Welcome, 2014

Well, well, well.  It's that time of year.  The time to make resolutions and follow through (or not).  The time to have a snow day (or an it's freaking colder than shit day) or two.  The time of year when you look into the mirror and see the battle of the fudge...all over your body (along with the Christmas cookies and all that other stuff).

I had planned on getting back into my Y class schedule starting tonight.  However, I am a wimp about the cold and getting into my car in -30+ windchill after spending an hour in the water would be supreme torture for me.  I would rather go through labor.

So, instead of going to work I have been attending to things around the home front (like cleaning for the first time in a month).  I did the ironing, made yogurt, made the bathroom acceptable for human habitation and finished some Thank You cards that I made for the students who were kind enough to give me gifts for Christmas.  It felt good to get back into the Bat Cave and do something other than wrap gifts. I got my hands messy (yay!) and played with my watercolors and my pens.  I even organized the Bat Cave (again).  So here are the pics of what I accomplished while the winds howled and the temperatures dropped.  Stay warm and stay safe.  And if your high for these couple of days was over 0 degrees Fahrenheit, consider yourself blessed.  I think Phoenix sounds really good right now.

These cards were made on watercolor paper, with basic watercolors, permanent ink and paint pens.

Nervous Mommy

My kids love to live in the danger zone.  Alaska Girl lived in a resort town full of bears and avalanches. Computer Boy has been through two hurricanes.  Swim Girl has been through a couple of earthquakes, a hurricane and now lives right smack in the middle of Tornado Alley.

I swear they do this to me on purpose.

I am posting some pictures of the area where Swim Girl is now living.  A couple of years back a nasty tornado tore through town...literally.  They are rebuilding and moving on from the tragedy.  They still don't have a real grocery store (pretty much just Super WalMart and Super Target) but word on the street is that a couple are coming on soon.  There are still no big trees in the area and it is devastatingly obvious the path the storm took, but things are moving right along.  New housing, new businesses, empty lots ready to go...all signs that this city is rebuilding itself.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the citizens of Washington, IL and other areas that were hit hard by the recent tornadoes.  May your recovery be swift and your miracles be many.

New apartment housing that is starting to rent in the area.

A view of the new high school area.  Note the large trees in
the distance.

A closer view of the new building.

I was told this Walgreen was rebuilt and
opened 31 days after the storm.

While I am not sure of the significance
of this birdhouse tree (no one could
tell me), it is one of the few remaining
large trees in the storm area. 

This lone painted tree was one we passed
many times. Another reminder
of the power of Nature.  It is stripped of it's bark and I assume that
it is dead.  But the tree is still standing and
some think it is beautiful.  It is
the tallest natural thing that you can see.

Empty

At home the night before her big move with Makeup Mom
and Twilight Girl.

If you read this blog, you know how I live to move family members across the country.  I especially love to move Swim Girl.  Let's see, there was bringing her home from New Jersey, then off to St. Louis, then out to Orange County, then clear across the country to Maryland and then home.  But wait. We are not finished yet.  We had to move her one more time to southwestern Missouri.  Note to Swim Girl:  how about Hawaii?

I knew this one would be hard because it had been a long time since our house was anything more than her permanent address for mail (mainly bills).  In fact, she hadn't been here for more than a week since the summer before her Sophomore year in college.  She stayed this time for over a year.  It was hard to say goodbye.

I haven't looked in her empty room yet.  I am afraid that I will cry more than I already have (and not just because I will freak out at the mess).  I got so used to seeing her every day; on the couch wrapped up in a blanket, at work, at dinner.  Having her move home was one of those unexpected parental bonuses ranking right up there with the kids filling the gas tank without being asked (using their own money) and remembering your birthday without any discreet phone calls from the other parental unit. In other words touching and sweet and wonderful.

So as Swim Girl moves on to begin a new adventure, I say thank you.  Thank you for coming home and sharing your friendship once more.  I wouldn't have traded this past year for anything.

With her Dad.

I will not bore you with a narrative of the
hours I spent cleaning this tiny room

Be brave and enjoy this new adventure.

I Did Some Art - Finally

I cannot believe that it has been over 2 months since I posted here.  Whoa.  I just kept putting it off and thinking I would get to it.  Apparently, I never did get to it.  So now I'm gettin'.  Got it?

It does still creep me out some to tear up a kid's book.

