How I Spent My Saturday Morning!

This past weekend was my monthly antiques, crafts, collectibles show at Winnie Texas.  It's a great show and I've been doing very well there.  The biggest challenge is that I live about an hour and tens minutes from the show, so I have to drive back and forth both days of the weekend!  I try to use that driving time as a time of reflection, meditation, etc--I listen to good music, church sermons, etc.  It usually works, HOWEVER,  this past Saturday morning was a nightmare!!  There was a wreak-a big tanker truck had a wreak and exploded, leaving hazardous materials all over the freeway! (no one was hurt-what a miracle) The freeway closed, we were ALL detoured down a small country rode with no other way to go and that 1 hr. 10 min. trip ended up taking me 3 1/3 hours!!!  So with all that time on my hands I began taking pictures.  Here are a few. 

This was the only scenery for miles! 

I stared at this guys tail lights for a lllooooonnnnggg time!!

If you think it's boring looking at these pictures, you should have been there to 'look' at this for over 3 hrs.!!  Ok, so I'll stop whining now and let you know I did make it to the show and sold LOTS of stuff and made some good money.  So the moral of this story is---blessings can and do come out of adversity!!  God Bless all and any who read this,  Pat,  A Remade Life

It's COLD outside!

As you may already know, I live in southeast Texas, close to the Gulf Coast.  Our weather is pretty much warm most of the year with intermitent cool spells that really don't usually amount to much.  So when we have a really COLD front come in---well, lets just say we go a little crazy!!   Now, I'm not talking major blizzard like they are experiencing up north or even the snow storm they are having in Dallas.  But when we see ice on the ground, our minds can no longer function and we must stay home in our snuggies with a cup of hot tea in one hand and the remote in the other!  In honor of that 'stay-home' attitude, the following are pictures of what we consider a good reason NOT to go to work!


My ice covered car-the door was iced shut!!

I did manage to shed the snuggie and go to work this morning.  When I looked out my window I saw this poor little bird trying desperately to keep warm.  I asked my boss if I could bring him inside - he said if I could catch him, I could bring him in!  On second thought, birds are made to endure such weather, right?

Hope everyone is safe, warm and home in their snuggie!!  God Bless all and any who read this,
                                                                                                    Pat, A Remade Life

"My Mom" project

Here is the finished project I did for the sketchbook challenge this month. It's been a looonnnnngg time since I sketched/drew/doodled or anything like that!!   I wanted to honor my mom who is fighting cancer for the 3rd time and since the theme of this months challenge was to sketch something you 'highly price'--well, enough said.  So here it is:   
               Although I know everyone thinks their mom is the 'best mom ever' I KNOW my mom is! She is currently fighting cancer for the 3rd time in 8 yrs and at the age of 85, that's no easy task. But she's a fighter and I know she is doing her best to be victorious again! Here is her story. Please say a prayer as you read on and then call/kiss/tell your mom how great she is:


MY MOM

My moms name is Goldie Marie and I love her very much. She is currently 85 yrs old and is fighting cancer for the 3rd time. She developed breast cancer 7 yrs ago and overcame it with little effort. It returned 2 yrs later in the same breast and was inoperatable due to it's closeness to her heart. Through medicine and lots of prayer, my mom overcame the cancer again. She started having breathing problems a few months ago and so my sister and I took her to a doctor--we discovered the cancer has returned but this time in her lung. My mom is a fighter but she is so tired and feeble. I love my mom and pray for her every day. She is a good mom and I love her very much." No words can truly say how much I love my mom but I tried to express it with this picture.

Sketching up a storm!

 I recently joined an on-line group of 'sketchers' - people who love to doodle, draw, piddle, paint, watercolor, pen-n-ink, etch----well, you get the idea!  It's really made me start thinking about what's going on in my little 'creative universe'.  I use to be a fine art major, many, many years ago--but marriage, kids, life, life, more life then divorce, singlehood, raising kids by myself, work, work and more work---again, you get the idea---all this caused me to put aside all thoughts of creativity and especially drawing, on the back burner!  And so, speed forward to current times, and I find myself wanting to get back to my creative roots.  Thus, joining the sketching group.  I'm VERY self-conscious of any artwork I attempt but I figure I've got to 'get over' it and just have fun for a change.  So here are a few 'doodles, drawings, piddles, yadda, yadda, yadda!  I will put a link to this sketching group on my blog  for those of you who would like to beef up (or 'tofu-up' for those of us who are vegetarians) your drawing skills or are just looking for a new adventure!  God Bless all and any who read this-
 Pat, A Remade Life

I've always loved working in just plain pencil--this was my first attempt in over 20 yrs.--needs work but it sure is getting the 'drawing' juices flowing!!

