Tiny Personal Triumph ,Yo.

Hello there, Blogosphere! 

Long time no see. Compose. Read? It's been a longer break than I'd intended to take way back when blogging, like a lot of things, had become a source of looming anxiety. I never had more than a handful of folks stopping by, but I liked those regulars, and felt like I was letting them down each time I neglected to write. The pressure to be cheery, clever, entertaining, or whatever expectation I'd self-inflicted became too much.  As a slightly mildly full-on neurotic mess, I couldn't deal with that pressure, so I stopped.  

All that being said, I'm finally learning that my feelings are just as legit as everyone else's, even if they don't exactly make sense. I think I'm in a much better head space now, and feel like I can balance being a comical wife, full-time artist, pet mom, and occasional blogger. Tiny personal triumph, yo! *thrusts tightened fist in air* 

So here I am blathering on about self proclaimed mental stability. What's new with you? I and my husband (I call him Mr. T.) still live in the boonies, adopt stray/rescue critters whenever we can, and are just as weird and wonderful as we've ever been. We celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary in March, and welcomed a bouncing baby bulldog into our lives right before last Christmas. 

Let me introduce you to Oona Louise, our newest addition, and my bestest friend. If you'd like excessive updates on her, she has her own Facebook fan page. 

Later gators. Talk to you soon! *mwah*

Come Find Me!

Hello out there! I'm posting over HERE today, so please head on over. Leave me a comment there, won't you? The North Alabama Crafters are a wonderful group of creative folks working hard to save handmade, and promote local business. If you're an artists and/or crafter in North Alabama, please join us!

Alive & Painting

Well, hello there! It's been a while, and I feel the shame of neglecting my blog once again. Vicious cycle. Bad habit. I'm not sure what to call it, but I've definitely been productive in the time I've spent offline. That's always good, right?

In an effort to get back into blogging again, I've decided to try to keep up with sharing my newest creations. I've been doing a lot of painting, drawing, sewing and sculpting, so that ought to keep me posting for a while. 

Woodland Tea Party!

These three pieces were a commission from Cody, whom I am ever so happy to have discovered here on the interwebs. She's a pastry-makin', Harry Potter lovin', breakfast food enthusiast with two kitties. What's not to love, right? Well, she requested three 5x5 woodland tea party illustrations for her kitchen, and this is what she got.

As soon as the sun shows it's face around these parts again, I plan on taking photos, so I can list prints of these on my etsy shop.

So...uh...I'll see you around.

Commissions!

I've been pretty busy during my little blogging hiatus, so I figured I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on. I absolutely adore commissions, because they always turn out to be such a challenge. I find myself missing the assignments I received in art school, so I always welcome a custom order.

This custom plush is a Harry Potter inspired Totoro for a friend's little girl's birthday.

This was supposed to be a guinea pig for a friend's baby shower. She's calling him Bear Pig. :)

Professor Lettuce here is a custom plush for an old friend performing in a peep show.

And these two lovely ladies are my oldest friend's two little sisters. Their mother commissioned me to paint them for her.

So, what have you been up to, folks?

Steroid Psychosis Is, Like, A Thing That Happens

Hiya, folks. I'm feeling the awkward, because I haven't blogged in such an incredibly long time. However, I'm feeling a little more myself lately, and I have something important I want to share with you.

Any of you gorgeous people ever heard of something called steroid psychosis? Just in case you haven't, and you get the occasional shot in the hiney when you're sick or have an allergic reaction, I want you to be aware of it.

My last post, for those of you smart enough not to read that depressing mess, was spent whining incessantly about my evil allergic reaction to poison ivy. Well, when I couldn't get in to see my family doctor, I went to a trusted walk-in clinic. I ended up going there twice, four days apart, and receiving two different steroid shots, as well as an oral prescription of prednisone.

When my allergic reaction continued, I was referred to a dermatologist. At that appointment I was informed that I wasn't given enough steroids to begin with, which is why my allergic reaction to the poison ivy came back with a vengeance. There I was given two HUGE shots of steroids, and told the dose would taper off over two weeks, and should definitely take care of my poison ivy rash. And it did just that.

