Go Pack Go!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - I know I did and I can't believe it is already over.  The best part is that now I can post some of my finished pieces that were Christmas presents!!!  

It is no secret that my brother is an enormous Green Bay Packers fan.  He has traveled to the frozen tundra alone and with friends and family to support his team.  He's pretty passionate - to the point were he can be downright ridiculous, but we humor him all the same!  My mom, an avid Bears fan, wondered where she went wrong with my brother (the Packers fan) and me (the Colts fan).  Lets just say it would make for some interesting fun when our teams played one another!

In any event, a while ago Steve had asked me to do a Green Bay painting for him.  Years ago I did a 16 x 20 canvas with his name: Mr. Renzino, for outside of his classroom.  It had all of his favorite things on it, the White Sox, the Packers, Basketballs, his black cat, and much more.  I thought I would do his new canvas in the same size, in the event it was vetoed by my sister in law for home display and he could at least take it to school! So I painted the Green Bay and Packers names in their authentic green and gold, but instead of the typical "G" logo, I decided to switch it with a much more interesting icon.  The cheese wedge!

And yes my brother does own a cheese wedge hat - courtesy of me many birthdays ago.

Steve was surprised, which was nice, and I am pretty sure he liked it:

Once again, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday, there is more to come!  Take care, travel safe and thanks!!!!

A new appreciation...

I have a new appreciation for what my  Yia yia (grandma) and mom would go through in preparation for the holidays and the meals included in those holidays.  While I helped, I never was in charge. Meals at my Yia yia's involved enough food to feed most of the southern suburbs of Chicago.  It didn't matter how many people were invited, you just had lots of choices.  It was an impressive spread to say the least.  My mom would, from time to time host these holidays as a break to my Yia yia.  She too, paid no attention to the attendance, but rather the options and making sure that NO ONE would go home hungry.  After my Yia yia passed away, mom took over the responsibilities and like many families as the kids grow up the extended families start to make their own traditions and so on.  So even though our holidays were typically mom, dad, Steve, myself and Ryan, you would swear about 50 more people were going to show and rudely declined at the last minute.  We would laugh and tell mom that she works too hard, that she doesn't need to do so much or make so much.  She wouldn't hear of it.  You can always eat leftovers.

So today I have a new appreciation, since Mom lived with us last year during the holidays she was a big help in the preparations and cooking. It was something she could still do.  This year I am flying solo.  I am still making a "nice" ham.  I have a few different appetizers, a few different sides, bread, pie, cake (thanks to dad), cookies. I decided though to prepare all of my food today and then bake it tomorrow.   My plan is that I can spend tomorrow enjoying my family and not be confined to the kitchen.  As I am preparing and using every knife, cutting board, bowl and corning ware container in my kitchen I realized all the hard work that was put into the holiday meals of my youth. The part that I took for granted is now mine to have and as I look at my overstuffed fridge I realize I have WAY more food than my dad, steve, anna and my family can consume.  I couldn't help it you see, you can always eat left overs and I want to make sure everyone has something they enjoy. ;o)

The other side of this is that I realize how blessed I am to have the ability to feed my family so abundantly.  The fact that I won't need to worry about my family being hungry and knowing that we will all be warm and safe and together is a Christmas gift all unto itself.

So while this Christmas is a bittersweet one for with mom's absence, I am so very happy and blessed with what I DO have.  I pray that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and embrace all your blessings tomorrow, as I will.

  

Christmas 2007

Thanks!

She'd be 59

Me and Mom when I was 4

Today is my mom's birthday.  Happy Birthday Momma!  If she were here today, she'd be 59.  It is weird not buying her presents or celebrating with her.  I decided that this day was going to be a bit challenging so I invited my dad, Steve and Anna over yesterday for a birthday celebration, in mom's honor.   Dad brought little gifts for everyone, because it is something mom would have done.  She always had little presents when you would see her. She was a very giving person and I believe wholeheartedly that if she were here now she would singlehandedly be trying to stimulate the economy all by herself!  

I decided for our menu we would have all of mom's favorite things.  We had cheese and crackers and shrimp with Hoffman cocktail sauce (because it is the only cocktail sauce mom would eat).  We had a "nice" salad - which consists of iceberg lettuce, croutons and italian dressing.  Mom would always make us have a "nice" salad growing up at dinner.  Imagine my surprise when I started grocery shopping and learned that there were several types of lettuce and an actual nice salad can have lots of fixin's.  We then had a "nice" roast with veggies and bread followed by a banana cream pie, which was mom's favorite.  Ryan picked it up at My Sugar Pie in Zionsville and man is it a fabulous pie.  

Mom probably would have been a tad disappointed that it had a meringue top and not "real whipped cream", but it was seriously the best pie I have ever had.  My dad also brought a cherry chip cake with cherry frosting.  In the winter months of his retirement he has become quite the little baker.  It was nice to have our little family all around, but I couldn't help but feel the void.  We all do, it is obvious.  

