Here we are at the first four things of 2025! I’ve enjoyed this little round-up of favorite things. Even if you don’t share online, I would encourage you to keep a list of what you’re up to each week. It can be informally as a list of what you’re reading, what you’re watching, what you’re loving, and what you’re working on. I guarantee keeping a simple record will make you more observant, intentional, and aware. It’s also fun to look back to see how you’re spending your time, what you’re taking in, and how you’re growing. As I shared yesterday, it’s all practice for who you’re becoming.
So, here are my four things…
what I’m reading
I’ve been listening to the audiobook Camille Pissarro: The Audacity of Impressionism while on walks or when I’m getting ready in the morning and it’s been such a fascinating read. As the title suggests, it’s primarily about Camille Pissarro, but you learn so much about other impressionists, the dealers who worked with them, and the Impressionist movement. Even if you’re not interested in it from an artistic perspective, it’s a fascinating historical portrait of a handful of creative upstarts who changed an industry forever.
I also enjoyed looking through some of my favorite art books on Pissarro’s work while listening to his story. Some of my favorites are Pissarro & Pontoise, Camille Pissarro, Pissarro’s People, and Camille Pissarro: The Sudio of Modernism.
what I’m watching
If you’ve followed me for a long time, you know I’ve been a fan of Washington football for years (since middle school.) The Redskins, now the Commanders. Commanders Football has not always been easy to root for, but we’re finally seeing change and success, and we made the playoffs with an exciting rookie quarterback. Anyway, I always like watching football on Sunday afternoons, but it’s been extra fun this year.
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what I’m loving
Another mark of the passage of time, for those who have been reading my blog since it launched in 2009, Marshall, my oldest son turned 18! In my early days of blogging, he was the toddler streaking through photos in his diapers and making hilarious comments about things I was working on. He’s a high school senior, but he takes all but one of his classes at the local community college, so he’s such a young man now! He’s working towards an engineering degree and we’re so proud of him.
He’s also entirely a masculine mini-me. The Wagner genes are strong with this one.
what I’m working on
Well, I’m sorry to report that I haven’t made any more progress on removing the carpet glue from the basement floor! I chose knitting, drawing, art classes, writing, and other things over steaming sections of glue off the concrete floor, but I do hear it calling my name and I want to get it done, so it’s still high on my list. I have been taking down the Christmas trees and doing some planning for the year.
The primary thing I’ve been working on, though, is reestablishing an art habit. I did amazing with painting regularly in 2023 and I wasn’t anywhere near as productive in 2024. I was working on a lot of other projects, but I still missed it. I’ve been painting or sketching daily since just before Christmas and I plan on continuing that through January. I have a few series I’m working on, some pet commissions, some projects for partnerships, and a few other art and design-related things. It feels good to be at the easel, to see the drying ledges fill up, and to see the stack of paintings for the next sale growing.
Wishing Marshall a very Happy 18th Birthday! He really is your masculine mini-me. Where does the time go? Wishing him all the best as he pursues his studies towards an engineering degree.
One of the things that is so wonderful about having many different creative talents is that you can switch from one project to another as often as you like, and never be without an idea to pursue.
But to hear that you didn’t spend your holidays scraping glue off the basement floor, why I am shocked that you left that fun fest out of your pursuits! Ha ha, just kidding, of course. That seems much more like a January-February job to me.
Marshall is certainly a handsome young man! Best wishes to him as he pursues his education. As an educator myself, I am happy to read that he is taking classes locally and getting credits toward his degree while still in high school. It helps mom’s and dad”s pocketbooks as well!
Happy Birthday Marshall. The photo looks like it could be from the 60s. Funny you mention Camille, I went down a rabbit hole over Christmas/ New Year period reading about him, fascinating life. My daughter has a print of one of his works purchased at an art gallery and we finally decided to have it framed and it hangs in her bedroom. It is called Morning Sunrise in the snow.
Happy Birthday to Marshall! How fast they grow! I have identical grandsons that will turn 14 in January and I can’t believe it . They and their mom (my daughter) lived with me until just recently when they and she and their step-dad found a sweet little house of their own. Bur they get off their bus from school at my house every day. So, I am still getting to check in with them and just possibly get a hug on a regular basis. An aside: Looking at Marshall’s picture I see features that he clearly got from you, Marion! Don’t know what came from his dad but together they make for a pretty handsome guy.
Happy New Year to you and your family, Marion!
Sorry, Marian, I spelled your name wrong. I do know better!
I’ve been really enjoying your Four Things posts. Me and my family have watched many of your recommendations for TV shows and movies. Just finished A Gentleman in Moscow and loved it! I’m always so sad when we get to the end. My absolute favourite series is All Creatures Great and Small. Loved every single episode. We don’t watch much football in our house, we’re Canadian…it’s hockey for us!
I recently purchased a print by Camille Pissarro called ‘Red Roofs’ at one of the shops where I sell my inventory. I’m trying to decide where to hang it in my now much smaller home. I love the print.
