A Perfect Autumn Day in Pictures

The weather was glorious this weekend… bright sunshine, fresh autumn air, and a balmy temperature of 63 degrees. Since Lydia and I spent the majority of Saturday indoors at the Westminster Farmer’s Market, I could hardly say “no” when the kids asked to go to the park on Sunday.

We set off in our little red wagon, and I carried along my “paint basket” ~ actually a Sterilite shower caddy ~ to work on my latest portrait of an Angel Cat.

Lydia followed behind us, taking pictures of me pulling the wagon. I had forgotten to bring extra lenses, so she had to practice with the telescope lens already on the camera.

Of course, when we arrived at the park, I spent more time photographing the kids playing, and pushing Jacob on the swing, than working on my cat painting.

Many of the birch trees were already stripped bare, thanks in part to Hurricane Sandy’s 70+ MPH winds on October 30th.
The ground was covered in a thick blanket of crunchy leaves, which the girls wasted little time jumping into… and starting a leaf throwing fight.

They took turns burying each other….

The effects of Sandy were evident, with fallen and chopped trees lying everywhere.

Lydia, a bare-footed wood nymph, feigning sleep upon one large trunk.

We weren’t the only family enjoying the beautiful day. A large group was celebrating a child’s birthday at the park, and my kids were excited to mingle with kids their own age.

Jacob in particular was drawn to a 3-year-old girl dressed in iridescent fairy wings. They fluttered from swing-set to monkey-bars to merry-go-round like a pair of moths.
I would have taken a few shots of them together, but I wasn’t sure if the girl’s mother would appreciate my posting her daughter’s picture here online.

There will be opportunities later when Jacob begins dating in earnest.

My curious sweetheart, in need of a haircut, is asking me to read aloud the graffiti scrawled into the tunnel slide…. “Exit Here” seemed appropriate.

When the other group of children were called into the pavilion for “cake and pizza”, it was our cue to pack up and begin the trek back home.

With a promise from Mommy that there would be cake and pizza for our dinner, too!

What Not To Wear: A Hurricane Costume

Happy Halloween!

We already celebrated Halloween on Friday, the 26th of October, in Funkstown, Maryland.

Lydia was attending a sophisticated party for 10-year-olds, while I accompanied my two toddlers in their homemade My Little Pony costumes; Mia was Pinky Pie and Jacob was Rainbow Dash.
It certainly wasn’t a Martha Stewart project, rather they kept changing their minds until the very last minute.

Pictures of the kids’ costumes ~ sorry for the poor phone quality.

Joe grudgingly went along with the rainbow-colored yarn tail and felt “Cutie Mark” that I fastened to his son’s rear….
Although he grumbled, “Aren’t there any boy Ponies?”

“Why, yes, in fact ~ There is a male unicorn called Joe! His Cutie-Mark is an iced doughnut. Wanna come Trick-Or-Treating with us, Honey?”

I’m actually On Time for a Halloween post this year! Although Hurricane Sandy did her best to knock our cable and Internet offline for a couple of days, and I was worried this post might not go live until next week ~ we were obviously lucky! We even managed to keep our electricity throughout the storm.

Last November, I wrote a slightly belated Halloween post about decorating vampire fanged cupcakes with blood-shot eyes. I had just transferred to the bakery as a part-time cake decorator to bring in extra income for the holidays.

This year, I took the bakery manager position while Joe was out of work… so my plate was full this October.

I still had to worry about producing enough cupcakes to fill the main display (I have three cake decorators to help me!)… but also needed to keep this wall of featured goodies full….

And this other display….

I personally decorated these Jack-O-Lantern doughnuts. 106 boxes so far…. and they’re selling like crazy!

Artwise, I’ve finished up two commissions, and am ready to jump into a third. I can’t share the finished portraits yet, because they are meant to be gifts.
The wait is excruciating!

The charity auction at Howards’ Arts and Frames raised over $3,000 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. My two Baroque-style portraits netted $20 (to the same bidder ~ so thank you, mystery cat-lover!) and I won my bid for a beautiful mixed media collage by Kate Williams, incorporating one of Shel Silverstein’s famous poems:

Listen to the Mustn’ts, Child
Listen to the Don’ts
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts
Listen to the Never Haves
Then Listen Close to Me ~
Anything can Happen, Child.
Anything can Be.

~ Shel Silverstein

This inspiring piece deserves a special space on my studio wall, because it truly sums up how I’ve felt this year ~ with all the set-backs and difficulties we’ve experienced (some which I’ve shared online, and some I’ve kept to myself) ~ I believe that having the right attitude makes a world of difference.

I could listen to that inner voice (and a few outer voices) that tell me to “give it up” and accept my future as a retail employee, or return to college to earn a sensible degree.
Or I can continue to push myself further into this uncertain world, head to Megacon in the spring, cough up entrance fees for bigger shows, and see what happens.

I do enjoy my job, though. It’s been awhile since I’ve shared any discarded grocery lists (I still find them, and read them!) … but I did uncover a list of my own, stuffed in a pocket, while I was doing laundry. I thought I might share with you, because my short-hand is rather funny.

This is a work list of items we needed in the bakery a few days ago:

• 8″ Rain
• RV – 2
• Boston – 2
• Lemon from Steps
• Sliced Marble
• Rasp Thumb
• Oat Tub
• Dutch Snicker
• Dutch Peanut
• Gooey Pump
• Turtle
• Devil’s Holes
• 4ct Blue
• Asst Mini Family
• Mini Snicker
• Haw Bread
• Hall Cookies

My bakery associates are so awesome, they can actually interpret my list!
Well, except for the 8″ Rain … I had to explain it was an 8-inch Rainbow Layer Cake for the cake showcase.
Heaven knows, we don’t need 8 more inches of rain!!

I wish I could take my ladies with me to help with the fall Farmer’s Market this Saturday in Westminster. They’d have a blast!
Unless the venue washed away in the flood. It’s better to be safe and dry at home, than risk life and limbs to sell art in a hurricane.

Although I will take advantage of the next severe storm, and channel those 70-mph gusts of wind to promote my work…. I will tie my prints, in weather-proof cellophane bags, onto strings of helium balloons, and let Mother Nature distribute them across the East Coast. One might land on the penthouse balcony of a famous art director or celebrity cat-lover.

Hey, anything can happen, Child! Anything can be!