Please give!!!!

For my dear friend, Wendy Prentice, who has raised a giving and selfless son...please give in any way you can at http://www.plantingpeace.org any amount, even $5.00 can make a difference!! So please, please, please, let us band together and help the less fortunate than we are. With great love and gratitude from me to you....my friends that give.....Lisa



The one that really deserves thanks though is Aaron Jackson....a good man, a wonderful human, and selfless humanitarian!!

A love for much...a wish for PEACE

Okay....a few thoughts for right now. Being a mermaid artist and having a love of the coast and spending some time walking the beach alongside the ocean for a few days prior to yesterday (before we began to freeze these past 2 days....brrrrrrr) I am SO thankful for this life I lead. I am so lucky and fortunate and blessed to live in a place where I am SO in love with my surroundings and the beauty of it all. Sometimes when Bobby and I take the boys (our labs Angus & Oscar) to the North end of the island, where most of the time it is very peaceful, even during the height of the beach season, I am always struck by the beauty of everything our wonderful ocean has to offer us....the lovely shells that wash up, the bright green seaweeds, the "mermaids pocketbooks" (a.k.a. skate egg cases) that wash ashore, the seagulls, known lovingly by me as the "jesters of the beach" ....the porpoises that we are SO SO lucky to have site of and be a part of their lives....they allow us to be with them, not the other way around, as they surface and give us a show from time to time, sometimes allowing us our own private "Seaworld Show" right in our own back yard!! We love our community, and while we are a quiet and very hard working fishing village, we feel very "rich" in this place, and there is such a sense of community here in Sneads Ferry, and we just love it all the more for the way people respond to one another. No one will ever pass you by and not look right at you when you speak and return the favor, and we all wave as we pass each other in our cars while on the go, and lest we forget our military, our brave men and women that lay their lives on the line for us each and every day, not asking for our thanks in return, but who truly believe in their duty to serve our country. I ask each one of you that visits our blogs, the Coastal Sisters blogs, if you see a man or woman in uniform, please do not be afraid nor hesitate to approach them and thank them from the bottom of your heart for all they do to keep you safe and free. Many of these brave souls are not home for the holidays and will spend time with their fellow servicemen and women. Please visit the numerous sites, and this one takes a brief moment from your life, to send holiday wishes and notes of love and support to these brave souls. The military is always prominent in our community, as we are right near a base and an air station, and while sometimes it may be very loud around here, we live with the wonderful sound of FREEDOM daily, which most people would find distracting and a nuisance, yet we applaud the sounds we hear, helicopters and jets and many more aircraft of which I can't even name......We pray for a speedy and safe return to the USA for our troops serving in Iraq and throughout the World, as these brave souls have put their lives on the line for each and every one of us, and many of us don't even know or understand why, yet they all deserve our thanks and respect. We share a wish to bring our troops home where they can reunite with their family and friends. May God bless and keep you all. I speak for many, and there are some that will not share my thoughts and wishes, but please respect my thoughts, and wish for Peace for all our World....this is the only one we have my fellow human beings, whether or not we all share the same Faith or beliefs, we all need Peace for this, OUR PLANET, we need kindness, so BE KIND to your fellow men & women. Please send out a wish for PEACE and be kind, it doesn't cost a thing folks.....what more can a person ask for?!!! A FREEBIE...how great is that! I think this all is coming from a feeling I had rush over me this morning as I was doing a favor for a neighbor, I felt if we all could do just one small kindness for another how great life would be!! Keep an open heart because an open heart will never be a lonely heart. xoxo Lisa

NO TIME FOR ANYTHING...

LuLu has no time for frivolity....and I have no time for anything!! I have been trying and trying to get to my blog to post...but to no avail, no time for anything at the moment :( Hopefully once I get a few moments of peace and quiet (yeah, right!) I can post an update of the past **GULP** month?!?!! Well, almost a whole month now! WHERE DOES ALL THAT TIME MANAGE TO SLIP AWAY TO? Maybe Mrs. Beasely is swooping in and taking it all....and I would just about bet Raoul is in cahoots with her on this matter....I'll just have to take it up with someone, but the question is WHO?!?!!! Does anyone care, does it matter at all? Well, at least my sense of humor remains and I am trying to laugh at the world right now...when all I want to do is crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head and sleep til after the New Year .... can anyone say "TIRED" ?!?!! Love to all....must run to bed as it is after midnight and I have to be at the office bright and early in the morning to get loose ends tightened up so we can scoot to the North Pole for a bit :)


OOOOOOh yeah, welcome home to our good friend Adam. Bobby and I had lunch with Adam today. He has just returned to the USA from being abroad with the Peace Corps...what a selfless human being this wonderful young man is. Welcome Home Adam :) We have missed you!

