Happy Birthday, Mark.

Yesterday was my man's birthday. To celebrate, we took a moonlight walk on the beach.

These sticks are in love.

So are we.

The Move.

Ack! I'm behind on my sticks. A busy weekend took precedence over drawings, that's for sure.

On Saturday, Mark and I (and a bunch of other folks!) headed over to our friends', the Irwin's, home. With the help of the Body, we got 'em moved to their new place. Their new house is pure awesomeness and we wish them only the best.

Here's my "Moving Woman Extraordinaire" stick!

It's a BOY!!!

Yesterday I received very happy news! My dear friend, PG, had an ultrasound to discover her baby's gender. I had a feeling and I was right (for once)...they're expecting a BOY!!!

Congratulations to PG, PG, and Little Sister CG! I'm excited for you. Praying a blessed, healthy, happy pregnancy and birth for your family.

Lots of love from Mark and Gigi! (And Curious George.)

The Hair Cuttery. (Oh, Baby.)

I made my yearly hair mistake today. About once a year, I get it in my head that I need new hair. A fresh look. Something sassy. Something sessy.

The goal: Ashley Judd in Someone Like You. The result: Peter Pan in ... Peter Pan.

In all actuality, the lady who cut my hair did what I asked her to do. So the plotting stick in the picture isn't quite how she should be portrayed....

However. This is my view of the woman now that Mark has seen my hair. For upon seeing his newly-shorn wife, Mr. Hopkins said, "Don't worry. It'll grow."

My Yesterday.

So this stick kinda captures my yesterday. I have a dear friend, "C", who just had a baby a couple of weeks ago. Actually, a couple of weeks ago tomorrow. Her little boy is a very, very fresh baby.

Anyway, yesterday C got sick and had to go to the doctor. She and her hubby didn't expect to be gone too long, and I gladly volunteered to watch their sweet little man. As it turned out, though, the docs at the hospital wanted to do a lot of tests, especially since C had given birth so recently. So a couple of hours turned into six. Six hours of me and a twelve-day-old infant. Wowza.

It didn't go too badly...and truthfully, it went pretty well. But there were some moments of "Ohmygoodness. I can't handle this. Why's he crying? What's wrong? Did I put his diaper on right? Why's his outfit wet? (Pee.) Did he burp? Where do I put the Desitin, exactly?" I'm fairly sure I covered my panic on the outside, but this stick pretty much sums up my afternoon and evening.

A Brief History...

...of my stick figures.

I've been drawing stick figures for as long as I can remember. It's just something I do.

In the past, I've had friends and family compliment me on the little critters I draw. Usually I answer in a self-deprecating way, "Um...they're just stick figures." In reality, my drawings aren't great art. But I am attached to the little guys, and when they're admired, it makes me happy. Just sayin'.

I've flirted with the idea of starting a custom-order invitation/stationery business. But then self-doubt would creep in and rear its ugly head. Family and friends are required to be supportive of creative endeavors, right? So I never knew if there was any real merit behind my characters, or if my loved ones were just being kind.

Recently, I drew up a birthday party invitation for my nephews, whose birthdays are pretty close together. My awesome sister-in-law Laura and I were talking of my interest/doubts/fears in starting the business. Long story short, Laura offered to show the invitation around to people at her workplace to see if she could generate any interest. I didn't expect anything to come of it, but a week later she called to tell me I had my first order! For the first time, I had a person outside of my family and friends telling me what I did was worth something! Talk about excited! And now I have a second order, to boot! Woohoo! (Also, I love exclamation points!!!)

So here's reality. There are a bajillion websites with custom stick-figure invitations and stationery. And even with a bajillion websites, there's not a huge market for this type of kitschy stuff. However. I do have friends, and my friends have friends. So if you're at all interested, or can think of someone who is, why not drop me a line? ginnymckinney at gmail dot com.

Thanks a bunch, Peeps. For coming to this site, for your encouragement, for being my friends. I'm blessed to have y'all in my life and thank the Lord for you!

The First Order.

Clownish Baby Shower.