Playing with my new camera lens. Next I think I’ll be working on streamlining my photoshop actions to get my images to top-notch quality in a quick and easy way. But these un-edited versions are pretty ok, eh? I’ve always been a fan of shallow depth-of-field (that sharp foreground focus with lots of blurry background action. Loving it!) ::::swoon:::::

Congrats to Samantha (comment #6) as the winner of the 2012 Calendar!

Sounds like 2011 was a good year for many of you, and we’re all looking forward to some really awesome stuff in 2012! Let’s hear it for new beginnings! (and if you are feeling sad and really wanted a calendar, go ahead and get one for yourself using the coupon code 25in2012 and get 25% off! Good through the end of the week — January 14 12pm EST)

I’m giving away a 2012 calendar to a lucky reader this week! The calendar features 12 watercolor paintings of wild edible plants, it measures 4-1/2″ x 11″, spiral bound and ready to hang. {They are available to purchase here, there’s as printable version, too!}

Entries are open through Monday January 9 at 12 noon EST (entries are closed). Just leave a comment on this post to be entered & tell me your favorite thing about 2011 and what you’re most looking forward to in 2012.

For me, my favorite favorite most amazing thing in 2011 was beginning to have conversations with my little one. For reals, she’s a PERSON with THOUGHTS and feelings and dreams and joys and hurts and questions questions questions. It’s so amazing to finally be able to hear all about them. She’s still working on her sentence structure (”does I have a sister?” was the best question yesterday. My answer? “no, you don’t have a sister” and her reply was “no, I don’t. She’s at work.” Hah! I guess “work” is where people are when you can’t see them? Pretty good).

And what are we looking forward to in 2012? All sorts of big things. Growing my business in ways I have only dreamed of. Making real plans, accountability, scheming and ACTING on these plans! Yes, so I suppose what I’m looking forward to in 2012 is action! Last year was a looking-inward hibernating sort of year, just reveling in our little family life and developing a rhythm to that. This year we’re adding to that rhythm and it already feels really good. Yay 2012!

**update: the winner is Samantha! Congrats and thanks to all of you for playing along!**

“Let us pause in life’s pleasures, and count its many tears.”

I’m probably not the first person to post this video/song as a New Year’s Day post, but nonetheless, I’m feeling like you might just need to watch this. Natalie graciously put up with me listening to this version on repeat in the car today (well, by graciously, I mean she fell asleep to it — I think that counts). It’s on the album “Appalachian Journey“. Just. Love. It. So. Much.

And it seems so appropriate today somehow.

So here’s to the good times a-comin’. I hope 2011 was the best year of your life, but if it was sucktastic like I know it was for some of my nearest and dearest, may this bring you some solace, maybe a few tears and some hope.

The last few years have seemed to come with a lot of new emotions. Every once in a while I have a feeling that I cannot identify. I feel all “weird” and “scattered” and basically confused. I wouldn’t usually admit that to just anyone, but that’s the feeling. And I wouldn’t say it feels good.

As a kid I was pretty much an over-achiever in school, in girl-scouts, in 4-H, in Barbie-collecting, you name it. That started to wane in my sleep-deprived high school years, came back occasionally in college (”I’m the best darn Stage Manager this theatre has ever seen!” I’d think to myself as I sipped my double-shot mocha latte). This is all to explain that the feeling of confusion has been somewhat foreign to me. It’s possible that I’m finally just letting it in. I don’t have the time or energy to push it away, to pretend it away; wanting to be more my authentic self, maybe that’s occasionally a non-over-achiever confused self? And that’s ok?

Some of the other new emotions, once I got quiet with them and managed to identify them have been separation anxiety (worst when we first put Natalie to sleep in her own room around 6 months, and something that kept me up for a series of awful sleepless nights until I realized that it wasn’t going away and would probably recur often throughout our life together, probably worse and stronger that first time she gets on an airplane or drives a car or, you know, goes on a sleep-over), unbridled LOVE and JOY for beholding this amazing person I have had a hand in creating (nope, hadn’t felt that before, either), and a really strong fear of rejection.

That is not to say that I hadn’t had fear of rejection before, but this time/this year/in this place in my life it has seemed more real. More important. There is more to lose. My time feels more valuable and I don’t want to waste it. I want to maximize the time I have to work, and also the time I have with Nat. I also want to make sure her experiences are the best possible and the most enriching and the most fun. Of course this is impossible, to ensure all of this, but it’s what I seem to be trying to do. In my mind. And I need to cut it out. It’s genuinely wasting my time to think about it all the time. Sheesh.

So here I am, working on enjoying the moment once again, isn’t that what it’s really all about? And also playing big and making important choices and big decisions and changing for the better, growing. Trying to banish the fear-mongering inner gremilins. Care to get on board?

New originals have been unearthed! These were painted earlier in the year; prints coming soon, as well as more originals from prints already in the shop. Click the images or here to buy.

this is the face we all love to see.

But lately, there have been a lot of tears and angry words around here. A lot of demanding and whining and “NO!” & “I don’t want that!” “I don’t want to!” and “I don’t want my diaper changed!” Literally, those are the words she is saying — her verbal development has been astounding, her vocabulary so advanced and her comprehension so amazing. Her pronunciation is even impressive. But therefore, we seem to be experiencing “the terrible twos” about 6 months early! I hope this means we’ll get it all over with soon, too.

A knowledgable teacher/parent told me today that all this rebellion and resisting might be a product of developing her independence and sense of self, based on the idea that she just recently mastered the words “I” and “my” and “me”. Ok. So we shall try our best to celebrate this milestone and the fact that she can use her pronouns correctly! It really is amazing. If totally frustrating, draining and exhausting. A friend used the word “depleted” today — to describe the way she was feeling as a parent of a toddler these days. And I completely agree. That’s the overarching feeling I’m experiencing. One of my solutions is working on finding some daycare options and hoping we can figure out a way to pay for it once we find the best place! Quite a project.

Another new painting, plus a set of postcards now in the shop.

New painting! Available as a print in the shop, and the original watercolor painting on bristol board is available, too.

I’m cooking up some exciting things in the studio these days. Go ahead and sign up for the newsletter and you’ll be in on all the super-awesome secret stuff (and by secret I mean a coupon code for holiday shopping!) SIGN UP HERE — but don’t worry if you’re already on the list, you’ll get it all too! Eeeeee!!!!

Also — everything in the shop now ships for FREE (yes, that’s free shipping! on everything!) through the end of the year. I guess I’m just feeling generous? Yippee!

Maybe it was the October snow? But I’m ready for the (winter) holidays!

our little monkey on her 2nd Halloween

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