Glitter Shells, Raoul, and the elusive Mrs. Beasely

Good evening everyone! Glitter shells and freezing weather have been the "order of the day" here at the coast. The wind has been WICKED and cold, cold, cold, FREEZING COLD, (did I even mention it was COLD?!?!!) and that's about all I have to say about the weather....although our night skies have been incredible, very clear and stars galore!!! -- but, the Glitter Shells portion of my subject titIe has to do with my friends sweet little gift shop here in Sneads Ferry --THE SHOP ACROSS THE STREET-- where I spent probably a couple of hours shopping (mostly talking if you must know the truth) for some of Kelly's beautiful glittered shell ornaments!! This is the same shop where I sell my mermaid paintings...thanks to Kelly and Andy prodding me along. So, now that I have those fabulous glitter shells, I can't WAIT to get the tree put up and put my glitter shells on there and I will TRY to post a picture (once I, the techno dipstick, learns how!!) but to let you know, if you need ornaments, GORGEOUS ornaments, unbelievable ornaments, just contact Kelly via their web site at http://www.glittershells.com/ BUT, I must tell you, the photos do NOT do these gorgeous shells justice!! They are truly fantastic. I just read Lu's blog, put my 2 cents worth in (otherwise known as posting my own comments) and of course received a phone call from LuLu immediately after posting my thoughts, and as usual we could barely speak during our fits of laughter, although we have our own understanding of what the other is saying during said fits :) I really MUST fill you in on Raoul (my monkey friend, who is somewhat like Mrs. Beasley, a figment of my imagination, dare I say my "out there" imagination?!?!!) Anyway, I had to let Lu know that Raoul was busy on the phone with Mrs. Beasely discussing Thanksgiving Day menu plans, and in turn, Mrs. Beasely had to go and discuss with Apricot, being that Apricot "claims" she is the "alpha dog" of their fur baby brood (or so poor little "Miss Thang" thinks she is the Alpha Dog....little does she know Mrs. Beasley is fabulous at mind control and is completely and utterly in control of EVERYTHING!!) Well, Raoul needed to put his 2 cents worth in, borrowed (more like swiped) my cell phone, rang Mrs. Beasley and began to cover the menu for the big Turkey Day events and so I do believe all is moving forward at LuLu's household thanks to Raoul and Mrs. Beasley taking command of all the details....I do believe I smell "party planning" in the works for these 2 magnificent creatures...perhaps a partnership can be formed from their 2 heads coming together as one, and I can see it in lights now "THE MONKEY & ME" -- party planning at it's best...now please bear in mind, you yourself will need a great imagination, you must be able to keep an open mind, you will need to hope for the best and plan for the worst (in case you decide to "hire" Raoul & Mrs. Beasely) dare I say a back-up plan would be in order....actually, a back up plan would be a necessity and basically you might as well go ahead and do the whole party yourself, because needless to say, I doubt the 2 of those characters would show up, unless of course you might be on pain killers, had a bottle or two (or ten) of wine, maybe several good strong alcoholic drinks (umbrellas in the glass optional) and maybe a small dose of perhaps, an hallucinogenic to make Raoul and Mrs. Beasely appear, on time, dressed to the 9's, ready to take control and make said party actually happen. By the way, IF you pull this one off, please fill me in as to the whereabouts of Raoul, as I would LOVE my cell phone back any day now, so please drop it off, mail it, send it by carrier pigeon even....just get the thing back to me ASAP Raoul :) and please keep the chit chat with Mrs. Beasely to a minimum my sweet little monkey (you crazy little twit!!) or was that ME I was thinking about?!?!!! Crazy twit actually might fit the bill when it comes to describing myself...just ask anyone that remotely knows me, or perhaps even knows me all too well :P



Well, at this point I find myself having to bid you all a fond adieu and wish you all a very good night....I find myself getting to go to bed later and later these days (what the heck is that all about?!!!) so I had better run, as it is headed to the 1:00am hour before too long!! Love to all...xoxo Lisa

