Firebird 1 by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART

Feeling better today so maybe it was just something in the tummy (I hope).

Since I use my *ahem* unheated but attached garage as a "studio", I plugged in the space heater to start warming it up. Went back in to the house to heat up a toasted cheese sandwich and watch tv while eating. Made the brilliant observation that... when the big screen tv in living room is on and space heated in garage kicks into cycle, the circuit breaker will trip. My house definitely needs to be rewired for the modern era. The cable box is now slowly rebooting, the tv will give me a nasty "first time set up message", and the heater has shut itself off in the garage. so I sit here at the computer to eat my sandwich.

Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from killing someone...

Woman with Tamborine by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART
Finally got the sketch book out again... it's been way too long. However I find myself just staring at the blank page more than I used to. guess I need to get inspired or something...

feeling rather down lately. Last Weds. I ate with the hubby at a sea food place and I've had tummy trouble ever since... at least I hope it is only tummy trouble. When it hits I also get rather nasty pain under my shoulder blades and have trouble breathing also. I'm not sure which is worse, feeling hungry and trying to find something that will not set it off or eating then getting the bloated, don't feel good cramp accompanied by the back pain and possibly even vomit. *sigh* I really don't want to go to a dr. but if this last much longer even stubborn I will have to go. Mom has been diagnosed with a hiatial hernia, wonder if I've developed it also? Self diagnosis is so scary and makes me feel like I'm a closet hypochondriac.

Not much is getting done here around my hovel. I'm still spending way too much time sitting in cars with the eldest or sitting at home feeling bad. Pray for me, ok? things have got to change.

Flowers with red background by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART

It's gonna be a rougher week than I thought. Took eldest to take driving test today and... she did not pass. Now Hubby and I are supposed to be at Pentacon this weekend and she is supposed to work all week end Something has got to give. We cannot be at 2 places, 2.5 hours apart at the same time. She has to wait a week to take her test over...

Kid in B+W by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART

did 2 new paintings for church... We are doing a parenting series until thanksgiving. this was the first painting done and I thought it came out nice...


This was the second. It was done right after the first and I don't understand how I could change style, competency level so radically so fast. this one did not flow well at all. *sigh* LIve and learn I guess.

Other news- I have a mouse living in my garage - or at least I hope it is only one mouse. As I pulled into my driveway yesterday, I saw the little bugger squeeze under the garage door. since my "studio" is out there, I definitely don't want him there. Growl, one more thing to deal with. Oh, and evidently our dog Mr. Chewy the world's mightiest Hunter (in his own mind) will not stoop to hunting mice but only squirrels and rabbits. It's sad when the dogs run the household isn't it?

I spent a lot of time leading up to this week working on a new banner for church, then forgot to take a camera to show how it hung. *sigh* What's that song from Wizard of Oz, "If I only had a Brain"? I did take a couple of detail shots of it, this half moon (with clouds) being a part that I really like. Now I'm painting a couple of poster sized pics for this week.

The Mr. is out of town in warm and sunny California. Of course here in Ohio it is NOT warm and sunny. My tropical plants have had to move inside from their home on the back patio (read concrete slab) which they love. They are currently stationed in my kitchen, in the way meaning I cannot cook in there. Ah, shucks, I cannot cook in there *wink*.

The eldest has a temp. part time job now but has yet to get her driver's license. I am still stuck in a car with her... WE need to get her through some training on how to back up before taking the test. NOt sure I can handle that....

That is my news for this week...

Roadside Pennsylvania by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART

I don't know what is it like where you all are but it is getting colder here. I had to bring in the plants last night so they wouldn't get all frosty. Problem with that is... I repotted my tropical plants since they had been in the same pots for 10 years (getting root bound) and now it's too heavy to move easily. I'm also afraid that I will not be able to keep them is the same place this winter - on top of Buddy the Goober dog's cage. Winter does bring a new challenge every year.

Currently I have been busy painting a new banner for use at church. I hope to get it done soon (I need it this Sunday). That seems to be getting most of my time right now. I'm sure the rest of family will be happy to see it done also as the only place I have that Is big enough to work on it is the living room.

Another chuck of my time is driving the eldest to and from work... again. At least she has a job, even if it's part time. I really need to get her the last bit of drive time (maneuverability training) so she can get her license. Then it's one to starting the youngest driving...ARGGGGGH!

