happiness:lame

happiness: sold my first oil painting (to a neighbor & assured her it came with me as a friend for life)

lame: purposing the kitchen cabinets

happiness: how the cabinets turned out

lame: the rain, rain, rain & sick kids

happiness: A's prayer last night which went a little something like this: Dear Heavenly Father, we are grateful we know everything, and we are grateful that B isn't feeling very well. (clearly we don't quite understand what grateful means yet?)

lame: the couch that broke in the middle of kitchen cabinets.

happiness: watching Bug deliver dinner to a sick neighbor via the jazzy scooter.

lame: preschool is officially over for the year. I am pretty sure my tears at the graduation party were from the loss of my wonderful monday & wednesday morning freedom. Here's hoping I get a graduation party when she returns back to preschool in the fall.

happiness: front row seats to the rugby game this weekend, and extra happy Bug doesn't play anymore. What a rough sport. I remember how it made my stomach churn to watch him and worry about the injuries that would come. Although I swear I can take Bug now. (what a weakling) Maybe I should have played women's rugby?

Here's to the happiness:lame ratio being heavier on the happiness side of things. However, I think we could all do with a little less rain.

cross your fingers for me

Geeze Louise. Can you stand one more list-crosser-offer post from me? Feel a little weird about these. Like I am tooting my own horn. But, I suppose that is what blogging is all about when you get at the root of it. And I am pretty sure only my dearest family & friends read this anyway, so you already know me to begin with, and will go easy on me.

Anyway, back to the point. No more ramblings. For the moment at least.

Another of the big goals is selling one of my oil paintings. I have felt so venerable about this one (can you say fear of rejection?). I have decided to go the consignment store route (hence my love for these wonders). I have just emailed 3 of my ultimate favs.

Anxiously awaiting their reply. Holy moly. Probably don't contact me for a couple of days because I'll just be freakishly annoying about it...all tense and unsure of myself. All I am wanting is to sell one. Just one. For all my stay-at-home mom friends out there, you know how it is: the career I simply adoreded pre-kids becoming a distant memory, as my time is now spent day in and day out not getting a paycheck, and then the value of producing something with my own two handsin hopes of getting some outside source's approval? Am I alone here? (this is where I realize I am already becoming very needy, and must end this post quickly.)

So, my friends since some of you are good enough to feign interest in my creations, here they are: (in no less the worst picture quality ever. shoot. please imagine each not as washed out as they appear.)

cabin with poppies 5in x 7in blue bird 5in x 7inradish 5in x 7 inwindmill 12in x 16inroses 2ft x 3ft

So here's hoping that they get approved, and then some consignment buyer steps in and has to have one.

a few more done

In case you're wondering, I am still hard at work at my 30 before 30 goals. I have a few I'd like to declare DONE.

And since my post with them all listed is under construction, I'll just share the few I have accomplished thus far here.

#3. paint an oil painting to go over the stairs in our entry way. Done. Took me a few trys to get the look I was going for. I know it still needs a frame. Bug is actually going to make it for me. Making the total cost of this project ridiculously low. Also, I searched far and wide for a vase that seemed fitting. Got a little fed up with the lack of choices. Finally found this beauty deeply discounted at Pier One. {note to self: must make Pier One a new go-to location}(insert my apologies here for not having high quality photos.)Also, must tell you I have great friends. One in particular (who is a florist) did these fresh flowers for me, cut straight from her yard. Couldn't stop staring at them.Which brings me to my next point:

#19: invite neighbors to dinner. On a whim, I signed up for a neighborhood progressive dinner party. Thinking of this list, I also said we could host.

We ended up have 9 couples over that night, which I am happily using to cross of my list. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my goal, but I have no qualms about crossing this puppy off my list. This also sparked the garage door getting painted, and the florist friend poking flowers here and there around the house. In fact, florist friend also was my c0-garage door painter. Now I am simply spoiled and will demand that if any groups of people are coming over, she MUST precede them with flowers.#12: Re-purpose jewelry box. This one took a lot of time. More than I usually spend on a re-do. But well worth it. It is already a staple piece in my bedroom. Love how it turned out. Love that I got it for free. Love that Miss A and Mr. B generally leave it alone. Love that I can now request more jewelry.P.S. note the rose on top. Planning on wearing that to church tomorrow in honor of Mother's Day. My own little homemade corsage.#7: Read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover. I have 10 pages left, but I am still counting it. I really pushed hard so that I could cross this baby off. I also should mention I am currently in 3 book clubs, and wanted to make this book a priority...

And this morning, I finished something that I was excited to do for a while but a little unsure how to do. When my grandma passed away over a year ago we were able to pick out some of her jewelry. I got this earring that had no mate. I was determined it still had not lived it's life, and wanted to give it a reawakening, but didn't have a plan. Until now. (note the necklace below)

This will always been a special reminder of my grandma, and how I miss her and my other grandma this Mother's Day. They both were particularly wonderful women.

Now I'm off to humbly work on following in their footsteps.

Happy Mother's Day.