YA YA's & Shrimp Boats

Guess you must be wondering what the title of this blog is all about! Well, the movie version of Ya Ya Sisterhood is playing right now....and guess what.....to be followed by none other than STEEL MAGNOLIAS....which I JUST referred to in my last blog....how serendipitous is that may I ask? :)

Now for the next part....the shrimp boat portion....well, as I sit here and type I am looking out at some of the shrimp boats make their way back to their home ports, mooring for the rest of the day. Many of these intrepid fishermen are out way before day breaks and get the job done and head back in before some people even rise out of bed on weekend mornings. Again, how blessed I feel to be able to be a part of all this wonderful life here in our little fishing village....sometimes I ask myself "Did you ever think you could love a place so much in your whole life?" -- and of course I now know the answer.....a resounding YES, YES, YES!! I (we) just LOVE our beach community!! OH MY GOODNESS!! As my good friend Wendy Prentice says...."the secret to living a good life is living it along the coast" -- I could not have said it better myself Wendy Lu ;)

So, now back out to the great outdoors and soak in some more of that fantastic salt air!! Can't you just imagine yourself, taking a deep breath, catching the aroma of the ocean, the local fresh seafood market, the smell of burning leaves, which many folks know is a very common practice here in the Fall, and is a smell that brings back so many memories and an smell I just LOOOOOVE :) I will be back for more later....no tea and crumpets for now...just make yourself at home and I'll return later!! xoxo to all :) Lisa

Lordy, Don't My Blog Look Pure Uncouth Compared To LuLu's ;)

Well, I just visited our "REAL" Coastal Sisters blog....and don't I feel like a "PURE-T-HAINT"!! Now, for those of you from the South you know what I'm talkin'bout....the haint part, that is. You go to LuLu's blog and you hear angelic voices and music sent from the heavens....then you visit the TOO TWISTED FOR COLOR TV portion...and you feel like you have just arrived on Miss Truvy's tacky a** front porch after she and Annelle have decorated for Christmas, looking like they just vomited up every Christmas knick knack from the dollar store all over the front porch.....GEESH!! (after visiting LuLu's portion of Coastal Sisters I felt I needed to do some work on my portion of the blog) ..... only THIS **sweeping motion opening arms** is what you get :) Don'tcha just luuuuuuuve it when you feel right at home in my messy ol' spot here?!?!! This is the "come on in, knock off the sand, kick off the flip flops, and plop on down anywheres" portion of Coastal Sisters. LuLu is just too much!! She sure has a way with making things all glittery and wonderful and sparkling and festive.....with me you just get sand, flip flops, the occasional flounder...gratis Bobby and Norwood of course...and that "help yourself to whatever's in the fridge" attitude we possess :)


Anyway, the coast has been a bit gloomy today...weather wise that is. Now, let's just clarify that in my book, there is never any gloom when you are at the beach, don'tcha know!! Once I learn how to do all that great stuff Lu does, i.e. photos, music, food, beverages, etc....then I too can be the "hostess with the mostest"....until then you'll have to settle for sand in your nooks and crannies, flip flops on your feet, the smell of the coast, the salty air surrounding you, and the sound of seagulls calling out for all that stale bread you're hoarding!! So pull up a rocking chair or sun chaise, pour yourself some coconut rum, come and cop a squat at the TOO TWISTED FOR COLOR TV blog for a bit. You are welcome all the time....then you can head back to LuLu for some tea and crumpets :) Love you sissy poo!!

Oh yea, update for Jane today is that she started her physical therapy and she made it through...albeit everyone was looking at her scar and saying "that looks really bad" .... and of course she almost fainted, had tears come to her eyes, but being the trooper she is, she stuck it out, made it through, and now has another SIX WEEKS of looking forward to that crap!! Sorry Squirrely Girl :)

Also, on the Bart home front, he is all moved in to his new place and still trying to sort everything out...he's gonna get there ... just keep stuffin' the closets full baby!!

