Progress Check: 2016-2017

Tonight, I looked through my paintings and artwork as I got all the pictures into one folder... I've been painting for a little over a year now and it's super cool to see the difference in my work during that time. I can't wait to get home and look through the rest of my stored art work that I don't have pictures of... 

The top picture was done before I actually had watercolor paints. It was done with two different sets of watercolor pencils. The bottom picture was done this within the last ten days. I think it's fascinating how my style is starting to form and I'm getting my own distinct look in my paintings.

A Spam Email Story

Tonight, I looked through my spam folder on my email to make sure I didn't miss any important emails. 200+ emails have piled up since the last time I've cleared it out. As I glance down the list of emails, I start grinning... As your read, keep in mind that anything written in Italics  is actually the subject line or sender from my spam folder emails...

According to my email's spam folder, I am single looking senior singles (dating sites), living in a 55+ assisted living home trying to find a DNA lab for immigration. Must have something to do with the females from Russia sending "smileys" (creepy). I guess I need to research cell phone plans for seniors.  I obviously don't have a job because Target keeps sending me job opportunities but between that and needing cash for the holidays (payment plan loans), I must need to find a way to consolidate debt. I need to get free from drugs: everything will turn out ok (probably the reason for the debt). And perhaps that's why the best life insurance rates in your state email was sitting there... Oh, but don't worry, I have free toilet paper coupons.... 

Recharge

Old Navy Items returned. Window shopping complete. My style in progress. Chocolate acquired. What next? Coffee.

I rarely drink coffee. When I do, it's sweet coffee. I have yet to appreciate black coffee or the daily cup that so many people enjoy. Getsome Coffee here in Tennessee is a comfortable place, classical music playing not too loudly, cozy lighting, beautiful smells. That in combination with relatively inexpensive coffee and different flavored coffees make it a true treat. Black Forest mocha, dark, chocolaty with a hint of raspberry and topped with whipped cream.

Today, I appreciated Getsome's lack of free internet. It made for no distractions and for a truly enjoyable hour writing a letter I've been meaning to write for a few weeks now. After writing until my hand hurt (it's a long letter), I indulged in the first little bit of Wives and Daughter....

I got home just as the rest of my Little Fuji Family headed out to door to do some errands. That's when the coffee kicked in. Within 17 minutes, I had done all the dishes (a day's worth), cleaned the counters and stove and tidied the living room. Energy much?

Anyway, ending the day with pulling together all the pictures I've ever taken (that are edited) of Elsa and Elena (so 4 years worth) so I can give the originals to Samuel and Lisa. Today was a true recharge and I feel ready for another week.

A Beautiful Book

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell is hands down, my favorite book. There is something endearing about the heroine and some of the supporting characters. There are several...well...cringe worthy characters as well.

If you haven't read Wives and Daughter, I most definitely recommend it... With a disclaimer, however: it is an unfinished book, the author died before it was finished. I also recommend the BBC movie as well.

 I've wanted an old copy of the book for seven or eight years, but finding a reasonably priced and in decent shape book was near impossible. After watching the movie with Lisa last month, I resumed my search. There are quite a few versions that came in volumes, so finding matching ones was nearly impossible. With a decent amount of searching, I found this version on Etsy that was perfect.

This pocket sized version is perfect. It's a beautiful blue color and fine print inside. For how long the story is, it's amazing it was printed in so compact a book! 

This book was mailed from the UK, so I had no idea if I would actually get it. I am beyond thrilled with it and can't wait to spend my evenings drinking vanilla chai and reading this beautiful story again.

Grace vs. the Girls

I think today may have been the hardest day since I've been here. I tend to be a busy person, so when the highlight/outting for the day is going for a super slow walk around the block, I get a little antsy.

Elsa and I had a rough day. She didn't do a great job of listening and would run away from me while talking. She also fell from the bar stool while Elena was in the front pack napping and hit her head and her chin (double whammy, back of the head and chin...). She was crying and panicking over that and had to use the bathroom at the same time. I was trying to keep Elena and Elsa to both calm down. It was a bit of an adventure... Elena's nap was cut short and Elsa was crying... I don't know how moms do it.

