What did l do today?

Short answer?

LOTS!!

So l’m away with just my husband, very unusual and very much needed, we can have a whole conversation in one go!

Woke up at 8:45am then stayed in bed till 10:am reading… Why? Coz l could!! So I finished book number 11 in my “Aussie Author” challenge, it was called “Hazel’s Journey” by Sue Pieters- Hawke about her Mothers battle with Alzheimer’s.

 So tick that off this weekends “to do list”  the next item on today’s “to do list” was today’s “lent study” working from the book “40 things to give up for Lent and beyond” by PHIL Ressler. Tick that off the list! 

Also on the list was to get my “snail mail” up to date, a weeks worth which was only 5 letters this week. I wrote one last night and then tonight l finished the others. I forgot my address labels and envelopes at home so l made my own envelopes with the template that my New Zealand pen pal brought me! Luckily also l had my trusty Dymo labeller with me for addressing envelopes.  

Next on my “to do list” was to start lesson one of my first art class for the year it’s called “Paint the Masters” with artist Lucy Chen, http://lucychenfineart.com/ more info there!  Our first piece is my favourite artist “Johannes Vermeer” his painting “The Girl with the pearl earring” is my favourite piece of art. We went to a gallery exhibition and we saw some of his works and l got teary!  Anyways, when I saw Lucy was going to teach us to paint our own version l was in, l could not sign up fast enough, go look at Lucy’s page you’ll wanna join in too!

Lesson one was learning to draw, so we printed off the photo and drew a grid (my darling heart, he drew my grid up on both the print and the blank page) 

  Today l had to draw it onto my gridded up blank page seriously it was nerve wracking to the point l stopped half way and had a shower to think about why l was stressing so much… I didn’t want to ruin Vermeers great work, l know right, as though he will see it!! Plus l didn’t want to let Lucy down, so back l came and did some tweaking, shared the photo on the Facebook group and got some GREAT advice from Lucy and viola! Done!!  

Next step is to transfer that above version onto my board, l love this drawing yay!! 

So ticked that also off my “to do list” which left only one more thing to do! Paint the pug! A few weeks ago “Star Son” told his Grandmother that he would do a painting for her wall at her “Retirement Village” room. He chose the photo and l did the back ground and transferred the drawing into the board, he painted the first layer of cream paint and decided “I suck at art!” And took a break, two weeks later l am finishing it because l had a “feeling“(occasionally l get that feeling and when l do l run with it)  it was going to be good, even l didn’t think it’d be this good though!! I love it!! But l don’t love pugs!! 

It’s been sitting here on my mantle piece for three hours now and every time l look up its watching me l just really love it!!  

 

So that was my day! I got a weeks worth of “stuff” done in one day, plus journal I really think it’s been a great day!! 

 

The Daily Post – Daily Prompt…

Google images

Pens and Pencils

When was the last time you wrote something substantive — a letter, a story, a journal entry, etc. — by hand? Could you ever imagine returning to a pre-keyboard era?

 

I write with a pen every day.

I journal daily in a note book and I also have penpals and I hand write all my letter. The last letter I wrote four pages was on Friday to a fellow blogger Corina!

I would be more than happy to go back to pre keyboard days.

NaBloPoMo December is Joy… Pen-pals! and NOT feeling sad.

I’ve written about Pen pals somewhere in my blog I just know I have and it’s funny because they give me so much joy. On my worst days a letter will come and sometimes I’ll rip it open and read through it and then if I am inspired I’ll reply right away, or I’ll carefully fold it all up and put it away until I have time to dedicate to it.

Some pals you click with instantly and others are a slow drawn out affair, and others still, no matter how hard you try, there’s no connection there.

Through NaBloPoMo, I have found a blogger who was writing about Snail mail… read her post here: http://myantidepressantlife.com/i-love-the-swirl-and-swing/

In the bottom of her post “Lady J” said this “Do you still write letters? What’s your favorite part about sending or receiving them?” So of course I had to reply to that. I wondered if “Lady J” realized what a can of worms she was opening, suddenly everyone wants to be pen-pals with her. I think it’s awesome and I hope that she finds some new life long friends as I have my first pen-pal is in Germany and we are still in touch regularly, We have been pals for 12 years. WoW!! So I received an email from Lady J and I will be sending her mail. I am hopeful that we will have enough in common that we want to write to each other again, because I don’t have a pal currently in the state of Oregon.. maybe soon I will!!

Thursday, December 4, 2014
Who do you like to be with when you’re feeling sad?

Today’s journal prompt is very apt to the Pen-pal discussion, because when I am sad, I take myself away and I write, I usually have time to concentrate on my pen-pal letters, when I am sad I retreat to my bedroom and journal and “get over it” this could also include spending time writing letters because seriously by the time you reply to all the things your pal has written you’ll soon find yourself feeling much better.

I always try to skim over the sad parts, and if the particular pal wants more info she’ll ask me and I’ll tell her but by then whatever made me sad in the first place has ceased to matter so it’s all good.