The Boy(s) in my life.

Okay.

Adam and I need a break. We both know it and are both sort of trying to move on.

Except that I don't know who he has been seeing. I am seeing one of his best friends. Yikes. and it's not the one I kissed a while back. He doesn't know it yet, as far as I know, but I'm sure he won't be happy when he finds out.

So, this new guy, we ran into each other awhile back, at the bar, and started small talk. I haven't really talked to him for awhile. Actually, the last time I think we hung out was way back when 2 years ago when I first started dating Adam and right before his WEDDING (yes, he was married to a crazy for a whopping 8 months). He added me on facebook, and we've been chatting here and there. This weekend I had a friend come to visit and mentioned in my status I'd be uptown. He showed up. I had my brother and sis in law, 2 friends from college and him over after bar. He likes me. I think I like him. (?)

This is complicated for a number of reasons. #1 being Adam. Yes, I need to move on and date someone else, if not forever, at least for awhile. But that doesn't mean I don't still love him. And circle of friends? We'll have to hang out. It will be awkward. Someone will get hurt.

Another reason, is his ex. He has a 2 1/2 year old with her. I don't care about that, but she also had another child before the one with him, who he has always acted as dad too. When he takes his child, he takes both of them. (I really admire this actually. He cares enough about the kid to not write him out of his life.) So, the ex got pregnant AGAIN, before they split up with someone ELSES kid. She just had him last week. This is where it gets tricky for me, to the point of not even wanting to start this.

That means my son, his TWO, and then this new one, that has nothing to do with him, but I KNOW it will. She'll throw the guilt trip on him, you are taking the boys to soandso but what about baby c? he'll feel left out.

That's a lot of kids.

So, I think that if we are going to date, absolutely no kids involved for a long time, right?

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My love of art. Mainly, Picasso.

My junior and senior years in college, I fell in love. I was an art student, and taking a variety of classes. Acrylic Painting, Watercolor, Figure Drawing, Sculpture, and Printmaking, several graphic design classes, and Art History.

For all art students, Art History is a love/hate relationship. It is a HARD course. But, for the love of art, you go to class, study those slides and soon can tell just by looking at a piece what period it was created, what was used to create it, and even who created it. It can be very rewarding, and I, like many of my classmates, thrived on it, loving to learn, and thirsting for more.

Our professor was one of my favorites. He was a funny man, my printmaking professor, and also, my Advisor, so he took an active interest in my education. I loved the one on one time, soaking it all in.

We had to write a paper each semester, and I gave him my list of possible topics, and he flat out said no to each of my ideas (They were all pretty basic, easy to write a paper on ideas). This was not standard, so I asked him why. He asked me who my favorite artists were.
So I named off Picasso, Paul Klee, Kandinsky, Cezanne, etc. He looked at me, opened up my book to THIS PAINTING


and said, you are writing your paper on this. And that is where it all began. I started reading as much as I could, (with what free time I had between classes, art, studying, working 36 hours a week AND just being a college student and having a social life). And my paper on Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the Beginning of Analytical Cubism began. I became obsessed with Picasso, and Cubism, and the use of color. I used it in every art class, sculpture, printmaking, watercolor, everything I did, was a study on Analytical Cubism, or a tribute to Picasso. For my Painting II Final Project, I combined Les Demoiselles with Picasso's Three Musicians

to create a tribute piece, along with another lengthly paper. Here is a (bad) picture of it.


This painting is currently hanging on the wall in my basement. I haven't really THOUGHT about it for quite some time. Then a few weeks ago, while I was deciding what color to paint my chest, and a few other projects I want to get started on, I opened my trusty old 20 pound Art History book from college for inspiration.

There staring at me was my paper and the painting that started it all, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. and Color!! I had forgotten about color! and how I loved to use it.

Since I have had Brody, I haven't done much for art. I used to spend all Saturday painting or drawing, taking in classes, whatever I could do. But I don't anymore. I have a corner in my basement all set up with my paints and an easel, even a blank white wall. But nothing but blank canvases sit there.

I do art projects with Brody all the time, painting and coloring, clay, etc. But nothing for me. So I have decided to add some color to those canvases. And Brody is going to help.

We were watching Jon and Kate plus 8 the other night, and those kids made the COOLEST paintings on canvas. It inspired me even more, to get back to me love of art, and make sure Brody really catches the bug too. Then, hopefully it won't be so hard for me to break away and give myself some much needed creative time in my little corner studio.

LOOKING GOOD...

Brody has recently gotten interested in grooming himself.

Usually, I can't even get him to hold still long enough to comb his hair. But, to do it himself....this is completely different.

He spent a good 45 minutes in the bathroom, wetting his hair down, combing it just right, washing his hands and face, brushing his teeth....

and I was told to GET OUT.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Finished.

The green dresser is now in its new home in the dining room! I could not be happier with the results. I think it actually looks greener in the pictures than it does in real life. It's actually quite lovely.

In other news, I think I might have sold the planters. I know most people would have kept them, but I really don't like them, or NEED them. I have flower beds all over my backyard the way it is, and even if I painted them, I don't need more. I have a lady who might be coming up this weekend and is going to pay $20 a piece for them, and hey, I need a new dishwasher!! So, hopefully they sell.

And as for my wall in the yard, I am thinking that I will paint it an army green/brown color. I don't like the brick red it is currently, and I agree that it should blend in. SO, look for the after pics soon!

I need your opinions again.

Okay, so in my backyard, I have this wall that goes across the whole yard.  This is not a good picture to give the full effect, but just imagine that there are flower beds all in front of it, and there are bushes and trees planted up on the upper level.  

I have already been busy the last few days out in the yard, and I really want to get this wall painted this spring, but I'll need to do it SOON, before everything starts growing, and most importantly, before all the little spiders start crawling all over it (because then I'll be too chicken to do it!)

So it was painted a brick color.  My question, should I be boring and keep it the brick color, or something similar, or change it to a more neutral, like a tan color, or go green?  or red? 

I do not want anything too crazy, because during the winter months I don't think I'd really like to be staring out at a bright yellow or blue wall, you know?  

What would you do?  I'm kind of leaning towards a dark green shade.

And for the planters:  if they don't sell by this Sunday, I'm keeping them, and more than likey will be spraypainting them colorful: yellow, red, orange, green, blue.