be inspired...

www.mandykeresey.etsy.com

i was in such a hurry to get out of the house this morning. (farmers market and art in the park) that i totally didn't mention some other fathers that have touched my life.

of course, jim, my kids dad....pretty much another one of the best fathers on the planet....i'm so thankful for him and the father he is to our kids....

and....his dad, "grandpa merv".....another dad that was amazing....and then there is our dear friend ron, and T's dad, Bob....was totally always there for her...and then also chet needs to be mentioned in this group....and "papa K", can't forget him....so many awesome men that have been so important in the lives of their families.

i've been sitting outside, under a beautiful and dark new mexico sky. started thinking of all of these guys....and on fathers day evening i thought i should give them a shout out on my blog....

this daddy is the best one ever! my ben and his ben....happy fathers day benny....

and remembering my big, quirky, funny, eccentric and big hearted dad....wishing i still had him to celebrate with....

good day to you all....

look at these two....they are just beyond adorable. i spent some time at their house a couple weeks ago...so much fun. "little" ben is the size of at least a 6 month old....he's only 3 months old and the happiest little guy ever.
and lilah....she is just a beautiful little person inside and out....

and check this out...my mandy has an etsy shop. i totally love her work...i know i can't make the damn link work...i never can. so cut and paste if you have to....

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6132091 />
so took a drive up to santa fe a couple days ago. it still amazes me that i can pretty much just go there whenever i want. 40 minutes is nothing. we tried a new mexican place... "the shed". wonderfully excellent...

been working on my article for the "where women create" magazine. i will be in the feb. 2010 issue....deadline is coming up so i have to get going on it.

redoing all the sample boards for the rubber stamp booth. seems like i am always re-doing one booth or another.

that is it....i need to pay more attention to my poor blog....i'm pretty sure must of my readers may have bailed by now....i suck at updating....

just finished this canvas yesterday....it's a big one...just liked the way this crop looked so thought i'd post that. if you want to see the whole thing...

www.paulabest.com />
anyway....took a quick drive to santa fe yesterday to bring paintings up for the gallery. it looks very cool...the opening is tonight.
should be very fun...the gallery is awesome and i'm way happy to be a part of it all.

i have to say that the drive up to santa fe is purely beautiful. the sky, the lighting, the hills with sage... everyday i look around me at this beautiful state and love the thought that it is my home....santa fe....you can't be in a more beautiful/inspiring city. it just has a vibe that makes me happy....

so...you all are probably tired of hearing about my love affair with new mexico...sorry...(not really that sorry) i've been here almost a year now. can't believe that...

so, on our way out to the "fiber fiesta" in albuquerque yesterday...i found this fine tortoise in the front courtyard....

called our buddy bob to find out what kind it was and what we should do with it....

bob told us it was a california desert tortoise. female, about 2 years old. her shell was about 6 inches long. cute as hell....she was quite robust and healthy looking. gave her some dark lettuce and watched her for awhile....

it was very tempting to want to keep her as part of our menagerie ...bob advised to let her go on her way and just let her be. which we did.....she is an endangered species and it went along with what i was thinking....let the wild animals stay free....makes the best sense....i know, even though we have coyotes and birds of prey....the desert is her home....

thanks bob.....we love ya man.

needless to say, we were a couple hours later then we wanted to be for the fiber show.

great day....submerged in fiber, fabric, yarns, color, texture..... and a small tortoise!

i "need" this.....

through rose colored glasses....

i have been perving on this pillow at cost plus/world market for awhile. didn't really like it but for some reason it was calling me...the other day it was on the clearance shelf. that did it. i thought i'd take her home and see what i could do.....


i had some fun....now i love her....she has a new life.

so, last friday mandy did a spontaneous trip to come and hang out with me. i didn't stop smiling for 3 days i pretty much think.

the picture is one of the first things she does when she gets ahold of my phone. took a picture of herself and replaced lilah as the wallpaper on my phone...

we have more fun....eating, drinking, shopping (pretend and a little real), talking, laughing.....just what we always do when we are together. she is amazing....i am so lucky to have her....it just turned my world around to have her be here....just made it all good. new mexico was even more magical then it usually is.....

thank you mandy for making your mama have the best mothers day weekend ever!