Not On the To-Do List

So yesterday's activity was not originally on my summer to-do list. Yeah....no it wasn't. If you've been following me for awhile then ya know I have struggled with some health issues over the past 3 years. I've had more blood drawn than I think is in my body to begin with, more crazy tests, peed in a tiny cup 100 million times, more blood pricks, seen more doctors, paid more co-pays, had more seeing of my body than I care to discuss until last week. When upon my sweet hubby's insistence went to see ANOTHER doctor. Another GYN. And she looked into my crying eyes and with the most calming voice said, "I want to go in and see what is going on. I personally think you have endometriosis." WHAT? What is that? I had kids...I thought that meant you can't have kids.

Of course Billy was out of town so we talked shortly on the phone about this possibility. I mean seriously....3 years and not one freaking doctor mentioned this? This is where I kinda lost it folks. I won't go into all my symptoms but let's just say that the newest symptom since March was pelvic pain at the level 10 scale with the giant frowny face 24hrs a day/7days a week. The specialist doctor I was in touch with kept saying, "just give this birth control another month sweetie and you'll feel all better."  Bullshit. I was getting worse by the day. To the point of it affecting everything in my life. All I could do was sleep. Because that's what your body does when its in THAT much pain. It shuts down. I was prescribed prescription pain meds...none worked. Like none. (Oxycodone is most recent one..and that didn't touch the pain) So of course I started gaining weight. I was exercising, because that felt good, but evidently not as much as needed to keep my weight down. So that got me down. 10 pounds up in a few months is a red flag for me. And for my new doctor. BTW this is me when I was healthy and happy and running my first 13.1.....I am pretty sure a few months after this is when I started getting sick. This was in 2011.

So I found out last week I was having this surgery...needless to say I was a nervous wreck. I mean so many what if's right? What if the pain is a giant tumor that was gonna kill me in a month? My head goes to those places...it does people. Yesterday my hubby and Daddy took me to the Outpatient Center and waited with me. I am not gonna lie. I was so scared. But as I was sitting in my recliner with warm blankets waiting for my surgery I hear Dr Kale coming in and all the nurses doing "hooray's" and "Oh my gosh Dr Kale we love seeing you in here." on and on.....so obviously this doctor is loved. Because the place was all but pulling out the pom-poms for her arrival! I calmed down a smidge at this point. I was in good hands. All the nurses were super kind and gentle too. Of course being wheeled into the OR I about lost it. And they could tell. I tell ya doctors and nurses are little slices of angels. They calmed me and got me prepped with ease. And just like that I was in recovery. I had what's called a diagnostic laparoscopic surgery. Turns out the only way to diagnose endometriosis is to go into your body like this. Kinda invasive right? Alien like. I remember Dr. Kale's sweet voice while headed to recovery say, "Sweetie I found it....it's endometriosis. We are going to get you better." And then my went lights out for another hour.  When they brought Billy and my Dad back I could tell from Billy's face how relieved and happy he was. He too went to dark places....

So today I am resting...well trying to. I wanted to start video taping my new e-course. My abdomen is so sore. She only peeked around, didn't take anything or mess with anything.  But it still hurts. In a nutshell, endometriosis is a disorder in which the tissue that normally grow inside your uterus grows on the outside. And since it has no way to escape, builds and attaches to places which causes the pain. In my case it has obviously attached to places that have given me GI issues. So 3 years ago when I had the extreme GI issues, this was the root. And now the extreme pelvic pain. And the chronic fatigue. And the candida. And the bladder issues. It's ALL FREAKING related. To this. To this.....I just can hardly breath I get so mad. Mad that I didn't push the doctors for better answers. I guess since I had kids it wasn't a thought in the doctors minds...they just kept pushing more birth control changes for the pelvic pain. And honestly the changes would work about a year then I'd have to go in again. But this last time....oh man since March has been a whirlwind.

So I am on the road to recovery. It's not going to be easy. There is no cure for this. There are treatments, one of which I refuse, one we are going to try because I refuse the radical treatment. My doctor is kinda with me on the radical treatment so that's good. We meet this week to start treatment. I am really looking forward to healing and getting back to myself again!! And I tell you folks...I wish I'd been more pro-active in my testing and questioned why the doctors did what they did. I will be much more aware with my daughter if she starts having issues. No one should go through what I have. No one. Dr. Kale is my hero right now. Safe to say my husband and children's too. They are ready to have their Momma back.

Well...I am off to eat and then sleep. Like I said, pain meds don't really work on me. Weirdo right? Maybe I should locate the liquor?

