Hello, Hello!

I have two art quilts due to a gallery today for a show, and I don't have them finished. Unless I get on it RIGHT NOW, they wont get finished. Yes, I've known about the deadline for months, and I have been so excited to have been given the opportunity to get work in my new medium out there and see what kind of feedback I get. I'm so loving FABRIC!!!!

So, why have I not gotten these quilts done, you ask?

Well, a few weeks ago, a young woman with a thick foreign accent knocked on my door and wondered if we or anyone we knew had a room she and her roommate could rent. Both young women are college students in Estonia and are in the U.S. for the summer selling books. They had been staying at the Motel 6 and were running out of money.

To get to the point, we took them in. And that decision, for me, meant I had to get downstairs -- a part of the house that I've allowed the kids to take over and destroy -- and clean and organize and prepare the two spare bedrooms and some decent living space for them.

It felt great to finally get that project done, but it took a while.

Then, after all the rain we have gotten this spring, the sun came out (and then so did I), and I realized that I had bed of shrubs and flowers that were becoming Little Shop of Horrors. I set out working on those, and the more I got into the gardening work, the more work I realized needed to be done. I"m still not finished with this project.

In the middle of this, I found out my in-laws were coming for a week. Not just the m-i-l and f-i-l...the ENTIRE CAREY CLAN. Seven of them. We were very excited, but that meant I'd better get a few other things done to make that visit more comfy for everybody.

Then, as if we don't have enough chaos in our home right now, we got a new lab puppy. Oh yea. The most destructive choice we could have possibly made right now. Yep. That's what we did.

The in-laws came in yesterday. We will have a fun week together. Everyone is out swimming, so I took the opportunity to stay home and see if I can't get motivated to make some art. So far, not so good. I just sit and stare, because so many other things are on my mind right now.

But we sure have a cute puppy.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has been raining in Helena day in and day out for WEEKS! A girl can't go mountain biking on wet trails. That's very uncool. And a girl doesn't want to go for a wet hike or run. It's just unfun!

School is out and we are all stuck inside going stir crazy.

I hate to complain, considering that some people are out of their flooded homes. I mean, that would REALLY suck. But comparing myself to others doesn't take away the fact that I'm going ape shit and desperately need some sunshine!

Talent Search

The last few days have been pretty exciting!

I thought life would calm down as soon as school was out, but nope!

BAsed on her head shot, Eliza got a call-back for the H&M catalog model audition, so yesterday we drove to Bozeman and she got to meet the photographer and have a mini shoot. She was awesome, and they loved her. I will be surprised if they don't choose her for the catalog!

Another great turn of events is that they noticed Caroline with her and said, "Are you the big sister?" and Caroline said yes, but that she was not the right height to apply. Then the photographer told her, "Well, we will be back next year and we'll get you then."

Caroline was thrilled. Although she is excited for her little sister, she was feeling a little left out of all the fun.

Then, we got back home just in time for Jamie and me to get ready for the Holter Museum's annual Art Auction. I had a small piece in the silent auction, so I was a little nervous about whether or not anyone would bid on it!

I was tickled when three people bid on it and it sold for $85!

Today I will be int he studio working on a piece for an upcoming gallery show of portraits. Mine will be quilt portraits...at least that's the aim. I reserve the right to change my mind and collage, paint or mosaic a portrait if I decide to!

Swim Lessons for Grown-Ups

Wanna go swimming?

Today I am taking my first-ever swim lesson. I figured at 40, I might want to learn how to swim correctly, and put away my 30-year self-taught swim technique that resembles a dog-frog combo. I mean, it has gotten me from point A to point B for that long, but it ain't pretty!

But, alas, it is STILL raining! Pouring rain! And that has dampened (pardon the pun) my enthusiasm for this lesson, which I have been looking forward to for weeks! Okay, I know I'm going to get wet anyway. Duh. But the pool is warm water. The rain feels like it just thawed out before it splatted on my head.

I thought about calling it off and postponing for a nicer day. But I think I'll just go for it. I've been a fair-weather exerciser for so long and it has not been a good thing. I start every spring in terrible shape. I want to ride my bike and run trails and play with the kids at the parks, and I'm dying until about August. The pain, the lack of oxygen, the jiggle, the regret for sitting on my butt all winter long! By the time I get to feeling fit, the cold comes back and I begin my pseudo-hibernation again.

IT'S TIME I TOUGHEN UP!

So bring it! Rain and all.

I'll hit the hot tub as soon as I'm finished!

Head Shots

This is our Eliza Paige. She is auditioning to be a catalog model for H & M clothing company, and this is her new professional head shot. Although she can be a little bit shy at times, she jumped up on the photographer's stool and worked that camera like she's been doing it her entire life. It was so much fun to watch her. There were several great shots, so it was hard to narrow them down to "the one."

From this photo, they will decide whether or not they want to see her in person. If she gets that far, she will go to Bozeman next Friday for an audition. I have no idea how many kids are trying for it, but I'm sure the number is way up there.

The next step will be for the few kids they choose to have the photo shoot at the end of the month in Glacier National Park.

We, of course, think our Eliza is the best choice. Even if they toss her head shot at first sight, she is our little model.