As Visions of Vegetables Danced In Her Head

This past week was an odd one.  Both Emma and Chloé had their spring school break. Chloé ended up sick for half of it. So, many plans for the week were set aside. She perked up towards the end of the week.  I was able to go downtown shopping with her for a spring coat on Thursday and with Emma for her high school graduation dress on Friday.  Both daughters present their own shopping challenges. Chloé likes shopping (a little too much) and Emma doesn't like it (at all). Both expeditions were very successful although I felt like taking a nap after each of them! On the weekend, we also managed a short trip to Trois-Rivières to visit my husband's mother.

Over the past week, I came to truly appreciate the power and immediacy of Facebook for the first time. My 16-year old niece is on a school trip in Africa and I have been able to chat with her on more than one occasion. It sounds like she is having a wonderful experience. She even said that she had taken a photo of an African village garden with me in mind. I was very touched.

On the art side, I didn't get any painting done but I added a few new prints to my Etsy shop at the beginning of last week.  I also had someone inquire if I sold my originals which has launched a huge wave of thinking. I have sold many original paintings in the past but haven't for the last while and never before online. My paintings tend to be small but I can spend days on them. Sometimes making the decision to sell them can be difficult as I become very attached to them. I've talked to a number of people in the past few days--fellow artists, friends and family members--trying to figure out which ones I would be willing to sell and the best way to go about it. Chloé, who is 12, has offered wise words on more than one occasion. It's interesting and quite wonderful when you start to receive sage counsel from young family members. I'll keep you up to date here and on my Facebook page.

This past weekend has brought warm weather that is melting the snow.  Hurray!  Some of my flower beds are still covered but they won't be for long.

There are warm temperatures predicted throughout this week. I took a photo of my raised vegetable bed yesterday (the photo at the very top).  It doesn't look like much at the moment, but I look forward to showing you its progress and evolving prettiness throughout the growing season. I'm very fond of it. It's a 'square-foot garden', a lovely idea for gardens with limited space. So along with dreams of flowers, I have dreams of vegetables these days.

A little watercolour sketch I did of a cherry tomato and pea pod from a past harvest.

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I am counting down the days until the first day of Spring! In the meantime, I am offering a 20% discount in my Etsy shop. Use the SPRING2012 coupon when you check out. (From now up to and including March 20, 2012)