Back to the sketch book..................

I got back to drawing and watercolour. I did not like using pencils. This book was not for paint but in the end I did it anyway so the pages are wrinkled. Still it's not for anyone but me. I have enjoyed doing faces and like flowers. I see a picture and draw it. Its just practice for me. I will just post what I have done mainly without comment. If anyone views this remember, this is just an idea book and practice.





I am trying to loosen up and make my drawings more fluid, not so stiff. They don't need to be realistic for these exercizes.



The trouble with a sketchbook is if its a crappy picture you are pretty much stuck with it.






Before I am done with the book I put in quotes and will go back and fill in empty pages and spots that can use more on them.











Sorry there was so much this time. I have not done this for some times.















Thank goodness,that's it for today. I have this many again waiting to be painted. I won't wait so long next time though. They always look better in the book than they do here. I will have to stop doing this and work on some actual pictures. Then I will have to do a better job.

Nifty Thrifty......................

Today I got to visit my favourite thrift shop. I am so glad I did.
Laura had the day off, but we both needed to go grocery shopping so why not go together right?.
Well first we stopped at Kohl's because I had a Kohl's Cash for 30 dollars and a 12 dollar certificate and 20 percent off. I got more than I intended, naturally. I wanted to get socks for Tristen but ended up also getting him shorts and Tee shirts. I still need to get him some shoes and summer play shoes. Anyhooo I also found a few Tee shirts for me, last time I was shopping for Gerry and Tristen. Anyway, that was fun.
We decided to go to the thrift shop next. I found some great deals.
I needed some new pots and pans but did not have the money to lay out a couple of hundred to get some. Well look at this.

Large sausepan 6 bucks, small for 4 bucks and I think the small frying pans were about 4 dollars each.

So that was a great deal I thought.
I also found a couple of berry or desert glass dishes. 1.99 each and now I have 4, I look for that pattern when at garage sales. The glass on the outside is like cut glass.

Another fruit dish, nope can't resist.

This butterfly for my garden will look pretty hanging from a tree.

Then this pink vase with a fairy on it will be a nice addition a well.

I think I did pretty good don't you. We decided we better go to lunch before we went grocery shopping. So we did. That was fun and Laura paid for a Mothers day gift, so that was nice too.
Jason sent me some flowers. I am glad they were mini roses because I can put those in the garden and they should do well for a few years anyway.

By the time we had finished with grocery shopping we had about 1/2 hour to relax before I went to pick up Tristen. We were going to go visit Alex grave for Mothers Day after we got Tristen but I think we will now go on Sunday. He has gone to his Aunts for the weekend but she will bring him home in time to go out to the cemetary. We did enough damage for one day.

Just a few today.............

On Saturday we took all four poodles to Brenda's Pet Parlour for haircuts. We had to do it in shifts.Two by two. They shake like its mid winter and they are outside or something. Funny how they know where they are going. The groomers or the vets. You would think they would love being groomed and relieved it's not the vets. Brenda always does a wonderful job and they always look so cute, they go in looking like strays and come out all beautified.

Bijou is always cold after a hair cut. It has been almost a year since she had her last operation for stones. We keep her on antibiotics and special food. She still has her treats etc but so far is acting pretty normal. Thank goodness we said no when asked about putting her to sleep. She is active, happy and seems as though she has a few more years in her yet. We take it one day at a time and are thankful she is not in pain.

Bella is looking sweet as always. I love them with long hair but it gets matted and their ears get mucky.
She was keeping warm on the heating pad and chewing a chewy

Brea was hiding in her usual spot

Brenda says Bodi is like a little bowling ball. She has bad hips and knees and so Brenda just rolls her around to get her done.

Between picking up two and dropping two off I just had to stop in at the Goodwill store right there where Brenda's shop is. Could not help myself. Thankfully not much for me today. Some of their prices are too high for me for things I don't actually need. Still I found 3 treasures. This little pot for one



A teapot. I like this one and may keep it inside. Not sure yet. I have a couple that have chips in that I will put outside and replace them with this one.

Then this little candle house thingie. I pick these up when I see them and have a sort of collection in the house. I already have this one so it will go outside.

I did find when looking through my garden stuff that a lot of things I made didn't survive the storing in the garage. What with Tristen moving his things in and out and my husbands idea of packing things away. Well, lots of broken things. I am saving that china stuff and maybe use for mosaics (like that will happen hehe)
So all for now.

wash and brush up...........

