last week i asked for your questions seeing that i'm a total slacker, i've put them off until now.

1) Q: susan asked, "how often are you painting now?"
A: i am painting between 2-5 times a week, but i am working on creative endeavors every day of the week: photography, paint, paper productions, or crochet.

2) Q: georgia asked if i am ever going to finish my novel,
A: simple answer is NO. i may someday find the time and motivation but for right now i'm enjoying everything else i'm doing too much to devote time to it.

3) Q: darlene and patty both asked how i get it all done, where does the energy come from, and do i just never sleep?
A: this answer is multi-faceted because it very much depends on the day. many nights i stay up until 2-3 am working on my things. but i do actually nap nearly every day with my kids. some days i drag and i get nothing done. most days i put off all of my household responsibilities in order to do what i want to do. i'm still having a very hard time figuring out the secret to balancing life. ;-D so my house is a mess, we sometimes eat cold cereal for dinner, i'm buried in clothing (clean and dirty)... but i'm happy.

4) Q: darlene, dawn, and linni all asked how i got so cute.
A: not quite sure on that one. i think that the point though is that i try to be true to myself here. thank you for your sweetness!

5) Q: trudy asked what item of clothing i dislike putting on the very most.
A: it's all or nothing with me. i love to get gussied up, i really love my clothes and getting dressed. but i am a very slow mover in the morning and often don't get out of my pajamas until well after noon. i don't like shoes, i prefer to be barefoot, but i especially don't like tied shoes and even when i hit the gym i still don't tie or untie my shoes.

6) Q: kathryn asked me to lunch.
A: i replied in the affirmative. it was delicious. the owner does all of the paintings himself. wicked cool. come to salt lake, we'll eat here, you'll love it.
7) Q: dawn asked what my idea of the perfect day is?
A: i very simply love to be surrounded by friends and family. i'm happiest when hosting a party here. but if it was the PERFECT day it would mean that someone other than me had cleaned my house.

8) Q: linni asked: "I would like to know what makes you tick? Makes your heart burst with love and excitement...i know your children...but what else?! "
A: first off i would say that my religion has a lot to do with what makes me tick, knowing who i am and where i'm going has created peace in my life. watching faith, hope, and charity make sincere differences in my own life and in the life of others is something that truly makes me tick. my faith is what sees me through moments when i feel that i simply can't make it through another breath. and in the moments that are just too good to be true, i know where they came from and am filled with gratitude and love for a God that loves me. i feel inspired and led in every major crossroads of my life.

secondly, relationships: friends, family, people that i meet in a park... i really, truly love people. much of what motivates me during any day is my love for people, little or big.

and lastly, i would say creativity. molding unorganized matter into something beautiful or useful makes me feel really, really happy. giving it away makes me even happier.

xoXOxo to all