New hobby, Painting

I'm starting to think I should just start all of my posts' with, "So I discovered on Pinterest...."
Lol

But really, a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a tutorial and it sent me to Youtube, where I spent a couple of hours looking at video tutorials (like you do)
I've always wanted to go to one of those Wine & Paint places, but it can be a little bit pricey for someone on a budget, and since I still have never left my son alone with anyone, I don't think it will happen anytime soon.
Something you will come to know about me is, if I'm interested in something and I think I can make it, especially if it's something expensive, I will try my hardest to do it. I feel like I have gained a lot of life skills because I wanted to do it myself and save money.
So I decided to talk to my family and see if they wanted to have a DIY paint party. I found a couple of tutorials that were easy enough for beginners and we all picked one we were interested in and made plans to meet and have a party. We had a potluck and bought some cheap canvases, paint brushes, and craft paint, and had a paint party. It was pretty great. We all spent less than $10 which was amazing considering the Paint night classes average about $40 and you have to bring your own wine. And all of our children were able to play and be comfortable at their Mimi's house.

A few things happened when I found a tutorial that I liked for us. First, I discovered that most videos on youtube that say they are a painting tutorial, are NOT. They are a mostly a demonstration. Lots are time lapsed videos where you watch someone paint, they don't explain anything, and I really think they shouldn't call them tutorials, because it's more like entertainment. But I did find a few that were actually tutorials and I discovered this delightful woman named Cinnamon Cooney, she's known as The Art Sherpa (that's what her youtube channel is called). She has very basic to pretty time intense tutorials, and she really helps people who probably have no artistic ability, be able to paint and feel good about themselves.
I love that she is very bubbly, she has a spirited personality, full of charisma, and she really breaks it all down for you. Plus she has colorful hair, and I've had just about every color myself so you know I love that!!
I've learned so much in the last few weeks from watching her videos, art wise and in just being a generally nice, happy person. Art does that for you and sometimes you need people to show you the door that art can lead you into a different world.
I've always loved crafting. I dabble in just about everything that falls under crafting categories, and if anyone were to ever ask me if I'm an artist I would tell them, I doodle. I'm not a good drawer but I love to do lots of things that are art related.
Cinnamon has really expressed that not all things in art mean that you have to be a good drawer and it took her saying that to me, after me believing for so many years that I wasn't an artist to know that I am one. Just because I'm not the best animator or drawer doesn't mean I don't have skills in so many other branches of art.
I've painted along with a few of her tutorials and I started a journey that she has called Big Art Quest. You can find out more info by going to her page. But it's basically an art journey that she's planning to last about a year, and I came into it about half way through, but with youtube it's easy to start and get caught up. Anyway I've only done the first quest so far but I already feel like by the end of this quest I'm going to have grown so much.

Painting is amazing because I have so much doubt and will totally hate what I'm doing and think I need to quit, but Cinnamon has said in so many of her videos that "it's just art" its not that big of a deal. "let it dry and repaint your mistakes" and I think that the doubt I have in myself when Im not liking how a painting is going, is really apart of the journey and always helps.
At the end of my paintings, I'm usually really proud of them and in love.

Of course, I've been crazy inspired and I honestly feel like I can take the skills I've learned in the last few weeks and paint something original. But for now I have so many tutorials available, and new ones coming every week, and with my very spare time to paint anyway, I'll be little busy before I ever do one of my own.
I have to paint at night when Luke is asleep or during his nap time, if I can get away. He's teething again so he's been very clingy and painting while he's awake is impossible right now.
So I can't do as much as I'd like to, but I have big hopes and lots of plans for the future.

Here are a few that I've done recently, from tutorials by The Art Sherpa.

Of course when I see these I immediately see the places that were troublesome or flawed. But I love them and every time I paint a new one they get better and better. 

More to come in the future. 

<3 p="">

Challenge No 3- Top 5 Skills

What are the top 5 skills you wish you had?

Haven't don't one of these in a while, so here we go....

I feel like I have a few pretty good skills. I kinda dip my feet in all the waters. I'm a pretty decent trumpet player, or I was. Haha. I like cooking and baking & I do that well. I'm a good wife. As in loyal, supportive, taking care of the house, getting things done, taking care of the baby. I could do better with all of the skills I have already but I'm still pretty awesome at them. I can sew, craft, do hair. I know a lot about movies and a little bit about photography. 

But some skills that I wish I had or that I wish were TOP for me, like I was super amazing at would be;

1. Singing. I think I sing pretty well already but I have days where I just can't at all. And sometimes I get too into my head and struggle with melodies if there is no music, so if I could perfect this and just sing every word I say, beautifully. Then I'd be happy. 

2. Drawing. I like to doodle. And I'm dipping more into my artistic side these days. I've been painting and even drawing a little. But it's something I hate to work at. It's not a full fledge ability I have.

(This list is actually harder than you think. Idk if it's because I can only choose 5 or if I'm confident in myself and the things I do. Lol) 

3. Being healthy- some kind of persistence with eating healthy and working out. I dabble in these too but I find myself saying, everyday, "I'm going to do better today" but then I don't. 

