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Hitting a brick wall . . .

May 26, 2012 By Kim Filed Under keeping it real, some home love, this is me . . .

I hate to tell you guys this, but I did – I hit that brick wall. It happens sometimes. This time it was because of my studio was trashed, yet again. I finally just had to stop everything I was doing and really do an over haul of my room. Seriously move stuff out and clean base boards. I hate that frazzled feeling. And at my age, I’ve learned that if I feel that way in one area of my life, it will quickly go into other areas of my life. And it all begins in here – my studio. Probably because this is my space to get away from everything. This is the room that just takes me away. I hope everyone that reads my blog has “that” space. We all need it. Creativity has always been very important to me and I have to have it. When I have lost it {creativity I mean} for a moment, I feel lost. Everyone is different. And everyone has that crutch that they lean on – their creative outlet. Some people read, write, sew, play an instrument, whatever – but it takes you away. It helps fade the edges of rough day or it could be the cherry to top off a great day. I don’t care how you look at it, we each need that extra something that helps define who we are. And in most cases, you need that place, space or spot that will help you get the most out of your creativity – whatever it may be.

In this stage of my life, painting is my outlet. And it has been for the past 7ish years. To say that I enjoy painting would really be an understatement. I love painting. It is a part of me. And I love to throwing myself into a painting in whatever mood I’m in just to see what the end result will be. But when my studio gets so crazy looking that I’m finding myself staring at the mess more than a canvas, I have some serious problems. So, today I just started stacking things up and moving them out. Between the Clorox wipes, Pledge and Windex …. this room transformed .

I didn’t take a single picture before hand because I just dove in. I didn’t even think to. And frankly, it was so bad that I’m sure I wouldn’t have posted them. I had to box up shipments, write thank you notes and print out shipping labels. I listed out all my paint color needs and supply needs. I even changed up my inspiration board – moved it, too!!

I have to admit, the table that holds all the paints drives me cray-cray because I still have not painted it white! My chicken coop table still isn’t white either {I didn’t take a picture of it – sorry.} Maybe I will get to that this summer! Although, I distinctively remember it being on last year’s summer list. I want the kind of studio you’ve seen that is incredibly cute and functional as well! And for some reason I think my furniture needs to be all white for that to come full circle! I also want a sheet of glass to cover the entire top of my painting table.

Of course I cleaned my room while watching all of this weeks episodes of Days of Our Lives. I have officially ran out of stuff to watch while painting. I kept seeing previews for the show The Only Way is Essex on Hulu. I couldn’t help myself, I started with season 1, episode 1. Confession – I had to stop what I was doing to concentrate on what they where saying!!! Now, let us get something straight – I have a thick southern accent. So, I have no right to be talking about the way anyone talks. But I really couldn’t understand them!!! My favorite was “Shu-Up” – I heard it so many times in the first episode, I have officially started saying shut-up just like it!! hahah! And for the record, I love their accent – even if I couldn’t understand it {at first!} Now, I have 4 seasons to finish up because nothing is better than fake reality. Nothing.

As for that brick wall – it must have come crashing down as soon as I moved everything back in the room because I am ready to paint again. I’ve sucked down a few cups of coffee. My kids are in bed asleep. And I’m singing the Essex theme song – it is time to get my paint on.

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Winning . . .

May 19, 2012 By Kim Filed Under friends, keeping it real, limited edition, small words art

This has been one of those weeks. Mountains were made and mountains were moved. Which makes for one tiring but awesome week. Currently, the Wheeler kids plus myself are doing some serious lounging – they were watching a movie and have ALL fell asleep. {winning!} We just got back from a swimming party for one of Hudson’s classmates and the sun has drained us all!

For the first time in months, I actually got all my laundry put away after I finished it. It was such an out of body experience that I think I’m going to do it again! I have a bad habit of leaving the last load in the dryer. OR I leave a few piles on the kitchen table. Then when it is time to eat dinner, I just shuffle them around the room. I’m pretty sure no one can relate and I’m the only person in the world that does that – so embarrassing. And hysterical! And a little lazy! It’s weird how before kids, laundry was easy and quick and really no bother. Add those 4 little bodies – have mercy! I swear, there are little people that come into my house when I’m not here and throw clean laundry in the dirty laundry just so I have to wash more.

