Percytruffle's Place

Eating Out Of Our Hands

2009-01-07T16:26:00.005-05:00

Last year Shawn made a ghillie suit. It took him about 6 months to make the whole thing. He began with a camouflage jacket and hat and an old pair of corduroys. There were buckets of various colors of green and brown dye in the garage all summer and fall. He visited Walmart's fabric department over and over again buying yardage of burlap which he would then cut into lengths and unweave into piles of separate threads which he would dye and then in turn tie to the mesh he had sewn to the various articles of clothing. The last steps were trimming, sewing heavier material on the front to protect the fabric while crawling, and dyeing the gloves and shoes. It was quite a time consuming process! The suit is really amazing.

So, what does one do with a ghillie suit if one is not a sniper? One feeds the birds of course! Shawn and Julia put his suit to the test during Christmas break.

It was hard to snap pics because the birds landed so quickly and sometimes in such a great multitude. Shawn often had several birds on and around him at one time. The chickadees and the titmice were not shy at all and landed with amazing frequency on his hands, legs, shoes, head, and back. Then, they would hop into his outspread hands to nibble a safflower seed or two. To them he was some tree or bush. The cardinals were a bit more skittish as usual and would fly in and almost land, but at the last minute they would veer away.

Julia gave it a go too. The only way to tell it is her now is that bunch of hair sticking out the bottom of the head covering.

Getting up-close and personal with so many little feathered friends at one time makes a guy hungry!

It was really a special day.

Just in case you're itching to make one, here are some instructions to get you started. You'd better have a lot of time to kill!!

A Star for Christmas

2008-12-23T16:59:00.004-05:00

I made some lovely 3-D paper barn stars with one of the classes at school and I liked them so much I made one for home too. This craft is fairly simple, so I thought I'd share in case some of you are looking for an easy, last-minute craft to keep or give.

Start by printing a star from the internet. I made mine almost as wide as a piece of printer paper. Cut the star out. This one will be your pattern. Precision is important in your tracing and cutting for this craft, but if things are a little off it will still turn out nicely.

Next, use a sharp pencil and a ruler to draw lines from each "point" of the star to the "valley" of the star across from it. All of the lines will intersect in the middle.

You will need to use the two parts that make up one of the points. Label one "L" for light and the other "D" for dark.

Trace the star pattern onto a piece of thick paper. This will be the base of your finished star, so pick a color that will coordinate with the colors you will use for the star. I used a piece of white card stock. The paper should still be thin enough to bend.

Now, cut out the two triangles that you labeled light and dark. Choose two colors of patterned craft paper, one that is lighter in value and one that is darker in value. Trace the "L" triangle five times on the lighter paper and the "D" triangle five times on the darker paper. Do not turn the triangle patterns over. The letter you wrote on it should always face up. Carefully cut them out. Cut them inside the pencil line that you traced so that you cut the line off. That way it won't show and the triangles won't be too large.

Now, it's time to start assembling your star. You will glue a light and a dark triangle on each point of the thicker star you cut out of card stock. The whole thing will fit together like a puzzle. If there is a little extra space in between each triangle that is fine. It will help when it is time to fold. It is important that none of your triangles overlaps another one. That will impede folding the star.

Mine are all glued. You can see that it is not perfect and that there is a small gap between the pieces.

It is time to fold. The alternating light and dark triangles will add to the 3-D look. Fold each point individually so that the ridges running to the points stick up and the ridges running to the valleys stick down. All of the folds meet in the middle. The small gaps between the triangles should make folding very easy. The paper will want to bend at the gap. Voila! Your barn star is complete.

I hung mine by a little loop of ribbon on the bathroom wall. Where will you hang yours?

If you have more time and want to be even more creative you can do what we did in school. Each kid painted their own paper first. They painted colors and patters and used stamps. One area of the paper they made dark and one light. They made sure each of their areas were big enough to cut five or more triangles out of it. They used reds and greens, burgundies and metallic golds. They painted with craft acrylics on drawing paper that was about the weight of card stock or just a little lighter. It was thick enough not to buckle when they painted on it. They were lovely!

Experiment and see what you can come up with.

Happy creating!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-26T06:16:00.004-05:00

Paper Mosaics

A sampling of coil pots

Student photo for the cover of the Christmas program

See, I haven't actually deserted you all! I decided it was time to check in and share what the students have been up to in my art room. Now, I'm off to bake Thanksgiving pies and work on Christmas crafts.

School's In

2008-09-11T19:09:00.006-04:00

From my desk. The mural was painted at the end of last year by five high school students.

It looks like a sufficient amount of space until you try to cram 21 little first grade bodies in there at one time!

Looking toward my desk from the doorway.

The supply corner. The box in front of the shelves is a cave in the making. The middle school is studying art of the stone age and is making the cave to hang their "cave art" in. More pics of this project to follow later.

School began last Wednesday. I am enjoying being back in the classroom again. Since the school is on the small side, I teach art to all of the grade levels, k-12. Also, since the school is small and yet growing, other classes besides art are held in the art room certain days and periods throughout the week. On any given day I may share my small space with Spanish III, 8th grade math, Health, or high school Bible. These few breaks during the week afford me the time needed to put up displays of art work in the hallways and work on organizing the yearbook staff.

The upside to working in a small Christian school is definitely the kids and the Christian environment. They are a nice group of students and they have very active parental support. The downside is the lack of space. My room is small and my supply budget is limited. The nearest sink is across the hall in the girls' bathroom. Also, the days are long with 9 periods plus yearbook after school hours. We won't go there with the pay situation...but suffice it to say that I have taken a pay cut from my public school teaching job of twenty years ago. All that said, I am enjoying it and look forward to each new day. My head is full of project ideas and my heart is full of caring for these wonderful kids and their families.

While I am enjoying focusing on art alone, I am finding I miss teaching all of the different subjects a homeschool mom has to cover. Where is literature and science, history and math? I am certainly glad I had the opportunity to learn right along with my kids as they worked their way through our homeschool. Shawn is homeschooling history still this year, but he is doing it independently. I may sit down to watch a lecture or two with him, but he has ownership of the course. It is not "mom lead". I have always loved learning and the homeschooling environment suited me. I will always be a learner, always curious about that which I don't already know. Now I can look back on homeschooling with nostalgia, but forge ahead towards recapturing my true vocation of teaching art. How wonderful to have been blessed with both.

Shawn and Julia are both doing really well in their courses at the community college. I am so proud of them. Julia is working on a transfer application now. She is looking at Cornell as a transfer school and wants to apply early for next year. It's a good thing I went back to work when I did. Although it will be significantly smaller than Earle's paycheck, mine will become quite necessary soon.

Summer's Best

2008-08-25T15:40:00.009-04:00

Lazy days spent paddling up an inlet of a lake, these are the times Earle and I look forward to in the summer. We strap on the canoe and head out for the day.

Paddling up an algae-covered inlet. Our clear path left in the wake soon closed up behind us until we were surrounded by a carpet of green.

The yellow water lillies were all in buds, waiting to open.

A flotilla of turtles hovers near the bank of another inlet.

A stray bobber attracts a passenger.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-20T06:35:00.001-04:00

When cats dream...

First Day of School

2008-08-18T09:59:00.003-04:00

Remember when you first went to kindergarten and mom and dad had you smile and pose while you stood at the bus stop in your new school clothes and name tag? For us homeschoolers, sometimes leaving the house for the first day of school comes a little later.

I couldn't help but snap this pic of Shawn this morning as he sat waiting for Julia to finish doing her hair so they could leave together for the first day of classes at the community college. I also couldn't help but be a little anxious for them. It is Shawn's first classroom experience since third grade when we decided to homeschool, and it is Julia's hardest year yet with all upper level classes with scary names like Organic Chemistry and tutor and lab assistant responsibilities. Yikes. It's enough to make a mom's skin crawl.

I know they'll do well. They are such good kids. I am proud of them both and wish them well today. This momma can't wait until they come home from the first day of school to tell her all about it.

Chain Maille

2008-08-17T09:48:00.006-04:00

What does a crafty teen who has just visited the Renaissance Festival do with her last weeks before college begins? She picks up and masters a new hobby, of course.

Julia and her friends were intrigued by the chain maille for sale at the Renaissance Fair. She bought a small bracelet that drapes over the hand in a "V" and loops around the middle finger. It was an innocent enough purchase at first. Now, she is hooked. Now, there are bags of jump rings littering every horizontal surface in the house and pliers lain askew on place mats and coffee tables. And, there is a young lady, her eyes glued to a laptop monitor in front of her, pliers in both hands, who wrestles these stainless jump rings into all kinds of intricate patterns and beautiful weavings. We have a chain maille junkie on our hands!

Seriously though, the jewelry she is making is quite lovely. When one thinks of chain maille, if they are like me, they think of chunky suits worn by knights to protect them from glancing sword blows. But, this craft has grown to be much more. There are so many different fancy "weaves" and patterns that have crossed over from chain maille's once strictly utilitarian purpose to resemble something of art.

Julia has become so intrigued with this process and so proficient at her new craft that she is even considering selling her work, which I might add goes for a pretty penny online. Bravo to her for teaching herself this wonderful pastime and creative outlet.

My kids' creativity and ability to look up how to do something and then do it and do it well never ceases to amaze me.

Tagged by Melissa!

2008-08-16T14:51:00.003-04:00

I've been on a bit of a blogging break, as you know, but my WTM blogging friend Melissa tagged me for this meme and I am a sucker for memes! Also, as I read over Melissa's list there were so many similarities to me that I just had to do it.

6 Unspectacular Things About Me

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Here goes:

1. I love homemade popcorn with lots of real butter and sea salt.

2. Like Melissa, I startle very easily and my family has taken advantage of that fact. Just ask Julia about the fake black spider...

