Resolutions Anyone?

Well its almost upon us...

Yep won't be long before its 2009 and how long will it take you to get the date right when your writing cheques or paying in at the bank...

Its usually about May for me hehe...

Anyway have you all decided what you will be giving up/trying to achieve in 2009. Personally I would love to drop about 4 stone ( she says whilst munching on chocolate), I have very bad will power when it comes to food, just ask my hubby...thats why he does the food shopping now.

So I thought I would go with something a little more realisti and obtainable which is to enter as many open exhibitions as I can this year. Even if I only enter one that will be a start and one better than 2008.

To get the ball rolling I have the January edition of "The Artist" magazine with a list of exhibitions going on throughout the country. I've had a little look and am already wondering how I will manage it. O.k so the local gallery in Hull holds one every year so I had better enter that one, but with the others dotted around the country I'm beginning to have doubts on how I will manage to get the work to the galleries in question. Obviously travelling up and down the country dropping off a painting here and a painting there is out of the question. Especially with no car and 2 teeny weenies in tow. So I think a whole bunch of emails will have to be sent out this week making enquiries, as I don't want to get the forms and fill them in to be told I have to get to London to drop the painting off in person...

Plus with the different types of categories within all the exhibitions it would cost me a fair bit in supplies, but the challenge to do landscapes and portraits in a variety of mediums would be very exciting. Hmmm maybe if I don't manage to enter any of the exhibitions I could still make a piece of work within those fields just to see how it goes.

So thats mine...What's yours???

Nervous Breakdown at 5am

Well thats Christmas for another year and crikey am I tired...

It all started at 4.30 am, we all went downstairs to open gifts, daughter was going pretty fast (although it did take her until almost 7am to finish opening them all). Then about half past five we noticed that she was just sat there, hubby said she was having a nervous breakdown. We avoided a total blowout by daddy issuing hugs and kisses and she was ok and got stuck in the thick of it again. We had a few moments where daughter thought sons toys were more interesting or wanted to open sons presents instead of her own. And in the end there were just too many presents so daddy had to open the rest for her.

She got a little crazy as time went on as she wanted to play with the play doh we bought her but she had to wait until after lunch for that. But the bubbles were played with in the garden. Not for long mind because she kept falling over. She tried to do a bunk upstairs only once though which was impressive taking with her her pocoyo dvd to watch but managed to get her to come back downstairs nice and calmly for her lunch. Then we went upstairs to watch the three musketeers (mickey mouse) hoping she'd nap but nope no sleep for her.

Went back downstairs and hubby was nearly asleep on the sofa so we did play doh in the kitchen and then it was 4.30 pm and she fell asleep on the change mat. Son was good he had a few naps today and fell straight to sleep so hopefully I might get some much needed sleep tonight (if I'm lucky).

Happy Christmas

Well I'm officially super tired, hopefully I'll find a little bit of reserves for cooking tomorrow. I can't wait to see what the kids have got. Hopefully not too many clothes, I've already wrote a list of useful stuff that everyone can buy me next year. I just wish I was that organised for everything.
Well we're going to need to get some more crates for kids toys, well we needed to get more anyway, and after watching teleshopping the other morning I realised that those vacuum bags are good for soft toys. So what with my mum sending all my old teddies and some I can get some of those, wash all the toys then throw them in until I decide to either donate them or to use them to make something else.
Oh yeah for those of you that are interested, I didn't go to see Twilight because:
A)Our kids kept me up most of the night so going into a dark room would have meant instant sleep,
B)Its only just opened here and it would be soooo busy
and
C)Sister can come back in the new year and we can go then so not much of a loss when I'll still get to go eventually.
oh and the
D)Hubby's toothache, he didn't get the tooth removed because he has appointments for that at the end of January so he got more antibiotics.
Hopefully he'll be able to eat his body mass in Yorkshire puddings seeing as there's about that many in the freezer.

No Twilight for Me???

Hmmm well I officially stopped getting excited about my potential trip to the cinema with my sister tomorrow as hubby had started complaining about toothache this afternoon. If I didn't know any better I might think this family are conspiring against me to have any time to myself hehe, its the same if I try to have a bath when the kids are asleep I know one of them will wake up but will it be when I've just applied the shampoo, yep it usually is.

Oh well, its probably my own fault for getting excited about it anyway. Hubby's not too bad at the minute but I don't think I'll be getting much sleep, which will mean a call to the emergency dentist tomorrow and he better have it taken out this time because he's been loads bless him and they keep fobbing him off with X rays and antibiotics and its just getting silly now.

