So I Was Just Thinking

Bold Images

2012-01-29T10:12:00.000-06:00

From week to week this could start sounding like same stuff different day if I wasn't living with purpose. The other day I completed my application to return to my former school district. I had spoken to a former principal who said she hadn't heard of any openings so I wasn't expecting much right away. Surprisingly enough, three days later I got a call from personnel asking if I was available for this school year or if I was wanting to wait until the fall. I was driving in my car at the time (no lectures please) and would have hit the Interstate at the moment if she said we have a position for you right now. Fortunately, I didn't have to drive back to Texas that day. Instead, I have a job interview over the phone on Tuesday. Yay! Things are moving in the right direction. I am very excited.

The rest of the week was mostly the same stuff. I am still working out at the gym as often as possible. I bought some Glucosamine/Chondroitine to help with my joint damage. Hopefully that will eventually ease the pain I feel daily. (I fell on my kneecap when I was pregnant with my youngest.) There is no surgery for my condition at this point. I was able to exercise for an hour and a half on Friday which I promptly rewarded with a night out with friends.

Monday, James was invited to attend a hip hop class with a classmate. I sneaked a video peek.

Thursday, I took the evening off to take Caitlin to curriculum night to research more about the remaining high school years coursework. She will be focusing on art and fashion design. :-) Here is her latest piece of work for school.

My friend "A" and I went for martinis after work and then met her husband for dinner. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed the company of "grown ups." I will miss these people when I move back to Texas, but I hear they have a hankering for some Texas living as well, so there is always hope.

Thursday and Saturday, I spent with the pens and water colors.

Wishing for some warmer weather.

Her hair is made of tissue paper and newspaper.

This week, I will be praying for more job interviews or at least for the interview I have on Tuesday to be successful.

The Scanner is Working Now

2012-01-23T10:30:00.000-06:00

I have a Lexmark printer/scanner. It is finicky. Sometimes it forgets that it knows my computer. When this happens there isn't much I can do but wait. So...last night, I waited, and tried again, and waited, and tried again. Then this morning, I restarted the computer and lo and behold, the computer and scanner were on speaking terms.

So let's get on to the sketches and doodles that lay waiting their turn to be seen by you all.

This is my traditional doodle style.

This one I cut the white spaces away at the top and bottom to reveal part of the next doodle that can be seen below.

Floral fantasies.

She looks a little perplexed or upset, not intentionally though. When you draw directly on paper with a marker it's hard to undo a mark.

I draw a different doodle everyday. This one was completed yesterday.

The Sketchbook Challenge has a monthly theme. This month is doodle. Can you tell it was my kind of theme? They kind of make me want to break out the crayons. How about you?

Week 3 - Invest in Yourself

2012-01-22T19:21:00.002-06:00

So what's next in my journey to living boldly?? I decided that I must invest in myself.

A page from my Sketchbook Project

Although this does include a financial investment, it also means investing time in myself as well. Most days after work I really am thinking I should run home and get dinner ready for the kids before I rush off to teach my night class. Now I take time for myself. This often takes the form of working out at the gym. This week however, I felt really sore after a day of running and day of weights. I had to tell myself to lay off a couple of days and not feel guilty about it. Instead of working out on Thursday, I went to the store and bought some Aleve and a joint complex to ward off the arthritis building in my right knee. I then went home and read a good book and got out the sketchbook.

Friday, I allowed myself to stay in my pajamas until 11. I texted my trainer/friend and told her I was staying home. I went to the post office in the late afternoon to mail out my Sketchbook Project to the Art House Coop. The day ended with a nice phone call from Miruspeg.

Saturday, I met "A" and her girls K² for lunch and shopping. I invited Cait along, but she chose to be the almost 15 year old and stayed home. We then went on a hunt for the perfect running shoes. I thought for sure I was going to have to go to a specialty store because of my supination. However, I found the perfect sneakers at Kohl's department store AND they were on sale.

This meant I had money left over to buy a new shoulder bag, one that would really stand out from the crowd.

This one fit the bill.

Something else I have done is relegated cooking Tuesday through Thursday to my husband. This leaves time for me and "encourages" him to take a more active part in caring for the kids. On Sunday when I go grocery shopping, I include three things that he can make/will make so I am not worried that he is feeding them ice cream and pop tarts. In fact, today while we were sitting at the breakfast table, I included him in the grocery planning so he would have ingredients that he likes to use. Now he can't say there was nothing to make.

Despite impending challenges, my goal is to make 2012 a banner year to be bold, and investing in myself will play a big part in that endeavor.

How will you invest in yourself in 2012?

Living Boldly Week 2

2012-01-15T12:58:00.002-06:00

I am here as promised. Since this covers a week...be prepared for a lot of info.

This has been a good week. Starting with Monday which will now be known as my lazy day, the day I do nothing and enjoy it. Before when I was unemployed, I felt bad about sitting around doing nothing, but now I savor it. I watch what I want, get dressed or not, eat or not, and I have to time to think about what I want to cook for dinner and make it good. This means we had enchiladas, rice and black beans. I am very proud of my little man who ate it all without complaining. Glad to see he can be bold, too.

I made them in the electric skillet because I couldn't find my baking dishes. Notice that three don't have cheese for my son.

They were made using leftover pot roast. It was definitely a good use of leftovers.

Tuesday began the busy part of my week. My new class started so I had to be there by 9:30. I am still getting used to being up earlier. When that class was over I had to make it down to the next exit on the Interstate to our new campus to meet with my next class by 10:30. Needless to say I was a bit late but he (yes just one student on my roll) was understanding. After all of my classes, I completed day 2 of the Couch to 5K. I went home to clean up and returned to campus for an evening psychology class.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday except at the gym I did strength training. It was fun to see how far I could push myself. I do need to work on those biceps though. They are much weaker than the triceps.

Thursday you can copy and paste Tuesday in there, too, but by now I am falling into the routine a little better. The highlight of the day was...well, I guess there were a few:

January's first snow.
I actually made it to a whole mile on the treadmill without thinking about it.
This beautiful sunset!

Yes, I was driving.

I am proud of myself for getting out of the house on Friday and heading to the gym for a workout. I exercised for a whole hour. I then treated myself to lunch with Angela at Dean & Deluca. Wow! What a place!

Cajun Chicken Sandwich

That sandwich was so big I could hardly take a bite, but it was so delicious with big flavors like chipotle mayo, apricot mustard and fontina cheese. All those tasty sweets, yum. I ended up going with an almond biscotti. "A" and I had good convo and finished our day by picking up our paychecks. It was fun helping her play hookey from work for a little bit.

Saturday was probably the best day, although it is hard to top Dean & Deluca. I went to a scrapbook store because they were having a garage sale where customers could come and sell their unwanted scrap supplies. I was hoping there would be some girls there I could meet but no such luck. I did walk away with some fun tissue tape from Tim Holtz that I used on my Smashbook. I drove to downtown Blue Springs, thriving metropolis of western Missouri :-), where I found the Memories on Main Street Tea Room and Cafe. They make wonderful spinach and feta quiche. (This is my first time purposely ordering spinach.)

I finished the meal off with a decadent turtle pie which went well with my book, The Girl Who Kicked a Hornets Nest.

Then I went across the street to Lowe's soda fountain.

I met the owner, Clay, who has owned the store for ten years and bought it from the original family who installed the fountain in 1952. They were the Lowe family. He kept the name. I asked him if he minded me taking pictures in his store. He didn't and then he regaled me with stories of David Cook of American Idol fame coming from that little town and how they used the fountain for a tv spot.
(I couldn't find that one, but I found another interesting one.)

(Hey! You see that chair says SOUTH?? That's my daughter's school.)

I also learned about Clay's daughter who is studying to be a teacher. It's funny how much you can learn just by asking, "How long have had this store?"

I ended my Saturday by making pizzas. The kids got pepperoni and I made a yummy Spinach Chicken Pizza. I loved it.

The weekend isn't over but I will end my post now with some shots from my Smash Book. Boy, I am having fun filling it up. (Are you still with me??)

I learned a little trick from Michelle. She used another page from her Smash Book to extend her page by taping it along the edge.

So, I taped the horoscope from the Coffee News on one page and a page from the Word of Mouth Smash Pad to the other page. I taped them together using the Tim Holtz tissue tape I just bought yesterday.

I used the back of the horoscope on the Coffee News to paste pictures of yesterday's lunch.

So the question is: How is my Journey to Living Boldly going? I think it is going well. I no longer worry about what certain people want or think. I work hard for my kids and myself. I say what I think and do what I want when I want. And I am enjoying taking time out for myself to creatively keep track of each week's memories.

How are you remembering the important events in your life?

Living Boldly Week 1

2012-01-08T19:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I survived Week 1 of living boldly. What did I do? Well, my week started out slowly, but by Tuesday I finished off my workday with a quick workout at the gym where I work. (I teach psychology to students who are studying to be personal trainers.) I enjoyed my time focusing on me and no one else.

The next day, I went to a meeting after work but it was cancelled, so I took the opportunity to ask for what I needed from the supply secretary. Normally I would just suffer in silence. I walked away from her office with a large shopping bag full of office supplies. Why is this important?? Well, I work in a new building and there is NOTHING there. NOTHING. My cohort and I are the only ones working there until the full transition in April. Oh and come to think of it, I was bold the day before as well by calling my "acting" academic director to complain that I didn't have my own computer or projector at the new building either. I was tired of tippi toeing around my cohort waiting to use her computer when she wasn't using it. Next on my list?? A file cabinet. I shall be requesting one on Tuesday.

Thursday was a great workout. I used all of the weight machines on the circuit and came away feeling quite proud of myself. So much that I rewarded myself by going to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo BY MYSELF. After making supper for everyone in my house, I got up from the table, directed them to please wash up the dishes, took a shower, got dressed, grabbed my purse and said, "I am going to the movies." I know my husband was a little confused but I didn't care. It felt great to go to a movie without children in tow and without worrying if my husband was going to like it or not. By the way - it is a very good movie.

Friday, I woke myself up at a decent hour even though it was my day off, packed my son's lunch, packed my workout gear and left the house. I was at the gym by 9 a.m. Friday was Day 1 of my Couch to 5K workout.

My cohort Angela was there monitoring the school's gym. After I finished my workout, she and I talked for over and hour. It was about that time that we both realized that we were very hungry so we went to Carraba's for lunch.

The old me would be worried about spending too much time away from the house, but it didn't cross my mind once. We ate and chatted and got to know each other. It felt good to make a friend. That is the biggest thing I miss about Texas.

On the way home, I spotted the geese that I have been wanting to take a picture of for months. I finally just pulled into the neighborhood and walked through someone's yard to get to the pond. (That move was inspired by mate Peggy.)

They put on a little show for me.

I documented my week in my new Smash Book

(This is a poor scan, will do better and talk more about this later.)

Unless something major happens in the middle of the week, I will be back Sunday to share with you Week 2 of Living Boldly.

How was your first week of 2012? Hope it was good.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-01T13:14:00.001-06:00

Well, I hope you all had a fine time ringing in the new year whether it was spent celebrating with family and friends, or spent enjoying a warm bed.

We spent our evening playing Wii "Family Game Night." That was a good time. There was a bowling version of Yahtzee, a basketball Connect 4, shuffleboard Sorry and more. We also pulled out Pente and an old classroom game of 101 to 200 Bingo. That game ended when a cola was spilled across the table. We then turned to some Wii Frisbee Golf and 100 Pin Bowling.

It is good to know that my school supplies can still be put to good use.

(sparkling grape juice)

As the midnight hour was drawing near, we pulled out the vintage crystal compliments of my dad's trip to "West" Germany in the 70s. I just love that the stickers are still on these glasses. We poured some sparkling juice and yelled "Happy New Year!" It was a good time.

Now that 2012 is here, I have lots of plans. Most I can't share. I will let you know about them as they happen. (How's that for a cliffhanger?) I will say that one of them has to do with looking for a more permanent full time employment. In the meantime, I am still exploring my creativity through my artwork. (Today I am trying to complete my Sketchbook Project journal.) I am also working as assistant editor for FEATURING Magazine.

My word for the year is

BOLD.

I will live my life more boldly. I will no longer do things timidly or out of fear.

Are you choosing a word for the year? What are your goals? I'd love to hear about them.

Here They Are

2011-12-29T22:17:00.000-06:00

...the Christmas pics you must have been anxiously waiting for. I know I was.

Friday I got up at 5 a.m. and had the kids in the car by 5:30. Unfortunately my bank was not cooperating with my desire to be on the road early. There had been some problems occurring out of state on people's Texas ATM cards so they blocked all out of state transactions without telling us. Fortunately, the credit card that pulls directly from my checking account still worked, or I would have been stuck. It wasn't until I was on the road for 3 hours or so that I got a hold of the bank and heard the whole story and the teller was able to pull the block on my account. After that, everything was smooth sailing.

Santa was driving a big rig!!

Eleven hours later (blech) I made it to my destination and was able to meet with my good friend for dinner. Every year she and I have a standing engagement to get together and exchange gifts and enjoy good food. I was so glad to see her and share what's been going on. It's a lot better than trying to converse via text. (By the way, I hate texting.) We then went on to my mother's place to crash.

The next day, we went on a shopping spree to get last minute Christmas gifts and to get my son new jeans. (Never let your husband pack for your children or they may have to go naked for the rest of the trip.)

Sunday the kids got up at a decent hour (7 a.m.) and we opened presents before mom went to mass. We all got great presents from mom and from my brother. (He is the great gift shipper.)

Yes, that was THE tree.

Ooh, is that gift from me??

(They were art supplies from brother dear.)

When mom got back from service at her church we piled in the car and went to my home church and enjoyed a nice service and hugged a few necks

Most people will have some sort of turkey/ham/big meat dinner. Not us.When we got home we got to making a yummy Christmas breakfast complete with fruit, pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon.

Seeing this table setting really is making me miss this lady...

...and her table decorations.

