Bold Pink and Peach Spring Tulip 11×14 Original Watercolor
Painting Spring.
It is March,
and the temperatures
are still
below freezing
where I live.
But we are
“Springing” ahead
this weekend
to daylight savings time.
Longer days,
warmer temperatures,
birds singing,
flowers blooming….
But for now,
all I can do is
paint
Spring.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Lucas the Lucky Lion and his Fun Rhyming FriendsMy second book is published! Lucas the Lucky Lion and his Fun Rhyming Friends is now available at Amazon.
Some of you may remember my first children’s book, Klaus the Mouse and other Silly Animal Tales. I had so much fun creating it, much in part to the encouragement of this fun blogging community.
This second one was created as a follow-up to Klaus the Mouse in a way, as it evolved from friends asking for, and then me creating, characters based on my besties’ grandies similar to the watercolor paintings and rhyming stories in Klaus the Mouse. It was a labor of love to honor these friends and their special grandchildren.
My first book was dedicated to my first granddaughter. This one is dedicated to my second. They are two of the greatest loves of my life!
Thank you Bubby for encouraging me every step of the way to publish this book. Thank you Jim for that first request of Alex the Alligator and Liz the Lizard that put this whole compilation in motion. Thank you Jill for sharing your family with mine and supporting me no matter what I do. Thank you Joyce for your love and creative inspiration and for sharing the best of what family is all about with me.
In this book, you will enjoy reading and rhyming along with Lucas the Lucky Lion, who of course scored the cover spot because of his good luck, all the way through to Mason the fickle, pickle-loving monkey who is sure to tickle your funny bone.
And in this book, I left two blank pages at the end where I hope readers will consider drawing their own character and creating their own rhyme. And I would love if they will share with me. My email address is mckinneyjodi@gmail.com.
Thanks to all of you for your ongoing encouragement and support. You’ve really contributed to making my dreams come true!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Place to Just Be.
Seasons come and seasons go…
but as long as there is a safe place
we can call home,
whether it be a house
or simply a place
where we are with those we love,
we can weather any storm
or any season,
and be ourselves.
No questions asked,
nothing to prove.
A place to just be.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This past week…
I gasped at the beauty of the early morning sunrise.
I cried about a brother who would never celebrate another birthday.
I shared overwhelming joy with a friend who became a grandma for the first time.
I shared deep grief with a friend whose mom is dying.
I celebrated life with the birthday of my longest, dearest friend.
I worried with a friend whose mother-in-law was in the hospital.
I laughed with a friend I chat with every morning on our way to work.
I discussed deep, important topics about relationships and next stages of life with people I love.
I played on the floor with two little girls who know me as Grandma and cheered first potty successes.
I was devastated to learn that friends got news they are going to lose their second child.
My heart was warmed by gratitude and comforted with love for my forever Valentine of 40 years.
This past week.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Foggy, Beautiful Ending to the Day – February, 2019 – Mars, PAA Beautiful Ending.
We may not be able to control or change
ugly things that happened to us –
especially in our childhood.
We can’t choose our beginning.
But we can decide to not be
defined or deflated or diminished by them,
and create our own beautiful life.
We can determine the ending.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Happiest Happy of All
I know we live in a world
that says do what makes you happy,
and I get that…
But the happiness you get
from making someone else happy
might just be the happiest happy of all.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
P.S. This photo is a section of a 3-foot tall piece of art I created for a special young lady who has a few of my other abstract pieces in her home and asked me to make another to complement them. I can’t wait to give it to her and then see how it looks in her home. I sure hope it makes her as happy as it made me creating it for her.
Mason the Monkey 11×14 Watercolor
Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey.
Mason was a monkey that many considered fickle.
Instead of eating bananas, Mason loved a sour dill pickle.
He would often pay a nickel,
and sometimes even triple
for that tart, tangy prickle
of a pickle on pumpernickel.
On tasting leaves and seeds, he was truly noncommittal,
for his taste buds and his palate, they simply did not tickle.
He loved the pleasant pucker, and he would often stickle
over anything that was even remotely artificial.
Dilled cucumbers he claimed to be the official
absolute favorite and most nutritional.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book. This new book will be special because it is going to feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends. Mason is the grandson of Joyce, son of Nikole, and brother of Ella.
Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.
Other fun products, like pillows, canvas prints, tote bags and much more are also available at our Mx2D Society6 Shop.
I will begin putting my book together soon and let you all know about it! If you are interested in my first children’s book of watercolor animals and silly poems, you can find it here: Klaus the Mouse and Other Silly Animal Tales.
Cherish the Moments.
When the day is done,
take some time to reflect on the things
that made it special.
Remember the moments
that brought you joy
or made you smile or laugh.
Close your eyes
and savor those thoughts,
knowing tomorrow will surely bring challenges,
but also realizing there will be
new moments to cherish –
even if you have to search really hard.
And tomorrow will bring another sunset
and more opportunity to reflect,
and the hope of getting to do it all again.
Cherish the moments…
for the moments
are what make up a life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Ella the Elephant.
Even as a baby, Ella was an exceptional elephant.
Her charm and her wisdom were immediately evident.
Not only was she stunning and delightfully elegant,
she was also most exceedingly well-spoken and eloquent.
As Ella grew she organized an annual innovator’s event
where she spoke about the things she was going to invent.
Carrying a book wherever she traveled and went,
Ella could easily recite the most informative content.
She understood the principles of what democracy meant,
and she cared very deeply about the environment.
Ella had a backbone that simply couldn’t be bent.
She clearly was destined to be the President.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Ella the Elephant is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book. This new book will be special because it is going to feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends. Ella is the granddaughter of Joyce and daughter of Nikole, and they are three very special ladies in my life, as are their guys.
I have one more special character to create before I begin putting this book together. The poem for Mason the Monkey is already written, and I can’t wait to paint him. Mason is Ella’s brother, and I’m looking forward to sharing him with you.
Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.
Evie the Egret.
Evie was the cutest egret
you ever will have met.
The way her big blue eyes were set
was in a way you couldn’t forget.
Evie’s fluffy feathers, even when they were wet,
created the most fantastic egret silhouette.
Evie was a part of an all-girl egret quartet
where she was featured playing the alto clarinet.
The other girls, whose names were Annette and Suzette,
played backup to the leader, a brunette named Claudette.
Evie was known to fret
and sometimes get upset
because her name wasn’t Yvette
or maybe even Paulette.
But Evie didn’t long regret
for it was silly to be upset
when you really were the cutest little egret
from the U.S. to Tibet.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Evie the Egret is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book. This new book will be kind of special because it will feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends. Evie is the first grandaughter of my bestie, Jill, and the second child of Jackie, my McHendy daughter, who first inspired me to start this blog.
I have two more special surprise characters to create before I begin putting this book together, so look for them in upcoming posts.
Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.
the creative life in between 