So I know I haven't done many personal posts lately, not because nothing is going on in my life, but because too much is going on. Sometimes I've got so many thoughts in my head, they get all jammed up and don't want to come out (not coherently anyway). I probably should be posting more- writing always helps me deal with things better. Of course one of the main issues in my life is Gramma. She never really fully recovered from her last trip to the hospital this spring. Now she's only able to sit in her chair for a few hours a day, if at all. Other than her usual health issues that she's dealt with for years, there's nothing specifically wrong. Her BP is good, heart, lungs, blood sugar- all are good. She just seems to be sort of fading. She needs a lot more care now. She's most alert late at night, so that's when I talk to her about what's going on in my life. I tell her about my artwork and friends, and what Mother and my brother are up to. I talk about the cats, the garden, something funny I read in the ArtFire forums- anything to make her smile and add a little interest to her life. I wish I could do more for her. No matter what, I always feel like I'm not doing good enough.
On the plus side, there's my artwork. While I haven't sold much this month, I have completed a few projects that's I'm really proud of. There's my Lighted Glow in the Dark Pumpkin House
, which took weeks to complete, but turned out better than I could have hoped. My Embrace of the Vampire sculpture is another one I'm quite proud of. One of those where my muse just guided my hands and made it turn out just right. I've done a few Halloween Costume dolls as well. So far my favorite is probably Wendy the Witch and her Black Cat Spook. I managed to find the perfect fabrics for her dress and cape, as well as for Spook the cat. I think he's even got some Cat Magic in him- he's very soothing to hold. Right now I'm working on another plush World of Warcraft Murloc. And I'm in the planning stages for another lighted house sculpture.
Of course, there's a lot more going on here, but I don't want to make this post too long (can't have my readers getting bored- LOL!). I will try to post more about life in general though. I'm getting more comfortable "talking" online, and it really does help to get some of these things off my chest. Until next post, thanks for reading!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms, grandmas, aunts, all others who play mother. And of course to all you ladies out there who are "mom" to furbabies only (like myself). I feel pretty lucky to have 3 women in my life I think of as mother figures. My grandmother is the first. She raised me until I was 13 (as well as 2 of my brothers). She and Grampa gave us a warm, safe, loving home for the 3 of us. Gramma was always very patient with me, and taught me everything from how to take care of a home, to sewing and crocheting, to how to cook. Now I'm living with her again, only our roles have switched. Now I'm taking care of her, which is as it should be. She just turned 93, and while she's quite fit mentally, there are many things she's unable to do physically. I want to keep her in her own home for as long as possible. I love Gramma dearly.

Then there's Mother, who my brothers and I went to live with when I turned 13. She's my actual mother. She's a complex, intelligent, funny, and creative woman. From her I got my creativity, my love for nature, and my love for all animals. I learned a lot about the outdoors, how to build a fire, identify animals and their tracks, and much more from Mother. We always had animals, including cats, dogs, turtles, and any animal that needed a home. We had snakes that we kept only long enough to check out, then carefully released. One summer I raised tree frog tadpoles, then set them free when they matured. This sort of thing was a normal part of my life as a teenager. Then there's creativity. Mother is full of it. She's an amazing writer, she makes wonderful things in wood (her toy trains were really awesome), and she also does really cool stuff with pewter. We have long talks now about the creative process, and she's actually the one who sent me the link for Artfire and suggested I try selling my work there. She's really quite a woman.

And then there's my mother-in-law, who I simply call Mom. She treated me like family before my husband and I were even married. She's kind, soft spoken, and understanding. She never judges, and I've always felt I could be very honest with her. She's another creative woman. Before her eyes got too bad she painted beautiful pictures- a lot of outdoor scenes. And she didn't have any sort of training- just natural talent. I talk her a few times a week usually. She enjoys animals and nature too, so we talk about gardening, pets, and of course family stuff. Computers completely confound her, so she's never seen my Artfire studio, but I keep her filled in on everything I'm doing, and she's very excited for me. When she comes to visit we often sit together and talk for hours. I haven't seen her for a while, so I really miss her.

So all in all, I'm a very lucky person to have so many wonderful women in my life. And I thank them for all they've done for me and taught me over the years.