Love to all and thanks for stopping by and sorry I didn't have all that hoity toity frou frou stuff Miss Lu has to offer....how about some peanuts and coke (mixed IN the bottle together of course...another thing you get if from the South!!) or just BYOB, we're easy....love to all!! :) Lisa

Gorgeous Morning & The Flounder

Good Morning everyone!! I have been up since 4:00AM and sitting out back watching the shrimp boats leave the inlet. I've listened to the motors come to life, watched the lights all start to shine their glow upon the decks of those lovely old vessels, and have watched what I have come to call "the parade of boats" leave our fair inlet to head out to the big blue to see what the catch of the day will be. Although this time of year becomes colder, and a little more difficult to take while standing right there "on the water", I still love to put on something just warm enough to keep me comfortable and head down to our pier, camera in hand, sweet Oscar (our black lab) at my side, and see what lovely shots I come up with as that bold beautiful sun starts to rise over the water, breaking up that night sky sprinkled with stars, and turning into all sorts of oranges and pinks and reds and yellows and purples....well, just about the most gorgeous site you've ever seen :) Angus (our yellow lab) typically decides my morning hours are just too much for him and his choice is to remain snuggled up close to Bobby, buried down in the warmth of the bed, and only if Bobby decides to get up early with me, does Angus even venture out to the end of the pier, where much of the photography takes place. I know, I know...I am so biased when it comes to our fair haven at the coast, but honestly, I can't help it. I always say if one only knew the splendor I am so privileged to witness on a daily basis!! OH MY GOODNESS :)



More news to share is that Bobby and Norwood, one of our wonderful neighbors AND Bobby's "partner in crime", went out flounder gigging during the night Friday night, and Bobby proudly came home with a 6 pound flounder to fry up for a fresh seafood supper shared with Bertha and Norwood last night. Unfortunately I am allergic to all seafood, fish included, but the rest of the gang had a great meal. Bertha is one heck of a cook (real Southern cookin') and always the best part are the conversations we all share after our meal. Time certainly gets away from us all and we tend to remain deep into many talks for hours on end....again for those that know me, you well know this is highly possible and not uncommon!!



Well, as I see out my bank of floor to ceiling windows (another item we made sure we did when we remodeled this old home) I am viewing the sky begin to lighten, so now is the time to wake Oscar (even though his snoring is resonating throughout the bedroom), grab the camera and head down to the pier to see what shots I can capture from the sunrise about to ensue and brighten the day that will soon be upon us. Once that gorgeous ball of fire starts to rise over the waters out back, it certainly takes NO time to light the day ahead. Love to all and more later!! Lisa :) PS--looks like my computer clock is stuck on Pacific Coast time?!?! As in the West Coast? Does that actually exist? Just kidding for all my West Coast friends :) xoxox

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY LU!!

Well, I may be a day late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to Wendy Prentice, one of my bestest girlfriends and such a huge part of my inspiration for getting out there and making the art thing happen!! Who knew that 3 years ago this sweet and wonderful "mermaid sista" would come into my life by chance and would turn into such an inspiration in my life!! WHAT AN AWESOME HUMAN BEING WENDY IS!!!! She is completely all heart and so giving. She just celebrated her birthday yesterday, so please, everyone go to her web site and send her some wonderful birthday wishes....she is totally AWESOME and she truly has no idea how completely inspirational she is to many of us! Her web site is http://www.wendyprentice.com/ and you will SO enjoy her mermaid art....Wendy, you are SOOOOOOOOO loved :) Happy Birthday Sweet Sweet Friend :) Much love...Lisa

Happy Halloween & Best Friends Update

Well, Happy Halloween everyone!! Just a brief entry for now. My agenda for today is to get my goodie bags made for the trick'o'treaters tonight (I know, I know...I was to already have this task finished...go figure!!) and I need to prepare for our Pack Rat unit to show up tomorrow to unpack the rest of our "stuff" (yucky chore) and go thru it to decide what stays and what goes! Also I need to get out and vote early to avoid the crowds on Tuesday, although I don't think that will be the case, avoidance that is, because Bobby TRIED yesterday and the line was wrapped around the building!

The "Jane update" is that she actually went out to eat supper the other night (YAY JANE) and she is managing fine. She is finding ways to get things done (things she probably should NOT be doing) but she is getting a bit of cabin fever and sick of being off her feet. I try to keep her entertained by phone daily...we can spend HOURS on end too.... and although this situation really stinks for her, it has been GREAT for me because I have been afforded the gift and luxury of being able to talk to my best friend every single day!!! It's great :) OH YES....JANE IS A NEW AUNT AGAIN....CONGRATS!!! IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!