Summer To Do List

Summertime is here...so let's see.....what shall I do with myself? Well I am going to be finishing my Paint Something E-course Part 2 up first. LOTS of painting and video taping. I CAN NOT wait. This e-course thang is right up my alley. First, I love a stage. And this platform gives me a shiney stage to be the spotlight of. Secondly, I love to share my heart with others about painting. Teaching is a gift I have been given, I am so grateful for this gift.

Secondly, I can't wait to hang with this man a little more. I've promised myself I am going to pick up a golf club so we have a common activity to enjoy. I may just be the hot golf-cart girl though. Hahaha..I've tried to get him running with me and that ain't happening. He has started strumming guitar a little to do something I enjoy. Marriage is like that....you bend and curve until you mold together again. It's super fun. I love seeing how we unfold each year.

 I am really looking forward to sleeping in with this fuzzy face. Every morning after Billy leaves the doggies totally sandwhich me. I love it. Love love love it. Their unconditional love is amazing.

I hope to get to some painting for fun....I want to paint a big one for my porch. A bike of course. Pink I think. With pennants and hearts and some cool quote. Yep.

So I just found out we have HBO. Not sure why I haven't scrolled through the 10,000 channels we have sooner, but a person can only click so much before her eyes get glossed over. Between 2 Lifetime channels and 5 HBO's I am set for porch TV and couch TV when it's sweltering here in Georgia. I love me some movie time. And obviously doggies do too. They are the biggest snugglers ever. Again...love it.

There will be lots of watching this handsome boy play ball. He's stepped up a notch and will be playing summer 16U travel ball. I understand some of the tournaments are packed with college scouts and pro-scouts. Makes me a nervous momma....for him! He has seriously playing goals. I want him to see his dreams come true so bad. After the back injury that put him out of high school ball all season we are excited for the season to start and see how he has healed. This summer will be the tell-tale if he can hang with the big boys. He's the youngest and smallest on his team. And yet plays the hardest position on the field and I think has a pretty good batting average. I am so not into stats and records. But he hits a lot. That's all I know.

Lastly, I hope to be hitting this at some point. Mailey and I are going to NYC in July, so not sure between baseball and that if we can squeeze it in. But I sure hope so. The beach is my soul saver. It's like a recharge for my whole body. I love it so much. Billy and I both hope to one day retire to the sand. It may be in a cardboard box, but we'll have salt, sand, oysters and each other. What more could a woman need?

So what are your summer plans? If you want to join my e-course be sure to pop over to that website www.paintsomething.guru. We are launching on July 6th. Summer is always a time of lazy days, no plans, lunches out and smelling of chlorine. I can not wait to get started with it all!

Art Camp!!

There are still a few spots left in my summer art camps. I can not wait! It's my favorite time to teach. Lily and Lawrence LOVE it too. I literally have to put Lawrence in time-out by the end because he misses all his nap-times and gets super cranky. Love him.  Here's some samples I've found we are spring boarding off of:

Of course we'll be putting our own spin on each of the projects, but you get the idea. 2 packed days of art making in my personal studio. It rocks!! Email me for more details and to sign up.  jennihorne@ymail.com

Art Show!

This past weekend was the Kirkwood Spring Fling. I participated in this show last year, had such a  great time, decided to do it again! Tiffin and Joy did it too and I'll be darned we forgot to get a photo of us all! Bummer. It was predicted to rain....instead it was so freakin' HOT....SUNNY...HOT...did I mention HOT? Wowsa. We weren't prepared for that. But, despite the heat it was great to get out, share my work with people and hang with Joy and Tiffin for 15 hours.

It was also great to see old friends like Heather, Chad, Vicky and Becky. And of course great to make new friends.And sell art.

I have a pretty good bit of stuff left. So I am thinking about braving an instagram sale.  What do you guys think about that?

My whole family came during the day at some point. This is my son Will, he's 15. And just recently got taller than me. What what? Will came up with his girl Toni, her Mom, Nana and Aunt. Then Billy and Mailey came up at the end to hang out and help Tiffin, Joy and I close up. I am SO GLAD they did. Now that the kids are older its really neat having them come to the shows. You can tell they are proud of Momma and her work by their actions. Will was just a beaming. He even posted this pic of us on HIS instagram feed. Now that is gold in my book.

Mailey was so cute....she was looking at my art and said, "Hey Momma, if this one doesn't sell can we hang it somewhere in the house?" She also took a few to hang in her room. Bam....Momma is beaming. Anyhoo....all in all sales were lower than I had wanted. But sometimes that's how it goes ya know. Finding the right niche to sell original art is super tricky. Sometimes I feel like giving up. But then I look at these photos and think "Jenni, there is room for all of us somewhere, you just gotta keep looking for the right spot."

