Mumsy and Me....

The above picture is an oil painting of my Mumsy. It was done about 4 years ago. And I just can't help it---I've got to say it---but isn't she beautiful? She is a beautiful southern lady and I just think she's the greatest mother in the world.

(You can click on the picture to make it larger---as well as the other pictures in this post.)

Anyhoo, she and I are doing marathons of jewelry and button making in one of her studios. We sit in there with our coffee or coke, with the stereo playing country & western music, and we have been "experimenting" with different techniques, colors, and effects on all the things we're making.

I also took some pictures of her religious nook, where there are icons or icon boxes she has made---or else are antiques she bought. Some of them are quite valuable. The below is one of the pieces.

The below is another one, in the same nook.

And the below is my favorite one---an icon box with a Jesus statue. I've got a story about that particular Jesus statue. Here's the story:

I was visiting my mother in Damascus, Syria. (Where we all almost lost our lives in an anti-American demonstration where thousands stormed the Embassy---but that's another story...)

Anyway, one day while my mother was at work, the maid came to me in tears, holding that Jesus statue. She had dropped it and Jesus' head had come off his body. She was crying and saying that "Jesus will be angry with me!---and your mother will kill me!"

But I calmed her down and told her I could fix it.

So I searched the house and found some glue. And I glued Jesus' head back on. But the plaster was chipped all around his neck where the join was--showing white plaster. So then I searched the house for brown paint. But there was none to be found.

And then I had an epiphany.....my mother's shoe room!

You see, my mother had an entire bedroom devoted to her approximately 350 pairs of shoes in their boxes. (Don't even ask.....)

So me and the maid ran to that room and sure enough---there was shoe polish of every color in there. And there was the perfect color brown for Jesus' broken head.

So I painted the plaster chipped areas around Jesus' head---and then we put the Jesus statue back where He belonged in His icon box---and the maid finally stopped crying.

I'm not even going to tell you the story of how I broke a large antique clock--it's probably still in the attic of that home where I hid it.....

I love the below piece she made. It looks Aztecish to me. (Is "Aztecish" a word?...)

Below is a terrible picture of an angel pendant I'm working on---it definitely looks better in person.

The below are some of the buttons my mother is making. I love the pumpkin colored clay.

The below is some of the buttons I'm making. I don't think mine are as good as hers.

The below is a lot of finished or half-finished stuff. Like I said, we are totally experimenting with techniques and effects.

Anyhoo, Blaine will be down here on Tuesday. And then the following Friday he and I will go to the "Adventure in Dallas", to my sister's wedding event. I'll take pictures....

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