one more sunny day to get through the rain...

As I sit here in my kitchen and I look out to this gray, dreary day, I decided to post a few more sunny day pictures from our Friday afternoon.  While we played during the day at the park, in the afternoon we decided to play in the driveway and wait for Jon to get off the bus.  Jon is a bit of a celebrity walking the red carpet when he gets off the bus with Penny shouting his name and Drew rambling on about what he did and asking Jon what he did, like a little Ryan Seacrest interview.  Of course Jon appears to be pretty ambivalent about the whole thing, but I know he likes the attention.  While we waited we had to play a quick game of hide and go seek and I will say my kids are getting pretty used to me snapping away at them and me yelling, "Don't say cheese, just look my way, you don't have to give goofy grins!"  Which I don't mind grabbing those either, but I LOVE getting a picture of they way they look at that minute if that's a smile than great, if it's just a look - than great.  After having three children and they are all at such different stages I try to reflect on they way the older ones where and how the little one will be - catching these moments is an easy way for me to burn them in my memory forever (or at least on CD)!

Our Friday:

hide and go seek

penny counting

   

I just couldn't decide which I liked better

sleepy ragamuffin

frustrated ragamuffin complete with dirt on her face 

(i LOVE this picture of her)

So today is the last day of the glooms for this week.  Starting tomorrow the sun is going to shine and we are going to be outside.  

You might be wondering where is the Penny Pickles art?  Well there is art going on, just taking a bit and I have one painting in the wings.  I am also about ready to start my assembly line of pink ribbon canvas' for the Relay for Life that I am participating in, in June - I will be selling my little ribbon paintings and all of the proceeds (minus my supplies) will be going to the American Cancer Society.  I am also working on a drawing piece for that day as well.  If you are interested in donating or just have questions - let me know.  

Signing off - Thanks! 

It's spelled wheee, not Wii

We were blessed late this week with phenomenal weather.  Warm, sunny and a glimpse of things to come in the next few months.  It is amazing to me what a little sunshine can do for a person.  I am clearly so much more motivated to do ANYTHING if there is a bright sun blazing in the blue, blue sky.  We were invited to go to the park on Friday for a picnic and some play with the Webbers.  We happily accepted their invite.  You see we don't frequent parks, sure my kids go, when they have babysitters, but we have a perfectly wonderful play set and sandbox in our own backyard.  I am a fan of our backyard because it is fenced and I am on constant kid search when they play at a playground, especially a busy one.  So this rare occasion was celebrated by the two youngest Pages.  We went to Forest Park, a wonderful park down the road from us with a variety things to play on - the young child play area was "the" place to be on Friday.  So we settled down on a bench and off the littlen's went to play.  Of course I couldn't pass up this opportunity of potentially great pictures of the kids being cute, so bear with me.

penny putting flowers in Leslie's hair - a rare quick pic of the camera shy lady

drew's smirk

drew, happy because I am waving chocolate in his face

ahh, joy

just a pretty daffodil

my ragamuffin

merdi's bouquet

After lots of fun at the park we headed home and the kids napped, but not enough and then they were just crabby - but the weather was still nice!  Saturday was incredible and we had a busy, busy day, but that will be for another post.  You might wonder what the heck my title of this post meant, but it occurred to me that when I say the word whee - my kids think of Wii.  I was pushing Penny in the swing this weekend and she kept saying "wheee," every time I pushed her and when I would stop she would say "more whee?"  Which was just too cute and of course I continued to push her and help her have "more whee" and I thought we need more whee and less Wii, and when the weather is nice it is so much easier to have that genuine "whee" time. So there.

Later this week I should have my next Penny Pickles piece finished - so stay tuned.  It's suppose to be a few dreary days ahead, so enjoy the sunny pics - I know I will!

Thanks!

Easter!

I sit here this soggy Monday morning, reflecting on this weekend.  It was pretty uneventful - winding down our spring break to nowhere.  Saturday we stayed close home, Ryan worked on some handy man stuff for our neighbor, I holed up in the basement in the office to start Penny's Easter dress.  Yes, I said START. So after a few hours I managed to finish her dress and make an adorable camera strap cover for Leslie (yep, it's done and sooo cute!).  I went out that evening for a run, I am LOVING this mild weather so that I can run outside.  I just have such a hard time on the treadmill - I do it if I must, but if I have a choice, outdoor running wins hands down.  I went out after my run to finish my grocery shopping and buy my Easter candy.  Yes, my mother is looking down on me shaking her head - I waited until the day before to buy ANYTHING for Easter.  It all worked out, we have replenished our supply of sugar for our home and the kids managed to sufficiently OD'd on sugar despite the fact that their peanut butter cups were in fact round and not in the shape of an egg and our  M & M's are primary colors instead of pastels.  

We woke on Easter morning to Jon having a 102 degree fever, which naturally put a bit of a damper on the days events.  We decided to stay home from church and do our own service, reading from the bible the story of Christ's crucifixion and his rise to heaven.  It was a nice time for all of us together to reflect on what Easter is really all about.  

