As a child, I constantly drew pictures. I was convinced I was an artist, and the proof came when I won 2nd place in an art contest in Kindergarten. I drew a simple line drawing of the salt water aquarium (with fish) we had in our living room at home. Fred George won first place, but I don't remember what he drew.

Then in 7th grade I won another contest with a picture created solely from small...

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As a child, I constantly drew pictures. I was convinced I was an artist, and the proof came when I won 2nd place in an art contest in Kindergarten. I drew a simple line drawing of the salt water aquarium (with fish) we had in our living room at home. Fred George won first place, but I don't remember what he drew.

Then in 7th grade I won another contest with a picture created solely from small shapes cut from colored construction paper. The picture was a boat pulled up to shore and a sunset. I must have glued down a million pieces of hole punched circles for that shoreline.

Then in my early teen years I started including a new art medium: wood. My folks bought a jigsaw for me and I made all sorts of things. Napkin holders, name plaques, animal shaped cut outs, tie racks, cutting boards and other things. And when my grandparents bought me a real belt sander as a gift I upped my output and made even more things.

After high school I studied graphic arts (one of the best decisions of my life). Then right after graduating I married my lovey who has always encouraged and supported my creative abilities. Since then it seems life has gone by like a locomotive. Especially since our daughter was born (another awesome creation).

Around the year 2000 I had what I'll call a creative explosion when I started making puzzles (it was fun but also therapuetic and helped me through a difficult time in our lives). I made wooden cube puzzles, flat puzzles and other kinds too. Hence the name puzzlemaker. The photo you see is one of the puzzles I made during that time. It is what I call a "flat puzzle" with only a front and back image on 1/2" thick wood blocks. My husband is an awesome carpenter and he kept me stocked in wood supplies.

These days creating for me is defined more by cooking, writing, growing things and crafts (with the occasional art project thrown in).

Another great decision we made was to homeschool our daughter. What a blessing to teach and learn at home. And we have met some of our closest friends in this way.

While I'm not Squidoo-ing, I'm gardening (tomatoes are my best crop), homeschooling, or researching new things that interest me (lately that's Squidoo). Our family loves to fish, cook, take road trips and visit our large extended family. Some of my other favorite things are picking blueberries and bird watching.

Update August 2009: I have started a running program to get better fit. Oh My Universe! What am I doing? Starting a running program in Florida...in August? What am I thinking? I am loving it though and I can tell my endurance is getting better. I'll keep you posted.

We have 3 critters Peetey, Meowzers and White Face.