And the Oscar goes to. . .

One of my blogger friends Blondie has passed along this lovely award to me: "Art Prize and Award"

"This prize has arisen from the daily visits that I dedicate to many blogs which nourish me and enrich me with creativity. In them I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain me day to day and to share this prize with those who enrich me every day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few, the people I will name today deserve this prize, as do the very long serious list of bloggers I also enjoy to read, but I will name the first 10 and will leave the rest of the work to all the bloggers that visit other's blogs and are nourished by them."

++++++++The rules of passing on this award are as follows:- post award in your own blog: [Post who gave it to you]- indicate its origin and a link to the site:

And I was tagged a few weeks ago to tell which artists inspire me. And I don't think I ever gave my Daily Dose list either. Let's just combine them all and I'll make a list of a few of those in blog-land who I enjoy visiting and find inspiring. There are many others, but my time is short today.

I'll pass it along to others, with no obligation on their part to continue the tag. I regularly am inspired by

Sarah * Cindy * Merveilles en Papier * Kari and Kijsa * Jessica * Carolee * Inspire Co. * Laurie * Chris * Lori * Dawn * Melissa * Sam * Nancy * Kitty * Johanna * Elaine * Michelle

Check this out-- Cool vintage images and decorative ideas!

Blast From the Past Vol. 2

[This is part of my regularly random series entitled "Blasts From the Past".]

With barely enough kids to field an entire team, the grid-iron that day was not kind to our son's inexperienced, out-sized and out-manned middle school football squad. And to say that his team was the underdog is rather an understatement. The ominous feeling of doom began even before the game started, as my husband and I watched both teams run onto the field: from one side, a swarm of ants; from the other, a herd of giants. Questions began filling the air like a Jeopardy show: "Why are their coaches dressed in football uniforms? Those are PLAYERS?! Are we even at the right field?? There is no way those are middle school kids! Are you sure that isn't their high school team?! Those are middle school kids?!? Are you kidding me?!? Do you think we should start praying?? Are we paid up on our insurance??!

Inevitably, we were faced with the grim reality: we were at the right football field; those giants dressed in the opposing uniforms were not coaches, or high school kids, but were indeed, middle school boys; prayer was our best, and eventually our only defense; and, thankfully our health insurance policy was in good standing. Let the slaughter. . . er. . .game begin.

Because our regular quarterback was injured (or maybe he'd gotten wind about the opposition) the duty of leading our team to victory fell squarely onto my 85 pound, 13 year old son's shoulders. Not only was our son among the youngest in his grade, he was also one of the smallest players on our team. But what he lacked in stature, he made up for with "heart." However, heart was not what our team needed. We needed armor, and muscles, and testosterone, and about 20 more players.

One player in particular from the opposing team revealed our side's weaknesses. (That we lacked armor, and muscles, and testosterone, and extra players.) He was a defensive lineman, and quite frankly, in the testosterone lottery, he had hit the jackpot. . . and then some. He stood a full head taller than anyone on our side of the ball, including the referees, and his "five o'clock shadow" was even visible from the side lines. Most of our guys didn't even have a shadow. If not for the number 64 on his football jersey, one might have mistaken him for the Hulk, or Andre the Giant, or Godzilla. He was so over sized that his coaches had wrapped duct-tape around his waist in an effort to keep his middle-school-sized-pants from falling down. All afternoon, this "kid" had his way with our offensive line, and seemed to enjoy swatting them aside like gnats. And consequently my quarterback son, although full of heart, spent most of the afternoon on the ground experiencing the full extent of number 64's duct-taped girth and his testosterone windfall. Finally, mercifully, the game ended. Aside from the zero on the scoreboard and the obvious affront to our sons' egos, the parents all considered it a resounding victory--mostly because none of our kids were carried away by ambulance, and just about all of our boys' limbs were still intact (and the T-Rex wearing the jersey with the number 64 was making his way off the field, thankfully, in the other direction.)

Afterward, we awaited the sad re-emergence of the downtrodden from the locker room, and then the even sadder drive home. At last we retrieved our war-weary boy, and as he sat, head hanging down in our car in the congested parking lot, the silence was broken by the familiar beeping sound of a nearby school bus driving in reverse. Without looking up, our son, summed up his frustration and the day's events mumbling, "That's probably that big ol' number 64 walking backwards."