I was super thankful that my rash started to fade, but something else remained. During the month that I was suffering that itchy rash, and receiving all those steroids, I'd become increasingly depressed, anxious, paranoid, and obsessive compulsive. Anything that happened outside of the ordinary was too much for me, and I decided that living was too difficult. I had no suicidal ideation, but I just didn't have the will to live. I cried all the time, and I just wasn't ME anymore. I feared that I'd never feel "normal" again, and was incredibly hopeless.

Well, through a lot of prayer, the support of family and friends, and a visit to my family doctor, I'm slowly getting back to me. My doctor listened patiently to my long story about the poison ivy, and how I'd become overly emotional, paranoid, panic ridden and more obsessive compulsive than I'd ever been in my entire life. She lovingly told me that I sounded like a bipolar patient, but that it was all because of the steroids. She said I was in hyper-drive, and, even though the steroids had been out of my system for weeks, I could continue to feel that way. She prescribed me some medication I was/am very wary of, but I trust her, and I seem to be getting better.

I'm not completely back to normal, but I'm getting there, and I've done some research I'd like to share. There's a lot of information out there on the interwebs, and some of it not so dependable, but this site was very enlightening for me. I believe this information to be reasonable, and helpful. Even a visit to my doctor didn't give me a name to what I was experiencing, and I think that it helps to label it.

What I've learned is that the corticosteroids I'd been paying to have pumped into me in order to suppress my immune system and decrease my allergic reaction, were also increasing the dopamine levels in my brain, which lead to mood swings, depression, increased ocd, paranoia and a panic attack that landed me in the ER thoroughly convinced I was having a heart attack. O.o I also learned that increased dopamine levels reduce the level of serotonin in your brain, which totally increases depression.

So please be careful when being prescribed any medication. Make sure to pay close attention to how you're reacting, both physically and mentally. Tell your significant other/family/friends what side effects to look for when you start taking anything. Corticosteroids can be a good thing, and I know a couple people with lupus that need them to get by day to day, but I will forever be afraid of them now.

Yeah, I had a lot of steroids pumped into me over a short period of time, but trusted medical professionals were the ones doing it, fully aware of how much I'd already had. No, I've never had such a reaction to one shot in the hiney. But I can tell you that I've had plenty of steroid shots in my life, and no one ever took the time to tell me what it could possibly do to me. Even if the chances are slim, I want to know what to watch out for, and I want you to as well. I certainly never want any of my loved ones to be in that 3% of the many steroid psychosis sufferers that commit suicide.

Unless my immune system is completely compromised, and I pray it never will be, I'll just take my chances with whatever crud or allergic reaction I'm dealing with. Nothing I've ever needed a steroid shot for even remotely compares to the trauma I, my wonderful husband, family and friends have been dealing with since April.

How Can Anyone Walk on Water, If They Won't Get Their Butt Out the Boat?

Anybody out there? It's been a long time since I was in a sharing mood, and I feel as if I should apologize for that. I allowed blogging to become just another place that I couldn't speak my mind. I'm not proud of that, and am in the process of changing it.

I've worked for the same nonprofit for over five years, and I've been unhappy with my working situation for around two of those.

If any of my faithful few are still out there, you may recall me blogging about landing a better paying job, giving my notice and leaving in 2009. You might also remember me spending one day on the new job, before crawling back to what I knew. What you won't remember are all of the feelings I never expressed, because I knew my boss read my blog.

Well, I went back to the old nonprofit job thinking I hadn't had it so bad after all. My paycheck wasn't a hefty one, but I was doing something good there. Believing if I just did my job to the best of my ability, I could put up with my boss not respecting me. I also thought I could handle snide remarks and nasty jokes at my expense, and rude comments about others...

I realize now that I have spent about three of the past five years just waiting. I've been waiting for something to change for me. Finally, I realized that I had to be that change. I've learned that we can't expect the constants around us to vary. We have to be the variables.

So...I quit my job last week. Live and learn, right? I'm taking a little time off, before I start looking for something else, and am not-so-secretly hoping that my artwork will make me a rich woman.

In the meantime...