Needless to say, nap time was early and lasted a long time. It was a good break where I was able to kinda recharge and try and refocus my attention and goals as far as working with the girls. I think I might need to leave all electronics upstairs and read (both my books and Elsa's books) and play more actively with Elsa. It'll be good to spend less time on social media and reading has far more benefits! The after nap time was WWWAAAAYYY better.

This evening was quiet, Lisa and I talked a lot, I got some work done, including getting a passport interview set up... It was relaxing. To finish up the day, I painted and listened to music.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

The Church I go to here in Tennessee doesn't use instruments with their worship. At first it made me self-conscious of my voice, but there is a certain sweetness to actually hearing the voices of a congregation and not just of the "worship team" singing praises to God. I knew, but now it's sinking in even more that is doesn't matter what you sounds like, it is about God and worshiping him. Today, Jesus Loves Me was one of the songs we sang and to see Elsa belting out two out of three verses word for word made my heart happy. 

This song was a wonderful reminder of how loved I am. No. Matter. What. 

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from his reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Mistakes make for Learning

I have a tendency to paint the foreground before the background and always regret it. This time, I did the same thing. I was over half way done with the trees when I realized I could no longer do an in depth background like I had planned.

I am thrilled with all the things I'm learning about painting. This week, I learned that gently penciling in my design helps me actually finish a painting. I'm learning to blend colors to get more muted tones or more realistic shades. That the more I practice the better I'll become. I'm learning to not get discouraged by all the amazing art I see on social media.

Most of all, I'm learning that it is good to embrace my style. To just relax and paint and not worry about how it's going to turn out, or what kind of mistakes I'll make. Which is hard for me to do. I may or may not be a bit of a perfectionist.

Sunset Attempt

So last night, my much needed break was in the form of a part of a Costco muffin (which was a total throw back to childhood), paints and Pandora (Milk Carton Kids) through my Beats. A pretty darn perfect evening.

I'm still stuck on sunsets. I feel like, in an attempt to study sunset, I need to go watch a bunch of them. I love how there is a different sunset every night and even in different states or places they look totally different.

This sunset was what I considered to be one of my better sunsets... I think it has more tones and shades in it. It looks a little whimsically to me, which I like. I got the paper wet before I started adding color, which helped blend the colors together in a less blocky way. 

It was sitting in my room when Elsa saw it today and said "Oh, you painted fire!". It was a bit hilarious, because I see this one as one of my less fiery sunsets.  

Grace and Backgrounds

A couple weeks ago, Elisabeth and I were texting and for some reason, for the past few months we've been discussing slightly odd topics. Let's say, thought provoking topics. What do you want to be like when you are old? That was one question that we discussed at like 2am while lying on her couch eating way more white cheddar popcorn than we should have. 

The next questions I asked because I spend WAY too much time on Pinterest. I came across the My Intent Project. In trying to pick a word that would embody everything I want to be (Christlike not included, because we're all striving for that one already), we threw around a lot of different different words: empathy, patient, kind, confident, strong. I narrowed it down to two words, kindness and forgiveness

Thinking about these two words, we discussed them further and decided that an a weird sort of way, the word grace covers both words. I think it's kinda hilarious that my name is such an inspiration... To me. It's a constant reminder and it's sweet. 

Anyway, I kinda accidentally did this background, and of course can't replicate it no matter how hard I try. It makes a great background for one of my favorite sayings. 

Grumpy, Cranky and Naughty

 I woke up tired, body hurting and no energy. Elena woke up just before eight and so I brought her to my bed and she just lay there smiling at me. How could I be grumpy? She cooed, giggled and wiggled on the bed until it was time to get up.

We made the 20-ish minute drive into town to pick up some things, but mostly chocolate and Ibuprofen. Elena slept the entire way there and Elsa kept up a good string of conversation, mostly talking about "your friend, the other Gracie". Elsa loves wandering around stores and what store is better then Target to do that in?

