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Mattie Kelly Festival of the Arts

I was very happy to have been juried into this show again this year.  This marks my third time there and my numbers were up from last year, despite unusual weather on Saturday.

Produced by the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation in Destin, Florida, this show is well established and highly organized.  The venue is perfect with ample parking.  The layout can be a bit confusing but it works and booths have plenty of space without being crowded.

Art Festival at Thornebrook

This year marked my third time exhibiting at this show in Gainesville.  I love everything about Thornebrook and setting up is always a breeze here.  My booth location is in a parking lot so we can park where the tent is to be erected, unload onto the sidewalk behind it, then move the SUV and begin set up.  Like most shows, I hold off installing product until the next morning.

Beaches Art Fest

This was my first Jacksonville area show and I was excited when I learned I'd made the cut.  The Beaches Art Fest is produced by Holiday Art Shows and they they do a fabulous job from beginning to end.  Following is their mission statement, taken from their website, holidayartshows.com.

Eli, Part IV, Liver-Hold the Onions

Shooting my dog up with Humulin twice a day was a lot easier than I thought it would be.  Each morning when I took him outside, I had to hold a test strip in his urine stream to test his sugar.  From there, I would calculate the proper dosage to give him and we'd be good until that evening.  Twice a day, every day.  It got to be so routine that Eli would notice me filling a syringe, walk over to me and stretch out his neck so I could give him the needle.  Okay, it's probably because I gave him special treat after every injection.

The Jubilee Festival in Daphne, Alabama

My Fall show season started with a sweet show in Daphne, Alabama called the Jubilee Festival.  Taken from the show's website, "The festival celebrates the fine arts culture of our area and one of the few places in the world to experience the natural phenomenon of a jubilee.  A jubilee occurs when oxygen levels in the water are diminished causing fish, shrimp, crab and other seafood to come to the surface in abundance."

Eli, Part III - Pork Dog

We met the foster on a Saturday morning at PetSmart.  Eli accepted our love and kisses as if we'd had him since he was a puppy.  Underneath his wheat colored fur that covered his face, were two beautiful, big brown eyes that sparkled like Christmas morning.  As soon as we could have him groomed, we'd make sure to have the fur cut so it wouldn't cover his eyes anymore.  Sheep dog types are used to this though and it wasn't uncomfortable for him, we just wanted to be able to see his pretty eyes.

Oh My Cod!!!

It is no secret that I cannot cook.  I do not cook.  I do not go to the grocery store.  I do like to eat though.  A lot.  My personal chef, aka my husband, knows this and keeps me happily OUT of his kitchen.

So I came home from working late on Friday and my cook was sitting on his buns watching TV. That was the second thing I noticed.  The first thing I took note of was the clean, fresh scent of hardwood cleaner and the sight of shiny wood floors and tile.  Over 2600 square feet of flooring so clean you could eat off of it.  

Eli, Part II, Hide Your Heart

It had been far too long since I'd had a dog.  As much as I loved my husband and kids, my heart ached for more.  I needed a furry companion.

Days crawled by despite my busy schedule.  I was working full time while raising an eight year old and a two year old.  It was November of 2001 and the holidays were fast approaching.

Since meeting Eli on November 8th, I had thought of little else.  The play ran for 10 days so I knew, and I warned my boys, that we would not find out if he would be coming to live with us until after the 18th. 

Playing Favorites

My favorite color is the shade of aqua I saw the first time I laid eyes on the Caribbean Sea.

My favorite scent is puppy breath, followed closely by early morning summer rain.

My favorite novel is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

My favorite fruit is watermelon.

My favorite number is 5.

My favorite flower is the Stargazer Lily.

My favorite beverage is chardonnay.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.

My favorite season is Fall.

My favorite music is 70's.

My favorite sister is Beth.

My favorite brother is Clint.

Manor, Part II

It's been two weeks and two days since my mother left her home.  She is now around 15 miles closer to me but it only shaves about 12 minutes off my drive time.  

I've been to see her several times but my sister goes every day.  She lives very nearby and we take a lot of comfort in that.  

This weekend would have been my turn to stay with her in the big woods and it felt strange not to go down there on Friday afternoon.  So I headed to the nursing home on Saturday morning, anxious to spend the day with her.