HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The countdown has begun for a brand new year. Many years ago I did away with resolutions as I never kept them. Every year I just strive to be better at things and be a better person and of course always struggling to lose weight. Isn't that just part of being a woman? I am planning on learning a few different painting techniques. I bought a DVD from Jillybean Fitzhenry that I am going to study hard and learn how to paint santas like she does...they are more than wonderful. You know how much I love my santas! And to paint fur like she does...well, I'd just be in heaven. Also, naturally as I do every year I tell myself that I'm gonna start sooner and paint things for my Etsy shop, get it full...I really hope I will do that. Right now I'm pretty motivated to start painting again and not burnt out YET.

At Christmas I always try to watch a few Christmas movies because I love Christmas so much and they really add to the mood and excitement. After all these years I finally finished watching "It's a Wonderful Life." I have no idea why I only got a part of it watched throughout the years but I never managed to watch it to the end. I've always heard the hype about it and never quite understood, after all it is in black and white. Well, I totally GET IT now. What a meaningful movie. It really makes one think long and hard after the movie is over. Makes you really appreciate the life you have and your friends. I came away a much more grateful person than I usually am. I'm not one to take things for granted by any means as I thank the good Lord above daily for everything I have. Every person in the universe should be made to watch that movie, perhaps it should be mandatory for students to watch in school. Perhaps it would be the start to world peace? We can only pray that would happen. The other movie I watched was a cutesy movie called "Holiday Switch" and it was about a gal who marries a poor construction worker, has two girls and is miserable because they can barely make ends meet. She finds herself dreaming about what life would have been like if she had married a rich boyfriend from high school. She bumps her head and then she is transformed into the rich boyfriend's wife. Needless to say, at the end of the movie she wants to go back to her old poor life as being rich isn't all it is cracked up to be. You come away from that movie very grateful and happy for the life that you have and realize that not being rich ain't so bad. I've always said I could live in a cardboard box and be happy as long as I had my painting with me.

Well, sorry to have gone on and on but I just hope that each and every one of you have the very BEST new year ever! Cheers!