I got a lot done today. I did the underpaintings for three little paintings Steph asked me to do for Malachy's room (they're based on the artwork of Simon Hart.)
I had a welcome addition to my life on St. Patty's day. No, not the kitty, the inhaler! Beautiful as a daffodil! Here's how I scored it - I went into the ER and informed the nurse that I thought my massive thyroid had finally burst it's borders and was crushing my trachea... a few tests and six hours later my nurse informed me that I was having a bronchospasm and sent me home with an inhaler.
As you can see, I flattered the llama a little in my painting by not including that unseemly bald spot at the top of his left leg. That's where Piper knocked him into hot candle wax and I had to trim off the matted hair.
In addition to being an amazing artist, entrepreneur and fledgling author, Tiley is the Director of Visual Arts Ministry for the Willow Creek Community Church of South Barrington. THE STUDIO at the creek is a group open to all visual artists from all media and skill levels.
Their mission statement is, “Visual Artists reflecting God’s love through our gifts.” “In each congregation there are unidentified visual artists occupying seats. Given the opportunity they would jump at the chance to be vessels through which God can bless all of us.”...
Last Spring at Willow Creek, THE STUDIO at the creek artists hosted an art exhibit for Good Friday and Easter. “For four days I watched in amazement as thousands of people were moved deeply by what they experienced. God reached out through paintings, sculptures, and photographs, touching lives. One woman, having been through the gallery could barely speak. After a long pause she simply exclaimed as tears welled in her eyes, ‘Thank you … thank you for doing this.’”
Who are the happiest people in America?
Conservative Republicans are among the most joyous, according to a survey released yesterday by the Pew Research Center for the Public and the Press, which found that 47 percent of respondents who were both conservative and Republican said they were "very happy."
The survey was specific. This isn't just ho-hum happy. This is emphatically happy.
The group was eclipsed only by well-heeled Republicans with more than $150,000 in annual incomes -- 52 percent were very happy -- and people who attend church at least once a week, with incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Half of them also said they had a happy mind-set.
...
The findings revealed that the Republican Party has an upbeat history: Republicans have been consistently happier than Democrats every year since the survey began in 1972, with up to a 17 percentage point lead. Republicans topped their rivals by 11 points even during the Carter and Clinton presidencies, according to Pew.
"The GOP happiness edge over Democrats has ebbed and flowed in a pattern that appears unrelated to which party is in political power," the survey said, noting "a significant partisan gap."
28 percent of liberal Democrats were in the "very happy" group; the figure was 31 percent among conservative or moderate Democrats and 45 percent among moderate or liberal Republicans.
Good feelings don't seem to hinge on money, either. Considering household income, "Republicans still have a significant edge: that is, poor Republicans are happier than poor Democrats; middle-income Republicans are happier than middle-income Democrats, and rich Republicans are happier than rich Democrats," the survey stated.
For example, 30 percent of Republicans who made less than $30,000 a year were very happy -- compared with 19 percent of Democrats in that income bracket. Among those with annual incomes of more than $75,000, the figures were 52 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
The second conference of the season kicks off tomorrow morning and I'll be there helping out. I've been told my job is to stand back stage with a flashlight so that the Out Loud kids don't trip. I guess my flashlight holding skills did not go unnoticed at the last conference. 
Since I started volunteering in Promiseland last year I've been impressed over and over with the incredible energy, intelligence, fun and focus of this ministry. This will be my first Promiseland conference, but if it has even half the spirit of a typical weekend in Promiseland it's going to be amazing! 
Then after that I'm rushing to ECC for my painting class! Busy day!
I'm taking a six week oil painting class at ECC taught by local artist, Louis Padro. This is last weeks effort. It measures 16x20 and represents about 1hr 50min of painting. I didn't get to put in the patchy little fields on the far hill, but maybe I'll do that once it has dried a little more.
Ralph Lynn
Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster
Now Hugh Laurie as Peter Wimsey - that would be awesome! Not exactly "tow coloured" but "supercilious" for sure, and, maybe most importantly, capable of conveying Wimsey's feverish, almost manic, intellect.
