Cloudy days here lately:


We are now offering you a lovely Coffee Table Book, filled cover to cover with ocean shots, all of which were taken by shell of shell's Photography. You can choose your size and style and purchase this book by following the link.

You can also see this book in it's entirety.


The book was created for a lovely lady named Linda.
She is an amazing woman of love and light and shell has known her over 40yrs.

There is also a copy of this book available at auction on BidZzar on Facebook at a reduced starting price.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book go towards Linda's medical costs as she wins her fight against cancer.
Thank you for enjoying shell's Photography and thank you so much for helping us often with helping others. BidZzar Auctiin--> [link]

To View and Purchase the book-->> [link]






[link]



Let me introduce you to a fun way to sell your artwork, or anything else you might want to sell. It is a Facebook application, so you would need a Facebook account.

It is a free program which gives you a storefront and way to sell your items at auction.


I would recommend that you start the bidding at just below what you normally ask for because it is still a new application with a limited amount of participants so far. It is brand new and has grown very rapidly, but it still has some much needed growth going on.




I saw it because a worldwide famous and spectacular artist Simon Bull.  [link] was selling his work there. Again, it is at auction. His top of the line high end items were available to me as a way to make commissions on sales! We just share on Facebook the items we want to help sell, as others can with ours. Our audience grows dramatically.

I have static web sites and I have sold quite a bit at my Zenfolio site [link] I get quite a good take on it too. I have really enjoyed it. BUT I have been using my Facebook account to promote it. I have a shell's photography page on Facebook also which generates more viewers/sales. With BidzZar I am using my Facebook at an even better advantage.

Yes, last week I sold a photo here on deviantART and got a whopping 2cents! Don't get me wrong, I am not a dA Basher. I love dA. I have not always agreed with everything, or how things run, but that happens in any long term relationship. There is so much that I love about dA and not just the wonderful people, but there is much to be said about the interface also. We will save that for another day because I want to talk about BidzZar

I sold this piece for $250.00


This is currently selling for $75.00


I sold my greeting cards for $20.00


Now, the largest image  (24x36) was donated to a charity as a way of helping a friend of mine and I have many coupons at Zenfolio to help causes, but check this out--BidzZar just started making helping causes one of their features! You can't do much better than that for my purposes.

BidzZar is still adding new features and ideas monthly and I am honored to be part of their cornerstone subscribers.

This is a great idea and it is working!



Ways to further get your Art out there.

A fan took a picture of herself with one of her purchases. I was so pleased.


He bought these as Mother's Day gifts.


I contacted my local framers in the Monterey Bay Area and Santa Cruz. We came up with a great deal. I send my clients to them, and they give them a deal! It can also save on shipping if the purchaser wants to pick them up at the local framer. In doing this the framers even gave me a better deal on my framing!



The greeting cards are all suitable for framing. It's great to give the client ideas on how to use your art.


Local shops love to have Gallery Showing, just make a phone call and show them your work. It is quite simple and people really do enjoy it. I have sold quite a bit this way.


My Facebook Ad:

This looks pretty funky because I have no idea how to customize the new layouts. They took all my tools away

Blessings to all.

Become a fan of shell's photography on Facebook! [link]

[link]



Let me introduce you to a fun way to sell your artwork, or anything else you might want to sell. It is a Facebook application, so you would need a Facebook account.

It is a free program which gives you a storefront and way to sell your items at auction.


I would recommend that you start the bidding at just below what you normally ask for because it is still a new application with a limited amount of participants so far. It is brand new and has grown very rapidly, but it still has some much needed growth going on.




I saw it because a worldwide famous and spectacular artist Simon Bull.  [link] was selling his work there. Again, it is at auction. His top of the line high end items were available to me as a way to make commissions on sales! We just share on Facebook the items we want to help sell, as others can with ours. Our audience grows dramatically.