Dad helped me decorate a bit after the kids went to bed and then got up this morning and left just a bit ago.  He is going to go to mom's grave and bring her 8 carnations, one from each of us, they were her favorite.  I am sorry I won't be able to go today - in two weeks I'll be up there and visit then.  I hate and love going to the cemetery, it is nice to have a place to visit, but I hate what it represents.  It just sucks all the way around the block.

So today I fill my day with nonsense like laundry and cleaning.  I am going to yoga tonight for some much needed exercise, meditation and reflection.  I want to thank my friends who have called, emailed, and posted with their thoughts and well wishes.  It means more than you know.  These next two months are the final last of the "firsts."  It is just so bittersweet, holding onto, "this time last year..." which is helpful and painful all in one.

And away from the dark side...in the world of Penny Pickles I have several paintings going on and I can't wait to finish them up and show them to you! I hope you all have a great week and once again thanks!

Go Horse!

While this has little to do with paintings or Penny Pickles, it does have A LOT to do with the mental health of the artist behind Penny Pickles, ME!  I do have a few paintings waiting in the wings - but I am waiting on them getting to my clients, so until then, my day at Lucas Oil Stadium will have to suffice.

Sunday, Ryan and I had the good fortune to score some sweet seats from my girlfriend Heather, the creative genius behind Maida Vale.  If you are in need of anything stationary - including wedding and shower invites or announcements - this girl is the person to go to.  

I digress.  So Heather and Shawn have super amazing seats and they live in Seattle and weren't able to come in for a hand full of games.  So they offered them up to some of their friends.  We jumped at the chance and have secured our position as buyers for as long as they live in Seattle.  

I digress again.  We went to the Houston Texans game - and it was AWESOME.  First off the seats are amazing, second off, I hadn't been to a Colts game in two years, third, it was a phenomenal game and we won!!!!  So as we are sitting in our amazing seats, I look down a couple of rows and who is sitting there?  Ashley Manning, Peyton Manning's wife.  She was decked out in a gorgeous blue leather dress and well, there was no denying it was her (especially after I spied her wedding rings.  She got up and moved to the boxes above us - so we tried to be suave and catch a picture, here's what we got.  I swear it is her, I feel like an idiot with a Sasquatch siting. 

Anyway, at halftime we went to the Bud Light Zone to visit our buddy and old neighbor Mikey T. Poor Mikey has season tickets - but his seats are under the press box and you literally can not see half of the field.  So he stands in the Bud Light Zone with the other poor folk with crummy seats.  We went back to our seats after the half and who was sitting in our row, but the entire staff from the Tickets and Promotions staff.  So I made minimal small talk, but I was able to ogle over one of their Superbowl rings, which, even for being the second tier of rings, was amazing!   It was an awesome game, we won, Bullitt made an amazing defensive interception to secure that win and I couldn't have asked for a better finish.  

After the game we went back to our old neighborhood and had wings and beer at KSR (Keystone Sports Review) - which btw is THE most amazing bar food in the world and their wings are better than dare I say BW3's or Hooters.  We ate and visited with some old friends and then headed back to Canada to pay the sitter and put the kids to bed.  

Other than my body rejecting the shear volume of nasty, greasy food, it was a PERFECT day!  Any chance I can get out with Ryan and spend a bit of time with just us is great -but this date exceeded my expectations.

Later this week, I'll be sharing some of my new pieces - until then take care and Thanks!

Patience... the final frontier

Okay, the title is a bit over the top, but there are days when having patience is as unattainable for me as discovering new galaxies.  Where to begin...

Well Ryan is done with his interviews, they all went really well. He's had an offer, and the rest have said, "you're great, we'd love to have you, but we aren't slated for extra work or a need until after 2009", humphf!  However, there is one, Ryan had two interviews, they went great, he is suppose to go back in next week to finalize the details of an offer- but alas that hasn't been scheduled - so we aren't sure when that will be.  It is a "soft" offer, if you will. Which is fantastic, and out of all the companies he interviewed with, this one by far was his favorite, the one he felt most comfortable with, the one he feels he could "fit" right into.  Which is awesome.  It is a challenge, however, to still not know the details.  

With that, I always have a hard time with patience when I work.  When I finish something, I want to package it up and mail it out NOW. But there are things that need to be done first, sealing, photographing, packaging, waiting for UPS or USPS to process and deliver, and then waiting for feedback.  You see I am a psycho when it comes to tracking.  I check daily to see where my packages are-when I see something is delivered I freak.  "Why haven't they emailed?" "Do they not like it?" "Did it get delivered to the wrong house?" "Is it raining there?" "Do they have a porch?" "Did it arrive in one piece?"  Seriously, this is where I am nuts. I don't worry this much while I am painting or even as I am developing a piece, just when it ships and the client receives it.  My most recent client's computer is down. So for both of us until that is up and running (not to mention her having the time to sit down and write- with her busy schedule and two very busy little boys)- I wait to hear what they think.  