The "Bart update" (my other best friend) is that TODAY IS MOVING DAY!!! (another yuck chore!) Good luck sweets and we'll be singing "well we're moving on up!!" in your honor :)

So, time for me to run and get some "things" accomplished. Hope everyone has a great Halloween and love to all!! Lisa

Another GLORIOUS day at the beach...

We have had gorgeous weather at the coast...although Mother Nature took her time on delivering "said weather" over the span of the weekend, but today is phenomenal & just another one of those days when you walk out onto the white sugary sands of our beach, not wanting the day to end...hoping the clocks will stop and time will stand still so you can just soak it in forever!! Yesterday was overcast, windy as all get out, and the water was choppy and rough most of the day. As we headed out for a boat ride we encountered a group of dolphins yet again. We are so blessed with the visits we receive from these magnificent creatures. When we spot them we always stop the engine and just sit to watch them, as they provide lots of entertainment when they are having play time, or we just sit and remain in awe of their grace as they swim through the waters, breaking the surface so close to us we can hear them blow air out of their blow holes. They come into our inlet to feed sometimes and we can just walk right out to the end of our pier to watch them, or simply sit on the back porch and enjoy the view of them from our rocking chairs...talk about relaxing!! Yesterday they were surfacing only about a foot away from the boat....so how lucky are we, as human beings, having these graceful animals trust us enough to come alongside the boat, especially when Angus & Oscar, our 2 very sweet but very loud labs, stand there barking like 2 crazed dogs, acting like they'd give anything to jump in and play with the dolphins. I can only imagine what these creatures must be thinking when they see or hear Angus & Oscar.....oh look, it's a couple of those 4 legged hairy land animals...so sad they can't join us :) na ne na ne boo boo :P Magical encounters like those with the doplins make us so grateful for the life we live along the coast :)

Soooooo, too bad reality will set back in soon and we will return to the "real world" for more work, work, work.....YUCK!!! Yet, we are so blessed to be self employed....so, HOORAY!!!!! Life is great & wonderful, all kidding aside, all complaints aside, and we are just so fortunate to be living this wonderful life we are so priviledged to lead...especially when it's at the coast :) --as if you can't tell how much we LOOOOOOOOVE the beach!! :)

PS -- for those of you that have been emailing to ask about Jane, she is doing fine, suffering from a bit of cabin fever....darn that squirrel!!! .....but thanks for asking and I will continue my "job" of entertaining her by phone as much as I can while she's off her feet...and speaking of that, she got quite the lovely cast recently....it is HOT PINK no less!!!...but she continues to improve and thanks for asking about her! Love to all!! Lisa

Complaints About Time...or the lack thereof...

It seems that time manages to slip past me too quickly these days (same thing I complain about ALL the time!!) and I find Halloween is quickly approaching and I need to get my little goodie bags made for the kids in the neighborhood...both of my neighborhoods actually, my old and new!! The one thing I made my neighbors promise was not to forget me on Halloween (we only moved about a mile away) so I said they must all load up in the car and come by our new home. On the street which I lived for quite some time, I am honored to say that my home has always been one of the highlights of our neighborhood. I always tried to carve as many pumpkins as possible, sometimes we might have 15 or 20, each one different, and then there were times where I only had enough time to carve one, depending on how hectic life may or may not have been at the time. It has always been great watching the kids in our neighborhood grow over the years. Seeing new families become a part of our community and watching the new kids grow from toddlers to younger age children, right on up to being teenagers and become adults. There are many that are now in college or getting married...also, some new faces are seen too. As in life, ever changing and growing and moving in different directions, our neighborhood has done just that, both the old & new, so and I guess it all really dates me a bit :) but hey, I'd rather still be here to live, love, and laugh as much as I possibly can. So, I MUST get busy trying to prepare the treat bags for the kids that will pay us a visit next Friday...TRICK OR TREAT!! :)



Now, some great news is that I sold another black and white print from the web site (thank you Scott) ...it is always so gratifying and humbling to know your artwork will be displayed in someones home or given with love to maybe someone else as a gift. Even more great news is I sold more prints at THE SHOP ACROSS THE STREET last week. I can't say too much because it might spoil a surprise for someone, but there is a very sweet girl that bought the prints, and I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure to meet her in person when I stopped in the shop to say hi to Kelly, the shop owner. The young lady bought 2 of my 20x30 prints for Christmas presents this year...so, I am over the moon that someone has given me the gift of purchasing my artwork!! I can't tell you how much it means to me knowing something I created is loved by someone else...I sent a text message to my dear friend Bart when I got the order and he sent a message back that "I was an income producing artist" which made me feel so very WONDERFUL! Thanks my "BB" for always being my biggest support :) and now it is time for you to COME HOME! (inside joke...but NOT a joke) !!!!!! Bart is SOOOOOOO talented in his own right, yet he always makes me feel like I am the one with the talent, but you should see how truly talented HE is :)