3. I sleep with one very old, flat pillow and sometimes even push that above my head. Hotel pillows, you know the puffy foam kind, kill me.

4. I snore sometimes. Dh has earplugs in his nightstand.

5. I require everyone to leave their shoes either outside the door, in their rooms, or in the cellar. They often opt for outside because it's easier, then they get angry at me when their shoes get wet!

6. I am a nut for SciFi.

There, everything you always wanted to know about me, right?! I'm not sure I will tag anyone right now, but I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date.

Reading and Watching

2008-07-01T18:08:00.007-04:00

Summer is ideal for reading and watching. The heat and humidity dictate either a break on the couch with a book or one floating in the Intex pool. The long days turn into late night movie viewing as cool breezes finally begin to waft in through the open windows.

I am usually a one-book-at-a-time type gal, but right now I am reading two. I thought I'd fly through a few more Miss Read books this summer, but I've gotten side-tracked and will have to pick her back up a little later in the season.

A friend loaned me To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. I'm finding it very good and rather funny, but I am not compelled to read one chapter after another. I like the book well enough, it is after all a pleasant adventure in time travel with much silliness and history. It just seems I put it down and forget to pick it up again for days.

My other read right now is open next to me on the couch. I am almost halfway through its 311 pages after picking it up at the library yesterday. At the end of each chapter it compels me to begin another, and then another...Sundays in America, A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith. I don't always share the author's views, but her "trip" is intriguing. Earle and I have always talked about worshipping at a different church every Sunday. Suzanne Shea did it for a year and we are along for the ride.

Apart from reading books I have been reading a blog I discovered called Zen Habits. I am all for simplicity and the articles there are very inspiring. Hop on over and give it a try.

Movie watching has been slow but steady. We picked up a few $5 movies out of the Walmart bin to add to our small collection. Among the usual fare of Terminator and military action movies were True Lies and one of my favorites A Knight's Tale. It is a great movie. What can be better than the character of Geoffrey Chaucer, stripped naked (from the back of course) bemoaning his gambling habit! Side-splitting stuff. The other great movie I watched (part of) recently was Master and Commander. I watched it at the precise time to see my favorite part: "Don't you know that in the service you must always choose the lesser of two weevils." If you've seen it you know of what scene I speak!

Old Friend

2008-06-29T21:08:00.004-04:00

My blog template, minima black, was like an old friend whom I missed while she was away. I tried to like my new friend. I thought she was more summery and light-hearted. But, in the end old friends are the best friends and I missed my minima. So, I gave her a call and invited her over. We're very close and having her here just feels right. She may be a little dark, but I love the way she makes the colors pop. She makes me happy.

Since I've been on my short blogging vacation, my nieces have been roaming the world, Earle and Julia have been to Germany, and my lovely sister-in-law has joined the blogging world. I think it might be time for an update soon!

Blessings to you all and I hope you are enjoying summer.

Update

2008-06-10T09:24:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how much time has gone by. We've all been very busy here. I've had to conclude that blogging may not happen over the summer much, so don't be surprised if you come to visit and nothing has changed. This is what we have been up to since I blogged last and what we are anticipating the upcoming summer to be like.

Me:

I spent last week subbing full time at the school where I will be teaching in the fall. The teacher whom I am replacing is pregnant and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia which sent her home for complete bed rest and sent me into the classroom full time, early. It was a good opportunity to get to know the kids before the upcoming school year and to take stock of the supplies. I will need to order supplies, plan for the classes, organize the room, and fire the kiln a few times over the summer. I expect to be in there quite a few times.

Also, while Earle and Julia were in Germany I painted the sitting area in the kitchen which we affectionately call "the cafe" and I painted the hall leading to the bedrooms. The cafe is now a lovely light orchid and the hall a pale sea blue. I also rearranged the great room so that the furniture grouping faces the view instead of the tv. I think there will be more thunderstorm and rainbow viewing than tv watching during the summer months. Since we have been experiencing a rather severe heatwave here, Earle and I put up my Intex pool and we purchased and installed air conditioners for the bedroom windows. This week would have been unbearable without them.

This summer I will be doing British Lit with Shawn and finishing Art History with him. I will continue with my art student and will also be creating and implementing a 1/4 credit art course for a friend's high school aged daughter who wants to graduated early and needs to fullfill a fine arts requirement. Hopefully I will find some time to fit in my own art as well.

Earle:

Earle is back from his two week stint in Germany. He and Julia had a wonderful time and he may eventually find the time to update his blog so you can share his adventure with him. We will be hosting someone from Germany when they visit here for work at the end of June. Earle is off for a few days to Taiwan and Germany in the meantime. His knee swelled a little again when he and Julia were away so he hasn't gotten on his bicycle yet this year, but he will soon. He and Shawn are still playing floor hockey though and we are looking forward to taking the canoe out for its first time this season. It's been too hot this last week to even think about being out on the water.

Julia:

Julia is back working at Kohl's for the summer and spending her free time with Seth. She is hoping to make enough money to pay her share of school in the fall, buy her books, and have some left over for a few riding lessons. Anything horse related is always so expensive and the rising price of gas has put a dent in every one's pocket. She will be picking up a little extra soon as she dog sits for some neighbors.

Shawn:

Shawn is working quite a few hours at Target. They gave him almost 30 this week. He has to fit in some school work this summer so that I feel I've covered everything with him that I wanted to before he heads to the community college. He has a few weeks left of fencing then our prime objective is to get him signed up for his drivers' test. He has been ready to get his license for a while now, but we haven't had the time to do it and haven't really wanted to pay the extra expense of the increased insurance cost. Shawn will also be doing some lawn work this summer for some neighbors, the same ones Julia is dog sitting for. It sure helps the gas fund.

So, as you can see, life is busy and there is no end in sight. We all feel as though we are chained to a treadmill that keeps speeding up regardless of what we do to try to slow it down. And of course the things I mentioned above are really just the tip of the iceberg. It is all those little plates we try to keep spinning in the air that take their toll in time and put us over the edge, things like: pets, and lawn care, and meal prep, and exercise....If I had back all the time I've spent cleaning cat puke off the floor in the last few years I could have painted a masterpiece instead! C'est la Vie.

Happy summer everyone. I'm sure you'll see me around, but it won't be regularly. Enjoy your families.

Food Stuff

2008-05-30T17:22:00.004-04:00

Have you missed me? I've been taking a small blogging break. Something had to take up all the time I usually spend here. So, we've been eating! Since Friday's Feast is on vacation this week, I thought I'd share a feast of my own making, the yummy kind. To say "we like food" at our house is understatement extraordinaire. We cook. We eat. Therefore we are.

Breaking in the new wok from Taiwan with a batch of fajitas. I know, wrong culture. It worked great though! Our stove even has a wok ring that you place on a burner to hold the wok in place. It is so cool!

Can I tell you how much I adore pumpkin? I can eat it any time of year. This particular Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Gingersnap Crust was particularly yummy last week, especially with pecans substituted for the hazelnuts in the crust.

This is truly a sad sight. I only made this batch of brownies last night and Shawn and I are the only ones home! These are the best chocolate brownies ever, ever, ever, ever.........ever.

Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square pan. (I used Corelle greased with butter). In a medium bowl (I used my KichenAid mixer for this recipe) combine melted butter and cocoa, stirring until dissolved. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread in pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Do not over bake. There's nothing worse than dried up brownies! Test with a toothpick for doneness. Toothpick should come out of center with moist crumbs, not clean. Cool, cut, eat. Yum.

You can thank me later. Just don't send me the bill for your new pants, one size bigger.

Happy Friday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-21T07:30:00.002-04:00

Busy Days

2008-05-20T09:10:00.009-04:00

The Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony. Apparently, Julia was in motion, and is therefore out of focus as she received her flowers!

I am always amazed at how busy this time of the year can be. Earle is only home for one more day before his next trip and we've been working feverishly to get all those springtime chores done before he is whisked off to Germany again. We've planted the rest of the garden except the tomatoes and peppers which will go in shortly. We fenced it in too, after our local rabbits had feasted on our spinach. Little buggers. It's a good thing they're cute! We even planted our deck pots with annuals, but we had to bring them inside last night because of danger of frost up here on the hill. It is a little early still for annuals, but with Earle going away again we wanted to get them underway.

This trip he will be taking Julia along for the ride. Twelve days in Germany, she is thrilled! She has waited for this for two years now. Whenever Earle had to go she was unavailable to accompany him. School. Work. More school. Finals are over, summer employment hasn't begun yet, she is off! It will be a nice reward for a job well done at school. Last week she participated in the induction ceremony for the Honor Society of Two Year Schools. We're not sure which professor nominated her, but it is a nice honor and will translate to scholarship dollars at a transfer school. All A's and one A- to round out the year. Way to go Julia! Next year will be tough, but she is very capable. She has signed up for: Organic Chemistry, Abnormal Psychology, Genetics, and I don't remember what else off the top of my head. Anyway, they are all upper level courses and all four or five credits I think. (ETA: The other course is Creative Writing) This summer she can give her brain a rest. She goes back to Kohl's for a summer job. They welcomed her back gladly. She has already started to unwind a bit with a trip down childhood lane as she rereads an old favorite, The Wind in the Willows.

We've been busy with Shawn's educational plans too. He will be taking British Lit with me over the summer and will be studying Medieval History next year using the Teaching Company lecture series as a spine: The Early Middle Ages, The High Middle Ages, and The Late Middle Ages. He also took the placement test at the community college and will be signing up for classes with an advisor of Friday. He will be taking College Composition I and Statistics. This year is not yet complete. I suspect we will need until close to the end of June to finish up. It seems as though the junior year of high school ends up being the most taxing year with the most work. After all, when you are preparing to launch into college classes the next year you can't slack off.