I have static web sites and I have sold quite a bit at my Zenfolio site [link] I get quite a good take on it too. I have really enjoyed it. BUT I have been using my Facebook account to promote it. I have a shell's photography page on Facebook also which generates more viewers/sales. With BidzZar I am using my Facebook at an even better advantage.

Yes, last week I sold a photo here on deviantART and got a whopping 2cents! Don't get me wrong, I am not a dA Basher. I love dA. I have not always agreed with everything, or how things run, but that happens in any long term relationship. There is so much that I love about dA and not just the wonderful people, but there is much to be said about the interface also. We will save that for another day because I want to talk about BidzZar

I sold this piece for $250.00


This is currently selling for $75.00


I sold my greeting cards for $20.00


Now, the largest image  (24x36) was donated to a charity as a way of helping a friend of mine and I have many coupons at Zenfolio to help causes, but check this out--BidzZar just started making helping causes one of their features! You can't do much better than that for my purposes.

BidzZar is still adding new features and ideas monthly and I am honored to be part of their cornerstone subscribers.

This is a great idea and it is working!



Ways to further get your Art out there.

A fan took a picture of herself with one of her purchases. I was so pleased.


He bought these as Mother's Day gifts.


I contacted my local framers in the Monterey Bay Area and Santa Cruz. We came up with a great deal. I send my clients to them, and they give them a deal! It can also save on shipping if the purchaser wants to pick them up at the local framer. In doing this the framers even gave me a better deal on my framing!



The greeting cards are all suitable for framing. It's great to give the client ideas on how to use your art.


Local shops love to have Gallery Showing, just make a phone call and show them your work. It is quite simple and people really do enjoy it. I have sold quite a bit this way.


My Facebook Ad:

This looks pretty funky because I have no idea how to customize the new layouts. They took all my tools away

Blessings to all.

Become a fan of shell's photography on Facebook! [link]

2011 Here we are!



UPDATE!!!

GREAT NEWS



PLEASE:  I encourage you: USE your talents to help others.



I am a praying woman and this time last year we were so broke and were struck with many tragedies that I cried out to my God loudly and with passion. I said "I am blessed beyond measure but dear Lord, please let us have enough to still help others!"

We didn't get any "extra" money. I have written about this in detail on my blog. [link]

This past holiday season, our church participated in a program called "Adopt-A-Family" and my family volunteered to participate. The way this thing works is: The church donates $100.00 seed money and we were to find a way to invest it to help the money go further. Some people held bake-sales, garage sales etc and we, as a family, decided to make a CD of Christmas music using some very talented local musicians. We recorded most of the project in my living room.

We raised over $2K selling the CD created, to help a needy family in our community. It was such an amazing amount of money that this commitment will now be able to help a number of families.

The music is now available to anyone here: [link] will be doing another Christmas project next year but with more than 3 weeks to sell it

I have a young man in my life right now who doesn't believe in modern day miracles. I said to him, "Look, when anyone gets out of themselves for a moment and helps another it is a miracle! " It took a village of us to make this happen and it was so wonderful to watch the community get involved in helping. This world is not set up for charity, kindness and love. We fight society to even try!


We made so much money that we had some left over after helping three families. God answered my prayers!! I had enough to help more people. We bought blankets and food gift cards with the extra money.



We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas handing out blankets to the homeless and destitute. We all had our own reasons. My 12yr old son says that his heart was broken when he saw a man eating out of the garbage (he was waiting for me during one of my hospital visits.) He says his heart is now warm after delivering blankets and has promised to not let hay fall on the ground, when feeding our horse. The money he saves from wasting hay he wants to put towards a monthly blanket giveaway. We found blankets for $5 and food vouchers for the same. That has become his new project.




My husband and I got Pro-Tools9 (Wheew what a learning curve) and will be making a new jazz/blues project to help our friends who are serving others in Haiti and Cambodia. We will be working hard with Raven's Relief  (International) and Artists4Change  (USA) in this new year. These are charities I started a few years ago. I never thought to use our music to help. I pretty much quit music. Well, I am back and will be doing some stuff with my husband, Taylor Kropp, Orion Wiliams, Kim "Doc" Mompean, and lets not forget the great Phil Keaggy and Troy Luccketta. Who knows who will be involved, but I am certain you will be hearing all about it.