Nothing but blue skies from now on. ^_^

Chobap

Hiya, folks! Fancy meeting you here, eh? I've been a bit swamped, and started avoiding some things. I didn't really mean to. It just sort of happened.

I've completed a couple projects, and feel a little less like I'm drowning, so I'm going to try to get back into posting now and again. I miss my old blog, and your comments.

Now, as I'm sure many of you have gathered, I'm a hopeless klutz. That being said, I drop my phone left and right, and pretty much any direction you can think of. I've accidentally thrown the poor thing (and I mean shot-putted) behind the bed, under my Jeep and in lots of other hard to reach places. My poor little DROID has seen the pavement more than a couple times, much to my chagrin. I don't know how I do it. It's a bit like there's an invisible force trying to keep us apart.

So...I searched the world over, and finally got a phone cozy worth coveting. I name everything, so I call her Chobap. If you're not familiar with the this pocket of yummy veggie friendly goodness, I suggest checking out that link. I was introduced to chobap in Korea, and fell in love. It's actually a Japanese dish, and I already have a real kitty named Kimchi, so I thought another Asian dish would be a good name for a kitty phone cozy. And she's a pocket! Yeah, I know. Just let me think I'm clever...

All the way from Japan to protect my trusty little phone.

made by Tokyo Inspired

A Theme After My Own Heart

Any of you lovely readers ever participated in a NaBloPoMo? Are you perhaps wondering what the heck I'm blathering about? 

For those of you who may not know, NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. It's a month long writing exercise inspired by National Novel Writing Month, Or NaNoWriMo. It's pretty simple. You simply post once a day every day for a month. You can follow a theme, or just post willy-nilly. It can be anything your little heart desires.

That being said, I probably have too much going on to be dedicating myself to posting every day this month, but what the hey. I just couldn't pass up September's theme. 

Check back every day this month for your daily dose of ART! I'm starting things out today with a little shameless self promotion. I've overhauled my Etsy shop, and added more of my incredibly affordable water doodles a.k.a. hand drawn watercolored illustrations. Feast your eyes upon some of my newest listings!

Percival Pinfeather

Escape II

Love Bird

To The Moon

Bodacious Bloggers

It's about time for another one of those bloggy hiatus posts,  wouldn't you say? Poor little Mimsy patiently waits to hear from me, but I'm too busy painting and neglecting her to notice. You all know the story, right?

I've been working on painting three puppy portraits for a couple weeks now. I'd have had them finished a long time ago, were I not employed full time. Le sigh. I'm also plotting/sketching characters for the children's book I've been asked to illustrate, about which I'm still totally stoked and already mentioned here. Then there's The Sketchbook Project I mentioned a while back. Haven't touched that yet. Oh! And the lovely Ari and I are planning on entering a sidewalk art stroll next month, so I've got to be getting work together for that as well. I need more time. So much to do, so many places to be.

What about all you bodacious bloggers?* Have y'all been so busy with summer shenanigans that you didn't mind a few less posts to read? I hope so. I know you hang on every sarcastic word around here...

Speaking of around here...my house looks like it was ransacked. Mr. T (That's the husband person, for any new readers out there.) (HI, NEW READERS! <3) and I just got home from a camping/rafting trip in North Carolina, and are beyond beat. My face and shoulders are ever so slightly crisped, and, now that I've showered, I'm ready to sleep 'til Tuesday.

I miss your blogs, people. I'm sure I'll be catching up soon, as well as posting pics of paintings, doodles and camping trips. *mwah*

* Yeah, I said "bodacious bloggers". What of it? I like alliteration, and I'm too sleepy to be cool. Just go with it

Whoa Nelly!

June is kicking my butt, bloggers. Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I think I might be losing it.

See? It's in the eyes, I think. And please note that I'm wearing a sundress. There has been much nakey talk about this photo. NOT NAKED.

Besides being an incredibly busy month, as discussed here, it has also been pretty harsh. Saturday night, while enjoying dinner with friends at a little Italian joint, my husband's truck was broken into. The culprits stole my purse, and my makeup bag. *cries*

I loved that big green Target purse, and Etsy Russian nesting doll makeup bag. Something I loved even more than them? All the stuff I keep in them, including my driver's license, social security card, and the keys to my home, office and vehicle! Yeah. Awesome.


