Marcia McDade McMann Oil Pastel "Starry Night" 

My friends and I have been posting art on our FB pages just for fun with an accompanying description of the artist. I have been working with oil pastels with my home schooled grandgirls so I've been searching out some pastel artists. I am thrilled at the talent to be found out on the web.

The new wood bedroom floors are finished in my condo.  I started taping and prepping for paint.  Post flu my asthma has gone crazy and even low VOC paint sends my lungs into spasms.  Heather, my son David's wife and my grandgirl Alandra have taken over and finished painting the digestive pink bedroom with a creamy white color and one pale gray blue accent wall.  This afternoon they are putting a very pale lemon lime color on the master bedroom walls and from there more cream color in the hallway.  I am so blessed that they would do this for me.  It it made me cry.  I wrote my notice that I am moving the end of March, the big move is actually on the 15th of March but the notice is out there.  I am really excited.  The only other things left pre-move are getting the carpet cleaner in and the locksmith out to change the locks.  It's happening, woo woo!

Grandgirl Natty, younger sister of Alandra, won  a Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key Award (the highest award at this level) for her flash fiction (a less than 300 words) story "A Loop in Time," and honorable mention for her animated film "Erratic."  The Gold Key winners will go on to compete at the National Levels.  I love that she is so creative and am amazed at the skills these kids are learning in crafts that didn't even exist when I or her parents were in middle school. Brave new world.