April 2014- Amy Anson- Picture above bed

I had originally planned on setting aside some money to purchase a nice painting or print to go above my bed. I was supposed to accomplish this goal sometime this summer but I decided to switch things around a bit.

I studied art at BYU and have always been known as an "artist". I am actually a bit embarrassed by this title because with it comes expectations from others, but art is truly one of my passions and I don't feel complete unless I am expressing myself through painting, photography, etc. I just like to create. However, as a mother of three small children, I have found it difficult to find the time to devote to this part of me. I don't really have a space in my home that can be set aside for this, so I have pretty much just let my painting skills lie dormant for about 6 years. (With the exception of painting every single wall in my house, but that really shouldn't count!)

I thought a lot about this particular goal and I really wanted to paint a painting of my own. However, having not painted in such a long time, I really felt nervous and wasn't sure I was willing to spend the time and money on it and not have it turn out the way I wanted. I was at Michaels one day and saw they were having a stellar deal on canvases and all their paints and felt this was my cue to pick up my paintbrush and go to work. I already knew the look I was going for so the prep wasn't as difficult as I anticipated. With a little bit of encouragement from a friend, a lot of prayer and some nice, long naps from my daughter, I was able to complete my painting in about 2 weeks. I am thrilled how it turned out!

Title: Utah Aspens
Acrylic in the Impasto style

Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface (or the entire canvas) very thickly, usually thickly enough that a painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture, the paint appears to be coming out of the canvas.

Canvas prepped with tinted gesso



Rough trunks and leaves are "scrubbed" in


Then a bit of detail is added


Then a glaze is added to mute details. (Helps background stay in the back)


Another layer of trunks and leaves are added
 

Add some branches and more details






Closest trees get the most detail and the brightest colors


Here it is above my bed. I think it is a bit too small for the space so I am thinking of installing a shelf to have it rest on with a few other small prints.

On to the next goal!

March-Exercise 3 x's a Week-Amy

So...exercising didn't happen. Lol! I sort of dropped the ball this month. My grandfather passed away so I spent most of the month coordinating my travel to Utah for the funeral. It's amazing how much work and preparation goes into preparing the house/kids/hubby to survive without me for a week. No, they were really great and my husband, David, was a Rockstar. I decided to take my youngest, Emmy, with me since she isn't in school yet. That way David could go to work during the day and not have to use so much vacation time. My wonderful sister and her husband flew me out there and got a sweet hookup with a pilot friend of theirs. Man! Standby is the way to go! We saved so much money this way. The tickets were about half the price and all our bags were free.

The trip was quite emotionally and physically draining, but it was totally worth it to see and spend time with my extended family and to say goodbye to my grandfather. It was a beautiful funeral and my family is awesome!

Anyway, when we got home there was a mountain of laundry to do and the fridge and cupboards were bare. I guess I got my exercise after all, carrying laundry up and down two flights of stairs and loading groceries up the same way! You all know how it goes. Below are a few photos from the funeral.




His temple recommend expired the month he passed. He was simply incredible.

I switched April's goal to something a bit different but I am determined to finish it by the deadline. Wish me luck!

A Month of Dates!

My goal for the month of February was to go on a date with each of my family members. There are about 4 weeks in February and 4 members to go on a date with. One date a week sounded easy enough. I also figured since February is the month with Valentine's Day that my hubby and I would be able to plan something nice and I could blog about that. I felt like I needed to connect better with my family and thought that some one-on-one time would be good for all of us. This month did not disappoint.

Well, February was a month with lots and lots and lots of snow and ice. David worked so hard and had to do a ton of overtime hours doing snow removal at the temple. For Valentines' Day I planned a nice dinner for David that took me 2 days to cook. Recipe here. It was amazing! David came home from work and promptly got called back in because of an ongoing storm. I pouted and prayed that he would be able to come back home in time. Well he went and worked faster than humanly possible and made it home by dinnertime. I know he knew how devastated I would have been if he couldn't eat my present for him! I love showing how much I love him by cooking him food! It's a win win for both of us! Anyway, we don't have many photos of us together, I am usually the one taking them, but I like this one of him. Oh how I love him. We ate dinner as a family, so not quite the one-on-one I was hoping for with my guy, but it was nice to do something special. It's hard to leave at night for a date when we have a little one with a very precarious sleep schedule. Maybe next year... In the mean time, we settle mostly for afternoon dates and date night at home after the kids go to bed.