Tristen's room was terrible, he had written on the walls and any surface he could manage it seemed. We could not keep up with it. The worst thing was when he got into the ice cream, it had to be chocolate naturally. He managed to sneak 3 ice cream sandwiches. The wrappers went under the bed and I think maybe some of the ice cream too. Anyway it would not come out of the carpet. I will have to try again another day. Meanwhile Gerry painted the room. We had some left over paint that he mixed with white. Didn't have enough. So he had to go get some more.
I won't post a before picture because I have some out on the blog somewhere. This is how it looks now.

Tristen wanted his bed moved under the window again. We will bring up a headboard tomorrow. We made enough mess today. So we swapped things around after it was finished. I want the headboard to protect the glass. Or I should say, protect Tristen from the glass. I don't trust him not to jump on the bed.


We put back the pictures and stuff and found a place for everything else. We need to downsize those dang stuffies again. I have a bag of them in the closet in the other room. It's so hard to throw them away or give them away. Who wants to hurt their feelings right.

A picture of him and his mum.


It's nothing fancy but for a 6 year old who won't take care of his things just yet, it's the best we can do.

I spruced things up with a change of blankets, we had too many at first so I put some away for later. I am glad I did.


We will see how long his room looks like this. He knows if he does well, on his birthday he can get a TV for his room. We have had so many behaviour problems with this ADHD. Sometimes it gets very frustrating. He broke the last tv by jamming a couple of cds in the tray and broke it. So we hold that out as a carrot on a stick in the hope of tempting him. We try to use rewards, bribes if you like to get him on track sometimes.
For now he likes his new look. We shall see how long it lasts.

Indoor Survivers......................

This year when I put out the houseplants, (if it ever warms up) I think I will leave them out. I don't like all this stuff in the house. It looks pretty sad by the end of Winter. So........new ideas. The Spider plants do really well outside from Spring through Fall. They are big and lush when I bring them back in. Trouble is they get scrawny over the winter and I bring them inside because I hate to see them die, and also then have to buy more in the Spring.
The same for Cyclamen. They don't do well inside unless I never put them out. They are like my African Violets, they like a certain window and are not happy anywhere else.
My Christmas Cactus is blooming now. It's ever so pretty when it does. I think I may get a couple of nice ones this year and stick with just a few inside plants.

I know they come in a variety of colours, they like the windows too.


The Cactus does not need a lot of help either. I like that. I have a few plants inside that wont be coming back (shhhhhhhhh don't tell them)

I don't know what this next one is called but it is also a sort of cactus. It does really well in the house and I have split this one from one original plant, into many.

It is not fussy. It does well in light and more shady corners. I had one that a friend gave me many years ago and it is now in several pots. I should give some away.

Once I can shift some of the others outside I will sort these all out, repot those who need it and give new soil and munchies (plant food) to them all.
One plant I brought inside is looking really nice and I will keep this one inside now. Its some kind of Begonia I think. I wonder if it will bloom. I don't really care because I love the foliage.

I brought two inside because I loved the leaves. The other one is bigger and leggy, it just needs to be repotted. That will get attention as soon as I can get everyone sorted out for the Summer. I may just keep that one inside too if I can make it look a bit better.
The other house plants that do well for me are the Devils Ivy or Pothos (sounds like one of the Three Musketeers)

This one I can split and just grow in water. They like shady corners and last forever. If you buy one, you will never run out. Almost impossible to kill. Well, some people can kill anything but these will give you a good run for your money. YOu can tell when it needs water but just dont overdo it. Even so you can grow them in water instead of dirt so........hmmmm.
I have a Peace Lilly that never blooms. I put that outside every year and it doesn't bloom out there either. So will that come inside next year? I don't know. I just hate to let things die. I just don't have room for them all. I have a small Snake Plant that is doing well and will repot that one and it can stay. I like those who do not need fussing.
My African Violets are the best, they have a window they like and bloom all the time. That table is full though.
So Spider Plants. You best behave or wont come in next year. I wish I could plant them outside but they wont survive the snow. I could put them in unused bedrooms but would forget to water them. So what will I do? I do wish I could keep Geraniums over winter too, lots of people do. They don't do well for me though and neither does Ivy. That I do plant in the ground for the next year.