Unfortunately, I work at a year round school. (Fortunately I have a job I can complain about.) Because of the strange schedule, we only get the actual holiday off so I had to drive back to Missouri on the Monday after Christmas. It took a lot of caffeine, sugar, and potty breaks. I also kept my oldest awake to talk and sing and laugh at the comedy station on the satellite radio. When we arrived, the kids found what Santa had left at our REAL house. They were very excited, but it happened so quickly, I didn't get to take any pictures.

I don't know if I will post before the new year, so if I don't see you,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

It's Alive!!!

2011-12-21T19:21:00.000-06:00

...my computer that is.

My children killed my computer again. It took some major intervention to revive it. I hope it lasts for a while now.

What did I do while I was disconnected? Mom stuff, creative stuff, work stuff. Let's take a look.

White chocolate dipped Rice Krispy treat pops.

M&M cookies

S'Mores

Tissue paper art

Yes, those "paintings" are made entirely from tissue paper and black Sharpie poster paint markers.

Yesterday, I finally got around to putting up the tree. What was the delay?? We couldn't find the Christmas decorations. I believe the packers took them out of the clear Rubbermaid containers, wrapped them individually and packed them in a cardboard box. I am sure I am thankful that they were so careful with them. I am wondering why they didn't label the boxes, though. What's a mom to do then? We strung popcorn and Cheerios and topped the tree with a random angel.

After tomorrow, I will be away from the computer until Monday night. The kids and I will be off to my mother's for Christmas and she is still not connected to internet yet. Just know that I will be thinking of you while I am gone. I will stop by and visit each person who leaves me a comment. Merry Christmas!

December Daily 8

2011-12-08T07:17:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't you know it? The moment I hit send (well it felt that way) my battery charger showed up. I was in the process of turning my nook under the stairs into a more office-like environment, and I was pulling things out of a tote bag that came from the other apartment. Lo and behold, there it was! The wayward charger. I think the act of purchasing a new one took the worry of my dead camera away freeing up space in my mind allowing me to remember where it might be. Maybe. It could happen.

At least I was able to charge the battery and get a picture of this:

A moment captured in time. A cold moment, but a moment nonetheless.

December Daily 7

2011-12-07T09:02:00.001-06:00

I have two cameras. One I can't find, and it doesn't zoom anymore. (That feature broke a year ago this month.) The other camera I lost the USB cable to a LOOOOONNNNG time ago. Now, I can't find the battery charger. Today, I ordered both the cable and charger from Amazon.com. In the meantime, I am trying to eek out one picture a day out of the deadish battery so I can keep up with my December photography.

This morning it was 18F degrees, and I just couldn't get warm. Something warm seemed in order.

Oatmeal in my favorite new bowl with my favorite silverware and my currently favorite new place mat.

Stay warm my friends. Stay warm.

NOTE: Just my luck. I have been without that charger for weeks and have looked in every bag and box I could think of. Today, after I have ordered a new charger, I look in the same bag AGAIN and lo and behold, there it was. My camera battery is charging as we speak. As for the USB cable. It has been gone for years. We shall count it lost.

December Daily 6

2011-12-06T09:25:00.001-06:00

Prettige Feestdagen! We received a great Sinterklaas gift today.

I am glad when we woke up this morning we found this instead of finding that Zwart Piet had carried us off. Now to work on being good for next year.

If last year's winter is any indication, I am sure I will be tired of this white stuff after a while, but coming from Texas where this would have delayed school for two hours, it is quite a novelty. At least it gave me something to post for December Daily today.

So to answer iHanna's question on my calendar journal post: Yes, there will be snow in December! Haha.

December Daily 4 & 5

2011-12-05T17:29:00.002-06:00

Day 4: From the Sketchbook Challenge's Theme: Trashed, Ruined and Decay.

These are the candle sticks that sit on my fireplace. I bought them in El Paso quite a few years ago. I went there to buy southwestern furniture and accessories. I came home with these and a pine end table. The store that sells them is known for their wrought iron. They keep most of it outside 24/7. Everything sits out in the elements which is what gives it character. When you buy something there, you usually buy a can of clear coat to preserve the rust and grime. And so we did, but not without it being rained upon a little more on the 10 hour ride home. Anyway, I decided to try my hand at painting the candle sticks rusty appearance. It was fun. Since then they have been dropped by my son more times than I care to think. He also thinks they make a cool sound when banged with whatever he can find lying around. The top on one is quite crooked. I don't think they will ever hold candles again.

Day 5: The coldest day of the year, yet one of the most pleasant because out of the blue, my husband invited me to breakfast and then for a morning of shopping for a winter coat, sweaters and other fun things. Very confusing. When I came home, I decided that it was a good day for this:

And I was right!!!!! I love quick and easy meals.

Directions are below:

December Daily 3

2011-12-03T19:45:00.001-06:00

Let's be thankful that I could eek out some photos from my wonky battery for our trip to the museum.

Here is my favorite photo of the day. It's not from the museum.

What better way to finish a cold and rainy day than with a stack of hot pancakes for dinner. There was bacon, too, but I burned it. (That's what happens when you try to talk to a friend overseas and cook at the same time.) We ate it anyway.

Happy December Daily.

What Do You Do...

2011-12-03T19:37:00.001-06:00

...when it's a raining cats and dogs outside, all your chores are done and your daughter has an 89 in art!?? You head out to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City to get 20 points extra credit. That's what you do.

In order to earn the extra credit, she had to visit an art gallery, museum or art show and turn in a two page report about the experience and include a brochure from the museum and throw in a photo of herself for good measure at the exhibit.

Fortunately, this museum allows photos as long as you don't use a flash. Oddly enough, they don't like sketchbooks, though. (She is not holding a sketchbook, it is a notebook so she remembers what she liked at the museum.)

We made our way through the driving rain, wipers going full force, thanked the parking gods for indoor parking and began our pilgrimage through the museum (all three floors.) It was quite an experience considering I had a six year old in tow. (I thought her father was coming along to be the boy wrangler.) Surprisingly enough, the boy was well behaved. In fact, the two of them were so civilized that I didn't know if I had accidentally picked up the wrong children while I was checking our coats in. After a double check and some photographic proof, I was relieved to see they were my own children.

Jose Manuel Benavides' - "Our Lady of the Rosary"

There were some wonderful and diverse exhibits including a collection of Rodin on loan from the Iris & B Gerald Cantor Foundation . I asked Caitlin, "Who has THIS just lying around the house?" (If that link doesn't work click here to watch the video.) The collection was amazing and definitely worth seeing more than once, especially minus the six year old.

All in all, it was a lovely visit. I can't wait to go out with the two of them again. I think James will get to pick the destination next time. Something with a little more action.

December Daily 2

2011-12-02T19:54:00.000-06:00

Well, December Daily is up and running and me without my camera! What's a girl to do? Get out the sketchbook while sitting at the mechanics (again!) and sketch what I see in front of me.

This was an older woman with what I think was an Australian accent (based on her pronunciation of "battery." LOL!

This was a challenge for me because:
1. I don't do real people.
2. I only had a brief moment to capture her without staring at her.
3. I don't do furniture either.

Yes, I spent my morning at the garage, but I am crossing my fingers that we are DONE! The one thing I will say is that they have been very nice and helpful. I had joked earlier in the week that I was going to place my name on a chair because I had been there so much. When I saw the owner, he was walking in with packages and he said, "Oh, you came in before I was able to get your name on the chair." It was a good laugh. When I left, I only had to pay for the parts. BONUS!

Afterward, I met a new friend for lunch. We had a nice long chat. It was a good way to spend a Friday. It made the day feel like a Saturday.

I am going to try to post a little bit of something each day this month, but don't get used to it. When January comes, I will be back to the work mode so will try to figure out a doable posting schedule.

See you tomorrow.

December Here! Time Keeps Marching On

2011-12-01T10:45:00.000-06:00

...whether I am ready or not.

November was a busy month, so busy that I would forget to write on my calendar journal page. I fortunately was able to go back and fill in most of the days.

Here is next month's calendar.

If you would like to play along for December, head on over to The Kathryn Wheel to see what everyone else is doing.

December should be okay. Come mid-month, I will add an extra hour a day to my workday. That's a good thing. At the same time, the kids will be home for Christmas Break...(I'm sorry, Winter Break! What the heck?!) Well, we will celebrate Christmas nonetheless. I am looking at making a trip to Chicago to visit my aunt and hopefully my mother will go up there. The problem with Chicago in December is the weather. You never know what the roads and flights will be like. I have only been to Chicago twice I think. It would be nice to see a different part of the family. It's still up in the air.

I still have to work on my Sketchbook Project. Actually, I have to get started. I need a long stapler. I don't know why I don't remember to buy one when I am out. It's kind of like remembering to get my oil changed. My house is not near anything, so if I forget to do something when I am out, and it can't be taken care of at the grocery store, it won't happen until the next time I am out. (NOTE: I bought one since writing this.)

In other news, to add to my busyness (in a good way) I am now the assistant editor at FEATURING Magazine. Marit announced the team members who will be contributing articles to this exciting project. I am just happy that we are in the "I can talk all about it" stage. I am also delighted to be productive and to be able to use my writing skills for more than just my own personal use.

Just 24 more days until Christmas. What are you doing to prepare for this special day? Are you participate in December Daily? I haven't decided. I don't have a working camera other than my phone. Gotta find that battery charger NOW. I look forward to seeing what you are doing this month.

I Am Grateful For...

2011-11-24T05:00:00.002-06:00

...Signs.

Signs? You might ask. Yes, signs.

I am thankful for the signs I was given this week. The following story is adapted from a status update I shared on Facebook:

Sign Number 1
Most of you car owners have seen a similar sticker in your front window. It stays out of sight and out of mind behind the visor for the most part. My father however, ingrained into me the compulsion to make sure that the oil is changed every 3000 miles and before long trips. About a week ago, I noticed I was overdue for an oil change. I am usually very prompt in doing this, but have been very busy. I kept telling myself, I will do it tomorrow after school. However, every tomorrow would find me passing the exit for the service station, and I would magically somehow find myself pulling into my driveway without an oil change. This task would have to wait until "tomorrow."

Next the right blinker started blinking too fast. I have experienced this before. I learned that is the blinker's way of telling me that a light bulb is out. (You don't realize how often you use that blinker until you have to hear that horrible sound over and over again.) I decided I could put it off a couple more days. However, quite frequently I would find that I was going down the interstate and a state trooper would be traveling behind me. Had he noticed that I changed lanes without a turn signal? (I do use my signal, you just can't tell from behind.) By now, I have forgotten about the oil change, mind you.

Then the heater started going in and out on the car. Sometime it would blow hot and sometimes it would blow freezing cold. With 30 degree temperatures coming I wondered how long I could put it off, but decided that the kids would eventually be in the car this weekend driving back from state championships in St. Louis and I better get it fixed. (I have not forgotten that darn turn signal though because it keeps chicka chicka chicking away each time I turn right or try to move to the right lane, ticking off a lot of motorists along the way I am sure.)

Tuesday, I remembered to take the proper exit and wound my way to my favorite mechanic, Don. Don first thought a baffle wasn't properly closing, then he decided it was low coolant because my radiator cap was leaky. I was so thankful that it was a simple procedure. (Simple = Less Expensive) The radiator just needed a flush, some more coolant and a new radiator cap.... Or so he thought...

...And now for the rest of the story...

As Don was finishing the flush and testing the pressure, he found that the leak wasn't the radiator cap, it was the actual radiator. He called me out to the garage to show me the coolant that had spewed out of the radiator all over the shop floor. The radiator had a little crack in it. If my blinker hadn't been bugging me, and if I hadn't been freezing my tuchas off, I probably wouldn't have stopped at the mechanic, and we would have driven to St Louis (or at least tried to.) Thankfully, I was given enough signs and finally listened to them and got the car fixed. A new radiator at a trusted mechanic 5 miles from home is far better than a break down on the interstate three hours out of town.

I was then reminded of a story by a FB friend who said:

Reminds me of the joke about a guy in a flood. First a cop comes and offers to drive him out. He says save someone else, the Lord will provide for me. Water rises and then a boat comes by and offers a ride. Again save someone else, the Lord will provide for me. Water rises and he is on the roof. Helicopter comes in and again he says save someone else, the Lord will provide for me. Finally he drowns and gets to the pearly gates. Upon arriving he asks God "Why didn't you save me?" God replies, I sent a cop car, a boat and a helicopter, what more did you expect me to do???

Thank you God for the oil change sticker, annoying turn signal and lack of heat.

My question for you today is:
Tell me about a time you were given a sign. Did you ignore it or heed it? And what happened?

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL of you regardless of when or if you celebrate this holiday. I am thankful to have you as readers and friends.

Why I Love the Internet

2011-11-12T09:48:00.002-06:00

A while back an article was written by Nicolas Carr in the Atlantic that suggested that Google is making us stupid. (By the way, I had to Google who wrote it and found it on the research teacher's dreaded Wikipedia.)

I suppose there is some validity to his premise. I used to read an article or hear a story on the news and subconsciously must have known that I needed to remember it because it would have been difficult to find that information again without going to a library and digging through the Periodicals Index. As Google came along, if I heard or read something, I soon learned that I could just find it on the internet somewhere. In fact, my coworkers would often turn to me when they couldn't remember something, and I would use the right turn of phrase to get what they wanted. Then I found this "useful" site through an online friend that I could refer coworkers to when they had deep unsolvable questions. It is a valuable research tool. Check it out. I will wait.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Okay, so why does this come up today?? I was sitting at the computer this morning when a song started running through my head. It was a song that I hadn't heard in a very long time. I don't know if I learned it in school or if my brother learned it and came home singing it. It had an oriental tune and very simply said, "Chii chii papa, chii papa." There were words about teaching little birds to sing in spring. I wondered what would happen if I put in chichi papa and lo and behold I found what I was looking for. Well, sort of. I found a blog about a Japanese children's song. After reading that post, knew what to further look for and hoped to find a tune which I did here. It even included an English translation which had almost nothing to do with the words I learned as a child, but the tune was very similar. So I decided that this internet hunt can be deemed a success. Now I am looking for a playlist version, but in the meantime you can listen to the Nate Henricks tune that is on the playlist. (Oh, and Peggy's Playlist to the right has a group of children singing it at a school assembly. Not bad for a youtube video.)

