a doll story, new dog, latest news...and some art

Olive and Floss begged me to let them have a slumber party in their new beach cabana. For some reason though Olive was doing all the work...until i pointed this out! Olive sat down, and had a temper tantrum and went on about how best friends and such....finally Floss gave in and helped!
The girls wanted me to see how nice they made the tent and asked for popcorn! After making them promise me they wouldn't make a mess i made some for them...Floss(the pink haired girl is visiting from Maryland)


Here is the cabana i made for them..we are going to Cancun at the end of february so i want to have some props to take with...it folds flat so it should fit into my suitcase..yeah I know..all this for dolls! hahaha! I also made the mats and they have matching bean bags....
Best friends love to have matching everything...so they got matching night gowns..they keep talking me into letting them wear their new stuff...haha

On to the newest addition to our family! It seems i can never do anything in small amounts..6 kids....down to 3 at home now..and now 3 dogs to go with the 3 boys! Here is the story of Buddy..
We were on our way to go to Tyrus's training down town with Coach Caper and stopped for a snack pick up at the Marathon gas station. The boys ran inside and I was watching this girl..oh maybe 16ish walking around with a small dog in her hands. At first i thought she was getting into the car parked in front of me..the woman opened the window and promptly shut it...then the girl came over to me sitting in my car...i told her how cute her dog was and also noticed how thin he was...he immediately jumped into the window into my arms and on my lap...um his little face won me immediately...*see sucker written on forehead* So after her sob story of how she found him wandering and she needed to find a home for him, that changed to her sister needing $50 because she had no food...and then when i told her i would take care of him and either keep him or find his home she said it was her cousins...any how..by this time i already had decided he was going home with me no matter what..I firmly told her i wasn't giving her money and she gave up and said well dad said i needed to find a home for him....so he came home with us! It was instand fit in with the family. The only thing is that he gets jealous and aggresive with Oscar....but he is getting fixed tomorrow. He checked out good at the vets, is around 1 year old..and got his shots, deworming and heart worm check....so he is officially ours!

here you can see him perched by my computer. He has decided that I am his..and follows me everywhere, he tried to mark me yesterday..i caught him just as he was lifting his leg. He also keeps me company in my studio and sleeps on his fur or in front of the warm vent on the office floor!
he has an unusual eye...part blue and part brown..his other eye is brown. He is a mini dachshund mixed with something...and sweet as can be!
Now...on to the art part...I am in a swap with my Diva friends...here is my contribution...the E's...made to look like Valentines...it is obviously a Valentine themed swap!
and last but not least...on my 3 week and 2 day mark..i have so far lost a total of 14 pounds. On Friday is my one month mark so i plan on taking a picture...hoping for a good week!

well i hope i didn't bore you all with my details..i need to post more often and shorter..i promise i will try to do better! love and hugs to everyone!

First art of the year!

I decided to join some swaps this year to jump start my creativity! I took a break for a while on the swaps and my art production pretty much came to a screeching halt! So here is my first art of the year...a mere inch square for the challenge blog "Every Inchie Monday"

We have a weekly word prompt and this week was "ecclectic" Um i am not sure if mine reflects that..i tried..i used a green and brown paper with some asian tissue text on top with a paper lace an owl and a flower and word....any how..a good exercise to spark a creative moment..and hopefully as i get rolling here things will be a bit more on task with the weekly word...haha Oh well..at least i like it!

Happy Inchie Monday every one!

This year's theme..Renewal!

It is a trend for people to pick a theme word for their new year...after posting my resolutions on facebook of
1 losing all of this weight
2 belly dancing again
3 getting really good at yoga so i can one day teach
4 blogging more
5 singing more
6 starting on my children's books that i have been creating and mulling over in my brain
and then adding learning Spanish and Portuguese
one of my friends stated that it was an aggressive list....i wouldn't call it aggressive..ambitious maybe, but definitely one that will be fun for me.

Most of this will be accomplished by re-prioritizing my life...cleaning and laundry can wait so i can give myself a couple of hours a day to do some of the things that i keep waiting to do..waiting for more time! My soul needs renewal...my body needs renewal...my creativity needs renewal..all of these listed will help me do so...So this year i resolve to make more time for me..to renew myself! I spend so much time caring for the family and our home and try to pick up a bit of time here and there...the left over crumbs of time ..for myself.

I remember after i got divorced 15 years ago from my first husband how i had to teach myself to relax. After spending 12 years hearing how lazy I was(despite the fact that i was raising and caring for 3 children a home and working 30+ hours a week) I never sat down..i was so skinny, i looked unhealthy not to mention what my self esteem and emotional state was in...I had to teach myself that it was okay to do things purely for me..When the kids would go to their dads for his 2 weeks, i would clean the house really nice the first day...and then what?..i had 13 days to myself..i learned a lot about myself and having been a mom from day one of my adulthood in a relationship with an abusive man...i had to learn who i was..some where along the line i got lost...really lost~!

I did discover i kind of like myself..and i also realized that it was okay to be nice to me!

So once again in the shuffle of a busy live as a mom and wife...a much much much happier one..i still managed to lose myself again! In a different way this time..not a bad thing..just one of those things that happen as a result of being busy! So this year is dedicated to renewing me and my spirit! This time it will be for fun...not for rescuing. A huge difference...this part of my life is a total different one..the old one was just a bad dream...long faded away!

