2009 Year at a glance

I thought taking Gwen's 2009 challenge would be a good way for me to start 2010 off to a better start on my blogging. I promise to do better in the new year. I have so many new things I want to do in 2010 but the things I learned and did in 2009 is going to give me the strength and a good start on my challenges for 2010.

I went to New York in July. WOW...something I always wanted to do was go to a Broadway show in New York and I went to 3. I took my granddaughter and we had a blast!!! We saw Wicked, which was wonderful and funny. Mama Mia, I love the music! And the last weekend for 9-5, funny, funny, funny! We stayed a block off Times Square with all the lights and sidewalk traffic it was a gas. We saw the Statue of Liberty and 9-11 rebuilding. That was very emotional. We went to Soho and Greenwich Village, that was so cool. I met Rico Fonseca, the 60's artist and was able to buy a couple of originals. Neat guy. Has been on the same corner for 30 years. What a trip.

My husband and I found a little restaurant in a little town close to our home that has the most wonderful honey pecan chicken. It is a nice get-away on a Sunday evening to end a weekend.

Article and Book is the same-Kelly Rae's Taking Flight was so inspiring to me. It made me realize that I had something in me that wanted out and that art of some kind was it's way...so in February I went to Utah for my first "art retreat" that led to another wonderful trip, new friends, a friends night out that I will not forget, and the retreat was more of a treat than a retreat...a treat to make new friends that have the same interests as I do and that feel the same way that I do about letting their feelings and emotions out by paper, paint, and anything they can get their hands into. When I came home I found myself making my own blog, which opened up a whole new world of socialization for me into the art world. So many blogs, so little time.

I also took a class in encaustic (hot wax)I never thought I could know ahead of time what I wanted to draw until that class. As soon as I saw the was transform in front of me I could see the picture I wanted. It is a fasinating process and I want to learn more about it to use in my mixed media pieces.

Norah Jones and Chai Tea came into my world this year. The smell of the tea and relaxed sounds of her voice are so comforting which also took me back to cooking. I have 4 children that I fed for many years but now that it is just my husband and I, I didn't think it was worth the time and work to cook so I gave it up but for the last 2 weeks for the Christmas holidays with all my kids with me I have become domestic again and found the enjoyment of cooking full meals, setting the table for 10 and enjoying my kids and grandkids eating. Funny how there is something about having all your kids back home again that gives you comfort.

I bought an old wonderful loveseat this year, the muted rose colors with big flowers from the 40's that I love. This is the first couch I have had in my house since our last son left home at least 15 years ago. Adding a couch to the living room again made it so cozy. Lexy, my big black lab lover dog, and I was able to take naps in the evening when I came home from work. It was so nice. So I re-arranged my furniture (which I never do) to make a smaller more or intiment room setting and I love it. I will have to post some pictures.

2009 was finding who I was again and giving time to myself to do it. 2009 was "ALL ABOUT ME" and I liked it. I bought myself a deep blue corvette this year just because I wanted one. How's that for "ALL ABOUT ME" so I have a fun ride everyday to work.

I am looking forward to 2010 to do more of what I started in 2009. Art, travel, relax, enjoy, give to myself. But I think the most important thing that I discovered about myself this year is that I am most happy when I am giving or helping others. I want to help in another country with sick children. I alway wanted to be a nurse and I was not able to become one but I still feel like I can spend time and give love and attention to children in need. Even though I know I have to take time for myself I also know that I have to have balance in my life and I believe that balance is giving or helping others all that I can and giving that time to myself too.

This is wishing everyone that might pass this way a Happy New Year and wishing you every opportunity to be or do what you need for yourself, not because it is "ALL ABOUT ME" but because giving to yourself you will find you are giving to others more.

My opening picture

I forgot to add a little note about my header picture. I wanted to tell everyone a little about it...It is the front of our old farm garage and I painted it after 9/11. It has faided a bit and I am going to repaint it this summer if I can find the time but it is very special to me. First of all I love where I live, our house is old, built in 1895, worn old wood floors, no closets, little bathroom that was built in during the 50's, old out buildings that all need painted but it is home. Our property sits just off the highway in the middle of fields of hay that smell so good after the rain. My big black lab, Lexy, loves the fields to run and play and it is wonderful to watch her. Anyway I just wanted everyone to know that the picture is real and you can drive by my house anytime and see it from the highway. And if you ever do see this in your travels, please drive in and say Hello. Love to all. Omz

OMG!

Technology is about to get the best of me but never fear I will win...so, so, so

I wanted to be able to journal once a week but my the weeks go by fast. But the last 2 weekends of April I have had to myself for the first time in months. I have worked in my studio, found things I had been looking for, knew I had but could not find when I wanted them, and now I am beginning to see the bottom of boxes and putting things together in open clear containers or clear drawers so that I can see them and get to them easier. WOW!!

I worked on a jewelry piece that I started at the Art Nest I attended in late Feb. I am ready to make my chain and give it to my daughter so that is one thing I feel good about. I will post a picture when it is finished. I have a ring I started but I think I had better start over on it, ha!

