Sadness and Healing. Good and Bad. Light and Dark.

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last visit.

Life has been a roller coaster.

Has it ever been that way for you?

Up and down.

Up and down.

A whirlwind right in my very own home.

Life has been crazy ~

Awful, good, sad, creative and insane all rolled into one big unforgettable year.

My husband got a job....thank goodness.

He was hired at the end of July.

Then, my car caught on fire.

But, the worst, saddest, most heartbreaking thing happened ~

So horrible I can barely type it here.

We lost our beloved Kelly to a disease she had been fighting all of her short life.

We thought she was better.

She had not been sick for almost a year.

It came on so quickly and she failed so fast.

We weren't able to save her.

Of all the other craziness going on in our lives,

losing Kelly shattered our hearts the most.

Her brother, Kenan, had never spent a single day away from her.

He's getting better now~

Finding his own way, bit by bit.

Playing with his toys ~ 

They did everything together.

Nap time ~

Birdwatching ~ 

Studio visits ~

and playtime ~

Kenan sticks to me like glue.

He's my shadow ~ 

We are smothering him with love and attention.

Probably too much because he likes to set his own pace.

But, he's going to be okay.

He can hang with me all day in my studio ~ 

Losing Kelly hurt so much for so many different reasons.

Too many reasons to name right now.

But, somehow I had to stop crying.

I just couldn't stop crying.

So, I forced myself back to my art.

It is true ~ 

Art Heals.

Art and family and time and hope.

We are healing little by little.

But I know we will never stop missing her.

In the meantime:

I am finding bits of goodness.

Firelight sunsets ~ 

An unexpected visitor ~ 

Who now has his own chair ~

Freshly baked apple pies ~ 

And the lovely chaos of the Halloween season ~ 

So, life is a whirlwind.

Sadness and healing.

Good and bad.

Light and dark.

My friend Vanessa told me ~

 "This whirlwind of a life is like hanging on to your ruby slippers through a tornado."

Right now, I am hanging on tight.

And I'm happy to be back.

Healing and hoping.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

Little Hints of Springtime ~ Just What I Need.

I know.

I know it's been a very long time since my last visit.

With life so full of worry and the fear over my husband's loss of employment, I just haven't had the heart to visit.

The future is always a mystery, really.

Isn't it?

Add to that an unexpected lay-off and it can be overwhelming.

But you know what?  I can't control any of that.

I can't force a company to hire my husband.

I can't live my life in constant worry.

What I can control is my own peace.

My own contentment.

Finding and noticing little hints of springtime.

Plum blossoms are making an early appearance this year ~ 

Just down the path, the nectarine blossoms are early as well ~ 

These are the jewels that keep me hopeful.

Purples ~

Whites ~

Wildflower Greens ~

Tiny new flowers ~

Anticipation.

Waiting for this baby bud to become a lovely blue lupine ~

There is healing to be had in a garden ~

Literal healing.

This aloe has been in my garden for many years.

My daughter transplanted it as a single pup ~

We have used it to heal cuts,

soothe burns

and cool stings.

Last year was the first time it gifted us with a bloom.

One single stalk.

This year, it is full of future blooms.

I never had much hope that it would flower.

Yet, all these years later,

after years of healing our wounds, it is now gifting us with beauty as well.

Unexpected and quiet.

The paths throughout my little garden offer 

beauty

scent

buzzing bees 

and

future pies.

Boysenberries ~ 

We harvest most of the berries, but I am happy to share with the birds.

I share the berries and nectarines with many feathered friends,

but, I offer them their own food too ~ 

Every year around March 15th, we are visited by a male Oriole ~ 

(This photo is a few years old)

I always make sure to hang a feeder before I hear or see him ~

It is filled with nectar and birdberry jelly and orange slices.

An Oriole feast ~ 

Once he's established his place, he will bring his wife.

Then, they'll build a nest and in a couple of months, they will bring 2 young Orioles to the feeder.

They leave at the end of August.

I can hear the male up on my hill right now.

This garden is for the family,

pups included.

They have green grass to enjoy ~ 

And a concrete patio where they like to wrestle ~

and snarl ~ 

and romp ~

These puppies have no idea what money is.

They don't worry about unemployment...

or where their next meal is coming from.

They just simply live.

We can all take a lesson from the puppies.

Because, really, no amount of worrying is going to change things.

We just have to keep living each day in the best way we can.

