Around the area

I've been snapping photos here & there and here's a few of my fav's.

* One of the black & white photos is of an old barn I ran across while driving down a back road in Athens. I loved the windows.

* The beautiful church steeple is in Logan. I loved the red up against the blue sky.

* The other black and white is also of a chuch in Logan.

* The angel is a statue in an Athens graveyard and she watches over the souls who sleep there. She is supposed to be haunted, and is known as the Weeping Angel because people have said to have seen tears fall from her eyes. I didn't know the story about this statue when I took the photo, but I can tell you that once I loaded it into my computer, I did make a few comments about how unusual her eyes looked and in Heather's photos, the eyes looked open and then closed in 2 different shots. Spooky!

Heather and her Crew

Heather and her kiddies came over and visited a spell. She's down in the dumps, as you can see. Life is in the tinker to right now, but I'm not too worried about it. She's one of those people who always looks on the bright side - and always comes out better for her experience. Hopefully, this will soon pass and she'll be back to her happy, smiley self. Cheers to you, Miss Heather!

My boys

A few random photos of my boys. Alex is in culinary arts school - to become a chef. Cute huh? Jake loves this hat, and it really does look good on him. No, it's not all that masculine, but I don't think he really gives a crap about that stuff anyway. And Silas is cute as a button no matter what he does - even getting out of the tub.

Busy writing

Trying to get some writing done. It's taking up all my time and I feel a bit burnt. Ugh! And I'm barely able to figure out how to do all this Frontpage software stuff (my website has been down for MONTHS now!) Seems like I'm doing way too many things at once and not succeeding at any of them. I'm taking tiny steps forward with each project, but not one is near the finish line. It's overwhelming me something terrible. I might just need help, like a partner or assistant or something. I'm trying to do the website, write and research books/articles/columns, do the PR for the group, run the entire group myself, answer emails, interview people, etc. The typed sheet on my notebook is just 1 page of my to do list. It's actually about 10 pages long.

Too much, perhaps? I think sometimes I'm expecting WAY too much of myself. Other days, I really don't think I expect enough out of myself. I dont know.. I wish I could see the end result of something, though. I'm feeling bummed about it all right now.

Sigh...

Silas and his Dad

Every morning Scott and Silas sit on the deck step and let Maddie out for her morning bathroom break. They look so cute together... and I can hear Silas chattering about Maddie and dreams and what he wants to eat for breakfast. I love to watch them....

A few more September Photos

Several September Snapshots

September was such a mellow month, probably because most of the time the boys were chilling out, recovering. But we did have a little bit of fun here & there... Here's a few photos to prove it. And there's more pics at http://picsbytj.blogspot.com/.

Nicklecreek Rocks!

Oh My Gwad!!! We just got back from the Nicklecreek concert here in Athens, Ohio (at Ohio University) and it was AMAZING!! Absolutely amazing! Even before I knew they were coming to town, I've been obsessed with them.... listening every night - using their music to stir up my creative juices, jumpstarting a night of writing. Afterwards I picked up their only CD that I do not already own and Chris signed it for me. He was so super sweet. I look forward to seeing him in a future show and buying up his albums! And he was the only one (aside from the bass player) to come out and meet folks, sign things, converse and so forth. What a nice fella! The show was amazing - like I already said - and I hope they get back together so I can see them again!

Another year at the Backwoods Festival

We made it through another festival out yonder in Thornville, Ohio. Sigh.. It took weeks, no... months, to get ready for the show. I had my own booth this year and it did pretty good, though my profit margin was nil. The paints costs quite a bit, and I spent my earned money on the kids so they could eat, shop, and have a good time. Not too sure if I'm doing it again in 2007. Seems like I would do much better selling on-line and to galleries and shops. I'll post a few of my pieces on this blog and if you're intested in purchasing them, give me a holler at missterrijean@yahoo.com and I'll let you know what pieces I have.

Some of my work for Backwoods

Paintings on various windows - most of which are old, recycled windows my brother picks up for me when he's working (replacing old house windows).

I've sold most of these pieces, but I have others. Email me at missterrijean@yahoo.com if you're interested in seeing what I have. Most are regular window size and come with a chain so you can hang them over top of your current window. Some can also be placed on a wall - white usually shows the work best. I also have mirror pieces, and I can customize some designs.

More artwork

Let me know what you think!

The big double-door room divider was one of my favorite pieces - and it was difficult to let it go. It turned out so very beautiful - but I have another set that'll go in my house... so I parted with it - and sold it - to a recent happy customer. I priced it pretty cheap - $100 - and she grabbed it immediately. Not too shabby, for a weekend of painting and having a good time out in my deck in the sunshine, eh?

The show must go on

Poor Alex. He's been out of it since the Aug. 24 accident. I've taken him to daily doc appts ever since, and he's had x-rays, a cat-scan and a MRI. He's drugged up, hurtin' and missing out on his last month of summer. Talk about being bummed. But he did work really hard in hopes he'd recover quickly and he could play an important show a few weeks after the accident. Well... he played all right - but he was sore the next day! One step forward and two steps back. But... they played really well and we left right afterwards so he could take his med's and rest in bed. He didnt even stay and watch Grayface, one of his favorite bands. (Notice the pic with him playing in his neck brace?) Oh.... and doesn't Miss Chrissy and Miss Shannan look beautiful?

Through a long lens

I love my zoom in lens. I could get super close to this spider, and yet be far enough away for it not to creep me out and scream in fear of this tiny, little fella somehow getting the best of me. The spider was absolutely fascinating and I loved watching it - from a distance.

August ended with a BANG!

The boys were sitting at a red light when a distracted woman creamed into them going at least 25 mph. Their car was then propelled into the truck in front of them. Both boys were hurt, with Alex getting the worse of it. Alex's car will be totaled out, and the boys are in for a long recovery. Poor fellas.