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Awwww! How sweet.
: )

Thanks, Susanne! :-)

You are lucky to have three such valuable assistants. (Or is that two?) Either way, very sweet! And they are lucky to have you! Nice that it works out that way, isn't it?

It is nice! There are three of them... plus the occasional mouse to liven things up. I like the company. :-)

Cute assistants!
: )

Your brain, maybe.......!
What a bulging sketchbook!
I used to keep a dream journal which was sort of fun.
Hope your summer is going well
all too fast it feels.
I'm working on an outline for a writing course I'm teaching in Morocco next spring. Very exciting.
all best wishes

Thank you, Elizabeth! We're having a good summer but it is passing quickly. Faster every year, it seems! A writing course in Morocco... sounds wonderful.

Love this post! :o)

Oh those cookies look too good....

Come on over... I'll make coffee! :-)

I like your blog,really great one =]

Thank you, Marinela!

loved 1,2 and 3... i do enjoy mi 4th within the 1st, can relate to 5th and 6th, not so much 7th. cheers.

Funny, Samadhi! Thanks for stopping by. :-)

Really awesome post of your studio.and delicious looking cookies too!

Thanks, Madonna!

But do keep in touch anyway.

Oh yes, of course!

I'll probably end up posting more than I think... ;-)

I am doing a giveaway to celebrate Nikki Shoemaker's new book "What's Wrong with Mud?" at my Blog. Stop by and check it out!

I find my best ideas come early in the morning, often when I am still half asleep; sometimes I look at them at a later date and can barely remember putting them down - that's why I sleep with a sketchbook next to my pillow!

Great idea, Gretel. I love those half-asleep ideas... sometimes they feel like movies playing in your mind... all you have to do is sit back and watch. :-)

Ahhh the inevitable balance of having the kids off for the summer. It is a juggle! Good luck with it all and thanks for sharing your sketch page.

Thanks, Lisa. It IS a juggle! Not sure why I thought it would be less so when they got older...

Yes, but who, in the end, cares about the house
let them tidy up....
art is much more important
all we need is the clean up fairy to appear...

yes i agree, i have these same problems. i'm trying a 'clean one room' every other day strategy, versus waiting until it's insane and trying a whole house clean up at one shot. it's still a work in progress (no pun intended).

I completely agree, Elizabeth, though my house has crossed the line, haha! But Martha Stewart, I am not. I just don't want it to smell bad. ;-)

Christine-- I've tried plans like that too, but they fall by the wayside. Really, cleaning is futile, especially with kids & pets in the house. A waste of precious time!

I think this can be renamed as the *Universal* dirty little freelance secret. How *doesn't* work this way???

Glad I'm not alone on this, Tara!

these are both great advice! I am fairly new to the game... just graduated in 2007. Last summer I took a vacation...and *ding* a project popped up. HA! I am working on my own stuff now though!

Thanks for the tips!

Hee hee, you're welcome, Candace! I meant them sort of tongue in cheek, except that in 16 years it's always worked out this way for me.

Sounds like you'll be getting a lot of work your way soon! ;-)

This is a rule of life I think........
I hope you are going somewhere lovely for your vacation.

Haha, actually no vacation plans in the near future either, Elizabeth! But yes-- I think life is one of those "when it rains it pours" kind of thing. ;-)

Ahhh, this might be just what I need to know...

... I'm going to Scotland in June, so maybe I'll get some work in June...

for now, keeping busy with volunteer maps and my own projects.

Thanks for all your comments, Alison! Wow-- Scotland sounds excellent. As does your husband's garden-- try it- it's fun! :-)

LOL oh yes! Its true! As soon as the vacation is planned, all the work starts to flood in! I loved this...thanks for for sharing :-)

Hi Jannie-- Glad to know it's not just me, haha! ;-)

wonderful work Jennifer...I need to get myslef all ready too!!

Thanks, Diana. I meant to do all this stuff over the holidays... think I overestimated how much free time I'd have! ;-)

Congratulations Jennifer
I am glad you have had success.

Wow! Very impressive.

We freelancers have to lift one another up so we can keep moving forward. Thanks for the inspiring words.

I'm feeling very blessed at the moment to have work. :o)

wooohoooo 508 maps Jen!!!! That is awesome!! Think about it, there are 508 beautiful maps out there created by your talented hand :o)

Congratulations my friend, I say that is really cool :o)

The map illustration work sounds so cool!! And impressive! And detailed!

I love how you credit your Dad for your ability to manage the chaos and straighten it out to do what you love. Keep it up!

Thanks, Carli! I think success is all in how you define it, you know?

And thanks, Phyllis. I totally agree! The more we can help each other out, the better. :-)

Aw, gracias, Alicia. Now I'm blushing. ;-)

It is fun, Vivian. I get to travel the world vicariously! And thanks-- my Dad is a really good person. :-)

What a great outlook your Dad passed on! - Follow your heart always! -congrats -Kel

Well, I'm impressed! I love your maps!