I am loving my life right now. It is everything I ever dreamed of. We have been through hell to get here and I am certain more hard times are ahead, but we do it together, we conquer in love, we be the best we can be and empower others to do the same and we do it all because God gives us the ability, resources, means and desire.

Happy New Year.



One of the amazing new friends I made gave me this lovely flower arrangement. It hangs in my office and brings me great joy!


I have updated some of my Calendars for the year 2011. They make exceptional gifts!

It's a new season. I look forward to what's in store!

Happy Holidays from my family to yours! No matter how you celebrate it, my hope is that it is filled with love, laughter, joy and above all, peace.

We celebrate the Lord's birth in my home and it is a lovely time of gathering and sharing.




Well, yes, we finished the calendars and then I got started on a new project. This was pretty much recorded in my living room with some great friends. We are using all the money to help a family who lives locally who just lost their mother to luekemia. The same disease that took my little sister's life. We have made this available for sale through out our community, viral networking and I wanted to make sure I made it available to you!! Every dollar helps. 100% of all the pennies go to help this family.
I did the cover art with brushes and textures that I got from here. Credit is given on the deviation.


UPDATE!!!

GREAT NEWS

We raised nearly $2K (with orders still out and with under 20 CDs left! This will be able to help a number of families this holiday.

PLEASE:  I encourage you: USE your talents to help others.

It feels fantastic!


I have updated some of my Calendars for the year 2011 and they make exceptional gifts! I might use other printers for selling my larger prints and other gifts but DeviantArt has the absolute best quality of Calendars that I have ever come across. The images are done so well and are suitable for framing. I need to get to work on creating some new ones with my lastest photography but we have some available now.



I am trying to motivate myself to sell some prints and mugs for the upcoming holidays too! I am making Christmas Cards from this image.

I just get a bunch of 4x5's printed up and adhere them to parchment or card stock. People enjoy getting artwork in the mail. Have you got yours ready? What are you doing?

It's a new season. I look forward to what's in store!

Hello :

We have had the oddest weather. We have had no summer here in the Monterey Bay Area, but we have had on and off again winter. I am ready for fall!! I am ready for winter!

The "Special Friends" concert we had for Joshua Mompean was a huge success. We had musicians from all walks of life, including my brother in law Troy (from Tesla.) We made over $5000.00 to give towards his transplant needs and that pleases me immensely.




[link]

Please check out "Special Friends" It is a fund-raising benefit concert we are holding for Joshua Mompean. There are many ways to help and get involved. Your prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated and loved.

Joshua has had a successful double lung transplant and the costs are astronomical but he is also slated for more surgery.

My life is wonderful today, surrounded by the best love and care.

I have been in too much pain to travel like I like (hopefully that will be over soon,) but I did some portrait work of a little girl the other day and that made me fee much better. Photography helps me feel better. Art makes me feel better.


Thank you for all the love and support.
shell

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What Brings Me to This Blog/Journal
In a deep a meditation time with God, while in a harrowing experience, I asked him if there was absolutely any purpose for my family and I to be going through some of the challenges we were facing. He spoke to me loudly and clearly--"To give me (Him, God) honor and glory." No, no angels from heaven started to dance and play trumpets, no clouds parted and a booming voice yelled at me, nor did a burning bush appear (although at 13below zero I would have welcomed it!) He spoke to me loudly in my heart, past my rambling non-stop confronting mind.

