Love deeply. Laugh. Cry. Talk to God. Be realistic about the to-do list. Stay in touch. Hug. Dream. Smile. Break Bread often with Family. Spend Time with your Girlfriends. Shop til you Drop! Extend Grace. Be Quick to Forgive and Slow to Anger. Walk. Breathe. Sing. Dance. Read. Eat Chocolate. Savor a Good Glass of Wine. Wiggle your Toes. Sleep well. Life is Good!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Real Big News !

How was your turkey? We had it fried and smoked. I prefer fried or oven roasted. Still full! Visits with family far away are always fun! We traveled seven hours to Corinth, Mississippi. We met up with cousins from Little Rock and Houston for four days. Welchin' is what we call it! Lot's of pickin' when the boys get together with their guitars and banjos. A Thanksgiving tradition is Chicken Train. It's hilarious! Always a surprise twist! Family, food, fun and shopping! We took everyone tuna steaks for Christmas and Tony grilled some of them with filet mignon Friday evening. Yum! Aunt Jenny had tamales and chili and cornbread salad for mid-day Friday - also a Thanksgiving tradition. And of course, upon arrival Wednesday evening, we devoured a platter of Annabelle's fried chicken and biscuits. Awesome!

Now we are home. I spent the morning doing laundry and mopping. I got the Christmas tree up and the mantel decorated. When everyone returns we will decorate the tree. Tony is hunting. Lindsay and Ryan went to dinner. Brianne is coming over to spend the night. I just returned from the kennel picking up Bo and Sammy. They were as excited to be home as I was to get them! I missed my boys!

Oh yeah! The Big News! I'm gonna be a gramma!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Another Leap!

Status report! When we arrived home this evening Lindsay took the car and went to Walmart to pick up a CD for a friend's birthday. It started raining before she returned. But she returned! Safely! This driving thing has tried to shake me up to say the least! But I'm chillin a little more each day!

Status Report: Heading out to meet my mom at her oncologist's office. She's been off Revlimid since her last hospitalization for pneumonia. She says she's felt better the last week than she has the last three months on the medication. It's not working anyway - toxic side effects are aweful. Since they don't offer anything else, she's willing to try some alternative measures I discussed with a naturopath. We'll see.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Leap of Faith!

OMG! I can't believe I did it. Just spoke it. Had to be an out-of-body experience! Backpeddle: My 16 y/o daughter just got her license two weeks ago. No car yet. Yes! Still driving with me in the car. I know. I know. Anyway... I have this ... thing with fear-based "no" responses. Bite me! I'm a mom. Okay. So. She's asked to drive (by herself) a couple of times. Of course, I've had "reasons" not to let her. Fear based reasons. I know. I have already done that. I keep picking it up again and again and again. So, I just told Him.....just protect her....make her wise beyond her years...calm my anxious spirit. Now. Back to the present. Well technically, last nite is the past. Okay, I'm getting there. Her dad (my husband) took her to a hunting safety class last night - of course she forgot her form she printed from online and I have to run across town to take it to her. So I ran a couple of errands waiting for them. We met at Carabba's for dinner. Afterwards, I gave her the keys and said "I'm too full to drive." Then walking outside I told her I was gonna ride with dad. She was so casual about it. Of course instead of hanging close by like I told him to ... he jumped off onto Airport Boulevard and left her on the service road. She went down Montlimar and we took the interstate. I was breathing really shallow all the way home. Her first solo drive - IN THE DARK. She did good. No dents! No tickets! Probably talked on her cell phone all the way. Bottom line: God kept her safe. I had indigestion/reflux. But, God kept her safe. She told me later she was surprised! She probably didn't want to give me time to think about it. I think my husband was as surprised as she and I were that I actually did that. Just outta the blue. My small child is growing up. But I'm having the growing pains!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Dusting off the TO-DO list and moving forward!

I am beside myself! I found the Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! Guess what you're getting for Christmas?!!! Or, wine. Or, gift cards. Hmmmmm. I still say the cookie trumps all others!

This past weekend was the Shop Under the Oaks event. What a beautiful setting! I did some serious bartering at the end of the show! Fun! Met a lot of people. Made some new friends. Life's good!

I accomplished much today! Finally removed all signs that an artist lives here from my dining room. It has been housing art paraphanalia for nearly a year. Of course, in my guest room there are about a dozen canvases in various states of readiness or unreadiness lining the walls. Fortunately (depending on how you look at it) we won't have guests before Christmas Eve so I have time to clean the garage and arrange living quarters there for the canvases until time to sell. All my framed watercolors are in their own frame boxes, labeled accordingly, and lined up like soldiers in my foyer closet. : )

Next task: the foyer. No small feat. Includes the computer desk area, the piano, cookbook shelf and several baskets of newspapers and magazines and a box of miscellany to take to the island next trip down. And then there is the to-do list in my studio. Another reason the garage needs to be cleaned. There are multi-media projects that need to move out there.

Only one show left this year - first weekend in December - the Christmas Festival on Dauphin Island. The night before that is a book signing event at the ESAC for A Painter's Paradise. The night before that is open house at the Warehouse Market. The day before that is the deadline to get my JazzFest poster to P'Cola. But first, I have to have sample illustrations ready for Prayer & Bed before Thanksgiving! Whew! Are we having fun yet?!

Father, give me the stamina to enjoy my blessings!!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Oh, the aches, pains and bruises the morning after!

Shop Under the Oaks! That was fun. Met a lot of artists. Did some bartering and came home with some cool artwork! Not too many people in the Christmas buying mode yet. The cold wind was howling! Thanks to all those who came by. Means a lot to see your smiling face knowing you made the effort to come. The event was in a beautiful setting. Very relaxed but elegant in set-up and vendors. Thank you Anita for all the hard work you put into making this event a success. Look forward to next year!

My mom was released from the hospital today. She is feeling better as far as the pneumonia is concerned and she's supposed to talk with her doctor next week about continuing the Revlimid. I'm learning a lot about the condition she has. Very concerned. Taking it a day at a time right now.

Moving on to the next project. Holidays around the corner! This week will make seven months in this artistic venture of showing publicly. April will make a year. No regrets! I'm shivering. Gotta turn on the heater! Later!

http://www.tkellerart.com/

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Mid November - already!

My Blog - My Journal - My Thoughts

The First Post -

My mom's back in the hospital. Pneumonia. She's on her 7th transfusion in less than three months. Recently diagnosed with Myeloid Dysplasia. If I understand it correctly, during chemo five years ago for breast cancer, her d-chromosome (dna) was deleted/damaged (among other things that have developed from that poisoning). I believe this particular chromosome is around to manufacture red blood cells and perhaps platelets. She's taking Revlimid, which doesn't appear to be working, hence the continuing transfusions. This drug is like a cytotoxin. Her body is reacting as if receiving chemo again. I visited her today. She was in good spirits and her appetite is returning. She wanted buttermilk. Eccgggk! I talked to a couple of naturopathic doctors yesterday. They weren't very encouraging.

Lindsay Lou got her driver's license last week. Sweet 16!

I've been burning the midnight oil getting ready for this weekend's event. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Tired.