Getting Ready for Christmas in Mars.
Where else can you find a 40 foot Christmas tree
ready for lights and balls and tinsel and a star…
next to a spaceship and across from Mars Bank
in town square?
There’s no place like home
in Mars, PA…
where celebrating Christmas
is “out of this world!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Snowy Red Ford Truck with Christmas Wreath on Front Watercolor 11×14
Red Truck Christmas.
I can think of a few peeps who would love a new red truck for Christmas (one is the guy I’ve been living with for the past 35 years!).
But he already has one, and it was the model for my latest Christmas watercolor painting.
When I painted my previous classic red truck carrying a Christmas tree, my red truck man informed me since it was a Chevy, I needed to paint a Ford too.
So here it is.
It was fun to paint it this past Sunday afternoon en plein air. Sunny and 77 degrees F outside in late October painting Christmas snow! Gotta love it!
This painting makes great prints and cute cards for Ford truck lovers.
They will be available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop, at Berry Vine Gifts, and at the Mars Fall Craft Show on November 18th.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Winter Wonderland Christmas Tree Watercolor 10×13
A Winter Wonderland Christmas Tree.
Because every week needs
a little sprinkle of Christmas.
I am having so much fun creating some holiday art.
You see, our little McKinneyX2Designs business is participating in the
Mars Holiday Craft Show that is only one month away!
It is one of the biggest holiday craft shows in the area
with hundreds of crafters and artisans selling their
handmade items in both the Mars Middle School and Mars High School
with a shuttle bus that transports shoppers between both venues.
We will be at the Mars High School on Saturday, November 18th
from 10-4 with Colleen’s beautiful rustic pallet signs and decor
and some of my watercolor art.
If you can’t make it to this fun event, you can always visit our ETSY shop
or stop by Berry Vine Gifts in Bradfordwoods, PA.
Wherever you find us,
we will be sprinkling a little bit of Christmas!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Autumn Leaf on the Lawn – October, 2017 – Mars, PA
Things to leave…
Your mark on the world.
Your worries behind.
The door open.
Well enough alone.
Hurtful, unhealthy relationships.
Your sparkle on the world!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Early Morning Front Yard – Mars, PA – June, 2017
Morning is worth waking up to…
When the warmth of the sun casts its golden magic,
and the shadows of the awakening trees begin dancing.
The cool dew is refreshingly invigorating on bare feet in the grass,
and the light breeze of the night still lingers.
The chirping birds are rejoicing, drenched with enthusiasm,
soaring and fluttering with the butterflies and the bees.
Steaming dark roast coffee is poured and inhaled,
lightened with Italian sweet cream, and then sipped with pleasure.
Sleepy, swollen eyes begrudgingly awaken and brighten.
It’s time to embrace the unending number of possibilities of a brand new day.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
If being in the second half of life means Sunday mornings are even more glorious than Saturday nights, I’ll take it!
Sunrise on Forsythe – Mars, PA – 5/8/17
Even if no one bothers to look…
The sunrise, of course, doesn’t care if we watch it or not.
It will keep on being beautiful,
even if no one bothers to look at it.
Yesterday morning I was on the road very early
and couldn’t resist driving down one of my favorite roads in our little community.
It was a cold, but sunny morning
with a nip in the air and frost on the grass.
As the warmth of the sun shone,
the steam and fog rose from the ice crystal-kissed earth and cold creeks and ponds.
I drove home slowly on my way back from my early morning run,
sipping my steaming coffee, but drinking in the beginning of a new day.
I wish I took time to notice it more often….
It’s there – just waiting for me to enjoy its beauty.
And with or without me –
that sunrise just keeps on being beautiful!
It made me think a bit too…
About being beautiful.
No – not Hollywood beauty…
not Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition beauty.
But about being a beautiful person –
in my heart and in my thoughts and in my character and in my actions.
And I want to make an effort to be a beautiful person…
even if no one bothers to look.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Gene Amole also wrote a book I just bought on Amazon called “The Last Chapter.” I look forward to reading it and will share my thoughts.
Misty Morning – Mars, PA – January, 2017
Oh misty morning…
with your subtle and mellow beauty,
You are like a soft veil creating the illusion
of a world that is blemish and scar free.
You are a gentle beginning
to the realities of the day.
Oh misty morning…
will you please just stay?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sunset Walk with Charlie, Mars, PA 11/21/2016
The bright blessed day,
the dark sacred night.
And I think to myself…
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Red Autumn Leaf on Rusty Spring – Mars, PA
Spring or Fall?
The things you find on an Autumn walk
that resonate with your thoughts….
Like the old rusty box spring
that has been sitting for years
against a pile of well seasoned cut and split firewood
on a path I pass frequently on my walk.
It sits there as if its purpose
is purely to create artistic beauty
A paradox…
a contradiction.
Just like a crazy 74 degree November day
in the little town of Mars, PA.
Is it “Spring” or is it Fall?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Brad and Carolyn, Mars PA Town Square at the Spaceship
One of the joys of blogging is the friendships developed with other bloggers.
Carolyn (aka JoyRoses who writes at Nuggets of Gold) is a friend I “met” about two years ago via the blogging world on WordPress when we both enrolled in Writing101 – a month-long challenge that offered writing prompts and a community of blogging students to encourage each other.
Well… yesterday Carolyn came to Mars to meet in person. What a joy it was to give her a real hug, take her (and chauffeur/hubby, Brad) to get their photo taken in Mars at the spaceship, and get them souvenir Mars T-shirts to wear on the unseasonably warm and sunny October Sunday.
Charlie was equally excited to meet Carolyn (and Brad)! He could hardly contain himself and kept jumping up on their laps wanting to give them kisses.
Charlie welcoming Carolyn and Brad to Mars
Carolyn and Brad had never visited Pittsburgh either, so a brief tour was in order including a trip up the Monongahela Incline to get a bird’s eye view of our beautiful city.
Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh, PA
While waiting in line, we met two friendly gents who came all the way from Germany to see a Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots football game. For real! What fun we had chatting with them. And of course, we had to get a picture, so our kind hubbies took photos of us with Tom and Nils the day before Tom’s 32nd birthday as they celebrated a lifelong friendship, and we all celebrated life and new friendships.
Tom, Jodi, Nils, Carolyn – Grandview Avenue Mt Washington overlooking Pittsburgh
Of course I made cookies for our guests, but I was a bit stumped to learn last minute that between the two of them – I had to consider gluten free and vegetarian. Yikes! Thank goodness I had one amazing gluten-free cookie recipe in my repertoire, and thankfully my Kicked Up Chewy Peanut Butter Cinnamon Chip Cookies were a hit.
While in town, Carolyn’s hubby mentioned a restaurant a friend recommended – The Church Brew Works. It is a fun place where the owners actually converted an old Catholic Church into a restaurant/micro-brewery, so we decided to take them there. The most breathtaking element of the amazing atmosphere and architecture of this restaurant/brewpub is the position of the brew house on the altar. Because the altar was built as a centerpiece of the church, the steel and copper tanks gleaming in the celestial blue backdrop are nothing less than captivating. We had an amazing meal that delighted everyone’s dietary needs.
Brad and Carolyn at the Altar at The Church Brew Works
It was a lovely day, and a lovely meet-up of blogging friends. And of course I sent them home with some extra cookies for the ride.
Thanks for the visit Carolyn and Brad. We will remember it fondly and cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 