Day 2 - Mars

Here is my painting for Day 2. It's a blocked out 6x6 acrylic on paper. Please disregard the rough edges, I plan to mat these images later so I wasn't worried about the edges being clean.

Even as early as day 2 I could already tell a huge difference in my ease of painting. It had been so long since I'd picked up a brush that my first painting was a bit of a struggle for me. Then once I started this once I could tell that my color blending had gotten much better and easier already. I sure I am glad I decided to take this challenge. I can't wait to see what I accomplish by the end of the month.

New chair

My photographer friend Sarah dropped off a chair this morning for me to use as a prop. Immediately the boys took to it and have been sitting in it since it got here.  :) Of course I should mention that this chair spins so it's even more fun to play with than our other furniture.

30 in 30

     Would you believe that I would be crazy enough to agree to a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge? Well believe it because I did! Yep I decided that's it is now or never. I wanted to work more on my art this year so this challenge will be perfect to get me started. The rules are simple, you just have to complete one painting a day in January (we get one free day off) and they can be small paintings too.
     It's been about six years since I've really painted much of anything consistently. I mean don't get me wrong, I've done a few simple paintings here and there but it's been quite a while since I've dedicated any real time to it. This challenge is scary to me but it will be great to get me started again and for that I am excited. I can't wait to see how much I learn and grow by the end of this month.
     So here is the first of my 30 paintings. I did this one late last night after the boys were asleep. It is a black hole. I thought it would be simple but give me a chance to work on my color blending skills. Although it looks super simple it was a little bit challenging  for me. I struggled getting it to look just the way I wanted. In the end I'm not fairly happy with it. It's not exactly what I wanted but hey it's a start.

This is a 6x6 acrylic on paper.The purple color is much nicer in person. This is just a cell phone pic but you get the idea. :)

Update:

Here is a better pic of this painting and it shows my crazy rough edges too! Much more color here too than what my camera phone captured.

I'm back!!!

     Well it's been a long time since I've posted anything on this blog and I apologize for that. Life got busier and more interesting to say the least. We had a lot of adjustments to make but it has been a great journey. I'm hoping to get back into blogging this new year, as well as lot of other things.
     Before I start any new posts let me give you a brief recap of things since I last blogged. This blog is aptly titled BrothersBad because it's really all about my boys and life with them. At the same time my boys are the reason I took such a hiatus from blogging. In February of 2012 Gatlin was diagnosed with Autism and with that we as a family had a lot to learn. Shortly thereafter we started noticing the huge similarities between Gatlin and Draiman. Then in August Draiman was also diagnosed with Autism. Since that time Gatlin has started preschool, Draiman has started early intervention home visits, and we have lots of therapy appointments as well. On a regular basis there are appointments for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. We spend a lot of time working on sign language at home as well as other things and we also have a P.L.A.Y. Project consultant that comes to our home to teach us the P.L.A.Y. method of engaging our boys.
     So as I'm sure you can tell it's been a busy time for us but it has been wonderful as well. Our boys have progressed so much this past year but more importantly they have taught us even more. We are blessed and honored to have them in our lives. For us Autism has not been a tragedy but rather a wonderful learning experience. We have learned new ways to understand and connect with our boys all while they have taught us so many valuable lessons. I am thankful for them everyday and proud to be their Mama.

Halloween Fun

Well I know I'm late with this post but you know what they say... "Better late than never." I would like to share a couple of the boys in their Halloween costumes. This year I made their costumes. Draiman was Gnomeo and Gatlin was an Alien from Toy Story.

Halloween was a lot of fun and I truly enjoyed making costumes for my boys. Now it's time to work on Christmas stuff though. I have lots to make and little time in which to make it. It will be fun though and I can't wait to share some pics with you.

Draiman's 1st

Draiman is officially a one year old. Wow I still can't believe how fast time flies by. My little guy is growing up so fast. I swear he was a newborn just yesterday and now today he's walking all over the house. This reminds me yet again that it is crucial to spend as much time with my little guys as possible because before I know it they will be all grown up.

Well I haven't gotten through all of Draiman's birthday pics yet because it's been a busy couple of weeks with his birthday party, and now making Halloween costumes but here are few pics of the cupcakes.

New skills

Recently I taught myself how to crochet hats. I'm still very new to crochet but I'm steadily getting the hang of it. When I decided to learn to crochet I wasn't really sure what all I would do with this new skill but now I am so glad that I learned. I can see that this is one skill that is definitely going to come in handy. Check out a couple of the hats I've made so far.