Has the internet made me dumber? I don't know, I still hold a lot of information in my head, it is a lot of old information. I think I am going to have to beef up my brain with some real reading soon.

No art to post for today. I have a project running through my head for The Sketchbook Project . It is due by the end of January 2012 and I have some really fun ideas. Today, I plan on heading out to the craft store to pick up some heavy paper, but happily, now that the movers came I can go out to my garage and find some long awaited materials. I will share with you the some of the project when I am done.

Pretty Colors on a Rainy Day

2011-11-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

One more day and I will have completed my first full week at Wright Career College. I work Tuesday through Thursday. I think this will be a good thing and I see more opportunities possible coming in January so keep your fingers crossed. I would rather work full time at one job rather than part time at two jobs.

A couple of days ago I broke out the water colors and got to painting.

The first page started out as a sketch in my little book and I recreated it in my bigger book. It needs something, but it will be a good base for something else.

The last page is based off a photo that one of my friends shared on FB. The little bug caught my eye but even more eye catching was the dark orange of the pumpkin. I tried to capture that color on my page. I am really happy with this.

Tomorrow and Friday I will begin the shift from one apartment/house to another. They are basically the same apartment but the new one will have more windows, the laundry room downstairs instead of up, one less bathroom :-( but one more bedroom which is the most important thing. AND James will get to stay at his school.

I will get come back online on Saturday maybe when everything gets hooked back up.

October's Over & What Do I Have to Show You?

2011-10-31T12:04:00.001-05:00

Well, I am ready for November to come so I can start filling in my new calendar journal page.

November brings new things.

A new job teaching at Wright Career College
A new apartment
My birthday
Thanksgiving Day
Decorating the new place for Christmas
A somewhat empty art journal to fill.

Here is last month's calendar page. I am glad the month is over.

Kathryn hasn't posted her new monthly reminder to participate in the journal, but you can see where she has been published in Somerset Studio Magazine. Yay, Kathryn!

New Note: Kathryn's post is up here!!

What's Up?

2011-10-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

I know that I have been pretty good at posting lately. I hate to leave my blog friends hanging but I am at a lack for words.

My mom always told me if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. That being the case, I will leave you with a song I heard on the radio and my latest entries to my sketchbook.

I will be back tomorrow with my calendar journal entries.

The Power of Baking

2011-10-25T15:07:00.001-05:00

I had given up entirely. Given up on finding a job.

I decided that I was going to just get used to being at home and painting and doing other homey things.

So today, I saw two very ripe bananas sitting on the microwave. I couldn't just let them go to the fruit flies, and I don't have compost bin. The only logical thing to do was make banana bread. Then the challenges began.

The butter was too cold to cream with sugar so I just left it in a bowl to get to room temperature. Then I decided it wouldn't hurt to put the sugar on top while it was waiting but then I got carried away. I measured flour and baking powder on top of the uncreamed butter and I hadn't even added the eggs yet. What was I to do? I considered dumping it all and starting over but thought better of it. I just let it sit, much like I did while I waited to hear about my job interview.

After a couple of hours, I decided to try again. I got out a whisk and a wooden spoon (don't have a hand mixer) and pulled the stick of butter aside and poured the flour and sugar into another bowl. I beat the butter and bananas together and added the eggs to that. I know the sugar should be in there too, but it was already in flour. I gradually mixed the flour/sugar in with wet mix until it looked like a wet dough. Things were looking up. When I put the dough/batter in the pan, I said a little prayer and put it in the deflicted oven and prayed a little more. I closed the oven door....

That's when the phone rang. It was the career college I had applied to and interviewed at the other day. Could it be?? Were they calling me for a job or to tell me I was not selected?

Woo Hoo! I have a job. I will be teaching psychology three days a week. I start Thursday.

The moral of the story?? I will let you all write one for me. I will take them to heart. I have learned some valuable lessons during this long time of unemployment (yes I know there are those who have had it worse.)

Oh, I guess you would like to know how the banana bread turned out? Check it out for yourself:

Mmmm!

The Music Notes Are Back: You are listening to the Silhouettes singing "Get a Job," my mantra for the past four months. This is another song from the road trip 8 Track that my uncle used to play for us when we drove from New York to Disney World circa 1977. Some other great tunes included Nash Rambler and Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini. Great times in the station wagon with 5 kids and 2 parents and no seat belts.

Just Dive Right In

2011-10-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

So I did it! I used a page in my new journal.

I am low on things to collage with (when I say "low" I mean "don't got no.") A certain procrastinator who shall remain nameless and isn't me hasn't found a new place to live yet so most of our household goods sit in a warehouse waiting for us. So I resort to straight out illustration and water color.

Send out those good vibes, break out your voodoo dolls, pray for angels, whatever it takes to get that someone to call the movers or choose a new apartment. I would do it myself, but it's funny how those rental agencies kinda like their renters to have an income.

No News Is Good News??

2011-10-22T18:20:00.002-05:00

...Not always in the case of job interviews. As a seasoned job seeker, I have come to learn that if you have an interview and the interviewer says, "We will let you know by Friday after we have interviewed all the candidates, and they don't call on Friday," that generally it means -- We chose someone else, but we don't want to call you so you will probably be receiving a letter or email next week letting you know so and good luck. Why can't you just call and say "Thanks, but no thanks." Enough about that...On to something more interesting.

Today after dropping Caitlin off for another band competition, I went to Hobby Lobby to get two new sketchbooks. A big one for some art journaling and the like and a small purse sized one for trying out different techniques

My question for you today is, "Do you suffer New Sketchbook-itis?" What is New Sketchbook-itis? It is the disorder that makes you not want to make the first mark in a new sketchbook. I suffer from this. When I get a new book, I just have the hardest time touching the pen or paintbrush to the first page.

Here are my new books waiting to be christened.

They are calling to me, "Please dirty us up."

I'm coming children, you will no longer be pristine.

In the Works

2011-10-20T19:38:00.003-05:00

Maybe you have noticed the button in the side bar. FEATURING is a new magazine that I am helping to edit. It will be coming out in the spring 2012. FEATURING is the brainchild of my friend Marit. If you would like to find out more about subscribing or even contributing to the magazine, please click on the blinky at the top of the sidebar. We are very excited about this great project. I will keep you updated about the magazine's progress, but you can always click on the sidebar to see how we are coming along.

Now here's a project I tell myself I am going to participate in and never get around to it - A Year In the Life of an Art Journal. I don't think I have ever done even one prompt, but this time I decided to jump in and have some fun.

THE PROMPT: Scars
THE SONG: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: rips and tearing

(Collage of printed images from internet;
the jar of hearts is a spaghetti jar filled with
hand painted hearts that I photographed;
water colors; black, white and
gold paint pen by ZIG and

Zig Millennium fine point black pen)

This song has been played often on my radio and I have wanted to create something for it for quite a while. I am not going to play it on my playlist today. There will be another time when I do finally play it, but not now.

I created another page the other day based on something I read at KOM. They were giving away a free printables. This one was called Exploring Truths. If you go to this link and are interested in other printables, scroll to the top of the page and click the link FREEBIES. So many great ideas!

Okay, so I printed Exploring Truths which reminded me of those questions you can take to a girls' night out and start conversations. I chose: Which of the four seasons do you anticipate and why?

Tomorrow, I hope to hear from the interview I had on Monday. Fingers crossed.

30 Days of Lists Completed...Almost

2011-10-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

I participated in 30 Days of Lists. I saw it first at Michelle's blog and told myself that I had to do it. AND...I actually did. There was only one day that I didn't complete and I don't think I will. Below is a compilation of the lists I completed. If you click on it, it should take you to Flickr where you can see it larger and can zoom it in. (I hope.)

And for those following my journey, I had a job interview today. Send out the good vibrations. I won't find out until Friday.

{this moment}

2011-10-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A weekly ritual inspired by SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' at SouleMama and here in the comments for all to find and see.

This moment required a series of photos.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-10-14T11:45:00.003-05:00

...not that she will see this today. Although her apartment complex has a computer she can use, and I got her an email address, she still remains somewhat digitally disconnected. She's thinking about buying an iPad or an iPhone, though. (Don't worry, I will send her the link and tell her to go check her email.)

Mom just got back from seeing my brother get married in North Carolina. She has also been very busy coordinating the carpet people putting carpet in my Texas house. Additionally, she has put her house on the market and moved into a senior apartment complex.

Moving to the community has been the best thing ever. They have coffee hour every afternoon. Someone arranged a Senior Prom last month at a country club where there was food and dancing. Most of the time when I call her she is talking to one of her neighbors. It is very nice to know that she is making new friends now that I am in Missouri.

I hope you have a good day, mom.

Here are some pics from the past.

Mom and her sisters Lucy, Rosario (Rosie) and Evelyn

1991?

1978

1974

1973

1968

1967

I know I have earlier ones but wading through the external hard drive has been like walking through a maze. A wrong turn takes you back where you started and you get more than a little confused.

Today's Music Note: You are listening to Frank Sinatra sing the Happy Birthday Song (hope someone's paying that license.) Mom's favorite singer ever is Frank Sinatra. She has her XM Radio permanently tuned to the Frank station. I followed that up with a little Stevie Wonder greeting just cuz it made me smile.

No Witty Title Here

2011-10-10T23:27:00.001-05:00

They did it! My brother and his gal tied the knot and I got to be there to witness it. And what a ceremony it was filled with humor and love and a little pirate speak, too. (You had to be there.)

I took a lot of pics, but for some reason many of them came out blurry, so I will share with you various pics from the 2 day drive there and back and the celebrating while we were there. (In no particular order.)

Our trip started off with a visit to Nostalgiaville. We saw signs for it 30+ miles away and just had to check it out.

Remember these??

I really wanted to spend lots of money here.

We passed through a lot of these on the way to and from NC.

James and Caitlin tolerated a few photos before the rehearsal dinner.

Ever the entertainer.

The girls at the rehearsal dinner.

James and the bride-to-be sharing a toast.

Don't they look alike? It's funny because they are actually Sisters-in-law.

The lovely bride.

Little Man learned about the concept of "open bar" and enjoyed a few too many ginger ales.

Mom and Caitlin

The flower girl and helper picking up spilled petals.

The Rodriguez Family Photo - Welcome to the family C.

A visit to the farmer's market in Greensboro didn't disappoint especially with the slew of fried food booths. Fortunately, we had already eaten lunch.

One last picture with the happy couple after a delicious brunch at the Embassy Suites.

Our last detour was to the town of Metropolis where we stopped to take a picture with a giant Superman. It's funny because we stopped to go to the rest stop and saw a sign for a Giant Superman. After a moment's debate we agreed to to follow the signs. It turned out to be several miles into the town's center. Quite a good gimmick to get people to come off the interstate.

A total of 33 hours of driving 2026 miles (3260km) round trip completed with a hotel stay in both directions was definitely worth it. The kids survived in one piece and I think I only had to threaten to pull the car over once!

Calendar Journal Time Again

2011-10-05T06:16:00.000-05:00

I finished September's calendar but don't have a picture. Just imagine this page filled with lots of words about driving back and forth to Texas because that's what September was all about. October doesn't seem to bring much different. Here it is waiting to be filled with lots of roadtrips.

Isn't he cute??

I completed painting this one and November and December last month, but you will have to be patient and wait to see those.

Today's Music Note: You are listening to Daughtry sing "September" I heard this for the first time on last weekend's road trip. I wondered why I hadn't heard it before, but then again, I have had my dial stuck on the 80s channel. It seemed like the perfect song to use for my calendar journal post. The following lyrics seemed to fit my life perfectly.

We knew we had to leave this town
But we never knew when and we never knew how
We would end up here the way we are
Yeah, we knew we had to leave this town
But we never knew when and we never knew how

I moved to my hometown 37+ years ago. When I graduated college and moved to New York, I never imagined that I would move back, but I did. When I married and moved around following my husband to his military stations I never imagined that I would moved back again, but I did. Now that I have moved to Missouri for his present job, I have decided to delete NEVER from my vocabulary because once I really thought that Texas was going to be my forever home this time. Hopefully it can be again.

Cuz I Don't Remember...

2011-10-04T08:48:00.001-05:00

...when I last had a good night's sleep and it doesn't seem it is coming anytime soon.

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Texas where I and four friends/family members cleaned and painted my living room/dining room and kitchen. We also got painted the front porch and eliminated most of the evidence that swallows had made a home in my portico. I couldn't have finished it all without the help of two of my best friends and my aunt and uncle. (Actually they are those relatives that are related to me so obscurely, that it is hard to describe.) Regardless, they were all invaluable. Mom and I also ordered carpet for the house. She will be making sure that gets done.

After a long weekend of reaching and bending and carpet ripping and dirt and paint, I headed back to Missouri again. When I got home eleven hours later, I crashed on the couch and didn't get up until 5:30 a.m. Now I have to prep for the next part of the tour. I am heading to North Carolina for my brother's wedding. The kiddos and I leave Wednesday and will make it back Monday night provided all goes well.

Today's to do list includes a haircut for James that should have taken place Saturday while I was gone, a trip to Hobby Lobby for a mask for Caitlin for a language arts project, shopping for shoes for James because he lives in sneakers and sandals and doesn't own a pair of dress shoes, an oil change before the 16 hour drive, painting my nails...I am sure there is more, but I don't remember.

I will be so glad when I can be home for a while. I don't want to think about the fact that the house is still not ready to sell. I just want to be able to make this place home.