LuLu has been pushing me to paint a holiday mermaid....I have sketched out Valentine mermaids and Christmas mermaids and Halloween mermaids and St. Patrick's Day mermaids and July 4th mermaids (and on and on)....I just have not painted any yet, again here I go complaining "NOT ENOUGH TIME"!! Every time I am at the beach I promise myself to get some painting done (yeah, right!!) but it WILL happen one day. We've been very fortunate and blessed in the world of Real Estate, even with the market the way it is right now, so I have been busy helping Bobby with that. Our office manager Ronnie just welcomed a new granddaughter, (cutest little girl with this incredible head of hair) so I have been working at the office a bit more so Ronnie could be with her daughter, right where she should be, with her lovely family!! Congratulations Ronnie and family for your newest addition to your family, that sweet little angel!! Even when we are at the coast we are lucky to be able to work from there, given fax machines and computers and all that stuff. I have book work that needs doing....again, where is all that TIME that I need to do everything that I WANT to do, and the things I NEED to do (complaints complaints complaints!!) but, I could not ask for a more lovely view than the one out in my back yard when I am sitting and working on the computer, when at the coast, but it also can be distracting as well. Watching those fishing boats and shrimp boats, watching the pelicans glide over the water in all their grace, seeing the guys that are out in the water, literally IN the water, digging for clams....well, if I get started I won't EVER shut up!! With my love for this place....let's just say I could go on forever and ever and ever....blah blah blah :)

So, getting back to complaints about time and the lack thereof....this weekend is getting by me and again I have not touched a paint brush, not even a made a sketch of a new mermaid, nor even been out with the camera, but my mind has been spinning with ideas...and the weekend is not over.....YET!!!! SO, I vow I will try to get something creative accomplished before Monday rolls back around...which will be any moment with the way time is flying (more complaining!!) but for now I am at least getting another blog added (major accomplishment) before we head out to dinner with neighbors...seafood of course, what else?!?!! -- it's the BEACH for crying out loud :) The annual Sea Turtle Hospital's Lobster Dinner is tonight to help our wonderful flippered friends, with a silent and live auction and more, all to benefit our wonderful sea turtle hospital on Topsail Island, NC!! You really should visit the hospital at some point if you are ever in the area. The work they do is wonderful and amazing and so greatly appreciated by those of us that love our little turtles. We are so fortunate that these wonderful creatures return to our island every year to make their nests and lay their eggs before heading back out to the big blue!! You will be so glad you went if you have the opportunity to visit :) So, with that said I reluctantly leave the keyboard to get ready to head out for the evening. Sending love to you all :) Lisa

Pure Happiness Via A Day At The Coast...