Honestly idk if that's a skill. But hey, sure it is. That's someone's job, and clearly some people master that!

4. Carpentry- I have a super fascination with wood working. I just haven't been able to get my hands into it much, because I don't have a garage or area to do it, and I don't have the equipment. But I really want to build things. Like super wanna build stuff! I need a work space, saw, & nail gun and I'd be in business! I just really don't EVER want splinters!!!

(Feel the pressure. Now it's time to choose one final one and go back and potentially have to delete something that's not as "Top" priority, if I think of more than one. This is really silly, honestly, to be worried about. But these are the kind of things that bother me when writing & with choices in life in general.)

5. I kind realized without thinking to much into it at the beginning of this post that I more chose trade skills instead of personality trait type of skills and that some people might have thought of that when they chose the challenge. So I'm gonna use number 5 to just list the personality type of traits I wish I had., or that were top of the list. 

-Budgeting. I do okay with budgeting. I always pay bills first, but I don't really have a savings account, so I wish I could do better with that. 

-Knowing other languages. I'm working on French, and I can understand some Spanish and Italian. But I wish I had them mastered and I wish I didn't have to work hard to know them! Lol

-Treating people, if we are in a fairytale world of lists'; I'd like to be a nurse or doctor to help treat and care for people,  but in real life it's just a lot of work to become one of those. And it's a lot of work to hold the jobs and they are very challenging jobs that I just don't really want. But I do like caring for people.... in a way. *complicated answer.

-Gardening. I like to. Ish. I wish I could master it. Or that it came easily to me. 

(It seems like most things that I've dabbled in or am interested in but not super amazing at is because I'm too lazy to master them. Or I don't care enough or have enough time to master them or put more into them. I wonder if anyone else who did this challenge feels the same way about the skills they wish they had. If we are all just a little lazy with the skills we wish we had or if they are things that seem to be out of our reach?) 

-Retaining info. It should come as no surprise to anyone, that if something isn't very important to us when we learn it, then we don't hold onto it. But there were tons of things I learned in school that I more like "memorized" for the upcoming test and didn't really learn. I wish I had more of a photographic memory because things that I don't care about just go out the window. Like I can't tell you much about space or the solar system. I know the planets. But not the order of them and not the things that make them unique or important. Lol just not in my brain at all. 

As I wrap this up, I feel kinda rushed while typing this particular post. I don't really care enough to save it and redo later so I'm just gonna post it. But I obviously kinda went my own way with the challenge. I chose life skills, & personality skills or work ethic skills. I think you can probably go any route or even combine them if you choose to write this challenge,!I just wanted to do more because I realized pretty late into the post that I could have been writing about something almost completely different. 

It was fun because it made you think about the things you are already pretty good at and things that you could probably work on. That's always fun.

Anywayz, haha anyone else remember writing that in notes to your friends back in the day? "Anywayz" this has been fun. 

Until next time, Ciao!

Goals

This is just going to be a quick post just to get my thoughts out and where I can see them.
I really want to make some life changes or just generally do better and it's so challenging as a new mother because I feel like I can't get anything done. What I would really like to see change in the next month is

1.Working out- I found a simple workout that will only take a few minutes everyday, I really want to get on top of this.

2. Eating better- been having a few digestive issues with the baby, he's starting to try foods but is still mostly exclusively breastfed, but overall eating better is better for all around health.

3. Getting on a schedule- maybe, not to sure I want a specific schedule because I like winging it with whatever the baby needs and if I miss things that I had scheduled that will drive me crazy, but I really want to try. I think it will help me be more productive around the house.

4. Paint a picture every other day- within reason if I have a chance, I'd really like to paint some daily, but its so hard to do it. I can only do it if the baby is sleeping and if he will let me leave him alone.

I also need to find some time where I can really meditate and just talk with God for more than just a few seconds out of the day. I need to spend less time on social media and more on my Bible Study.


I think ultimately after not really wanting to do it much, but I'm going to have to write out a schedule and try to stick to it.
If I come up with something successful or helpful, I'll blog about it.

-Coming soon, my new hobby, painting.

Challenge No 2- $10 billion

What would you do with 10 billion dollars?

Even thinking about this kinda overwhelms me. That's a lot of money. 

Hold on a sec while I get out my calculator! 

I've always wanted to make sure that if I ever got an insane amount of money, that my family would be taken care of and we would all be out of debt, but also that we wouldn't become crazy and just blow our money like nobody's business. 10 billion is a lot, but I know it could go quick. There's always more stuff to buy than you have. You can always find a way to spend money. 

I would make sure all of my family's debts are paid. 

I would prob figure out a way to give my immediate family money but in a way to make it last for them and them not blow it all at once. You can buy a mansion but the important question, is can you keep it? People seem to forget things like taxes and regular bills when they come into a lot of money. It's why most athletes don't stay rich for their whole lives. 

It important to remember that it's not your job to take care of your family either. 

I'd have to do a lot of thinking before I did anything but I would probably buy a franchise and give a couple of family members the opportunity to have a job that pays them well, (way more than minimum wage, it would be worth it) if they work for it. 

