A Mad Tea Party

Can you believe it's that time already?

The fabulous Miss Vanessa Valencia is hosting the 6th annual Mad Tea Party, right here in cyberspace, on Saturday, July 13th, and we're all invited!

I'll be there with bells on. And tea brewing. And goodies galore. :)

How about you?

♥ Carolee

Blessings, Challenges, and New Art....

June indeed dawned bright and cheery (see previous post), but I suppose we also need the challenges to fully appreciate those sunny days filled with blessings...

I need to keep this brief, as I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and time on the computer may be limited for awhile. But basically, John is back in the hospital, with an infection, inflammation, or disease of undetermined origin, which is making it incredibly difficult for him to breathe. They're bombarding him with lots of big-guns type meds, and doing lots of tests (CAT scan yesterday, and bronchoscopy and biopsy tomorrow) in the hope of finding and treating whatever it is.

We're remaining positive, and focusing on how much he's come through already, how many other challenges he's faced successfully, and how skilled his doctors and caregivers are. I'm trying to visit daily, and painting every other hour God sends, with a little housecleaning thrown in as needed - and trying to pay extra attention to the furkids too, who seem to be confused by his absence.

As far as the painting goes (which must continue) I'll share the latest pieces here - a trio of original paintings, two sold and one remaining...

The one in the center, "Sing a Song of Sixpence" remains available on Etsy as I write this, and I do hope it finds a good home...

That shared, I'm off to feed and water the menagerie now, and to begin work on another piece.

Thanks so very much to all those on facebook who have offered prayers, positive energy and well wishes. You have no idea how much we appreciate them.

One day at a time, one step at a time...The only way out of it is through it, right?. ;)

Blessings,
♥ Carolee

♥ June Blessings ♥

What a wonderful month this is shaping up to be!

It began with a near week-long visit with dear friends from the Carolinas. It's always fun to see friends, but this week, I had the chance to show them around beautiful Lancaster County. I took my camera, but we were having so much fun, I'm afraid I only remembered to use it sporadically. A few decent shots were captured though.

This is the view from the Hurst House B&B, where they stayed...

 (And if you think the view is gorgeous, check the website, hehe). ;)

We visited a number of shops and galleries, including Carsons in the Cornfield, where I drooled over the architectural salvage and hardware...

 Barbarry's, up in Sinking Spring (a must if you love Country decor at reasonable prices) - one of those places you could spend hours in and still see something new. I picked up a couple of goodies to paint here too, so stay tuned. ;)

And Kauffman's, a country store in Bird in Hand, where we saw this display of honey - and honeybees....

Not sure how I feel about this - educational to be sure, but I can't help wondering if it stresses the bees?

We visited the city of Lancaster as well, where I fell in love with City Folk gallery. No photos, but what an amazing place for folk art lovers!  Oh, and Tuesday night was trivia at the Cat's Meow up in Manheim - and our team won - woohoo!!

An altogether wonderful week, and I wish they could have stayed longer (didn't even have the chance to cook for them, and I LOVE cooking for people). ;)

The day after our friends departed for points north, John and I were visited by a local pastor and his wife, who work with a local organization doing home repairs and maintenance for people in the community with challenges (my leg and John's multiple health issues). The upshot is, they'll be back with a bigger crew the week after next to clean gutters,  repair fenceposts, tear down our old eyesore of a shed (seriously, the only thing holding it together is rust), and do a bit of weeding and mulching. What a blessing!!

And today I saw one of my oldest and dearest friends for lunch and coffee. So although it's only the 9th, June is sure shaping up to be a fabulous month, and so filled with blessings - not the least of which is lots of fresh painting inspiration...

In fact, if this keeps up, I may even stay on track with the painting and catch up on a few commissions, hehe.

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Flying in Quickly...

To say I'll be back very soon with an update! Dear friends are visiting from The Carolinas, and the last few days have been spent showing them the sights here in beautiful Lancaster County, PA. I'm trying to take a few photos (so bad about remembering to do that), and will share our adventures in the next day or two. :)

In the meantime, we're off to Lancaster this morning, where we'll visit Central Market and few galleries and shops for First Friday...

Happy weekend, all!

♥ Carolee

A Personalized Sign :)

 UPDATE ~ To receive 20% off either or both of the two originals currently listed in the Etsy shop, enter the coupon code kingofmice at checkout. :)

It's that time again - the EHAG Emporium doors have creaked open, and I'm offering something for cat lovers and rescuers (sooooo need one of these myself, hehe)...

You'll notice there's a blank space at the top of the sign - that's where the name goes, along with an "established" date at the bottom.

It's hand painted in acrylics on solid pine, and measures 11" x 20 1/2". There's a sawtooth hanger on the back for easy display indoors or out.

$145 plus shipping, which will vary by location.

As always, this piece is up for grabs on a first-come basis - just shoot me an email at carolee@kingofmice.com with intent to purchase, and please include the name and date you'd like me to paint on the sign.:)

Thanks for taking a peek at my work, and I'll be back very soon!

♥ Carolee

"Seasons of the Witch"

Must share the latest original, listed on Etsy just moments ago....

 The Wheel of the year, the cycle of nature, one season merging gently into the next. Such a blessing to paint, especially after a week of such loss. A reminder of  the cycle of life, the turn of the wheel, the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives. I hope it brings many blessings and a touch of *magic* to its new home. :)

UPDATE ~ SOLD

I'll be enjoying Mother Nature's blessings quite soon myself, as I spend the long weekend with a group of dear women friends, at a cabin in one of Pennsylvania's beautiful state parks. Soooooooo looking forward to the break, and to returning refreshed and renewed.

So I'll be back again next week with more new work. Until then, thanks for visiting, and wishing all my friends here in the US a happy and restful Memorial Day weekend!

♥ Carolee

Saying Goodbye

It's never easy. No matter how many times we experience the loss of a beloved companion, it still hurts like hell. We know the day will eventually come, we try to steel ourselves, we think we're prepared...but when the time arrives, it just tears us apart.

As it did this past week with our sweet, sweet Aussie girl, Cadie. Also known as Cadie-Bear. Or sometimes just Bear-Bear...

Isn't she beautiful? The happiest, most blissful dog I've ever known, and I've known many. The world was Cadie's best friend, and she couldn't conceive of even the smallest unhappiness. On the rare occasions we raised our voices to her (usually for sneaking cat food) she would just wiggle her backside off, wagging her stubby little tail, and giving us that big Aussie smile, as if to say "Yeah, I know, but aren't I cute? Don't you just LOVE me?!"

And we did. So very much.

We adopted her at age 4 and she was with us for 9 wonderful years. It was a blessing that the passage of time between the first symptoms of illness, through two vet visits, one ultrasound and her gently assisted passing, was a total of only five days. So we take comfort in believing her suffering was minimal, and that we did the right thing in helping her cross the Bridge.

Her crazy little brother Cosmo is still with us. A bit confused, and overprotective as always, but we'll get through this together...

And whether dogs or cats, we know we'll walk this path again and again. Because despite the pain and loss, we can't imagine life without these companions. Because we know the love they give us, and the love they inspire, makes the eventual loss more bearable.

♥ Carolee
(Photos 2 and 3 by Jennifer MacNeill)