What do you Dream about

This week as my students at school watched a movie the main character told a true story of a long jumper for the olympics that on his boat ride over to the event. Sat the whole trip looking at a line on the deck that was two inches farther than the world series. The athlete never practiced on the trip just sat and focused on the rope. When he competed at the Olympics he broke the world record.

I had heard this story more than once in my life. It got me thinking; what do you dream about?

We used to laugh at my husband's grandpa when we came in for a snack or dinner. He was bedridden at the time and we could hear him in the living room yelling at the cattle, or cussing the tractor. He dreamed what he did all his life. He dreamed about the farm, its animals and the crops.

What do I dream about? I mean not only when I am sleeping but even when I catch myself daydreaming. Do I dream about my passions. My husband laughs at me because sometimes I give test in my sleep, or teach a lesson in my sleep. When I wake up in the morning I am tired but I still go and teach art.

Then I started noticing that I do not dream about painting. Is this because I don't have the passion or the drive? Maybe I don't have the focus. Maybe I am still learning. My goal is to paint more and I try to work toward that each day.

What Do You Dream About? What drives you?

Cooking on the Open Fire

A few weeks ago my brother and sister-in-law cooked lunch over an open fire pit. They were practicing for a cowboy cookout competition. I was glad to be a taste tester because their cooking was great.

I learned something about cowboy cooking

1. I am glad that today I have a stove. It took a long time to get coals started and add the ingredients. Yes they tasted great but daily I would get nothing done but 2 miles on a fire

2. In Oklahoma summer cooking would have killed me. The hot sun and then to stand next to a blazing fire is not an idea of romantic western life

3. Biscuits can burn easily and need lots of TLC. Brother worked hard at getting his biscuits to keep warm coals under them and then warm coals on top. He was turning them  a few times and rotating the lid to cook them evenly. In my electric stove I dump them in and go load the washing machine.

Do you have any other thoughts to cooking out doors. It was great food and an even better cobbler. I am glad I can throw something in the oven and get other things done while it cooks without worrying my fire is going out.

Time Flies and All those Exuses

There is no good reason for not getting back with you. I can honestly say that this last month has been a blur. You know the kind. You are left feeling like a cartoon character standing in the middle of the road when two cars come racing by. The dust settles and here you sit with little birds flying around your head.

We have started school, in a blur. I have taught class and came home, cooked, washed a child and read a bedtime story. Other than that I believe I am lost.

I added an Etsy store to my list of credits and wondered if you have ever bought from a Etsy or other artist site like it. What was your thoughts? Please help me out because with out some feedback I do not know what works.

God Bless

Cutting Hay

Being a farmer's wife I had planned after a long day in the City to go and make supper, play with my girl and rest. I even promised a swim in hr grandma's pool before we went home. Then my phone rings, Tractorman asked if I could help him cut hay while he raked hay so that we could get it baled before the rain next week.

I took my girl for a swim and her grandma offered to keep her all night so she did not have to ride in the tractor that long. Out to the Bermuda pasture I went. Tractorman took me one round and gave me the instructions on how to turn this corner and watch out for branches.

Well with the tractor to my self and the radio on I love the time alone. As all mom's know that is rare. I had made about four rounds with the 16 foot swather out to one side. Read about driving the tractor to understand my challenge with this. I look back to see the bar in front of the swather broken and bouncing like a kid on a trampoline behind me. I shut the whole thing down and make my favorite kind of phone call. "Honey I broke it" is how that call starts. He had went to get the rakes about a mile away. "Meet me at the front gate" he told me after I detailed my mess. 

For the most part he is good about fixing my breaks I just get to hear (teasingly) about them forever. When he saw my mess he told  me that it was the same spot I used to hit the back of his 1 ton truck with flat bed with. I dented the bar into the reel and cracked his rear brake light. I still don't live that one down.

Well with a few welds I was back on the go again and finished the patch at midnight. The thing I like about field work is once done than I have a few months unlike dishes which have to be done nightly. Ever feel like everything you try to help with breaks? Please comment and tell me I am not the only one.

Oh I started a Etsy Page. Check it out and Tell me what you think.

My Artwork in Different Uses

I love to paint with watercolors. The paints are transparent and show off more little highlights better than anything else I have ever painted with. So from the paintings I enjoy making them into different items for you to wear, coasters magnets and prints. Here is some of what I do.

Here are my coasters drying. They are 4 inch tile with a cork back. Then have a protective coat on them and will not fade or peel off. 

 My glass magnets are very durable. I have a daughter and if a artwork can be broken by her I look for other options. These have been dropped and stay in great shape.

On  of my favorites is the necklaces. They are 1 inch around on a 16 inch chain. I love the way the colors glow under the glass.

The way I create all my items is a great photograph. Then I Photoshop it to make it into the size I need. When that is done I print them at a local print shop on matte paper. (Gloss does not work.) From there I cut them down and Modge Podge them 3 times on both sides. From there each project is different. I would be glad to tell you all about it. What project would you like to know about?

My Driving

If you have went to my website you can see I have been raised on a farm. We did all kinds

of normal farm stuff. Drove trucks, learned to shoot, played in the pond and drove tractors.

This week while my husband harvested wheat, I spent my time in the big 8 wheel drive tractor with a 28 foot disc. Tractor_man plows around the edge and I work in the middle. No biggie right. A farm girl is supposed to do this. Right?

Let me give you some history. At 16 I hated driving. Dad rebuilt an amazing 1992 Thunderbird for me and him and my younger brother said it could fly. I was one that did not drive it THAT fast. I totaled it by hitting a Toyota. Moving the engine 3 inches to the passenger side.

Six months later I toke the front in off a Pre SE. Both were from a stop and both were my fault. I am not a good driver.

Three years later I had an amazing English teacher in college that had me tested for dyslexia. She would not let me pass my last class if I was not tested. I found out I had Irlene Syndrome.

Walking out of the testing center with the new dark lenses on I exclaimed "Mom the porch really juts out in front of the building over there" Mom almost fainted. I did not know about depth and she did not know I could not see depth. Still don't well.

As years went on I found out the glasses made my astigmatism worse and tried doing eye exercises. My normal eye doctor who had seen me since junior high made the comment that I never complained about poor grades. My response was he never asked how long I worked on homework either.

Today I have a little better depth perception but not much. I look at shadows and measure things compared to other objects for depth. I still flip letters and jumble words when I right. I have learned to compensate by writing in my hours that I can concentrate and when all else fails tell it to a computer.



So Stick me in a tractor with a disc, it is on your head if we have to fix fence. This time... No fences were lost in this pasture.

World's Best Bubbles

1 C of Joy soap (this brand works the best)
1 Tbs of Glycerin (buy at the drug store)
1 gallon of water

Take a gallon container and add the Joy and glycerin. Fill to top with water. Let it sit overnight with lid off. Pour out and have fun. The longer it sits the bigger the bubble get.

Pour it into to a pan and get your fingers wet. Use a string that is tied into a loop and try to make bubbles. I have made 9 foot long bubbles just can not close them.