But then if its not hubby keeping me up I can guarantee son will wake up at about 2am for an hour or so anyway.

So Who knows what's going to happen but I don't think Twilight will be a part of it.

2 down 1 to go

Well that's almost all of the obligatory family events done, after tomorrow that will be it for us. So this time tomorrow evening and we will be relaxing and wondering how to keep all the presents hidden from little fingers. We've almost ran out of space as it is but its not easy hiding presents in the small bedroom as well as having all of our things in there too.
Wasn't a bad day though as it was Granddads turn and he and his wife usually take our daughter out for the day so as long as son has a big nap whilst they're out its a nice quiet afternoon.
And we did well in the non Xmas gifts department again today, daughter got 2 new coats and a cute pair of pink Mary Janes and hubby got a couple of t shirts and a pair of trainers.
The downside is that she comes home tired and falls asleep so then trying to get her to bed at night is a task and a half...11.25 I managed to get downstairs tonight but i I keep my fingers crossed she will sleep through until morning, just wish the same could be said about our son, he'll probably get up at about 2am and not go back to sleep until 3...

Home Alone....

Well not quite. Hubby's gone to watch the Harlequins against Northampton rugby today, left about 7.30 this morning and won't be back until tomorrow. Daughter keep asking where he is so if I say he's gone to the rugby with his friend, she replies...
"I want to play with Caitlin"
So then I have to explain that shes not there but after about half an hour she asks
"where's daddy?"
and around and around we go.
Trying to get stuff done with both the teeny weenies wanting attention is proving a little difficult although the trip to asda this morning went without too much of a hitch. (I forgot my list though). And they didn't have the trolleys with half baby chair and half for toddler to sit in so daughter was riding where the shopping was supposed to go, and managed to open sons pack of socks so we almost left with odd socks.
Hubby's just rang he's at the rugby and I've explained about our son being sick everywhere earlier. He did it yesterday too just as we were getting off the bus to go home so phew at least it was only round the corner.
Got a feeling the photo diaries I ordered for my mum and sister won't arrive on Monday when they come to visit so I'm glad I've got them other gifts.
Sister's going to go with me to see Twilight too, well she works at the Odeon in Huddersfield so then at least we can get in for free yay.
I can't wait...Especially since I thought I might have to wait for it to come out on dvd so I'm even more excited. Hubby said he didn't mind being left at home with my mum and the kids so woohoo...

This Time Next Week and it'll all be Over!

I'm not trying to wish the week away far from it I have so much still to do housework wise that I can't believe it is only just 1 week...and with the kids not sleeping properly, last night I managed 5 hours sleep and that was good. The night before I had 2 and a half, was up at 2.30 am and that was the beginning of my day....But my printer has arrived...its still in the box though, and all the presents are here apart from the photo diaries for my mum and sister, but they both have other gifts so won't be too bad if they're late.
I've also already made a start on my new years resolution of entering more open exhibitions, I've ordered the January issue of the artist and I've signed up for emails from the artist newsletter. and once my diary has arrived I'll be pencilling everything in.

Electric Shocks

Ok so the other night I was putting some cds under our metal frame bed and got a shock off the bed.

Our daughter uses her plastic slide inside or outside it doesn't matter I get an electric shock.

Hubby uses a chair with wheels at his pc, I get electric shocks almost every time I touch him.

Putting my hand in the flow of water to check the temperature for washing the pots.I get an electric shock.

I got too close to a radiator and I got an electric shock.

Playgroup Xmas Party

Phew just got back from the playgroups Xmas party and I hardly did anything but they don't half wear me out watching all the kids running around and chasing balloons. Daughter had a great time, she even sat with the other kids at the table when they were eating, which she didn't do last year, so I was very proud of her for that. The only problem with the Xmas party is that daughter got so tired she had a nap this afternoon. it's always a worry as she doesn't fall asleep until about 3pm and then wakes up about 5pm for tea time and then it takes hours and hours to get her to go to sleep, especially now the kids are sharing, I have to be there just in case she doesn't try to wake son up once he's asleep.

Although she does keep picking at her snotty nose and wiping it on her face so she looks like she's wearing a comedy moustache...

I've made a decision with regards to the doodle paintings, the background on a couple of them will be a very basic cartoon style and the others I will paint a more realistic background, especially for the fish.

