I finailly finished AMerican GOthic in the Garden. Except for the grouting, of course!

Yesterday I worked ALL DAY on American Gothic in the Garden. I kept placing and replacing the colors for the faces. I must have done and redone the eyebrows on the man at least a dozen times. For a while he looked remarkably like Groucho Marx!

a very rainy and stormy Memorial Day Monday.

Today I am trying to complete the face portion of American Gothic in the Garden - probably not a good idea to try to do this facing a time crunch, but as I left the faces for last, this is what i am stuck with doing.

So far I think he looks like Groucho Marx.

Saturday and I am down in Minneapolis soaking up the SUN!

After working for over 4 hours on American Gothic in the Garden, I could not get blogger to work to put the photos on yesterday. I am so relieved that today I was able to successfully get on to blogger and show you what I did on Thursday.

You can see the progress I made on the bottom portion of this American Gothic. I still have the faces (I am intimidated about doing the faces, but once I am done, I am done), to do and since I will have to grout the faces in a light color, and I want to do the background in a dark color it means that I will need to have the time to do two or three batches of grouting. Oh boy - can you tell I have had TWO cafe lattes today? Talk about a run-on sentence!

So, let me know what you think of my American Gothic in the Garden. I like this!

A very Busy Thursday for me.

Yesterday I was able to get almost everything on my list done, (including watching Oprah's last episode), walking Gracie Dog, mowing our outrageous lawn, doing laundry and mosaic. Here are my mosiac results: I completed the inside of the bowl and I added many flowers and grass to my American Gothic. Today I plan to run into town and vacuum as well as to tackle mosaic again.

It is raining and foggy today! No mowing the lawn for me, ha!

This is my progress on the wooden bowl. I think I will need to complete this BEFORE I begin again on American Gothic. It is difficult to see, but I completed the spiral with the yellow and I began the spiral with the tumbled red glass. SO far I am enjoying doing this bowl.

After a week of glorious weather, today it is overcast and 80% chance of rain.

The weather has been close to perfect all week so I am determined not to complain today! Yesterday it was gorgeous - just following the whole week of beautiful weather.

This is what I am working on in an effort to get BOTH finished by the first week in June - MY GALLERY SHOW. ( Can you tell I'm excited? ) One is the bowl. I have not decided how I will finish the outside. Perhaps a slightly darker or slightly lighter color than the ones I am using on the outside?? I need to think about this. Most of the tiles I am using are leftovers from the HUGE table project of a few months ago.

The other project is an abandoned one from YEARS ago - five or six years. This project is my version of American Gothic. This time this couple is standing in a vegetable garden in front of a window, looking in. I'd really love to complete this in time for my gallery show. I am over half way done... I can hope, can't I?

A bright and shinig Wednesday!

Today, (thank goodness!) I have a job at Nettleton substituting for Kathy Tolo. She is such a bundle of positivity that I will be glad to substitute for this woman.

Here is my "latest": a rectangular vase/candle holder and more on that darn wooden bowl! The vase is part of my Lake series - meant to be the rocks. I like the strength of the rocks and the very gentleness of the water and sky. Also I like the colors of the blues and the browns. Grouted this should look smashing. I struggle with this one for a while. Now, of course, I don't know why!

Today is another bright and sunny day in Northern Minnesota. I am so glad!

This morning is so sunny and WARM. No coat or anything - it is lovely. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work outside as it is time for my yearly check-up. UGH.

This is what I am currently working on. (I KNOW, I shouldn't have started anything as there is so much I need to finish!) What can I say? This wooden bowl, (actually it used to be a drum!) was calling me. Really waking me up at night and everything.

Today it is a very sunny Monday in Northern Minnesota and I am making my plans!

I finially feel better after battling my latest fling with the Crud. After spending 3 days in bed, (not to mention the day I spent in a classroom blowing my nose and sneezing ALL DAY), yesterday I felt good enough to mow our lawn. I also made a Meditarean Couscous and we watched The Fighter. Very good film - I can certainly see why the best Supporting Oscars went to this film. Over the top portrayals of both the brother and Mother of The Fighter.

At any rate, today I need to apply for a job on-line at the University. It is a part time job doing mail - something I know something about and I think I'd like. I would not have to always be thinking about it - I could just do it and come home. Not like teaching which is so all consuming. I guess I have to admit it - I am getting to old for an all consuming kind of job. Sigh. Age does catch up to you, whether I like this or not!

Here are a few photos of my tesserae - the small pieces needed to add to my mosaics. Bright and cheerful things to spark up my "work".

Thursday and the weather is finially May!

I am so excited as FINIALLY our weather is May - like. Yesterday I enjoyed being outside, shoveling my pile of mulch into my raspberry patch, cleaning up my garage a bit as well as picking up our yard.

This is what I am currently working on. This years old bird house that I purchased before I realized that I don't like working on Bird Houses. I like what I have done, but when it comes to grouting this, I won't like it AT ALL.

The Tea Lights are the ones that I grouted on Monday. They look wonderful sitting there, stacked up, in the sun!

Hello - it is Tuesday!

Yesterday turned out to be sort of a disaster for me. I had taken the day off to go to get my check-ups. But instead I ended up getting my car fixed. My alternator died! Thank goodness that I was just about 4 blocks from a very nice automotive place where the two men working could fix it and I could be on my way.

Ofcourse by then I had already canceled my appointment or should I say postponed it until next Tuesday.

Before I left I was able to grout my three Tea Light holders as well as 9 coasters with a leaf theme. My grout was on the dry side so I kept my spray bottle full of water nearby and occasionally gave everything a small drink of water.

Whew! We had two beautiful days in a row!

The sun was shining and I was so productive yesterday. I decided to start some coasters with the last of my coaster "blanks" - such a fun, reasonably fast, project. I also worked on a few, yes, you guessed it - tea lights!

My other big task yesterday was to continue to mulch my raspberry patch. I had the brain storm to place newspapers below the mulch to block out the weeds.

I took my projects from Tuesday out of their plastic bag where I was letting the grout "cure" and took a few photos. I am not altogether pleased with my photos, but I hardly ever am. The three tea lights are a continuation of my Lake series. The grey rectangle represents the stormy clouds and the bright colors around this rectangle the wonderful colors that appear when these stormy clouds are gone. All of the colors after a rain are just so INTENSE.

Grouting and Mulching on a sunny Tuesday

Yesterday I grouted 5 items. A four inch square, a taller cylinder with my hand on it, and three tea light holders that I think I'll sell as a set. All three of the tea light holders remind me of a stormy day when the sun comes out later. But you'll see these three tomorrow.

I also finished putting the last of my huge pile of mulch on my lilacs. Of course I forgot to take a photo! All of my lilacs survived our wind storms, perhaps as they were covered in snow at the time. I still have my large pine at the end of our road to chop up as it had fallen down during a wind storm last fall.

A donation

Next Saturday, my friend Carla, (not to be confused with my Aunt Carla), is having a fund raiser for her cousin who has breast cancer. This woman is only 24 years old! Sounds like a lot to be dealing with no matter what your age is. This is what I have donated. I thought Lacey would need all the love she could get.

Sunday, the first day of May!

The first day of a new month - so full of promise and hope. I have got small blue bells along side of my house, the only blooming thing in my whole yard. These small blue bells have even got the dandelions beat - which is fine by me.

I went back for the free dresser, and this was gone. Not that I am surprised, just disappointed. Buyer's remorse for letting a good deal slip through my fingers!

This is what I worked on yesterday. I should be able to grout this on Tuesday as tomorrow I work at a wonderful school, Lowell, a music magnet.