installation number 1 of Gwen 'talking'

Gwen says "happy birthday, Grandma!" :)

How Much Would You Pay, No REALLY?

Guys, I need your help. All of you. Even those of you who rarely comment, please do this time. I'm starting up my Etsy shop and would like to get an idea of what people will REALLY pay for my artwork before I price it. I need to make some money and would love to pull a profit, but for starters, I'd like to see things sell. I realize many or most of you aren't exactly rolling in the dough, but that is precisely why I need your input. I want to know what kind of price tag the general public-- from many different stages in life-- would be willing to dish out the greenbacks for.

This is the first of 2 such 'survey' posts. I'm focusing on the 2-D stuff (drawings, paintings, prints, etc) here and will do 3-D sculptures, stained glass, and hand-sewn books in a future post. Some of these things I'm not actually going to be putting up for sale because they adorn my house, but I would like to know what they are worth for future projects before I invest time to create similar things. Please, please, PLEASE leave me your thoughts in the comments! Which ones/styles do you like? How much would you pay?


These watercolors of people range in sizes. i could do anything from 3x3 to...HUGE!


pencil drawings 11x15 each


onions 12x12 oil on canvas covered masonite


these are all kinds of other mediums: computer, pastel, charcoal, acrylic, etc.


these observations are many different sizes. The water glasses are 4x4, "God's Grandeur" is about 9x7, paper is 10x12, sheet is 6x8, lamp is 6x6. All pencil on paper.


this series are individual 5x7 pen and watercolor paintings.


11x15 (peppers and mixed produce) and 11x6 (drink) watercolor


This is about 15x22 pencil on paper


Limited Edition Original Print "Dance Anyway" Intaglio 11x15


these acrylic paintings are from HS. about 8x11 each.


These 3 pencil drawings are each 15x22 inches.


This pencil drawing is 22x44. I could do individuals too.


each one of these watercolor paintings is 11x15

Help! I need your suggestions!

Any suggestions from you moms out there who have ever had a baby go from sleeping 1 1/2- 2 1/2 hour naps to only sleeping 30-45 minute naps? Seriously, I don't get anything done... come on, let's here how ya'll got through this! Anyone know why she might not be sleeping well? I had hoped it was just a growth spurt and she'd be over it soon, but we're going on a week now...How long does it last? How can I get her to go back to sleep if she wakes up so soon when she is wide-eyed and bushy tailed and not even drowsy? Help me out folks!

Tummy Time 'Woes'

Just thought ya'll might enjoy these pics...
Gwen enjoys tummy time for about 3 minutes.


Then the mournful whining begins, like we abandoned her to some pitiful fate. That whining escalates into exasperated crying pretty quickly until you scoop her up and let her stand.

"poor thing" don't we all feel so sorry for her? :)

Reasons for Respect

Normally my posts are all about our family and our isms. But the past couple of days, what with Martin Luther King Jr. Day and then the Presidential Inauguration, I have been rather pensive and contemplative. I feel that a 'serious' post is in order.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a great example of peaceful objection, protest without violence. Disagreement without disrespect. When others thought his methods would never work and pressed for more aggressive action, his humble but persistent stance of non-violent protest eventually wore down the resolve of his opposition and broke the walls preventing equality for blacks in our country. Why do I respect him? Because of his love for his people, yes. Because of his leadership, yes. Because of his courage, yes. Because of his rhetoric and persuasive power, yes. But really, I respect him most for the respect he gave others even while respect was denied to him. That is powerful. Respect for humanity regardless of differences.

Many people criticize and blame George W. Bush for the troubles of our nation. They cast blame, point fingers, mock, and are angry to the point of forgetting themselves. Forgetting the respect deserved by the Presidential mantle. Forgetting the respect deserved for serving our country to the best of one's ability. ...Forgetting the respect deserved by every individual as a child of God.

Well today (or yesterday, actually) we usher in a new President. A President wildly popular and with so much enthusiasm backing his new era that it is hard to imagine anyone criticizing him to the extent that Bush was criticized. I respect President Obama for many reasons: his charisma, his persuasive power, his compassion, his realism, his vision, his experiences so different from mine, his willingness to listen to reason, his ability to inspire, his ability to soothe and make people feel comfortable, and his touchableness--the way people feel like they can relate to him. And yet, I did not vote for him. We disagree on too many policy issues.

