behind the scenes at the fashion show

i did a fashion show today! it was a blast! here are some pics from backstage!

working on my runway "pattern"

my pattern looks like a fallopian tube? weird

ruth, the choreographer and her apprentice, sissy

waiting backstage to do our run-through

and we're walking....i was "shooting from the hip" literally walking and taking pics from my hip. an act like this is like suicide for a model. you could get in trouble OR WORSE, trip and fall and accidentally photograph the fall.

hold still...look up...down....now with the blush and finish with glossssss!

let's just prick this hair up and NOW....that is good!

audrey the beautiful commentator!

she will always be the picture of fashion!

there she is! miss ALABAMA! she's so adorable it is just SICK!

my "dresser" was GREAT! she made the wardrobe changes run smoothly! and...she babysits!

 mother and daughter models! beautiful!

the beautiful and sweet dianne!

"our work here is DONE!" great stylists!

"show ready"

whoa!

i was just doing one of my favorite things. talking with a spanish accent. crunch hates it! he says, "talk like my mom!" i said, "jor mother eees not heer she vent to de store. i yam heer twen sisteer"
then...get this!...he slaped my cheek and said, "SNAP OUT OF IT, BUZZ"
no more "toy story" for him!

what in the sam hill hamster is THAT?

i'll let you decide. all i have to say is the other hamsters at the shop had the same butts. the females were sold out! i wonder why? because ONLY the boy "black bear" hamsters have "back". but this hamster's butt has to be documented. it is SO BIG, BECKY!

a boy and his dog

crunch and his "biting dog" as he calls him

rebel has gotten a whole lot better! as long as we keep up with his commands and practice, i think he will be a really good dog. his ears are hilarious! they have a mind of their own! they sometimes cover his eyes. when you talk to him they move all around to the different noises. the biting is MUCH better. for the most part he just has that kangaroo like expression all the time and growls a little at the kids. and his idea of a kiss is a lick on the nose and then a bite on the nose! not painful. just a love bite.

painting party!

my friend elizabeth asked me to host a painting party for her birthday. we worked out the detes and then had the party last night. it was a lot of work to prepare my home for the event. two flights of stairs to bring all painting supplies to the outdoor covered porch. card tables, tablecloths, fans, and places for the girls to sit, eat and drink. i was a sweaty mess by the time they got here. we painted owls. i particularly like the owl that was named coco. can you find her? a GREAT time was had by the guests (i hope) and i had fun too. i hope to do more and now i know what to tweek. they were my guiney pigs (sorry girls).

prep

getting ready to paint!

wow!

finished HOOTS!

(elizabeth, far right)

where is coco?

hint: top row

recycled hoot

i painted this "RED BARN OWL" for the Exceptional Foundation's art auction. i used a recycled "playhouse" window, an old kimono robe of mine, bottle caps, and of course, paint. i luv this one! the auction's on friday night for you birmingham junkies!

i am a REAL ARTIST!

i have a checking account! just for my art business! i can't believe it. i am totally NOT going to spend all of my money now at garage sales and thrift stores. i promise. you know why? because i have to prove to my family that i can MANAGE money! and i also want to prove it to myself. so i tootled into BBVA Compass Bank in downtown Homewood (my favorite branch because it feels like a family bank)and started an account! just for me. not bert. ok, i will LEND money to him from my "this funky junky" account, but only if he begs!
ok, so this is funny.......my banker, Edward Elliot, is a friend from church, so if i overdraw like crazy he might wonder why i am taking communion! TOTALLY kidding! i am so excited about the whole thing.

"hey, liz! we are so excited you are here! want some money for your account?"

HEY, LIZ! i am SO excited to start your business account! BTW what did you think of this week's sermon? awesome!

I GET CHECKS??????? WOWZERS!

fancy and a cowboy!

one of my "to do list" dreams came true friday night. i got to see REBA! she was in town with GEORGE STRAIGHT who is an added bonus because bert loves him. i was offered tickets at face value from a friend and they happened to be 5th row! i bought bert a "cowboy shirt" which was only a short sleeve plaid button down and i dressed "fancy" on the top and wore jeans and cowboy boots. well, when Reba came out....i freaked. ok, a little background.....martha (my roommate) and i used to drive down the road in oxford and sing to her music at the top of our lungs. she would tell me how great her concerts were and i would say, "oh, i'm going one day...FOR SURE!" we especially loved the songs "does he love you" and "fancy".
Lee anne womack opened up for them and she ended up making an appearance with REBA to do the duet...."DOES HE LOVE YOU". THIS is when i turned into a complete dork, sang EVERY word as if i was the star!
when reba came out...are you ready....i started crying! yes, this is REBA, not the beatles! but yes there i was on the 5th row bawling like a baby! bert's expression was priceless. it was like he was saying...FOR REAL?
let me add some more background. i watch the show REBA (re-runs) practically every day when i paint or fold laundry i feel as if we are dear friends! i laugh so hard because it is a HILARIOUS TV SHOW! so, i was seeing a legendary singer AND one of my favorite tv stars. it was just too much.
oh and i got on the JUMBO TRON i am sure with mascara running down my face!
George straight was GREAT. he plays like he is playing in a honky tonk bar and seems shy, humble and sweet. he was awesome and we had a fit during "ALL MY EX'S LIVE IN TEXAS"!
i got some great pictures i would love to share.

the duet

"Barbara Jean", one of my favorite REBA show cast members came out. she was HILARIOUS!

we were SO CLOSE!

GEORGE!

george shaking my hand!

me and MY cowboy!

a painting sent to the BIG APPLE!

this NEW YORK "junkie" wanted this bible verse incorporated into her nursery. lettering is not my BEST thing but i gave it a valiant effort!