Experience-Strength-Hope
Health Fears
My family has been facing huge trials this year. I lost my little sister in November of 2008 and life seemed to start tumbling downward. Now, of course it all corresponded with the fall of our economics here in the US, war going like crazy and our troops being sent by the thousands and ugliness all about us.
I didn't fare well after the loss of my sister and during those weeks of her death we had lost 5 friends and family members, many to suicide.
We have an overwhelming amount of love and support from friends, family and church and continued forward as best we could. My children were quite shook up to because they were experiencing death, dying and funerals for the first time in their life. We of course brought the fears and discussions to the Lord, who gives peace and understanding in these regards.
My health has been shaky for a few years and now with the death of loved ones looming about us my children started to worry about me. Again we took their fears to the Lord and I was honest about all the steps we were taking towards better health in my life. Reassuring them because there was nothing to fear.

My dear friend Josh was getting much more ill as he has been a CF survivor since birth and now needs a double lung transplant. He has moved in with us to be closer to Stanford and for the spiritual and moral support we offer him. My children have been around his oxygen, tubing and endless coughing and often choking. My best friends have been sponsoring him on a supplement that has greatly helped his life. It is called Reliv. I have been taking it for years now and it is what we credit for my much better health. I was able to get off of 20 medications because of it and Josh has delayed his transplant a few months. It is an amazing product but very expensive.
We couldn't support him, nor sponsor him. We are so blessed with the help of loved ones because we knew it was the best thing for him, but were powerless to help. Thank you my dear friends.

Financial Woes
We had a lovely home, with nice cars, animals and good paying work. We have been paying every bill on time for many years, it is part of a program we belong too. Last year things started to fall. We started to use credit cards, and then credit cards to help pay for the credit cards. We watched our home devalue to half of it's worth in nearly a year. Before we knew it everything was upside down. Cars started to break, we used cards to help pay for the repairs. The interest rates alone were enough to frighten anyone as they began to change so drastically.
We went bankrupt.
I was in school and needed get good grades to stay and not have to repay loans immediately. My grades and school work became way to important. My relationships got left to the wayside some.

I was bedridden some years ago, for many years and I watched how God used it all for his glory and how he brought me back from a seemingly hopeless state to be of use to my fellows and to His glory. This hope and faith has carried me through.

HoHoHo
Christmas is a time to spend with my family. I put the finals of my classes behind me, bankruptcy was underway, no credit cards, nothing to snare us into useless buying. We thought we found a way to save money and still have a fun filled holiday. We own a timeshare that we bought when we got married, many years ago. We have been using it for many years traveling all over. We knew we couldn't get presents for the children this year so we used all the budget for gas money to go to our timeshare to Canada where we could all have a white Christmas and Joshua could have the chance of a lifetime.

It was a rough few days as we found a few challenges along the way but it was so very lovely and we were all together laughing and having fun. We took off on the third day to go see the glorious glaciers. We were 150 miles past Revelstoke and 150 miles towards Golden and our trusty Suburban (which just went through 2 complete and very expensive overhauls,) died on us (pistons popping like popcorn,) on the summit, in 3degree weather. We prayed and whimpered some. We had our phones with us and were able to find a tow-truck in Golden. It's Christmas mind you and everything is closed. We are all hopeful that we can find a mechanic and get back on the road.

We arrive at the mechanic and were informed that we needed a new engine and for 3K we could have one by next week. No rent-a-car places for hundreds of miles in any direction but gee we didn't have the money anyway. One of the mechanics said he could dig a car out of the snow the following day and try to get it running and he would sell it to us. Whimpering commenced.
There was ONE hotel and we could walk to it. It was over $100 a night and I would recommend you sleep on top of the covers. My children played games, laughed and giggled, sang Christmas carols and got so excited because the following day was Christmas Eve. My husband called a man he could have some coffee with and he went out and did that as they prayed for our situation. Thank God for friends of Bill W. I got on my handy-dandy phone and facebooked everyone asking for prayer.