Speaking of slacking off, I'd better go watch Shawn's Art History lecture with him. Back to work, Mom! Tomorrow will be a busy day. Earle and Julia leave for Europe at about dinner time and I will be spending the day at the school with the present art teacher, learning about the make-up of the different classes, the schedule, the supplies, etc. It will be a busy day all around.

I will try to get my Wordless Wednesday up tomorrow before I go. We'll see. I Already have an idea for a picture. Hopefully I'll have time in the morning to post it before I head out. Also, what do you think of the new template? I needed a break from the black. I liked how it made all the colors pop, but it was looking a bit too wintry for me. I thought about installing a custom template, but Julia, my html guru won't be here to help me, so I went with one of the presets that Blogger gives you. It's a nice change though.

Lastly, did you catch the season finale of House last night? It was awesome! Now I can't wait until next year. Is the door open, perhaps, for a personality change for House? Will there be regret? An irrevocably broken relationship with his only friend? Poor 13 though, I felt so sad for her.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

Sibling Ticklefest 2008

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T18:19:00.004-04:00

Mother's Day was one of those relaxing, do nothing, sit around the house like a blob kind of days. It was wonderful. We attended church and came out all weepy after a very touching sermon. Then we packed ourselves full of calorie laden food at Bob Evans before heading home to slouch on the sofa reading the paper and other general "vegging".

Shawn worked eight and a half hours the day before and was tired, but he managed to give his favorite mom a very wonderful head massage which just about knocked her out for the rest of the day. He also came out of work on Saturday night with a wonderful card and luscious package of chocolates for his favorite mom for Mother's Day. What a sweetie.

Julia was tired too and glad to veg and be bloblike. She had to put in some time studying for one of her finals the next day. Today she found out she was the only one in the class to get an A on that final. Yippee! The class is Evolution and is the uppermost level biology class offered at the community college. Great job Julia! She has two more to go on Friday and then it is officially summer vacation.

Poor jet-lagged Earle was awfully tired from his two week trip that he arrived home from Saturday night. Planning ahead and knowing he would be tired, he had flowers delivered to me on Saturday. They were, and still are, beautiful and thoughtful. He also brought us home a humongous steel wok that he bought in Taiwan at, are you ready for this, Costco. He had to join Costco to buy it. We don't even have one around here. How funny is that?!

So, after we'd done our share of nothing, we decided nobody really wanted to cook. We ordered delivery. Pizza and Stromboli. Yum. Of course, the next day, and today still, I'm "bloated up like road kill" from all the salt! Earle and I washed it down with ice cold Bacardi Mojitos. I may indeed be bloated the rest of the week...

I hope your Mother's Day was also lovely and that you ate and drank well and had just the right mix of fun and comfort. Best of all, I hope you enjoyed your family as much as I enjoyed mine. Cheers!

Good News

2008-05-09T20:58:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember that I applied for a teaching position back in January. Well, one refreshed resume, several application essays, two interviews, and a lot of waiting later and I was offered the job today! I accepted over the phone, but the paperwork will need to be done to make it official. I will be the new art teacher at a local Christian school beginning this September. It is a full time position for art, grades K-12. I can hardly believe it has actually happened. I am about to burst. When Earle comes home tomorrow we'll have some serious celebrating to do!

When we ask Him for something that is so big we are sure we could never attain it on our own and then it happens, we know it is Him and not us who deserves the credit. I really never thought I would have the opportunity to teach full time again. I have been out of the classroom a very long time and have homeschooled, the kiss of death for a public school teacher! I wasn't sure I would even want to go back to the public school system. Then this position fell right into my lap, right at the best time. I feel so incredibly small in the hand of He who with those same hands sets into motion the whole workings of the universe. And yet, He knows every hair on my head and every need within my heart.

Friday's Feast

2008-05-08T23:33:00.003-04:00

Here's The Feast for you! Happy Friday everyone. See you in the comments as usual. I can't wait to see what you all have to say. It's been quite a week for us here between the SAT exam, the college placment exam, the fencing class tournament, and the dog incident. I'm sure glad it's Friday!

Appetizer
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Soup
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

Salad
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

Main Course
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

Dessert
Name 2 blue things.

Photoshop Phun

2008-05-08T23:12:00.003-04:00

Peaceful Cape Breton, Canada

Portland Head Light, Maine

The Tide is out

Cape Breton's rocky coast

I think I am becoming addicted to Photoshop. Does anyone know the symptoms? I think I might need intervention... After the week I've had and the amount of pain meds I've consumed from a solid week of migraines, Photoshop is about all the creativity I can handle right now. Photoshop and Vicodin. Hook me up. Painting, it's overrated ;-)

Is it summer vacation yet?

The original pics were all taken by my resident photo-crazed husband with his now retired Sony digital camera. If you want to see some of Earle's recent, un-photomanipulated photographs, there are some lovely pics on his blog that he took the other day in Germany. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-07T02:12:00.002-04:00

Feathered Friends

2008-05-06T19:18:00.003-04:00

This place has been overrun with birds lately! Remember our new neighbor last year, the Oriole? He is back and singing up a storm in the trees and in the bush. He loves to dip his beak into the blossoms of the flowering quince, extracting the nectar like a perched hummingbird. I bought him some orange speckled suet. It's been fun watching his orange bottom half flip skyward as he hangs from the suet cage to feed! I hope he decides to build a nest here again this year.

We've seen other new faces around here lately. Last week I spotted a towhee for the first time. He seems to have become a regular in the yard now. I often see him perched on the bush waiting for a turn at the ground seed under the feeder. He seems to show up when there isn't a lot of action around the feeder. He must be a solitary bird.

I had a very exciting few minutes last Friday as my art student was leaving. We had just opened the studio door when we saw a flurry of bright blue feathers in the bush ahead. We just had time to realise what it was when it took off up the path and then skyward toward the neighbor's yard. I ran for the bird books. Since he was a smallish bird and did not appear to have a rust colored belly, we concluded he must have been an indigo bunting. Boy, was he beautiful! I had seen a bluebird in the early spring last year, during an unexpected snow storm, so I knew this bird was not the same shape, size, or shade of blue.

We have had an abundance of gold finches this year as well. We have seen them other years, but this year they seem to have multiplied. I can't keep the thistle feeder full! They drain it in about a day and a half.

The cats are loving our bird population too. Daisy Mae likes to sit outside on Shawn's lap and make little kitty noises at the birds. Her little 'indoor kitty" paws have never touched the ground. Shawn can lay on the lounge chair on the deck and fall asleep with her on his chest and she won't even move. She makes no attempt to leave the security of her Shawn while she is in "the big room." Truffle spends a good deal of his outdoor time across the street in the field of long grass, prowling like a lion on the savanna, but when he stays closer to home he is laying in wait under the feeders. So far he is too old and slow. I hope it stays that way! The birds don't see Percy as a threat, and well they shouldn't. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. Bless his heart!

I just love this time of year. The birds are so active, building nests and courting. The mourning doves chase their mates around the yard, more interested in frolicking than foraging. The windows and doors are flung open and the birdsong surrounds us and warms our hearts. New life. The eternal renewal of spring wings its song across the valley, echoing from tree to tree. In the glorious sunshine the harshness of winter is forgotten, like the labor pains of a new mom as she gazes into the eyes of her precious miracle. The earth has given birth to newness of life, to spring.

Friday's Feast

2008-05-02T18:37:00.004-04:00

A little Photoshop dining ambiance to accompany the feast

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

Check the comments for my responses. what say you?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

The Mystery Bush

2008-04-29T16:55:00.005-04:00

View of the bush from the back door

It was very windy out today so I snipped a branch to snap a shot inside!

The branch ended up on the kitchen windowsill looking out at its former life on the bush

I love the way my cheap little camera captured the screen (yes, the good camera is in Taiwan with Earle)

Ever since we moved here three years ago we've wondered about the magnificent bush near our deck in the back yard. It sports lovely coral colored flowers in the spring, budding out even before its leaves show up. It is a haven for the myriad of birds that flock to our yard. They hide within its branches, undetected by predators, leaping ever closer to the edge where they can fly to the feeder nearby. The bush is also the hanging place for the suet cage, a handy and necessary winter snack for our feathered friends.

We have always wondered, but never knew what the bush was called, so this year I decided to research it online. My research labeled it a flowering quince . The bush shape is right as are the small thorns and five-petaled reddish pink flowers. The problem is the bush bears no fruit. Where are our quince? We love quince jelly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make our own! I surmise the bush must not receive sufficient sunlight because it grows under the shade of one of our maple trees. It may also just be that it is out of control and too "leggy". If we gave it a trim it might produce. Sadly, since I have seen others like it and have yet to notice any fruit, it could be some ornamental hybrid that no longer produces quince. Well, the flowers are lovely anyway. The bush is one of the features in our yard I like the best. It's a keeper, fruit or not.

Pet Antics

2008-04-26T15:22:00.004-04:00

We thought, oh, how nice, what a lovely time to sit out front on the glider and enjoy the peace and quiet and a little cup of tea. Then, along comes dog, and then Truffle. We are no longer alone. Of course, where there are pets there are pet antics: daring high-wire acts to rescue inside kitties from their captivity, a little rolling around in the dirt, and various sniffing and digging of holes.

So peaceful.

Friday's Feast

2008-04-24T22:03:00.002-04:00

Appetizer:
Name something you would categorize as weird.

Soup:
What color was the last piece of food you ate?

Salad:
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

Main Course:
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

Dessert:
Describe your sleeping habits.

