quite a workout!

this dance is a serious workout! i practiced the other day in my heels...it felt so good. the heels add this sense of..well, that you feel special and fancy, and somehow it helps you think you are better at it. :) i also realized that i never told ya'll about the last place we went to after our class...a whole week and a half ago! we went to The Chapel. i feel like i did tell about this already. but maybe it was just how i think over my posts sometimes before i write them and then i don't get around to it. so either way...i'll go on about the chapel. it was smaller than i expected, and louder. it was kinda fancy. the cha cha was very casual, in my opinion. and i think i felt more comfortable there. the drink menu was great at the chapel. lots of martinis. wait, i totally remember writing this. i think i am losing my mind. haha! just bear with me. i had a drink called the baby mae...tequila, cardamom, and grapefruit. Dina had a blackberry martini. they were tasty. we also had a flatbread pizza and ceasar salad. dina loved the pizza. the salad was a little too anchovy-y for me...but it was good enough to eat. here is a link to the chapel...worth checking out. they often have djs...although i don't know where the dance floor is. oh, but the upstairs balcony had a private party, and that seemed like it would be fun to get invited to. http://www.thechapelbar.com/#/about/ this weekend was laid back. full moon tonight. jamie and i are celebrating...our life together, our children, our future. today is a special day for us and it reminds me of everything we have here, right now, to be thankful for. we also got a surprise last minute visit from pete, jamie's stepfather...the kid's popou (greek for grandfather.) we had a nice dinner together and it was great to see him. hasta manana mis amigos..... xoxoxmelissa

My sides hurt....

and not from dancing...but laughing. Ian and I had a great time out with our friends Kim and Chris last night. I have not laughed that much in a long time! I mean really laughing. Here we are in swanky Bellevue at a really nice place and the 4 of us are in our own little world...just laughing. That kind of laughing is so fun..the kind where your stomach hurts, tears are rolling down your face..you know what I am talking about. They are a fun couple to be with..relaxed, silly and we also have lots in common...they have 2 girls, lived in San Diego, same political views :)..etc. I guess it was just an easy night with nothing to serious to think about or worry about...just fun. The food and drinks were good and we spent way to much money but it was worth it. Thanks to amazing Amanda for watching our girls! Oh and to make it that much better my husband told me I "was hot" when we left the house...smart man :)! I have to wonder if he will say the same thing when we finish our dance! The restaurant we went to was The Pearl in Bellevue...check it out! http://www.pearlbellevue.com/ Back to our class this week..I did not like having a week off. Speaking of weeks..this should be an interesting one! Happy Sunday! xxoo-Dina

Need I say more....

Madeline is a great little dancer...way better than her mama! Here she is practicing! Cute that she is really getting into this...you can see the concentration on her face! All the kids are having fun learning this dance so we will have to get them all on video. ENJOY! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_95P2j3KAi4

well, the truth is...

i have not practiced...like meaning more than showing someone the dance here and there...in days. i have not taken the time to move the coffee table and cue up the video, make sure the door is locked (i would be so embarrassed if my teenage neighbor were to secretly crack the door open and spy on me)...and really practice. and i am dealing with going back and forth in my head about it. one moment i feel guilty because i said i was going to really do this thing, be dedicated. i had this image of who i would be during this whole experiment...and sadly, i am not living up to that image. i should admit that, in life, i rarely live up to the image of myself that i create in my mind. sometimes it feels like every day is one big disappointment. that i am a disappointment. ok...that is the very negative me. the other side says, i am ok just as i am. and life get busy, kids get coughs or wake up crying in the night cause they peed in their bed, life just gets busy...so ease up and today is a new day, and i will practice today. because the thing is, i really do like it. the perfectionist in me, wants to quit sometimes....she pops up right about the third time running through. then i push through, quiet that perfect little demon, and dance. because this is about having fun, not being perfect. not even being good...if i can actually let go fo that desire to be good at something. and just let loose and have a good time. but you know...another thought is...do you maybe need the strucuture of really knowing the dance or anything in life, for that matter, before you can let loose and have fun? is it within the deep foundation of truly knowing something, or feeling safe, or being grounded...that you can freely leap, with open arms into the good times? when do you know when you know enough to let go? anyway...today i will work on having fun. ha! i will have my list of chores. i will practice. i will have fun. check. check. and check. oh and btw....i saw one of our teachers the other day. waxy moon came into rainbow remedies, where i work! cheers! melissa

love and well not so much...