Ryan and I laughed because we had one basket for the family filled with non-Easter shaped candy and a few books and a Wii game for the kids and the bunny did in fact hide eggs throughout the first floor, but our children didn't discover these treats or even ASK until about 10:30 when Penny came upstairs and said "Egg!" and then ran to the stairs and said "Dew! Wook! Egg!, Dew!!, DDDEEEEWWWW! JAAAAAAA!"  I add the exclamations for emphasis because Penny really talks that way! The boys came up, Jon's motrin kicked in and the egg collection began.  They had such a good time and I did a terrible job videoing the events- we will undoubtedly get motion sickness once we view that video one day.  I am generally NOT the videographer - give me a camera and I am fine, the video camera, I am all over the place.  So I have no pictures of the egg hunt, but one terribly jerky film.

Dad came down, Steve and Anna came over, we ate, celebrated the day and ended it in a quiet way.  Everyone left, I went for a run and the kids went to sleep.  I couldn't help reflect on the absence of mom and how she'd be pleased with the sauce I made (my great-grandmothers recipe on dad's side), appalled that I didn't iron my table clothe, tickled that I folded all my napkins into little fans, and she would shake her head that I skipped making salad because we ate too many appetizers to make it worth it.  I try, but I have big shoes to fill and while I want the table to look nice and ambiance to be suited for my company, I'm a comfortable girl and like to sit and visit.  So I approach holidays a bit more relaxed. That isn't to say I don't try. 

I am particularly pleased with Penny's dress.  It may seem like I only have one child, but Jon wasn't looking his best and he had on sweatpants, Drew was playing Wii for most of the day and well, me, I was enjoying visiting so I didn't hide behind the camera much. Needless to say I don't have many pictures.  Back to Penny's dress, so I tried a different pattern this time, I decided to make the skirt style the same, but not use elastic in the back, I also used contrasting fabric for the thick straps and then sewed button holes for the straps.  For now, I criss-crossed them and tied them in the back to make the dress more fitted for now, as she grows I will just tie knots at the ends to give it a different look and honestly, she'll be able to wear this one until she's probably 6 or 7 because it fits Jon as a tunic-style top.  Wouldn't you love to be a boy in my house!  I like to provide longevity in the stuff I make - it may have only taken me three hours to make, but it is still my efforts that I would like to enjoy for more than just one season.  

  

getting ready to swing

swinging baby

the runny "lady"

its kinda grainy, but i love this picture of my dad

Jon is home today with his fever, which he wasn't too upset about - we've managed to stay pretty healthy so I can't complain.  Plus, Ryan stayed home today, he is feeling a bit puny so we're all still in our jammies, relaxing and holing up in the house on this dreary day.  

I am nearly done with my next project and then on to a custom piece after that!  Until then thanks!

hello conner...

Well I certainly did my best impression of Andy Rooney yesterday didn't I?

I am happy to report that Rooney is gone and Annie, er Penny Pickles is back!  I delivered a nursery piece that I had been working on for an old high school friend, Tanya.  It turns out Tanya (who found me on Facebook) lives in Noblesville about 10 minutes away from my house (such a small world).  It also turns out that Tanya is expecting her second son, Conner, in four weeks.  She contacted me about a month ago to do a tile spread spelling out her newest son's name.  What was so nice about this project was that I could go to her house, see the room, the type of furniture and bedding she was going to use, the other art pieces she was considering and sit and talk with her and her husband about what they were looking for.  I don't usually get that opportunity, so it was a welcomed chance.  That and I was able to hand deliver the painting, so no panicking about whether I wrapped it well enough or whether it shipped okay.  Plus I get to see my clients reaction in person, which is worth it's weight in gold!

Their bedding is pretty simple and quite handsome, yellow, light blue and chocolate brown, I copied the bedding a bit, modifying it slightly and changing the blue tone a bit to work with some of the other pieces they intended for the room.  I also really like the double matte look with these longer canvas', it really frames the final piece.  The result was adorable and it looked great up against the cocoa colored walls in the nursery.  Once they finish the nursery I will hopefully get a few pics sent my way to see how it all comes together. 

I present:  -CONNER-

secretly wishing i had a wide angle lens

Thank you so much Wilhite family for having me over, and allowing me to work on this great piece for your nursery.  I just know when baby Conner comes home he is going to have a very, very special room of his very own.  It was my pleasure to work on this for you! Thanks again!

Next up: Merdi's table and Penny's easter dress.  I scored at the fabric store today and found some fantastic fabric to add to the fabric I already had - I just can't wait to start and from the looks of it, I'll get a one day turn around on Saturday!  Ahh!

lots to do, lots to do

random bits of ranting...

I realized today that it had been a week since I last posted.  Wow, a week.  Let's see - so the jumpers we're received by Lindsey and she seems very happy with them, I am excited to hear what her friend thinks when she gets them as a gift next month.

I finished my newest nursery piece, but it won't be delivered until tomorrow so I will share that later this week.

