Sweet Summertime - ATC Swap

Last year about this time if I saw the letters ATC I had no idea what they meant.  No clue.  Well, now they have been part of my life and my vocabulary for over 6 months I think.  An amazing group of artists whom I now call friends and I pick a theme each month and create little ATC's or artist trading cards and swap them with each other. Here are the four I created for the month of May "May flowers."  We typically create three to be traded and one extra for the sweet hostess.

Here are just a few from some past swaps that I've received from these friends from around the whole country.  They are sweet, inspirational and full of the heart of the person who made them - it's nice to have little keepsakes from these people who share a love of creating with me.

For July I'm the hostess and I picked the theme "sweet summertime" - I just love how those two words go together.  They make me think of lazy afternoons reading in a hammock under a shade tree...humid nights sitting outside in the dark watching the fireflies and the full moon...juicy watermelon...splashing in a pool...ice cold lemonade out on the patio...hearing the cicadas buzzing in the afternoon heat.  What is something that makes summer sweet to you?

I hope you're finding little ways to enjoy this season and have a sweet summertime too.

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Me

I'm reading Susannah Conway's book This I Know and she's talking about her world of blogging and she suggested to write "ten things you might not know about me" and I thought I'd give it a whirl.

1.  I always have my toenails polished.  Always.  Even though I have big feet and long toes, they are always polished, a bright color.

2.  I was adopted when I was five days old and have met both my birth parents.

3.  When I was little I really wanted to be a beautician; now that doesn't appeal to me at all.

4.  I still am disappointed that I had to have a C-section when I gave birth to Isabella.  That was eleven years ago.

5.  My grandpa committed suicide about 13 years ago.

6.  I love arranging flowers in vases, especially ones I've grown outside myself.  I can get lost in doing this and placing vases all over the house.

7.  My husband and I have been together ever since April of our senior year in high school.

8.  I can't stand sweating but I really love summertime!

9.  My favorite animal is the giraffe.

10.  I really miss my grandma who told really great stories about my dad and his brother pulling pranks when they were younger.  She just brought these stories to life even though I asked her to tell me the same ones over and over.

Well, a few of those put a bit of a lump in my throat, but it felt good to reveal a bit more about me and what has shaped me as a now 40-year-old woman who still feels like a girl inside.  If you'd like to share ONE thing most people don't know about you, share it please.  Only if you feel comfortable though.  Thanks for visiting today.

Summer Days and Summer Nights

We sure don't need a date on the calendar to tell us it's summer this year - it's been in the 90s for days in Wisconsin.  During the day I've been mostly staying inside to avoid this crazy heat.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I struggle if it's over 80 degrees.  I'm off in the summer so I feel super super lucky to spend time doing things at a different pace than the rest of the year, but then I get that nagging worry that I'm not enjoying it enough.

Every year though I tell myself I'm going to find a way to deal with the heat better and just get out and enjoy it.  Well, good intentions I guess.  I think if we had a pool or lived on a lake where I could get some relief with the water, I'd be outside much more.  Last night it cooled down a bit--probably to 80--and Shane and I did some vegetable garden weeding and then we just sat outside and enjoyed a bottle of Sangria and the night breeze.  It was really relaxing and fun just the two of us.  He works really long days so he usually doesn't want to do much at night, even just sit outside.  He wants to "relax" on the couch, but last night being outside on the patio was a great way to "ring in" the official first day of summer.   

Since I go back to work at the end of August and summer flies by I also tell myself every year that I MUST really live it up, enjoy every moment, do special things...you know relish every single moment and make them extraordinary.  A lot of pressure when I come to think of it though.  But when August hits I always seem to feel a bit disappointed that I didn't seize the day more often.  I wonder if other people feel the same way or if they just live each day and "be" not try to "do" so much.  Like am I taking away from the moment by trying so hard to do something exceptional?  Well, all that aside I do vow to spend more nights outside just enjoying the starry sky...that isn't a crazy goal at all and it's something that I love love love to do.  I just got a magazine yesterday where they had a summer "bucket list" and I'm wondering if I should put together one of those or I should just take each day as they come. 

Do you have anything you really feel you must do when summertime hits?  I'd love to hear about it.

Photo Highlights from this Amazing Week

This has been an amazingly beautiful week.  First of all the weather has been theeeeee best!  Sunny, birds chirping, no mosquitoes yet and amazing temps in the 70s and low 80s.  It has been heaven in my book.  Oh, and school is officially done for me as of tomorrow, so I have the summer off to enjoy my daughter and my art!

I want to share a few of the highlights through photos I took with my i-phone this week, starting off with a peek at my "new" desk I got from the local thrift shop.  Since the weather is nice now I'm going to paint in our sunroom that is connected to our bedroom, except when it gets too hot because there is no air conditioning in it.  So far I love painting out there because there are tons of windows; I can hear our outside fountain and the birds singing.

We also enjoyed taking Mazie to the dog park.

Saw this great message on a shirt at Target.

Yesterday after going to the library Isabella and I took our books and magazines to the park nearby and sat by the lake and read for about an hour.  I honestly felt so relaxed and at peace there and on the drive home.  I cannot remember feeling that serene in a long time.  I guess "they" are right about the power of nature and being outdoors.

I hope you had some beauty this week as well.  If so, I'd love to hear about it!

Last Day of May! Flower Challenge

I can't believe it's May 31st!  I have been participating in Lori Moon's blog challenge here and there so I figure I HAVE to post on the last day.  This sure has been a month full of flowers, outside and in the blogging world.  Today I'm going to share a collage I made on PicMonkey of some of my favorite flower  photos from this spring.  I hope you enjoy them!  If you can, get outside today and enjoy the flowers around you.

This moment...enjoy it

I'm the kind of person who very easily gets trapped in the past or the future.  Whether it's daydreaming about an amazing vacation to Jamaica from a few years back, or worrying about what my relationship with my daughter will be like when she's a full-blown teenager, I'm rarely in the present moment.  I've read books on the subject; I jot down quotes to remind me, but still I struggle with this daily.  How about you?

Having something in plain-view does help me instead of jotting down some "words of wisdom" in a notebook that gets shoved somewhere on my painting table.  Since I love creating paintings with quotes on them I decided to do a little one with "enjoy this moment" collaged on it.  I'm sure there are others out there like me who need some reminders too, and why not have it be in the form of "art"?

I'm really wondering if you have any tips for staying present and enjoying the moment I am in instead of dreaming of the past or worrying about the future.  I'd love to hear them...share if you can.  Thanks so much!

Dahlia Love - May Flower Challenge

I absolutely love dahlias but have never had much luck in them lasting in my pots.  This year we're trying AGAIN to have them around because my husband loves them too.  I wonder if they've gotten too much water in the past, still going to try no matter what.  I figure I better share them now while they still look amazing.

Here are a few shots I took with my i-phone and instagram this weekend because they are still alive and well (we've only had them planted for about a week)!

I hope you enjoy these flowers - to me they are perfect.  Honestly I look at them and can't imagine a more perfect flower.  If you have a chance stop by and visit Lori Moon who is hosting this May Flower blog challenge.  Enjoy your week and take time to notice the flowers around you!  It really makes a difference.