I haven't done a Friday's Feast meme for a few weeks, but his one looks intriguing! My answers are in the comments. What say you?

More Visitors

2008-04-24T16:47:00.003-04:00

Mo, Julia, Shawn, Cyndy

Earle, Me, Cyndy, Mo

Earle's sister Cyndy and her husband Maurice stopped for a few hours yesterday on their way back home to Maine. This was their first time visiting us here since Cyndy is a guidance counselor which ties them to the school calendar and limits holiday travel. We had a lovely time chatting, showing them around the area, and munching snacks! It's great living just off the RTH (Relative Transcontinental Highway)! We are a perfect stopping point for all sorts of family travelers. We'll have to make sure to keep a ready supply of Diet Pepsi and Dunkin Donuts Coffee.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-23T07:14:00.007-04:00

All of this is right behind our house. We found it over the weekend after cutting through about 100 feet of hawthorn bushes. Hidden treasures! We were wordless, or should I say speechless. 75 acres of wooded, gorge-filled beauty. It belongs to a neighbor on the next street over. He is very lucky indeed. All this comes with a modest old farmhouse with two bedrooms and one bath. I think they must have bought the house just for the land!

Updates

2008-04-22T17:28:00.009-04:00

The deck is ready for summer

The view from the deck overlooking the valley and hills beyond

Some early flowers near the deck

Spinach, radishes, sunflowers, and lettuce planted

Did you miss me? I've been outside, a lot. After we cleaned the deck furniture we tilled and planted the garden with the veggie seeds that tolerate cool conditions. I still have to plant herbs in my pots, veggies that we grow from seedlings instead of seeds (tomatoes and peppers), and annuals for the deck planters, but it is a little too early to do that still.

Tomorrow we are expecting visitors from out of state again. This time Earle's sister and her husband are stopping to see us as they travel back to Maine from spending time in Pennsylvania with their daughter and her family. We are excited to see them. It will be their first time visiting our new home!

Shawn has been working a lot of hours at Target. Last week, between his scheduled hours and the extra hours they called him in, he worked 30 hours. He's raking in the bucks! Target is a great store to work for. He really enjoys the environment and the other employees are great. They have an incentive program where managers give out cards to you when they see you doing a good job, then you post your cards on a bulletin board in the back and each week they put them in a pot and draw a name for a free cd. He hasn't won anything yet, but he sure is gathering his share of cards!

Next week he takes the placement test at the local community college and then he'll be able to sign up for courses for the fall. Then, next Saturday is the SAT exam. We have a lot of work to do still before the end of the year and seem to be ramping back up after a winter slowdown. We are contemplating continuing to school over the summer. I would like to cover a short course in British Lit so he doesn't have to double up on English credits in the fall. The courses he will most likely take at the Community College are English and math.

I am putting together and order from The Teaching Company. I received a $30 coupon from them in the mail yesterday along with three new catalogs. I am ordering Early and Late Middle Ages as they are on sale now. I will have to order High Middle Ages when it goes on sale another time. Shawn will be using these as a spine for history study next year along with the recommended text(s). Since I needed to spend just a bit more in order to use the coupon, we are also ordering My Favorite Universe, which we will all enjoy very much! Shawn and I are making our way through Art Across the Ages right now and we think it's great! I am also investigating physics courses for next year. Our faulty start with Chem this year will not deter us from plowing ahead next year with physics. One does not need to precede the other.

Julia is all signed up for her fall courses. On her agenda: Organic Chem I, Creative Writing: Fiction and Drama, Western Civilization, and Ecology. she will be carrying 15 credits, tutoring for bio and chem again, and working as a chem lab assistant. She could be done and ready to move on to a transfer school after next semester if they were offering the programming course she needs for her major, but her professors aren't upset that she's staying the year. They are glad to have her help in the labs!

It looks like Julia will be going back to Kohl's to work over the summer and she may even fit in some riding lessons. That is all after her trip to Germany with Earle in May. She is so excited to finally get to go! They are even planning to catch an air show in Berlin while they are there. She will be the only one of us to go in the warm weather as opposed to Christmas time.

Earle is off to Taiwan and Germany soon. His pics from his last trip to Germany are up at his blog. He got some great shots, as always and ate some very interesting food! Have you ever had veal cheek? Our photo themes are taking longer than expected due to the yucky weather and the fact that the camera travels with Earle. It will be leaving the country for two weeks this time. Flying objects is just about wrapped up though!

A warm welcome to Meridith, another of my nieces, to the blogisphere! It's always good to see another family member join in the fun. I am looking forward to reading about her adventures. I think it's your turn now, Bev. Meridith's sister Vanessa is off on an adventure soon, check out her blog to see where! It is very exciting and I am very jealous!!

Wow, I think I've covered most things. I haven't had time to do much reading or painting, but hope to get back to that soon as things settle down. We took a lovely walk in the woods in back of our property today and discovered a nice slate filled stream and mini gorge. I will post pics of that another day.

Spring at Last!

2008-04-18T15:00:00.002-04:00

Hey! Come look what I found!

Spring has finally arrived in New York!

You probably won't see me around much this weekend. I'll be:

rototilling the garden
planting seeds
weeding
washing deck furniture
and all those outdoor activities I've been waiting to do!

Or, you might find me here with Earle, enjoying our new glider out front!

Happy Spring everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-16T07:02:00.004-04:00

April showers, hopefully bring May flowers!

Rocks in My Head

2008-04-12T09:10:00.004-04:00

I feel like I have rocks in my head this morning. What I really have is a nasty cold complete with low-grade fever. So, painting and outdoor activities are out today.

I was inspired, in my feverish state, by the post at Socks and Books about their excursion to a rock museum as well as the awe-inspiring rocky landscapes at Short on Words. I've always admired and collected rock. They are infinitely unique in color, size, texture, and pattern. Rocks have made their way into my house and into my art quite often.

You may recall the vignette I set up before Christmas using rocks we had collected in Canada. Over time the little set-up had become rather dusty and the pine needles had lost their rust coloring. So, I re-purposed the rocks and moss to create a new vignette in our pass-through area between the kitchen and great room. Shawn likes to use this area to draw his maps (which I will share with you in another post) and I thought he might like a tiny picturesque landscape in his drawing nook.

Some of the rocks were used in the nook, others now enhance the lovely table-top fountain Julia gave me for Christmas. When rocks are wet, they are at their best. The colors sing and the surface glows.

Our greatroom is full of rocks! Here are some small compositions I shot within the larger framework of some of my paintings that hang in that room.

Humans have been painting rocks and painting on rocks since the earliest know art. Rocks have been both painted on and painted with in the form of crushed minerals mixed with animal fat. From the Lascaux Cave paintings in France, to the open air rock engravings in Norway, people have chosen rocks as a source for artwork because of their permanence, availability, and of course their beauty.

If you've been inspired by rocks as I have and would like to try your hand at drawing some of the rocks around you, here is a rock drawing tutorial I found at eHow.

Surprise Visitors

2008-04-10T16:36:00.004-04:00

Savannah Jade rolling snakes and making snails

At 10:30 AM I answered the phone. Earle's brother Russell was at the other end. "Hi, do you want some visitors today? We're about three hours away right now. " Russell, his son, daughter-in-law, and grand daughter live in Michigan and were just returning home via New York from a trip to Maine. They arrived mid-afternoon and I had the pleasure of meeting my great niece for the first time! What a sweetheart she is.

The delicate hands of a future artist

I gave them a tour around the house and her eyes grew very large as we entered the studio. I'm not sure she was expecting her great auntie to be a painter. She wants to be an artist. A girl after my own heart.

Earle flew in from a business trip yesterday around dinner time. Russell and I picked him up at the airport and we all chatted over some Chinese take-out. Then, they were on their way. Such a

nice surprise.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-08T23:38:00.002-04:00

The many faces of Julia

In the Studio

2008-04-06T20:03:00.003-04:00

Background done

Up close.

You can almost smell the wet paint

A beginning, but a long way to go

Next up: watercolor

Lilacs

With the kids gone to visit a friend and Earle in Germany for work, I had the whole day to myself today. I didn't do one iota of housework, unless you count cleaning up a hairball, but that really was necessary. How many times can you walk over it and pretend it isn't there?! Anyway, I spent the afternoon and evening painting. I started work on a new acrylic painting and then played around with some watercolors and a Chinese brush on some small squares of watercolor paper I've had laying around ready to use up.

After the drabness of winter I am longing for color, can you tell?

Tonight I can sit back, put my feet up, relax, and watch part two of Sense and Sensibility on PBS. My back is tired from painting. The couch sounds inviting.

I also finished Miss Clare Remembers today. It is my favorite Miss Read book so far. Time to request the next one from inter-library loan.

Sunday Morning Blessing

2008-04-06T09:02:00.002-04:00

I awoke this morning in time to send off the kids as they headed out to visit Seth at college. They left at 7:45 am to make the 5 hour round trip and be back by early evening. Soon after they left some movement caught my eye outside our front window. I wasn't the only one up early enjoying the warming temps and abundant sunshine. An entire flock of Cedar Waxwings covered our front silver maples and swooped down in crowds of six or so to feast on the red berries of our Holly bush. They were magnificent! Though we have an abundance of birds here, I have never seen a Waxwing before. I stood at the window snapping pics for half an hour, berating my inept camera (the new camera is in Germany with Earle). They filled their bellies and sunned themselves on the leafless branches. Then, they were gone. What a treat. Had I slept a few minutes more or been distracted by some task I would have missed the show. Timing is everything.