Carson and Emme’s last day of school was yesterday. I can’t tell you how much I love that place. Back in the day when all I did was babysit 28 hours a day, {wouldn’t 28 hours in day really help some of us?!} pretty much all my kids I watched went through this same program. I loved it then. I put these two on the list as soon as I could and was so happy when Carson got in! I knew once he was in, Em had a spot the next year. Seriously, it is an awesome program. We just had the year end program with the annual silent auction. This is my second year I donated a gift certificate. I wanted to offer up a Christmas painting this time. So, I whipped out a sample. {I stayed up all night for this one.}

I am going to offer this style this year as a limited edition Christmas piece. I finally figured out this week how I’m going to do it. And I’ll let you all know about it soon. Just know it will be sometime late summer when I do. I promise to give you all a heads up first.

I really played around with this one and actually painted it blindly from the last one. I was trying to see for the ease of replication how different they would look overall. Obviously, I don’t want them to be exact, but I do want them all to look similar. I hope this is something a few of you will want. If not, maybe I’ll catch you on the next Christmas design.

I have had so many inquiries about another holiday set {or piece} and I’m so happy to be able to oblige!!! {winning!} I’ve saved every email asking about a Christmas piece  - 172 total. Yeah, you read that right – 172 inquiries for Christmas art alone. I do think most of those specifically wanted the “Fa La La” but I know a few of you wanted something new! But more on that later!!!

Another awesome thing here at the Wheelers is Hudson is considered in remission yet again. As I stated in the last post, he has never responded as quickly to steroids as he did this time. One week after the first dosage and we had trace amounts of protein in his urine. We have started the taper and if I can work it out right, he should be off the steroids completely before school starts in the fall. He is having a little bit of aggression issues, but no where near like he has in the past. He is so funny – he will tell me sometimes, “I’m feeling a little crazy right now. I need to take a break in my room.” ha! Only a few years of OT to thank for that. What can I say, a couple of my kids are really trained to know their emotions & senses and to know when to ask for help or to step away. {winning!}

Okay, so this is huge!! Do you remember my friend Keva?? She had baby Chai almost 2 years ago. He lived for 25 hours for the fame of Jesus and the Glory of God. Keva got pregnant again. Meet Simon …..

She got right at the 34 weeks this time! Baby Simon is in the NICU and is needing some oxygen help. Even as early as he was, he was still 6 lbs 3 oz and I can see he has Keva’s mouth. I’m so excited, I could just scream!!!!! I just remember as kids, Keva and I talking about having families  - babies one day. They were dreams. Hopes. And something we couldn’t even wrap our minds around. When I look at this picture, I see another real live dream come true and even more so now. I’m not just asking, I’m begging everyone that reads my blog to pray for this family – The Atwoods. Pray for this life that you see in the picture above. No matter what, big things will come from Him – I just know it. {winning!}

And because Simon is on the brain, I’m going to post pictures of his art! As soon as I found out it was a boy, I had chevron pictured in my mind. I sent Keva a text and asked her why?? The only thing is I had yellow chevron. You know you know someone inside and out when she said that was what she wanted!! haha! But she changed her color scheme because of the color of the nursery furniture. It is the honey colored sleigh bed/crib from Pottery Barn Kids {love it!}

The chevron was awesome to paint – someone else request please!

Okay, the one place I’m not winning this week is my inbox! I know I complain about this all the time. I’m just hoping you guys will go for the “poor-pitiful Kim thing” if I complain about it enough. Is it working? haha! I have purged it and got rid of all the junk. Now, I plan to tackle the real emails next. For those waiting on me, just hang tight a moment and you will hear from me!!!

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Mother’s Day 2012 . . .

May 13, 2012 By Kim Filed Under joys of motherhood, keeping it real

I got up this morning about 5:30 – my normal time, but in a panic. It was one of those times when you wake up thinking it is a school day and crap I got to hurry before I make everyone late! After the initial I’M UP! moment, I realized it was Sunday. A gloomy and rainy Sunday. I love it – the type of weather that can get me to clean a house and get other stuff done. Something about weather like this makes a house cozier. And makes me want to get up and get moving, not veg out on the couch watching tv all day {not that my kids would allow that, unless of course, it was a show of their choosing.}

The next thing I did was run downstairs to see if there was any pancake mix because we always have pancake mix! And what the heck …. there is no pancake mix. If you have followed me lately, I’m not eating things like pancakes – but it is Mother’s Day and I’ve had 4 kids come out of my body! I’m eating me some pancakes! THIS is the day to celebrate. I haven’t celebrated a birthday in years – other than when my friends or husband force me to do something. But Mother’s Day is huge. And something I love so much. This is the one day a year it isn’t just any other day. {My kids’ birthdays aren’t either.} BUT this is the day that I have looked forward to pretty much my entire life. As should most women. In hindsight, this day is bigger than any day I can possibly think of {except the birth of your children who put you in this spot in the first place!} I just thought my wedding day was the biggest. But in the words of my four year old daughter, “What fun was that, there were no Wheeler kids there?!” after she saw pictures of our wedding. And you know, that is my sentiments exactly.