PS. SHE LOVED IT!

a clean room

a couple of posts down you can read about our search for RICO our elderly hamster. we tore peanut's room apart to find him. well, someone had to clean it! since i am a control freak, i decided to clean it myself. throwing away any JUNK that i found and also putting together a give-away pile. it turned out well! here is a before and after:

oh    my    goodness!

MUCHO BETTERO!

remember the closet scene in E.T.?

have you ever watched "hoarders"?

daddy's girls!

a painting of three girls and their beloved dog! a gift for a daddy's birthday! this was a joy to paint!

goalie!

peanut's soccer team: the FIRECRACKERS played on friday night. first of all, i am a completely obnoxious sports mom. running up and down the sidelines cheering for each player. i can't stop! one of my friends (and you know who you are) was looking at magazines! and catalogs! LIGHT FIXTURES!! i just can't be that calm!
ok SO, peanut was at GOALIE for the first half and she did GREAT! i was so proud of her because the other team was good and they were ALL OVER the goal the whole half! i know nothing about soccer but pea and another little girl guarded that goal like their life depended on it. i was SO PROUD! they did score twice on them BUT, not without a fight! and MOST IMPORTANTLY, their costumes no...their UNIFORMS are cute as a button! correction...their uniforms are intimidating and LOUD! like FIRECRACKERS!! BOOM!

cuties! but TOUGH AS NAILS! can't you tell?

look at my girl!

chunk it sista!

get ready peanut!

is that my child THROWING herself on the ball? GO PEANUT!

fun times were had! soccer is a blast!

where was rico??

well, RICO the elderly dwarf hamster, went missing sometime in the night on thursday night/friday morning. peanut noticed that he was not in his cage and had squeezed out of small gap that had been left from poor cage assembly. she ripped her room up looking for the little guy. no such luck. pea was devastated that her hamster might really be gone. we set the cage on the ground with the door opened. and VOILA! this morning, we found him...hanging out...on his wheel! in his CAGE! home sweet home. his own happy Brier patch. meanwhile THANK GOODNESS the weenie dog is back at the trainer. he would have had him a rico sandwich! for sure. he tries to get to butter's hamster and i know it is not to play! he is a hunter. we might just have to train him to dove and duck hunt. NOT hamster hunt.

tear the room upside down!

good idea!

rico, rico

where were you?

bess was crying and i did not know what to do?

we searched and scoured the messy room

hoping we would not find that you had met your doom

were you hanging out with barbie and her friend ken?

or were you on the couch? out in the den?

oh, rico you are one cool dude!

we are so glad you are not doggie food.

glad you are back from your vacation...

we are hoping you will stay in your plastic station!

"rico" a terrible poem by liz

dove hunting? you've got to be kidding!

so, bert takes the peanut and butter to a dove shoot. ok, a little bonding time for them. neat. so neato. wait, daddy was actually shooting the dove?? they were falling, being retrieved by a dog and dropped cold and dead at your feet? and you thought that was NEAT? WHAT? there was a little boy POKING the dead bird in the eye? was that NEAT? i think NOT!! Bert, what have you done? if they had been flying hamsters, the mood would have been different! yikes, they LOVED IT! and are gonna do it again. this time....I AM GOING. i am going to monitor this dead bird thing. ok? by the way, the birds were DEEEEEELICIOUS! but that is beside the point. the point is...well i don't really have a point. just don't poke birds in the eye. ok? are we square? thanks.

don't waste your life

here is an excerpt from John Piper's book that i am reading, "Don't Waste Your Life". it is so thought provoking!:

"I will tell you what tragedy is. i will show you how to waste your life. consider this story from the february readers digest: a couple 'took early retirement from their jobs in the northeast five years ago wen he was 59 and she was 51. now they live in punta gorda, florida, where they cruise on their 31 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells...' picture them before the Christ at the great day of judgement: 'look Lord. SEE MY SHELLS.' that is a tragedy.

when i meet the Lord face to face i want to fall at his feet and say, "THANK YOU JESUS for not letting me waste my life". i often feel like i am. as i putt around in nothingness and boredom...collecting shells. then i remind myself that HE ordains each day, FOR HIS GLORY. whether i like it or not. whether, my idea of what glorifies Him comes in a tragic circumstance that i hear about or happens close to home. i ask "why Lord??" i get on my knees, "Lord WHY?" then i realize something. i am ON MY KNEES. not because i just felt like PLEADING to the Lord that day...but because something of this world was so devastating that i fall to my knees and have INTENSE fellowship with him. it does not seem fair to the person of whom i am praying for. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" He never promises fairness. only REDEMPTION to the lost. only to mend our wounds, only to extend his arms and die for us. the least i can do is wake every morning and pray that today will not be wasted. that i will be OPEN TO HIS WILL. not that He won't do His will anyway but i can participate in the JOY. OR I can just sit there WASTING IT. today, i choose to participate.

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Matthew 6:21

there is a reason we call him weenie.(PG)

Rebel, before his grand transformation, had a problem. this problem unfortunately involved his short stature and my black lab's anatomy. when he was TRYING to play with moss the dog he would try EVERYTHING to get him to play! one of his favorite ways to play was to walk under him and jump up and bite anything hanging down. MOSS would then "play" with him by trying to bite the stew out of him. hey, any attention is better than none! we understand why moss literally can't stand this little menacing dog and won't let him near him. sometimes "hanging loose" is not a good thing!

painting memories (ooh that sounds cheesy, but for real!)

a friend asked me to do a painting from a picture that was taken in the late 70's maybe early 80's of her and a close friend. it has been a picture that she has cherished over the years and i was glad to bring it to the canvas. their little shorts are made of fabric, glued to the canvas. i used "tacky glue". it works like a charm.