The Queen Is In

18 x 24 cm

Amy loves to roam the neighborhood, but also takes care of responsibility at home.  If I'm sewing and have fabric laying on the floor, she comes to inspect it, then lays down right in the middle to take a nap.  If I have a bunch of newly gessoed boards laying out to dry, she walks across one or two, leaving paw prints.  The board this is painted on, was autographed by Amy.

Adventzeit

27,5 x 20 cm

Finding the magic of Christmas in the busy month of December is not always easy, even though it may be simple. As simple as taking a piece of chocolate from the Advent Calendar each day, looking at the paper mache figures that represent some Christmas traditions, and choosing one to replace the chocolate.

The magic of Christmas simply comes from the heart.

Weihnachtsessen

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To eat, or not to eat.  We went to a Christmas dinner the other night, and found two pieces of chocolate at each place.  I got an angel and Santa.  I like chocolate, and wanted to just eat them, but this Santa had a nice face, and, oh darn.  I knew he needed to be in a painting.  I looked over at Roland's place to see which ones he got and saw two pieces of wadded up foil.  There's a price to pay, being a painter.

Dandelion Wrap

13 x 18 cm

Roundoff



15,5 x 13 cm

As I watched my grandson learn how to do roundoffs in his gymnastics class, I remembered learning how to do roundoffs in school.  My sister liked gymnastics more than I did.  I liked the sports, like basketball.  But the worst thing about gym was the blue uniforms we had to wear.  Ugly.  And if we didn't have them there nice and clean every Monday, we got in a lot of trouble.
I could have painted stripes to contrast the roundness of the clementines, but since there are so many things we round off like numbers, tips, etc., I decided to round it all off with polka dots.

Pfeffernüsse

18 x 13 cm

Christmas Cheer

11 x 18 cm

Paired Up

18 x 24 cm

Golden Opportunity

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The good thing about having kids around, is that one can usually find an explanation for something gone wrong.  If the VCR isn't working, check to see if there's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the slot where the movies are supposed to go in.  There was one.
I was getting frustrated trying to get decent photos of paintings to post.  It's been very foggy so the lighting was bad, but today there was sun and I still couldn't get a good picture.  It was like looking at it through blurry eyes and I started to wonder if something had happened to my camera.  I checked the lens, and saw a fingerprint kind of look.  I smiled as I then remembered my four year old grandson had been taking pictures.  He was looking at the lens and I said "Don't touch the lens!"

Rose Water Bottle

13 x 18 cm

But now it's a hydrangea water bottle.

Wilbur's Friend

18 x 13 cm

My favorite pig story is Charlotte's Web.

This pig was painted for the challenge by Carol Marine on DPW.  Her husband David, is the master of DPW.  Carol, David and son Jacob, lost their home and Carol's studio, in the Bastrop, Texas forest fire.  There is a fundraiser to help them with immediate needs and to rebuild.  Best wishes to them as they build a new home.

Lucky For You

13 x 18 cm

According to tradition, an acorn in each windowsill keeps lightning from striking the house.  Carrying acorns in a purse or pocket brings luck.

Gardening Grew On Us

16,5 x 20 cm

The tiny nasturium plants in the painting "Gardening Grows On You" were transplanted.  They grew and bloomed.
This was painted for the challenge from James Coulter on DPW.

Make Lemonade

13 x 18 cm

According to an article in the newspaper, we didn't have summer this year.  Officially, a summer day is 25° C.  We only reached 24°C.  So far. 
One gray and rainy day we were walking through the city and someone near us said, "There is no bad weather, only bad moods."  (Translated).  It fits with the saying, "If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade."  Remember to add sugar. :-)

Spicy Mystery

19,5 x 12 cm

We received these spices from our friends after their trip to Greece and Turkey.  She said, "I don't know what they are.  Have fun!"

Tea Trimmings

24 x 18 cm

I don't have a favorite mug I use every day.  It's a matter of going to the collection of mugs and looking for the one that fits the mood that day.  Sometimes it's a mug, sometimes it's tea with trimmings.

Broken Up

14,5 x 14,5 cm

Breakfast Break

21 x 17,5 cm

Die Schnecke

18 x 21,5 cm

Ravel began with a simple tune and repeated it a number of times without any development, gradually adding instruments. Boléro, though simple, was a sensational success.

First Chips

27,5 x 20 cm

When I look at an old piece of enamel ware, I know each chip or dent tells a story from someone's life.  Whether it be simple or more dramatic.
Roland bought two small pans at the Hannover Market, thinking they were exactly what I was looking for.  He was right.  I used them for a few years, and again the other day.  I washed one and was drying the lid, when I needed to do something else.  I set it all down on the counter.  A bit later I grabbed the towel and the lid went crashing to the hard tile floor. 
Roland came in from the terrace to see if everything was all right.  It was.  The lid just had two chips now.  As simple as that.

Murano

21 x 18,5 cm

Bella Italia

Flower Power

19,5 x 27,5 cm

Flowers are right there with "laughter is the best medicine".

Greetsiel

50 x 70 cm

Painting Paraphernalia

15 x 20 cm

The challenge for DPW this week is to "paint what you paint with".  The question is, what do you paint with when you paint what you paint with?

Bird Watching

41 x 17,5 cm

"Gardening Grows On You"



13 x 18 cm

The title comes from a sign hanging on the door to our garden.  

Makin' It

30,5 x 14 cm

Better Breakfast



14,5 x 14,5 cm

Flowers make breakfast better.

Toothpicks

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Take Your Pick

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Super Thread



9 x 9 cm

Posing

28 x 20 cm

Keukenhof

Top Brass

9 x 9 cm

with a cherry on top

23 x 12 cm

Bustle

18,5 x 24 cm

A pair.

Hustle

18,5 x 24 cm

Marigold

11,5 x 11,5 cm

Not Only For Breakfast

13 x 13 cm

Peonies

23 x 32 cm

Sugar Sugar



9 x 11,5 cm

9 x 11,5 cm

Chivin'



12 x 23 cm
Bombus lapidarius; Red tailed bumblebee

Peppermint Pills

12,5 x 20,5 cm

Good for what ails you.

Strawberry Blues



24 x 22,5 cm

Dog Treats

19,5 x 27,5 cm

Made with star dust.  Also called Weizen Vollkornmehl.  Flour.

Lineup

27,5 x 19,5 cm

Three of Them

24 x 18,5 cm

Empty Bottle

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This is to celebrate that John finished taking his pills.  I use the term "taking his pills" loosely.  I was using the "a spoonful of cream cheese helps the medicine go down" principle which worked well.  But the vet said it was much better to take them without food and said sometimes the animals actually like the pills.  She gave one to John and he ate it. 
That was the last one he took willingly, and he got more resistent as we went.  Four times a day.  Sometimes I told him he was a good dog, and he jumped around, being happy that he was a good dog. Then I would see the pill on the floor. 
I was as determined as he was.  It came to me prying open his clenched teeth, put the pill as far back on his tongue as possible, hold his mouth shut, and tip his head back a little until I thought he swallowed the pill.  One would think he would just swallow and get it done.  He often did.  But one night as I was going to bed, I saw something white on the floor.  It was one of John's pills.  He must have managed to get it out of his mouth and carry it around in his fur, until it dropped to the floor.
He took most of his pills.

One by One

27,5 x 20 cm

Wrapped Up

24 x 20 cm