Today's Music Note: You are listening to Phil Collin's "Take Me Home." (This version appears to be a remix.) Being a teen in the 80s I have a fondness for Genesis and more specifically Phil Collin's. Yesterday as I was driving home, Sirius XM Satellite Radio kept me company. As I was driving through the DARK Missouri highways, this song came on and let me know it would be the next song on my playlist.There were several other songs I noted, but this one stuck with me this morning so here it is. I am too tired to think of a question of the day. Please talk amongst yourselves.

Oktoberfest?

2011-09-25T18:34:00.001-05:00

I know it's only September, but October is one week away. The city of Lee's Summit decided to welcome the autumn season in with an Oktoberfest celebration.

Although I am not a beer drinker, the festivities were not lost on me. My husband and I took the kids to the street fair, looked at the vendors, and of course ate some fair food. (Once again, the food pics were blurry.)

James - Enjoying a Funnel Cake

It seems the entire town had the same idea.

There were the usual jewelry and clothing vendors. I saw some very talented people. We came across a unique booth with an interesting tool that I bet you never knew you needed.

Can you figure out what it's for?? It's a paint can shaker. All you do is attach a standard drill to the back. It was the funniest thing I ever did see.

I also took a moment to snap some pics of the kids down at the old train depot.

Along the way I snapped some various points of interest and unique architecture.

Window at the United Methodist Church

Detail of the above capital

The front door of a local catering hall

This caught my eye. That's one big spur.

Next weekend I think I will be back in Texas and the following weekend we will definitely be in North Carolina celebrating at my brother's wedding!! There will be a lot of driving in my future.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year because of weather and the clothes that I will get to wear. What is your favorite time year?

Today's Music Note: Playlist is currently running Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Polka." The Lawrence Welk Show could be seen on our tv each week. I don't think we missed a single episode. I see the show on sometimes and wonder why I liked it so much but times were different. You might want to click on over to the Mixpod player which has at the top of the playlist the "Oktoberfest Beer Drinking Song."

A Fun Friday

2011-09-24T11:37:00.002-05:00

Well it was.

The day started with an early tailgate party at my son's school. Let me preface this with a step back to the beginning. Everyday my son brings home a pile of papers. Some are graded papers, some are notes about upcoming events. It's hard to keep up with everything, but I am pretty good at filing things to check out later. (When I say "file" I mean stick in a pile on the buffet.) I do read them from time to time to make sure I am not missing something important. However, I NEVER saw a note home requesting we send in items for a Tailgate Party. Every time I saw "tailgate party" on the calendar I thought they were referring to the Fall Carnival which is next week. Then I get a note from the teacher on Friday saying, "Don't forget the Tailgate Party next Friday. Please send in what you agreed to donate." Now I am really confused. Monday morning I went into the school and asked James' teacher what she was talking about. Come to find out, I missed some important paper a couple of weeks ago. Don't ask me how with my "organized" method of filing. Regardless, I did, but she reassured me that she had all the supplies she needed and that I could just come help at the party. So help I did. And it was fun.

The kids had hot dogs and goodies. After which, they were able to go around to different games like beanbag toss and relay races, face painting and dance party, or even tug o' war. There were first graders running all over the place. I met some nice parents and even got some phone numbers for walking partners.

After the Tailgate Party that went on for what seemed like for ever, I walked home and rested before the evening's football game. When I got there, Gary was already waiting. What a surprise since it was only 1:30. Caitlin got home about an hour later and told me that all of her hair had to be put up on her head so it could not be seen under her marching hat. Let me remind you how short her hair is now (not conducive to putting up):

Thirty minutes later I managed to get it all the little pieces put up in a way that didn't look like her hair had been in the food processor. (Even at 14 she still whines when I French braid her hair.)

Her band director expects timeliness and requires the players to be at the school in their spots two hours before the game. As mentioned in another post, we don't live near the school so we try to combine trips. This time after we dropped her off, I took Gary to a store that Caitlin really likes so he could take her shopping for more winter clothes. After the diversion we went to the stadium and staked our claim on what we thought was some prime stadium "real estate." We got to watch the football players warm up, listen to the cheerleaders and people watch. Gary happened to sit next to a retired couple who talked his ear off the entire pregame period about his years in the Air Force. I think he actually enjoyed it. Then the time we were waiting for came. The marching band came in to the stadium. This was their first time wearing their brand new uniforms and they looked marvelous. (Unfortunately, the sun and the stadium lights were not cooperating so you will have to squint at most of the pics.)

Have you ever seen bigger plumes?? Cait says they are very heavy.

You can see now why they wouldn't want to wear them in the rain.

Today Caitlin is at a band clinic working on improving the show before their next competition. Then we are headed off to the local Oktoberfest. (I know it isn't Oktober yet.) The art show is supposed to be a juried one so I hope to see some good local artists.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Today's Music Note: Redo - My first music choice wouldn't work. :-( Instead I will share with you a fun story from the actor Andy Griffith. His voice makes me smile. To my non"Southern American" speaking friends, I am sorry I don't have a "Standard English" translation for you. :-) Oh and Peggy, you will have to turn the volume up really loud on the Mixpod because the only version they would allow me to play is poor quality.

On the Same Vein as Yesterday

2011-09-22T09:21:00.000-05:00

I didn't find this on my own. Amanda at Kind Over Matter shared it and it spoke to me. Enjoy AND don't forget to go over and visit their site. It is quite inspirational. [Oh and don't forget to turn off the playlist if you are going to watch this. :-) ]

What's In A Name?

2011-09-21T14:11:00.002-05:00

They call me:
Mom
Mommy
Annemarie
Teacher
Facebook Addict
Online Gamer
TV Watcher
Unemployed
Blogger
and I am sure a lot more, but the one thing I can't bring myself to call myself is an Artist. For some reason there is a formality that comes to mind when I hear the word "artist." It seems that it is what you call people whose work hangs in art galleries. All of my work stays in my journals.

Don't get me wrong, I love art. I go to lots of art shows, but I don't have anything that I would call a work of art. Everything always just seems like practice. The question is, what will it take to get my work out of a book and onto a canvas or some other concrete object worth displaying or sharing. I feel comfortable sharing with my Sketchbook and Blogger friends, but beyond that corner of my world I do not stray.

How does one come to the point where she say, my work is worth sharing with world? How do I come to believe that my work has more value than just the materials I put into it? This is not a call for compliments or strokes. I am truly curious. How do I break out of my little world?

Today's Music Note: You are listening to "That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings. It makes me think of my friend Peggy who used to take my dog Zoey for a walk with my son. They would come back - cheeks red from the summer heat - singing "They call me Sta-Cey." It makes me smile. The other reason I like this song is it reminds me of my dad. He named me after his mother. Only at home did people call me nicknames. My first year at school, some teacher called me Maryann or Rosemarie. (I don't remember which because for years after that I was called some form of Anne and Mary or Marie.) Mom said, "That's not your name." I said, "I knew who she meant." It wasn't until 7th grade when my band director listed me as "Annie" on a concert program that I realized that it mattered, especially to my dad. He came up to me after the concert asking me why it listed me as Annie. I told him that was what Mr. Sulak called me. Dad told me, "That's not your name. You tell Mr. Sulak, that your name is Annemarie." The next day, I nervously approached him and said, "Mr. Sulak, my daddy said my name isn't Annie. It's Annemarie. Please don't call me Annie." He said fine and that was the end of that. From that point on I have always made sure that people call be my full name. It's a mouthful, but that is my name. What do people call you?

I Have an Inkling

2011-09-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

or two.

There is a new inkblot prompt. I saw two different images in the inkblot.

The first is a strange little renaissance man. There is a local faire going on. If we ever make it there maybe we will meet him.

The next is an old fashioned kind of girl. I imagine that she spends her afternoons sipping tea with her cat Princess hoping her beau will drop in for a visit.

Head on over to see the inkblot creations and maybe make one of your own.

The Things We Do...

2011-09-17T20:04:00.003-05:00

...for our children.

Today is the Blue Springs Fall Festival. Caitlin's band marched in the parade. It didn't start until 10, but she had to be at the high school, in her place by 8 a.m. So on a Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:45 to make sure she was fed, dressed and out the door by 7:30.

Gas is not cheap. Caitlin's school is over 10 miles away. Parking at festivals and parades is in short supply. With these givens, it was decided that the entire family would load up into the car and drive together and stay in Blue Springs (we don't live in Blue Springs) until the parade started. This meant hanging around for 2 hours. Normally this would not be a bad thing. You can wander around, look at booths, admire the town and do a little exploring. Unfortunately, this morning it was 45F and misty. What does one do when she is from a warmer clime and ill prepared clothing-wise? You sit in the car for two hours.

The time was not wasted, however. We ate breakfast. We listened to the radio. We did reconnaissance. We found the perfect parking space.We found the ideal place to stand during the parade. By the time the parade started, we were set. Then...James had to use the restroom.*rolling my eyes.* Fortunately, Gary was with us. I would have been beside myself. Okay, so NOW we are ready.

The parade started with the mandatory presenting of the colors. However in this parade, they had three different color guards. The first one was the American Legion and the JrROTC groups from both high schools.

Next came the floats, vintage cars and tractors.

The high school bands were mixed in between the other entrants.

Blue Springs High School

Blue Springs South High School

Then it began raining but the parade marched on. We jumped into the car which was parked streetside so we could still watch the parade.

When the parade was over, we went straight home a little saddened because we couldn't go to the festival, but the day was not over. Caitlin's band had volunteered to work as runners at the bingo fundraiser. (They are going to Disney World.) Her job was to go to bingo players who didn't want to leave their cards and take their snack orders and either go to the snack stand in the tent or run down the midway to get whatever food the players wanted. She was working for tips. For her 2.5 hours of work she got $6. Meanwhile, I didn't want to do the driving back and forth thing between the two towns so I got 2.5 hours of walking in. Okay...I sat for 20 minutes, and looked in some stores along the way, but I did walk the entire midway (all of Main Street) at least two times if not more.

The best part of the day was when the sun came out.

The rest of weekend is forecast for more rain. We will have to see if the sun can win a little time or not. If not, it's back to the sketchbook and water colors. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Today's Music Note: You are listening to Barbara Streisand singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the movie Funny Girl. It is appropriate not only because the subject matter but because of this fab $1 find I acquired while shopping in an estate sale store today. It's the album "Butterfly." It caught my eye because on the front it had a stick of butter with a fly on it. I thought it was strange. Then I noticed it just said "Barbara" on the left corner. I flipped it over and it had this beautiful image. I don't know if I will frame it the way it is or be as bold as Michelle and use it for an art journal. We will see. It is definitely inspirational.

Inkblot Challenge and Other Silliness

2011-09-14T19:39:00.000-05:00

I found something new to do. It's the Inkblot Challenge. They gave the following inkblot as an inspiration. Readers of the blog then draw an image based on the inkblot.

Here is what I came up with:

While I had the black pens out I drew some cute little characters.

Earlier this month, I divided the back of my calendar journal into 30 squares. I decided to draw one letter of the alphabet in each square. Then I turned each letter into an object that begins with that letter (i.e. A-angel, B-butterfly.) Some letters were really hard to think of a picture, but I finally finished it. It was a joint effort between my daughter and myself. After drawing the object, I got out the water colors and worked on a few letters a day. It is finally done.

You might notice that my alphabet goes "L,M,O,P" It wasn't until near the end of drawing that I realized I had left out "N."

I have been busy drawing and painting and living. I will be back soon to share some of the other things I have going on.

Unfurling My Ideas

2011-09-10T11:10:00.002-05:00

Time to eliminate the things that are holding me back.

Let's start on the artistic front. I was talking to a friend on the phone the other day. I was telling him about my creative endeavours. He asked if I would send him a sample of what I have been doing. I laughed because my friend is interested in clean lines, modern Scandinavian furniture and somewhat masculine art. The only curves you will really find are of nudes hanging on his wall. I explained that I have only been drawing flowers and cutesy things. He agreed that cutesy was not his thing. But the conversation got me to thinking. Why can't I draw other subjects?

So I got out a notepad and started drawing curved lines. (I hate drawing really bad work in my sketchbook.) I tried several times and then realized I needed to switch from pen to pencil if I was going to get the effect I wanted. After a little experimenting, I felt confident enough to pull out my pocket sketchbook. Here is the final result.

Much different from this work.

Just more note card/stationery ideas.

What do you do when you find you are doing the same thing over and over? How do you get out of the rut whether in your creativity or in life choices?

Today's Music Note: You are listening to The Style Council's "Ever Changing Mood." I don't know how I came across the song for the first time, but I remember participating in a music swap with some ladies I met at SISTV dot com which is no longer. Each of us was to compile a CD full of our favorite music to scrap to. This song made the cut. It's upbeat and definitely keeps me going. I use the CD now on long road trips.

Inspired By

2011-09-07T13:26:00.002-05:00

So this month at Sketchbook Challenge the theme is Unfurled. When I first read it, all that came to mind were flags unfurling. I couldn't get my mind unwrapped from that idea. Then it hit me -- FLOWERS.

So here are my latest in my flower series. They are sort of "tulipy."

When I finished the three, I was then inspired to start a line of flower fairies based on those flowers. Here is the first one.

She is just a trial. There are things I don't like, but that is my self critic. It just means that I have to make more opportunities to make her better.

When you work on a project, whether it be art, or written, or whatever, how long do fiddle with it? When do you leave well enough alone?

Today's Music Note: You are listening to DANCE OF THE SUGARPLUM FAIRY from the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is my all time favorite ballet. I loved when band directors would chose selections from The Nutcracker's score. It is usually associated with the Christmas season, but I couldn't find many other songs that were about fairies or flowers that had any significance. I have closed today's selection of music with a good ole Foundations' tune and threw Seal for good measure. Enjoy!)