Finally, my kids.  Well who hasn't had their patience tested with their kids.  Okay if you haven't bless your soul, but mine happens on a daily basis.  One would think that I would be pretty good at it by now - nope, not so much.  Just when I get a handle on it or make a conscious decision to relax and stay calm one of them runs in with a humdinger.  Ah, the joys of being a parent. I can see my dad just chuckling now- he enjoys this spectator perspective, I know my mom did as well.  I now believe the saying "grandchildren are the prize for letting your children live."  

Exhibit "A"

On a happier note tomorrow will mark the beginning of my contest!!!! Check back for the details (there aren't many, but I've got to build up interest somehow - and seeing as I am terrified of clowns over exaggerated announcements will have to do!)

Random thoughts for the day...

Today is a collage of thoughts.  

Ryan had his follow up meeting/interview with a company in Zionsville.  He said it went very well - he is suppose to go in on Monday and they will firm up an offer.  Cross your fingers, pray, send good energy - whatever it is that you all do, do it please on our behalf, it would be nice to start the week with a job.  He is at an another interview this morning, he isn't back yet, so we shall see...

I am almost done with my most recent order for a nursery, its cool because I am hand lettering the babies name and birthdate.  The bedding that they have and what I modeled the painting after is so cute - I am moving right along and if I play my cards right I will finish this evening.  It is amazing to me how some pieces go so quickly and others not so much.  I need to do a quickie surprise gift, so hopefully this weekend I can whip that little fella up.  I am waiting on some feedback from two other pieces or else I would have some pictures for you.  But alas, I do not.  But I did find this little one - if you have a mac, you gotta love photobooth!

Me with two out of my three chickens!

Oh, the contest, okay so I am going to open up the contest on Monday!!!! I have my idea and I will explain what I need from you, then on Monday look for the posting, okay unless something bigger happens, then we'll start Tuesday, but for now its Monday!  I am excited for my first contest, now ask me next week when I have two entries into my contest, how excited I am.  So check back, tell your friends, until then...

Thanks!

it started as a normal day...

So today started off normal, I woke up early and ran, Ryan got ready for work, I began my day doing some errands and then the bottom dropped out.

Ryan called me at the grocery store and said "I was just laid off."  I don't remember much after that, I know I screamed "you are kidding!" and then we hung up and then I called my dad because I was so shaken by the whole thing.

So here we are, both jobless bums - no really Ryan is doing well - this wasn't performance at all - the company is hurting, like most and they are downsizing, again, for the third time.  So we sit here analyzing his small, but thank-goodness-he-has-one severance package and going over our options.  He's already putting out calls and emails and such, it isn't a matter of if he'll get a job, its when and hopefully soon.  

How does this effect you? Well extra prayers are always good - keep your ears open for any opportunities and pass them on freely.  Oh and did I mention that I can paint...

catching up with the pages

The phrase "we've been busy" is an understatement.  Where to begin - the weekend after our 10 day visit with the Pages of Tennessee, we had my Cousin Caity and her husband Jim and their adorable children Peter and Sophia.  Then the kids and I went up to my dear friend Darcy's, to camp in their camper with her beautiful girls, Katie and Karlie.  Whew!  All this and I still managed to finish a custom canvas that I will be shipping out in the next couple of days, along with another cause ribbon that I have yet to photograph - nevermind the heaps of laundry that I WAS caught up on, but have miraculously reproduced like rodents in a small cage.  

Who's excited about a vacation?

I am happy to say though that I am thrilled with that fact that this time on Saturday I will be in North Carolina on my way to holding my best girlfriend Traci's new baby boy Beckett!!!!  This is my longest overnight away from the kids (I won't be home until Tuesday- no email, oh the horrors!).  I am confident that they will be fine and what a great chance to hang with dad (let the pizza roll dinners begin!) But for now, I have shopping for said pizza rolls, laundry and cleaning to do to prepare for my time away - next week I will be posting pictures of my newest paintings - so check back and until then - thanks!

Dad and his biker gang!

Penny's got flair!

Just a side note, so my mom was notorious for buying the kids cowboy boots in all sizes, "just in case" they grow out of them and need the next size.  Well, Miss Penny was no exception, I believe my mom bought these little gems when I was 7 months pregnant.  They are white with pink stitching and glitter in the accent areas - totally all girl.  Well they fit Penny now and she belongs to the "Drew: House of Fashion" and likes to pick out her own shoes - the girl has flair!  Anyway - here she is modeling her latest creation! (and yes we do have an "AIM" sign above the toliet - now if I could just get a "Flush" sign we'd be all set) - ah, I digress...