I'm still in the process of getting things replaced, warding off credit fraud, identity theft and coping with the loss of the things that I'll never get back again. I kind of feel like I'm missing a limb, so please excuse my lack of posting/reading your loverly blogs. The Busy and The Blah are something I have to work through, but I'll catch up soon. My birthday is this Sunday, and I'm hoping to have worked through a lot of this mess by then.


*mwah*

Looking Up

 
*Googled "Up" and found this gorgeous image here.

You know when you feel overwhelmed, and you just want to run away and hide? Yeah, I've been feeling that a lot lately. Work, church, home, and the interwebs all seem to be taking more out of me than I've got to offer. So...what do I do?

Well, let me tell you. I sign up for NaBloPoMo, cause that just makes all kinds of sense. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Maybe I'm losing mental stability. It just seemed like the thing to do, so I went with it.

This month's theme is "Look Up". I'm certainly trying.

Ganked

The lovely Shannon from Tattoos & Cupcakes ganked this from Tia, and I just couldn't help myself. I know I said I'd be blathering about medical things soon, but I'm a bit of an escapist, and even though things are fine, I'm not ready to talk about them yet. Therefor I am so happy to come across this little meme.

Outside my window... there is a sky full of stars, and a backyard full of sleepy chickens.

I am thinking... that I should've kept up with how many times I sneezed today. I probably broke a record or something.

I am thankful for... trials. No, really. I am. They really teach me to be thankful. Without trials and scares, I would take a lot of things for granted, things I always want to appreciate, like my health and the people I love.

I am wearing... a really old night gown, like, from 13 years ago. It's baby blue with doggies on it, and is now far too short to wear when we have company.

I am remembering... John 14:27- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I am creating... character sketches for the children's story I plan to complete this year, waterdoodles for my etsy shop, a portrait of a friend's munchkin and a great deal of stress for myself, as usual.

I am going... to sleep. I've got to start getting more sleep, and being on time for things.

I am reading... The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. A dear friend of mine really wants me to, so we can discuss it, but I'm having a hard time getting into it.

I am hoping... that I feel better soon. This respiratory/sinus infection is making me feel like a snotty beast. :(

On my mind... I've been worrying about my mom and dad's health a lot lately.

From the kitchen... feathers are always flying, no matter how much I sweep. I pull up a chair for Kimchi Kitty to belong, whilst Mr. T and I prepare a healthtastic meal.

One of my favorite things... is to create things that make people happy. I love it. It makes me feel useful, important.

Noticing that... I am more confident in myself than I've ever been before. I haven't been as hard on myself, and I'm beginning to really be happy with me. (I stole this one from Shannon, and I'm so glad we can both say/type this.)

Okay, taking a minute on that last one. Seriously? This is huge deal, bloggers. Being able to say I'm more confident is one thing, but being able to post this cheesy picture of myself with bed head, lip stain and smudged eyeliner is another entirely. I'm not going to pick it apart and tear myself down. I don't have to thwart anything unpleasant someone might have to say about me. I'm just me, and gosh darn it, I like myself. (Please get that reference.)

Pondering these words... "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Time Management Issues

Blogging is pretty. I like it. ^_^

NaBloPoMo Hitch

Sometimes I just take things for granted. I thought there would be free Wifi in my hotel room. WRONG.

Oh, you don't know where I am! I'm on a fun-filled (not being sarcastic) business trip in Orlando. A whole heck of a lot of child care workers, from the South East United States, have gathered here to share and learn how to better serve youth and families. It's really pretty great.

Wifi? $9.95 for 24 hours. I can do this, but not so great. Supervisory Companion and I didn't get in from the airport until late last night, and had training all day today. We didn't even get the luxury of the two hour lunch break. We had a meeting. An awesome meeting, but a meeting.

So...here I am. All paid up for 24 hours, and posting TWO posts tonight. Though, I will post one of them dated as November 4th, because I'm awesome like that. I have not given up on NaBloPoMo! I will prevail! ^_^

So Much

I have been up to so much lately, it's ridiculous. And since So Much is the reason I've been neglecting my blog, I thought it only fitting that I dedicate a post to it.