I am starting my first piece of furniture, I mean it's started, but I am really getting into the nitty gritty now that I am finished with my nursery piece.  I'm very excited about this project.

It seems silly, but my days have been pretty filled, but nothing tremendously exciting filling them.  We're in spring break right now, I am sad because I wish we were in Ft. Lauderdale like we were last year. 

This yo-yo weather is almost too much for me - I'm dragging, tired and just wishing I could crawl back into bed and sleep this cold, blustery weather away.  When did we lose spring?  I figure it will be in the 80's in the next month, not giving us or nature a chance to adjust.  I never realized how much the weather or environment effected me or my family.  Drew especially, he's such an outdoor kid, loves it and when he can't be outside it leaves the rest of us wishing he was outside.  ;o)

I am surprised and impressed by the inquires on my jumpers.  I didn't realize people would like them or like them enough to want one.  I was lucky enough to spend a day with Leslie last week - we found some awesome fabric to make a swing top for Merdi and I found some awesome fabric for Penny - I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but I'll figure that out later.  I also realized that Easter is this weekend and I need to get cracking on Penny's dress - I have the fabric out, just nothing done with or to it at this point.  I know what I want to do, I just need to sit down and do it.  

That leads me to something I am terrible at: pricing.  If you own your own business or sell something that you do handmade you might be able to relate.  I am my worst critic and I under value my wares terribly.  I am trying to get better at this and be realistic about the time I spend and the effort that it takes.  I mean sure you can go to Target and get a dress for 9.99$.  It will be cute, but not unique.  When you want unique, sometimes you need to pay for it.  I am a one woman operation, I do it all myself, including the pattern.  When someone doesn't sew or paint or whatever, they either have a ton of appreciation for the skill and time involved or they do not.  I haven't had much opposition for my pricing, but its something that has been eating at me a bit.  I guess my point is that I don't over charge for my labor or skill.  I generally only charge about $10 an hour, which is what I made at the Gap doing retail - I don't think that is asking too much, do you?

I'm a bit frustrated with the economy right now - sure we've been touched, Ryan lost his job last year.  We were lucky that he found a new job and he makes a good living, but what makes me laugh is when you hear government workers complaining about no raises or private employees complaining about no bonus'.  WTH? Ryan didn't get a bonus, Ryan didn't get a raise, hell we're happy he has a job!  I just don't get why people can't keep that in perspective.  And the government pumping money into the banking industry, encouraging them to lend, well I will tell you first hand they aren't.  Ryan and I did quite a few renovations at our last house, we did it in a fairly traditional way, we had a line of credit, we'd use it, pay it back, use it again for home improvement, because lets be honest, not everyone has tons of money sitting around.  So now we're in our new house and we want to do our kitchen, I mean it's a great time, retailers are dropping their prices on appliances and cabinets and such.  The deals couldn't be better, but we'd like to take a line of credit out to do that work.  I'll tell you what - we've got very little debt, we've got great credit scores, but the banks have made their limits so ridiculous that if you haven't lived in your home for 10 years you aren't going to meet their qualifications with regards to equity.  To me, that seems ridiculous - no wonder the economy is in a tail spin.  It makes me wonder what the banks are doing with that money and why our government in all the regulations that they love to administer to every aspect of our lives aren't labeling that money for lending purposes ONLY!!! I don't get it, but what I do get is that I am frustrated and that just plain stinks.

I have to admit this post has become a bit of a rant, so I'm going to go with it, I'm in a stinky mood today. 

I don't like twitter, I don't. I love my friends, I love hearing about their life, I don't need the details of it every hour.   I mean, I've got some cool friends, but lets be honest NONE of our lives are that interesting.  Hell even the stars lives aren't THAT interesting.  Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather talk on the phone or write a letter to get the low-down, not see twenty-seven tweets on Facebook about nonsense.

I am conflicted because I am doing a bible study with two girlfriends.  I am so happy to be doing it with them, but I am more confused and frustrated than ever.  I'm not happy with the workbook I am doing.  I mean when I first started doing bible studies I was confused and a bit of a lost sheep.  As I matured in my walk, I found deeper meaning in my studies, like they were specifically meant for me.  I don't know, other than developing a new and deeper relationship with my girlfriends, this study is leaving me unsettled, dissatisfied and confused.  I continue to pray for movement and guidance because I want this study to move me.

On a sad note, one of my clients lost her child a week and a half ago.  I had done a painting for Robyn to tribute the loss of her twins and then did a nursery painting for her daughter to be, Rowyn.  Rowyn had a difficult delivery because the placenta detached and Rowyn was left without oxygen.  She was born with minimal brain activity, but she fought and lived and went home.  A week and a half ago she left this life and joined her sisters in heaven.  I find no words of solace to offer the Nix family other than I am so, so sorry.  It is moments like this that move you in ways you can not dream.  I am saddened so deeply by this loss.  

Okay, I think I've sufficiently alienated and darkened everyone and every ones mood so I'll stop now.  I promise Debbie Downer will be gone next time and happy pickles will be back with more work to show off - until then Thanks!