Meet Me at the Fair

2011-09-05T17:14:00.012-05:00

Today was Labor Day. It was supposed be the day we drove back from Texas after fixing up the house to sell it. Unfortunately, my husband said he had to work today so we didn't make the trip at all. I began the morning sitting around pouting and then put on my big girl panties and got on the internet to find something to do. That's when I found the SantaCaliGon Days Fair in Independence MO.Little Man didn't want to go. He decided to stay home with the daddy who DIDN'T go to work. :-( So Cait and I took off for an outing on a beautiful not quite fall day. I had Googled how to get there but didn't write it down so there was a lot of "is it this street? No" action going on but we made it there with few detours. The biggest problem when we arrived was the parking situation. All of the public parking was taken and people were selling out their driveways and private parking lots for $5. (Normally, this not a big deal, but to the unemployed, $5 is not desirable.) So Caitlin and I began stalking people leaving the fair.

It began by finding the courthouse parking lot. I then made one go around just in case there was an empty space. That didn't work of course, so I scouted for a family leaving and it wasn't long before one was spotted. I slowly followed them. I don't think the grandmother was too pleased but I didn't care. They unlocked the car and I signaled my intent. People began coming around from all directions thinking they were getting my prize, but they were denied. I waved at one onlooker to let her know that I was going to be the victor in this hunt and she dejectedly drove away. I waited patiently for the family to pull out and then grabbed my spot without incident. The rest of the parking lot pack crawled away with their tails between their legs. And that's how I became the leader of the pack. Heehee.

My Prey

My Competition

I Am Victorious

The streets of Independence were jam packed full of fair goers. There were booths as far as the eye could see. Vendors were selling dresses, hats, vinyl siding, purses, feathers for hair. No, you didn't hear me wrong, there were all sorts of home improvement folks there selling siding, gazebos, sun rooms and the like. But of course we cannot forget the fair food. Unfortunately, the pictures I took of the food didn't come out this time. :-( But there were plenty of people to watch while we were there.

Do you see them?

Do you see them now?

One of the best parts of the day was stumbling across this store while heading to the ice cream eating contest. It was full of all sorts of goodies, and I would love to spend some time in it without fair goers. The owner has had this store for soon to be 25 years.

Before going home, Caitlin and I headed to the stage area where the various bands were playing. That is where people were gathering to help break the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest group assembled to dance the Macarena. Yep, the Macarena. Caitlin decided to participate and I tried to photo and video tape her doing it, but the sun in my LCD view screen prevented me from seeing if I caught her, but I did manage to snap the back of her head a few times. :-)

(White shirt brown hair right in the middle.)

How did you spend your weekend?

(Today's Music Note: You are listening to Judy Garland singing "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie" from the musical with the same title. When I listen to the beginning lyrics, they are quite similar to today's situation. LOL. [Sorry, Peg, there wasn't one for your player.] It has been a long time since I saw that movie at the Paramount movie theater in Abilene, TX. I hope you enjoy today's sing along.)

Change of Plans & Calendar Journal Time

2011-09-02T11:14:00.006-05:00

Well, as a family we were all going to use the long weekend to trek down to Texas and rip out carpet and paint walls. Come to find out, Gary doesn't have Monday off so it would make a really bad turn around time. So...we decided to stay home and make plans to go another time. Meanwhile, all I can envision is the money pouring out of my already empty pockets into the mortgage and utilities for a house we aren't using. :-(

Now, I will look for some free activities to do in the city for the Labor Day weekend. I have seen several advertised on tv. I hope the temperature stays cooler than yesterday (102F.)

Yesterday I lazed around the house feeling a little sorry for myself wondering why I don't have a job yet. So I got out my sketchbook and calendar journal and fiddled around. I have been thinking about working on a set of note cards to sell at some local gift shop. They would look like some of these:
I just want to unify the theme of them so they seem more like a set.

Also, it is September and time for a new calendar journal page.

Here is last month's, completed.

Here is this month's waiting to be filled.

I also finished my Doodle a Day page as well.(Oh and to Roban, since you asked, this is just a daily doodle to fill the backs of my calendar journal pages. It is more like a catalog of doodles to use on future work.

This month I think I will be doing 30 Days of Lists although I am two days behind. Fortunately, once you sign up, you can access it for more than 30 days.

(Today's music note: When I was a kid, my uncle played an 8 Track in the car on our road trips. This was one of the tunes on the 8 Track. Since I only spent summers there and summer is slowly drawing to a close, I thought it was the perfect September song. Speaking of September songs, Frank Sinatra sang a song "September Song" but I couldn't find that version on Playlist.com. Mom is a great fan of Sinatra and even has her satellite radio permanently set to the Sinatra station. So the second song on my list is for her even though it is by the Platters. Have fun listening.)

Life on the Road

2011-08-31T10:54:00.003-05:00

If you have been following me for any amount of time, you will remember that I had been waiting ~~patiently~~ anxiously for the movers to come pack my things and bring my household goods to Missouri.

Well, that time finally came! However, it did require me to drive back and forth between my new home and my old home several times. Driving alone for eleven hours on empty roads gives the mind a lot of time to wander. I looked at the landscape and the surrounding architecture and wondered about the history of the place. I saw occasional passing cars and became curious about who the drivers are and where they were going.

It took a lot of caffeine to keep me focused.On the way back to Missouri for what I thought was the final time (more about that later*,) I was surprised by how clear the interstate seemed. I made the mistake of saying it aloud to my mom on the phone. At the exact moment that I exited that highway for the next one, I came to a standstill. Now, my first reaction was "Oh, no!" Then I took the situation as an opportunity, an opportunity to take pictures of the things I usually see along the way but can't stop because of the

First I snapped a quick shot of the Dallas skyline. Then I spotted this strange building that always confuses me. Are they putting it up, or tearing it down? It looks like it has been shrink wrapped and the wrapping is slowly sinking. I don't know what it's going to be. Hopefully it will be completed the next time I have to pass it.
This was about the place that I found out that this highway had been closed and all traffic was being diverted through downtown Dallas. Now in this time of Google Maps, this can be upsetting to a person who doesn't have GPS, especially when there are no detour signs posted anywhere. Like a lemming, I just followed the people in front of me which seemed to be working until I got held back by a stoplight where I saw this church. The rest of the crew went ahead leaving me with no one to follow. Additionally, this left me as the "leader." Ha! If only the lemmings behind me knew what they were in for. I decided that the road I was on was "somewhat" parallel to the original highway and went for it. I drove until I came to a strange intersection that wasn't a typical meeting of two streets nor was it a traffic circle (I learned about those in Norway.) Instead if you wanted to continue straight, you had to turn right and get on another street and turn left. It was basically a broken traffic circle. (Does that make it a traffic triangle or trapezoid?) Fortunately, I saw the beautiful blue glow of an interstate sign and made my way back on track. I was quite relieved to be on my way.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. My favorite part of the trip is driving on the Will Rogers Turnpike. This is for two reasons. First is because you get to drive 75 miles per hour (120kph) almost the entire way. The second great thing about it is you get to drive under a McDonald's.

The kids and I thought this was cool, but my husband was not impressed. He said he grew up with it.

*Okay, it's later. :-) I have to go back to Texas again this weekend. This time I am dragging the whole crew. We are going to clean the house, pick up the little bits and pieces that I didn't want to pack and hopefully get a little paint down to cover up little one's finger prints. Oh yeah, and rip out the carpet. We will see how that all goes.

What do you do to pass the time when driving long distances? I would love to hear.

Weekend Recap

2011-08-22T15:03:00.012-05:00

The kids enjoy going fishing with their daddy. Gary used to take Caitlin quite often, but for some reason they hadn't gone in a long time. James had been begging to go since we moved to Missouri. We certainly live in the perfect place to do this, surrounded by numerous lakes and parks. When they go, I see that time as my quiet time. I get on the computer, I watch my shows, I paint and sometimes I get in the car and explore my town.

Saturday while wandering the historic district, I found a really cute diner called the Neighborhood Cafe.

I noticed there was a big cinnamon roll on the awning. When I sat down, I found out why. The first thing the friendly waitress asked me is, "Would you like a cinnamon roll?" It seemed such a strange question that all I could do was say, "Yes??" As I was waiting for her to return, I was reading the menu. It had the history of the restaurant written on the front cover. After ordering a club sandwich, I read the long story and found out that the restaurant was known for their cinnamon rolls. And for a good reason...they are yummy! AND they are only 50 cents!!! Everything else was reasonably priced, too. The food was substantial too as shown by my delicious sandwich and fries. I left the restaurant satisfied and ready to come back another day.

Then yesterday the kids wanted to play the Wii. It's fun to watch them work together and to play against each other. I was sitting upstairs and they had such a great time that the laughter rose upward and leaving my husband and me laughing at them. I love hearing them cheer each other on and giving each other praise. Don't get me wrong, it's not always perfect. Sometimes, one wants to play Mario Brothers while the other one wants to play Sonic. But all in all, they got along just fine.

While they played, I watched them from the couch sitting behind them with my sketchbooks, pens and paints. Usually I just doodle, but last night I noticed how straight Caitlin was sitting and decided to try my hand at drawing her.

I started to sketch they way my son was lying on the floor, but if anyone knows anything about 6 year-olds, you understand that he was not a static subject for very long. I will have to see if I can capture him in this mode again so I can finish it.

Today I had a clear calendar so I pulled out the sketchbook to try out my water colors. I have really been trying to get some vibrant colors as I have seen others obtain. I finally got what I was looking for in these abstract pages.

They are sketched with Zig Millenium pens and painted with a watercolor pan set from Hobby Lobby. and highlighted with a Zig white paint pen, Gelly Roll white gel pens and a fine tipped gold pen.

Tomorrow, I get back on the road to meet the movers back in Texas. I don't look forward to the drive, but I am glad to be getting this part of the move over with. I will see you around when I get back.

An Early-Morning Walk...

2011-08-19T10:12:00.008-05:00

... is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau

Wow! School starts early here in the Kansas City area. I used to think Texans started early, but today is the third day of school. I am glad I didn't wait any longer than I did to get up here. If I had waited for the movers who, by the way, are coming NEXT week, They would have missed a week and a half of school.

Although the house we live in is too small for four people, we are making do. The best part about it is that James's school is only two blocks away. He is excited to walk to school every morning with me. (I don't think I will ever let him walk alone since I can't see the front of the school from my house.)

After dropping him off today, I had a really nice walk home. Having come from dry, hot Texas, I have a real appreciation for trees. I had fun picking up leaves along the way.

When I got home, I got out my little sketchbook and started painting the maple leaf I found.

If you notice, I painted the background of the leaf a light green. This green would become the veins when I covered the leaf in a darker green.

The background was painted in a flesh tone and then I covered up the leaf so I could splatter the background.

It was a fun experiment.

A Doodle A Day

2011-08-11T15:14:00.003-05:00

In January, I decided that my word for the year would be creativity. I have done a good job of keeping up with it, too.

Last month, I decided to draw a face a day. I enjoyed that, but decided that I had enough of faces. So, I was reading Julie's blog, Balzer Designs: Art Journal Everyday when I saw a guest post from Carolyn Brady. She had a method of filling an art journal page by tangling a little each day. I decided to use that on the back of my calendar journal pages. I call it "A Doodle A Day."

Here are the most recent entries.1. Dentilles; 2. Finish Line; 3. Polish Pottery

4. Oobleck; 5. Mum's the Word; 6. Swiss Cheese

7. Fishnet Stockings; 8. Walk This Way; 9. Secret Garden

Similarly to Carolyn, I drew a grid on my page - a total of 30 squares (6X5.) Everyday, I get out the Millennium fine points from Zig and place one pattern in a square. Now, Carolyn colored hers but I am a strictly black & white girl.

I have some more water color pages done. I will try to upload them up this week.

Just Add Water

2011-08-10T15:12:00.005-05:00

Here are the latest in the water coloring attempts.

Some are imagined or from a distant memory...

but the last one is based on my virtual friend Cazjane's photo of a dahlia which she has posted on Flickr. She is quite handy with the camera and finds the prettiest flowers. I told her she was giving me great subjects to paint.
Tomorrow I will share with you my doodle-a-day page.

Hey? What's Goin' On?

2011-08-06T14:40:00.006-05:00

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Out here in Missouri, I continue with my daily routine of job seeking, mom taxi and homemaking. The last one is my favorite. I really thought that is would be what I was doing when we got here, but life got involved and now ... well, you've heard me go on about looking for a job so let's move on to the good stuff.

Caitlin is going to be in high school this year. We are trying to find a good fit for a dance school. We miss the old one from back home. She registered for classes at school and one of them is band. Even though she goes to a freshman center, she will be participating in the high school marching band. And let me tell you, they are intense. the handbook and the other paperwork they sent home made some good evening reading. Between homework, dance and band, she will be one busy girl. Fortunately, her course load isn't too intense. Next year, we may have to decide which one to give up.

In between the registering and busy work of getting ready for school, I have been exceptionally dedicated to the task of cooking every night AND making sure the dishes get done.

Last night's meal was pizza. I made the kids pepperoni while Gary and I had barbecue chicken pizza.

I started with my favorite pizza dough from Betty Crocker. I bought two, but I made sure to mix them separately so I didn't mess up the proportions.

I spread out the dough on two different pans.

I used barbecue sauce on one and Pizza Quick sauce from Ragu on the other.

On the first pizza, I used precooked chicken that I got at the grocer around the corner. They sell smoked/barbecued chicken breasts. I also added cheese and red and green bell peppers. On the second, I only used pepperoni and cheese because my youngest is so picky.

I placed them in a 450°F (230°C) preheated oven.

Now I suggest if you are working with an unfamiliar oven as I am, get yourself an oven thermometer. The second thing that is a must in any well run kitchen is a TIMER!!! I don't have one in my husband's "bachelor-type" apartment, so I made do with checking what time it was on my phone (yep, there are no clocks in this house either) and telling myself I was capable of checking the clock from time to time to ensure I didn't burn the pizzas.