When are you going to make a map tablecloth? :-)

Great story Jennifer. That's a lot of maps, and a lot of geography lessons (wanted or not :P )

My question would be what was the biggest and smallest maps you have created.

Hi Kelly-- Good advice, right? :-)

And thanks, Barbara! Hey, that's a great idea! I could sell them on ebay!! ;-)

Thanks, Tom! Yes, and I must say, I am pretty good at geography as a result!

Let's see-- the smallest would be spot illustrations of maybe 2-3 inches. One of the largest was a map of North and South America for a poster. The artwork was limited to the size of my board, about 23x39, and then the client enlarged the map even more.(It takes a long time to do that size in pen & ink!)

wow, wow, wow! that is a lot of maps! very very impressive. i can't imagine painting 66 maps in one year, that's more than one per week! were you surprised when you added them up. now if anyone every says, there's not much you can do with a map, you can say, there's 'lots' you can do i've painting 750 (i'm looking ahead here, sending positive vibes for a busy 2009). LOL congrats!!

Hi Christine-- Yes, I was very surprised about this year's number! Most of the year just went along like usual and then I was smokin' busy over the summer, which is usually my slow time. This fall has been... well... like I said... I'm an optimist...

ahhh....look at that picture...so relaxing! i'm on the countdown, 4 days to go! can't wait. i'm trying to finish up my freelance work so i can relax. although we have no internet where i go. looking forward to doing some painting. glad you had a great time!!

Thanks, Christine! It was great to get away-- takes a few days just to wind down from all the preparing and packing!

So nice to hear about the baby clothes going to someone who really needs them. Tears, yes, but in a good way, right? :-)

oh i hear you, i just don't listen...my ergo chair is in my studio, but i spend my work hours in my dining room slumped on a stool with my laptop up on a cabinet....oh my aching neck & back...

Ay! When will we ever learn?? ;-)

I don't have my "mouse surface" at the right height. After a long day at the computer. I pay for it with my right shoulder.

Are you getting that new chair?

gail

Gail-- Funny thing is, I bought a new chair back in the fall, and thought my setup was pretty good. But I'd better look at it again. I think maybe I slouch too much and jam up my neck. That's what I'm payin' for now...

Got any chair recommendations?

I am utterly unergonomic - and am paying a price for it.
I mostly work on my laptop and my rear end goes to sleep and I get neck aches and have to go to get back rubs. It is getting expensive and i think i'm getting carpal tunnel.
Or it may be I am just lazy and don't like work.......

As someone who spent three weeks in a wrist brace this spring, I can only say, "Yeah! What spine said." (that was Wrist talking)

Well, I could think of better ways to procrastinate, Elizabeth! But the back rub sounds delightful...

And Jacqui, a.k.a. "Wrist"-- I feel you pain! I had a wrist issue last year, luckily not carpal tunnel. Some time in a night brace and some strengthening work seemed to do the trick.

Sheesh, who knew this occupation could be so hazardous to our health?! ;-)

Oh brother-- "I feel YOUR pain."

Sorry, I can't stand typos...

For those of us who still use traditional paint and paint at a drafting table, all I can say is OOouuuuucccHHHHHH!!! Maybe I need to switch everything to digital media. I am looking down all day, and my neck is a total mess all the time. Poo.

I have been through 2 tables and 6 chairs in 20 years and nothing ever helps.

Again I say Poo.

Yikes, Kate-- this is beginning to sound like a common theme!

congratulations! what a relief for sure. the majority of my work is all done on the computer these days so i either email or upload to a server my work, no more fear of lost packages! way to celebrate and buy yourself some notebooks! i am addicted to them, i have one for everything i do.

and cute pup!! my daughter won't let me leave the page, she is obsessed with dogs!!

Thanks, Christine-- yep, it's nice to not feel as stressed now. Glad your daughter likes my pup! And aren't notebooks the best?? Also treated myself to a few things from the art store too, teehee!

Happiness is always good, especially when is spreads to different facets of life!

Fill that red book with a bunch of great stories!

Hi Tom-- I agree and that's the plan! :-)

That's awesome Jennifer! Good for you, congratulations :o)

Brand new notebooks.. that is always good!

I love your puppy!! What's his name?

Thanks, Alicia! Her name is Angie. We adopted her when she was about 3, so the name came with her. She's a good girl, but with a LOUD bark! :-)

Oh Angie is adorable Jeniffer! So lucky she found you guys :o)

You're so cute! Such wonderful things to celebrate. (yes, the red one first!)

Aw, thanks Kate! Yep-- gotta celebrate every little thing that you can, right? :-)

congrats on all the work pouring in..wonderful! and congrats on the map commission..what fun!

Thanks, Diana! It is all good-- I just wish there were more hours in the day!

Same here with work. Not freelance, but day job stuff. After this week, things should slow down a bit.

And I agree... never enough time in the day to do all you want. Not sure if all this drawing is helping or hurting, because most days, all I want to do is draw! :) Do they have a group for that! :P

Best of luck with all the new work!

I hear you, Tom-- drawing is my favorite thing. Very relaxing! Thanks for commenting.