Exceeded the Goal!

See this beach day oil painting come to life in 2 minutes (time lapse)

It was a day at the beach! No, it was a day spent in the driveway selling our things in the yard sale, but my daughter and I got sunburned as if we’d been at the beach sans sunscreen and common sense. I’m only sunburned on my face, but my daughter is quite red. Yikes! (She says she’s fine and I’m sure she will be)

The happy news is that we exceeded our goal! I wanted to raise the money for moving expenses, specifically the cost of two pods. I hoped to exceed our goal so we’d have a bit extra toward a last minute truck for things that we don’t want in the pods (like mattresses, other items we need to use right up to the last day, and live plants), and we DID! So, our basic moving expenses are now funded!

I’ve won the first round of “Unexpected Life Change”, and I will now advance to round two. In round two, the lender will reveal the magic numbers that will determine the range of housing options we can hunt for. If that number is lower than expected, we’ll then enter the Challenge Round. I hope not to enter that round.

I’ll focus on the win of today! Wow, I can’t believe we did it, and that it’s OVER! I turn yard sales into events, so it was about more than just selling stuff- it was an EXPERIENCE. People will remember our sale for a long while to come. I can write about that sometime, but that’s probably how I earn so much money from these. Maybe I should create a business where I am hired to put on a successful yard/garage sale for people? (NO! NOOOOOO! I’m absolutely joking! I am always thrilled when I’ve finished one of these, and always hope it’s my LAST one!)

All the work of the Yard Sale Event is done and I can now pack everything we have left, as we’ve determined that we want everything that we didn’t put in the sale. The thinking part is over. Now, just pack, pack, pack.

I still don’t know where I’m going, but at least I feel much more ready to leave the place where I currently am. That’s a big hurdle to jump over. I’ve cleared it!

It’s late here, and today was beyond exhausting. I’m off to bed. Good night, dear friends! Always remember that we have a most excellent chance of doing things that others think are impossible when we believe that we can, and then work to make it happen. But try to remember sunscreen if the impossible is outdoors on a sunny day!


New Painting – AND MORE!

Watch my new oil painting come to life! “Cardinal on a Tree Branch“, my latest painting that features a cardinal; a bird that is spiritually meaningful to many people and is simply delightful in nature, a truly peaceful and beautiful bird.

This painting will be the featured art in my new book and displayed on the cover. The book is now FINISHED! It is ahead of schedule by several months! The 2021 collection “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Nature” is available as free time lapse videos, prints to buy, and soon a published book. It follows two previous collections (2019 “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Savannah, Georgia” and 2020 “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by my Christian Faith“.

I also offer some fashion inspired by art from the previous collections. I plan to add some new designs from the 2021 Nature collection, and I’ll definitely include this cardinal. I know that some of you love cardinals and have been hoping for a new one. I understand because I love cardinals too, and they mean something personal to me and my family.

So the “and MORE” is the celebration that my 2021 art collection is FINISHED! WOOT!!! This feels awesome! I also wanted to announce that I’ll soon have the book and fashion parts of it done. But, I’ll hold back on the reveal of what the new collection for 2022 will be. I’ll be starting on the first painting of that series soon, so stay tuned!

Thank you for being a part of this journey. One more set of 50 done toward my lifetime goal of 1k finished paintings!