Geraniums on the last day of this month

What???
Dead head,But still pretty.
A bit of house keeping to keep the blooms coming from these great plants...
I am again working on getting my ETSY shop ready . They are changing the format and giving us all a chance for a brand new look that will be presented on April 5th.
I ,of course do not know exactly what I am doing but am game to try anyway ..I added two paintings so far to bring my total right now to 16 on the site...Hope to add more as we go along...
I will be sharing when it is ready...
Hope you all have a great weekend....

Easter's on it's way

How did it get to be the middle of March already???
 It is Spring break for the children here and the weather has really been nice.....
I finished the Antique Adirondack chair and table,and was able to get them placed on the front porch,but am having lots of problems getting the pictures from flicker [I know it is not spelled like this but it keeps saying it is miss spelled so I gave in]
to blog spot! ...
I have not had pictures for the last few blog posts because I have not figured out how to get them from there to here....
.... so frustrating .
I was also able to get a painting finished just for me, just for the fun of it,using mostly the palette knife...I really had fun with it and helped me feel that spring is really coming.....[Unable to retrieve picture]
Last night I got the eagle hung up and out of the closet and I am happy about that...
Anyway  on with this beautiful day... Hope yours is the best day ever.....
Happy Easter To All....

New Month Lots Of Changes

March has started out with the most beautiful weather..
How Thankful am I to live in Florida....
More Thankful then you can imagine...
I have had three days in a row off and have been able to be out and about for a good bit of it...
We went to eat lunch at Rick's on the river, with family...Yummy!!!
Saw the new water Taxi's,dropping people off there and loading for the next trip down the river to see our great city from the water view...
I want to do this one day soon ... it looks like such a peaceful ride....
Yesterday we headed to Tarpon Springs, and after lunch at The Rusty Belly ,we stopped at Tampa Bay salvage ...
It is just down the road a bit... so many great things to see...  
Too bad we just downsized ,no room for anything, but so much fun to look and wander ,while it is not  hot out....
Anyway, I am off to work and wish all a happy day....

Happy Valentines Day

Hope all have a wonderful day....
I am working double shifts all weekend, which you all know, is more fun than work to me....
Next weekend I have off and we are going to see friends at the beach.... It has been way to long since we have done both so,we are really looking forward to a good time....

Winter in Florida

We finally have some cooler weather for more then two days in a row...It has been almost a week of waking up to temperatures in the 40s.. 42 today...
February is winter in Fla....
Life has been busy as always but I am thankful that all is going well so far....
2016 started off a bit rough, but hopefully is getting better as days go by...
Peewee and Molly both had teeth cleanings this last week and Peewee had 4 teeth pulled, but he is thankfully doing well...
Our Washington family members, [a four year old] has been taking part in a Read-A-Thon and have completed 63 books so far and they still have three days to go...Pretty good  I say....
It was the Florida family's birthday week...Happy Birthday guys.....
I am still working on the antique Adirondack chair of Pop Pop's, and a table that Pat found by the side of the road and brought me to paint...[ how many years ago????], as a set for my new front porch...
I am having fun with it, but it is taking time ...
I can not paint on them everyday....but I am moving right along....

Our Second Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas Day yesterday, celebrating with family here..
Great food and conversation,
Cold enough weather to put us all in the mood...
It was so nice to have everyone together,it has been way too long.....
 Jalyn is in town Yeah!!!!!
John and Jeanette too,
They got to see the new house for the first time...
Amy made the best Greek salad, so yummy...
Amy and Eric got me the cutest cart for my studio...Thank You !!Thank You!!!
Mike made me two beautiful frames...Thank You !!Thank You!!!
Deb loved her new couch and chair...
A wonderful time was had by all....
Unusual to have Christmas in the middle of January and on Teresa"s Birthday Too,

but with us out of town in December, this is when we could ,so we did.......
Okay, now on with the rest of January, What is left of it ...
I say again,
What is the big hurry?????
Anyway, hope you all stay safe and warm on this beautiful day of rest....

OK,OK not so early in the month

How did it get to be the middle of the first month of the new year and this is my very first entry in this blog????
We had the most wonderful holiday season with family in Seattle...
Thank You !!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!
We have now been back to reality for a while and all is well.
 We are having our usual Christmas with our family here,this weekend,so that's different,great and should be fun ....
Pet Portraits were taught yesterday, and I am always a bit nervous before we start because I do all the sketches and you never know what the reaction will be....This time all went very well ...
Thank you to all my co-workers for that..[You were there for me big time ]and it was a great class...
The results of the class will be posted today on our Tampa painting with a twist face book page . We had 31 people in the class and a great job was done by all,so go check it out....
We are finally having cool weather here in Florida and it is a breath of fresh air after all the heat we have had this year...
It is time for me to get back to painting, many pre-paints to do yet ,at least one before work today so I am wrapping this up now.. hope all is well ...I will be back soon...

Merry Christmas To All

 I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Seasons and the best New Year ever....
My Christmas Cactus is getting ready to burst into bloom again this year,too!!! I painted this a year or two ago....
The first time ever this year we are traveling for the holiday, so I will see you back here early next year.... bye for now....

