Day 36, 100 Happy Days: Childhood Snack and an Adult Beverage

Most of the Tamales sank when I tried to rearrange for a better pic

I tell ya, today has been one of those days. Not bad, but... not good either. Just sort of a beginning of the week/beginning of the year/I haven't done much in the way of admin in a long time and my phone is ringing off the hook kind of a day. And everything needs to be done right now (or 2 weeks ago) and... you get the picture.

I've hardly left my desk today. And that is saying a lot since my desk is at home. It's probably been a 12-hour day. Luckily, I've learned from years of NOT taking breaks, how important breaks are, so I get up and move around a lot. If I don't, my body suffers. I even take little yoga breaks here and there - mini happys!

So finally, after I got enough stuff done tonight, and I could take no more, I decided that popcorn sounded like just the thing. And then I remembered the box of Hot Tamales (candy) that I got the other day normally I would not keep something like that around, but... it was only 49 cents... what was I to do?

Now, a lot of people think that I'm crazy, but back in the day (high school), my friend Jane and I would go to movies and mix Hot Tamales with our popcorn. YUM!! Hey - don't knock it 'til you try it! So I was super happy to make an old school snack at the end of my day. And I just happened to have some Kahlua on hand too. Perfect. Life is good!

Day 35, 100 Happy Days: Another Soiree Painting

As yet untitled windmill painting. ©Tabetha Hastings

Another day in the studio! This one with a group, thanks to Paint Club. And it was a great group - three newbies showed up and lost in the paint and conversation.

Since I have trouble working on my own paintings (the more detailed, in-depth paintings that I paint to sell) when there are other people around, I decided to create another painting to teach. My goal is to create two new paintings a month for my classes, and I've already hit that goal for January - not bad!

I think this painting will be a tricky one to teach (with all those straight lines), but it's definitely doable. And it's one of those paintings that students will feel really good about completing.

Day 34, 100 Happy Days: Back in the Studio!

New Painting Soiree painting!

Just when I was starting to have a really solid studio practice, the holidays came and along with them, multiple pet sitting jobs. Depending on the pet I'm sitting, I may or may not be able to break away for a bit to paint, but never for more than a few hours. To make matters worse, that terrible cold snap came, making it easier to stay put, snuggling up with a warm dog and a TV or fire.

So today, after a two-week absence, I ventured into my neglected studio for a lovely snowy day of painting. It was good to get back! And I came up with a new painting to teach.

Day 34 Bonus #1: A happy fortune... "Happiness will bring you luck" Yes, let's hope so!

Day 34 Bonus #2: Windshield wipers! Thanks to the joint effort of two friends (one who diagnosed the problem via Facebook, and one who fixed the problem in person), I now have two working windshield wipers. Which is handy in this weather...

Day 33, 100 Happy Days: Blue Skies and Sunshine

Beginning of the year. The perfect time to start a new bookkeeping system, right? Well, maybe not
perfect,  but the best time. The truth is there IS no perfect time because - in MY humble opinion - bookkeeping is the pits.

So in the midst of my "new bookkeeping system learning curve" stress, someone sent me a text saying that we were having a heat wave. Sure enough, I looked at my phone and it told me that the temp was in the 30's. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to stand up and walk outside.

Ahhhh... blue skies and sunshine!! A Colorado winter day. Stress melted, and happiness ensued.

Day 32, 100 Happy Days: Inspiration

Sunrise with a PS filter on it. I love how hazy it looks.

My alarm was set for 8 AM this morning, but I woke up just as dawn was breaking. I thought about how I should go back to sleep, but then I thought that it was a good opportunity to watch the sun rise.

Now… I didn't want to watch the sunrise because I thought it would be pretty. Let's face it: a pretty sky won't get me out of bed at the crack of dawn. No, I wanted to watch the sun come up to see the trees in the backyard in various stages of light.

It was the last morning of a pet sitting job. I've been working on a series of sunrises based on the view from this particular house, and I just needed more information. For instance: why does it look like there's a hill in the backyard when I know there's no hill? Why does the horizon look like it so high up? Why do those trees that are so old and tall look so short when silhouetted against the morning sky? These were the questions they got me out of bed.

So where does my happy come in? I tell you, it comes from the feeling of being dedicated to my work, and it comes from being inspired to work. Even though I haven't painted in 2 weeks, I'm still working. I'm working on those paintings in my head, I'm figuring them out.

To be excited to get back to the canvas is a wonderful thing. To know that those paintings are waiting for me and that I have fresh information for them… That makes me happy.