We had to be out of the hotel by 11 and the mechanic was closing at noon and we are so far from anywhere it was ridiculous. My husband headed to the mechanics and I sat with the children. We grabbed the Gideons from the end-table and we read some Ephesians. I find Ephesians comforting. Then my daughter asked to read the Christmas story. I went to Luke and we read about Elizabeth and her miracle as well as the birth of Christ. We prayed, told jokes and laughed. Then Papa showed up letting us know that the car the man was going to dig up didn't happen...but another man showed up to share some coffee with the mechanic and he had a car we could have if we could get it to run. It had been buried under the snow and ice for over a year. We had about an hour left on our room time and that wasn't enough so we had it extended another hour and that still wasn't enough. But, we did get a car! I am still dizzy because of the gas fumes but it got us back to our timeshare.
Bre and Josh had a Christmas dinner ready for us and we all gathered and loved one another and my children rested with a full belly and the excitement of Christmas.
We woke up and had a few hours to celebrate. Papa read from the Bible. We prayed and thanked God for all that we had. The children all had a gift and some goodies and not one of them felt shorted of frustrated in any way. We were able to hold on to our forever tradition of new jammies on Christmas Eve.

That car.. ohh that miracle car got packed up with some of our things. Our huge Suburban packed to the hilt turned into a tiny car with barely enough room for the family. Josh and Bree got my walker and things into their car (with his oxygen tanks, compressor and things he needs to stay alive.) We had to leave behind a bouncing ball and the children's sled. Papa said it was so another child could use it, (that didn't sit too well with the 6yr old )

We made it home! That car..that miracle car,- got us home in record time. Mind you we looked like a homeless family, living in our rusted beat up car, overfilled with clothing and such.Yet, every time I looked at it I was so very grateful that we weren't! This year I saw this type of devastation all around us. The children had even set a place at the dinner table in honor of all those hungry in the world, trying not to forget how wonderfully blessed we really are.

The Spirit of Christmas
Our youngest daughter wanted a guitar, but was blessed with a new doll that she loves. My son gave her his little guitar and my husband was so blessed by his actions that he gave the son one of his guitars. These are the blessings that these small hardships bring!

We will make it. It is hard. We are not alone and we can all help each other through it. I am always posting images of great things, for that is what my life is. I rejoice and I praise because that is very real to me. I also feel pain, and frightened, yet encouraged and edified.
I would like to write about it all, the good, the bad and the way we make it through.

Papa is resting and the children are reminiscing.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.

I hope and pray that anything I go through gives Him glory and honor.
shell

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Hello my friends and fellow artists! I have missed you so.
School has been a bear! I truly have a greater appreciation for the young ones still in school. We are headed into the holidays which means so many good things but it also means, here come the finals!

DeviantART has taken such a backseat to my priorities and that makes me sad. I am still shooting though and I have my first "offline" gallery show this weekend. I am quite nervous. I haven't been in the public eye in a very long time.

I have a few books in the works and my school courses have aided me in getting them going.

So my art hasn't taken a backseat just the wonderful times I spend here. I do a lot of checking in daily on my FB account with family and friends.

What I miss most about dA is delving into everyone's galleries and seeing all the new art. I tell people about it everyday and was excited to see my school (Academy of Art University, SF) promoting it!

Personal Notes:
Children are doing awesome! All are busy in school. We are taking them to Canada (B.C.) for the Holidays.
Canada for the Holidays


We have a friend Josh who with his lovely wife is with us as he prepares for a double lung transplant at Stanford (can you say ewww?)

The anniversary of my sister's death was last week. The week prior I was a mess anticipating the anniversary but all in all the lesson was that I didn't have to go through the actual death again, just a deep longing for her and mourning the lack of her presence. It looks like there are great benefits of therapy!

Thank you so much for your love and support. Now, back to this gallery opening. How much am I supposed to charge for my photographs?? HAHA  You would think I would know that before I got the gig huh? I have a few more lined up also and I have NO idea what I am doing.

Wish me well and throw out to me any and all advice, helps, tips, prayers (giggle) that you can.

School will be out someday, then I can move back home to dA

I hope your life, art and dreams are being fulfilled, outmatched and unhindered. Blessings,
shell

Well, School has started again! The children are doing great. I am glad they had a week or so before I started, it helped to adjust.

