Thanksgiving Day 2009

Wonderful dinner cooked by my dh Dan - he's a much better cook than I am! I used to do most of the cooking, then we bought a movie theater here in town in the early 90's and I worked at night 7 days a week for 6 years, we ate out ALOT! Our kids grew up at the movie theater, making popcorn, cleaning, and running the cash register while standing on a stool! It was a family place, and we nearly lived there until I got hired at our high school full time in 1998. Seems like another life ago...

Erin and Aaron ate dinner with us, John and Lisa spent the day with her wonderful BIG family. Danny and Jaclynn and the babies spent the day with her family in Katie! We are spread out all over Texas!

Dan and I will be going to see my Dad next week for a few days, and several of my brothers, Ted, Marc, and Matt for sure, and hopefully Pete too) and their families will be there. My sister Laura and our sister in law Deb and our nephews, David and Matt will also be there, so the whole bunch may make it to visit with Dad and Barbara. It will be great to see everyone for a happy occassion. Can't wait!!!

I'm working on my Curriculum class this weekend, I will have it done in 2 weeks, and then I have to get started measuring, matting, and framing everything for my show in Feb. '10. I already have 7 framed, and 5 ready to be framed. The rest need touching up or something - I tend to abandon things at the end of a semester, so I even have pieces from the fall of 2004 that need a little bit of work!! It will be great to get them off the wall(with push pins) and into frames.
Hope everyone has a peaceful, family-full, yummy holiday. Enjoy your crazy relatives, you IS one to them too!!

Long, long, long, long time!!!

Hi! Hello!! Como esta!!
It's been a while!
School started 2 weeks ago, it is already going FAST!! My kids are great, maybe the best I've ever had! So polite and agreeable, I am so lucky!

It's Labor Day weekend and we're going to see GRANDBABIES!!!! I am so needing little girl hugs! Can't wait! We have little Drew too, 2 months old and 13lbs already! Can't wait to see him, he was only 2 weeks old when I saw him last.

Next weekend is class in Alpine - Sat and Sun, then the rest is online - Adv.Ed.Psych. I took Adv Human Dev. this summer and Art History for Art Educators, seems like the summer went by very fast. This semester I am also doing my curriculum observation at Odessa College - Beckwith Thompson's Digital Photography! Tues and Thurs in Odessa, very interesting, and she teaches Photoshop basics too, so this is perfect for me. MY show will be in March 2010, and graduation in May!! Wow, how did this happen??

Busy busy, maybe I can keep up with things better now that I'm sorta settled in!

Oh Yeah!! My 'Eye to Eye' Went to the Midland Art Association's Spring Show!!!

Another first for me, acceptance into an international show(or at least a show with international entries!!) And what a gorgeous place to have a show - in the lovely Museum of the Southwest in Midland, TX. A gorgeous old restored home in downtown Midland, and there is a planetarium, a children's museum and plans for other things too. I feel honored to have hung a piece on these walls. It looks at home among the other entries.

This piece has gotten plenty of exposure this year and last - I have unfinished work, lots of unfinished work!!! And for most shows, they want work that's completed - start to finish - in 2 years!! Hmmmmm, so there is a shelf life for a work!! Anyone else have this problem???

Speaking of unfinished work...I may have my graduate exhibit in October '09 or May of '10, so I need to get VERY busy! I'm hoping to graduate in May '10, but if they move me this summer, to the 'out building', then I won't take summer school, so that puts me graduating from SulRoss State University with my Masters in Art and Art Education, in Dec. '10, which is fine, but it would be nice to finish in May...

State Visual Art Scholastic Event

We leave for Houston at 6:30AM on Friday April 17th. Which means we leave Andrews at 4:30AM!!! I hate this part!! We'll be staying at Clear LAke, instead of our beloved Galveston this year. Our very favorite hotel, with the most amazing view(and reasonable prices!!) wasn't opened back up yet. We will be spending all day Sunday at the beach, but our hotel choices were limited since the hurricane. Can't wait to see the place for myself, to see how it is faring 8 months later. There will be 4 students going this year, and one for her THIRD time!!

This event is state wide and approx. 2000 artworks from high schools all over the state will be there. What an opportunity for our students to travel to the event, to have their art exhibited and to see the exceptional art of their peers. Every year my students get back to Andrews excited, inspired and ready to get to work for next year.

My Son John's Wedding

John married Lisa on the 17th of January!! Lovely ceremony, they are going to live in Andrews, and we are so happy to have them close by!!

Prom 2009

Prom 2009 - Twilight in Paris
A turquoise-y blue, black, white and silver. Very pretty!! Happened on April 4th, and went beautifully, no glitches!! Yeah!! Only 358 days until the next one!!

Michael David Bohne

My little brother Mike died on Friday March 27. He was 47 years old. A sweet very funny man who'd do anything for anyone. You could never find a kinder, gentler, but crazy, man. We was a GREAT Dad, and a wonderful husband - he adored his family and his church. A photographer, computer geek - teacher and repairman, and he will be missed by everyone. As his minister said, he was the man behind the scenes, the guy who got things done, and went on to the next thing. I always felt so welcome and comfortable in his and Debbie's home, always filled with laughter,good conversation,and lots of love. A gentle giant, my brother, my friend, I miss you Mike.

(He didn't like pictures...he's on the far left, and with that wonderful smile, I should have taken more pictures, he would have let ME, I'm the big sister. This picture was taken 2 years ago, after my Mom's funeral. Don't funerals end up as family reunions? We haven't all been together in 30 years, but we managed for the her funeral - she would have loved it when she was living. why do we wait?)

Elizabeth Gilbert on Creativity!

Watch this, especially the last half. It is an amazing talk from a wonderful contemporary writer. You will love it!!

Still Working on Prom, Visual Art Scholastic Event, and artwork for my college class...

No wonder I am tired. Three nights a week we stay until 7 or 8 pm working on the Prom. This week the students with projects for VASE stayed too, and last night I think I saw what it would be like to have an AP class - 7 students, all working or helping each other. Art was spoken there, and we 'danced' - it was pure joy to work with these kids who care so much and worked so hard. This was teaching and learning at it's very best!

What a beginning!!

First boo boo of the New Year!!

I was thinking about Charleen, and had gone back through her blog, and WISHED for a doll, and that I hadn't let this or that get away from me, and how long it had been since I heard from her and I had also been looking through Leslie's things and wondering how she's doing and why I hadn't bought one of those cute pillows for my daughter - and well these two lovely people sorta melded together and when I wrote my post, I said Charleen's lovely blog had the blog follower gadget, when in fact it was Leslie FunkyArtQueen (I just relearned how to put the name not the URL!!!) who had it on her blog! So thanks Leslie!! Happy New Year!!!!

New Year's Resolutions!!

2009!!! Where does the time go???
I'm making a resolution to be more 'art-full' and keep up with my blog journaling. Sadly, it may be the only record of ever having lived, since I can't seem to get into the handwritten journaling or even letter writing!
But another 2009 resolution is to be GUILT-FREE!! Be HAPPY!!
Do the best I can, be honest about the time I DO have, and quit WHINING about what I don't have time for!!!
And of course....loose 30 lbs, exercise, and stop procrastinating....same as the last 20 years!! I am at least consistent!!

I saw this cool little 'followers' gadget on dear Charleen's blog http://atime4art.blogspot.com and I've seen this several times since. What a neat little gadget! So I'm adding it to mine! Here's the link with instructions!!
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104225

Best wishes to all, have a glorious New Year, love and health to you and your families, and keep in touch!! Deb