get
HOPE






shipped off to you ASAP! :)

Thanks again for all the wonderful entries, comments and a year of great new friendships!
Here's to many, many more!

Darla

An afternoon with the girls

I had a wonderful day and hope you all did too!

First off, my middle son, Ryan spent the night after attending a Sioux hockey game up in Grand Forks. We went out for dinner to celebrate his birthday. His actual b-day was the 17th but he was on a business trip in Atlanta :) We went to our local 'famous' pizza shop and had a nice time!

When he left I headed to the basement and got my hands on some brushes and paints and upcycled a couple of 6 x 6 canvases.



I'm really having a great time painting these little angels, hope you're not getting sick of them just yet!

I finished them, came upstairs and vacuumed all the fur 'love' from Mieko and then hit my Pilates machine. I've had it a year and have used it 3 times, 2 of those times just this past week. Isn't that pathetic? I'm going to try and do it 2-3 times a week MINIMUM! It feels great!

I'd also like to wish my sweet little grandson, Cutler a HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY!


Cutler is with his parents over in Mpls celebrating Christmas with his mother's family. Hoping to celebrate sometime this week when they get home!

Have a wonderful evening everyone and I'll see you tomorrow for sure!
Hugs,
Darla

The kids like their new scarves!

And of course I had to have them model for me and my camera :) I tried to pick colors that would go with their winter coats. Cutler, of course, has a MN Vikings jacket!


Derek & Jeni in Aruba! Aren't they adorable?
They brought me a beautiful tote bag from Aruba and a very funny little desk accessory (flip book)! Here's what it says on the back cover:

'This bold and defiant book of affirmations is for mommies on the edge, self-styled divas, and domestic goddesses everywhere. It features full-color advertising images from the 40's, 50's and 60's paired with sly, laugh-out-loud sayings. This sassy little gift book tackles issues of womanhood with daring humor and a healthy dose of bitchiness.'

Here's the page I chose for today :)


There are SO many very funny, but somewhat naughty pages! I'd love to share them all in time ...but be warned. Like I said, some are naughty ;)

Have a great day!
Darla

Taking a new class!

I'm trying to pace myself, because I want to learn it all! I see a workshop and I want in! It just gets to be too much all at once for my little checkbook :) NOT to mention my brain can't soak up more than a little info at a time. ha!

This is a wonderful workshop given by Sharon Tomlinson. I love the soft, dreamy look of her girls. If you'd like to join me, click on the image and you'll fly over to her blog! She has some great videos on youtube as well!

I feel bad that I haven't posted much in the past few days. I've had some serious computer issues at home and it's been a little busy at work and I'm trying to get my priorities in order from 8-5 :)

Yesterday we had a blizzard here so my boss let us go home. It was wonderful! I made some turkey jerky, some turkey stock to freeze for cooking and crocheted two scarves. Now I have one for all three of my grandkids. I'll take them over tonight and I HOPE I remember to whip out my camera and I'll have them pose for a high fashion shot to share with you tomorrow :)

I wanted to paint the day away but it was just so chilly and my basement gets a little cool on days like that. It just felt cozier to curl up in my chair and crochet.

I'm hoping to paint at some point this week.......stay tuned!

Do any of you watch The Biggest Loser? Should be interesting tonight!!

Darla

1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

In honor of my one year blog anniversary I'd like to host a giveaway! Won't you please help me celebrate??????

I've painted this little angel, 'Hope' to give to the winner :)

I HOPE you'll enter!

I HOPE you like visiting my blog!

I HOPE we can be friends for a long, long time!

I HOPE for good things to come your way!

I HOPE you will find the good in life each and every day!

I HOPE you know how important you are to me♥

This is an 11 x 8.25 oval piece of MDF board with a black border.

To enter, just comment here on this post! Tell me your hopes for 2010!! Spread the word if you'd like :)

I will pick the winning entry on January 31st!

Good luck to everyone!

Hugs,
Darla

Sisters

12 x 12
I don't have a sister but I always, ALWAYS wanted one!


All my wonderful friends, real life and cyber, have filled my need :) Thank you all for being such great sisters to me!!

Hugs,
Darla

Sick kids still say funny things

Ok, the polymer clay project and possible watercolor art got pushed to the back burner. I have sick kids here with me :(

I was called at work this morning to come and pick up Cailee as she was running a temp. Nothing too high, but will definitely keep an eye on it. She's complaining of a sore throat.

