Birthday Challenge

It's Christmas day, 2009. In two weeks I will be turning 40 years old. I have decided to make something special of this landmark year in my life by challenging myself. Starting January 7th, 2010, I will paint 1 painting per week for 1 year. Each painting must be on a canvas that is at least 24" x 36" (I'm not a wimp). On my 41st birthday I will/should have 52 paintings and I will have my first one woman art exhibit some place yet to be determined. I have been selling my paintings for 10 years so it's about time I had some sort of show of my own.
Why is this a challenge? Well, because there's a lot going on in my life right now (I know...who doesn't?) such as the fact that my husband and I are splitting up after 18 1/2 years, our house is for sale because neither of us can afford to pay the mortgage on our own so we still have to live together (cringe, shudder), I have three kids, three cats, a dog and a horse (a 23 year old Arabian Stallion who will probably need a new home when we do manage to sell the house - no easy task getting rid of a stallion, let me tell you!), I work nights as a collator for a press, and I am trying to find a publisher for two novels I have written. This may not sound like so much to some people but I am an artist and artists usually need time and space and peace to paint. I, for one, like to contemplate, and with this much stress and pressure in my life it's very difficult to be contemplative. So, yes, I say, this is a challenge. But I think a healthy challenge. For some time now I have been learning about manifesting. I have studied dozens of books, bought and listened to CD's, watched DVD's, rented videos from the library, and spent quite a lot of money taking internet courses on the Law of Attraction. I can't seem to manifest anything (other than garden snakes and I'm petrified of snakes) - that is anything I want or supposedly asking the universe for. My daughter can manifest very quickly because she is able to forget or let go of what she wants. Challenging myself to paint all of these large paintings over a short period of time could be an excellent way of taking my mind off what I want, letting it all go. We'll see.
So, I should have my first canvas by January 7th, 2010, and have completed the first painting by January 13th, ready to start the next one.
I may include in this blog paintings I've done in the past. I also may include short stories I've written or excerpts from my novels. Like I said, we'll see.
Now I must go prepare Christmas dinner for my kids and my..ahem...husband.