Well time to get busy again...

mountain scene by ~Mugwart-the-orc on deviantART

managed to get a bit of painting done lately. this is the newest piece, it is also posted over at my deviantart site ( http://mugwart-the-orc.deviantart.com/ ). I don't know, maybe I'm chasing an impossible dream especially since I don't have the time right now to put alot of effort into being an artist. Perhaps it is just the week but I'm feeling very down... I just sit at my little table in the garage ad stare at the paper, almost afraid to put brush to paint. Advice anyone?

First up, the Mr's computer...
Well the power supply did go wonky and took out the motherboard from what I understand. *sigh* Right now he is using his laptop as a main computer and has ordered some sort of shell so that he can still use the hard drives off the old computer as a sort of external hard drive. I will assume that a new desktop will be ordered soon? It's always something here...

My truck is going to financially kill me. Now the exhaust system has started getting, well um, rumblier. I know, it's 12 years old and how long can a muffler last? That truck oughta be glad I love it right now...

Been spending a little more time over at another website, the Deviant Art Community. I have decided to set up a "blog/art show" there and see if I get very many responses to my art work before I start putting too much time or thought into trying to turn it into a cash business (not that that my art would ever generate much cash flow for me). http://mugwart-the-orc.deviantart.com/

feeling a bit down right now -am gonna blame it on this blasted rainy weather, and the fact that I have my eldest underfoot 24/7. I love my kids, I really do but I love having ME time also. Between her and her "best friend" (her ex- boyfriend *sigh*) I wanna hut something most days. I think I need a job just to get away from the family... anyone want to hire me?

I'll stop now...

I have my truck back, for the approximate value using the infamous blue book, it is fixed. Oh well, getting the tranny rebuilt was cheaper than a year's worth of car payments. And the current sermon series is over at our church so I got to bring home the hurried and painted on the fly posters used this time... see above. that gets me somewhat caught up on old stuff.

All hail the tree, the tree is gone. Just to make the money squeeze tighter, the tree guys showed up this week to remove 1 dead tree and 1 almost dead one. I now have a grassless circle in my front yard where a blue spruce USED to be. It looked good from the house, but the street side of the tree was dead and death was spreading fast. I have some grass seed down now but it will be a while before it looks like anything out there. The dead tree in the back needed to be gone last year... Hurricane Ike (yes, Ohio got hit by a hurricane last year) tried but the dead (undead?) tree resisted to torment us with it's thorns for another year. I'm sure even the power/cable/telephone dudes will be happy to see it gone as all utilities in town run through the backyards and that tree was right beside the pole.

May be this week I will be able to get to the multitude of other projects that are started but not finished...

No I did not win the chair... a lady artist from Yellow Springs Ohio (about 30 minutes from me) did.... Pretty close considering the artist blog that offered the chair is from Australia.

Not much gets done around here anymore - I spend all my life (it seems) sitting in a car waiting on my eldest for this and that and.... We gotta get her her driving license just so I can get a life back. What's worse? The youngest will be eligible to get her temps here in about a week. I don't have time to take her out to even take the test. Once again the youngest gets the short end of the stick in favor of the oldest.

Trying to do a bit of art work but it is slow going. I usually give a painting to each person that leaves the praise band at church but this summer I haven't kept up. I'm 3 pictures behind. *sigh* Just the thought is making me want to go back to bed and hide under the covers.

In a few weeks is StormCon, the new convention just for DragonStorm players. I am looking forward to it as that will be the last planned vacation until Pentacon in Nov. Now to add to my list of chores (that will not get done soon) the process of creating a couple of new scenarios to run at the con. Anybody got any good ideas? Mine are usuallly rather simple and boring...

another blog that I read is of from an artist who recently invited people to send him pictures of their studios. Now, My "studio is nothing I would send in to a real artist who makes a real living from his work, but here where we are just friends (I think) I thought what the heck, I'll post a pic of my garage, er studio, or lack thereof. He recently put up a contest fro a giveaway of an office chair to a lucky commenter on his blog so I thought, what the heck - I'll try for it. If I lose (which I will), what have I lost? I still have my folding outdoor chair to sit in when I Paint...( Art News Blog : http://www.artnewsblog.com/2009/07/win-chair-for-your-studio-or-office.htm )

Nothing fancy is it?