grrrr..today has been one of those days that I wonder why I do what I do in my "job" life..actually more like the last few weeks. I do love my job well most of the time but sometimes it makes me want to scream. Today Madeline asked me why I go to work to teach other kids and not stay home and teach them :(...she is kinda right and I often wonder that. I just told her that mama teaches kids that are really special and that it is important that I do that. I went to school for a long time to learn what I do and I am constantly reading, listening, and learning new things so that I can be better at it everyday. I sometimes feel like it is a huge weight on my shoulders...how can I be somewhat responsible for helping these small people learn to communicate...some times just the smallest needs or wants, navigate a world that I don't really understand, be successful in school, tell their mamas that they love them...how? How do I continue to answer questions from teachers and parents, give advice, recommendations on what to do...where to go next, listen to stories from other moms and try to imagine how they feel, give tissues to them and me for the tears that sometimes come...deal with the hitting, kicking, touching, spitting that I know is not at all in vengeance but more in frustration..hell I would do all of that if I could not get across what I was thinking. What if I don't know the answer?..what if I don't know what to say?...what if I can not find the answer?...what if I don't know what to do next? Here is my child...they are 7 years old and don't talk at all...can you fix that for us please??? What if the answer is no? I guess there are many more "important jobs" out there like ones that save peoples lives and such but today I feel that mine is hard. I always want to do a good job and I do LOVE my students...they are truly amazing people who have their very own individual stamp on life. I do love my job...just some days are hard. I am very blessed to do what I do and I never am not grateful for that but just some days are hard...maybe I am better at dancing? a good website if you want more information on Autism..I know I am searching for a passion but kids with Autism are really my passion..maybe that is why some days are hard. http://www.autismspeaks.org/ xxoo-Dina

a new day

sometimes everything is just...OK. which is good. the mess of various things lining my hallway, awaiting time til i can put them where they need to go. the tulips that are starting to lose their petals all over the table they are on. the fact that i burned all four pieces of toast i made this morning. today, the space i am in...it is all ok. maybe it is the sunny weather we have been having. maybe it is that my kids didn't whine about the burned toast. sometimes i think i should stop trying to figure everything out and just enjoy this feeling of peace when it comes. it could be gone by 9am! i practiced last night with Lily. she really is a great dance partner. we were really working it. and the heat was kicking in the apartment, so it was extra hot...and we were sweating. it seems i have the basic routine down, and i can remember all the steps. the part to get to now is where i can actually execute all those steps, when they are supposed to be executed. then i'll add in the looks and the perfection of the placement of my head and hands, etc. i try to always practice with attitude, but sometimes the intense concentration gets in the way...and then i remind myself...hey, this is for fun. have fun with it! so...have fun with it. and let each day, hour, moment...just be what it is. both easier said than done, typically. but this morning...it has been both, easily. xoxomelissa

i did dance today! (a little)

I admit i have not practiced as much since the last class as i did the one before. i was dedicated, because i was so bad at the first class. this class...probably because i practiced so much...was not quite as challenging. it actually was more physically challenging...Inga had us doing push-ups before class and lunges and plank pose...all part of our "bitch-up" as she called it. haha. part warm up, part getting our bitch on and ready for the attitude part of the dance. this week, i also decided to just have more fun. i mean, i still am taking it seriously...by really wanting to get it right. but seeing it as fun, instead of something i feel like a failure at. saturday, we had dina and family plus my mom over for dinner...steaks and handmade gnocchi. the gnocchi is something i will never try again. in the end, they were fine...with a goat cheese sauce. hazel, dina's little one, loved them. that made me happy. and after dinner dina and all the girls were doing the dance. i didn't join til the end cause it was just too cute to watch madeline and tallulah following beyonce. we'll have to try and post a video of that. lily is really really good. i think she'll be our third dancer if we do a video. and i am hoping i can bring her to the last class maybe. she would love that. she is so into it. so, i can't believe i ajven't posted yet. we went to a new place after class this past thursday....the chapel. it is just across the street from the bauhaus coffee shop. the drinks were really great. they ahve a huge martini selection. i had the baby mae...tequila, cardamom and grapefruit juice. dina had a blackberry martini....i forget the name. maybe she'll remember. we also had a flatbread pizza and ceasar salad....yum. the salad was more anchovy-y than i usually like...but i was hungry. here is a link to the place....although i think i am partial to the cha cha, where we went the week before. more laid back. the chapel was loud and fancy, in my opinion. it did have a sorta new york appeal to it, from what i cen remember going out in NYC back in the early 90's. sometimes i think i like that, but then in reality....i like to be comfortable. and relaxed. http://www.chapelseattle.com/ wonder where we will go next.....til then....happy dancing! xoxoxmelissa

Did you dance today?