Vintage Valentine Swap

Here is a pic of the wonderful Valentine basket that sweet Grace from New York sent my way for the Vintage Valentine Swap hosted by Dolly. She really outdid herself! The beautiful beaded basket contained candles, heart coasters, vintage scrap, a banner which reads "Be Mine", a sweet handmade crocheted ornament, a fun heart-shaped vase, a cool little hankie, and a few other fun goodies. And the best part was that it was great fun getting to know Grace.

Sunday Funnies

Last weekend we had the rare treat of takeout Chinese food, mostly because I hadn't taken time to cook anything and often my kids require regular meals. I've always said that if they would just give up eating and wearing clothes, I might be able to get a little work done. (Truthfully, I had been busy trying to finish up several little papier mache guys, and since they NEVER complain about being hungry, the time had just gotten away from me.) Our little one red-light town only recently entered the multicultural realm, so the allure of chopsticks and fortune cookies hasn't quite worn off either. In a mere 10 minutes we'd done our part to bolster the local economy, everyone was satisfied, and I could get back to work. We even had enough food left over for lunch the next day--two "birds" with one debit card swipe, double bonus! Sunday after church my middle daughter dutifully awaited her turn at the precious Chinese leftovers and I saw her wince slightly as she watched the supply getting smaller and smaller. (You firstborn children and babies of the family will never quite understand the plight of being "middle." It means getting along at all costs, no matter what.) Anyway, at last it was her turn and there was just enough for one last serving. She carefully popped the plate into the microwave and counted the seconds until mouth-watering ecstasy. Ding! As my darling daughter gingerly pulled the anticipated food out of the oven. . . SPLAT. . . steaming Moo Goo Gai Pan somehow splattered all over the floor. I could almost see her little body deflate, and all she could muster was, "I hate irony."

The New Crop

Sneak peeks of two new things available exclusively at Glitter and Grunge beginning February 1. And be sure to check for tons of cool stuff from other artists there also. :-)

Easter

Here are a few new things for The Primitive Gathering, a co-op of many talented artists, which will be updating February 1.

You're It

Tagged and tagged again. Man, I gotta learn to run faster. I was tagged a few weeks ago by Dana and recently by Lorraine.
I'm supposed to write 5 things about myself. And since I've done this before, I decided to make this an interactive list, a quiz, so to speak, for your interactive pleasure, just to see how well my readers know me. Let's see how well you do. Here we go.

Question 1: Which of the following text messages did I actually receive?
a. I'm thinking about getting a puppy
b. What would you say if I said I got a tattoo
c. Can I vacuum glass
d. All of the above; (maybe I should change my number)
e. None of the above; (why would I give my kids my phone number)

Question 2: Which of the following is true about me?
a. I once accidentally set my aunt's bathroom on fire
b. I have a strong aversion to buttons
c. I wash my hands about a million times a day
d. All of the above; (umm. . . Dr. Phil please)
e. None of the above; (I'm really Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way)

Question 3: How have I won friends and influenced people?
a. I went to college with Michael Stipe
b. I went to church with Minnie Pearl
c. My son once caddied for Samuel L. Jackson
d. All of the above; (I'm a shameless name-dropper)
c. None of the above; (who the heck is Michael Stipe?)

Question 4: Which of these statements best describes my driving skills?
a. I once backed into my dad's car and blamed him for parking behind me
b. I backed into the only pole in a parking lot while learning to drive (and blamed the pole for being behind me.)
c. I avoid parallel parking like the plague, even if it means parking a mile away
d. All of above; (you probably don't want to be anywhere near me in a car or parking lot)
e. None of the above; (I ride the bus)

Question 5: Anything else about me you should know?
a. Once I rescued a baby owl from a building (which was being demolished) and named him Bird Reynolds (until I found out it was illegal to rescue wildlife, and the wildlife agency came and took him away--I really didn't mind; I wasn't too keen on stalking and catching prey for Bird anyway. The agency left the kids, however.)
b. I was miffed in 1980 when Prince Charles decided to get married without even giving me a chance
c. I've spent way too much time writing this post and should probably get back to work.
d. All of the above; (I need to get a life)
e. None of the above; (I need to get a life)

And if you're reading this, then you must run slower than I do, so. . . . You're "It."


[Addendum: In case you're wondering, all the answers are "d". ]

And, if you're interested Nancy Malay is having a giveaway!

Check it Out

Thanks Kim!!!!

Hippity Hoppity New Things on the Way

I'm working on some bunnies similar to this one from my website, perhaps some other fun colors. Spring is in the air, even if it's going to be 20 degrees in Georgia tonight. Back to work. :-)