I was so excited to see that on the entrance of the web site at AAU there was a link for all the artists to share their work, and yep.. it was to HERE! YAYA dA

This semester is challenging to say the least! Last semester I took advertising classes, something I am familiar with and could use some of my Photoshop skills with. This semester I have to do some sketching! Yikes, you know I will be posting lol I also have CS4 classes, and it's amazing how different it is with the merging with Macromedia..well, at least it is for me. I have a composition class and I think I will enjoy it.

I have been enjoying my family and friends on Facebook and I am glad that now I can use Facebook AND dA. I created a new "group" there for my photography. It is nice to have people from all over the world look at my art, and not many of them artists.

The best place to social network for me is still here where I get help, critique and loads of love. dA will always be part of me. Now my school and Facebook have chimed in and joined forces with dA That makes me happy.
Some ART that makes me happy!



:thumb124734164:
:thumb118049775: :thumb126693794:

Hello Friends!

I have done it again. I disappeared from my dA friends. I once again ask you to understand and be forgiving.

I have been swimming some, trying very hard to get healthier. It has been a challenge but I am making headway.

I have been moving and zooming trying to make ends meet however I can, voice overs, writing, ad jobs, anything really. This financial crisis has hit us hard.

I have been running around like a mad woman getting my photography/photo-cards sold, both online and in local shops. I am blessed because I live in a touristy coastal area that thrives on souvenirs.

I have been neck deep in creating a new web page and now I need your help. I need you to check it out [link] I added a Java photo album and a shopping cart. What do you think? More? Less? Prices? Am I insane?

I need another thing, yes, I know I am asking a lot, and, well, I need your help. I created a page on Facebook shell's Photography here and it would really help me out if you became a "fan" I know it is hard for artists to buy other artists work, but perhaps someone in your network would be interested.

Thank you very much. I knew I could come to you.
shell

Footnote: I am Michele-Littlejohn-Luccketta on Facebook

Cathi--


Kelly (RIP) Cathi (RIP) and shell


My little sister.. what did she offer this earth? Why was her time so short? Why did she no longer want to be here? There was so much greatness in her. Sadly so much was focused on the hurts, hangups, and hell that she lived with for so many years. She had such a problem with reality, with truth, most times she made it all up... much of it as she went along. Reality can hurt, life can take serious bites from our hearts and souls, I saw that greatly in my sister's life. I begged her to celebrate.

We took her to Grand Canyon, praying she could see the wonders of this world without the cares of the world blaring in her ears via TV, radio, Internet etc.. devastatingly her sadness would engulf her.

We would take her to the beach and watch the waves crash in and out with the colors of the rainbow riding the crest.. she couldn't see past the blackness of some veil that was cast before her eyes.

She loved God, beyond measure, so much so she wanted to be closer to Him and as far from his world as she could get. The anger, the pain, the wars, rumors of wars, poverty, abuses against animals and mankind were all so much for her.

That is all the ugly veil that shrouded her being but she was so much more!!I so wanted her to know it, to see it, to embrace it, to celebrate it.. as her birthday draws near (July 23rd) I feel the ugly veil trying to cover me in a bleak sadness and longing. Stupid world, why couldn't you be nicer?

Well DAMN YOU darkness!! I shall celebrate my sister this 23rd of July! Albeit through this huge veil of tears.. blast you and your unkind ways. My God is bigger than your bullshit! Love can conquer the darkness and I can celebrate all the incredible things that my sister was and still is , in my heart, memories and soul.

Cathi wrote lovely poems, articles and other assorted literary works.

Cathi was a wonderful artist. I wish I had her pieces to present. I give you these to represent her loveliness, created by assorted deviants.

Celebrate

:thumb88369263:

heehee had too

I miss her so, I celebrate her, I will try and make a living amends for all the pain she ever felt by loving everyone my life can touch. My prayer is she has found peace, and a joy we can not even imagine.

Celebrate life, hug as many people as you can this week. I know I asked this at the beginning of the month when I celebrated my sobriety, but this is an on going process.

