Christmas Day

My brother's flag stood out straight all day. So windy and cold!! We had wanted to get everyone (all nineteen of us) outside for a group picture, but no one wanted to go outside. There is hardly room anywhere in the house for a group that size, so we don't have a group picture yet. Maybe tomorrow.


Alice had this down the center of the table for Christmas Eve. It looked so nice. Eric sat down at the end of the table and said "What's this plant for? Needless to say, he got the treatment for dinner today. We all had a good laugh.

My neice, Teri, and her new granddaughter, Hadley.

Tracy, Braxton and Mike working on a project with Braxton's new legos

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Tracy and Paul's pickup wouldn't start this morning, so the guys came to town with jumper cables. Then when they got ready to go back to their motel tonight, it had to be jumped again. It's looking like they might be buying a new battery tomorrow

Thursday

A headline in The Billings Gazette Wyoming News said "Skiers and Snowmachiners Warned of Trees" I thought that was funny. When I read the article, I found the intention was to warn about the danger of beatle killed trees falling on them.


Just for fun, I did a Google Seach for funny headlines, and I spent about 45 minutess reading and laughing. Here are some of the best.

Wednesday

Barrie was quick with her camera last night. She was at the computer, and Kasey was rearranging her ornaments on the tree. Then she heard Kasey talking to the cat, looked up, and this is what she saw. Her camera was right beside her, and she got two shots of this scene before Kat ducked back in the tree.




You would think that someone who lived in the snow all her life would be able to paint it. Not!



Here's how to solve the problem - just crop the snow off.

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Sure wish we had snow, but now I hope it waits a while. I am leaving over the Pass for Shoshoni tomorrow. Barrie and Kasey aren't able to come until Saturday morning. Paul and Tracy will be there (at my brother and sister-in-law's house) plus Bill and Alice's three kids and their families. Looking forward to a long overdue gathering of the whole family!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tuesday

Barrie helped Kasey wrap dog biscuits and treats for Jarvi and Shorty last night to put in their stockings. Kasey has never wrapped anything before. Maybe she thought Mom meant "rip" when she said "wrap". But she soon got into the spirit and worked really hard to fold the edges of the gift wrap and tape it.

Getting the doggie treats out of the bag. There are two finished ones on the table in front of her, but they kind of get lost on that red and white table cloth.

Kasey couldn't resist taking a nibble out of one of the dog treats to see how it tasted.

Sometimes the tape sticks to fingers.

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I was hoping Kasey would finish wrapping my packages, but no such luck. I have to finish that today and make the Chex Party Mix.

Monday

If I sent out Christmas cards, here is what I might send! So if you want a card from me, print one of these photos!







These two photos were taken a few years ago before I started painting and drawing again. I would spend a lot of time setting up a still life, taking a bunch of photos, then spend time on the computer fine tuning them, cropping them, and framing, etc. I enjoyed it and it felt very artistic.

I don't spend as much time on photography any more - the watercolors, pen and ink, pencil and colored pencils seem to take up most of my time now. I still love photography, but it's not my top priority.

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I actually accomplished something today. I went to the bank to cash a check and got some folding money and the gift envelopes for the young kids in the family. I went to the post office to mail bills and buy stamps. And I took some of my greeting cards to the Cowboy Shop. Tara was glad to take them to attempt to sell for me.

My good friends Vicky and Kris have sold some cards for me, and it was Kris who suggested I try the Cowboy Shop. Sure hope they sell, as I just ordered a new ink cartridge for my printer so I can print some more!

Sunday

Even though I am getting really tired of her, I worked on the drawing of Grinder again this morning. Cristy suggested more shadow in that fake Santa beard, and I think it is a little better now. I also moved the pupil in her left eye so she doesn't look quite so cross eyed. I'm also posting the photo I used as a reference.

Time to move on to a new dog.

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I'm about to give up on ever getting any snow. Sure wish we could get some of what they're getting in the Northeast!

I am cooking navy beans in the pressure cooker to make white chile today with left over turkey

I have a long list of things to do, like wrap gifts, pay bills, cash a check, make Chex Party Mix, and here I sit still in my pajamas! Manana, manana.

Saturday

As a reward for finishing 50,000 pages in the National Novel Writing Month, a publishing firm gives a free proof copy of your book. It looks pretty neat. It will be 6" x 9" with a color cover. This is the front and back cover I designed. I just submitted it yesterday and got word this morning that it has been printed and sent. The other writers who have received theirs seem delighted and think it is a high quality job.

So, I will put it on my bookshelf where I can see it, and no, no one else may read it.

I plan on doing this again next year. Not that I have any aspirations of really being a writer, but it was fun to do.

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Barrie asked Kasey the other day how old she was. Kasey replied "I'm 24". Then Barrie said she wet her pants five minutes later.

Friday

This portrait of Grinder is not one of my best efforts. I can see where I need to make changes, especially the hair under her chin. It looks like a fake Santa beard in my drawing.



This is "whiskey art" without the whiskey. I printed out the photo of the butterfly onto a piece of paper palette, cut the size of my printer paper. A paper palette i s used in oil paiting, and is waxy on one side. If you print onto the waxy side, the ink will not sink in and will remain wet for a while. I laid it, ink side down, on a piece of hot press watercolor paper and burnished it on the back so the ink transfers onto the paper. I think it works better than whiskey, but I've only tried one print. I wonder if it would work with wax paper?

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What a lazy day! Bright and sunny out, and not too cold. I was going to take cardboard boxes to the recycling center, but Barrie said she would do it, so I just came upstairs and worked on the dog drawing.

I am listening to XM Radio old radio classics. Just finished hearing the radio show of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Funny, because I just watched the movie last weekend in West Yellowstone.

Thursday

We just finished putting our Chistmas lights up.

Call us if you need help with yours!

Wednesday

I don't even know who took this picture of Barrie and her team in the race at West Yellowstone.

Kasey was hanging onto Shorty's collar part of the time. Short rode in the back with Kasey and Jarvi rode in the middle in the front seat. Jarvi gave a lot of disgusted sighs because I was there sitting in her place.

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Helen, Lenore, Pam, and Vicky and I were the only ones at art group this morning. Judi and Rollie are on their way to Shar's house for Christmas. And Conley may be having surgery on his leg today.

I started a painting of an old tractor today. I'm not sure how to paint the seat. Every old tractor I know personally has the seat reversed so the driver sits on it backwards. This one maybe has a post hole digger on the back, I'm not sure. But I'd like the paint the seat the correct way.