Nope...not today. Another beautiful Seattle day and we spent it outside playing in the yard and taking a family hike. Feels so good to be outside and in the sun. Guess it is all about passion and balance. Here is a pic from our day....I think it is cute how Walter's head is peaking around...I do love that dog! I am not feeling great...stuffy, cough, just yucky but I am going to the gym..that should help. I will practice tomorrow! XXOO-Dina

This and That....

Hello Sun...it is a totally different world here when we have weather like this. It is gorgeous..mountains out, lakes sparkling, and people in a good mood. It is suppose to be like this for the next few days and that makes me very happy. Nothing like a sunny Seattle day..nothing. Here is a pic from my backyard. Even these guys think that it is spring..

Our single ladies class was rockin last night. It was even better this time just cause I think both Melissa and I felt more comfortable having done it once before. We learned a new section and lets just say that practice is in my future. We have two weeks before the next class so I think we will be just fine. The class was way harder physically...I love that...nothing like a good workout to make me happy :)! We had a nice time out for drinks and a snack. Good conversation as always. Melissa always gives me things to think about and I appreciate that about her. I think that I am in need of a big change...hard to say right now what that will be but something. I wonder why I want this so bad?? I guess just for the experience or maybe the escape of things or people I don't want to think about or deal with anymore..hmmmmm I hope it is more the experience. Anyway I want it and bad! I think I am rambling when I should be practicing so off for now! I hope your weather is as beautiful as ours~ xxoo-Dina

yes, practice today!

i am all ready. dina is coming over and we will get to practice, together, before our next class. so what we will have 7 kids here in my capitol hill apartment. we will be getting our groove on amidst the chaos. i have had a little bit of a cold and a lot going on. as always. so i didn't practice yesterday...instead i worked and spent the evening making fabric yo-yo's for a quilt for the kid's school auction, then cooked dinner, made more yo-yo's and crashed on the couch. i did run through it in my head while sewing...a lot. except in my head is where i look really good doing it, remember that thing? so, maybe not a good place to be, since reality is so shocking afterwards. sunday, i just practiced a little bit at work. and my friend niki gave me some tips on what to do to get ready for the part where beyonce bends down and then pops right back up, so gracefully.i plan on taking her advice seriously...starting today. then after work, jamie and i celebrated our anniversary of the day we met. to me, it is the more meaningful anniversary since we have been together ever since then. when we first met we spent 24 hrs a day together for at least a couple years. we were traveling, living on the road. those were such good times. we were such a great match back then...and today, well...today we are re-learning what a good match we are. those days shaped who we are today. it's just that, sometimes i feel that my brain worked better in that lifestyle...trying to "make things work" here in society, in american society, can be so challenging for us. for me. in my heart i don't feel like i fit in, and yet i try so hard to do so. i mean, we are all running around like crazy, with busy busy schedules...for what? to come home to a messy house and kids screaming and fighting, only to wake up and do it again tomorrow. back then i felt like tomorrow always had such huge possibility. who knew what lied at the end of that day's road. here's a picture of us from when we first met. such hippies. on the road. i think that was taken on the side of a highway in Texas. right after we met at mardi gras...and today is mardi gras! i totally forgot til just now. wow. 14 years ago. i couldn't have guessed i'd be here in seattle with three kids...embarking on another kind of trip. one to find my "thing." a thing that, in my mind, will hopefully bring more meaning to the everyday. i do love my family, my life...really, somewhere inside i do. underneath all the busy busy.

Practice today?

Does listening to the single ladies song at the gym while climbing the StairMaster count as practice? If it does I am in good shape but if not trouble! Looking forward to rehearsal with my dance partner tomorrow! XXOO-Dina

Love is in the air...

Happy Valentines Day! I have never really been a big Valentine celebrator but this year I have lots of love so I thought I would share. When I woke up this morning I realized I had very red pjs so maybe it was a sign! So here is a list of some of the things I love. No order..just writing them as they come to me. Madeline, Hazel, Ian, my sisters, mom, dad, FAMILY, Melissa, the Baumgarts, Joyce, friends, gym, nice jeans, good drinks, Walter, my house, living in Seattle, work, being healthy, learning more about myself, trying different things, DANCING CLASS, craigslist, when my house is clean and no clutter, eating out, reality tv, facebook, email, my iphone, having parties at my house, this blog, Obama, being helpful to others, learning more about other countries, and so many more!