Then I pick Nora up after school and she says she can't hear out of one of her ears and it hurts a little. Cutler's little nose is a spicket! Drip, drip, drip! I'm going through kleenex here like there's no tomorrow!

Awwwwwwwww, but they're still so sweet. We're just not finding the time or energy to get it all done. The evenings go pretty fast.



I have to share what Nora told me tonight!



Out of nowhere she says, "Grandma, once Cailee saw me with my shirt off and I yelled at her, 'Cailee! My nipples are pricey!' Grandma, I meant my nipples are privacy and I said pricey on accident. Isn't that silly? I can't sell my nipples!"

Have a good night everyone!
Darla

Grandma Darla reporting in :)

My son Derek and his wife, Jeni are in Aruba this week celebrating 10 years of marriage.

Derek's Dad and his wife, along with myself are taking care of the grandkids. I won't get much painting done this week, but it's A-OK! I'm having fun. They really are at such fun stages. Cailee is 10, Nora 6 and Cutler will turn 3 this month.

I hope to catch a few photos this week and I'll share them. Tonight we might make something with polymer clay! Or maybe do a little something with watercolor?

I was able to finish my larger version of the three angels (24 x 24 canvas)

These angels have their names stamped on their dresses also. Faith, Hope & Love.


I'm much more comfortable doing smaller pieces but this was a good experience in trying something larger :)

I've also been crocheting a bit. I've made several soft, plushy scarves out of various homespun yarn and even a few dishcloths to have on hand as gifts. Maybe, just maybe I'll attempt an actual project where a pattern is involved! :) Baby steps, baby steps.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Darla

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful son, Ryan! You have been and always will be a great source of pride and joy for me♥


Ryan in his snuggly footy pajamas!




Ryan and his cousin, Brody obviously pleased with their red licorice! It's SO good!


A night at the motel....a motel with a pool!


One of my all time favorite photos.....we were camping in Minnesota and Ryan is walking along the path. I seriously LOVE this one!



Back in the day........when he let Mom cut his hair :)


My baseball star! He loved the game and I loved watching him. He plays mens softball now :) I might have to make a road trip next summer to catch a game!


Ryan~8th grade (I think!)


Senior Picture....1999


Ryan with his dog, Jaxon. I love how they both smiled for this shot :)


Ryan, (niece)Cailee & (sister-in-law) Jeni in his first half marathon! Jeni & Cailee ran the 5k that year. Good job!


Ryan with his niece, Nora and his newborn nephew, Cutler. (2007)


Ryan with nephew Cutler, niece Cailee and S-I-L, Jeni - Christmas 2009


HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!!!!!

A birthday, an award and my anniversary!

Who, me???????

YES Mieko, YOU! Happy 6th Birthday sweet boy!


It's an almost unhealthy attachment I've come to have with my dog. He's SO sweet and so smart and so loveable though.....what's a girl to do?


I'd really like to thank Kenyatta from Brown Sugar Baby Brushes for sharing this wonderful award with me! I've known Keni for about 10 years now, going back to our One Stroke painting days with Donna Dewberry!

I need to list ten things that make me all warm and fuzzy...and then gift it to 3 other blogs that will do the same.

Here are the 10 things that make me happy...all warm and fuzzy:

1) I love to snuggle in a big, fluffy robe with a cup of something warm to drink!

2) Hotdish (casseroles) like the kind you'd find a church potluck dinners! YUM!

3) Sitting down to watch tv on a Saturday evening after spending the day cleaning and doing laundry. It's a great feeling to feel caught up!

4) Kind and sweet and encouraging comments on my blog. Seriously, you guys make my day!

5) When someone calls me 'hon'......

6) Feeling loved......truly loved.

7) My homemade wild rice and ham soup. I could literally crawl right into the pot and exist happily ever after. Do you see a trend here? I'm cutting down on 'excess' eating so food is all I seem to be able to think about right now! LOL

8) snuggly puppies

9) Campfires

10) Hugs from my kids and grandkids. Awwwwww, nothin' better!