Elsa decided to be a *bit* of a stinker once we got back. She wasn't excited about picking up her toys and ended up fake crying, pouting and running away when I called her. It happened multiple times over multiple things all morning. I think I handled it well, I was firm, got down to her level and made her look me in the eye as I corrected her. Every time she eventually apologized and gave me a hug. I've been expecting this, I've been here for a month, so a little push back was bound to happen soon.

I got to catch up with my oldest sister today, which was awesome. She's so busy that I rarely get to see her on Skype, so it was nice to have a one on one conversation with her. And to see her face, once we got the Facebook video call to work!

I guess I was truly exhausted because I spent the nap reading and watching dumb home decorating videos on Youtube. Elena decided not to take a full length nap and was consequently quite cranky until she fell asleep again about an hour later on the floor in the bonus room upstairs. I ended up napping at the same time on the couch... So that was my day. It was still a good day, even with the little hiccups of attitudes from all three of us.

Monday Morning

Pajamas and late morning wake ups. The smell of sausage cooking as I walked downstairs and the smiles and cheerful greetings of the nieces. The sister to sister (in-law) conversations and drool covered baby kisses. Apple fritters with crispy edges and delicious cinnamon-y flavor with ice cold milk. The little family lingering over coffee and fritters, enjoying the last few moments of being together before the work week begins and he leaves to return to a different state. It's mornings like these that make me appreciate family and it's moments like these I wish I could capture as pictures.

A Good Day

I woke up to rain. Beautiful, thick, gloomy rain. It made me so unreasonably happy. It felt normal, looked lovely and reminded me of home. 

Today was a combination of lovely and really challenging. After Church, we went out for Indian food. The bold flavors and textures make such a unique cuisine and make me jealous because I don't know how to cook Indian food.... Yet... 

Challenging came next. A seemingly hopeless situation from far away. I know there is nothing I can really do, but it's sad when you lose respect for someone who you should always respect. I still don't know what to do in that situation, so for now... I'll pray. 

After that, I sat down to start a traffic safety course. I really don't want to talk about WHY I have to take this course. Ahem, speeding ticket while going 26 MPH... 'nough said.... I had planned to take it today because I had the time off from watching the girls and could focus 100% of my mind to this 4+ hour course. The dumb course had expired and the office was closed for the day. 

Anyway, these "hard" things happened right before a lovely Facebook video chat with Ian, Jane, Mitchell and Kara. And brownies. Plus happy babies. And episodes of Chuck. And a game of Wizard that I got absolutely demolished at... 

I'm learning that even when things make me angry, that stewing in that anger or ruining a day by being mad won't solve anything, but will take away my ability to see the good things that happen. I'm learning (and have a feeling I'll be learning for a while), when I worry, even for a second or two, I should change that worry into prayer. And that's why today was a good day. 

 

Saturday Deals

I almost named this post Saturdeals, but that was just toooooooooo bad. So, what can I say, except you're welcome...

Slept in. Woke up refreshed. Ate leftover cheesecake and yogurt for breakfast, because why not. Also, Chris' Outrageous Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory is hands down the best over-the-top cheesecake ever.

The weather is one of my favorites, overcast, slightly warm with a breeze. There's a storm rolling in, so I'm excited. Hopefully it means thunder. Oh, and ridiculous amounts of rain. Northwest girl here, am I right? Anyway, I spent the afternoon running errands and leisurely walking through the mall. I rarely do the mall, if I do, it's always super fast. This time, I had several things I was looking for and willing to pay (kinda) for.

Top of the list? Plaid shirts. Because last season I tried a traditional buffalo plaid on and then decided not to buy it. I regretted it literally all year. Plus, they were 40% off, so that's a pretty decent deal in my books.

I got a beautiful green shirt for $2.25 at a thrift store here. It's going to be a sweet addition to my wardrobe. I have been so into the color green, that I usually just skip that color while shopping, otherwise I will buy EVERYTHING that color.

