February... Made.

February was good, yes?

I think this month's BlogHer NaBloPoMo theme prompts have been my favorite so far.  MAKE opened up my head to so many possibilities; limitations reminded me to try to MAKE the best of things, because there are times when I must quietly relinquish control and peacefully accept that most days I can only do so much.  Chronic illness can be an enormous pain, both literally and figuratively.  Throw in lengthy bouts of weakness, and that sums up my February.

On the flip side, February 2015 has been a month of discovery.  In attempt to "make" stuff, I've discovered that I still am able to develop untapped skills, and as a result, have a new favorite pastime.  I hope visitors to my blog have enjoyed my early works of digital illustrations.

Follow My March Story, it shall continue on the same vein where February ends... discovery.

A request:  Please, keep this BlogHer blogger/YouTube vlogger and her family in your thoughts.  I welcome your support and encouragement as we search for a place to live.  We must vacate this rental by March 29.  Our budget is tight; finances strained.  Rents are very high, and homes very old in this area.  So, if you can imagine a place where a family of three, and two dogs can live a safe, comfortable and quiet life without the threat of homelessness, again, looming overhead; a place where we can also accommodate our college age children while they are on summer break from school; a place that has been well kept and cared for, where we have access to safe-to-drink tap water, has adequate storage, and proper windows for opening to enjoy pleasant weather when desert temperatures are comfortable to tolerable, and ample grassy area for our dogs.  This shall be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

May Abundance and Good Fortune be awaiting us in the very near future, and serenity fill and soothe our weary souls.

March 2015... welcome.

Grateful for the roof over our heads which was provided in effort to
relieve homelessness endured by my family from Oct 2012 through Feb 2013.

A random - yet lengthy (10 min) - You Tube vlog from February 2015

646 views                         

Making The Best Of It

Seriously, this cookie cannot crumble... not this time.  But to be completely honest, every bone in my body is doing what it can to keep me from collapsing.  My meds are keeping my brain in check, thank goodness.  However, spirit suffers.  Part of it is the uncertainty; another part is, lack.  Recovery has been slow, and unexpected expenses keeps us living paycheck to paycheck.  One sure thing this time though, is that The Hubs has been at his job for over two years.

Making the best of it, means keeping my chin up, saving emotional lows for when I'm alone in the car, but most importantly, acknowledging things going right for us, and expressing appreciation for teamwork within our little family.

Excerpt from A Home Not Our Own
February 7, 2013

*****

In case you missed this week's vlog post about The Oscars:

Help Me Make It Through This...

Help me MAKE it through this... please.

Today, after dropping off my son at work and my daughter at school; before dropping off my husband at work, he informed me of a call the night before.  The homeowner of the rental we are in needs us to move out of her house.  We've been given until March 29 to vacate.  Her explanation to us was that a friend of hers is getting a divorce and she has made her home available to this friend and her family.  Now, my family needs to get out.

When my family moved into The Place, it meant we would be under one roof together again.  Our homeless period lasted a few short, but miserably stressful months, after two years jobless and anticipating foreclosure - I just learned recently that Chase bank was in no rush to take possession of our home as long as we were keeping it occupied and landscaped.  Here (where we arrived after asking family members if they would take us in during our time of need) is where we would re-group, attempt restoration, and re-establish some semblance of normalcy for our downtrodden family.

Below is an excerpt from A Home Not Our Own which give a glimmer of life at The Place.  More will follow as I try to navigate the uncertainty that lies ahead in the next 4 1/2 weeks.  Stay with me.  Your support, encouragement, and best wishes are greatly appreciated.

www.ahomenotourown.blogspot.com
BlogHer NaBloPoMo Prompt
Tuesday, March 11, 2014:  Do you think you'll still be blogging 10 years from now?

AND THE CREATIVE ARTS AWARD GOES TO...

