I did this still life during a workshop I took from Marla Baggeta (more on that workshop in a later post). The assignment was to choose an object and paint it on the biggest piece of paper we had left…fast. So this is my bag, painted on a piece of 18″x12″ kitty wallis paper.

When I was a little girl my favorite book was titled “What’s in Mommy’s Pocketbook?”. It was a little board book that had sleeves with little card board objects that would have been in a purse, a key, a mirror, lipstick, etc. My Dad lovingly remade all those little cardboard pieces not once but twice during my childhood, and twice more for my children, the last time the book got new binding. I am thankful for all the times my family has helped me re-do something spending hours of precious time, in the face of the consumer culture monster that tempts us that buying new would be easier.

As a year end review, I thought I would go through my bag. Here are its contents:

There was a fair amount of garbage that I chose not to photograph. The little pink coin purse could get one out of most jams. It contains: instant coffee, Advil for big and little people, benedryl because it is not, if, but when someone in my family gets stung by something venomous, eye drops, CPR mask, fingernail clippers, a nail file, a variety of hair bands and clippies, and one of those magical glasses cleaning cloths. I have blank notecards to entertain my kids, and make notes and small drawings, and some little toys…notice the ratio of baby to ladybug is 1:1. In my bag you will find a snack, as long as my youngest son doesn’t find it first, two kinds of spearmint gum, lip gloss, and a selection of black pens and pencils. My wallet has more cash that it used to because my favorite grocery is very euro, and cash only. It also has a variety of plastic cards…2 science museum memberships, a zoo membership, an art museum membership, a botanical garden membership, membership to 2 libraries, and a visa and health insurance card. In 2013 I am going to try to use the cards at the front of the list more than the ones at the end. In my coin purse I have coins and treasures: a baby tooth (from one of my kids, an upper bicuspid), a butterfly wing, a buffalo nickel, a small mammal vertebrate not sure the species, a fortune: “Let the sun shine on your soul”, and a little pink rhinestone…all things my kids collected and asked me to hang onto and never made it out of my purse. As I look over the contents I am aware of what is not in my bag. No diapers, my 2 year old graduated from pull ups to panties this year ending what my husband refers to as “the diaper decade”. Bittersweet.

There is something new this year, a business card that has a web address for this blog! Thanks to all of you have visited, followed, liked posts, told your friends, and especially commented. My year end report from word press came this morning. I learned lots of fun statistics from this report, including the fact that people from 29 countries look at this blog! I have decided to give a painting to my top commenter (ok, besides you mom) congratulations Diane Plum, let me know what your favorite paintings are, and I will send you one I still have!

Happy New Year to all of you! I am grateful to have you along on my journey as I search to find beauty in the world that surround us.