I guess some of these things are pretty superficial but some are really true loves of mine. That I treasure and cherish everyday. Over the last months I have realized that I love or at least really care about things/people in a way I never thought I would and it has really thrown me for a loop. Dealing with those kinds of emotions is a crazy roller coaster of ups, downs, happy, sad, confused, excitement, adventure, guilt, confusion, jealousy, passion, and acceptance. I am figuring out all these things and wanting to find more of my true self on the other side. Did anyone say life was easy?

Melissa and I are going to try to get together this week to practice...maybe a video! Oh and did I mention I LOVE taking this class :)

Happy Valentines Day! Comment and let me know who/what you love! xxoo-Dina

watching the olymics

wow. the olympians are so dedicated. and not that i am AT ALL like an olympic athlete, but in a way....i find myself relating. i was telling my kids that if they really loved something, we would support them in doing whatever that was. like Apollo Ohno...from Seattle...he started skating so young. he was amazing tonight in the short track competition. and yes, i am sure he has a talent...and at the same time, i think with enough practice and love for what you are doing, you can do anything. you might not win the gold...but you can do at least be in the competition. this is what i am doing with dancing.

this dance is so challenging. i had watched it so many times, and i had no idea how difficult it would be to get it in my body. in my mind, i am someone who can dance and looks good...hey, even sexy doing it. but the mirrors and my stiff, awkward body beg to differ. so the challenge lies within. how do i get my body to do what my mind thinks i can do?

P R A C T I C E!!!!!

i will get this.

today i practiced and got a bit of it down. just til the part after we dip and then do the run with the foot drag at count 6. i have it up until there, with the right foot at the calf on 6. if anyone is in the class, you'll know what i am talking about. if you watch the video, it is right where she is singing "I'm up on him..." and yes, it is very close to the beginning. i know. and yes, i am so so proud. really.

(and thanks to dina...i think i will get the rest that we learned at our first class. i called her tonight and she walked me through the last measures that i completely did not get in class. thanks, dina!!!)

actually , here is a link to the video. we should have this available so you can get a look at what we are up against. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T6WWn2_dUA

and like my husband said today..."beyonce spends hours and hours a day learning this. give yourself a break." i can be a bit hard on myself in life.

I will keep practicing.

i am a beginner.

i can enjoy where i am, a beginner.

opening my mind and body to a whole new adventure.

it really is a good place to be.

think about when love is new....

when you are in the beginning of a relationship...

after so many years together, we long for that feeling.

couldn't i see this new beginning in the same light?

xoxomelissa

No words...

Well I will try to find a few...FUN, FUN, FUN! I think I must live a very sheltered life because this is really the most fun I have had in a long time. This class is right now my very favorite thing to do outside of "real" life. It was great...people nice...teachers fun and helpful! So just because I loved it does not really mean that I am good at it. I think I held my own and definitely feel like I have the first part. I will practice so I am ready for next week since the teachers did say that they can tell who has practiced and I want to be a good student :). Wow..that dance is really hard and I am sure I look like a total fool but I really don't care...I loved every second of it. hmmmmm...maybe taking dance classes will continue? Thank you Century Ballroom for an amazing class! Great time as always with Melissa for drinks and a snack! Is it Thursday yet? Happy Friday...xxoo-Dina

single ladies...omg!

holy shit. i have a whole new appreciation for the world of dancing. i took my first class tonight for the Beyonce video of her single "single ladies." i seriosuly thought i was going to start crying and run out of the room at one point. it was SO So hard. and fun. i loved it. our teachers were fabulous. so sweet. they weren't intimidating. but dude....those moves are so so hard! i practiced tonight, and man...i have a lot of practicing to do. if i can get this, even a little bit, it will be a miracle. tonight i watched the you tube of "dan" doing the dance and i am totally impressed. before i thought it was funny, kinda cute and sorta overkill on the beyonce thing. but now, i see that he was really working hard. he did a lot to get what he did straight. here is a link to that clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WQHcQ3ueY

and after class we check out the cha cha lounge on Pine, or was it Pike...geez, i can never get them right! great atmosphere. heavy pour on my double cazadores blanco on the rocks...LOVE that! nachos were fine...but i really loved the cha cha jalepeno hot sauce. can i buy me some of that??