But, does disagreement EVER give one the right to defame or belittle? Does disagreement give me the right to make nasty videos, compose angry songs, or - heaven forbid- throw my shoe at the man? Absolutely NOT. Neither will I ever cast my opposition to policy or decisions as opposition to President Obama himself. He is a man. Capable of great good and capable of great harm. Human and imperfect, so deserving of tolerance, patience, and forgiveness. Son of God, so deserving of mercy, respect, and love. If the time comes, I pledge to disagree without disrespect.

I treasure our country. I am so proud to be an American. I am proud of the progress that our nation has made. I feel humbled and grateful to live in the great nation that we do. I have hope for the future.

I've Never Had to Purchase So Many Batteries in My LIfe!

Whatever keeps her happy. Nuff said. :)

Ever Had to Go Off Dairy?

When Gwen hit 2 weeks she also became extremely fussy... EXTREMELY. When we talked with her pediatrician, it was suggested we try going off dairy. I was feeling pretty deprived because, as we all know, holidays are filled with delicious foods that ALL contain dairy! I tried to be positive though. Perhaps this will be the only holiday season in which I DON'T gain 10 lbs from all the cheeseball, cookies, egg nog, etc. Well, Gwen's 'collick' got much better right around week 7-8 and by the time we were home from our Christmas vacation, she was doing so well... I thought, 'hey, why not see if she can tolerate a lil dairy now?' Just a lil dairy in a dessert, not even straight milk or cheese, and the next day I was regretting it because she bawled all day. Okay, so looks like I'll be off dairy for a lil while longer.

Do you know how many things contain dairy? Besides the obvious butter, cheese and icecream, so many delicious foods have dairy. Consider: pizza and lasagna are out, most latin-American cuisine is out because of cheese, the dairy in cheese and/or cream of 'whatever' soups pretty much makes most casserole dishes out of the question, since whipped cream is a no-no you can't have fruit salads, cheesecake is off limits, creamy salad dressings are out, many salads you would buy eating out have cheese on them, most cookies and sweet breads have dairy, no pudding, no chocolate, etc... plus many foods you WOULDN'T expect to have dairy do. For example: many breads, cereals, soups, even potato chips (can anyone explain why salt and vinegar chips need dairy?!?!) have a silent and unexpected dairy ingredient.

Well, I'm here to share with you some of my favorite 'non-dairy' alternatives. For any of you who ever have to do this, these things really help me to feel less deprived... and some are actually pretty tasty!

Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream. seriously, tastes just as good as the real thing! I eat the cream cheese every morning with a bagel and the sour cream has tasted delicious in stroganoff, on baked potatoes, and on fajitas. I love it!

Silk soy milk is good, but really any soy milk will do for cooking in general. It works in recipes same as milk. But I really like this VANILLA soy milk that Silk makes. I know some people have said it is too sweet, but I think it tastes great and love it on cereal. It is the only kind of soy milk I enjoy drinking straight.

Kashi Strawberry Fields cereal is the best dried strawberry/raspberry cereal I've ever had. Of course, you pay for it (definitely more expensive than Honey Bunches of Oats varieties, but those have dairy in them.). It is all organic, that is why it is so pricey, I guess.

Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream... WOW!!! This stuff is AMAZING!!! I would eat it any day, except it is so much pricier than regular icecream. but it has lots of flavors and is so rich, you don't feel cheated at all!

Kraft vinaigrette salad dressings/marinades are so delicious! Definitely the way to go if you are going to avoid the creamy dressings. I love the variety of flavors. My favorites are: Asian Toasted Sesame, Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, and Tangy Tomato Bacon. The BEST part about these dressings, besides the flavor, is how healthy they are! Only 5-6 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons which is less than the 8-9 grams of fat per serving in most other vinaigrettes! I would choose these dressings to be healthy any day! DELICIOUS!!!!

Well, there you have it. My non-dairy favorites. Maybe this will help one of you someday, but I hope you don't ever have to go there. Any body else have favorite foods for certain diet/allergy restrictions?