Magic and Wonder

Life is full of magic and wonder. 

You just have to see it.

"Magic and Wonder"

Mixed Media

Original available here for $12

6.25"x6.25"" on cardboard

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.)

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Sparkle

At times we can all feel "less than". 

But, my friends, I want you all to know that in my eyes you sparkle.

"Sparkle"

Acrylic and Ink

Original available here for $12.

2.5"x2.5" on a wood leftover from a friend's woodworking project.

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.)

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Gentle

"In a gentle way,

you can shake the world."

-Mahatma Gandhi

"Gentle"

3.5"x2" created with ink and acrylic paint on a repurposed magnet.

To purchase this magnet, click here.

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Forces of Nature

"Forces of Nature"

3.5"x4.25" created with acrylic paint on a repurposed magnet.

To purchase this magnet, click here.

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

The Beauty in Between

And sometimes I need to hear that there's as much beauty

in the clouds as there is in what is in between.

"The Beauty in Between"

To purchase this magnet, click here.

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Into the Woods

My dad, my little guy, and I went to a quadcopter class today. The two of them know a lot as they fly one fairly often. I know just the teeniest tad as I usually just chauffeur them around to the flying locations, though I'd piloted briefly a couple of times.

Well, today before they let us fly they mentioned that they knew that most of us were just learning and crashes might happen. Oh, and that trees tend to not move out of the way if your quadcopter is heading right at them. Truth.

After all the safety and info talk I finally worked with an actual instructor who took me through the process of turning it on, calibrating the compass, getting it up in the air, doing a few jazzy things like making it fly in a circle shape, and then landing.

And while the woods were right there and I could tell that the quadcopter gods were seriously thinking of sending me into its depths, my instructor only had to say something once.


"Don't forget about the pole with the transformer you're heading towards!"


I didn't hit it, happily, and good times were had by all.

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Cat Nap Love

Our cats love to take naps...no surprise, they are cats!

While they typically nap within a few feet of one another, I caught those two having the most love-filled nap ever. Yup, those two tabby cats were loving their nap so much, loving each other so much, and loving snuggling so much that they actually formed a heart.

Love my boys!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Trio

I took a lovely nap this afternoon. I love a weekend nap!

When I got into bed our kitten, Tommy, was there. I pulled him under the covers, lay his head on my shoulder, and he and I blissfully slept. I stirred at some point, opened my eyes and saw our big dog, Hazel, beside us and I drifted back to sleep. My little guy came in the room and got on my bed to snuggle with Hazel and I saw that at some point our old cat, Pug, had joined the napping party.

I love my fuzzy sleep Trio!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Targeted

I let our dogs out in the back yard. They love it out there. There's chickens to look at, a chain link fence to see the front yard, and a fabulous deck to jump off of. It's small, but they love it.

But this time they were barking like crazy. And they would. not. stop. So I got up to see what all the ruckus was about and, by golly, there was something in the yard next door. Something unfamiliar. Something threatening. Something downright wrong.

It was the scariest archery target EVER!

Yup, my amazing guard dogs were targeting the target. Bull's eye!

Love my girls....

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Chicken Run

It's amazing when you find things on the internet. But what's even more amazing is when internet information finds you.

This very thing happened quite recently. You know I do this blog thing. And you know I paint lots of pictures. And of course you know that I adore my chickens. Well, these three collided in a perfect storm of information. Because of all of those things a lovely lady and I struck up a conversation and she let me in on the fact that chickens love cottage cheese.

So when I went to the store I bought some.

And they LOVED it! Especially Red. She loves it so much that she'll let me pet her the entire time she eats. And, bonus, every time I walk out in the back yard that sweet girl runs like the dickens to see me the cottage cheese.

Chicken love....

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Cat Dog

So on the face of it I must say our dogs look confused, though when I really look at the situation I must conclude that they are brilliant.

Our old dog, Scout, who feigns deafness, blindness, and an extreme inability to move with any agility whatsoever, has convinced our young dog, Hazel, to work with her in a plot. Yes, a plot. While Hazel distracts us with her crazy irresistible cuteness, Scout ever so gingerly stands up so her front feet reach the pot stand, nudges the cat dish off of the edge, and when it clangs to the ground she goes right back to her deaf/blind/arthritic routine.

So what are we forced to do once this occurs and there's a cat food explosion in our kitchen? Well, we call our dogs over to clean up the mess...which they eagerly do.

Yup, they may look like dogs but they have the genius and appetite of cats.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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A Lack of Space

I've been trying to teach an old dog a new trick.

The old dog being me, and the new trick being only using one space between sentences when I'm typing.

I have some friends who are editors and I keep hearing them griping about writers using the double space. I've kept my mouth shut as I, myself, am guilty of that double spacing. It's how I was taught thirty-two years ago when I took typing in high school. We practiced it, and practiced it, and practiced it. We were knocked down grade-wise if we didn't do a double space. So I was quite the good double spacer, of course.

But after a couple of months' effort, this old dog no longer double spaces. Yup, I'm rockin' the single space nearly 100% of the time.

I think I may go howl at the moon to celebrate.

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Our Amazing Coffee Community

This morning I opened the dishwasher and made a gruesome discovery.