Fine Art Friday

2008-04-04T13:38:00.005-04:00

Friday's Feast didn't inspire me this week, but Shawn's art history studies did. We are making our way through Art Across the Ages, art history lectures from The Teaching Company, and reading through The Annotated Mona Lisa as a precursor to the lectures as well as consulting some of my old art history books from my college days. We have begun this study rather late in the year and are only into the period of Hellenistic art, but no matter, we are enjoying the material.

Today's lecture addressed the Hellenistic period of Greek art, the time period when the great empire of Alexander had moved Greek ideals throughout parts of the Western and Eastern world. One of the most famous and noted sculptures of that time is the Nike of Samothrace. This sculpture is also a personal favorite of mine, so naturally I felt the urge to share its majesty with all of you.

Imagine if you will a niche of rock overlooking The Sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace, a pool of water at the nike's feet representing the ocean. Now picture the fierce wind howling across ocean waves and crashing upon the breast of the Nike as she stands, wings and (now missing) arms outstretched in victory against the very sea and wind itself, a testimony to the hard won naval battle she commemorates. This is the original scene in which the Nike of Samothrace was exhibited. She must have been a magnificent sight in those surroundings. Now, of course, you can view her away from the harm of the elements in the Louvre in Paris. Though from her intended backdrop she has been long removed, her magnificence is still greatly admired.

Read more about her here: Nike of Samothrace

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-01T20:59:00.003-04:00

I don't know how we could have forgotten the whole wheat flour...

Bread and Such

2008-03-31T08:54:00.002-04:00

Having been recently inspired by a post about bread by Daisy and an ongoing debate about whole wheat bread at the homeschool boards, we decided to bake bread this weekend. Our search of the grocery store shelves turned up no contenders for whole wheat bread that was high fructose corn syrup free. We purchased whole wheat flour and yeast. Research on the net turned up this wonderful recipe for 100% Whole Wheat and Buckwheat Honey Bread. We just happen to have buckwheat honey in the cupboard from one of our shopping adventures last year with Gretchen. We were set, right?

Only, you know that saying about "too many spoons in the pot"? There were three of us working on this bread project: Myself, Julia, and Seth.

As I was kneading the rested dough, I reached for the bag of flour to add more underneath the ball of dough. Hmm, it was white flour. We'd failed to put any whole wheat flour in the recipe, at all!

The bread is quite yummy and makes delicious toast too. I'm sure the intended whole wheat version is equally good! Maybe next time we'll find out.

Julia and Seth did redeem themselves later in the evening by making individual, chocolate molten lava cakes. Chocolate covers a multitude of sins.

Reading and Watching

2008-03-30T20:36:00.005-04:00

The weather looks tempting this time of year with the sun higher in the sky, but the frigid reality blasts you back inside soon enough! It's perfect weather for lazy afternoons reading and cozy nights huddled under a blanket in front of a good movie.

I've finished six Miss Read books now and am presently on Miss Clare Remembers. I am consciously slowing down my reading pace, hoping to keep the characters of Fairacre, Caxley, and Beech Green with me a good long time. I am always saddened at the end of a series. I truly miss the presence of the characters in my daily life.

Did you know that Enya wrote a song called Miss Clare Remembers? It is on her Watermark album.

I also recently read You Staying Young by doctors Oz and Roizen. It was a quick read with valuable info strewn throughout if you can stomach the silly writing style. I did learn that drinking Kefir is very good for osteopenia, which I have. That was a plus since I do like Kefir but haven't bought it for a while.

Another calcium rich food I've recently discovered is Greek yogurt. It is made by straining the whey out of regular yogurt. Such thick, creamy goodness!

Julia is actually finding time to read for pleasure this week. She is on break from her college classes. On her list is David Eddings book Enchanters' End Game from The Belgariad Volume II and The Secret Life of Lobsters.

Shawn has been reading Art and the Bible. Next up will be a Christian history book The Church of Our Fathers by Bainton, an out of print book which a dear friend gave to us a few years ago, and The Elements of Style. He just finished Perelandra. We will be studying it in depth with a Progeny Press study guide before he writes a lit paper for the book.

Now as for viewing, we've of course been watching the Sunday evening showings of the Jane Austen movies on PBS. Up tonight is part one of Sense and Sensibility. Earle, Shawn, and I have been watching them together. I must say, it is rather odd viewing company for Austen flicks! I'm so glad the menfolk are loving them as much as I am.

We also just came into possession of one of our all time favorite movies. We haven't re-watched it yet, but we are now the proud owners of Waking Ned Devine. If you haven't seen it before, you're in for a good laugh. If you have seen it before I have one short phrase for you: "naked old Irish guys riding bicycles"! I knew I could make you smile!!

Off to read. Miss Clare calls. I'll leave you with a short excerpt from the book.

"...They crossed a stile and made their way across a meadow high with summer grass. Some of the bobbing grasses stood as high as Dolly herself and she saw, for the first time, the tiny mauve seeds quivering at the grass tips. Ox-eyed daisies and red sorrel lit this sweet-smelling jungle that stretched as far as the small child could see. Above her arched a sky of breath-taking blue where two larks vied with each other in their outpourings.

In the distance the six bells of Caxley parish church chased each other's tails madly. A warm breeze, scented with the perfume from a field of beans in flower, lifted Dolly's hair, and she became aware, young as she was, of her own happiness in these surroundings. Sunlight, flowers, Mother, Father, Ada, and dear Emily were with her. Here was security, warmth, love, and life. Nothing ever completely dimmed that shining memory."

Photography Update

2008-03-30T19:16:00.003-04:00

Since the weather has been rather uncooperative this week, we've decided to continue the "flying objects" photography theme through this coming week as well. I should have some pics to share by next weekend. Feel free to participate if you'd like to. Just leave me a comment if you put up any pics at your blog!

Here's a preview from Shawn's shots so far:

Friday's Feast

2008-03-28T07:14:00.000-04:00

Appetizer:
What does the color dark green make you think of?

Soup:
How many cousins do you have?

Salad:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

Main Course:
Name something that is truly free.

Dessert
Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

My answers are in the comments. What say you?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-26T06:36:00.003-04:00

"Hockey Puck Face"

...in lovely shades of red, purple, blue, yellow, and green.

The New Toy

2008-03-25T13:56:00.005-04:00

We decided it was time to replace Earle's almost six year old Sony digital camera. It literally has a screw loose, missing even, and the memory stick is shot. No pun intended. He searched the net for a replacement stick to no avail. The Sony had been a surprise 40th Birthday present from me. It will always be special, but now it will take its deserved place in our old camera collection. It will be in good company there with the old Nikon 35mm and the Leicas.

The new D80

First shots with the D80. The semi-frozen pond at the park. The silly birds are lined up along the edge of the ice like they are on the edge of the sand at the beach sunbathing.

The photographer's assistant

The assistant's choice of subject matter.

The silly birds, revisited.

Since we are all equally excited about the new camera, we've decided to conduct a weekly photo challenge. We brainstormed photography theme ideas, wrote them on slips of paper, and relegated them to a basket. Earle drew the first one. All this week we will concentrate our photography efforts on fulfilling this theme. At the end of the week we'll share our best results and critique our photos.

Theme #1

Shawn, balanced on the deck stairs capturing a few of our flying friends which congregate in our yard in great abundance.

I'll share our results over the weekend. If you care to join us, pick up your camera and have fun!

Easter

2008-03-24T18:55:00.003-04:00

This Easter was an unusual holiday for us. We didn't host a dinner for family members. We didn't drive out of town or out of state. We stayed home, attended church to celebrate our Lord's miraculous resurrection, and enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing day together, just our family. Today, instead of feeling that familiar "after holiday hangover", which has nothing to do with alcohol, I was rested and eager to begin a new week of homeschooling.

Here's what we did do on Easter:

Cuddled felines

Snuggled with daddy

Slow danced in the kitchen with my honey

Played with the new camera

And ate scrumptious dessert!

Good Friday

2008-03-21T10:48:00.007-04:00

Christ on the Cross

Diego Velasquez

Museo del Prado, Madrid (250 x 170 cm, c. 1632)

Y miré, y oí la voz de muchos ángeles alrededor del trono y de los seres vivientes y de los ancianos. El número de ellos era miríadas de miríadas, y millares de millares, que decían a gran voz: El Cordero que fue inmolado digno es de recibir el poder, las riquezas, la sabiduría, la fortaleza, el honor, la gloria y la alabanza. (Spanish: La Biblia de las Américas (1997))

Καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἀγγέλων πολλῶν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν μυριάδες μυριάδων καὶ χιλιάδες χιλιάδων λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἄξιόν ἐστιν τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἐσφαγμένον λαβεῖν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ εὐλογίαν. (Greek NT)

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." (New American Standard Bible, Revelation 5:11-12)

In any language, the message is the same. The only way to Easter Sunday is through the cross of Good Friday and the only way to the Father is through the Son. The deed has been done; the debt has been paid. Blessed be His name.

Playing with Photoshop

2008-03-20T10:09:00.004-04:00

So, this is my new addiction! I was playing around with Adobe Photoshop and just loved the results. I use Photoshop to adjust color intensity and lighting/contrast, but I hadn't really played around with the artistic media before. Now I'm hooked.

I love how this pic of Earle's mum turned out. I used the effect dry brush to achieve the painterly quality and then I intensified the colors and added a spotlight lighting effect. If I sent if off, electronically, to have it printed onto canvas it would look just like a painting. Earle is such a great photographer. He always gives me plenty of subject matter to work from. A good deal of my paintings that I've done from photos have been from his camera. We went down to breakfast over the surprise birthday weekend and the lighting was so wonderful that he immediately flew back up to the room for his camera to snap this shot.