Speaking of the precarious one, her name is Emeline, and she loves to help me bake. I thought it would be fun to make cupcakes for our date, while the boys were away at work and school. She was so excited! Usually, I like to get in and out of the kitchen quickly and get things done as efficiently as possible. A 2 year old helper is not my idea of a good "helper" but it was so much fun when I finally let go and decided to do it for the quality of time it allowed me to spend with her. I think it is now something I would like to try and do at least monthly. I spend a lot of alone time with Em, but it is usually filled with errands and chores. It was fun to do something special. Now if I could just remember those darn cupcake liners! Hence, there are no pictures of the cupcakes because we had to leave them in the pans until we ate them so they wouldn't dry out. We made a giant mess and it was a blast!



For my date with Caleb, my oldest son, we decided to go ice skating. Ice skating is kind of our special thing that just he and I do together. We try to go whenever I can get a groupon for the local rink. I skated a lot when I was younger and loved it, so it has been fun teaching him too! He skated really well this time and seemed to catch on faster than times in the past. It's fun to tease him about school and girls and anything really. He gets this adorable blush and smiles at his feet. Heaven help the girl that falls in love with him. After skating we went out to dinner at Wendy's. Caleb is my cuisine connoisseur and he loves to eat! I let him order whatever he wanted from the menu, which was a huge treat because it's usually nothing but the dollar menu for our family! We ate and I was amazed at what a considerate and kind boy he is. He is truly a "good one" and I cherish the time I get to spend with him.


For my date with Jacob I had a fun day planned at Lowe's and the pet store but when the afternoon came, it was a rare sunny-warmish day with a chance to play outside. He took it. We decided to have some snuggle time later and play some games together on the tablet. We played games and talked about everything he knows. He would chat anyone's ears off if he could. He is very energetic and fun and really is a pleasure to hang out with. We might make a habit out of this one too!



February? Check! And what a good time was had by all. Everyone should do it too!

Speaking in Sacrament Meeting

Hi! My name is Amy Anson. I am another one of Nora's many Allen cousins and admirers. One of my favorite memories of Nora is playing "Annie" at our family reunions. She was Miss Hannigan and all of us younger cousins were the orphans. There were tons of us so she had her hands full. We had so much fun saying, "We love you Miss Hannigan!" She was also the one to teach me "My Aunt Fanny Knows How to do the Rumba". If you don't know what that is, ask her and I am sure she would be glad to teach you! She has always been a lot of fun and I am so blessed to be related to her!


I live in St. Louis, Missouri with my husband, David and 3 kids. Caleb, 9, Jacob, 6, Emeline, 2 and  5 bantam chickens.


We have a lot of fun! We are the only ones in both our families that don't live in Utah so sometimes we get a bit lonely but we love the city and have really enjoyed meeting so many new friends that have become another family. The sky is huge here and the sunsets are breathtaking. I do miss the mountains though and being able to get away from the heat in the summertime was nice. In Missouri there is no escaping the heat and humidity. I am often reminded of the hardships the saints had to endure when living here in the early days of the church. I am grateful for my air conditioner.

We moved to St. Louis so David could become the Grounds Supervisor of the LDS temple.



David does an amazing job and I enjoy taking pictures of his handiwork! I just recently opened my first shop on Etsy called The Barn Next Door and I am learning a lot. I really enjoy photography, traveling, cooking, my family and anything related to the arts.

I do not, however, enjoy speaking in public. At all. So when I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting at the beginning of January, I decided that it would be a good idea to make a goal of it so that I wouldn't put it off. I used to be in the Stake Relief Society presidency and we had to speak in other wards about five times a year and it about killed me. I would like to say that I have gotten over this "obstacle" and that with practice, speaking is no longer a problem for me, but it is. I always learn so much from writing talks but the process of actually writing and putting all the gathered information together is incredibly difficult for me. I don't feel like writing is one of my strong points and I would rather eat mold than stand in front of a congregation and share my thoughts.  I do have a testimony, however, and know that I need to share it.

Well, to make a long story short, I wrote my talk on "Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy", and I didn't die, throw up or faint (although I came close) while speaking at the pulpit. Success! If you would like to read a copy of my talk or are in need of some spiritual enlightenment, comment and I will email you a copy. I don't know how I would create a link to it. See you next month!

Amy Anson's Goals & Projects for 2014

January: Prepare talk to speak in Sacrament

February: Go on a date with each member of my family; one each week

March: Work out 3 times a week 

April: Read an Ensign article everyday

May: Update Blurb and print off books

June: Organize recipes

July: Get and hang a picture above bed

August: Refinish Kitchen Table

September: Get home ready to sell

October: Take a class; Photoshop or recertify CPR

November: Go to temple once a week

December: Read the Book of Mormon