Yes, Dave's French press had broken sometime during the night. Knowing that this tragedy simply couldn't go unmarked, I sketched out a quick tombstone and took a photo to comemerate the sad occasion. I then posted the photo on facebook. I expected a "like" or two, but the outpouring of support left me in awe of just how amazing the coffee community is.

Dave was offered condolences, he was provided with suggestions for a new one, and someone was even willing to give him a spare they had. But what truly touched my heart is that a lovely neighbor offered to loan us theirs right away so Dave could deal with what truly was an emergency situation.

Somehow Dave managed to gather his wits about him and get himself to the coffee shop this morning and then go to the store to purchase a better, more amazing and awesome French press. And while the French press he'd so loved just yesterday lay broken and discarded in the trash can, he made the most amazing cup of coffee ever.


R.I.P. old French press...you were loved.

And this is how I "broke" the news to Dave about his beloved French press.

Am I an awesome wife or what?!?!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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A Matter of Taste

And sometimes I just have to question my lovable husband.


Dave: "Have you ever had P.B. on hash browns?"

Me: "No."

Dave: "It's my opinion the peanut butter goes well on everything...I'll report back."


OK, ew, ew, ew!

Dave commenced with the clanging of pans in the kitchen and in just a short bit...


Dave: "Maybe I'll just put ketchup on it."


The world is right once again.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Do-Re-Mi...

I went shopping super early in the morning, it's my favorite time to do it after all. And when I saw Dave, well, this is how it went.


Me: "You're welcome for that."


OK, a little explanation as that likely makes absolutely no sense. When my big guy was little and he was learning to be super polite, he'd jump the gun on the "your welcome" part. Before anyone even had the chance to say, "Thank you," he'd proudly pipe up and say, "You're welcome for that!"


Dave: "Gee, it's always about you, isn't it?"


OK, a little explanation again. We like to jokingly accuse each other of being narcissistic...though we aren't...or does that make us narcissistic? Hmmmmm...


Me: "Yeah, it's all about me."

Dave: "Your so narcissistic you think mi is the only note in the scale."


And then we broke out into song. "Doe a deer, a female deer...."


P.S. I know I should've had this lovely little note in the mi spot, but she's so much cuter without a line going through her face. :-)

 Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Medusa and the Mermaid

The other day it was super windy, and my hair, that is hardly what one would call tame, was doing its very best Medusa impression...and it was doing a fantastic job of it, I must say. I walked into the gym and the guy by the card reader said, "I like your hair."

Me: "Um, thanks." And I did my best to tamp it down just a tad. And then it sprang right back.

I did my weights, I did my cardio, I did my ab work, and then I went into the bathroom to do my, well, you know. When I went to wash my hands a woman went to the other sink. Her hair was the most amazing turquoise blue and the most spectacular brilliant green. I was standing next to what surely must've been a mermaid who'd gained her legs.

Me: "I like your hair."

Awesome walking mermaid chick: "Thanks!"


Medusa and the mermaid...fabulous!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Double the Love

Our dogs.

They are so freakin' adorable.

Dave was sitting in his chair watching a football game or some such thing. Scout walked over and stood before him. The sweet old girl looked at him with the intense love in her eyes that only an old dog with cataracts can. Dave raised one foot and rubbed her chest with his foot.

This did not go unnoticed by Hazel, and she ran over and stood before Dave. So up went Dave's other foot.

Happy, happy dogs...much loved Dave.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Christmas All Year Long

We still have all of our holiday decorations up. Not that that's a huge deal as all we put up were two strands of lights that I tacked to our walls in a whimsical way. It's not like one year when I was a kid and our Christmas tree stayed up ALL YEAR LONG when my brother and I refused to help my mom put it away. Now a Christmas tree in August...that's a fun thing to explain to your friends when they show up for a summertime slumber party.

Anyway, I think I might just "pull a mom" and leave the lights up all year long. Not because no one will help take them down, no, nothing like that. I think I'll just leave them up because every time I look at them I feel all happy inside.

Yup, this might be the year my kids remember Christmas happening all year long.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Bandanna Love

Bandannas.

They might not play a huge role in your home, but at the Parsons' house...they're superstars.

How many ways can we use a bandanna? Well, here's ten just off the top of my head.


1. as a cloth napkin
2. to blow a nose
3. outfits for our dogs
4. a tool to attempt to control my hair
5. a mask when we're working with sawdust, etc.
6. a spill sopper upper
7. a potholder when doubled up
8. a dust cloth
9. something to "whip" your brother with

and our dogs' favorite...
10. a chew toy


Bandannas...I highly recommend them.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

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Chicken Dance

The little guy had his karate holiday party today. It was all perfectly wonderful...until...it was time for the parents to try their hand at what the kids do.

Dave pulled the whole "I'm being the photographer, I can't." And so it was me.

The kid tried to teach me a few things and soon realized that I am, in fact, unteachable.

So when it was my turn to get in front of the students and their parents, I bowed, pointed at my kid and said, "He taught me everything I know," and then I did ten punches followed by the chicken dance and a loud, "BA-CAW!!!!"

I did the kid proud, I have no doubt.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!