I actually took this one myself. I wanted a new pic for my profile on the homeschool boards. Again, I used the soft lighting coming in through the window to soften the lines on this getting-older face of mine. This photoshop technique is called cutout.

Here's a more edgy version of me made with indexed mode. Earle likes this one. He is a big fan of black and white.

Another pic manipulated with cut out. I also intensified the colors and adjusted the lighting. It reminds me of a 1950's paint-by-number.

My little girly! I used watercolor effect on one of her graduation pics. Doesn't she look amazing? I think I might print this one out on card stock paper. I'll bet it would look quite close to a hand painted watercolor.

Another lovely pic done with the watercolor effect. Not as pretty as the flower just above, but still an nice pic.

After the usual color and lighting adjustments I used a brushstroke effect called ink outlines to achieve this look. I really like the faux paint/pen and ink look it gave the pic.

Wow, I need to get back to homeschooling! This has been a really fun little rabbit trail to go down for a while. I think I'll be using these techniques again. Have you ever played with your pics before? What results did you come up with? If not, give it a try. You'll enjoy it.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-19T10:17:00.003-04:00

Percy, wondering if the Easter bunny feels as humiliated with the ears as he does...

Pysanky Workshop

2008-03-18T18:20:00.008-04:00

As promised, I have some pics from the Pysanky workshop I held in my studio. Two homeschooled students, a mom and her three girls, my kids, and two of their friends participated in our three hour class. They learned that Pysanky egg decorating originated in the Ukraine and that its intricate patterns and colors are symbolic. They learned about the tools used in making Pysanky and the steps in the process. Then, each participant made their own egg as we followed a traditional pattern, step by step, together. After the first eggs were complete the students created free form egg designs of their own choosing. At the end of the workshop each person took home with them: two finished eggs, a kistka, beeswax, an instruction guide, and a catalog with which to purchase dyes if they wish to make more eggs in the future.

Pysanky is a wax resist process. Beginning with a fresh, white egg, you cover areas of the egg with melted wax using a kistka. When you dip the egg into the first dye bath, the places you covered with wax will remain white. After each dye bath, when the egg has dried, you cover the areas with wax that you wish to stay that color before proceeding to the next dye bath. When the design is complete and all the dyeing is done, you hold the egg close to a candle flame to remelt the wax so you can wipe it from the egg revealing your finished design. Removing the wax from the finished egg is like discovering hidden treasure!

If making Pysanky is something you wish to find out more about and perhaps try your hand at, here are some resources for you:

Learn Pysanky: Step by step basic instructions, symbol and color meanings, egg designs, and many other wonderful bits of information.

Ukrainian Gift shop: Where to buy your supplies.

Two wonderful children's books by Patricia Polacco with Pysanky in the storyline:Chicken Sunday, Rechenka's Eggs

It was so nice to hold the kistka in one hand and a fresh egg in the other, to feel the soft melted wax flow onto the egg shell, and to smell the waxy goodness of burning candles and hunks of beeswax. There is something so comforting in working with low-tech tools on a traditional craft that has endured the test of time. Even though I have no Ukrainian in my family heritage, I feel a connectedness to the past and a gratefulness for those who are willing to share their customs with the rest of the world.

An 80th Birthday Surprise

2008-03-17T09:09:00.005-04:00

We went stealth this weekend! Earle and I traveled to Maine and couldn't tell a soul. We were part of a master scheme to throw a surprise birthday weekend for Earle's mom who officially became an octogenarian on Saturday. We drove up on Friday, a ten and a half hour trip, celebrated the event with a dinner at an inn on Friday night and another on Saturday night. There was food, games, shopping, and visiting with relatives we usually only see once a year at Thanksgiving. Twenty three family members were able to come, much to the surprise of all. One sneaky young lady flew in from Minnesota and never even told her mother she was coming for her Grammie's surprise party! Many tears of joy were shed.

The crowd gathers for dinner at the inn on Saturday night

Happy Birthday, Nora Marie!

Nora and Gus with four of their five children. The missing sibling, Earle's brother Russell, was one of the only ones not able to make it for the celebration.

We pulled it off, we surprised the woman who slips open the tape on Christmas presents then wraps them back up snug again! Earle's sisters in Maine spent a lot of time planning and scheming and it was all worth the look on Nora's face when we all showed up, one by one, to celebrate with her.

An Entertaining Evening

2008-03-13T14:18:00.005-04:00

Last Monday night we watched Shawn's fencing class. It was the last class of this round of lessons, so they had a class competition and they also held a melee, which is basically a fencing free-for-all! They had a blast. We watched from the balcony above the gym. Two of Shawn and Julia's friends, Seth and Ethan, came to watch too.

Shawn fencing Robin, a friend, during class.

After the fencing class we came back to our house where Shawn gave his friends a few lessons and they all had their turn trying on the equipment.

Ethan getting a fencing lesson from Shawn

Then we were treated to a concert. One of the kid's friends plays the piano and the other plays the violin. They are both fabulous musicians. We could have listened for hours, in fact I think we did! We were treated to everything from An Ashokan Farewell to The Orange Blossom Special to Vivaldi and Ravel. It was wonderful! Live music is such a special treat.

Seth tuning his violin

What a wonderful evening of entertainment and fun! We have it on video too so we can watch and listen again.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-12T08:23:00.004-04:00

Trying to think warmer thoughts. It's snowing again this morning! Shawn built this Giza model on the beach in South Carolina a couple of years ago. My sister is there right now. Lucky duck!

Creativity Tag

2008-03-11T12:21:00.009-04:00

Deb over at Creative Soul tagged me with an 8 Random Creative Things About Me meme. I enjoyed reading her meme musings and will comply, because as the Borg say, "Resistance is futile", and it seems fun!

1. I don't really have a favorite color. I love them all so much my favorites change. Some colors I adore more than others though, these include: periwinkle, red, white, tangerine, apple green....
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2. My creativity comes is spurts. I can work on a painting for days on end, barely thinking to eat, and then work on nothing for months. There have been times I've had to rein that tendency in when I needed to finish a painting for a client, but that is my natural creativity rhythm.
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3. Listening to classical music or music from other countries like Celtic or Aboriginal can really turn on the creativity spark. I don't play any instruments though and please don't ask me to sing! I love to sing when I'm alone, but my pathetic attempts are not for others' ears.
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4. When my creative soul needs encouraging and renewing, nothing works better than a stroll along a nature trail. Being out in God's creation brings back my creativity, it makes me feel connected to the Creator.
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5. My sister is always trying to encourage me to dress "artsy", but I like to blend in to the background a little too much. She is the extrovert and can pull it off!

6. While I was still in high school, and deciding on a career path, my areas of interest were: art, math, and astro-physics. I almost decided to minor in math in college. I took Calc I, Calc II and Computer Science before abandoning math due to the time commitment. The art classes were too demanding of my time. I know I made the right choice.

7. Going to museums is supposed to be inspirational, and it is now for me, but it wasn't always that way. I used to become very discouraged when I saw how far I still needed to progress in my art compared to the masters who hung in the museums. Perfectionistic tendencies are real creativity killers. They will paralyze you. Thankfully, I no longer feel that way, at all. I have been to museums across the US and parts of Europe and loved every minute of it. My favorite artist is Jan Van Eyke and my least favorite of the well know masters is Pablo Picasso.

8. Winter is no fun. The lack of sunshine severely affects my energy level and my creativity level. thank goodness it's almost spring!Now, I suppose I should tag someone else, but I will leave it open ended.

If you would like to participate and respond to this meme on your blog, I encourage you to do it! (and let us all know you did) Happy creating!

Flotsam and Jetsam

2008-03-09T10:18:00.009-04:00

This place was a debris field this morning, inside and out. Over the last couple of days we've had snow, sleet, freezing rain, more snow, wind, cold temperatures....until there was a nice build-up of ice on everything, including the snow. Last night, when the wind began to pick up, the heavily laden tree branches whipped the side of the house sending shards of ice crashing into the windows and trickling down the slope of the roof, sounding like some percussion section gone awry. Several times throughout the evening and overnight I was certain a window would break and I'd be picking up scattered branches from the floor while desperately searching for a tarp to cover a gaping hole in the side of the house! This morning when I looked outside, the beaming sun was making diamonds out of the shards of glass that had fallen during the night. Sharp points of broken ice protruded from every near horizontal surface, looking like a virtual ice mine field. Branches were down all over the yard. In some neighborhoods entire trees were down, as well as the power lines that were under them. Although the commotion from the storm kept me awake a good deal of the night, at least we didn't lose power. Many others in our area weren't as fortunate.

Some of the downed branches and ice shards in our front yard.

Although the ice was a nuisance, it sure made lovely patterns on the garage door window for Shawn to photograph!

It also made amazing photo opportunities for Julia. Hopefully those beginning buds won't be impacted by their time in the deep freeze.

The studio is also littered with debris today, not of the icy kind though. Yesterday I held a Pysanky workshop in my studio. I taught nine students, kids through adults, the Ukrainian art form then we created lovely egg masterpieces. One of the participants, a friend of Julia's, took some pics of the event. When he has a chance to put them on disk for me I'll show you what we did. For now, the messy studio pics will have to suffice!

All those raw eggs and not one was broken even by the youngest students!

Tonight I am crashing like those ice shards! Shawn has continued making Pysanky, but I am properly positioned on the comfy couch with my feet propped and my lap top in front of me. It's been quite a weekend! Perhaps I'll be able to catch up on that lost sleep tonight.

Friday's Feast

2008-03-07T11:06:00.005-05:00

I'm trying something new today. I've had my eye on the clever Friday's Feast meme for a while now. I first encountered it at Donna Boucher's blog, Quiet Life.