This goes back to my hippie days-well, ok so I was never really a hippie, but that was my era!  I used highlighters on this and a Sharpie.  It was great fun!!

I love to draw plants, trees, foliage, etc.  There are so many beautiful designs in nature.  This again is highlighters and a fine-point Sharpie.

This is another pencil drawing with a little bit of Sharpie for definition.  I  kinda like it!

This is a project I'm working on for the sketching group.  We were to pick something we highly price and this is my mom, who is fighting cancer for the 3rd time.  This is just in the beginning stages, so I'll be sure to post it when it's finished!

"Oh Christmas tree, oh christmas tree---"

My beautful silver tree-not vintage but so cool!
And it rotates!!

Well, Christmas is almost here and I hope this message finds everyone waiting with great anticipation for this most holy of holidays!!  And, hopefully no one is still fighting the crowds as you do that last minute shopping, or baking like a madman/madwoman as you prepare for all those out of town relatives you only get to see once a year, etc. etc. etc.  And me?  Yes, I am still doing the 'last-minute' thing and although I am preparing for my oldest daughter to come visit for the holidays, I am NOT preparing/planning any meals other than chicken-n-dumplings for Christmas day! And yes, even though I'm a vegetarian I know how to fix chicken for my children! (I pick the chicken out of mine and just eat the gravy and dumplings--so would that be called 'dumplings-n-dumplings?!)  This is a great time of year, filled with joy and good cheer for those of us who are so blessed and have few needs--but let us remember those who have little or even nothing all year round and how hard this time of year is for them.  My prayer is that we all learn to step out of our own comfort zone and share the blessings we've been given with those around us in need--not just in this Christmas season but all year long!! Amen and amen!!  God Bless all and any who read this,
 Pat,  A Remade Life

Some of my ornaments are old, some are just groovy!

My mantle and the fireplace I painted and antiqued

And no Texas Christmas is complete without a snowman in his sombero!!

Colors Abound!!



For those of you who don't know me very well I will share a deep, dark secret----I am a vegetarian!!  I've been a veggie-ite for almost 20 yrs.  Now, I'm not a vegan which means I do eat dairy products such as eggs, cheese, etc and I've been known to eat fish about every 6 mos. but basically no other meat gets pass my lips!!  This was simply a lifestyle-choice, no other reason behind it and I do love my veggies!!  So, I will be passing along some of my 'health-tips' every once-in-a-while just to share with you a little of my dietary life!!
 First tip:  Make it colorful!!  Nutritionists say that one of the ways to get a well balanced meal is to have a wide variety of colors on your plate.  Of course, we need to be sure these colorful choices are, as much as possible, from all the different food groups!  After all, Jelly Belly jelly beans are about as colorful as you can get but they are VERY limited on nutritional value!!  It also helps to have a really fun, colorful plate.  So, here is a picture of a typcial meal at the Gill home-let me know what you think and please feel free to share your tips and comments for a healthier lifestyle.  God Bless all and any who read this---Pat,  A Remade Life

This meal consists of:  salad which is full of
lots of colorful veggies-vinigrette dressing; sweet potato
fries, baked, not fried; fruit, cantelope; and soy
protein ribs (sorry, not meat); there was also
whole wheat bread on the side.  YUM, YUM!!



Moving at the speed of Life!



It has been really busy these last few weeks.  We discovered my mom has pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and that her left lung is now non-functioning.  Not good news, but managable.  She is currently on oxygen at night and boy, has it helped!  She is still weak, but at least now she can function and stay at her own house which is where she is happiest.  Going over there tonight to stay with her so I'll take stuff to work on since she goes to bed early.  Did a show last week and got great complements on my little 'glass bottle snowmen'.  They are really great fun to make and each has his own personality!  I'll share more on these little guys later.  I also made some 'cuffs' out of different items and I enjoyed showing everyone what they were.  Most had never even heard of cuffs!  So here's a few pictures of my stuff--hope you like it!!  God Bless all and any who read this--  Pat,  A Remade Life