If you are interested in anything you see posted here email me at jennihorne@ymail.com and I'll let you know if its available. Or if you'd like to visit my studio to purchase we can arrange that as well. I'll be around this summer and would love the company.

Kirkwood Spring Fling

Hey guys!! Last year I did this awesome show in Kirkwood. You can see the post here I wrote about it. Such a fun community nestled right in the heart of Atlanta. This year I am again signed up and bringing Tiffin and Joy! I can't wait to share all my new paintings and yarn wrapped wreaths with the show attendees.  I love to share my work in show venues. It's a great way to get feedback and feel proud and excited about my work all in one 12 hour day.

Finished this one up last night.She's a beauty painted on an old cabinet door.

I love the way all the wreaths turned out. I have lots of finishing touches and packing to do. I wasn't stressed about it, in fact I laid around all weekend saying, "I need to get in the basement and pack for the show." And well, I didn't. Because Lifetime television and porch sleeping were more important to my body.  And now my list is lengthening and Billy is out of town. Yep. That's the way the cookie crumbles for me these days. I've done so many shows though so once I get a little mock set up done packing up all the goodies will be easy peasy. Although packing a new car is gonna be interesting. The van was made for art shows, in fact I made my screens according to the van dimensions. George, well he's a little tricky to get things in and out of. Funny how I stress about weird things right? Not worried about the art selling or setting up, worried about putting it all in my car neatly.

Anyhoo....Hope you can come on by Saturday. Here's the website for the show with directions. Please be sure to say hi!!

Paint Something Part 2...READY for REGISTRATION

Last year around this exact time I launched my first painting e-course. It was a project I'd dreamed about for what seemed like forever. And then one day I was like, "Ok Jenni, put on your big girl panties and do it. You can...You can...." I had no idea the blessing it would become not only financially for our family but for me personally as an artist. Your taking the class allowed me an opportunity to open up in ways I never knew existed. I found something inside myself...a giant so to say. Because let me be very honest, putting yourself out there in this platform is not easy. It is a TON of work. But worth every minute because it made me think about why and how I paint the way I do.

Which brings me to this summer....Summer 2015. And the launch of Paint Something: Part 2. You do need to take Part 1 first because I will not be going over the basics of my paintings, but rather diving into the painting process. If you visit the website here it tells you ALL about each course. The cost is $99 per course with a $10 discount if you sign up for both at the same time. I can not wait to see more of you in the course. Part 1 will be available again in July as well as Part 2. it all starts July 6th. So what are you waiting for.....join me on this amazing creative journey! Sign up now!

Canvaspop On the Walls

I take a lot of photos. Crazy amount really. On my phone, on my Rebel SLR...I absolutely love to document our family life through photos. But then I don't always know what to do with them. And some are so sweet and the memory associated with those images are priceless. Like the one below.

This was taken during the great Georgia blizzard last year. It captures my kids to a tee. Mailey's outfit and sassy look, Will's "Abercrombie model face"...I wanted to savor this photo forever. It's not your regular print either. It's a gorgeous Canvaspop! You guys this company rocks. Their site is here. I love this 16x24 print folks!! It looks like I am outside with them taking the photo its so crisp and clean.  I really love the instagram prints here as well. Awesome idea for all those adorable photos in my phone right?

It's carefully wrapped around a wood frame and wired to hang immediately. I can't decide where I want to hang it yet, although the pink dining room makes sense. I can see it everytime I walk through the bottom floor of our home. My photos of the canvas here aren't as good as I'd hoped but on the original you can see the tiniest details of snow across the kids. The quality of print is better than anything I've ever seen friends!! I love that it's hand crafted. Gotta love an American company making an A+ effort.

And guess what friends? Liam over at Canvaspop is offering you all an amazing discount code and one of you will WIN a 16x20 canvas. Woot woot woot!!! Here are the deets:

You guys are getting a 35% discount on your entire order. Use the code CREATIVELIFE35. Now this expires May 15, 2015 and is applicable to the entire order of www.canvaspop.com.

For the giveaway, the code CREATIVELIFE will get one lucky winner a 16 x 20 canvas stretched on a .75" frame depth and includes the cost of shipping as well. That promo is scheduled to expire an entire year from now. That expiration date is April 30, 2016.

I am so excited for you guys. This is an awesome deal. And I plan to order a few more for our family home. Especially some of the fun ones of our dogs. hehehe....So have you all found any cool new products lately?