Recently I watched an episode of a show that HGTV runs called "That's Clever" where they show crafters making something. One of the crafters made some winged seahorses in that plastic clay stuff so I tried it with my shoolyard paper mache technique. the above was the one effort I have painted. I wonder what I'll try next...

A few months ago I told a friend that for the first time in years, I was not stressing over money. Famous last words. It is becoming harder to stretch what I'm getting over the bills once again. And I forgot to budget in the fact that with our current mortgage, we are paying the real estate taxes ourselves - every half year. Well, I had to dip into my savings that I had been working on (remember not stressing about money?) to pay part. *sigh* I need to have a better memory to remember when things like that are due... Perhaps it will get better soon? I gotta find a way to earn a bit of extra cash, if just for my own piece of mind.

Am hoping to get back into art for myself. I finally got to the garage and uncovered the table I had set up for myself, currently it has a project I was asked to do for a going away present for our minister. This is a new one - painting a terra cotta pot. Originally they wanted me to paint a picture of the Ymca (where we hold services) on it but after really goofing up and having to sand it down, I just decoupaged a photo of the Y on it then did some writing. Cross your fingers everyone, because I don't have a lot of time to do another before they want to give it to her.

Went to the Origins Convention last week and had a good time. It was good to see old friends and play Dragonstorm. I hope that everyone else had fun too - that I didn't piss anyone off too bad. *sigh* I need another vacation...

So the theme for the sermon at church this Sunday is Peace and Justice. Not having much time to work on the decor, I went for obvious symbolism... dove and scales. *sigh* I think I need a new brain to be more original... So I am using an old banner (the first one I ever painted) and 2 posters for the BB goals (reminder, we meet in a gym at the Y).



Now the dilemma, I have 2 versions of the scales. I like the colors on the first, but I messed up the proportions. Hubby likes it better too. The second has good proportion and matches the dove but I think I'm tired of the red color. Which to use and do I have time to go for try no.3 in redoing the first? *sigh*

I have been busy with graduation stuff - my eldest is now a graduate from high school. I can no longer look forward to sending her back to school come next fall and I'm not sure of her plans for college (community college). Please pray with me that I do not loose my temper too much and that she actually gets a job that gets her out from under my feet. Right now I really miss having the daytime for ME - this having people around 24/7 has gotten old fast.

ON a brighter note, I have brought home the posters I did for the last sermon series at church - the series was on prayer. I thought they turned out rather well considering my lack of formal art training (as anyone who regularly checks in on me would recognize anyway). Please excuse the fact that one of the pictures seems to have been half darkened - this appeared in the photo only and I'm not sure why...

Currently I am working on stuff for next Sunday. I should have started this weeks ago but alas, graduation and family got in the way...

The angels are finished...

Now for the too old story, the blanket 1/2 crochet-ed, the pictures for the church...
*sigh*
Gotta start getting myself organized I guess...

The kids' room has gone from this:

to this (please ignore the sheets over the windows, still need to find the right fabric to make the curtains with):


Now I can get back to My project (yet unfinished) of paper mache angels...

A while back I tried to take pictures of my "people" while they were on the baskets at church (the Y gym). well, my couples are home now and ready for real pictures!





This helps give a better idea of what they look like than the previous pics did! Now I can put them away until they are needed again (if ever)

as I have to play chauffeur to kids tonight and still have no clear direction as to where or when. Youngest is a bit easier since the where is the local high school but the when is still up in the air... eldest is where and when. *sigh* I did google the school she is heading to for a choir contest but once I get there the where in the school is a problem-as well as the when to leave. she has to head out right after the choir performance in order to get to a job.*sigh*

And it's cold here again - what happened to that 70 degree weather we just had? I adjusted to it faster than I am adjusting back to this near freezing or below stuff. I think I am getting old...

went to the Dayton Art Institute today. Their current special exhibit is by the glass blowing artist William Morris. ( http://daytonartinstitute.org/ ) After viewing Chihuly's exhibit a couple of years ago I guess this just let me feel a little flat. From a Technical standpoint I think that Morris is better but on an emotional level it just didn't have the umph I was expecting. *sigh* At least since I finally sprung for a membership to the Institute, the tickets were already paid for. Now to wait for the next exhibit...

Flower arranging for church was just calling my name...


Hubby probably thinks I will never clean this house... and he is probably right!

Off this morning to donate blood... another reason that I can't clean today! HAHAHAHAHAHA!