6x6

Town Day.

We just finished putting all the groceries away in the fridge after returning home from our errand day in town. We have been talking about wanting to shop at the farmers market all summer and we finally made it there this morning for the first time. It was so much fun. We bought: 2 small acorn squash, 1 yellow summer squash, 1 sweet red pepper, 1 bunch of beets, 1lb of ground beef, 1lb of pork chops, 4oz of chive goat cheese, 1 beautiful fat eggplant, and 1 basil and cheese scone. All of this came to $23.00, which felt like a great deal. We loaded all of our treasures into our cooler (we bring along a cooler and fill it with ice so that we can food shop at anytime during our errand day) and headed out to do all of the other town chores.
Two of the other errands on our list were to pick up straw for the goats and fill up our (and a couple other neighbors) propane tanks. While Alex filled the propane tanks at the local KOA, Lili and I took a little stroll down along the Swannanoa River which meandered right through the campground. Despite the fact that you could hear the highway and the passing train in the distance, it was quite peaceful there. Lili was enthralled when I was crouched at the edge of the river with her. She was pointing at the river and saying "Tha... Tha..." and then squealing loudly... I have found that being with babies or children always opens my eyes in a new way. I constantly find myself trying to see what Lili might be seeing. Was she giggling at the ducks in the water I was pointing to?, I don't even know if she could see them... Or was it the sparkles as the sun hit the water?

Here is a picture of dinner at Mamacitas with Scott, Lucy, and Becca (Why does she insist on making goofy faces when she gets before a camera? It has been like this since I can remember... You may be thinking, she doesn't look like she is making too weird of a face... but trust me, that look is intentional).
Then the second picture is of Miss Lili up way too late (9:45) doing the last bit of shopping in Ingles. (the most important part, the ice cream isle.)

Thank you all for all of your warm birthday thoughts, presents, and wishes!
I felt so loved...

play store

"Hmmm Lili, what are you going to buy from this fine shop behind the gate?"
"What do you have for sale shopkeeper?"
"Welllllllllllllllll.... I have this nice ducky. And this nice ducky. and this teddy, and some nice boots. And a monkey and some chocolate milk for sale.... This is my cash register here."
"Hmmmm... I think Lili would love a new pair of shiny boots- How much do they cost?"
"Two dollars"
"Oh I think we will come back tomorrow when they are on sale"
"Well... Actually, they are on sale right now!"
"Oh yeah? How much are they on sale for?
"Five dollars!"
"Oh! Well in that case we will definitely get those boots. Lili give her the money!"
"You can't beat shopping at Gita Pi's shop! She specializes in toys and ice cream!"

9 ~ 9

As a present to myself I have been working diligently on opening an Etsy shop (there's your answer Kat!). I wanted today to be my opening, but I am running behind a little. I have set up a shop: SweetMess.etsy.com but have yet to post any paintings. I have 12 paintings almost ready, all they need is to be sewn to their backing. This requires dredging up my sewing machine from "the basement" (The space under the stairs that is filled with tons of storage) So, soon you will see a little Etsy mini thumbnail on my blog...

My job asked me to double my hours per week. I sat on this news for a couple of days and was going to try and swing it (getting there at 7:00 and staying later) but I was unhappy to have to wake up so early and be gone from Lili so long. When talking to David about the logistics of this new schedule's childcare I had a revelation that I should quit and work on my own art business while I have child care. So that is what I set in motion (although I will still be there for a couple of months). I have tried having my art be my "job" before, but never with a formulated idea of how I will execute it and be successful. But, I have a plan now...SO... I now I am one more person going full speed ahead toward my dream! Yay 30's!

Pick of the Week

I resonate with what artist Kristin Kuhn says about her work:

“The landscape holds me, wraps me up and gives me comfort as a blanket does. Amid a globally complex political landscape, my time among nature’s open spaces is evasive and indulgent, while the experience cleanses and forgives.”

An Apple a day...

Ever since our apple picking excursion, Lili has been eating at least 2 apples a day. They are tiny apples, and are perfect for her hand size. I peel them she gnaws on them contently. It has been such a great treat for her. I also wanted to mention that we got all these apples from an elderly woman who lives on our road. She told us we could have all the apples we wanted- that she had no use for them. So we picked her trees, and will give her some homemade fried apples (her favorite) and some apple butter in exchange. There are so many old apple trees that go unpicked, and I wanted to mention this option to those who love apples but can't afford buckets of organic ones. It requires a little bit of forwardness to ask someone if they use their apples (In this case I let David ask), but well worth it in the end in my opinion. And you may just make a new friend in the process!

Long, full, good, day.

Alex just walked up stairs to bed and gave me the hairy eyeball for not shutting the computer off immediately and going to sleep like I should. (I was just telling him how exhausted I am) Today was a whopper of a day though, and the truth is, even if I crawled into bed my mind would still be spinning. So that is my excuse.
We woke up early and started preparations for my birthday brunch party (my actual b-day isn't for a couple of days) On our menu was: scrambled eggs with veggies, sausage (from my favorite farm) and soy-sausage for the vegetarians, salad greens, roasted purple potatoes, homemade applesauce (from the apples we picked the other day) apple strudel (this SO yummy apple cream cheese pastry wrapped in buttery filo dough that Alex makes...) raspberry breakfast bars (Ema made these) coffee, juice, mimosas and bloody Marys.
Alex is such a natural in the kitchen, and we easily made enough food for 20 people. We set up blankets under a big tarp to protect from the shade, and picked flowers for the buffet table. Ema hung these beautiful white lanterns that blew in the breeze...It was just all very nice. And then we had good friends to share it with.