First up were the Where The Wild Things Are birthday posters:

I promised some friends of mine that I'd do posters for their munchkin's third birthday. So, I whipped out my copy of Where The Wild Things Are, my watercolors, and voila! Said munchkin dressed up as Max for his party and everything. SO adorable.

And what better gift can you give for a Wild Rumpus party...than a monster?! It took me a few more non-blogging hours to hand-sew this little guy, but I think it was worth it. He turned out pretty fun.

And then there's the cake decorating class that my friend, Annie, and I have undertaken. This coming Wednesday is our last class. We've learned a lot, but we're pretty transport-a-gazillion-things-and-bake-cakes-for-no-apparent-reasoned out right about now.

These guys are the little cupcake toppers I made us as an alternative to the dreaded CLOWN HEADS everyone else gave in to. NO CLOWN HEADS FOR ME, THANKS.

We had to ice little bodies for them. My vampire was a little funky with a ruffly iced bod, but Annie's chicken turned out pretty darn cute. He kind of looked drunk after a while, cause our icing wasn't quite stiff enough to hold up. It was quite entertaining.

And these are the roses (on a lovely beach towel that I brought to cover that germ ridden cake class table) that made it quite obvious that I didn't make my icing the right consistency. They kept sort of morphing into little wilted blobs. :( Practice makes perfect, right?

I've also got a photo of my first cake, but blogger doesn't seem to want me to upload it. Huff. Anyhow, I put a green and orange owlie on it. ^_^

Aaaaaand I made three separate Homecoming shirts for a few of my favorite teenagers. We tie-dyed them, and then I used a textile marker to draw an image on them, and fabric paints to color them in. It was fun, but time consuming. I also have pics of those that this flippin' Mac won't let me upload right now.

So, there you have it-my legitimate excuse for neglecting my blog...this time. Hopefully I'll manage to get those other photos uploaded someday, for your viewing pleasure.

That is all. I've got brownies cooling in the kitchen. They're begging to be decorated.

Temporary Insanity

Things are just a bit psychotic, as of late, but I have every intentions of posting/commenting regularly again. Between work and art and guitar and blah de blah de blah I've been having trouble finding the time, but I will...soon. I love you beautimus bloggers!

For now, follow me on Facebook, if you aren't already. Oh, and go check out my Etsy shop, MadShiny. I finally added some more handmade goodness!

See?

I uploaded this sleepy fellow a while back, but for some reason Blogger doesn't like the pics of my newest items. Ho-hum. He'll do for now.

The Prestige

Alright folks. How the heck are ya?! I dropped off the planet (out of the state rather) for a while, but now I've returned and think it's time for a comeback.

Had a great time in Michigan and Indiana. We spent some much needed time away from work, with friends, family and at the beach. Any of you blessed enough to have already seen the documentation of such on Facebook, I hereby apologize for any photos of me in swimwear. I can assure you all pictures were taken against my will, and I am seeking retribution.

Where were we? Oh yes. I left you last with a shuffle of obviously unpopular music. :P You're all very sweet for commenting, even if you didn't know the music. I tend to listen to a pretty wide range of musical goodness. So, can't say's I blame you for not recognizing too much.

So, without further adieu, here are the song titles and artists that you all need to be familiarizing yourselves with.

1. You Know My Name by The Beatles

2. Who'll Stop The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Her Majesty by The Beatles

4. Change by Muse

5. The Places We Lived by Backyard Tire Fire

6. The Blues by Switchfoot

7. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

8. Colonial Boy by Devin Townsend

9. Joseph Campbell by Warm In The Wake

10. Jack & The Water Buffalo by Head of Femur

11. Say "Hey" ( I love you) by Michael Frantee and Spearhead

12. My Dear Country by Norah Jones

13. What's This by Danny Elfman

14. Miracle Sun by Anthony Green

15. The Smell of Pajamas by Animal Collective

16. You're A Wolf by Sea Wolf

17. Polly by Nirvana

18. We Are Real by Silver Jews

19. By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers

20. Five Fleas by Rasputina

Bonus: Young Pilgrims by The Shins

Oh! None other than the lovely Ari will be receiving a bit of handmade goodness for getting the most right answers.