I'd buy a good bit of land and have it cleared and build a really nice house. Probably not a million dollar home but prob a 500,000 home. I'd want a nice yard with a pool, basket ball court, tennis court, a small gym. I'd want a small hut to turn into a salon. 

A giant garage for my husband. And a couple of cars for him. 

And all of those things can be done and very reasonably for under a million. Especially in NC. I wouldn't move out of state. Probably not even out of the county I live in. 

I think I wouldn't change very much. I'd still be very frugal. 

I probably would hire someone to make sure that I always had heathy foods in my home and that I worked out like I'm suppose to. 

I would set an allowance for my family of $50,000 a year or something around that. 

That's more than enough to have as spending money and to travel with and go on vacations and have fun. If you set a limit you won't act like the money is endless. 

I would def probably take a year and travel a little at the beginning but I still want a pretty normal life, so after the year we would be on a strict allowance.

I would pay my tithes to various churches or Christian organizations, that's 1 billion dollars so I wouldn't want it to go to just one place. 

The area we live in is nice, but there isn't a community center or a place for kids to hang out (other than the county park, which isn't exactly close) so I'd prob take $100,000 and donate to have a gym/ park built so there's a place for kids to be. This is kinda my husbands idea, we've talked about the community needing a place like that before. 

I'd buy a beach house. Again, not too expensive since I live in NC. I'd give my mom full access to go whenever she wants. She'd practically live there, I'm sure. 

I'd have a home built for my mom, my mother in law, & my grandparents. 

I think with all the other money and getting out of debt that I did for my siblings & family, that they can handle their own home and etc.  

I'd help with some family businesses. Investing and stuff so they can get on their feet. 

I wouldn't be a lending machine or anything but I'd want to help get the people who mean the most to me on their feet and going in a bright direction. 

Disclaimer* This isn't very well thought out. I'm writing as it comes to me. 

I'd have laser hair removal done for me and my husband. I never want to shave under my arms or my legs again, let's get that nipped in the bud! And Andre hates shaving, so it would be great for him too. 

Idk if it is because a lack of sleep, but I can't think of too much right now. 

Going back to earlier, having my dream house is pretty important and enough to keep me day dreaming forever. I could probably make a blog post about that in itself. 🤔

I think I'd definitely have some kind of bunker built on my land too. Maybe not just for an apocalypse, but I'm terrified of tornados, so if I know we are having a warning or watch, I won't be scared in a house anymore. Imma be under ground!! 

There's a few charities and things that I know I would want to help with and I'd probably immerse myself into, but I'd have to do a bit of research for that. 

$10 billion is a LOT of money but it's not enough to take care of the world and it's important to remember that, but I would want to help some. 

Welp, since I'm drawing a blank, but I'm know I'm not done. I may make a part 2 to this post or comment on it with my other splurging ideas. But for now, I'm gonna bounce. 

If you've never thought about how you would spend what seems like an endless amount of money, Do! It's a good idea to see if you'd be frugal or if you'd just run out of it before you can blink. 

I think it also shows your character a little bit. When I re read, it was important to me to make sure my family is taken care of. And it really is important to me. If I had an even smaller amount than $10 B, I'd still get my immediate family out of debt, and buy my mother's a house. After I buy my house, of course lol but def next. 

Anywayz, laterz guyz! 😘

Challenge No 1- Honesty & blogging

Hello again,

So, I was fumbling around on Pinteret and I came across a couple of journal/blog challenges. I've looked at things like this in the past and I think it's an excellent idea to get me back into writing more. I always have things I push into the back of my mind and I say, "well I plan to write about this or I'll get to it eventually," but obviously I never get around to it. So I'm gonna just try out a few of these and see how it goes. Usually if I have a lot of free time and I'm inspired I'll want to do more than one post, so I'm not going to make a goal to do one a day, or one daily, or anything like that. I just plan on going down the list and doing them when I feel inspired.

Don't know how much success this will ring true for but here goes, 

First question. 

What is the biggest barrier between you and full honesty in your journaling?

This is actually a small problem for me. I think. You see, I really want to write the same way I would talk. And that's a bit difficult sometimes, especially to make sure that it makes sense and somewhat follows most grammatical rules. 

I think what holds me back some, is even though I don't think anyone reads these, there's always the potential that someone could and you never know who that someone is. And maybe I don't want all of my business out for the public or on social media. I think I'm extremely honest and smart about what I put out there and what I keep private, so I don't know how much of a barrier there is, but I do think that there kinda is one. Or at least what I like to think of as smart choices in my writing. 

Another thing, is probably that I'm lazy. I could write more often, and if I did it would be more honest and probably less scrutiny over what I'm putting out there in my writing. 

Also there's always the idea that things like a journal will be read by someone important to you or by someone when you have died and you don't want to change how someone feels about you or you want them to think a certain way about you, so that has to do with how you filter yourself and how you write. 

Yea. 

I don't know what else to say about it. 

Lol

It's a little scatter brained but that's basically how I feel. 

Like I said, for the most part I do feel like I'm pretty honest and if there are any barriers it's just filtering and self preservation-ish. Haha 

Fin.