so...if any of you are trying to learn this at home...god bless you! and may the force be with you!

and i also pray it is with me. i need it!!!! and practice. good night ya'll.

melissa

loving the painting...

i am really enjoying the painting tonight. i have not had the right brush to keep working on my peacock feathers...so i was slacking on that. i felt horrible the other night...Monday. I went to bed knowing i promised myself to paint everyday...and i had not painted that day. i was putting tallulah to sleep and i had this moment where i could choose to get up out of bed and paint...or sleep. and i needed sleep. the worst is i didn't paint the day before on Sunday, either! i was working and getting ready for the super bowl party at dina's. which was very, very fun. she made jambalaya (yum!) and i made sazeracs (yum!!!) i was a little "slow" the next day due to the "specialty drinks" as my friend Matt so called them. anyway...i was tired and i had not painted...the dilemma. i didn't want to disappoint myself...or anyone reading and following. and yet i chose the sleep. as a mom...sometimes, we have to choose sleep. sometimes we have to choose fun. sometimes we remember what a great feeling it is to paint...like tonight. it all works out. there is a lesson in everything. sometimes jamie, my husband the guitar player, sometimes he goes to sleep. sometimes, as much as he LOVES playing guitar...he doesn't do it for days.

ok...so, still don't have the right brush for the feathers. but now i have this painting from my class last night. and i worked on that...here is the updated version. good nightxoxoxmelissa

moving on....

Here are a few pictures from our class. It was really fun and I am so happy with what the three of us did. We are pretty creative when we don't think about it..... I have mixed feeling about moving on from painting..mostly because I have a painting that is not finished and that I finally feel like I am getting into a painting groove but I am going to put it aside since our dance class starts tomorrow. I have thought about painting some during the weeks we are dancing but decided against it. I think that point of me doing this is to completely put myself into something and see how it makes me feel and doing two things at once does not feel good to me. So with that I am going to pause on painting and get my dancing shoes on. I am so very excited to take this class...I am sure I am going to look like an ass but I don't really care. I don't know anyone in that class and really don't care what they think. I still don't think I could actually perform in front of my family mostly for the opposite of those exact reasons...I do know all the people and I do care what they think. I think I can agree to a video! I am curious to see if I miss painting and will be looking forward to getting back to it at the end of March! Off to the gym.....Get your dancing shoes on people! XXOO-Dina

painting class.

yesterday when i was driving through capitol hill i saw a pennant in a car window...it read "despair!" in plain blue with white letters. and i found myself thinking about it all day.

fast forward to issaquah later that evening and after i picked bright pink, the first color to pop into my mind, i was still thinking about that pennant. I loved the exclamation point. i wondered if it has some cult meaning i didn't know about or if someone just randomly thought it was great enough to put up in their car window. i love the twisted sorta nature of a pennant like that. so, it hit me after i picked the pink color how much i would love to have this bright, cheery background with a sun just starting to rise along the bottom...maybe with flowers or fireworks, no definitely flowers...all over it. and then in dark messy writing a bold pennant, cheering for despair. and that's what i did.

it didn't turn out quite like i envisioned, and it is still a work in progress.

despair is defined as "to lose all hope or confidence" by the Merrian-Webster dictionary. i think that these two weeks of painting have brought me to that point once or twice. life does on a daily basis...being a mother, a wife, working in retail, you name it. and i don't necessarily think that is a bad thing. in a Pema Chodron book I read recently she talks about reaching a place of hopelessness. She says in a her book When Things Fall Apart "Without giving up hope-that there's somewhere better to be, that there's someone better to be-we will never relax with where we are, with who we are." for some of us, perhaps it takes hitting point of despair, which feels a tad bit more hopeless than hopelessness to me, to get to this place of serenity she is describing. so let's cheer on despair. let's not make it such a dark and avoidable word. perhaps through our everyday dips into despair, we can find our peace, if we let go of our attachment to hope. she is an amazing woman and i highly recommend her books. i know come meditation month, i will be delving into her teachings even more.

ok...so, painting class. it was fun. i loved being somewhere that encouraged relaxing into your creativity, not mimicking someone else. Our teacher Ricco was great, easy going and liked to laugh. a plus when you are hanging with me and dina and my mom. oh, my mom took the class with us too. i loved having her there. we all had such a different experience and ended with with completely different pieces. all speaking to who we are in life.

thanks dina for taking me to the class and out for a drink afterwards. always an adventure!

now back to my paintings....

xoxoxmelissa

Painting Fun!