I’m from New Orleans, and Washington now has our awesome LSU QB Jaden Daniel’s. So exciting to watch him!!! That one play several games ago when he passed it and it popped into the receiver’s hands to win the game was so great!!!
Oh my goodness, I was flipping through and saw this beautiful picture of a young man and thought it must be a picture of someone in your family once upon a time! Happy Birthday and new opportunities to Marshall !
Marshall is such a handsome young man.
I love the dark backgrounds.
I will be 75 soon and have been wanting to document my life for my children and grandchildren for years. However, as much as I contemplate just about everything, I have a really difficult time putting pen to paper. Your “four things” has really inspired me. I think it’s something I can and will actually try. Thank you and happy new year!
MMS!
Have you painted your handsome “Wagner” son? Congratulations on the milestones in his life.
Camille Pissarro’s paintings are my favorite of the impressionists. His stature with the other impressionists often earned him the beloved name of “father.” Thank you for sharing your new read. It’s title is intriguing and I look forward to reading it for myself.
Happy New Year,
Diney
Marshall is the spitting image of you. Hope this last year of high school goes wonderfully. So exciting. This has been one of my favorite series; Four Things. Always good recommendations. I myself have been enjoying Cranford on Amazon. It includes a lot of actors from some of my favorite Jane Austen movies as well as Downtown Abbey. Good storyline. I’ve also been working on organizing my sewing and crafting room – deciding what goes, what stays, and where my interests actually are.
Happy 18th Birthday to your handsome Marshall!
Happy Birthday to Marshall~ it’s fun to see how he has grown since the diaper stage~ he indeed has your genes and your hair!
Cynthia
Where did time go, eh? Suddenly your oldest is 18. And off to university soon. Genes and DNA are weird things. Mix between you and your ancestors. My kids are all young adults, it feels like yesterday they were toddlers. They were between 17 and 18 going off to university. I am surprised all look like me, in acting and looks, I raised them alone, their dad died young. But for one thing, the Northern European gene made them 6’4, I am small and can walk underneath their arms. The Impressionists painted together, shared ateliers, subjects, and sometimes close friends and of course, all their work was rejected by the Annual Salon Exhibition of the French Academic.
Happy Birthday to your handsome son! He certainly does look like you. My husband Ray says tell you he has been a Redskins fan too, since 1972 when he was 10 years old!
I HAVE read your blog since the beginning –watching all your wonderful talents unfold!! When ! read this my first thought was ‘” WHAAAAAT? Marshall is 18? No way!” As we all know, time does fly. Blessings to him and your entire family.
Oh my gosh! Marshall is such a good looking young man. That picture of him is great! Are you going to do a sketch of him? It would be amazing! They grow so fast, enjoy his senior year.
This was fun…you’re listening to a book about impressionistic painting and you love football. And then you post an amazing photo of your oldest son, who I also remember chasing around in your early pictures. Clearly you have brought him up well and I, like many others, wish him all the best! Thank you for your encouragement to record a quick overview weekly of what we are engaged in. I will start this practice as well.
Happy Birthday Marshall!!! So handsome. That picture would make for a great portrait.
OHHHH my goodness!!!!! That dark, moody bird painting is gorgeous. It looks to be painted over 100 years ago. Animals are your best…everything else is a very close second, though.
Onward to 2025!!! Can ya’ll believe it is already!
Happy Birthday Marshall. You outta be in movies.. but engineering will be much more rewarding for you! Just kidding. But you are a handsome young man. Stay healthy!!!!
Forgot to mention that bird painting. Oh my gosh… it’s incredible and
BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I’ve been reading you for longer than I can count… and your paintings have gotten better and better with each passing
month! You should be so proud of your talent with a brush and paint.
Truly amazing works!!!!!
I’ve only been following you for a few months but I love reading about your creative pursuits. You have a beautiful family and home.
I will especially try refreshing some furniture pieces from the 1920s that have that old smell.
I’m going to copy the four things for my blog and will certainly help me meet my goal of posting something at least once a week if not more. I’m a knitter, sewer, and former art teacher so I am drawn to anything creative.
A good friend of mine lives in Washington County and I’m not too far away in Mineral County, WV.
Congratulations to you and your husband for raising such a great young man! Happy big bday to Marshall! It seems crazy how fat life is flying by. Some days feel like they are on fast forward. Everyday is such a gift! I can’t believe my grandbabe is 21 months old tomorrow! I’m hanging on to all her little toddler ways because we will blink and she’ll be 18!
I’m with you! I’d choose knitting and crafting over scraping floor glue anyday too! Thanks for sharing your inspirations with us!
So happy to rediscover your blog after a gap of 7 years!
Happy New Year, congrats on your handsome young man and beautiful painting, and thank you for the inspiring book recommendation.
I’m enjoying listening to “Paris in Ruins” by Sebastian Steele (nonfiction, 2023), set during the Franco-Prussian war, mostly about painters Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet. I never recognized the tumultuous historical context of the Impressionists. It has dark moments, but you might appreciate the book.
I look forward to being on your email list!