​I have decided to revamp my home studio once again. It’s always a work in progress. Your home and work areas evolve as you do. You remove what isn’t working and add what is functioning.

I have recently been focusing exclusively on my sketchbooks, and it has been a wonderful experience for me. If you read my blog post from two weeks ago, you will understand why I prefer working in sketchbooks. I typically use gouache paints in my sketchbooks because they dry much faster than acrylics.

My husband brought home some boards for me to paint on, and I was so excited because it made me realize how much I miss painting on wood and canvas with my acrylics. I decided to make a bold move by rearranging my studio to create space for painting on both board and canvas.

I had a large easel, but I rarely used it. When I did, I found it difficult to create anything worthwhile with it; it mostly served as a place for my canvas to dry. While watching a YouTube video, I saw someone who had a designated wall space where she could nail boards or hang canvases to work on. I realized that’s exactly what I needed! So, I went into my studio and examined the area to see where I could replicate that setup. There was only one suitable spot, but it would require significant rearranging, decluttering, and reorganizing.

I am in the early stages of doing just that. I have added a few photos, but if you want to watch the video, please visit my YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/@doreendilger.

I will return to provide you with an update. My goal is to have my studio up and running by next week. I know it's an ambitious target, but as long as I don't hurt my back, I am confident that I can achieve it! Wish me luck!

The photo above shows you the only wall space that I can hang up a board or canvas on the wall.

I am always grateful to have other people interview me for their podcast but not only that it is simply amazing to be in the company of other extraordinary women. Thank you Martina Caviezel and Christina Sweeney for this amazing opportunity. Please go listen to my session or visit the other extraordinary women they have had as guests.

Everyday Ordinary Extraordinary Women

​Bravo!

4.  I work in a minimum of five sketchbooks at a time, all of various sizes. If I am drawing with pencil, then it is one book, but if I am using gouache, acrylic paint, or even Stabilo pencils, I use several to allow some drying time in between.

5. I have learned that my go-to colors are black, white, pink, and mossy-green.

6. I have learned that my favorite style of painting is abstract mixed-media art. I love its messiness and blurred lines.

7. My artwork's primary focus is a figure, a bird, or a flower.

8. I now know what materials I prefer: Stabilo pencils and Woody's, gouache paint, acrylic paint pens, and drawing pens.

9. I start a new sketchbook the same way every time. Before I begin creating, I add acrylic or gouache paint to the right-hand pages, going as far as halfway. I don't paint the whole page, but I at least make sure I have something down on each page. It also helps to have a new sketchbook close for when you have leftover acrylic paint and need to use it.

​10. Having a sketchbook practice has given me more confidence to create, and I love sharing my artwork.

In closing, one of the major things I noticed in creating my artwork is that the more relaxed and looser I paint or draw the better I love how it turns out. Once I start trying to get too tight or worry about the outcome is when I don't like it and need to walk away. It has taken me a little bit of time and practice to get to this point. I am finally comfortable with calling myself an artist. I'll take the win!

What about you? What are your favorite mediums? What do you like to paint or draw? Do you think there is a product or tool I use consider using? Please drop it in the comments. I am always open for suggestions! Thanks for stopping by. See you.

​Wowza. Where has all the time gone? Life has been hectic since November. I haven’t written a blog or posted a video. Why? Well, here is the short version:

My son-in-law was playing soccer (parents against the kids) when he dropped dead on the field. Thank God for the medically trained coaches because they brought him back from having a cardiac arrest. Did you know that only 4% survive?

My husband was helping his cousin get his vehicle started when a driver traveling way too fast coming off an exit rammed into both cars, totaling both. My husband, who was standing outside his truck, jumped out of the way but was hit. He still is in physical therapy. But he's a fighter, and he's making progress every day. He's a living testament to the strength of the human spirit.

I broke my tooth. I know it sucks, but after the top two events, this was nothing—just inconvenience for me.

We had to put our dog Bailey down in December. She was in kidney failure (her kidney was not fully developed.) I got her the day she came into this world. If you know, you know. This was the most heart-wrenching ever. We quickly new that the energy was off and we decided to get a new dog. Her name is Charlie. I still cry for Bailey.

Then, my husband and I welcomed two new grandchildren. My son had a boy, and his daughter had a girl, giving us a total of nine grandchildren so far. Their arrival brought a new wave of joy and hope into our lives.

I constantly repeat the phrase, life is so short to everyone, and it is so true. You don’t realize it until you experience a situation that can alter your life forever. I even joke with my older grandkids that when I die (which won’t be for a long time), I am coming back to haunt you. I’ll be tapping your nose, yelling in your ear, and making your rooms messy. I hope the humor will lessen the blow. Hopefully, they will all be adults busy when I exit this energy field.