Super fun times with Ricco! xxoo- Dina

Looking Up!

So..things are looking up in the painting world. I am working on something that I really like ...good well that is up for debate but I like it so I guess that is all that matters. Mostly I am just really proud of myself for working on this almost every night when it maybe is not my favorite thing to do. We are taking our painting class with Ricco tomorrow so maybe we will learn some tips! This picture of the tree is not the piece I am working on now but one that I was proud of but hmmmm a family member that will remain nameless told me I should scrap it aka...put it in the trash. Not sure how I feel about so much honesty :)..I will keep at it :)

If you are reading the blog...comment so we know you are out there!

Good Night!

xxoo-Dina

cooking....and then I'll paint

this evening i made soft pretzels. my house still smells sweet from having them in the oven. it was seriously the first time i ever had dough rise correctly and as i kneaded the dough, for 10 minutes, i loved it...cause it seemed to be doing what it was supposed to. i agree, dina, it feels good to do something right, and be good at it. but see here, i have made bread tons of times before, and have never had such a satisfying experience, having it come out correctly. so, my guess is...keep trying and one of these times, you are going to be very pleasantly surprised. to be honest, that doesn't even describe it. pleasantly. it was more. it was thrilling. it was a huge yes that makes you want to kick your leg up and punch up your fist...yes! but that's just me.

ok. so onto the painting. i have been pleased with the process. i do about 30-45 minutes each night on my piece. and that feels very do-able. like i could keep up with that, ongoing. i like how that feels. tonight i added a bit of white highlighting to the center of the feathers. i was going to start the small feathers coming off the center, but i have to get another paint brush for that. the ones i have are not fine enough. i need one of those brushes that are cut at an angle.

so, here is what it looks like so far....

it is such a work in progress.

like life.

not to get all philosophical. but really.

alrighty then...i am off to watch "the Graduate." i can't believe i have not seen this yet. the film is perfect. the angles. the acting. the late 60's.

and interesting story line.....

oh, and by the way...saw a peacock today at the zoo. and i realized i happened to choose a date book for 2010 a couple months ago that has a peacock on the front.

"it's all happening...." (from the great movie...."Almost Famous")

good night,

xoxomelissa

This is harder than I thought....

Painting..hmmm sometimes I think you are fun and calming and other times I think you are the worst activity I have ever tried. This is so much harder for me than I ever thought. It is so interesting because I had a great first go at it but now it has become a struggle. Not so much just putting it on the paper but being ok with how it looks on the paper. Many many tries have gone to the trash because I can not seem to be happy enough with what I have done. "you are not good at this", "this is terrible", "embarrassing", " I can't do this"...these words over and over in my head. I usually am a pretty confident person but this has really changed the way I think about myself. I guess maybe the things I normally try or do are things that I am pretty sure I would be good at and never really have gone out and tried something totally different. I thought that I would be able to really complete something that I could hang in the house or in my office but now I am not so sure...no real plan at all. Ughhh why can I not just get over myself and do this? I will not quit..keep trying! Sorry for complaining but I am struggling...suggestions much appreciated! xxoo-Dina

all the...

single ladies. all the single ladies...

there's the check going in the mail, dina. we are so there next week!

i just cannot stop singing that song. and it is only gonna get worse. starting next thursday night at 7:30pm we will be dancing it up and singing that song ALL the time...even in our dreams i bet.

in the meantime, the painting continues. i have another layer on my piece. a beautiful gold. it will be the background color for my peacock feathers. i can tell i am a novice because the paint just wasn't doing what it wanted it to do. i wanted texture, but i didn't want it to occur because the paint was dragging across the canvas, sorta gumming up as i did my brushstrokes. but i'll add more this evening and hope that it all looks like i meant to do it in the end. i am quite nervous to start the feathers. all this background color and texture has been an abstract, fixable mistake kinda experience. and actually when i painted before, i mostly did abstract works. why did i pick peacock feathers? great. i guess i could make them so they don't have to be exact replicas. i could do crazy feathers. so anything goes. we will see. i expect to start with the detailed painting tomorrow...one more night of blissful background brushstrokes.