Here goes:

Appetizer:
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

Well, I don't like having attention drawn to myself, so being a celebrity would be very challenging, but if I had to pick someone I would be Meg Ryan. She always seems so vibrant and happy. I just love her cute little expressions.

Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

If I'm talking to someone I'm close to and they are far away I would choose a 10, but otherwise I would definitely be in the 1-2 category.

Salad:
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

The Great Commission Fund of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. Isn't telling others what being a Christian is all about? Keeping it to yourself is like finding a cure for cancer and not telling a soul! You just want to spread the good news. While not everyone is going to be a missionary and go out into the world, there are other supporting roles to play that are equally necessary, like giving.

Main Course:
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Tribe of Two Sheiks Hummus with Forty Spices. I usually buy some every week. I like to dip baby carrots in it.

Dessert:
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

Thankfully, no. We have had the upper respiratory thing, but I'm not sure that qualifies as the flu. We don't really get the full-blown flu too often. Do you?

Care to participate? I'd love to hear your thoughts about the feast questions. Leave a comment with your answers or let me know you have participated on your blog.

Yummy stuff!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-03-05T09:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday and a belated Happy Leap Day! This little froggy was captured on film in Earle's parents back yard in Maine last year. Isn't he a cutie?

I know, I'm back early. More updates to follow when I'm not trying to be wordless.

Life Calls

2008-02-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

I am taking this opportunity, this lenten time of reflection, to take a break from the blog and the homeschooling boards. I intend to focus more on all the little, and non-virtual, parts of my life that I keep putting on the back burner. The goals I have for this electronic break are:

More time in the studio
Sell some of my hoards of homeschooling materials that we are finished with
Exercise
Read more
Order garden seeds

I have some obligations coming up too that I have to prepare for, like the Pysanky Workshop I'm teaching in March and the Etsy shop I intend to open, eventually.

I will miss conversing with everyone, both here, on the hs boards, and on your blogs, and look forward to once again reading your words of wisdom and reflection and sharing my humble thoughts. Until then-

Blessings to all and I'll see you after Easter!

Wordless (Ash) Wednesday

2008-02-06T07:49:00.001-05:00

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt

1669

A Nice Surprise

2008-02-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

Barb-Harmony Art Mom over at Handbook of Nature Study surprised me with this award today. Thanks so much, Barb!

I will gladly pass it along to these fellow bloggers whose blogs I think rate "E" for excellent:

1. A Fuego Lento: Life on the Mississippi (My Niece Vanessa's blog)

2. Shades of White

3. Creative Soul

4. Lesser Road Academy

5. Turtleworks

Great blogs, and great ladies, one and all. Be sure to check them out.

Over the Weekend

2008-02-04T11:34:00.000-05:00

The first thing I did this weekend was to come down with a nasty cold. I spared you a pic of my hoard of used, wadded tissues! I figured Earle shouldn't have to suffer alone, so now we are suffering together.

Since we were contagious we stayed home from church on Sunday. Julia and Shawn worshipped with friends at their church then spent the afternoon hiking in the snow. When they all headed back to "the sickie house" we met them with a big pot of homemade beef stew, mashed potatoes, peas, and chunky applesauce with cinnamon. Later that evening we cheered for New England in the Superbowl until their untimely loss at which point Earle, a Maine-iac by birth, decided it was OK for NY to claim a victory as he was officially a New Yorker now. He has actually lived in NY longer than Maine by about a year. I'm thinkin' he'll never really convert though. You can take the boy out of Maine...you know the rest. Anyway, we munched on some other yummy snacks during the game: homemade potato skins (these were a BIG hit!), homemade guacamole with chips, and breaded cheese sticks. It was nice to have an excuse for consuming so many foods of questionable nutritional value! When the post-game chatter died down it was time for a special episode of House. Wow, he may have some redeeming qualities after all. Did you catch the show?

Since I was quaranteened the whole weekend, I actually spent some time in the studio working on polymer clay projects. I am designing an assortment of spoons with decorative clay handles. A friend of mine used to sell these creations for me in her cyber-cafe, but she went out of business last year. My next adventure is to open an Etsy shop where I can once again market some of my wares. I'll let you know when it's up and running.

Wouldn't you just love to dish up some fruit dip at a summer picnic with this spoon?

Also on Saturday, my order came for new Pysanky supplies. I will be holding a Pysanky class as well as teaching a few friends how to make these beautiful Ukranian eggs. New dyes, chunks of wonderful smelling beeswax, and kistkas.

One of my favorite eggs. It is still intact inside though I made it several years ago. I decided not to blow it out, but to let it dry out over time. I think the "wholeness" of the egg helps to symbolize the Easter promise of new birth and a new life in Christ.

What did you do this weekend?

Art Truth

2008-02-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."

-Michelangelo

Julia's Art

2008-02-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

"The Ice Queen"

"Serenity"

"Wolf in Clouds"

"Valadil"

"Tuck"

My daughter, Julia is an artist in her own right. I thought I'd highlight some of her photomanipulations today. She uses Adobe photoshop and a Wacom drawing tablet. Her finished pieces have so many layers and textures and such fine detail added, I don't know how she keeps track of it all! I think her work is dreamy and thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy it as well.

To see more of Julia's photomanipulations, visit her online gallery here: Ezrill

INFJ

2008-01-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

Your Personality is the Rarest (INFJ)

Your personality type is introspective, principled, self critical, and sensitive.

Only about 2% of all people have your personality - including 3% of all women and around 1% of all men.
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Yeah, I knew that. Personality is one of my hobbies. Do you know what type you are? Do tell...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-30T07:18:00.001-05:00

Mt Fuji, Japan, from the air

(notice the switchback trails climbing the side of the mountain)

The Chess Set

2008-01-29T11:48:00.000-05:00

One of my blog readers requested more pictures of the polymer clay chess set my son made when was in 7th grade. She would like to delve into polymer clay with her kids. We used to have polymer clay spread across the table for weeks on end, so my son was quite familiar with working with clay when he made this set. Having always been a big history fan, he chose the Greeks and the Barbarians as the theme for the two opposing sides.

The clay he used was Sculpey III. After it was formed and baked, he antiqued the pieces by painting on a thin wash of burnt sienna acrylic paint and then wiping it off while it was still wet. The small amount of paint that remained in the recessed areas gave the pieces an antiqued feel and brought out their dimension. The last step was to load an old scraggly brush with some gold acrylic paint and then wipe the brush off on paper towels. The brush was then rubbed across the pieces to leave a slight golden sheen on the highlighted areas. This technique is called "dry brush" as there is very little paint on the brush after wiping it off on the towels.

Shawn also made the chess board from a piece of wood. He divided up the board into the appropriate grid using a ruler and a pencil. Then he used a wood burning tool to create the detail. Next, he used a small brush and some stain to give the board its distinctive dark and light spaces. Last, he coated the whole board with polyurethane.

Chess anyone?

The Barbarians

Up close on the Barbarian side: The bag of loot represents a knight, the sword and shield represent the rook, the coins represent the bishop, and the fabric with the crown atop represents the queen. The texture on the loot bag came from pressing the clay onto a piece of fabric.

The Greeks

Up close on the Greek side: the column represents the rook, the cup and drapery represents the queen, and the block of stone with a metal band represents the knight.

Shawn had a lot of fun designing and creating this set. We've played with it often and it has held up pretty well. The king, Poseidon, on the Greek side had a laurel wreath around his trident at one time, but it broke off. The other casualty over time has been the shields on the Barbarian side coming loose from their rock supports. A little hot glue fixed them back up in no time.

Set your kids (or yourself) loose with some Sculpey and see what you can create!

Soap

2008-01-28T11:29:00.001-05:00

Soap is what is wrong with America.

I was happy with my Dove beauty bar, religiously washing with it in the shower and at my sink, replacing it almost weekly as it melted away into nothing more than a white film that coated my shower floor and necessitated weekly scrubbings. I never wondered why it lasted such a short time or why my skin felt soft and youthful (and oily and coated) after washing with it. I felt comforted by my constant stash of the conformed white bars lined up neatly in their boxes on my shelf.

Then I went to Europe. And I bought soap. And it was hand made soap. From a monastery. In France.

This new soap lasts. It doesn't soften and deteriorate, but the amount it is diminished by daily is the amount actually used, applied, scrubbed with, rinsed off. There is no residue on the shower floor. The colors are lovely and natural, not "conformist white". The bars contain flecks of actual plant material that gently exfoliates as it cleanses, not needing to leave an oily film behind in order to soften the skin. And then there is the smell. It's not perfumy or contrived. You are overcome with the presence of a faint garden, of whole lavender blossoms and lemon verbena swaying in the summer wind on tender stalks.

As the Dove sits melting away, deserted in the shower stall, I have begun to realize that this is what is wrong with America. We settle for, even desire, the transitory, the artificial, the man-made. We want cheap convenience wrapped in little white boxes sitting sedately on the shelf so we will never have to do without.

How does your soap measure up?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-23T07:40:00.000-05:00

My niece's dog, Sienna Marie

(You know you want one)

Changes

2008-01-21T17:25:00.000-05:00

January seems to be the month for change. We start the new year with resolutions and goals of our own devising, but sometimes life forces other changes upon us. Some changes that have happened this week and this month so far:

-Truffle has been doing well on his diabetic cat diet of Fancy Feast at least three times a day, but he has been waking us up after only six hours of sleep because he is hungry. We've changed his diet to include a free-feeding bowl of high protein, dry food for overnight. Hopefully, his blood sugar levels will not change and he will adjust well. It's been like having a baby in the house again!

-The homeschooling boards over at The Well Trained Mind that I frequent have changed drastically this weekend. Some members are thrilled over the new format and others are trying to decide if it's worth the adjustment. I hope most decide to stay, it would be hard to see our little family of homeschool moms split up.