It was a nice, relaxing afternoon, a change of pace from the usual days around here and nice to get some of the things off my list that have been on there for ages. The day ended with delicious salmon, card games with the Little Fuji Family and a couple episodes of Chuck.

Art Instagram

A while ago, I started Barely Artistic Grace on Instagram. I'll share a post or a story whenever I update my blog. So go follow me there! 

Thoughts and Feelings

I've been in Tennessee for twenty-seven days and I thought by now, the homesickness would have faded. I'm in a good routine here with the girls now and while I know I'm doing good work and a lot of work, I feel like I'm doing the same thing with no variance. Routine, right? Well, I'm not doing enough to inspire or push myself like I do in Washington.

That with the addition of feeling very lonely is not exactly my favorite combination. I feel out of touch with people, like there are only so many topics you can cover through text and only so few real emotions and social cues you can pick up on in texts. Am I right? Or is that just another weird me thing.

This lack of socializing has also thrown me back into some of my anxieties and insecurities in that area. Ones that I have to face with prayer. Prayer that my brain doesn't over analyze things or trick me into believing something that isn't true.

Painting with a Toddler

Today I was brave. I decided to brave the mess of paint and let Elsa paint with my watercolors. I lined the part of the counter that she was working at with plastic wrap and taped it down in one spot to hold it in place. She wanted blue, purple and red. With a paper plate palate, I got her set up.  

It was so fun to see how into it she got. She was serious and had fun. She was excited to show Lisa when she got home for lunch and said that one of her three paintings was for her and the others were for Samuel. 

For an hour of fun, there was hardly any cleaning up to do. And this water color paint comes off of skin relatively easily, which is a good thing. :-) Unlike glitter... 

Her works of art. The middle is by far my favorite and her first one, the green one was her last one and she says it's a princess. 

Buggy News

I couldn't help but laugh. The reason the car broke down was hilarious. Basically, a gigantic bug flew in the exhaust intake, it was so big that it blocked the intake. This apparently made the battery short out, or something like that... I don't know if I repeated that all correctly, that's what Lisa told me after talking to Samuel today. So basically I didn't have a car for the weekend, waited 5+ hours for a tow truck and spent the majority of my day trying to get home. Because of a bug...

Speaking of bugs. There was (yes, was) this horrible fly that would get in your face, land on you a second after your brushed it away or land on your food and wouldn't be shooed away. On my second attempt with a magazine, I killed the fly dead. Elsa seemed a little concerned, but no more fly. \

Oh, and the mosquitoes here are huge and nasty.

That's all for Bug News!

A Bit of Fall

Fall colors. Vibrant and natural. Leaves are just starting to fall here and the trees are barely starting to change colors, but as the temperature cools off to the low eighties instead of low nineties, it feels like fall is well on the way. This is my first attempt at an autumn tree...

Another Type of Art: Photography

Collecting memories has always been important to me. Memories of the good times and of rough times. Of adventures, work, home and life in general. This is where photography kinda came in.

To me, it helps the homesickness fade, it puts me in perspective that times will pass, it reminds me of the greatest of adventures or the smallest memories. It gives me something to share with people.

I worked hard on my photography skills, learning a little (and still learning) about lighting, about exposure and about the camera I use. It's old, so getting decent pictures is sometimes a trick, but I heard a quote once that basically said do the best you can with what you have. I'm embracing that. 

I started out with taking pictures of food for Gracie's Tasties. Then baby pictures while I was/am as a nanny in Tennessee so family and friends can see my nieces. From there it's branched to summer camps, day trips, road trips, catering jobs and times with families and friends. Now, I run Arlington Composite Squadron's CAP Facebook page.

I've always been concerned that I was "stealing" my older sister's hobby because she is into photography, but as I've developed my skills, I figured out we have totally different style and are rarely in the same place at the same time. Plus, she is way more experienced so it isn't a problem.

Pictures are part of me. Now, I almost always have my camera near me. So I continue to take pictures, another form of art.