Lillian Carilo

Congratulations, me!!

tee hee

Five On Friday a la February... A Vlog

Please visit my YouTube Channel

THIS IS FIFTY WITH LIL

Subscribe, Like, Comment.

Sincere Thanks, Lil

You Just Never Know...

I'm finding that just as I began to question if I'd ever discover something new about my self, BlogHer theme for February prompted us to Make something.  I had loads of ideas come to mind too.  And, although I've had to take things easy, and give my body recovery time, I'm doing my best to post as often as possible.  My choice of what to make came as a complete accident, not to mention, a welcome surprise.  I was trying to figure out Windows 7 Paint software program which came factory installed on my old, little laptop computer... I don't even remember why, but lo and behold, a brand new favorite past time fell into place at the perfect right time.  And trust me, this little hobby is super time consuming - for me anyway.  But it's also so much fun... I think I mentioned that on yesterday's post.

I was not prepared to edit, upload and publish a YouTube This Is Fifty With Lil channel ~ Thoughts On Thursday vlog to include in today's blog post.  I did recorded it, but by the time I sat down to work tonight, I realized that there would not be enough time to publish it before midnight; I preferred to make the best of my time illustrating a couple of panels. I will try my best to have a vlog post for Five On Friday tomorrow because I'm having just as much fun creating and producing videos.

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

Here are a few illustrations that I created or modified today.  I hope somebody likes them.

I can't believe it is already February 19!  It's going by so quickly.  Last couple of weeks were tough because I actually went out to a social event one evening, took mom to a specialist on Saturday afternoon, drove more than usual (which in turn, caused an excess amount of stress and anxiety).  And, my son and I have been watching as many Oscar nominated films as possible before the Academy Awards show next Sunday.  It does seems like things are getting back to normal again though.  But I'll just have to see how it goes.

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

My husband and I went to a company gathering and catered taco cookout.  It was nice meet a few of his co-workers and have nice chats with anyone who joined us at our table.  I had a very nice time, but social situations often overstimulate my brain, and I need a few days to recover.

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

Sometimes, pitching in to help mom out with stuff other than managing her meds and doing her meal planning and shopping takes it's toll on me.  I don't want to say she's "difficult," she's just a very old woman with her own agenda who has no other choice than have to rely on my sister, her aide, and I to manage things she is not able to do on her own.  She can be a doozy... in other words, high maintenance.  But I know she appreciates our help.  I need to create an illustration of mom... shouldn't be too difficult, I look just like her.

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

So, you just never know, until you try, that there are things out there still to explore.  I'm glad I discovered how much joy digital illustrating brings to my days.

Because I'm Happy....

You know the song, right?  Kinda sticks in your head, doesn't it?  I love it... because, well, it makes me happy.  Simple.  You know what else makes me happy? Naps.  Chatty children.  Cake.  Puppy snuggles. A chance at winning an automobile contest. A second nap.  An enchanting movie experience - finally saw Theory of Everything; absolutely loved it!  Delicious meals... which I regret to inform went missing today.

Also, singing at the top of my lungs while driving makes me very happy. I plan to do a lot during the next few weeks.  I've decided to participate in abstinence during the season of lent.  I'll be making a concerted effort to keep my cool during wait times in the high school student parking lot area and refrain from cursing which results from my annoyance, frustration, and lack of patience with inconsiderate, discourteous drivers.  Day one down; 39 more to go.

Oh, and how could I forget... digital art! I love illustrating "a day in my life" strips.  I'm having so much fun!

And, let's not forget the fact that I may still win a Volvo XC60!!  My vehicle's not sounding to great at the moment, so when I saw a televised ad on CNN earlier today, my heart skipped a beat.

Enjoy today's clips...

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint

Drive, drive, drive, drive... la, la, la, la, la, la, la... drive, drive, drive.

Wednesday In The Kitchen With Lil
CAKE!

Illustrated by Lillian Carilo, February 2015

Windows 7 Paint