But back to my pancakes … I’ll be waking my husband up shortly and sending him on his way to the grocery store – poor man.

So far, I have taken a shower and made up the bed. I put on paint clothes, because I will be heading into that studio shortly {and after I eat my pancakes.} I’m so behind. From painting to emails and my studio is trashed again!

The past two weeks have been rough. Hudson started testing positive for protein in his urine after he got strep throat about 5 weeks ago. I was hoping it was a typical positive – the kind that anybody would have after being sick. So I held out before giving him steroids. It wasn’t a typical situation. He woke up on a Tuesday {almost 2 weeks ago} with his eyes swollen shut. I fa-Reaked out! It was scary. He literally could NOT open his eyes. I immediately started giving steroids at the appropriate dose when he must start on them. It took about 36 hours before the swelling completely went down from his eyes, but his legs – oh my word, looked like sausages. He had cankles. And looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Where he has been steroid dependent for so many years, it normally takes a month sometimes a little longer for the swelling to go down and to get a negative reading in his urine. But where he has been off of them since the middle of December, we had a “trace” reading {which is as good as a negative when you have weak kidneys} in one week. Seriously, my mouth hit the floor! Now, normally it takes about 5-6 months to taper off to zero steroids – but that was part of the problem. The weening off took so long, that his body got dependent on them. This taper is going to be different – and shorter.

And it is going to have to be. I can barely afford to feed him right now. He is eating non-stop. I need to use this to my advantage and make him try new foods! He actually ate Domino’s Friday at a end of year celebration for one of our schools and said he liked it. That is huge. He only eats Little Caesar’s pizza – ONLY. But he was that hungry. Lonnie and I just kept snickering because he kept asking for more! Fortunately, his metabolism is working great.

Speaking of metabolism, mine is too! I’ve now started eating some foods that I restricted at first. Like I had said, I want to eat clean and without all the refined sugar, but eventually eat something if I crave it. Such as mac and cheese! But I wanted to drop 10 lbs so I didn’t eat anything bad – absolutely no cheating! But now, on Tuesday because it is double punch card day, I eat Sweet CeCe’s with my babies. I have convinced myself it is somewhat healthy because it is frozen yogurt. I’m sure there is some health benefit in the heath bar  I top my birthday cake flavored frozen yogurt with as well. Now check this out, since I have been eating so good, I’ve noticed when I eat junk, I actually drop more weight! What’s up metabolism – it has been a long time. So glad you came back to see me!!!! And because of the small spurts of junk, I have now lost past the 10 lb goal and weigh where I was about the time I got married 10 years ago. I really don’t know how much I want to weigh. I just figured if I keep eating good, then my body will eventually level out to where it should be for my height and frame. I promise to post a few recipes. And no, I’ve not added exercise – the time has not been there.

Time … the end of the school year takes it all up! Between 4 kids and 3 schools – wow. Last week, there was not a day that I didn’t go to bed before 1 am and woke back up at 5ish. The only donations I do is for Carson and Emme’s school. I donate a gift card and call it day. But I wanted to offer up the Christmas painting I did recently so I had to paint a sample. I’ve not taken a picture yet – actually it is still at the school. As well as a painting for a neighbor that is about to pop with her first child! Unfortunately, end of year gifts for teachers will not be a small words custom piece. I am currently working on these crazy and whimsical birds and bird cages – I’m dying to show you all. They are part awesome, part hysterical. And there is 4 of them! I want to finish them up today! Just maybe, oh just maybe!

Somebody has joined me. And I can hear classic Smurfs on the tv in the boys’ room – I love the classic Smurfs. We have every episode on dvd – over 15 hours of pure clean entertainment! I have a story about the Smurfs, I’ll tell you about it sometime! But for now, I’m off to wake my husband and deliver the news that we need pancake mix.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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