So this morning..instead of rushing off to clean up the house or do dishes or address the Himalaya's aka the laundry..i sat in the hot tub and really enjoyed my start of the day!! what a fabulous way to start the day~! I do know though..tomorrow it will be back to the rush of school and such and putting the house back together...but sometimes it is right to pause and enjoy!

namaste! and big hugs to all!

Reflections of my self and of the New Year dawning!

It is actually quite interesting how we all get into a hub bub over the "resolution" thing ...some of us either jump on the band wagon or completely off when it comes to the "new year's resolution"! I am one that tends to see it as a fresh start..plus since it is after the holidays and no sports for the kids and before yard work of spring,I actually have the time and energy to launch something new or for renewing something that I have neglected! I love winter...it is my favorite time of the year. I have time for art, time for home improvement and also time for self improvement! On January 7th i will be celebrating 5 years of being smoke free....i didn't hit the new Years day mark that year..but i figure one week off, in the long run won't make much of a difference! So that was a definite successful promise to myself that year!

So on to this years promise to myself....Like i did with quitting smoking, i have been researching and gearing up for making yet another effort at losing all of this extra weight..45 pounds from the last two babies and then another 40 from quitting smoking~! this time though, i am coming with a new approach. Rather than feeling bad and berating myself over it all, I joined an online inspiration site called Inner Weight Loss...and through the lessons that I downloaded and through daily inspirational messages, i am learning to be kind to myself...to treat my poor self with more love and am trying to separate my feelings of self worth from my actual physical size and shape..for me a very hard thing to do. I realized something just today...that I quit smoking as a kindness to myself. I didn't want to die from it, i was tired of trying to hide just to get a quick hit, always planning the next cigarette, getting nervous if it wasn't happening. Not to mention the stink. I researched for several months before hand on the best ways to quit and found the perfect method for myself..i wish i could find the website to share...it had the best advise! Once i came to the decision to really finally do it...that is exactly what i did..no looking back~! However, i unknowingly (at the time)traded one vice for another...my wine..and when i broke out in hives a couple of years ago, my cocktails which wield even higher calories!

So here i am...i finally have convinced myself that these cocktails that i find sooo tasty can be put on hold for a few short months until my behind shrinks back into a more acceptable size. I love myself. I love how I look and feel when i can fit into my 6's and 8's, I love how my body can move effortlessly carrying only 140 lbs instead of 85 more than that...i am sure my knees and feet will like it much better too! So out of love for myself..and my desire to once again feel good about how I look, i am embarking on this journey of shedding pounds once again~! I just started reading a book called " A Course in Weight loss" Well, i read lesson one...and realized that just maybe the adage of excess weight being a protective devise is probably true...when i read through this exercise i recognized many issues that i have hidden deep within...so I am seeing this as a journey not only as physical weight loss but also emotional baggage weightloss....so here is to a New Year and to taking care of me..inside and out....and most of all treating my self with love! I deserve it...i take care of my family, my hubby my 6 kids...now it is my turn....and I know if I am the best i can be..i will also be the best mom to the kids and lover to my man!

So a profound moment..a bit more serious than I intended..but i am actually looking forward to this journey of self love and self improvement...Happy new Year to every one that reads this..and those who don't...God Bless and have a wonderful wonderful New Year

Lesson One....from my Inner Weight Loss; surround yourself with visions of what you want to be....Here is mine:I was 28 in this picture...probably a mere 128 pounds maybe even less. I don't really want to be this tiny....but this sweet girl is still in here....waiting for herself to love herself...but look..here I am at 45..a bit round but still worthy of love..silly woman! let's do this for Us...me myself and I!
and here is my official starting weight picture..i have to stop myself from looking at it and going bleh....all of me at 225 pounds...yup I am going to tell you....225 pounds of lovable me...so now...it is time to get it back into smaller jeans. I am happy to report though after 48 hours of Medical Weight Loss program..i am already almost 5 pounds closer....yay for getting a head start on my New Years resolution!

I have read many weight loss blogs and have found shared journey's to be inspiring and so helpful! To know i am not alone in this sort of battle is comforting..so maybe, just maybe one person might find my sharing helpful as well!
Namaste and Happy New Year to all of my beautiful friends out there!
xoxox
angela

january angel calendar page 2011

january angel calendar page 2011
Originally uploaded by gemini angel's art and dolls

here is a non doll version..I plan on doing the whole year in doll and non doll versions!
enjoy!

december 2011 calendar page

december 2011 calendar page
Originally uploaded by gemini angel's art and dolls

here is my original December page for the swap...The swap pages turned out amazing! WE all agreed it was the best calendar that we have done together yet! I love the Altered Sisters and am so happy that i have been able to be aregular attendee again! Those girls are fun to hang out with and all so talented..I told hubby it was as fun as a kiddie craft hour..but in a big girl way!

thank you all for your lovely pages! I will enjoy our calendar all year!

January 2011 calendar page for you to download and enjoy

January 2011 calendar page for you to download and enjoy
Originally uploaded by gemini angel's art and dolls

Playing with photoshop. I was in a collaborative calendar swap with my local artist group the "Altered Sisters" and made a December page...and since i have as of late been all about the Blythe dolls..haha thought i would also start creating a year of calendar pages to share with some of my photos! I used my own paper designs in thise one and my own photo....please feel free to download and use for your personal use...and watch for more!