I have hardly slept the past few days then yesterday Sophie woke up with a 101 fever. Poor baby girl. She was absolutely miserable. I was so thankful once again for having the life I do. I had already been all set up at home since Sunday night. Every other Sunday or Monday I pretty much bring my studio home to work at home for the week so I can have the kids with me right after school. So I got her on the couch all bundled up, got her some medecine and got to work after getting Noah off to school. For the past four years the week before Christmas is my craziest. I hardly sleep and am painting until 2-3am each night getting christmas presents done in time. Last week any orders to be mailed out had to be done and wrapped to ship this past Monday. This week are the locals left that can come to me to pick them up. My back is aching, my eyes are bleary, but when I see the faces on the people who ordered my art it is like a shot of adrenaline. Yesterday i had to have Soph come up tot he studio with me to deliver to two clients. She was all bundled on the couch and watched as people got their art. Afterwards as we drove to the store to get oj, chicken noodle soup and some more medecine she said, "Wow mama, your art makes people cry they get so happy. That lady sure said a lot of nice things to you!" I just smiled. "I'm really lucky, I guess, to have this job." I said. "Yep, mama you sure are!"

Then we stopped at the Blockbuster because I had seen one of Sophie and my favorite movies on sale for $3.99 this past weekend. It is Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon. Oh, my god we love that movie! So i got that, we drove home and she had some chicken noodle soup and orange juice and I painted next to her on the couch. Just Soph and me watching one of our favorite girly movies. She kept rubbing her little toes against my back the whole time. At one point she said, "Oh! I'm not making you mess up am I??" "No, Soph, you are making it perfect." Insert big happy sigh.....

I have two big paintings left and two little ones left. I leave town Friday, so at least I know some sleep is in my future soon. In the meantime, I will leave you with this: When you squeeze a paint bottle that got sealed up at the top and white paint explodes all over your couch and you are just stunned for a minute looking at it and your boyfriend sees you just shocked at the white mess for a minute then snaps you out of it for a second by saying, "WHAT SHOULD WE DO??" Remember that the answer is lots of water QUICK!! Oh, and that when a glob of paint shot up into your hair too, and you just wipe it out quickly with great annoyance with your hand and you forget about it until the next morning even though your boyfriend very kindly suggested washing it out now? You should listen to that advice because hair that has dried with a big gob of acrylic paint is VERY, VERY hard to get out. Live and learn.

Myrtle Beach was awesome. The very best part was when best boyfriend took me to the beach before we left. He loves the beach as much as I do. We walked up and down and listened and watched. I never get tired of it. Never get tired of how small it makes me feel and part of something so much bigger than my mind can imagine all at once. So he gave me an awesome birthday. Because he is awesome. And I am gushing. I haven't gushed in years. So I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

ok, so anyway. I have 5 16x20's to finsih by Thursday. I accepted one last commission that came in while I was at the beach (in the hotel room a mile away, but whatever) Because he did that crazy thing I can never say no to: offered me money. So I don't have much time to talk. I need to paint, paint, paint. I was up until 2:30am last night and had two very cute dogs to outline, but was bleary eyed from two boxers in a bathtub. Which turned out kick ass, but last night I was kicking myself for the shower curtain design I chose. I will post a pic. You will understand.

There are a million more things to write about as I watched E! Entertainment Channel ALL DAY last Thursday and my mind is still reeling from how many channels exist out there. Now I know this makes me sound like an Amish girl all out in the big city at 16 and all, but truly? I have not had cable in 5 years, and did you KNOW that you can watch plastic surgery for HOURS at a time, that you can watch gossip channels that is like having Vincenzo, your house boy, read People Magazine aloud to you while you paint? He also brings me wine when it hits the appropriate hour then asks if he can rub my feet while he tells me how clean my house is... oh, um lack of sleep, I got off track. Um, where was I? Oh yes, CABLE=HEAVEN. Ok, need to go paint, but I will be pondering the downfall we all saw, yet no one stopped with Britney and K-Fed, dear god, why didn't we HELP them? And how DID Tom Cruise get a foot taller than Katie in their wedding photo, and you are RIGHT tomkat's baby DOES looks asian, and wow, Brad and Angelina really did make the genetically perfect baby, and what will be do if that senator can't recover and the GOP sways back to the right? (Ok, so I got some CNN in to try to fix some damage.)

Off to paint....Pics coming soon...