Well, today has been an absolutely GORGEOUS day here on the NC coast!! It's been the type of day that makes you want to just go out on the beach, never leave, and never go inside again :) The water seemed so blue, the sun splashing it's rays on the ocean making it look like diamonds sparkling in the distance, the waves crashing & seagulls crying out to anyone that will listen, providing the perfect soundtrack to life at the coast...and you just know that life is great in our wonderful little beach haven, and that feeling creeps in, the one that just surrounds and envelops you and you know in your heart that everything is great & wonderful, AND...Heaven is right here on Earth I tell you!! The temperature is perfect this time of year. Windows and doors WIDE OPEN, breezes carrying inside the sounds of the shrimp and fishing boats cranking up their engines, whether it be in the wee hours of the morning, late at night, or sometime during the day....the sounds of those mighty vessels heading out to sea to bring back all that wonderful NC seafood!! (unfortunately I am allergic...go figure!!) The winds have been perfect today, not too strong, just enough breeze to wash over your skin making you KNOW this is as great as life can get. Perfect temps, perfect breezes, a perfect mixture of sun and white puffy clouds in a perfect blue sky....well, let's just say my love of the coast is as vast and wide and deep as our lovely Atlantic Ocean and the wonderful waters that lie beyond. What a treat of a day for me!! It was so great, wonderful, and fantastic (no words to truly describe what is in my heart about the feelings I have) knowing I am so blessed and fortunate to be able to work from my "office space" here at my desk, looking out through the wall of floor to ceiling windows/doors at that perfectly gorgeous site I am so lucky to call my back yard....working, doing my "real job" of Real Estate, all the while seeing the boat traffic, hearing the gulls, watching those magnificent pelicans glide across the surface of the waters of the inlet, so close to the water you could swear they must be touching the surface, yet your eyes let you know they are just above the surface and never even break the waters. It has always been a miracle to me to watch these creatures skim across the waters without even the tips of their wings touching the water surface. I love the beauty of that site, those pelicans gliding, having a calmness rush over me as I watch those wonderful birds just glide with little to no effort whatsoever :) ... and now this lovely day is coming to an end. With Fall on our hands the sun has now moved from over the trees where the mouth of one of the marina entrances opens to the waters beyond, spilling out into our inlet, and is now more due West over the treetops on more inland and over the top of the seafood market down the road. It is always something to watch those gorgeous sunrises & sunsets ever changing throughout the year. Living in the city I do appreciate and love a gorgeous sunset, now more than ever with our growth, but when at the coast, well.....let's say words don't even begin to describe what we are fortunate enough to watch occur daily in our beloved little fishing village. How did we ever get so lucky I often wonder.....and I look towards the Heavens and give my thanks, and then thank my lucky stars and my guardian angel I know that is always with me, and then I thank the love of my life, my loving hubby (my soul mate and best friend and my world) for this awesome gift!! Life IS good....xoxo Lisa

Never Enough Time...

Well, there is never enough time to do all you want to do. More days have flown past me and we have been working hard, just not working on any art, which is a bummer....but we've been fortunate to be busy otherwise in my "other life" of Real Estate. I did sell another painting at The Shop Across The Street . A husband bought it for his wife for an anniversary gift, which made me feel wonderful it went to such a loving home!! Back to Real Estate though, we are truly blessed people and we are thankful for our clients, and I for my wonderful, hard working husband....smooches Bobby xoxoxo!! My best friend Jane took a tumble, my little "squirrely girl" herself, and now will be on her back for 6 to 8 weeks....way to go Squirrel Head!! I will have to keep her entertained by phone, not hard for me, for those of you who know me all too well, this is something I excel at, the art of talking!! My other best friend Bart has an exciting move coming up...just hate I won't be there to "help" -- yeah, I would help keep him entertained whilst the movers do the moving :) Oh well, hang in there Bart and we'll be singing "Well we're moving on up" in no time my sweets!! Not much other news to report. Been doing more photography than painting lately but any creation is good!! Went for an incredible long weekend to the beach....OH MY GOSH, PERFECT WEATHER!! Can't wait to go back as soon as possible!!
We had a great first weekend at THE PARADE OF HOMES so visit our community at http://www.johnsonslandinginfo.com/ and go out there if you have time, such gorgeous Victorian homes in Johnson's Landing!! Very exciting first weekend we had!! Thanks to Chris Q for all the hard work! Well, gotta run for now.....the Real Estate world is calling for some of my time! Love to you all, and thanks as always for all your support for me and Lu!! Keep the emails coming as I love to hear from you all!! Lisa

Another Month Passes Me By.....

Well, yet another month flown by and not a word from yours truly. I know most everyone is keeping up through Lu's blog. I still have not had time to work on much art. I have sold another painting at THE SHOP ACROSS THE STREET (thank you sweet Kelly!!!) and taken a couple more down there to add to the one I had left. Although the end of the season has come and gone, we still get folks that love the area, love Topsail Island, so one never knows what will and won't sell (just ask Kelly) and it's always just nice to have my art out there for people to see, to buy if they wish, to comment on (I love to hear what folks have to say) Some people can be "art snobs" but for the most part people are kind and I enjoy hearing the feedback I get. I got lucky recently and spoke to Wendy (you all know how we LOVE Wendy Prentice) on the phone. It was when one of the numerous hurricanes was either comeing or going (I have lost track we've had them back to back so much lately) but I called her to check on her and all was well (at that time) and she's been blogging so I know she is okay still. She is a sweetie....she was such a big part of me putting my art out there and she will never know what she has meant to me and LuLu!! Wendy, you are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I must run and get some "real" work done. I would love to drop it all and just go paint, but the doggies need their kibble, so gotta do what I gotta do!! Love to all, thanks for supporting Lu and I as artists. We love and appreciate you all :) Lisa

Where have I been you ask.....