I like this giving away prizes thing. I'll have to come up with ways to do it more often. Maybe once I get more on MadShiny (my Etsy shop) I can give things away monthly!

Peace At Last.

Hello me lovelies! All apologies for neglecting you so, as of late. What can I say? Life has a way of getting out of hand now and again.

Within the last 2 weeks I:

-attained a new job!

-gave notice to my current employer.

-started the new job!

-resigned from the new job.

-reacquired the old job!

-came down with exudative tonsillitis.

-neglected all creative outlets.

-survived way too much stress.

Amidst all those ups and downs, there were a couple of nights that I let the unknown get the best of me. Quitting one job before having confirmed another is not exactly my cup of tea, but it was something I felt I had to do. So, I did it. Then I freaked out accordingly.

I managed to single handedly destroy my immune system via stress. Thus causing my tonsils to make an attempt on my life. >_<

Worry does NO GOOD. None. Remember that.

So, I am currently very thankful to be updating the old blog here. Even if it does mean germing up the laptop. I have a long weekend to relax, overcome my tonsils, and let everything sink in.

God willing, things are back to how they belong.

Deep Healing Breaths

So, my blog has lacked a little "pep" as of late. Despite this bloggy hiatus, I've been having an all around happy crappy time. Whenever I think about posting, I decide to spare you all the whining and wallowing, but no more. I've decided to embrace the waist-deep mire I'm inhabiting.

I won't bother back tracking. Let's just start with today...

It's raining. Again. Rain is good and all. Plants love it.

I. AM. NOT. A. PLANT. I miss the sun. I blew a kiss to it when I saw it yesterday. Sigh.

Making the descent into my office via the back parking lot is a dangerous excursion. The steps are old, rickety and (Bon Jovi would be proud) slippery when wet. Yeah. I busted it.

How about a list of outcomes?!

-My khaki skirt now has a big soggy brown spot in the general area of my bum.
-My knee scraped up against the door. :(
-At least two of my toes are broken, for sure(ow-eee).
-My lunch is now muddy.
-I'm cold.
-I hate everything.

So, here's to embracing. What glorious and wonderful things have happened to y'all lately? Care to share? C'mon. Let's wallow.

It helps me to remember that no matter how rotten it gets, I have things to be thankful for. The book of Job always helps me through. It's pitiful, but inspiring.

God is good. He really is. I know, especially in times like these, He is my biggest supporter and friend. So, we're pretty tight at the moment, and that's alright by me. ^_^

Funny Business

Well, it's happened again. The dreaded bloggy hiatus. When you least expect it...WHAMMO! You have a gazillion things to do in no time flat. I don't even know what happened most of last week, and I'm too tired to think. I've still got a pretty good grasp of the past few days, though.

Let's see. There was the Flight of the Conchords' concert in Atlanta Saturday night. Totally worth the three hour exodus that Ari and I made. They were hilarious and adorable, as usual. We may or may not have screamed like silly little girls. May or may not have. All I'm saying is we waited for silence to make our audible request, and it was honored.

Easter Sunday was totally out of commission. A lovely day with family, but chalked full of disregard for all things weighing on my neurotic little mind. I did squeeze in some knitting and sewing, though. I made my nephew an ipod cozy! I really do have a creative compulsion.

Then there was Monday. Oh dear sweet Monday. Normally redeemed only by Shannon's Memory Mondays, but this Monday also had the help of the mesmerizing Jason Webley. The man can play the piano/guitar/accordion/pretty much anything like a fiend. Not to mention his uncannily gorgeous barbaric yawp, as shown above. It just kills me. Just beautifully stirring. It was a total surprise to find out he was going to be in the area.

Other than that? A lot of unfinished projects have cluttered my poor little brain pan. Bouncing around in there like jacked up ping pong balls. I finished a couple of things that I'm far too burnt out on to even muster photographing them. I refuse. Refuse you hear?!

Oh, and I've officially obtained the crud. Sigh.

That's all the funny business for now. Goodnight good bloggers.