I have been making it a priority to do something creative daily. Some days, it might just be pouring a cup of tea and sitting in silence. I might purge items I no longer need or want on other days. But I mostly spend time journaling, creating art, or enjoying my grandkids. For instance, I've been experimenting with watercolor painting, and it's been a wonderful way to express my emotions and connect with the beauty around me.

Coming from a go-getter, entrepreneurial, and marketing attitude, I find this transition interesting. I find myself listening to my intuition more, stopping and enjoying the beauty around me. This shift has allowed me to appreciate the small moments and find joy in the present. And, of course, allowing myself to get lost in the day creating.

In closing, I wanted to share an interesting observation. Each year, I like to start off the new year by writing down my goals, updating my vision boards, and setting up my planner. This year, I didn’t do any of it. Well, I eventually set up my planner. I am constantly adding to my visual artboards, and as for my goals, the only one I have is to be present as much as possible and enjoy the world around me. This decision reflects my growing understanding of the importance of mindfulness and appreciation in personal growth and happiness.

At the end of September, we took a twelve-day trip to Hawaii to see three islands. Our first stop was the Big Island, Waikoloa Beach. Our trip was booked through the timeshare we own, Hilton Grand Vacations. More about that later, but first, let me talk about our flight. We took Hawaiian Airlines out of JFK. JFK was doing some major renovations, so there was a lot of traffic. They had to bus us to the airplane when it was time to board.

The flight was better than I had anticipated, and it was a ten-hour flight. We booked our seats for business comfort. The food was excellent, and the crew was polite. My husband slept on and off throughout the flight; I watched movies. Overall, the flight was good. Of course, I would have loved first class, but I can't justify those prices now. We left at 10:00 am and landed in Hawaii at 3:00 pm. We then had to take another Hawaiian airline flight to The Big Island. People call them puddle jumpers, so I imagined them to be small, but no. Again, the flight was alright. We book our transportation through the Big Island Transportation. They picked us up at the airport, and it took us about 45 minutes to get to the Hilton.

Once there, we had to take a monorail to get to the hotel we were staying at, which was the Grand Islander. We finally got into our room at 6:45. When we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacation Resorts, we generally had a full kitchen, washer, dryer, living room, and bathroom, but we had a hotel this time. They are renovating, so we have got an older but more colossal hotel room. We immediately went to the balcony, taking our breath away to the most awe-inspiring ocean view. The winds were mild, the air was warm, the sun had just set down, and the night sky was incredible. 

The bed faced the ocean view, and we could leave the door open, feel the breeze, and listen to the ocean. We were hungry when we got in, so we ordered pizza from room service. It was $75.00 for a medium pizza with two iced teas. Over the next few days, we both were sticker-shocked as we learned the food prices within the resort were a bit high, but the food was very good.

We did not rent a car because we were only there for four days, and one of those days, we had a portfolio review. A review is when we meet with staff to discuss what we own, if we have any questions, and if we want to upgrade. We have had at least six meetings with HGV staff to learn what we own and all the benefits. We knew our third experience with a woman representative told us things that weren't true, but our latest representative set things straight and was terrific. He upgraded our room to the side that was renovated recently, and the room was incredible. This one had a living room, small kitchen, beautiful bathroom, and bedroom (open concept style - see the photos below.)

The Grand Islander is significant; there is much to see without a vehicle. Plus, you have all the restaurants you need right there, which is why we like to stay at resorts. It wasn't overcrowded, and there weren't many kids, making the pool experience pleasant. We were able to talk with other couples and share our experiences. We are not people who make crazy plans and try to do all the touristy things. We are the opposite. We like to talk to the locals and learn more about the island.

Overall, The Big Island was our favorite. Below are the photos from that experience.

