I’m catching up after a weekend spent at AmericasMart in Atlanta. This was my first time at the show and boy do my legs hurt! There were three buildings of the above with various offshoots that could confuse even those without sense-of-direction issues. I met up with my agent, Renee from Penny Lane Publishing, and fellow Penny Lane artist, Annie Lapoint. Love these ladies. Although keeping up with Renee is a better workout than the most challenging spinning class. I think I’ve earned at least a 3-week gym reprieve.

I quickly become adept at traveling up and down and down and up miles of escalators. Applause for whomever invented moving steps.

When I returned, I had to check my datebook to make sure I had only been gone for two nights. I was really missed by kids and cats alike. My two younger kids needed to be surgically removed from my waist. And poor Penny climbed into my “To Do” box. If that isn’t a big hint.

That “To Do” list has grown even longer after being immersed in a gift mart that was completely overwhelming. I have more ideas and directions to pursue than can be pursued while still fitting in important “to do’s” like sleeping. So for these past couple of days, I’ve been working to keep my priorities in order. Like making Wimpy Kid cupcakes for a special 9-year-old boy to celebrate his birthday today at school. Lego cake to follow. New art and projects to follow all of that. One “do” at a time.

Something about hearing it through a five-year-old pencil that makes it all the more obvious.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I’m committed.

If upgrading my stock of gel medium from eight to 128 fluid ounces isn’t enough proof I don’t know what is. Sure I keep the little one around so I can transfer a manageable amount to use at one time, but meanwhile, the big guy is stored in the closet.

Gel medium is literally the glue that holds my mixed media works together. I use it for attaching and for adding texture to my paintings. When I noticed how fast I was going through the stuff, I slowly starting buying a little more each time. Until now. I’m at the Grand Daddy. If gel medium comes in a bigger container I don’t know about it and more importantly, I wouldn’t be able to lift it. Anyway in case you were wondering, I plan to keep doing what I’m doing for quite some time.  I’ve got 100 some more ounces I’m not going to let go to waste. You have my word.

My three little kittens seem to have problems finding their mittens. Or maybe it’s just finding two of the same mitten. I felt a need to post this for the school administration who e-mails parent reminders to send kids to school with mittens. I do send mittens. But somewhere between here and the playground lurks a ferocious mitten monster who eats mittens for lunch. If by chance the mitten monster is sleeping, the mittens then jump out of pockets and off hands for a big mitten party. The location of this celebration I have not a clue. All I know is by January, I am through buying new mittens.  My darlings either wear what we still have in the basket (matching or not) or learn a thing or two about cold fingers.

Then we’ve got hats. These don’t disappear quite as often, but today the third grade boy couldn’t seem to locate his favorite. So I had to quickly de-pompom another hat we had in our stash. Like anyone would wear a hat with a pompom on top. pleeease. Far be it from me to make him go to school looking absolutely ridiculous.

If you happen to see one of mine mittenless or hatless please be assured that the adhesive I applied to mittens/hands or hat/head came unstuck. Try as I might, there is simply not a glue on the market to keep those winter accessories in place.

When my five-year-old first saw this on our kitchen table she stopped in her tracks. “Mom, why is that ugly thing in the dirt in the middle of the table?” I explained to her the “ugly thing” was going to grow into a beautiful red flower in time with water and light. And if we were patient, it should bloom right around Valentines Day. Nora looked at me skeptically, but decided to take my word for it adding, “Okay, but it’s pretty ugly right now.”

Beginnings are seldom pretty if you think about it. Whether it be the first time back to the gym, the first strokes of a painting or the first draft of an article. Even a newborn baby gets “prettier” by the day. I’ve been beginning some new paintings and constantly have to remind myself about that part when it looks really bad before it looks good. There have been many, many canvases around here that almost hit the curb before I got past the ugly part.

So I thought my Smith & Hawken bulb kit (purchased at Target for 75% off) was a good reminder for our January table. “Pretty” takes time and attention, but it’s fun to watch grow and imagine the end results. Hang in there. Theses things often bloom sooner than you think.

The past few months have flown by so quickly that if I didn’t have photographic evidence to the contrary, I’d swear I slept right through. As much as I enjoyed my stint over at Merrier Shopping, I’m happy to return to some bit of normal around here.  Plus, I’m finally getting a chance to unpackage Christmas gifts. Like that 84 watercolor crayon set above. A definite upgrade to the pack of twelve I’ve been using. I could stare at those for hours. Just stare.

Here’s another package I’m excited (understatement) to open. These paints perform like magic on a variety of surfaces including plastic, leather and metal. Talk about endless possibilities. I promise I won’t paint the cats, but everything else is fair game.

I found these gorgeous papers on holiday clearance at Anthropologie. Apparently, I did have time to show up there *frequently* during the holiday madness.

I know my inkjet printer is going to love me when it gets a chance to do it’s thing on some amazing fabric sheets. The problem is figuring out which idea to send through first.

The sneaks were not a Christmas gift, but apparently they need to be unpackaged (from several months back) as well. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Reebok Toners only work if you actually put them on and move around while they are on your feet.  I vow to wear them in this year. We did walk yesterday and are even considering gym membership so I see a successful future.

The new year is bright with possibility. I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures ahead.