In our garden.

With our family.

In my studio ~ 

I find a peace here too.

Different than the peace I find in my garden,

but equally as heartfelt and important.

Throughout this unexpected lay-off, I have been working and listing items in both my Etsy Shop and my Zibbet Shop.

This is my newest piece:

"Portrait of Mayor Ricarda"

Some of you may know (or not) that I am writing a fairy tale called "Gerushia's New World." 

Many of my art pieces are character illustrations for my book. 

Gerushia's World is a large and dreamy place with a magical cast of family and folk.

This is "Ricarda." She is the Mayor of Gerushia's World. She is kind and understanding. But, if anyone tries to harm her world, she is fierce and will fight with her whole heart to save her land and her folk.

The original is listed right here in My Etsy Shop.

Also, since last time we met, I have listed the original piece I created for the book "The Age of Saints: An Illustrated Guide to the Saints of Wales."

"Saint Dyfrig"

I have been busy listing so many new items since last we met.

These 3 framed pieces were on loan and on display for months. 

I finally have them home again and I have listed them framed:

UPDATE:  These 3 framed pieces are 50% off right now in my Zibbet shop.

"Keepers of the Garden Gate"

"Clear As Day She Found Her Light"

and

"The Welcoming of the Three Faeries"

So, while we wait for the day that someone says 

"You're Hired"

I keep busy.

In the garden and around the house.

While my framed pieces wait to find a home, I keep them safely out of harm's way .

A frame inside a frame.

A vintage window frame ~ 

Is March the proper time to keep lovely orange pumpkins in the dining room?

I think every day is a great day for a pumpkin stack!

Surrounding myself with simple things that make life colorful.

Happy at heart even with worry in mind.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.  With almost 4 months of joblessness under our belts, money is scarce.  If it hadn't been for the Go Fund Me started by a friend of mine, we wouldn't have made it this far.  It allowed us to make 2 mortgage payments and keep groceries in the house.  But, the donations have slowed and things are beyond tight right now.  I won't ask for donations because I am tremendously embarrassed over the whole process, BUT, here is the link ~

Go Fund Me

Feel free to share it on your blogs or facebooks or twitters etc.  My family and I are overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness shown by so many.

xoxo 

My Life As a Lemonhead ~

 With Christmas upon us and a new year peeking from around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about life.  My life.  The life of my family.  We have had some very trying times over the last 5 years.  Horrible things that there's no need to blog about because, really, who wants to visit a blog only to read about the ugly things in life?

Who remembers Lemonheads?  They were my favorite candy when I was a little girl ~ 

Now, I find that this candy is very much like my life.  A thick coating of sourness surrounding a small kernel of sweet.  In order to get to the sweet, you have to chew away the sour.  So...I've been making an effort to focus on the little bits of sweet.

The sweetness of cotton candy clouds on a chilly desert day ~ 

Love and pride ~ watching my son accept an award at college ~

With overwhelming nerves dis-allowing me to snap a clear photo ~

Watching him wait ~ 

Seeing a huge photo of him on a big screen.

Best in class for 3-D Modeling ~ 

These are the bells and baubles of life that matter.  The important things to remember.  The sweet center.

New additions to the family.

A baby brother and sister duo sleeping on the way to their new home. 

No more shelter life for these puppies ~ 

Kenan ~ 

Kelly ~ 

Even through life's sourness, sleeping puppies can make you smile ~

Naptime with my daughter ~ 

These silly buggers, half Corgi - half dachshund, are always at the center of everything.  Even video games ~ 

2 sweet centers in the middle of the Lemonhead sour.

Art...

My heart's desire.  Sneaking away from the ugliness and difficulties of life.  Rescues me from the dark and the sour, even if only for a little while ~ 

I found my way to the studio many times over the last weeks.  Painting, cutting, composing.  Finding a quiet way to ease my worries.  

Two new pieces.

"Guardians of Her Heart's Desire"

"The Welcoming of The Three Fairies"

Both of these new pieces helped me get through many worries and trying times over the last few weeks.  I am grateful for that.

If you are interested in either of these new originals, you can find them both in my Art Shop.

My life as a Lemonhead.  Always always always chewing through the sour to find the sweet.  Keeping my eyes open for the Everyday goodness that is always there, just under the surface of the darkness and chaos.  Refusing to allow the sour to overcome the sweet.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World