"ART.FOR.THEM"

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I'll probably change the banner a lot as I am having so much fun playing with it, it's always good to see what people think of my work though. Sometimes the one the stands out is so obvious to others' eyes, and not so much to me! I've also been working on prints for Kate's art show to raise money for people to go down and serve street children in Peru. 

If you'll be in Birmingham on March, 14, come check it out! And if you won't be able to make the show, but you see something you like between now and the 14th, let me know which photo  you want, what size, and how much you'd like to donate to the cause, and I'll send you the print and give your donation to Kate's show. (email me at elaine.faith.davis@gmail.com)

1. something positive: take 2, 2. early view: take 2, 3. urban flowers, 4. late bloomers: take two, 5. andalucia wall: take two, 6. take two, 7. take 2, 8. stiches, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. old stories, 13. pair, 14. sidewalk colors, 15. pretty, 16. joy

An Experiment:

So, I want one of these.A Holga. Which is an inexpensive, meduim format camera with a plastic lens. They fall into the "toy camera" category because they are so cheap and made almost entirely of plastic. But they produce really amazing images.I will never be a perfectionist, no matter how hard I try. I can't draw a straight line, wrap gifts, or fold clothes. I love messy painting, and for a while my favorite artistic medium was glue. Because of this, I think that a Holga--which is know for its unpredictability, light streams, crazy colors, and general quirk--and I may be perfect for one another. I'm feeling like this little camera might give my creative juices the little boost they are desperately in need of.BUT I have learned a lot from my wonderful husband, who is very different from me in awesome ways, about patience, perseverance, thoughtfulness, and loyalty. Therefore, I am going to conduct an experiment, to see if I and my juices, are ready for a new toy. I'm going to earn it. And not be impulsive. For the next few weeks i'm going to use up all the 35mm film that I have, and if I succeed, process all the film, and still have a hankering for a Holga...the little guy will be mine. (for the low low price of around $30). Hopefully you all will be the benefactors of the images my little experiment produces soon.
P.S. Some of the coolest shots from the wedding were taken on a Holga.in other news:

• I made homemade pesto this weekend. Yum.
• I'm in Book Six of The Brothers Karamazov, and it's getting really good.
• I am shamelessly proud of both of those facts.
  

Things to do with an unexpected day (or two) off.

I arrived at work yesterday morning (after a morning of seriously not wanting to get out of bed and leave Keith behind on his unexpected day off) to see the parking lot completely empty and Ronny, the guy who takes care of everything, holding a sign up to the door saying that the building is closed due to a water main break. So far, it's still not fixed, and i'm still not at work. what a shame. How do I spend an expected day off?

1. Get my new Social Security card, as Elaine MacCorkle Davis. (This was a hard decision because i love my middle name, Faith. But there is so much history in a last name, especially one like MacCorkle, and i wanted to be sure it lives on.) Keith made friends with a kind old man from New York while he was waiting for me. Last time we went to the social security office, he made friends with a couple african dudes. I have such a friendly husband.
   
2. Spend hours in Urban Standard sipping a macchiato that is the closest thing i've found this side of the Atlantic to the cafe con leche i enjoyed so much in Espana.
3. Then have our friend Pat come meet us for lunch at Urban Standard. Enjoy a delectable standard chicken panino with chicken, smoked guda, caramelized onions, and balsamic glaze.
4. Go home and nap and sing and play guitar with Keith. Attempt a walk, but give up when it is too hot to breathe.
5. (day two) Watch the Bachelorette and an episode of House, managing both without having a single channel on our TV.
6. Work on a secret project for Keith. Shhhh.
7. Talk to one of your best friends from Spain on Skype for the first time in ages, and find out that he "has decided to follow Jesus." !!!! WHOO!

I dont think I'd make it for long as a stay-at-home wife, although, sometimes I wish I could. But these unexpected days off have not gone by unappreciated. Now I'm off to read a book.

Goal for the week:

I've recently had a revelation in my battle to fight laziness or procrastination or whatever you want to call it. I think laziness is really at the heart of the matter. But the progress is that I've realized that "goals of the week" work much better for me than open-ended "to-do lists" which I write in my red notebook and then never really look at again. short-term goals, in accomplishable numbers, work much better. And posting them on my blog holds me accountable. We saw how it worked with the veggie garden. (p.s. my goal for last week was to get a haircut, which i didnt blog about, but i did accomplish. bangs are now part of my life, and although it was a slightly traumatic experience, i think it worked out in the end.) So here it is for this week:

1. paint something: preferably the living room, but there are other things such as the book shelf and a window pane project that could suffice too. my dad stocked us up with lots of much appreciated painting supplies this weekend.

2. change my name. (a trip to the social security office.)

3. make chicken and cashews in lettuce wraps.

in other news:

• in case we were wondering if my allergy medicine works...i forgot to take it this morning and i think i have sneezed literally 50 times. 30 of those time while i was driving to work. dangerous. i may really begin counting and let you know how it turns out.
• we spent time at home (in marietta) this weekend with many dearly loved friends and our families (mine whose time in marietta is too quickly waning). a highlight was a 3 hour breakfast with Ashley and her boyfriend Drew who now reside in Philly. I look forward to more sweet moments of our long-distance friendship with them. they gave us some music recommendations that i'm excited about too, and even though i havnt listened to them yet, they come from a good source and i'll pass on the advice. from the mouth of ashely russ, check out: vampire weekend, white rabbits, beirut, and devotchka.
• we were walking on the square this weekend and we passed a man with his wife and daughter, wearing sunglasses and a brimmed hat. but when he looked at me he looked SO familiar. i stared and he gave me a small "i know you recognize me" smile and nod. my gut instinct was that he was famous, but then i racked my brain for where i could know him. church? where have i seen that face? oh my! it's Alton Brown! i grabbed Keith and said, that guy is on the food network! he has like three shows! Keith proceeded to run down the sidewalk after him assuring me that i wanted to talk to him. I stopped him before it was too late, but it was a pretty exciting experience. apparently Alton lives right off the square and has been spotted often, including in keith's dad's store.
  

Mission Accomplished

We did it! This is our lovely vegetable garden. Really, its an experiment with several factors.
1. We may or may not have given our plants enough room to grow and spread their wings.
2. The bowl i'm holding contain squash and cucumbers, which, from what i've read may take over our entire porch.
3. In the bottom of each planting hole of the tomatoes is a whole, unbroken egg. I read somewhere that this provides a yummy source of sulfur for the little guy right about the time that he'll produce fruit.
4. We planted oregano with one tomato and basil with another. I also read that planting them with herbs gives them flavor.

In other news:
Keith and I reading two books that may change our lives.

Goal of the week: Plant a vegetable garden.