Our second island was Maui. It took twenty minutes with Hawaiian Airlines. Once we landed, we called an Uber, and it took about 30 minutes to get to the Hilton on Kaanapali Beach. The drive-in was less pretty than The Big Island. The homeless community and the aftermath of the fires were a bit depressing. Once we got to our hotel, we were given the most beautiful view on the 12th floor (I think it was my husband's birthday.)  This hotel is enormous, with thirty-seven floors. This time, we had a typical suite (minus the washer and dryer), but there were units on every floor.
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The balcony extended from the living room area all around to the bedroom. We had two sliding glass doors, and the breeze would pick up when it got around 1:00 pm. It was terrific sleeping with both doors open, the breeze, and the sound of the ocean. From the view, you could look right down into the sea. We got to seals, turtles, sting rays, and fish. And again, because we didn't rent a car, we stayed and enjoyed the view and food. There was a restaurant in the hotel where the food was good, and another restaurant a quick walk down at another hotel called the Beach Club was even better. We walked to a surrounding shopping center to shop, get shaved ice, and have breakfast at Slappy Cakes. My husband didn't like it because it was more like a restaurant chain than unique, but I enjoyed the food. We couldn't get over the views and spent hours watching the sea life. We ventured down to the beach and enjoyed the ocean. The waves kicked our ass and tossed us like a salad. It was so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The wind whipped sand everywhere, and it took me two days to get it out of my hair. This resort was a lot busier and had a lot of kids. Our server told us that many of the rooms were being rented by people displaced by the fire, which is so sad. The views were incredible, along with the food, but we agree that The Big Island is our favorite.

Our last island was Honolulu, and this was the most populated of all the islands. We grabbed an Uber, and it took about 40 minutes to get to the Hilton. We learned the Hilton staff was on strike, which concerned me a bit. We arrived before our check-in time, so we checked our bags and went to find something to eat at the resort. Once we got into our hotel room, it was beautiful. The hotel room included a kitchen, bath, washer and dryer, living room, and bedroom. This time, to save a bit of money, we went to the local grocery store called ABC store to purchase eggs, bacon, snacks, etc. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the slider open because of the strikers below yelling. 

The resort was beautiful. There are a lot of stores, restaurants, and access to the beach. You could even venture out to the city and explore, which we did a bit. My husband purchased me a Louis Vuitton wallet to add to my small LV collection. Yes, I am spoiled and extremely grateful. We spent much more time relaxing and enjoying the space in the hotel room. Every time you ventured out, the people on strike wanted to talk and tell you why they were striking. Even though I truly understand their situation, I don't particularly appreciate experiencing it. But overall, the staff there was friendly. 

In closing, overall it was a great experience. Our favorite is The Big Island which we plan on visiting again perhaps as early as next year! 

Ninety days of consistent walking, drinking a protein shake, and taking my vitamins. I am incredibly proud of myself. I started this journey for several reasons, but one of them was not to lose weight. That statement may be odd. Well, all my life, any time I tried to make a shift in my body change, it was always directed around what I weighed and my measurements. I would then find myself measuring my success around those numbers, and when I didn't get to them fast enough, I would quit. Can anyone relate?

This time, I decided to make a life change and get into a consistent practice of walking. A few factors helped me make this decision: I am about to turn sixty years old, and I was diagnosed with a leaky heart (which explains so much of my childhood) and family hereditary diseases. I decided that I would start by working on helping my heart pump blood better through walking.

All my life, I have had a hard time walking up hills, climbing stairs, doing aerobics, and hiking, and now I know why. I live on a mountain, and driving to locations to work out or walk is not appealing to me. I live in a small house and do not have a room for a treadmill.

A walking pad was my solution. I looked into a walking pad that you can put away after you are done by sliding it under the furniture. The first time I purchased it, I would forget about it once it was put away, so I decided to put it in my kitchen, where it now stays permanently.
Yep, in the way, but my husband doesn't mind, and my grandkids beg to walk on it.

I walk between five and eight a.m.; if I do it later, it throws off my day. I prefer to do it early so I can get some creative time or write before my day officially starts.

Have there been days when I didn't feel like walking? Oh, yes!! Many have been, but I get up and do it anyway. At first, I checked the clock every minute and couldn't wait until it was over, but I quickly shifted to watch my art classes or YouTube. It helps the time go by faster.

As for speed, I keep it between 2.5 and 3.0 and do minute jogs here and there, depending on how I feel. My doctor has advised me to keep my heart rate to 100 to 125 and nothing below or over. I push it some days, but this is about steady, consistent walking. I am not trying to impress anyone.

I haven't weighed or measured myself at all. My body is shifting, but I can tell you I don't feel like I have lost twenty pounds, either. I did not put this weight on overnight; it will only come off fast if I make significant changes, which I am working on slowly. It's not a race; it is about healthy creating habits. 

I plan on continuing, and my goal is to do another 90 days but add another fifteen minutes to walking daily. I also plan on including stretching, somatic yoga, and weights.

This is what I learned during this whole experience. I can do anything I put my mind to; I need to create boundaries and set up the perimeters according to my lifestyle. Once I took the focus off of trying to lose weight and instead put the emphasis on trying to live longer, doing it one day at a time, I was able to create a healthy habit.

Onto the next 90 days! Wish me luck!