Dear Friend

Good Morning sleeping person,
I sure hope you are still sleeping because I can't. So I'm up at 5am (3am for you). I really really planned to stay in bed today but my brain just started up anyway weather my body wanted to or not and so I at least waited until 5:00 to sneak out.

I was thrilled to have a "good morning" from you waiting. I usually try to be real quiet ...no finger talking....this early because it even seems too loud for me so early but I wanted to write and not do what I sometimes do....think I will come back in just a short bit and answer back and then 5 days go by.

The paella tradition sounds great, mouth watering and amazing. Wish I could sample. I don't think I have ever had it (the real thing) here but I had the real thing when we went to Spain so many years. Oh my, what a memory that is. Our group went up into a little village that was near the coast. I remember the winding gravel road up the hills to get to it. We could see it from a distance because it shined like a jewel. They surely had white-washed every building just the day before our arrival and we arrived early in the morning when they were still mopping the streets. I swear they were. You know how the houses/buildings are right up next to the narrow streets and every balcony has beautiful flora cascading from it. We did various activities (very touristy) and then lunch was this wonderful, aromatic, amazing dish they called paella. This Texas girl had never had such a dish where chicken, fish, pork, shrimp, mussels, bones, shells and all were served up. Oh my!

I am so glad you told me about your new outfit and evening out. I have been wondering ever since the day before and thought I was going to have to ask. Sounds like it was perfect. I'm glad you know how to go out and take care of yourself with a new outfit and even jewelry for an outing rather than like me, making do with something from my closet only to get to the event and feel so utterly out of place, embarrassed, wanting to crawl into a hole or just melt away. I recently did something like that where there were all women and I will not talk about it except to say, all I could think about was that I truly am or could be a recluse and be OK with never having to go into a group like that again. Which is really how my DH feels and I sat there thinking that after nearly 50 years, I had turned into him.

But it sounds like one of those kismet things where you were just meant to be and meet these SF artists! It is amusing, not funny amusing and not a surprise that someone would pay you that compliment. It is true. Wasn't that a great time to get to actually talk about art with a new person. What a visual, you sitting there perched on a bar stool chatting away the night with art talk. I hope you will be able to meet up with them again. Do they have a web site? I'm curious about what kind of art. Are they both French? Did I just assume that?

I guess a belly full of paella and beer will put you to sleep no matter how bloody the movie is. Sounds like it was all good and also good that you had control of the off button. Will there be cooking again today? It is cold there now and did you have any snow? I think our weekend is suppose to be nice...maybe rain on Sunday. I have so much to do out in the yard but I'm afraid I won't get to it this weekend.

Yes I finished recording the class last night. I have been keeping up with the initial editing of the clips. So I plan to sit this weekend and do the final editing which means I will sit and watch it all from start to finish and make notes about supplies, as well as write the instructions for the sewing part. etc. Do you mind if I just make my to-do list here instead of on another piece of paper? OK, I knew you wouldn't.

1. Make final decision on the name of the class: I'm thinking just "Tree Castle Apron" with a sub-title of "a face painting, mixed media, fabric collage project" .....that's just all I can come up with and sometimes I think naming the class is the hardest part.
2. Final edit of all (or at least three-quarters) of the videos.
3. Final supply List
4. Class description
5. Record short promo and photograph close-ups to go with that...edit and post on blog, Viemo, Youtube and Ning.
6. Write the sewing directions to go with pattern PDFs
7. Take breaks while the videos are converting and get the studios back into order because I am ready for a burst of inspiration.
8. Set up Paypal button for class.
9. Get "lecture hall" ready for the class at Ning.
10. Start uploading the videos to Viemo. There are over 20! (This is a monster class)
11. Finish a bit of the stamping on the class apron sampling.
12. Photograph the apron. I was thinking it would be so cool to have a little runway show with the apron. It is so cool! I want to ask a couple or three of my friends to let me record them (or take still shots) modeling the apron. I could use that in my videos somewhere. OK this just added another 6 or 10 hours to my weekend. Will have to think about that.
13. Get the class listed on my Ning "main" page and ready for registration Tuesday.

Well, I think I will stop with that. I'm sure more things to-do will come to mind when I get started. And if I can possible manage, I will bless the floors here and put away the Christmas stockings and Christmas tree. I think I should get that done before March. Or not.

Going now to START.
Hey did you ever notice that "art" is in the word start? And also did you ever notice this.....SharonTomlinsonART = START.
Gonna be one of those days when my brain will not stop talking to me.
Have a great weekend.
xoxo ♥ sharon