Obviously, I wasn't capable. Thus there are no final pictures. The pizzas weren't pretty, but tasted okay. Next time I make them, I will get a timer and an oven thermometer. :-)

My goal this week before school starts is to find a job and, on the fun side, keep my camera nearby at all times so that I have something to blog about. I miss this blog. See ya'.

Here Comes August

2011-08-01T20:08:00.010-05:00

We made it to Missouri. We have been here a week and a half. I really like it here, but I don't have a job yet. In between the time I am applying for jobs and taking my kids to enroll in school and dance, I have had some time to play with water colors.

First up is my completed July calendar journal. I am proud that I have kept up with this as long as I have.

Click on images for clearer, larger look.

I also have August's ready to be filled. (I have September's, too, but you will have to wait for that one.)

I completed 30 days of creating faces. Most of them are female, but there is one questionable one and one definite boy. Don't forget to sign up for Julie's Art Journal Every Day.

Finally, I have been inspired by this lady. Her flowers are so bright and vibrant! Paint and I are just getting to know each other so I have tried painting some flowers. Although they are nothing like hers, I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

I feel I have neglected my blogging, but I think that is because I haven't had any change in status. Maybe when I have more going on other than watching the USA network and playing mom taxi I will feel a little more inspired.

Pizza Dogs

2011-07-18T19:16:00.004-05:00

While web surfing, James saw a dinner he wanted me to try. He was very persistent, reminding me daily that we had to try it, so today was the day.
Pizza dogs.

I used Betty Crocker's Pizza Dough Mix....very simple - only requires 1/2 cup water, a little mixing and waiting for 5 minutes to allow the dough to set. I preheated the oven to 450F (230C.)

I then divided the dough into 8 balls and then stretched them into long strips. (Put a little flour on your fingers to prevent sticking.)

I wrapped each hot dog with a strip of dough and set it on a baking stone. I left some plain and sprinkled some with Salt Free Garlic & Herb seasoning from McCormick's.

Although the dough says cook for 12-14 minutes, I only set it for 10 minutes which was the perfect time for my oven. Cooking times will vary based on your oven.

We ate them plain, but I suppose you could have some pizza/marina dipping sauce or whatever the kids (you) like.

James liked it so much he went back for 3rds.

How to Pass Time

2011-07-17T10:09:00.005-05:00

Time is drawing near. I still don't have my house moved, but I have obligations in my new town and will have to leave the large things behind. (I will be shoving as much into my sedan as possible.)

So what does one do while waiting for Godot? You help your mother move. You go to the laundromat because your washer and dryer choose to die at the same time like an old married couple. You read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Mostly, you pull out the sketchbooks and get creative.

Here are some scans out of my sketchbooks. I have been playing with water colors a lot while painting a face a day for 30 days a la Julie Fei-Fan Balzer inspiration.

You can see I was a little unhappy with some of my first faces.

I then tried to draw some girls, but for some reason they don't have arms.

This led to painting to one.

My son saw me doing this everyday and grabbed a pillow, lay down and said "draw me."

And of course it wouldn't be my sketchbook without my doodles.It is now to pack up the boxes...put away the mess and pick a departure date. I am thinking Thursday. We shall see.

Some Fun in the Missouri Sun

2011-07-03T00:53:00.005-05:00

It's not supposed to be that hot here, but it is. I guess the Texas heat felt lonely without me and decided to stow away in my luggage for my holiday.

Regardless, it has been nice seeing where we will be living in a few weeks. (Date still undetermined.)

Meanwhile, I will share with you a few pics I was able to snap before the camera battery died. (Left my personal camera at home and DH doesn't believe in fresh batteries, I guess.)

Friday, the city held a fun celebration in honor of Fourth of July ( a few days early.) It was a fun, exciting, well planned event with activities for the kids and good traffic control afterward.
The stilt walker was a nice guy. Tried to have fun with James but he would have no part of it so here he is with my husband.

I always worry when I send Caitlin off to get her face painted. This one wasn't too bad considering she once came back with her entire face painted black because she insisted to the face painter that it was okay to be black cat.

James was happy to get a balloon tiger even though he kept calling it a lion.

Tossing the ball around while waiting for the fireworks show.

A little goofing off with daddy.

Saturday was our 17th anniversary. My husband got a toaster oven and kitchen towels. It's to make up for the Ab Doer he bought me once for Mother's Day. Happy Anniversary, Honey.

Just a Quick Calendar Note

2011-06-30T07:17:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't been a good blogger friend. I haven't had much to say since I am still in a holding pattern. I am not sure why we haven't moved yet, but I hope to find out soon.

We are going up to Kansas City today so the kids can see Daddy and I can get the lay of the land. I probably would stay there longer than the holiday weekend, but James will be getting his tonsils removed on Tuesday. He has "kissing tonsils." (Sorry, but you will have to look it up if you are interested, I am on my way out the door and don't have time to get a link for you.) :-)

Before I go, I decided to share my June & July calendar journals.

When I get back I will be sure to visit everyone else who shared on The Kathryn Wheel.

This page still waits for some touches of colored pencil, but that will have to wait.

July awaits to be filled. I am looking forward to good things.

Have a great Fourth of July weekend my dear American friends, and the rest you, have a good fourth of July...if that makes sense. :-) See you around the blogosphere.

May Is Over....June Is Here

2011-06-02T21:01:00.005-05:00

....And time for a new Calendar Journal.

I have faithfully kept up with three months, and I am ready for June's calendar.

June brings a batch of mixed emotions.

It's the end of 12 year stint of teaching fourth grade and the beginning of a new career yet to be determined.

It's the end of claiming Texas as home for 37 years and having to tell people I live in Missouri (fortunately that is still one month away but the packing has begun.)

Saying goodbye to my students was sad, but saying goodbye to my colleagues was even harder especially when the principal called me up to say a few words. I eeked out a few sentiments but not without a few tears....Although me and tears - we are no strangers.

June promises to be super hot so I predict a lot of inside time and comments about dance classes will dominate my June calendar.

We shall see.

A Celebration

2011-05-29T09:14:00.002-05:00

See this cutie?? I have known T since she was in first grade.

Last night we sat at one of her favorite restaurants (ingrained in her by her mother and me eating there weekly for years because we had coins that gave the kids free meals) to celebrate the much awaited graduation day.

I love her like she was my own. Mostly because her mother and I were inseparable for years and she treated this girl better than a sister.
What's up with this picture??? Sometimes a bad picture tells the story so well that you have to keep it.
Then you see the rest of the story...

...and are thankful that you never had siblings. And that my Dear T is my graduation gift to you.

Love,
Annemarie

To Simpler Times

2011-05-27T06:59:00.002-05:00

...when we only had one car.

...when walking to McDonald's with Caitlin to share a Happy Meal with the three dollars in change I found in the couch was the highlight of the day.

...when playing in the courtyard of our apartment chasing squirrels and watching birds was fun.

...when gas was cheap and I could throw Caitlin in the back of the car and drive for hours looking at the countryside or imagining what it would be like to own this house or that one.

I am not sure how it gets away from you...

...that love for simplicity.

...those carefree days.

...those chaos-free times.

Granted, I probably didn't like getting up at 5:30 in the morning to drive my husband to work just so I could have the car, but in the big scheme of things that was nothing.

As I look at my house, the house I dreamed of having, the house that now has water damage from years of a gutter that just wouldn't drain right, the house that needs new carpet and a paint job....I wonder

...Can you go back to living simply?

...Can you be happy living in a two bedroom townhouse?

...Can you go back to living a day's drive away from your mother?

...Can you be happy being a stay at home mom?

I don't know, but it is something that is looming overhead as moving day draws nearer.

When we move to Missouri, I am unsure what awaits.

...Will I find another job?

...Will I want another job?

...Will selling skin care be satisfying enough (emotionally/financially?)

...Will be able to get along with less?

I am seriously considering staying at/working from home in this next chapter of my life. I have two children who take a lot of time and attention, something I haven't been able to do as well as I would have liked to these past few years.

...Will I stay organized?

...Will I stay motivated?

...Will I like it as much as I think I will?

I hope so.

Oblivious

2011-05-20T20:03:00.009-05:00

As I was waiting for the award ceremony at Caitlin's art show yesterday, I had a moment to people watch. I enjoyed seeing parents dote on their children and their work. I thought it was cute how my son glommed onto some unknown little girl who had a hand held video game, and she likewise took to him. But what caught my attention the most was how Caitlin was freely interacting with her peers, mostly girls. There were a few boys who would come around and try to get her attention and she was mostly (thankfully) oblivious to their attempts.

My favorite was this boy

who bears a striking resemblance to another teddy bear I know.

It was funny to watch him hover around Caitlin everywhere she turned. Usually he stood behind her while she chit chatted with her girlfriends.

But one time he became bolder and actually put himself into the middle of the conversation, but to no avail.
He and other boys are going to have to try harder. As far as I am concerned, however, they can just keep hovering....And Cait can just go on being oblivious Cait.

Best In Show

2011-05-19T22:54:00.008-05:00

I love this girl! It doesn't take an outside jury to tell me she's the best, but it sure is nice to hear it every so often.

Today was the art show at her school where two junior high school art departments were represented. There was a wide variety of work there. I am impressed with what the art teachers at the two schools are able to accomplish with limited resources and schools cutting back on the fine arts. Without this art program, Caitlin would never have been able to try her hand at the so many different media.

Clay Mask (self portrait)

Glazed Pottery

Foil Collage

Hammered Pendant and Earrings

Charcoal Self Portrait - Best in Show!!!

The funny thing is she had homework and I suggested she ask her teacher if she could leave the show after 30 minutes. The teacher said it was important that she stay for the award ceremony and that she should dress up. When she was awarded 4th place for the glazed pottery, I thought she was done and put the camera away. Imagine my surprise when they said they had three more awards to give. As they said "Best in Show," I heard Cait.... You should have seen me scrambling for the camera. How exciting!

So proud of you Caitlin.

And The Rain Came Down...

2011-05-12T07:52:00.001-05:00

...And Down...And Down.... (A total of 5 inches/12.7cm.)

And I made the silly mistake of having half a Coke with my dinner. (I haven't had caffeine in over a year.) I only slept from midnight to 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. until 5 a.m.

Let's see how I function today.

On This Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:13:00.007-05:00

Yesterday at a brunch with Octamom the topic was Proverbs 31. It was an oracle from King Lemuel's mother (actually possibly Bathsheba to her son King Solomon) describing the kind of woman he should be looking for. Different ladies at the brunch were identified as representing each characteristic from the scripture. It was very touching, and it got me thinking about important women in my life. Although my mother is very important to me, recently her sister - my Aunt Rose - passed away and I began to reflect on the impact her life had on me.

14She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises.

She always had the best gifts. She always knew exactly what to give you. She loved to shop and find interesting things. That is how she and I spent a good portion of our time together. We were like great hunters searching for the perfect scarf or accessory to go with some other wonderful bargain.

16She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.

After her husband passed away around 2007, she packed up her belongings and moved to Texas from NY. She bought a house, had it fixed up and developed a garden that can't be compared to any other. People who didn't even know her would stop by her corner cottage just to see her garden. She gladly shared her back yard full of roses and trees with them. When we were having her estate sale, many people came by to visit her son and me to share their condolences. Many of them said they met her because of her beautiful yard. When I bought my house I worked really hard to work on my yard like her, but that was one gene I didn't inherit.

19She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.

Rose was a gracious hostess. She opened her home to people for dinners and when they came, regardless of their station in life, they were treated like kings and queens with perfectly appointed tables decorated for season or theme. She made the best homemade cakes and remembered which flavor was your favorite for your birthday. Everywhere you looked in her house you find some little something she had changed just for the upcoming holiday. She would make her own wreaths to hang on her door and even drew pictures on her windows to go with season.

22She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks.... 25Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When I was a teenager, she and I spent summers together. Many times she and I would decorate denim jackets with bling, hats with flowers or t-shirts with paint. Some of the people from her church who came to visit our sale remembered her as a beautiful lady who was always dressed impeccably, perfectly accessorized every time they saw her. She was the epitome of grace and style. When I first began working, she ensured I was always put together. This is something that has stuck with me throughout the years.
Nanny, as my children called her, loved all things beautiful. She made the world around her lovely for everyone around her. As I look at the person I am becoming, I realize that there is a good portion of my aunt in me. I just wish we could have kept her around just a little longer. Meanwhile, she is probably busy in heaven making everyone comfortable at the dinner table.

On Blogging

2011-05-07T20:15:00.006-05:00

When I began blogging, oh, some 3+ years ago, I never knew the treasure trove I was discovering.

Since then, I have shared many elements of my life from Scrapblogging, ordeals with my interesting children, my word of the year, art journaling...the list goes on. Needless to say, this blog is certainly not a focused blog like my blog friends Marit, Sharmaine or Michelle who primarily share the artwork. Nor is it devoted only to sharing stories of my children like Eva Helen. Instead, I chose to let whatever is on my mind at the time make its way onto my pages, thus the title: So I Was Just Thinking.

The best thing about having this blog is the great people who have come into my life because of it...too many to list. However, one of those ladies is this one right here. I have had many opportunities to meet with her over the years. Today being the most recent.
Caitlin and I had a lovely pre-Mothers' Day brunch with a slew of ladies from her church. It was such a blessing to fellowship with so many different women. I was touched by their stories of dedication to rearing and guiding children. Whenever I leave this group of ladies, I feel so blessed and can't stand to leave to make that hour and a half drive back to my little world.

Tomorrow, I will share a my thoughts of what I walked away thinking about.

Easter Part Two

2011-04-26T16:54:00.010-05:00

I just wanted to share the rest of my weekend.

Sunday, James woke to find a basket of goodies outside his door.

We went to church. (Had pictures, but they were blurry.)

We had breakfast with mom.

We colored eggs.
I worked on the title page of my calendar journal. I gessoed and painted the decoupaged kraft paper.

I found this calendar from 2010 still hanging on my wall and decided it needed to be cut up.

Et voila! My new title page.