Well, 3 months have passed since my last entry....and I said to myself "WHAT?!!! REALLY?!!!!" It was brought to my attention by a friend and I could not believe it had been that long, but alas 'tis true! Things have been hectic and crazy since my last post, but as always, I can count on LuLu to keep all informed and moreover, entertained :) I probably get as much, if not more, enjoyement out of her tales of life. I have been busy with work and taking care of my Mom. Unfortunately (and I am sad to say) art and photography have been put on the back, way back, almost unreachable, back burner as of late. We've also been in the midst of building a new home and moving, along with everything else we've been doing. Tearing down older homes and rebuilding in their place have been commonplace in our area and this is exactly what we did. We tore down in September last year, 2007, and finished and moved in June of this year, 2008. So, life seems to be settling down just a wee bit, but I have more to tell but only had a moment to write this much. I promise to return later and fill you all in on more. Love to all that have been in touch and keeping me and Mom in their thoughts and prayers!!
xoxox from me!!

Amy The Angel :)

Something very exciting happened this past week for me in my "art world" --- I sold 3 black & white prints that are going to be used for an interior design project!! My friend Amy called me last week to tell me her boss is doing the interior design work at the St. Regis Resort on Topsail Island and was interested in 3 of my prints!! ME....MY PRINTS....will be hanging in the lobby of the St. Regis....Amy is an angel and deserves as much of the credit for this wonderful thing happening to me as anyone! So, with very little time to complete this project, I had to work with items that were readily available and I got the photos printed up and shipped to me next day air, bought what I could find at Michaels, and got everything framed and got the order delivered on Saturday. Only one small detail caused a moment of panic, but that was taken care of, and now I have some of my work that will be able to be seen at the St. Regis Resort!! Exciting and THANK YOU AMY YOU SWEET ANGEL!!! Oh yea, the one little blip in this whole thing was when I went to pull the framed pieces out, the glass was shattered in one frame and I was literally ready to pull out of the driveway to deliver the prints to the interior designer....OH $#!& is what I thought, but luckily enough I had an extra frame at the beach with the size glass I needed and I quickly exchanged the glass and all was well. Oscar, with his big ol' carcass, stepped on the frame and broke the glass...and here I was worried the whole time he would chew up the corner of the frame during the ride to the beach. On a recent trip to the beach Oscar decided to chew up the corners of a new art book I had in the back of the car....now, what possessed him to do that I will never know. Oscar is not one for chewing anything up, but sure enough, I had a brand new art book I had received as a "thank you for shopping with us" type gift from a place I had purchased some art from and so I thought I'd just carry the book to the beach and use on the coffee table there....yeah, right, not if the Oscar had anything to do with it! Like I say, a book was completely off the chart for him. Now, had it been an entire pizza or a foot long sandwich from a sub shop, then maybe I would get it, but a book.....completely out of character for Oscar. If it isn't food, typically I have no worries when it comes to Oscar, but once I was behind the wheel of the car, and Angus was in his usual spot in the car, which is standing at my shoulder wanting to get in the front seat, the worries started to creep in and start picking at me, and those worries kept right under the surface until we reached the halfway point and I exited to get gas and opened up the back doors of the vehicle, only to see everything was okay. Well, at least okay at that time. I am just guessing that after we let Oscar out at the rest area and he jumped back up in the rear of the car he must have stepped on the pictures as he was getting himself resituated for the rest of the ride to the beach and that's probably when the glass shattered. But, all's well that ends well and all that jazz!

What In The World...

Do you ever wonder what in the world is wrong with you?!?!! Me, I wonder that very thing more often than not. I signed up to create a blog for Coastal Sisters, only to get delayed and sidetracked, then LuLu beat me to the punch and came up with our Coastal Sisters Diary blog....so enjoy that, she's a riot that one! As for me, I will keep this blog and add to LuLu's tales and adventures. I will post here as often as possible but my time is usually extremely limited. LuLu will keep you posted on all our "goings on" and I will try to write from time to time. Much love to all of my friends for their love and support through this whole new adventure for me and Lu...we love you all and appreciate your support. For those of you that are "too twisted for color TV" ......and you know who you are :) .....I love you each and every one of you, more than words can say! With love from the beach....Lisa