New Year Resolutions

The end of August marks the beginning of the school year.  As a teacher, this is more of a "New Years" than January is. I've decided to make a few resolutions as I start the 2010-11 school year. I hope that posting them out for all to see on the blog will help me stick to them!

1. I've got a wedding dress to fit into. (Yep, already bought one!) I will try to workout at least 3 times a week. I am so good about going to the gym in the summer. I hope to keep it up during the hectic school year for once! 
2. I vow to continue buying all produce from local producers until the growing season is over.  Rockford's farmer's markets have become very strong. I love that every type of produce I'd want at this time of year is available from a local grower. 
3. I vow to continue cooking 3-4 nights a week. After a week away from any cooking, I forget how much I really like it and how good I feel doing it.  Tonight I took all of the leftovers from the fridge and invented a new dish. I parboiled some pasta, layered it with leftover grilled eggplant, onions,  garlic, and summer squash, added some diced tomato, basil and oregano from my garden, threw in some egg and cheese to bind it, and baked it in the oven. Yum!
4. Last, but not least, I vow to write one blog post a week. I have plenty to write about...No lethargy allowed!

I leave you with a newish piece I've created entitled " Try, Look, Show, Tell." 

Ta. Ta.

Blog Shout Outs

On Friday, my "Where I Belong" print was featured on the Scoutie Girl blog feature, "The Weekly Dig". This is a very cool big deal! Scoutie Girl, a design blog which focuses on handmade goods gets on average 13,000 unique visitors per month! Its so fun to see my work out there in the blogosphere.


On Sunday, Brandi of the Etsy shop Sweetharvey featured one of my original ACEO's on her blog. Brandi has a very cute letterpress shop and her work is right up my alley.

I'm heading back to work today. As you read this I am at the Teacher Retreat and most likely doodling in my sketchbook while I listen to the speaker. I don't know how often I will be posting to the blog during the school year. I'm hoping to still update at least twice a week, but my time is rarely my own when I am teaching.

My Chair Sale is still going on until Sunday, Sept 6th. Check it!

Have a great week. Patronize these fab blogs.

A Uninvited Guest

Thursday already! My, this week has flown. I've been trying to savor my last little bits of summer as I head back to work on Monday.

As the school year begins, my to-do list lengthens and sometimes that makes it hard for me to sleep. I can't seem to get my mind to turn off. That's exactly what happened on Tuesday.

After fighting sleep for several hours, I got out of bed at 3:00 AM and went into the studio to get on the computer. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving in the hallway. I got up and found a BAT flying around my bedroom!!!!

I don't really know what happened next, but I did manage to get it out of my bedroom and into the studio, closing the door behind it. I just was too freaked and too tired to deal with it at 3:00 AM.

When I got up in the morning, I slowly opened the studio door to look for the bat and hatch a plan to get it out. It was nowhere to be found! I looked in the closet, under all the furniture, behind the blinds and could't find it. Not knowing where the bat was made it even worse! Was it going to pop out and bite me when I least expected?

The day went on and I started to almost forget about my furry intruder. I was in and out of my studio all day and even thought that maybe the bat had gotten out somehow. Well, I wasn't that lucky. While I was sitting at my computer, I heard a scratching noise, and realized it was coming from behind a large painting I have hanging on the wall. I bravely peered behind the stretchers and found that blasted bat! Now I had to get it out!!!

I took the screen off the window in hopes I could direct the bat out. I got a broom and swiped at the bat. It fell on the floor and just laid there, all curled up. I poked at it with the broom again, trying to get it into a bag. Thats when it came to life. The wings unfurled, it hissed and snarled at me, showing its creepy little teeth. (I'm sure the neighbors heard me screaming bloody murder at this point.) I wacked at the bat with the broom trying to stun it, as I know its illegal to kill bats now. But it still hissed and showed those fangs. Instinct kicked in and I wacked and wacked and it still hissed and came back for more!!! Eventually the bat latched itself onto the broom and I was able to pitch it out the window.

When I went outside to put the screen back in, I found my uninivited guest on the ground just below the window. Don't worry, it wasn't dead and it was gone after a few minutes. I did manage to snap a picture for posterity before it flew off. Ewww!