Now to find more time to get my hands dirty and do some more pages behind the calendar journals.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:30:00.004-05:00

We have had a great Easter weekend even though we had to go to school/work on Friday. (That's because of having to make up for a snow day.)

I was able to go to church that evening, however. The above video is part of our service. They used a static display to illustrate the pastor's message.

Saturday, I took James to an Easter Egg hunt and had Caitlin help out at the balloon station.

James saw his friend from his PreSchool days. They had a nice time hunting together.
Today we went to the 8 o'clock service and went to breakfast with mom and came home and colored eggs. Those pics are still in the camera for some other time.

Now I am going to relax before a long week of state testing.

Calendar Journal

2011-04-23T19:47:00.005-05:00

In January, I started following Kate and her Calendar Journal at her blog The Kathryn Wheel. She encouraged us do something similar and share it. I never got around to doing the January one. Then I decided to go ahead and write something down each day for February until I could get a book for the journal. I started out fine, but I never got a page made for February. Then I did the same for March. I did, however, get a page made for March. It wasn't what I had planned, and I found that the pages of the book I bought were a little smaller than I thought. I decided to press forward anyway. By April, I had figured out the exact layout and how to fit up to 31 days on two pages.

I measured 2 inch squares with spaces in between each square. I painted each square a different color using some inexpensive water colors (lesson learned, by the way,) and used a monthly theme for the colors.

I have prepainted May and June so far.

I am not using the backs of the pages for calendar journaling. Instead, I will prime the pages for some sort of art journal pages.

I am currently working on a title page which I have prepped with torn brown paper sack and Mod Podge and will gesso over that so I can paint it.

I know I am supposed to be prepping my house for moving, but I am easily distracted. And this is more fun anyway.

See This Girl??

2011-04-13T10:01:00.006-05:00

...She Rocks!
...And Strolls. And Twirls. And Kicks. And Leaps.
She is amazing. If I do so say so myself.

(Photos by Take2OK.com - They are a wonderful dance photo company. These are a little fuzzy because of the way I downloaded them for this post.)

I Love Bluebonnets

2011-04-09T00:53:00.003-05:00

One of the best things about living in Texas is the abundance of bluebonnets that spread along the highways and roadsides. Most Texans spend at least one weekend looking for the best place to take pictures of their children in the perfect field of blue. I am no different.

Last weekend was a sad time because we experienced the loss of a my Aunt Rose, but I couldn't let the once a year appearance of these spectacular wildflowers go unnoticed so on my way to dropping James off at the sitter, I quickly stopped at a field and we ran and jumped into a bald spot to quickly snap some photos.

These aren't my best photos, but flowers are cheery and just what we needed at the time.

Making Time to Think Creatively

2011-04-02T21:52:00.003-05:00

I have been following The Sketchbook Challenge and Art Journal Everyday so that I will feel encouraged to explore my creativity.

Life has been crazy around here lately, and I haven't had that much time or energy to pull out supplies. I keep a little book by my bed with some Millenium fine point pens and some markers. That way when I feel the urge to create I can grab it quickly.

Here are a few of my favorites from March:

Some are silly

Retro

Abstract

Zen

Experimental

I haven't been able to stretch my boundaries as much as I like. This month promises to be even more ridiculous, but I hope to visit your blogs and see what you have been up to.

March is Over - What Did I Do??

2011-03-31T21:33:00.004-05:00

The end of March is here and I have been flipping through my iPhoto files. It has been a busy month. I didn't capture everything on the camera, but I did get a few things.We celebrated this girl's 14th birthday.

I watched this boy enjoy the warm weather. He is such a character.

We ate lots of ice cream. His favorite is blue.

We went to lots of soccer games and practices.

April promises to be equally busy. I will try to take more pictures throughout the month.

SPILLING OVER

2011-03-15T19:30:00.004-05:00

The theme for this month's Sketchbook Challenge. I can relate to this because it is my current state of being. Especially in the area of laundry. Little by little I am cutting through it, but not anything else. Just enjoying my time off with a smattering of appointments thrown in for good measure. I hope you are all enjoying your spring break as well or at least in the near future.

Spring Break Day 2

2011-03-14T12:23:00.010-05:00

WARNING: LONG STORY WITH PHOTOS

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A WHINING STORY, MORE LIKE A POKE AT MYSELF AND MY INSANITY.

Today is James’ (James’s??) birthday. Caitlin’s is at the end of the week. She has been begging to go to Six Flags Over Texas for years. I haven’t been since the 80s. I was a little leery about long lines and the cost. I also didn’t want to be the only adult on the trip because I was worried about having to let Caitlin go on rides alone when James was too short to get on. However, my son has become a giant, so that wasn’t the problem. Instead, he was afraid to ride certain rides. For this reason I am glad I decided to bring along a companion for Caitlin.

We went on Sunday. The day started out at 5 a.m. with a text from a friend. (Don’t you just love time zones??) That was okay because I had scheduled a 6 a.m. departure. (For some reason, I thought needed to leave at that time.) We ran to the ATM and the donut shop for a little breakfast and hit the road.

There was NO traffic. We were the only people on the road, practically. We got to Fort Worth in no time, but I got off on the wrong Interstate. (If I don’t have printed directions, I get easily misdirected.) I passed familiar landmarks from the weekend before so I felt secure. I even saw familiar road names, but the buildings started looking less familiar, and I wasn’t seeing all the attractions that are located near the Amusement Park. Where had I gone wrong? That’s when I realized that there are two Interstate highways that run parallel to each other with similar numbers. I got off one highway too soon and was running about 10-20 miles south of where I wanted to be. I finally got onto a road I knew would run into the correct Interstate and was on my way to meeting my friend LB and her son CB. Thank goodness I left too early.

After picking up CB, we headed to the park. We had bought all of our tickets online including a Preferred Parking Pass, which put us only 100 yards from the front gate. I was so excited. I forgot to check the lot number however. :-P

We were quickly in the park and made a plan. We would ride as many rides as we could and try to leave by 5 p.m. so CB could go home and pack for his real Spring Break adventure with his dad. The first ride we encountered was The Spin. It looked simple enough. James was nervous though. It turned out to be a little bumpier than I thought it would be so it kinda soured him on all rides for the rest of the day. Somehow we convinced him to get on the Mini Mine Train – still a little too bumpy for him. From that point on, James refused to get on another ride. I let him stand with the ride operator while I rode a big swing ride. Then Cait and CB rode roller coasters without us.

The (DREADED) Spin

First, James and I followed them around, but it was a real downer to walk through the lines for rides and have to exit out the other side without enjoying the attraction. I had to create another plan. We ended up going to Looney Toon town to ride the kiddy rides. This had to work. I couldn’t imagine spending hours and hours at the park just sitting on a bench. First on the agenda, the spinning teacups. Too spinnie. Next, the flying airplanes. Too high. After searching for just the right ride, I decided that desperate times call for desperate measures…BRIBERY and THREATS:

James: I don’t wanna go.

Me: It’s just like the carnival Daddy took you to.

James: No it’s NOT!

Me: James, if you don’t get on a ride, we are going to go to a baby sitter.

James: Okay.

Me: The baby sitter will be Mrs. X

James: No

Me: Get on the ride.

James: No

Me: *dialing cell phone* Talk to daddy.

James: *through tears* Long conversation

Me: You getting on the ride?

James: No

Me: If you get on this ride you can ride the train that goes around the park.

James: Okay.

Did this dialog work? See for yourself.

Still not happy, but on a ride.

The Steam Train

From that point on we spent our trip searching for rides that weren’t too scary.

By the time we were ready to leave, we had ridden a real steam train and The Runaway Mine Train, spent money on midway games (something I would never do) and rode the steam train one more time before meeting the older kids. To top it all off, James had cotton candy and pretzels with soda.

Sizing himself up for another ride...still not sure he wants to go.

About to go on the Runaway Mine Train

"I did it, Daddy! I was Brave"

More his speed.

James and I found Cait and CB and headed out of the park, but remember the part about forgetting the parking lot??? It was kind of important. We wandered around for a while before realizing we were in the wrong section and had to double back. So much for preferred parking.

Despite James apprehension about the rides, we had a good time. There were no fights among siblings and I think it was worth the drive.

Kicking Off the Holiday

2011-03-12T19:45:00.009-06:00

While many of my friends in Norway and such are enjoying the last few days of Winter Holiday, we are just beginning our Spring Break. It's not that it won't technically be spring up there, but they are still having lingering snow and cold weather. Today was a perfect day here in Texas. The only thing it was missing was a kite.

We started this wonderful day off with an early trip to the park for James' first soccer game. Our team shirts weren't ready so we were told to wear a green shirt. Oddly enough (being almost St. Patrick's Day) there were hardly any available for a five year old boy who is the size of an eight year old. There were two that had ugly characters on them, and I wasn't spending several dollars on a shirt that he was never going to wear again. I ended up finding a plain green Hane's t-shirt in the men's department in size small. I decided it would have to do. Since it was so early, it was still a little chilly and a LOT windy. James decided he needed a second shirt on under his green one so I threw on another one, but I soon realized that his shorts were a little too snug to tuck everything in. I'm sure it would have been funny to watch us as I was tucking and pulling out and reaching under the shorts and straightening it all, but I got it all straight.

The players were typical 5 year-olds running up and down the field in a cluster, kicking each other's shins and the other team's ball in to their own goal. LOL Thirty minutes later, it was almost over, but not quite. They had a second game an hour and a half later.

Both games could have been the same game in instant replay except for the color of bibs they wore over their shirts. (Why did I have to go buy a green shirt??)

The only problem I had was with my camera. The zoom button is broken so this is what all of my pictures looked like before editing.

Here are some action shots (all taken blindly since the sun was too bright for the LCD screen):

Major concentration

This little man made almost all 8 of the other teams goals.

This is James throwing the ball in. Need to work on that technique.

Love that boy even if he won't smile.

I Probably Jinxed Myself

2011-03-06T20:06:00.005-06:00

I should have just stopped complaining while I was ahead.

Instead, I went to meet two college friends for lunch on my last day out of town for the dance competition. I can't remember the last time I had seen either of them outside of Facebook.

Last week, James' seat belt buckle broke, so I moved him to the other side of the car, but didn't remember to click the child lock on that side of the car. He is not allowed to let himself out of the car for many reasons. Caitlin or I have to do it every time.

We were sitting in the restaurant's parking lot waiting for my friends to arrive. The text came that they were there, so I said, "Let's go." As I was getting out of the car, I heard the most horrific scream and turn around to see James' finger stuck in the door. I quickly opened the door and when I first saw it, I thought, maybe it was just pinched. As time passed, the finger turned red and purple under the nail and the skin around it had scraped. I ran him into the restaurant for some ice, but it only made the pain worse. I walked back to meet my friends and this was their first impression of my son, screaming and yelling at me. We tried to get him to put it in ice water. He wouldn't stop yelling, and we had to leave the restaurant. I found a bandage for the scrape and told him to hold it over his head. He didn't believe it would work. We tried deep breathing, tickling, distraction of all kind. We finally called Daddy who would ask him distracting questions about his weekend, but then forget and start talking about the finger. Thirty minutes after it all began, James was calm enough to sit at the table, but he was still crying. Ten minutes later, he was asleep in my lap, which is how I enjoyed the rest of my afternoon with my friends.

When it was time to leave, I managed to get him in the car. (I had to carry him out of the restaurant because he refused to leave the table. Remember he is over 4 feet and over 60 lbs.) I then remembered, I had better get a picture to capture the moment I was with these girls because they probably were never going to want to do that again. :-)

The drive home was uneventful but punctuated with stops for shakes, ice cream, soda, candy...anything to keep him happy.

I Have the Worst Luck...

2011-03-06T05:51:00.003-06:00

...when dining out. (One of my best friends loves to see what I will be getting for free when we go to eat. It is that bad.)

We had been out of town for a dance competition this weekend. We were staying in a new hotel so everything was clean. The girls won first place for their tap routine. The weather had been generally good. All in all it had been a good weekend.

But the usual chaos ensued when I tried to go out to dinner with the kids. It started with a trip to Sam Moon as a surprise for Caitlin and her upcoming birthday. She had never seen one before. Neither had I for that matter, but had heard rave reviews from all sorts of people. That's why I drove an extra 30 minutes out of our way to go.

If you have never been, here is a small idea of what this mega store is all about. Walls and walls and rows and rows of jewelry and purses and scarves and hats and totes and so on. It ended up not being that big a deal for me as it was for my friends, but we can go into that issue in another post.

The kids were hungry, but I promised Caitlin that she could have whatever she wanted from there as an early birthday surprise, so we were there about an hour. While we were there, my phone died and I hadn't packed a charger. I thought I was up a creek since I had plans to meet friends the next day and still had a long drive home as well. As we walked out of the store, I saw a phone accessory store and ran over there. The nicest people were in there. ( I had no idea they were about to close because most retailers don't close until 8 or 9 and it was only 6:30.) They helped me find a car charger for my phone for only 12.95, opened up a register, and I was on my way.

So far an okay day...

When we had pulled into this new shopping center, we spied several restaurants, two of which we have at home. I suggested we go to BJ's because James was set on having chicken and french fries. Since we waited to eat until after our shopping spree, the restaurant was packed, but they said it was a 20-30 minute wait. I didn't know the area and figured it would another 30 minute trip back to the hotel and the restaurants around it, so we stayed. It turned out to be longer than that and I started seeing people who came after me get seated and I asked when we would be seated. The girl at the check in stand said we were next, so you can imagine my surprise when another party of three was called before me. I walked up with my pager and said, "You said I was next." The girl tried to push the problem off on the other hostess who then said we would be the very next party to be seated. I then posted myself right by her station until she gave us a table.

I have eaten many times at this chain of restaurants. I have never had a problem, even though I have terrible problems at restaurants in general. (I have earned many a free meal/gift card.) That's why it never occurred to me that there would be a problem here.