I'm quite excited about the challenge especially with using acrylics as I've done similar in oils before but never in acrylics. And with having two little ones I don't really want paintings drying all over the house and the smell from the turpentine about.

I'm even excited about the potential mixing paint challenge, as I am useless at it at the best of times but if the end result is anything like what I have in my head then it will turn out quite well.

And I've managed to download a few potential backgrounds so if I can just keep the kids asleep I'll be able to start one on the spare canvas I have.

Doodles...

Hubby was kind enough to get rid of some junk from my computer today so that gave me some free time to get a few pots washed and a little bit of ironing done.
I'm also working on a new series of paintings, it's almost a collaboration with our two year old daughter as her doodles/drawings have given me a lot of inspiration.
It's amazing what some of her scribblings resemble. There are fish, dogs, birds even one that looks like the devil, but then she was born on 06/06/06 so I'm not that surprised by the last one.
I've just done a few simple sketches in my sketchbook at the moment, still mulling over how to do the background, but I'm going to have a look at some landscape photos online to see if any catch my eye.
Once that's decided I'm all ready to paint, paint, paint!!!

7th December Already

Well we have 17 days left until the big day well 18 if you want to include Christmas day in the count and just a few more gifts left to buy.

Well today the kids and I walked all the way to Asda and back for some shopping, its Sunday and the low floor buses don't run so I'm glad I decided to walk home and not sit and wait at the bus stop, anyway I digress...We bought some more chocolates for under the tree, pjs and colouring books for hubby's friends daughter, (had to get a couple of colouring books for our daughter too), kids are so good at pressure buying hehe...Had a check in the book section managed to get eclipse for my sister, so only need to get the other three twilight books from somewhere, and bought some bubble bath and bath scrunchies to finish off the toiletry baskets I'm doing for relatives, I think next year I'll be using etsy for that because there are so many wonderful shops on there, and I'll be getting it all done even earlier, just so I don't forget anyone.

Just gotta wait now for the calendars to come, which I will do again next year also getting them done early so I can save even more cash on getting the super slow delivery, and also sort out the diarys early as I'm wondering if I'm leaving those a little too late for this year.

But first things first I have to find or make a nasty Xmas jumper pattern so I can make the four of us matching jumpers for Christmas day...That would be so good.

Happy 2nd of December

Well today it snowed again yippee and oh no all at the same time, yippee because I thought I would be staying indoors, oh no because I realised me and teeny weenies had to get some bread and sugar from the local shops...There were a almost a few comedy slides but I managed to remain upright maybe it was the push chair that helped.

Hubby got his X ray done ok ready for having his teeth pulled on Thursday. Thursday is a busy day son's having injections aswell in the morning and weather wise we're supposed to have a blizzard.

Work wise I've been mulling over different things in my mind whilst doing household chores and watching hercules for about the 15th time this week, gotta love the 2 year olds hehe.

I'm in the process of getting myself a photo diary made with my digital art and was thinking of having a giveaway/competition for one of them. I will be running the comp from January the 1st so if anyone has any suggestions either comment here or message me through twitter....

http://twitter.com/pjamarama

1st Day of Xmas

Well officially its now the 2nd of December now but hey, if I'd have realized how late it was I probably would be asleep by now...

Been so busy, trying to swap our bedroom with the kids so they have more room for their toys and we can put our son in the den safe to roll around out of our daughters way, its cute that she likes to hold his hand but he does need a little space once in a while. Plus I keep falling over her little trampoline in the living room, thanks go out to Granddad for buying that for her and it hasn't stopped her bouncing on everything else...

Have to have that finished by tomoro so hubby can move his pc upstairs...Think he's trying to tell us something, hehe. But then the Christmas treee can go in his corner and not in the window like we'd previously decided. We changed our mind because of

A) I'm afraid the radiator might melt the tree

and

B) We have blinds and don't really want everyone seeing in our house at night or pulling the tree out so we can have the blinds down and not being able to see the T.V.

I'll be glad when thats all done then I just have to concentrate on the kitchen and bathroom and then I'm done for a little while. It doesn't help that we're still a little unsure whether we'll be having extra visitors for Xmas and probably won't know until the last minute so the food shopping might be a little nightmare.

Work wise I've been finishing off a couple of new greetings cards sets and got a phone call last week and should get my check by the end of this week so I'll be able to buy the packaging and get them listed on Etsy.

So watch this space...