(i have this secret love of alliteration...I'll try not to use it too much)

besides all that, i have been in a virgo sort of re-org at home and today at work. it seems as if i feel more energized in a way. even with the "extra" thing (painting) to do....oh, thingS...blogging too. and i have noticed a number of people using the term..."turned a corner." in reference to issues in life, having breakthroughs...at home, at work, at the kids school. it started on Monday, the day we peeked around the corner and started this adventure (i know, super cheesy, but i couldn't resist. sometimes when i write this weird retail-like, infomercial voice comes out. ew.) so anyway, here's hoping that many of you have also turned some corner that you thought you may never see the other side of. (ugh, ending in a preposition...hell with the rules, this is MY blog!)

xoxomelissa

School is in session...

I did not break out the paints today but I spent sometime reading about painting and Autism..so interesting. I also found a class that Melissa, Joyce, and I are going to take at Museo Art Academy in Issaquah! Should be fun. Here is the class description... Painting for the Fun of It! (Open Painting Sessions) Remember when you were a kid and you just started pushing paint around with no purpose and you didn't care? It was just plain fun! This class combines that approach with specific technique, materials understanding, a little purpose, and voila! You have a beautiful painting! This is a no-pressure, acrylic-on-canvas class, designed for the beginner to the advanced student. We will go over letting go and just letting the magic happen. If you are feeling a little up-tight about art and putting too much pressure on yourself, this is your time to let loose and make art fun again. Materials supplied, including canvas, brushes, paint, and a few surprises. I hope our instructor Ricco is ready for all the talent coming his way! Happy Painting! xxoo

Totally off topic...

Sorry for the off topic post but I thought this was funny and sounded just like me :)...my definition from the Urban Dictionary! Dina is a born actress. A mysterious, intelligent, beautiful, exotic, sneaky, women. She lives her life leaving permanent foot prints in every ones heart and mind she meets even the ones she hurts, she gets everything she wants and gets away with everything she does. She has a hypnotizing way with people. You just can't get enough of her mystery and beauty even when you know her sexy devilish ways. she's dangerous yet everyone that she passes falls permanently in love with her. Dina fooled me into loving her and took all I had, but still I can't get enough of her. I wish I can stay away from Dina but her mysterious ways are irresistible. so funny! xxoo-Dina

all in the family...

The girls were so sweet when they saw my painting. Madeline told me it was the most beautiful flower she has ever seen! Made my day....I think she was just surprised that I did it. Makes me think that they will look back at this blog one day and enjoy what they read. The girls really wanted to paint with me so I decided to go for it. Madeline had a great time and well Hazel was just a mess so maybe more of a mama and Madeline activity. Here is a picture of what we did... Hazel- Age 3 Madeline- Age 5 I found that I enjoy mixing the colors and just having a good time trying new things. FUN! Melissa and I are planning to paint this week and next but we will need to take a break so that we can take our "Single Ladies" dance class! The class is just starting and we don't want to miss it. We will continue painting at the end of March. I think I will continue with my acrylics and move to watercolors after our class. I did find a painting class that I would love to take so I hope it works out. I am really enjoying and I am hopeful that it continues. Oh My...I am nervous to dance like Beyonce! XXOO-Dina

savor the flavor

that is my motto when things feel good. and today, i feel great. well, this morning. who know what the day will bring! and i look forward to working on my painting later today. just wanted to share the good vibes. savor it while it is here. don't hold on. just be. xoxoxmelissa

A first for everything....

what a day...I worked (saw 8 kids), gym, grocery store, family time, and I painted! I have never painted anything other than a wall in well forever so just that fact that I could get over myself to even try makes me feel really happy...and well it will make no art museum..I feel happy that I did it. I was kinda embarrassed to share it but well why not..so here it is... A big day for me and well I am excited for tomorrow! Just had to add...I love my job and today I felt really lucky to have it :)! xxoo-Dina

get your paint on, people!

or...get your paint on people! punctuation can really make a difference so, i got the easel. it is gorgeous. maybe it isn't the best easel to actually paint on, as my canvas fell off once mid stroke...but i still love it. perhaps i can get creative and figure out a way to secure the canvas in a better way. so, the easel is solid mahogany, hand carved from indonesia. a great craigslist find...thanks melissa, if you are reading. i shared the same name with the gal i bought the easel from. here it is with the beginning of my first painting. i decided on a buff background with a little texture in it. when that dries, i'll add the next layer. i am tired and still need to get the kids to bed....so i am over and out for now.

happy painting everyone!

xoxomelissa