The BBC's first attempt at casting for Peter was alright. Ian Carmichael was great with the dialogue and had the right energy, but he looked nothing like Peter and I'm permanently scarred from the sight of him in the harlequin's costume. Yikes!
Ian Carmichael
In the 80's the BBC took another stab at it, casting Edward Petherbridge. Edward looked a lot like Peter, but came off strangely dour and his attempts at some of Peter's outbursts were just plain awkward. Oh yeah, and he couldn't keep the monocle from falling off his face!
Robert Montgomery
Artists have also attempted to put a face on Lord Peter Wimsey.
Very heroic looking. I think Peter would have been amused.
This guy is trying to sell us something.
This portrait belongs to Balliol, where I guess they honor their imaginary alumnae as well as the real ones. The artist scrawled "after Sargent" at the bottom of the painting. If you say so, buddy.
Maybe someday I'll do a painting of Peter and let the world know, once and for all, what he really looks like.
How apropos!
Anyway, that got me thinking that there really ought to be more Wimsey quotes available on-line. Maybe I'll do the world a favor and go through the books with a highlighter so I can edify y'all with his wit and wisdom. So stay tuned!
I've also done a couple of sketches of Emily in preperation for a portrait I'm doing for Crystal. I'm using the photos of Emily at the window that Crystal posted on her blog a last month. 
Kim, Thanks so much for your post and reference to my article about "why can't people understand" [my chronic illness?] In regard to the comments of fellow bloggers, I agree whole-heartedly. Our society is made up of people who have many different personalities and ways of coping with difficulties in life. Some people will conquer anything with an attitude of "I can beat this!" while others will always choose to be the victim. Illness enters the life of every kind of person, so those with illness will be a cross-selection of the population too. It will represent those who are pretty-much emotionally healthy and just need a friend to SOMEHOW validate that they at least understand a small part of their daily challenges. But it will also represent those who will grab onto this illness as the newest [and perhaps most legitimate] reason to play "victim," using their illness to gain more attention.
Overall, I think there are very few people who actually "make up" an illness. 1 in 3 people in the USA have a chronic condition, such as pain from an auto accident, diabetes, migraines, arthritis, etc. And we can't ever REALLY know just how much pain someone is in. If it is painful to them and impacting their life, IT'S PAIN. Every time I have a rheumatoid arthritis flare that leaves me barely able to stand, it's amazing how wonderful those days of just limping now seem to be. Our scales of pain change every day, so it's best to just assume everyone really IS in pain.
But, I wrote the book "Why Can't I Make People Understand? Discovering the Validation Those with Chronic Illness Seek & Why" because I saw so many people living in a state of pure frustration that the world just "didn't get it." -- even their closest friends and spouses who generally care. I've attempted to teach people that those of us with illness CAN'T change those around us, or "make them get it." It's just not possible, like we can't understand divorce or the loss of a child if we haven't actually experienced it. We can adjust our own actions and attitudes, however. And for friends who want to help... I wrote "Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend" to try to give our chronically ill friends some resources/tools to better understand how they can reach out when they want to. Most people care but feel very ill-equipped at what to say, how to help and so they may do very little. Lack of caring is rarely the problem, but rather, a lack of communication between healthy and ill friends.
While writing "Why Can't I Make People Understand?" I realized that this question is asked by everyone on earth over whatever their plight is at the moment. We have a human instinct to need to have what we are feeling validated somehow and yet, even when it is, we still think, "But she doesn't REALLY understand! My situation is so much worse because [fill in the blank.]" This can be a normal emotion, but also a destructive one if we allow it to become a common thought pattern. If anyone is interested, both books are available at www.comfortzonebooks.com
God bless, and thank you for bringing this topic to light. Who would have thought I could explain my thoughts at 2 a.m. so well! I can't sleep from pain :)
Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries
www.restministries.org
How do you improve on such a good thing? With your parents' old sofa and lazy boy! I'm not sure where I'll fit them, but I'm looking forward to the challenge!
adapted from Psalm 17:6-8