Now November

         The once White book shelf transformed

A painting I did of the beach at Fred Howard Park

New art piece is almost finished and I must still apply a varnish before finding a spot to place it..... This one has been fun to paint ,but feels like it is taking forever ....
Now, what is with this record heat we are having this whole week ,93 degrees,Really Tampa?????? W.T.F. .... This is November Right???
We had a great time celebrating Wy's birthday.. We went to Tarpon Springs ,to the beach at Fred Howard Park,and the beach called sunset beach,And then to lunch  at Captain Jacks ..  It was hot but we had a great breeze coming off the water...Yummy food ,great friends and a beautiful day...Who could ask for more?

Small Changes

  The New Tree Wall...
 Mission Accomplished...
I have been wanting to get Amy's trees re-framed and up on the wall for a very long time and I am very happy to have been able to do that yesterday.
I am so pleased with how they look..
It really dressed up this dining room wall....Don't you think???
Thank You Amy for this beautiful work....
They look way better in person I can tell you...

End Of The Month

                    Lakeshore Paintings Hung

White Book Shelf

                                 art piece coming

4x4

                         Atelier sample
 The Lakeshore pictures are in place and I am really enjoying keeping the memories alive as we move to the new and different time in our lives...
The little white book shelf under the window is now being transformed into a new piece of art, starting with a coat of black paint...
And then there is this... a four by four that this lady had no idea was so big or so heavy when I found it for a bargain price at the local Sally....Now that it is in place and filled, and I am thrilled with it....
Also this will be the first time Wy and I have ever lived in a neighborhood and we are very excited about having our first experience with Trick or Treaters...
I have to work until 6:30 so Wy has to start without me but it should be great fun....
At work we were ask to take part in an art contest to get new work into the bucket...All the artists that work at P.W.A.T.  in all the different states,are involved ,and I can not wait to see who's work gets picked..
We at our studio put in so many different and wonderful ideas, that I know they are going to have a hard time choosing the winners... It has sure helped to reawakened the creativity and interest around our place....
Yesterday was the first pet portrait class that I did not teach in the five years I have worked there, and the very first time one of the students I once help to teach many years ago, came to paint her pet..I did get to say hello and she has grown into a very lovely young lady.... and she did a great job on the painting...I am so glad to get to reconnect....
Atelier paint company sent me a sample kit of a new paint concept to test three ways. The two colors ,blue and white and a solution that slows the drying time... This is what I did with them, The moon in the middle was just using that paint . The clouds I used the drying solution and The stars, I let it dry and then went back in to rewet the surface and was able to smoothly blend to repaint the background so that you can not tell it... very good product test.... and I love the new paint...
The days are just flying by and here we are nearing the end of another month.....
Wishing everyone Happy Days....

Home

 Slowly but surely this house is feeling like home...
We are ,of course, filling every little nook and cranny with the stuff of life as we know it...
It has already been said more then once ,that it looks like we have been here for years...
That is what we needed it to be like to make it feel like ours...
Mission accomplished...
All of my Lakeshore paintings have now been framed,as of yesterday, and are now waiting for me to group them and hang them.... Any minute now I will get to that...
The weather here is supposed to get just a bit cooler for this weekend with 69 and 70 as the lows and 83 highs  sounds good to me.....
Okay now it is time to get busy  much to do yet....
Hope all are well....This mid-week....

Settling In

WOW, We are finally saying good by to the old homestead and starting to downsize to fit into a new life ...
Change is always a little hard at first , but getting on board with it is helping me to see it is long past due.....
A big Thank You goes out to my girls and their families for all the help and support they have been to us during this huge transition.... We love you all , More then words can express and we are aware this has not been easy for you guys either....
 We are finally starting to settle in to the "Mini Ragg's Ranch" and hopefully it will soon feel like home...
Okay now onward and upward we go....

   

rain

Wow I am impressed, with the amount and strength of the rain we have had in the last two weeks...It got harder and worse each day each hour...
I think it is contributing to the migraine  I am fighting now....
Water water everywhere...
I was unable to get to work tonight and not feeling up to the fight...
It has finally stopped...Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!
THE SUN IS OUT ,SO HOPEFULLY THE YARD WILL START TO DRY OUT...
The bugs are bigger and biting harder since all the rains came....
Anyway it's onward and upward as we begin to clean out and get rid of stuff to prepare for the next phase of our life...
Big changes coming very soon it looks like...
Hope all are well and no one has floated away .....

I

Where has it gone?

How has this summer just flown past me???
Time is going by too fast....
Time fly's when you are having fun....It is so true...
I had the best visit with family in the northwest, I miss you guy's so much....
I can not believe it is over and we are on to other things already...
But very happy too, that Wy is six weeks out from the second hip replacement and sees a big improvement...
Thanks to all who helped to keep him company while I was gone....and fed him so well....
He finished physical therapy yesterday and says a great big Thank You Joli for taking such great care of him, and to Achieve home health for hooking them up.....

46th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary My Love!!!!!
It is so hard to imagine that we have been married for 46 years now....
It has gone by too fast...
 Wy, I love you!!!!
We were just babies and grew up together,and have been more then blessed the whole of our life's journey together....And with such great family and friends...
May we have many more happy years together....