Catching up

It occurred to me that I haven't blogged in about a quarter century. My head is in a fog. Where has the time gone? Is this November? Where are we?


Halloween. The kids had a blast, although we did not attempt a door-to-door after our flop experience last year (Nutshell? Our neighborhood is full of crabby old patoots). We attended no fewer than three carnivals, each replete with candy and inflatables. Connor went as Super Why and Mia was a rosebud . Those costumes got a workout. I gave Connor full license to choose what image would be carved into his pumpkin. He chose "Wallace and Gromit." An obscure subject at best, just like his choice of costume. He did not care that nobody knew what he was supposed to be and everyone thought he was a ninja turtle. This is why I love him.




The Saturday following Halloween, a dear friend of mine drove all the way up from Birmingham, AL to take family portraits of us. She did a STUNNING job. I'll be posting more of those photos in the weeks to come. If you like what you see, book her online: http://www.bonneviephotography.com/ Check us out in her portfolio section! We're famous!





This weekend I actually did something nice for myself. Thanks to a stockpile of gift cards I've been holding onto since my birthday, I was able to replace my nursing bras with real, honest-to-goodness, industrial over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders. No hooks in the front, no flaps, no stretched-out elastic and frayed edges. Nope. Real bras. Nice ones. You'll recall I quit nursing when Mia turned one. Back in July. It pains me to reveal this information, since you'll now be able to calculate how long I've been wearing kaput lingerie. Let me just say that thanks to a professional fitting and some new foundation-wear, I look and feel about five pounds thinner (add that to the 11 lbs I've lost since beginning my quest to drop 30! A bit more to go but I love seeing results!). Rock on. I highly recommend a bra splurge if you haven't recently.

Anyway, the kids were impressed with my purchase.


I also achieved something MAJOR last night. At least in my own estimation. I've been working on a set of illustrations for an aspiring author in Florida for over a year now. You'd think sixteen or so measly little color drawings wouldn't be that time-intensive. I may just be a poor steward of my time. Anyway, it's done. Complete. Finished. I can't believe it. Last night after the kids were safely in their beds, I settled onto my usual spot at the end of the couch, under the lamp where the light's the best, and fought every urge to reach for my pencils. I've been at this for a year! It's been a tucked-away dream of mine to illustrate for children since I was a child myself, though, and crafting these characters and these pages has been such a delight, such a soul-feeder for me, I'm determined to do more. My head is already swimming with ideas and my hand itches to create. I'm going to beef up my portfolio. Updates to come.