Cathi my little sister

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★ Content:

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★ Content:

Hi there!
I have so many thank yous and I love yous and hugs to hand out. I am going to take the time to do it, but here is a collective THANK YOU!!

Your support is invaluable.</strong>


I am here to wish you all a happy Mother's Day and to repost my poem to my mom yet again.
Mom?Audio Here

Mom?

Mom? Can you hear me? Do you know me? Do you care?

Mom? Are you proud? Am I like you? Are you there?

I miss you, I had babies, you would love them, I know you would.

Did I do it right?

Some are grown now; did I do it like I should?

I was a singer, did you see me? Did I look like you up on that stage?

I got old now and I don't look like that today, Oh, mom I am so very sorry that you never got to age.

Cancer took Kelly and Nonnie too, are they in Heaven? Are they sitting there with you?

Oh mom I love them and I miss you all so much..I never wrote this note to you.. I know that I lost touch… I know I was hiding, f
I started therapy after my lil sisters death in Nov. and if I wrote a poem today it might be different, it might be a little less looking for approval and just showering my mother with love. I have yet to write it, but we will see. Holidays are mixed for me. I love celebrating with my children, but I so miss the loved ones that I had always celebrated with before.


Wow, last time I journaled was during mid-terms and here I am in finals!

Well, the garden is starting to bloom. What insane weather we are having. 100oF one sec and 30o the next!


Ruben is still in Uganda and we have images and blogs posted on the web site.


:icon:
[link] The support of friends and family has been intense and overwhelming. Thank you all!! We have had our wonderful deviants support also!


Summer for them starts on the 20th WOOT! My youngest daughter had a birthday last weekend. We took a train ride through the redwoods. It was a blast even though we got rained on.

Keeping up with my fellow deviants is so important to me. We seem to have been using other means these days, like Facebook etc. I miss the cohesiveness I once felt here. Perhaps volunteering again would bring me closer to the core.

But.... we have opened the pool up again and it makes it even harder to post I am sure you understand :wink:







shell

Hi there!
I have so many thank yous and I love yous and hugs to hand out. I am going to take the time to do it, but here is a collective THANK YOU!!

Your support is invaluable.</strong>

I have been a bit overwhelmed emotionally (sheesh, enough huh?) but this time with great pride, love, a bit of apprehension but no regret.

My daughter turns 30 Fri. What a huge Milestone. She has been through so much and is such a remarkable human being. I love her more than I can express. She is thoughtful, caring, loving, giving, courageous, stronger than steel and softer than cotton. Intense, with depth and a undying thirst for justice.
of course at this time, I reflect, I measure out my choices and start to delve deeper than need be.

My eldest son (just turned 21) leaves for Uganda on a Missions Trip on Tues.
[link] The support of friends and family has been intense and overwhelming. Thank you all!! We have had our wonderful deviants support also!

The little guys are a little worried and are clinging to him some.

But...we keep them busy and the little guys are gearing up for their orange belts in TaeKwanDo and we are all very excited. They broke boards yesterday. :thumb117202683: and brought them home for display!

Midterms are over and I am apprehensive and want my grades NOW lol or do I? I love school, but it is stressful.. I really took for granted how hard all my studious friends worked. I am sorry for that and have a much deeper respect.

I have 2 books I am writing
Gearing up for Open Studios
Setting Up new Portfolio Studio (Have recording up and running, but we have been re-mastering and archiving old stuff)
Getting a Scenic Portfolio ready (not easy!!)
Home Schooling my lil munchkins

Keeping up with my fellow deviants is so important to me. We see to have been using other means these days, like Facebook etc. I miss the cohesiveness I once felt here. Perhaps volunteering again would bring me closer to the core.

and dang it.. the sun came out and all I want to do is play!! My turtle disappeared in the beginning of winter and I panicked. I didn't know about them hibernating!! The lil guy made it home! there he was all kickin' back in the pond.. I was overjoyed.






shell

shell

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