I'd like to share this with all of you but I'll try follow the rules this time and select three :)

First: Jo of Jo Knows
I really enjoy Jo AND her blog! You will too, please check her out!
Second: Kelly from Love is my Religion
Kelly is a sweetheart and has a unique and wonderful art technique, please visit her too!
Third: Sanda Reynolds from Sanda's Hobby Blog
Sanda is a kind and giving soul with huge talent....stop over there for sure!


Ok, lastly.......today is my ONE YEAR blog anniversary! It snuck up on me so fast! I'm going to figure out something to give away here shortly to celebrate the fun I've had and the wonderful friends (YOU ALL!) that I've met. You have made a wonderful impact on my life! Thank you and stayed tuned :)

Darla

Donation item complete!

I finished the 12 x 12 angel piece. You probably won't notice much difference but I glazed over the halos with gold to tone them down a bit. I also did some shading and added stamped names to each angel in gold as well.
Faith~ Joy~Hope


THEN.........I decided to make myself a BIG ONE! I started a 24 x 24 canvas with the same design :)

Excuse the sloppy mess surrounding this! I'm not an organized painter by any means :)

I'm heading out to Grand Forks today to do a little grocery shopping, get a manicure and a stop to see my good friends at 'Michaels'.

Hope you're all enjoying a wonderful Sunday. The temps are rising here today so it's wonderful!
Who knew temps in the 20's would feel so balmy?!

Darla

Charity Auction donation

You may recall that I mentioned I was painting a 24 x 24 landscape for the upcoming auction? Yeah, well that didn't turn out as planned so it got pushed aside for now. Plus, over the years, I have put so much time, effort and PAINT into doing up larger items that I 'think' people will buy instead of painting what I like to paint and they've been a flop anyway.
So.........I'm going with this! I LIKE painting this stuff so this is what I did! LOL


12 x 12 x 1.5 wooden piece

This is not quite finished yet......need to do some shading, outlining and possibly tone down the halos with gold? Sometimes I just need to photograph a piece and stare at it to figure out what's next :) I might stamp 'Faith', 'Love', and 'Joy' on each of the angel dresses also.

Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed....IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!! Woohoo! Being sick all last weekend, I'm excited now for 2 days to get some things done, like put away Christmas decorations :)

Have a great weekend everyone!
Darla

12 x 12 Canvas finished

I couldn't help but name this one: "She asked for a puppy"




The expression on her face....well, she just reminds me of the banking commercials where the kids are left just a little disappointed! ha

Here's one commercial that makes me smile. The little brunette reminds me so much of my granddaughter, Cailee, when she was that age!




Have a great Thursday everyone!

Work in Progress

I started on a 24 x 24 canvas last night( creating a landscape) for a charity auction this month but then decided I needed to paint a girl. No Christmas ornaments, no snowmen.....just a girl. It had been quite awhile since I painted one.

I'm not sure where this one is going yet.....but this is what I have so far.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to finish the landscape tonight or maybe this one. It all depends on the mood-meter :)

Have a great Wednesday!
Darla

Crawling out from the depths of ......

Oh man, sorry I've been MIA, but I woke up on New Years Day with a head cold/flu that really knocked me out :(

I spent my much anticipated 3-day holiday in my jammies and robe! I thought it was bad enough my 4-day Christmas break had me stormed in with a blizzard but surely I'd make good use of the next break. Not so much.

I did, however manage to crochet some scarves for upcoming birthday gifts :)

I used fluffy, soft homespun yarn and a fairly large crochet hook. I knew I didn't have the gusto to go to the basement and paint, but at least I felt somewhat creative doing something as I just sat there.

Oh, did I mention what Dale gave me for Christmas??? It's a Kuerig Platinum coffee maker!

When I first opened it, I thought....'oh-oh, we've dated too long now, he's giving me kitchen appliances' but after I opened it and used it, I LOVE IT! (Ignore the messy background in my pics today!)
It came with 12 little cups of individual coffee/tea blends. Even a Hot Chocolate! I've also got the metal filter which allows me to use my own coffee and that will save $$. Those little cups are awful handy though!

I'm back at work and quite swamped this time of year. Many of our farmers defer their checks so on the first of January, I'm usually busy, busy, busy getting them paid. This year, writing $2 million in checks with a bad cold, a.k.a. THICK FOG is rather difficult. Sure hope I don't mess anything up. Yikes!

I'm hoping to wrap things up here today and get over to visit your blogs soon. I've missed you all!

Happy New Year!
Darla