This Mother’s Day was my very first one with Phoebe! Travis got me a dozen red roses. I look forward to paper beaded necklaces and other crafty mother’s day presents from Phoebe in the years to come. This year my story was shared in the Yakima Herald Republic along with a few other women, about what it was like to give birth during a pandemic in the Yakima Valley. My next door neighbor Sarah was also in the article! I sometimes think about that time and tear up. Not everything you share gets published of course, but I told the interviewer that my pain point isn’t what happened, but what didn’t happen. I didn’t get to hold her like I should have when she was first born. I was alone in my bed that first night. I didn’t get that initial bonding time. I know I get all of that now and we’re all healthy and happy, but I missed out on experiencing those unique special moments of newness and awe.

My own mother was there for me though, she drove me around the next day to help me find a COVID test, bought me a coffee at The Human Bean, drove me to Spokane and set us up in a hotel. I’m so thankful for my mom. Even though we butted heads a lot when I was growing up, she’s always been there for me and a good strong leader & teacher to me.

For my mom this year, I gave her a black tote bag designed by Mary Englebright. It’s from the artist’s “dark” series, “Mary Engledark.” I chose this tote for her because it’s the May calendar image my mom used to go public with on Facebook about her recent diagnosis this year of breast cancer. She had stage one, and it was the most common kind, but she decided it would be best to get a double mastectomy rather than the cancer coming back when she was old and didn’t have good insurance or the same strength. After surgery, I went over to visit and put a few neon pink streaks of dye in her hair. Unfortunately, biopsy showed that it had gone into her lymph nodes, but after a second removal surgery, pathology says that she is now cancer-free.

Recently, I finally completed a commissioned painting for a hilarious, spunky, generous, and kind woman named Erin from Seattle. She wanted me to paint a pet portrait of her bunny, “Boat.” We decided to paint him on a yacht. I titled it “Captain of My Own Boat.” Erin was thrilled when she got it. And because my mom has been traveling to Seattle for her cancer appointments, she was able to hand deliver the oil painting. (Since it hadn’t yet cured, that saved Erin like $50 for shipping, and me the anxiety that it would get all smudged and ruined!)

I also just completed another mystical painting for sale at PLANETMEGAN.COM/shop of a garden snake princess from Mars who ruled there billions of years ago before all life was demolished. But since I have been doing a lot of paintings, I really want to take a break from that and get back in touch with my original talent: drawing. (I was drawing “bugs” when I was only three years old!) 😂 I decided I can fit in one quick drawing every day. So I challenged myself to “40 Days of Drawing.” It can be anything around me from my environment. It’s only been a few days so far. I have found that it’s very fun to do pencil drawings because it’s easier to express finer details quickly and I get to add in mixed media in addition, such as water colors on top for magical effects, chalk & pastels for texture, and gel pens & markers for striking contrast. *Since I’ll be looking for things to quickly draw up, send me a picture you want me to draw! I’ve already gotten a request to draw my friend Jennifer’s dog. 😉

Pheebs will be 9 months on Monday, and her two top teeth are beginning to poke through She is getting ready to walk. (I was walking at 10 months!) She has been keeping me busy and sleep deprived. Sometimes I have had to wake up 8 TIMES in the night to help her go back to sleep, but it has gotten BETTER since we moved our bedroom back into the dark pitch black basement. Who knew that I’ve been suffering all this time JUST because our room wasn’t dark enough?!? Melatonin & sleep quality improve when a bedroom is PITCH BLACK. We can always tell the difference with ourselves when we migrate to the basement for the summer. I would encourage you to try blacking out your bedroom and see if it improves your deep sleep!

It’s always the same news: so much to do—so little time, and not enough sleep! It’s a challenge. But when I complete a goal it makes me feel accomplished (and that I’m doing something for ME.) It’s been really good to do this 40-days-of-drawing challenge so far for this reason. I invite you to follow me as I share it on Instagram: @magicmgallery. I hope you also feel inspired to challenge yourself to create something that you wouldn’t have created otherwise! It’s fun and makes you feel a sense of accomplishment. Also, if you feel inclined to send me a picture of something you want me to draw for the challenge, you can DM me on my page or email megan@planetmegan.com. 😊