I have had some time to get into the Batcave and accomplish a few things.  Mainly, I am trying like mad to finish up some classes that are set to expire soon.  Note to self:  do not sign up for more than 2 or 3 classes at a time.  Ever.  Again.

I was able to finish one class called "The Art of Wild Abandonment".  It is lead by the marvelous Junelle Jacobsen and can be taken through ScarletLime.  Since I have friends and family who keep having babies or grandbabies, it seems like a lot of my stuff is going for gifts.  I'm good with that.

The pics below represent a couple of gifts.  They are actually noteboards.  They were done on 6" x 12" deep edge canvases.  The fabric is stiffened burlap, and the blue fabric is from some blue jeans that I had hemmed.  The backgrounds are book pages with lots of paint.  I used embroidery floss for the 'sewing' and did that by hand.  The pieces were attached to the canvas by using Golden's Super Heavy Gel Medium.  Enjoy.

Gettin' the sticky on!

The burlap additions for both canvases.

Canvas #1

Canvas #2

I love the wire wrapped rocks.

It's the easiest thing in the world to go out and grab some sticks!

Sorry for the black rectangle, but
I wanted to block out the recipient's name.
I just used some letter stickers!

Summer Forts Revisited

Oh well.  I had amazing plans.  Those summer forts are, for the most part, still sitting undone!  No excuse.  Just didn't do most of them.  I have the spare bedroom partly torn up, if you all are willing to count that.  I have to finish it soon.

I don't regret not building my forts.  I was gone for nearly 5 weeks out of my summer and I had a blast. That is a trade off I will take any time!  (I will blog about these trips later.)

I did get a few things completed for the yard, though.  I painted some big pots, a metal table and made three bird baths! Ta da!  Do I at least get a few brownie points for that?  Thank you!

This one is fairly small and I keep it on our deck floor by some plants.  I caught a bird drinking from it this morning!  I was thrilled.

This one is a lot bigger and it is in our front garden.  I love the colors.  I haven't caught any birds using it, but I think that they are.  I found a website through Pinterest for how to do these. Basically just some sealer and then outdoor paint, paint pens, pen and Mod Podge Outdoor.  It takes a while because you have to let each layer dry. Other than that it was a blast to do these.  There is a third one that I gave to my dad for Father's Day.  I forgot to take pics.

These yellow pots were pitch black.  They are plastic and I was tired of the black.  I'm not sure if I would do the bright yellow again, but I like it. I think it looks cool with the flowers draped over it.  The thing is it takes a while for the flowers to drape over it!

We have had a weird summer and I am struggling with watering the plants properly.  I have 3 of these pots where the plants have pretty much died.  Grocery Boy insists that they don't like the pot color.

In case you are interested these were spray painted with Rustoleum white primer and then their yellow paint.  That's it!  So far so good.

This Boot Is Made for Walking...and Painting

The Achilles Tendon.  Sounds cool.  I mean, Achilles was fast and a hero and a demigod and good looking and stuff.  Except for that one way you could bring him down.  That one little arrow right to the heel.

I feel bad for Achilles.  I mean, that really hurts.  I don't literally stick arrows into the back of my heel, but it sort of feels like I do on a minute by minute basis.  You should see me stand up after being in the car for a while.  I swear to you waking up a teenager before noon is easier, and faster.  And I don't want to even discuss what happens if I wear the wrong pair of shoes for too long.  The upside to that one is that it sure has been fun finding that one pair of perfect shoes.  Can you say new shoe rack?

With the constant pain party going on in my leg, I decided that I had better start getting serious about managing this.  I was visualizing ugly orthopedic shoes in my future and it was giving me the creeps. So, I caved and went to the doctor.

The result of all my trips for testing, therapy and whatnot are this:  I have a split tendon on the outside of my ankle (!?!) and Achilles tendonopathy.  Say what?  In other words, I get to wear the dreaded Boot.  And not only do I get to wear it, I get to wear it for a looooong time.  Probably a few months. Oh and I can no longer walk for exercise.  So I get to completely change all of those habits.  Right about now I think my family is missing the effect all of those feel good endorphins (or endolphins if you prefer and you saw "Postcards from the Edge").

So, after a one day pity party that involved intensive retail therapy, I was ready to face this ugly monstrosity.  What to do to make it a tad more palatable.  I know.  Paint pens.  Paint always makes you feel better.

Say hello to the new Mr. Boot.

Because every boot needs a frog.

And an owl.

Mr. Boot sees all.  I am a little worried that this will creep out the preschoolers.