I Can Breathe ...

Hi, I am back and feeling much better. I hate when my depression gets that bad. There were so many environmental factors happening at one time that it created a perfect storm scenario in my brain and made my depression take over. I know what caused my depression to get worse than normal, my birthday and the baggage that comes with it, hormones, got to love women problems, and this time of year it’s a combination that created a perfect storm in my head. (My husband would get a kick out of me using that reference, he loves that movie and I do not. How many times do you need to see a boat sink and men drown? I say once, especially when the men include George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg).

I was not upset about getting older. I like my thirties and this year is full of so many possibilities. Once Abigail starts school in August I can finally start creating art fulltime. I got pregnant with Noah when I was in college and for the past decade I have been a stay at home mom who gets to create a couple of hours a week and art has been more of a hobby than a business. I went from a student to a mom and never had that career time. I am really looking forward to having that, I want to see where I can push myself and that is exciting.

I was depressed because of the constant pink elephant in the room my parents. I was sick about the Birthday text messages I would receive from my mother and the fact that instead of calling my father would send a lame text message. My parent’s separation drama from each other and their family has been going on for almost four years. Nothing changes it’s like a never ending soap opera that I have decided to remove myself from for my mental health and for my families. I miss having my parent’s play an important part in my life but it’s not fair to put my family through that, they need to come first. So on my birthday when I received the text messages from my mother instead of deleting them and hiding I wrote her back and thanked her for the message. I felt better after I did and I realized I am much stronger than I think. I am disappointed in my father but what he did has become the norm and not a surprise.

The weather has been so beautiful so that has helped my depression and as of last night my hormones made peace with me so this morning I can breathe easier. I am so glad the storm is over!

Happy Summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying all of the wonderful sights, smells, and sounds of summer! I thought I would pop in quick and say hello in between bike rides, baseball, berry picking and birthdays to share what I have been up to.
This is my newest folk-art painting, “Colorful Family”. I completed this fun piece last week. It was created on a recycled drawer front in acrylic paint. I listed this colorful chicken family painting last Thursday in my Etsy shop and 2 days later it sold! I wish everything flew out of the shop that fast. I have 2 more drawer fronts I want to paint on, hopefully I can find some time to work on them. I also have 3 beautiful vintage frames to fix and fill and I have started some Halloween themed drawings. I have a lot of new ideas I just hope I can make some time to work on them.

Noah finished second grade last week. I am excited and sad all at the same time. He did amazing this year. Every time he brought home a report card I didn’t think it could be any better, but every time it was. I am so proud of him. He did not only blossom academically but socially as well. I am so excited to have him home with me this summer. We have a lot of fun things planned, Boy Scout camp, biking, swimming, baseball, library, vacation, golf camp, community theatre.

Part of me is a little sad though that the year is over. Noah had a wonderful teacher this year. She not only was an amazing teacher but she really believed in and encouraged Noah. She is one of those teachers that we will always remember, he was very lucky to have her. She made all of her students an end of the year gift, a DVD slide show set to music of pictures from the school year. It is a precious gift.

We celebrated Abbey’s fourth birthday on the 17th, I can’t believe she turned 4. Abbey wanted a Fairy bike for her birthday and a Hello Kitty bike helmet. She looks so cute riding around on it. I can’t believe my baby is already 4!

Yesterday we went to a local orchard to pick berries and cherries.

They are so sweet and yummy. Abigail was covered in cherry juice, I think she ate more than she put in her bucket. She even had some on her back. It looked like she rolled around in them.

It's summer we can't go anywhere without getting ICE CREAM!

Have a great Tuesday!

Things that Make me Happy day 5 ...

Birthday Memories!

Today is my 32nd birthday. The smug little girl in this picture is me celebrating my 4th birthday. I was going through old family photos tonight and as soon as I saw that cake I remembered it. My mom always made such yummy birthday cakes.

I am so thankful for all of the wonderful childhood memories I have.

My Baby is Eight …

I can’t believe my baby turned eight yesterday. He was the biggest surprise of my life. One day I was a carefree college student and the next I was pregnant, engaged, a homeowner and finally a mother. Those nine months were the craziest, most stressful and amazing months of my life.

The day Noah was born was as unpredictable as the nine months leading up to the big day. I woke up at three in the morning on my due date with contractions. I went right to my pregnancy books to see what I should do, I loved those books. The next four hours were spent in the shower trying to cope with the pain and stay relaxed. We left around eight to go to my parent’s house, they lived only a couple of minutes from the hospital and we lived about forty minutes away. When we got to their house Michael left to grab breakfast and before I knew it I felt like I was ready to push. It seemed to be happening so fast, I kept thinking of my mother’s horror stories about how she was in labor with me for thirty-six hours and I had only been in labor for a little more than five hours. I called the doctors office and they told me to get to the hospital immediately. Once we got to the hospital I began begging for pain medication, unfortunately the nurse told me I was to late, I was already nine centimeters, and I was going to have my baby completely natural. My doctor made it there just in time for me to start pushing. I pushed for maybe ten minutes and before I knew it they were placing my beautiful baby boy on my chest. He was 8 pounds 4 ounces and 21” long he had ten fingers and toes and he had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen.



Noah has a big heart; he is loving, caring, and brilliant. I am so proud of the wonderful little man he is becoming. He has a positive and magnetic personality, I believe he can do and become anything he desires.

I am Thirty What Today ...

I can not believe today is my 31st birthday. I can remember my eighth birthday like it was yesterday. I had pinkeye, my parents threw me a surprise birthday party and I got to go to The Academy of Natural Science Museum in Philadelphia. When I was eight I was obsessed with dinosaurs, going to the museum was my present, Stegosaurus was my favorite.

As far as birthdays go this one is not very exciting. My husband is out of town, Noah has school, Abbey has speech, and I get to go grocery shopping. The last couple days for a lack of a better word have been kind of shitty. Seeing my parents was hard, Michael being away sucks and well having a birthday brings up so many different emotions.

I wanted to do something fun for my blog post to distract myself. So hear are 31 random things about yours truly.

When I was thirteen I gave a boy a bloody lip for trying to kiss me.
I think bugs and spiders are beautiful.
I have spilt water on my laptop at least 3 times, some of my keys no longer work.
I love warm summer evenings, the smells, the sounds, and the stars.
I have a black cat named Scream.
My favorite character from Sesame Street was the Count.
I cannot walk in high heels without assistance.
I secretly love watching Star Wars with my son.
I have four grey hairs. I almost cried when my hairdresser told me.
I steal my daughters Hello Kitty lip gloss because I am too cheap to buy my own.
My favorite TV shows are, Dexter, True Blood, Weeds, and the Golden Girls.
I hope I live long enough to watch my great-grandchildren playing in my gardens.
I played volleyball in high school and college.
My favorite children’s book is, The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton.
I don’t believe in doing anything unless I am passionate about it.
I am writing this while watching Twilight, I know I am too old to love this movie.
The three places I want to visit before I die are Greece, Egypt, and France.
I have loved my husband ever since I first saw him.
My dream home would be a little cottage with a wrap around porch on a lake.
My favorite radio station is http://www.radio1045.com/.
I am shy.
When I grow up I want to illustrate children’s books.
I dislike closed minded ignorant people.
My favorite kind of sushi is eel rolls.
My husband still gives me butterflies.
I am a terrible speller.
I could sit and stare at the ocean forever.
I wish I was as carefree and fearless as my daughter.
I wish I was as intelligent and confident as my son.
I love working in my flowerbeds almost as much as I love to paint.
If I have learned anything in my 31 years on this planet it is to not take anyone for granted and love as many people as possible.