*Then* after we did some dishes, we hoped in our truck and went down to Asheville to the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival (LAAFF) for the afternoon/evening. LAAFF is one long blocked off street full of street performers, art vendors, all sorts of people dressed up in wild costumes, and one man trying to set a world record by riding a 40 foot bike. We missed his attempt at it last year but got to see his attempt this year. It was pretty crazy. he had scaffolding and a big crane with a safety rope. He tried twice and neither time did he make the 300 feet needed to win the record. I am not one for heights so even watching it made my palms sweaty. But it was fun to see someone try for a world record. Click here to see a U-Tube of his attempt last year.
All in all, it was a day jam packed with seeing old friends and unusual events. Lili loved all the costumes and balloons and people in her house today... At the festival she was leaning forward in her stroller the whole time, hands gripping the stroller bar enthusiastically. I guess everyone tells every parent that their child is the cutest child possibly ever. There are moments when I don't want to give into this exaggeration, but I can't stop myself from nodding... She is just so stinkin' cute...

We can't find our camera today, sorry there are no shots to accompany! and now I am off to sleep, sweet sleep...

Saturday Morning

My perfect Saturday morning at home involves being snuggled up in an armchair drinking a warm cup of dark, creamy, and sweet coffee in a special mug. Alex would have his own armchair, and Lili would be playing happily at our feet. We would all listen to a downloaded podcast of "This American Life" together...

GiveAway!

I wasn't sure how to do this, and for a moment- just a moment- I considered rigging it (mostly making it so Becca, who has a million of my paintings, wouldn't win. But, then I just decided that she would be equally appreciative), so this was an un-rigged drawing if you were wondering. Because you might be wondering, as the winner is my mother-in-law and she also had a very difficult week this past week and is sad. I guess in one way it was rigged considering that I had her granddaughter pick- Gita must be in tune with her I suppose!

I wanted everyone to win :( but I will be doing this again. It was fun and so many of you entered! I really appreciate all of your comments too. Thanks for all the support!

(Nene, I will post some to pick from tonight!)

picking apples down the road...

*also, don't forget to put your name in for my giveaway! (details here)

Pick of the Week

Here are some interesting original silkscreen prints by artist Amy Walsh (aka Wonder Cabinet) from Philadelphia. These are part of a series of chimera or animal hybrids. They are beautifully printed onto old book pages. Even though they are silk screened, they remind me, in a very tactile sort of way, of my love of relief printmaking (they have different processes of getting the image on). When I look at these prints I am transported into a print studio listening to the sound of the brayer when you are getting the ink ready to print. You need to get just the right amount of the ink. Too little ink and it is patchy and dry. Too much and your roller is floundering and spitting ink everywhere. Just the right amount of ink and the brayer makes this wonderful intoxicating sticky noise. Anyone who loves printmaking will probably be nodding their heads, thinking of that beautiful sound. Everyone else, well, you probably think I am crazy. Either way, these prints are simple and yet intricate- and the series is very imaginative!

Wasn't it Albert Einstein who said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge?

Amy Walsh's blog
Her Etsy shop

i have been painting a lot this week...

Sunday Blues

I woke up with an indecisive bug today. I stood at the kitchen counter with two cookbooks and the Internet browser open debating what to make for breakfast.

Should it be savory? Should it be pancakes? Or french toast sounds good... oh no, actually not enough bread. Okay, waffles. No, maybe Alex will want eggs. Eggs and beans. No puffy pancakes. Oh pumpkin muffins sound good- oh right, no pumpkin... blueberry muffins? couldn't find the right recipe before my brain switched gears...okay then, it is decided: cornmeal pancakes.

I ended up making scrambled veggie, cheese, and egg wrapped in a flour tortilla. It was very good, but the indecision followed me around like a new puppy today. I wanted to take advantage of the weekend and go on an adventure... Only I couldn't decide what. I felt sad.

It is this time of year. It seems like it brings about a reflection period for me. It was four years ago that my friend Lucas died in a bicycle accident. It was three years ago that hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. It is also this time as summer is winding down and my birthday is right around the corner which gives me pause. I went through the gamut of downer thoughts today. I miss Lucas. I miss Sparrow (our dead cat) I haven't written important thank-you letters, I haven't put anything in Lili's baby book in months, Why is homesteading so hard sometimes? (our pump died today which = no running water and back to hauling our water in a 5 gallon jug), why do our shelves look so cluttered, Why is my brain so cluttered...

Because of this, Alex, Lili, and I picked up and drove off to town in the middle of my self-pity-party. We ran some errands, had a great dinner with my sister and Dave, and slowly the funk I had been trying to shake off all day wore off. I felt freedom from my indecisiveness as we were driving home. It was finally exactly where I wanted to be.
The route home is 10 miles of hairpin turns that leads you up and over the Eastern Continental Divide. It was sprinkling out, and I was the one driving our big truck. The smell of rain was coming in through the air vent, and Lili was asleep in her car seat. Three perfect songs came on the radio in a row~ and I felt it was a good sign... A Stevie Ray-Vaughn song, "Angel from Montgomery" by John Prine (but the Bonnie Raitt version), and "Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull. That combination: Me leading the big truck through the wet dark night, the music, and Alex and I singing along... It was decidedly a very nice moment.

Here is Lili, watching the rain out our window...
*also, don't forget to put your name in for my giveaway! (details here)