Drinks and appetizers arrived without a hitch. Then we wait and wait a.n.d...w.a.i.t. The front end manager comes out and says their was a problem with Caitlin's food and they had to remake it. James and my food is ready would I like to have it now. I suggest they bring James' dinner because it is now late and he is losing all sense of restaurant decorum. Then we wait and wait (well you get the picture.) Then a kitchen manager comes out with our food only Caitlin's is obviously burnt. "Seriously?? Would you have eaten that?" I think to myself. I tell him she is not eating it, and he takes it back to the kitchen to try again. When it finally comes back, I am halfway through with my dinner. James has given up being good. He wants to sit next to his sister and hug and kiss her. (This may seem like a sweet thing to those of you who don't know Caitlin, but she hates to be touched.) I am trying to not make a scene.

The manager comes over and apologizes for all the problems and offers to make it up to me by not charging us for Caitlin and my food and by offering her dessert. (Great, we will be here even longer.) He brings us the best dessert ever, but the kids are fighting over what's their part even though I clearly delineated, "This is yours and this is hers."

As I stagger out of the restaurant into the cold (the weather took a sudden change for the worse,) I look at the clock and see it is now 9 pm. Holy moley, we were in there over 2 hours. Now I still have to drive back 30 minutes to our hotel, wrangle James into bed and somehow fall asleep in strange bed.

As I mentioned before, this is NOT an unusual event for me at restaurants. My food is usually the one that is lost or forgotten or wrong. Sometimes my entire party is forgotten by the waitstaff. But the fun we have sitting around laughing and telling stories makes up for this most of the time...oh yeah and the fact that I usually get it for FREE.

Today, I am meeting one more friend for a meal. A friend that I haven't seen in 20 years. Maybe I should warn her beforehand.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T00:01:00.003-06:00

Friday or Saturday (it's all a fog) I saw a person on Flickr who drew with her nondominant hand so I tried drawing with my left hand, too.

It took a lot of energy to work with my left hand.

Then, I've survived a teenage sleepover. Just two girls, but it was CRAZY. I didn't think it would be that bad. I don't remember being like that as a 13 year old. And poor James couldn't understand that the girls didn't want to play with him. Even though I was happy that Caitlin has someone who enjoys the things she does, I was glad when it was over on Sunday. While it went on, I locked myself in my room and played with markers.

These are like starbursts I used to make as a child with crayons.

Sunday, Gary went back to KC. This gave me some time to make Valentine's Day cards for my students. I had fun.

They are bookmark sized.

Happy Valentine's Day

Just One of Those Mornings

2011-02-08T08:51:00.003-06:00

I just had to stop in and tell you why I am feeling grateful this morning.

This week is my week to pull hall duty where I have to be at work before 7 a.m. to be at my spot on time. This means getting my son up earlier and having things laid out the day before and so on. However, I didn't pack his backpack until this morning. On the bright side, my husband was here to take up some of the slack.

As I was running around doing my last minute checks, I opened my son's backpack to ensure his homework was there. I couldn't find the binder. My husband said it was there so I opened another pocket of the pack. Sure enough it was there. I quickly put it in the pocket I normally use for his things and went to zip the bag when I felt something wet. (Mind you, I am doing all of this in semidarkness.) I flip on a light and lo and behold, there is something wet and brown on my hand. The mind always shifts to the lowest common denominator so you can imagine what I was thinking. I immediately called my husband to deal with it while I ran to wash my hands. After some investigating, he found a lunch sack with an open pudding my son obviously saved from lunch the day before. It had soaked through the lunch bag and settled in the bottom of the backpack. Fortunately, I had a spare backpack for him or he would have been bringing his things to school in a grocery bag.

So far this doesn't sound like a grateful list. Does it? But I can now show you where gratitude comes in:

My husband is home which means he wakes and dresses my son.
I am going to work at 7 a.m. which means I get off at 3 p.m. instead of 3:15.
I have electricity to turn on lights.
The brown stuff turned out to be pudding.
My husband cleaned up the mess.
I had a spare backpack.
I have you bloggy friends to share this story with.

So what are you grateful for today?

Oh and on the topic of messes...Where was this cool spoon (called a Boon) when my kids were babies?

(click on the picture for more information)

You fill the handle with baby food...OR PUDDING... and squeeze a little into the spoon. That would have been a cool tool.

Color My World

2011-02-06T18:36:00.003-06:00

...in blues, greens, yellows and reds.

Chily-Pepah took the most beautiful photo while on holiday in Florida this past week. I was so drawn to it (pardon the pun) that I had to sketch it. Then I got out the kids' colored pencils and did my best to replicate those colors. It's the first non human, non doodley picture I have done in a while. I put this on the Sketchbook Challenge Flickr group under the theme opposites because it is such a departure from my usual style.

It's my favorite!

Following the Plan

2011-02-05T16:00:00.007-06:00

On Art Journal Everyday, Julie posted a 7 day plan that would have you at the art journal for about 10 minutes each day. That's not how I usually work. I store up all my energy and find one day just to pour everything into my journals. This is why I don't usually get much done in my art journals. I rarely have that much time on my hands. This week I decided to follow the plan. It was fun. I have posted most of them and have two days left to show you.

Day 6 she said to journal on notebook paper like you were back in high school. I decided to pull out my old doodle friends, frogs, worms, dogs, elephants, rabbits, rainbows and flowers.

Day 7 she said to cut out a favorite piece from the day before to paste in the journal

and use it to doodle around.

I had a vision of wallpaper in my head.

Below are the rest of the pics from our Snow Day. The snow is all gone now except on my front sidewalk which never sees the light of day in winter.

This Moment

2011-02-04T11:20:00.003-06:00

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama.

Opposing Forces

2011-02-03T19:53:00.003-06:00

We have been having unusually cold weather here in Central Texas. I don't remember it being this cold here before. They say it's going to snow tomorrow. I have opposing feelings about this. I am tired enough that I could enjoy an unplanned day off. On the other hand, I don't want to lose an already planned day off later in the year like Good Friday (aka Bad Weather Make Up Day.) I also don't want to lose anymore instruction time than I have already due to students staying home because of this cold weather. Yes, we're wimps.

The theme over at Sketchbook Challenge is Opposites so I drew this:

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Ooh...I feel a little self criticism coming on, so I am going to post this before I have a chance to delete it.

Fortunately, Unfortunately

2011-02-02T11:11:00.006-06:00

Fortunately, I have today off. Unfortunately, it is because James is sick. Fortunately, he is feeling better. Unfortunately, he had to endure two miserable days. Fortunately, my mother was able to watch him while I tried to make an appointment. Unfortunately, EVERYONE in central Texas was sick, and there were no appointments available. Fortunately, there was a waiting list. Unfortunately, they never called. Fortunately, I had made an appointment just in case they never called. Unfortunately, James had to suffer through two days of a fever of 102-103F (39C.) Fortunately, the doctor ended up giving him a prescription. Unfortunately, she wanted him to get a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia first. Fortunately, it wasn't pneumonia. Unfortunately, the doctor said take the medicine anyway. Fortunately, it was only a 5 day prescription. Unfortunately, James threw up the first dose. Fortunately, he woke up feeling better, so now I am home with a little boy who is enjoying watching cartoons, and I get to play on the computer, draw and do laundry. ( Or should that last one be UNFORTUNATELY?) :-)

This month's Sketchbook Challenge theme is "Opposites." I did a little brainstorm with this page:

When I started writing today's post, I realized that it fit well into this month's theme.
So does this:

I also have been following Art Journal Everyday. Julie shared a weekly plan. This page is based on drawing squares or rectangles and doodling in each square.

I am glad I am home. How often do you just get to sit around in your jammies on a work day?

On the Creative Front

2011-01-31T20:56:00.004-06:00

This year in an attempt to explore more creative avenues, I joined Sketchbook Challenge and a Calendar Challenge. I did fine on the first one, but completely flaked on the second. Here is what I have finished this past week.

I finished the front cover of this book:
Then I followed the directions for Sunday on this weekly art journal plan, and came up with this:
Just using some of my favorite motifs to put this zentangle scene together:
I think I am going to turn this into a set of note cards:

I think for as busy as January has been, I have managed to enjoy some pretty good creative time. I have one more project I would like to add to the creative mix. I planned to do it last month, but the month got away from me and it required me to remember what I did everyday.

I will share more with you soon.

Hello Friends

2011-01-29T06:21:00.009-06:00

(THIS WAS STARTED THIS MORNING...I RAN OUT OF WORDS AND AM FINISHING IT AT 9:16PM)

Well, here I am, 6:21 in the a.m. on my day off. No rest for the weary.

Today's activities will begin at 8 a.m. when my alarm goes off for real, and I have to get my kiddos up to get Caitlin to a private dance lesson to help her improve her solo. Things aren't going too well. Last year she did a tap solo but was bent on doing a jazz solo this year. I knew it wasn't the right choice, but she couldn't be swayed and decided to let her learn her lesson the hard way. In the beginning, I thought, "Wow, she just might do this!" However, she hasn't grabbed onto certain difficult parts of the routine that her choreographer has created for her, and we haven't had a moment to get together since learning the entire routine back in November. I hope this lesson does the trick. I will let you know when I know.

After we get back, I really should do some regular chores, but I am such a procrastinator that I will probably sit down for a while and then get involved in something else more interesting like getting through my list of DVR'd shows. I also have to find a moment to go over to my mother's to help her get her DVD player working. My DH helped her hook up everything last week before he left for Missouri, but didn't try out the DVD player once he hooked it up. Now we can't get it to play. I had to call a coworker because I couldn't figure it out. It must be a much fancier t.v. and has far more connections options in the back than this one.

Finally, when I do get some things done around the house, I want to break out some pens and get to drawing. I have yet to really pull out paint because the colors I have are limited, and I am currently on a very limited budget until I am no longer paying for two houses. So for now, I am going to try the doodling version of this activity over at Art Journal Everyday. I didn't get to do too much even though Julie's simple idea is to do only about 10 minutes everyday. Yet another thing to improve on.

9:16PM

We finished with dance lessons. They were quite productive. We will have to go back next week for another private lesson.

This is after 30 minutes of nonstop practicing. She was a little tired.

Did I draw or paint? No. But I did get a load of laundry done and we raked the leaves that have been covering my dormant front lawn for the past month.

Click on the picture to see all the photos larger.

And I watched all of the recorded episodes of Leverage that have been waiting for me on the DVR.

Tomorrow is lesson planning day.

Who's That Girl??

2011-01-19T14:36:00.003-06:00

I had this afternoon off because I was going to take James to the doctor, but when I called the doctor's office, the receptionist said she was double booked all day because another provider was out of the office for the day. I ended up taking James home anyway since I had a substitute ordered. So I went home and relaxed and pulled out one of my sketchbooks.

I warmed up with some zentangling and then dared to draw some faces with marker. There's no taking back marker. The first one is okay.

The second is just a base. I think I will leave it to scan when the computer is up and running and then try different styles of hair on her. I really like this one. I can envision her many ways. I can't wait to work with her. Wouldn't it make a good stamp?

On to other things...

You know what's interesting?? I really don't have much to say. I have never been one to be short of words, but lately my brain is so busy with work and the kids that it doesn't have the time to wander like it used to. I miss that. I don't know how to get my brain back to that point either. How do I let go of unimportant things and free up some brain cells for silliness, for observations and all the things that this blog was meant for??

I'm not sure, but that's on the agenda.

Zentangling

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

And so it continues...

The cover of my book

A page in my moleskine book.I have found that I have a fear of white space. I really want to fill in the area around the eye. It is all I can do to keep from grabbing a pen and start marking in it.

Look Ma, No Hands!

2011-01-16T14:26:00.003-06:00

LOL!

I don't know how to give people hands or how to pose them other than straight on. But here she is:
I do, however, like her hair.

Sketchbook Challenge - cont.

2011-01-14T21:40:00.005-06:00

I have been working on some things.

The first was to add hair to my poor little bald people. It's okay.

Next is a zentangle that enjoyed making. I combined both an Opaque Writer and a thin lined pen to add detail. It says Bloom Where U R Planted. The theme for this months Sketchbook challenge is "highly prized." I value that I have gotten to live in many places in my life (Pennsylvania, NY, Alaska, Texas, Colorado.)

In June, I get to live in a new place, thanks to my husband's job. Time is ticking and I have done nothing to get ready for it. Better get on the stick

Creative with Food

2011-01-09T22:50:00.004-06:00

Another way I want to be creative is with the food I prepare for my kids.

For years I fed my kids to keep them fed with no mind to what how interesting it was. Convenience was key because of our hectic schedules. I began missing when I would cook creatively, so I am looking to add that spark back into my food while keeping meals simple.

A few weeks ago, I used Betty Crocker's pizza dough mix to make pizza with the kids, but something went wrong and it was too crispy, the reduced fat pepperoni dried up and in the end no one was happy. I had bought two packages of the dough mix and only used one, and since the first go round didn't work, I had to get creative.

I mixed the dough as the package directed, split the dough into four balls and then spread the balls into circles about 5-6 inches across. I spooned some pizza sauce onto the dough, keeping it away from the edges and then added the cheese and pepperoni. I folded over the dough and sealed it with a fork and brushed it with an egg wash. I baked it at 450F (?) for 10 minutes and let it sit for 10 minutes so we didn't burn our tongues.

They came out great. The funny thing is, the kids will both eat store bought, microwave pizza pockets, but when James saw these he started whining. I told him he didn't have to eat them and that Caitlin and I would eat them, but he had to sit at the table with us while we ate. Suddenly, he was eating it and wanting more. Funny kid.

Response to Face Tutorial

2011-01-08T13:01:00.003-06:00

I hate drawing faces. I would love to draw faces without thinking much about them. So I watched this tutorial and it reminded me of some lessons I learned many years ago (elementary school art.)

I am showing you just the face bases I made. I will add hair later. This is the first use of the little book I made the other day.

I will show the finished work tomorrow. I really should be working on reading lessons today.