I also bought the cutest book of stickers and pictures of flower fairies this weekend (on sale, no doubt). It is a child's book of activities but I love children's books. There is the cutest puzzle and missing pieces that you have to cut out and place them where they belong that I am going to use for a mixed media piece (for myself of course). I thought about the inchy projects that I read about in one of the Somerset magazines that I thought if I cut all the puzzle apart and backed it with black paper the dividing lines would stand out. I don't know, just thinking out loud. If it works and I like it I will post a picture of it too. The little book gave me several ideas that I am going to try for some mixed media pieces.

I have also started a felting project. I bought a beautiful book of little felt projects from one of the Mother Birds of the Art Nest, Julie Collings so I am trying my hand at that too setting in the evenings watching TV with my husband. I'm one of those people that has to have something in my hands all the time. It has been so fun, as usual, just not enough colors of wool yarn so I will just have to buy more, right?

I moved my 9-5 job into my house and I hate it but I am not giving up my studio for an office again so I am moving my office OFF location so that I cannot even see the piles of paper I have anymore in my home. I hope that will give me even more time to create!! The only thing is I will have to leave my loving black lab at home and I will miss her being at my feet. Maybe I can sneek her in when the owners are not looking!

I hope all my art friends are doing wonderful and enjoying their spring weather. Texas is finally getting rain! Halleulah!! so the rainy weather has been refreshing and cool for us. Grass is turning green, bluebonnets are coming out so it really looks like spring. I need to take some pictures of the bluebonnets in the Hill Country for everyone. They look like a pond of water in a field from a distance. And the big cactus are blooming their great big yellow blooms! They are beautiful and a site to see on such a plant.

Well I need to say goodnite for now. I will write more as soon as I have some pictures of something finished to add to a post but I have enjoyed just setting and letting the words come out even if no one is listening.

Omz loves the world, even when sometimes it is not fair I know that it will turn things around again.

Another note about myself

Just thought I would let everyone know where my name OMZ comes from. Oma is Grandma in German and we are part German and live in a German community. We also do not live close to all our grandchildren so my husband and I wanted something different to call ourselves when we called our grandkids, so Oma was used but our first granddaughter changed it to Omie and Omz for short so now I go by Omz to all my grandchildren.

Also in my profile you will see a picture not of me but of my best friend, Lexy. She is my 9 month old lab/english setter that has been the best friend to me. I have been through a rough winter with my father being diagnosed with Alzheimers and she has set next to me while I cried and questioned myself as to if I was making the best decisions. She has been my trusted friend giving me her assurance with her big brown eyes that she loves me and she will be beside me no matter what I have to face.

MY FIRST POST ON MY OWN BLOG

Dear Friends, Well here I go...After coming back from a wonderful art retreat the end of February 2009, called ART NEST, I decided I was going to take more time to share my life, art, and myself with my art friends and family. It has been hard as so much everyday life gets in the way of my fun. But I want to try everyday to bring some FUN TIME to my life. And this is my beginning.

In March I had family, family, and more family for Spring Breaks in Texas. I had my Mother-in-law for 3 weeks, my husbands sister and niece for a week, my son and 2 grandchildren for a week but I ended the month with a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. WOW! did my husband and I need that time to veg. It was beautiful weather and we eat, slept, and laid on the beach in Roatan, Honduras. I would move there in a minute if it was not for my grandkids. But I have lots of pictures to share when I can figure that out too. I took lots of pictures of the water. I love the water and I want to make a collage of inches of my water pictures.

When I arrived home I had a week visit from my cousin that I had not seen for years, she is 14 years older than me but I thought she was the most beautiful cousin anyone could have when I was a child and now I have found the most beautiful friend too. After all these years we bonded in so many ways so I am hoping to keep in touch with her through my art too. She used to paint and she will be my Guinna pig now. We had a wonderful week. They travel in the most beautiful motorhome and I am looking forward to when she can come back again for a visit.

In March I also moved my "everyday job" office into my house from our little house out the back door so that in the month of April I can work on my mission to organize my STUDIO D (for Debbie), to paint more, create, learn, explore, and be away from the everyday living that goes on in my house. I am almost 58 (April 19th this year) and I need quiet space to clear my head and explore my creativeness or see if I can dig any out. Hopefully I will have some pictures of my progress later in my blog too.

I bought a new camera, bigger and better than I have ever had before so I am taking lots of pictures for inspiration. I'll see what happens????

I am taking an Introduction to Encaustics class this Saturday to learn the basics. I love the look of the molten beeswax, they will be working with colored pigments and resin too. I am hoping this will add some layers to my mixed media art as well. So I should be in the mood when I get home from the class Saturday to start something.

Well, this is about it for now but I want to add something each week to make sure that I have done something FUN in the week to talk about.

Wishing all of you a Happy Easter and brain blossoms of art.

Love to you all,

Debbie