15 Minutes

I hope you did your homework today - I did!  I devoted some time to playing a game on the computer (I'm obsessed with the Sims) and also played an XBox game for a little while.  I also did four loads of laundry and asked Mike to help out by gathering the trash and doing some dishes.

The laundry is difficult for me to put away because the bedroom is a complete mess and I find myself wondering what difference it's going to make to put the clothes away.  I'm working on getting over that mindset and getting to a point where things will be cleaned and organized and Mike and I will work together.  Right?

Well, here are the photos of the artwork I did yesterday.  I hope you enjoy!

"Hearts"

"Purple flowers"
I need to figure out how to mount these like this...

Did you take your 15 minutes to do something for you?  Leave a comment or fill out the poll - let us know what you did!

Remember that it's good to share fun things with your friends and family.  I hope you take 30 seconds to share my blog with someone you care about so that we can spread the word to love every day.

Taking Time for Myself

You know, this blog is something I do because I want to (sometimes). I don't always want to write this - every single day. As you can see, my thoughts and emotions get so overwhelming that I have let this get away from me. I get too immersed in my every day responsibilities and don't allow myself the 15 minutes that it takes to write this for all of you. Don't get me wrong, I like writing. I love it. I feel as though I need to make sure that this is uplifting for all of you. It is about making a decision to love every day. I apologize that I haven't been able to keep up with it all the time for you. I realize that it can be very difficult to do every single day. It's a big commitment.  But don't be afraid.  I'm here for you.  The readers are here for you.  Share this with others so that they all can be here for you too.

So..  About my day...  About what I did to remind myself of the responsibility of loving every day...

I got to sleep in and spend some time alone today.  I went window shopping at WalMart and Target and also stopped at Blick to get a couple of new paint colors.  I painted a little too when I got home.  It was really great to get out and hang out by myself with nowhere specific to go or a specific time to be there.  Now, I'm looking at the clock and realizing that I didn't do anything productive around the apartment but reminding myself that it's okay - even good - to have a day of nothing every once in a while.

My responsibilities for the day were ignored and now have a day crammed with some responsibilites tomorrow. Laundry, getting dog food, getting easy dinners, cleaning dishes, cleaning out the bird cages and vacuuming. Hopefully, Mike will help me and I need to be comfortable with asking for help. That's my goal tomorrow along with spending 15 minutes doing something that I want to do for myself. I may stop at Payless and get a pair of shoes. Or I'll paint. Or if it's beautiful again, I'm going for a short walk with my camera.

What did you do today?  Did you get to spend a whole day doing nothing or was your day filled up with chores and other responsibilities?  If you did have to do responsible things today, did you spend at least 15 minutes of your day doing something just for you because you wanted to? 

One of the things that's getting easier for me to do is doing something that I want to do; something for me; something that I really want to do.  The most difficult parts are feeling okay with doing these things and reminding myself that I don't have to justify how I feel.  I have a right to feel like doing something - or nothing - and there isn't necessarily a reason. 

I have a homework assignment for those of you who have a similar problem as I do.  Take 15 minutes out of your day tomorrow and do something that you want to do.  Read, write, draw, paint, drive around town, stop at the mall, get a vanilla shake from Portillo's (which I almost did today), go for a walk, close your eyes, play with a child - with permission.  I don't care what you do - do something for you!  Then get back to your responsibilities but remember why you stopped in the first place.  Loving every day is what it's all about.  Without love, there is no life.

New Desk!

I got my desk today!  The girl who sold it to me on Craigslist was so great - she dropped it off for us on her way to work. 

I hope to get two bookcases from IKEA to go on both sides of the desk but for now, the DVD bookshelf will have to be sufficient.

I varnished one of my paintings today so it is complete.

Then I tried shading and blending with the paint...

That's about it for today.  I have a massive migraine that hasn't given up and am feeling really sick and drained.  I also didn't sleep much last night so I'm off to bed early again.  Hopefully, my meds will kick in and I'll be able to sleep.

I hope you all had a good day & were had something to feel proud and excited about.  See you tomorrow.

Sunday

Just some photos today... 

I painted a little bit earlier.

"Spring Bloom"

I am feeling a little down right now so I went for a walk and found some cool things to photograph.

"Fall Colors"

"Preparation"

"Reflection"

"Ducks at Dusk"

Sorry About Being Away the Past 2 Days

Sorry about that friends.  I've been busy with work and other things and haven't had the energy at the end of the day to tell you how it's been.

I've actually had a pretty good week.  I've been painting (photos to come since I'm actually at work now & don't have access to my photos) and writing in my journal and thinking a lot  about where I've been, where I want to go and who I want to be.

To sum up for the week, we're going to do a multiple-day Love Every Day!

Wednesday, October 19th
Normally I post these the mornings after but here I go!

A friend surprised me with some yummy things at work on Wednesday - I think...  There were different flavors of popcorn, chocolates, cookies and candies (hmmm...  I actually dreampt about the cookies last night!!) in a very cute, awesome Halloween tin.  It was pretty tasty - especially the pixies.  Yum.

A  really good quality tin

Filled to the brim!

We also went for a walk and found some pretty flowers blooming outside.  They're like tiny pink roses and are near the front entrance at work.  Sooo pretty..

Thursday, October 20th
I had a doctor appointment and my mom came to pick me up from work.  We had to stop at home for my insurance card and while we were there I decided to check the mail.  MY PHOTOS HAD ARRIVED!  I had some photos printed out so I could put some in my locket and others to scrapbook with and even more to keep with me and share with others.

Friday, October 21st
My day was pretty decent.  I'll be honest...  I had time to post then but I just didn't want to, knowing that I would be at work today (Saturday) for a long haul.  I painted a picture for a friend and another friend stopped by to say hi & gave me her awesome flower painting!  I have paintings and photographs starting to fill my desk and it's so great.

I made this for Angie

My first attempt at a tree with flowers - I'm going to try it again.

So I hope that you all had a great week as well.  As always, feel free to share my blog with anyone and everyone!

Painting Experiment

I tried painting today.  It was REALLY fun!  Amy let me use her paints & some brushes & we painted together for hours.  I literally could paint all day.

Here are the two completed items.  There will be more but not for a couple of weeks.  Enjoy!

The first of a three-part series

The cover of my sketchbook