-What began as an additional website which I could send prospective students to has changed to a website I can send prospective employers to as well. An art teaching position at a local Christian school may be opening up and I've already spoken with the school and picked up an application. If there is indeed an opening, it would be for this fall. Shawn would be a senior and only a part-time homeschooler, hopefully taking classes at the Community College. This could be an answer to prayer, so please pray. We will soon have two kids in college and a second bread winner in the family would be a blessing.

-After much consideration, we left our church before Christmas. Not having a church family over the holidays was less than idea, but we felt led to leave and leave we did. We have now settled into a new home, same denomination (Christian and Missionary Alliance). Shawn seems to like the youth group, Julia has already volunteered to help with children's church, and Earle and I are feeling right at home. Church change can be such a disturbance in your life. The new pastor at the church we left was difficult to adjust to. The whole temperament of the church changed. Many, many people decided not to call it home anymore. Many of the elders have left as well and feel as though the decision to call this new pastor was not the right one. Time will tell what God has in mind.

With all this change to deal with my physical system has had a bit of a breakdown. Yesterday, I had one of those twice-a-year all out, puke my guts out and spend the day in bed migraines. I thought my temples would explode. If you are a migraine sufferer you know of what I speak. I get frequent migraines, but only a few a year that are so severe that I am physically nauseous.

So, I've been dealing with a lot of change. Hopefully, the next month will be smoother sailing, but I am suspicious that it will bring more of the same.

What changes have you been dealing with? How have they affected your life? Do you deal with change well?

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

(New King James)

Thank God for that!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-16T14:23:00.001-05:00

The Helper

2008-01-15T20:34:00.001-05:00

"Shawn, what are you readin'? Oh, The Scarlett Letter, one of my favorites. What about that little girl, Pearl, isn't she precious? Just like me, little old Daisy Mae, huh? What do you mean by a pearl grows from an irritant?! I hope that insult wasn't intended for me?"

"How much longer do ya think you'll be reading?"

"You know, Shawn, I think there's a real interesting part somewhere back here...where was that now? Are you going to be writing a paper on this, because I would be a big help picking out the quotes to use. That Dimsdale guy is kinda 'dim' don't ya think? Hehe, purrr."

Hey, Shawn, are you almost done cause I'm gettin' a little bored with this book."

"That's right, we could just play for a little. Mrs. Schmuck, your video teacher, won't even notice you're goofin' around in class. See, she's too involved with her 'real' students to even notice you. Come on, poke me again, this time I'm going to get that pencil, you'll see! I knew you couldn't resist my belly spots and come hither look for long!"

I'll fill ya in on the book later, let's play some more!!"

"Man, all that reading was exhausting. You're on your own with the paper."

Reading Retreat

2008-01-13T18:33:00.000-05:00

Before the holidays some ladies on The Well Trained Mind boards were discussing books to read that had a Christmas theme. I don't recall who suggested the Miss Read books: No Holly for Miss Quinn, The Christmas Mouse, and Fairacre Christmas, but I am grateful to that person beyond measure! After devouring those stories, I've requested the first three Miss Read novels from our local library. I intend to read the series, beginning to end. I found them spellbinding and transporting. Whenever I find a spare minute I escape to the English countryside and the small villages and simple lifestyle enclosed within the pages of these books. They are like a sanctuary, a retreat from the chaos of busy 21st century life with its electronic din. To lean back against a plump pillow and crack open the pages is like a breath of fresh, Fairacre air. I am hooked. My free time is no longer my own, a whole community waits on my presence!

After some research about the author, it is no wonder I find her work appealing. She states her major influence as Jane Austen and the current author who was most influenced by her is Jan Karon. I adore both of those writers' works and count them among my favorites.

Speaking of Jane Austen, be sure to watch Masterpiece Theatre on Sunday evenings at 9, beginning tonight. They will be airing a series of adaptations of her novels and a biopic of her life. View the schedule at PBS. The last two Sundays they aired an adaptation of Jane Eyre, one of my favorite novels. If you missed it you can probably catch it another time. It wasn't the first time they'd shown it, but be sure to tune in tonight for the first Jane Austin: Persuasion.

On the end table, next to one of my reading spots: Christmas at Fairacre, Home to Holly Springs (our latest Jan Karon acquisition), The Well Educated Mind (a Christmas present from my wonderful husband), a daily devotional by Billy Graham that my sister gave me for Christmas (she has her own copy and we both read it daily), and lastly, an adorable sheep made from wool from the local monastery (a Christmas present from Gretchen). What's needed here is a cup of tea with cream and I'm all set!

Did you receive or give any books for Christmas? What were they? Have you read them yet? Have you discovered any new favorite authors? Do tell.

Art of Nature

2008-01-12T11:48:00.000-05:00

One of my art students, an eight year old girl, finished a wonderful painting of a blue jay yesterday. I've been working with her once a week for about six months now. I use Artistic Pursuits as a spine and add many of my own ideas. Each week we work together for about 30-45 minutes, learning new techniques, art terms, and artists. We complete a small project to reinforce the new ideas and then she is given a weekly assignment to fulfill on her own. She worked on the painting exclusively in lesson time for about five weeks. I know she is very proud of her painting and I'm sure proud of her accomplishment at only seven years old (she turned eight just this week so much of the work was done while she was seven).

If you are also interested in birds and in drawing and painting birds I highly recommend learning more about the artist and naturalist John James Audubon.

Start by exploring the National Audubon Society website where you can read about his namesake organization dedicated to wildlife preservation and about Audubon himself in a brief biography. You can also view Audubon's most famous book of bird illustrations there, Birds of America. After you have viewed the book on the web, be sure to also check it or another of Audubon's books out of the library. You can get a much better feel for the artwork looking at it printed on actual paper than you can viewing a web pic.

While you're at the library, search out this book if you are working with children or appreciate children's books yourself: The Boy Who Drew Birds. There is a teacher's guide for the book online at the Houghton Mifflin site.

Another book I would recommend if you are a naturalist/artist at heart is Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie. It is an inspirational and beautiful piece of art in its own right as well as an invaluable resource.

Yet another resource you won't want to miss is a blog by a fellow artist-homeschooler, Handbook of Nature Study. Barb has spent a great deal of time and energy inspiring beginning artists, young and old.

So, grab your camera, your sketchbook, and your library card. Head out in search of birds and other wildlife in you neighborhood. Then try your hand at drawing, painting, and photographing what you've observed and studied.

Be inspired by nature.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-09T08:54:00.000-05:00

For the love of dogs....

Tainan City, Taiwan

Going to the Birds

2008-01-07T14:30:00.001-05:00

Lately it feels like this place is literally going to the birds. In the back yard we have two feeders, one with thistle seed for the finches and other small birds and one filled with sunflower chips for the cardinals, titmice, and nuthatches. Then, we sprinkle safflower seed on the ground for the platform feeders like the mourning doves and jays. The suet cage hanging in the bush attracts all types of woodpeckers, chickadees, and jays as well as the occasional starling sporting its white tipped winter garb. Often we scatter seed on the deck right outside the sitting area at the end of the kitchen so we can watch our feathered friends up close. The cats, of course, enjoy that benefit as well.

Earle snapped some wonderful shots of a male cardinal last week on the deck. Isn't he lovely in his scarlet robe! The feeders are rather bare today though. The current temp outside at 2:38 in the afternoon is 64.5 degrees! Obviously, the snow in the pic is long since gone and the birds are enjoying some protein meals as they track down insects who were fooled out of hibernation by the unseasonal weather.

Julia and I are going for a walk. It is too nice a January day to spend it all inside and the weather will soon return to its winter temperatures as we move into the snowiest months of the year. I am looking forward to a few good blizzards, but today's warmth is a welcome winter surprise!

The Kids

2008-01-06T07:24:00.000-05:00

We've had a nice holiday vacation from school and responsibilities. Our days have been filled with chatting online with friends, playing our new highly addictive game Ingenious, playing floor hockey, playing computer games, watching movies, and cleaning the house in preparation for school season to hit once again. Shawn is ready to start his schoolwork on Monday. Julia is on semester break still until the 14th.

When Shawn and I start back up he will be continuing with A Beka English which I am quite pleased with. The teacher fills in all the gaps I would have left. She has such great insight into the authors and brings such depth to the literature selections. I enjoy watching the dvd's right along with Shawn. The thing I would change about the program is the amount of writing it provides. I would like to see more writing assignments. This can be accomplished in other curriculum areas though.

For history, Shawn will continue where he left off with American history using the Boorstin text recommended on the Well Trained Mind boards by Jean. He is so enjoying this text! It has been a good choice and similar to the Spielvogel text he used for world lit last year with its primary source documents and art reproductions. More importantly, the depth of detail is there that wasn't there in the history curriculum we began using at the start of the year in September.

For math I will be ordering the A Beka Consumer Math text and we will also review material from Saxon Algebra II and Advanced Math one day a week as a refresher. Once the kids get to this level at math they are shipped off to the community college to finish up. He will be doing just that next year. My old brain can only handle so much math these days!

Science has been a bit of a struggle this year with this non-sciency kid. After a false start with chemistry, which we decided to drop for now, he has been working through the computer curriculum Earle wrote a few years ago. He is just about done with the completed part of the text. Next, Earle will spend a little time giving him some hands on experience and some instruction in programming, probably using Visual Basic as he did with Julia. I'm not sure what next year holds in store for Shawn in the area of science. Perhaps we'll just skip over chem and head straight for physics, Earle's field of expertise. I did the same thing in school and it wasn't a problem for me. There will be time to deal with that when we come to it. For now, I have to figure out what science we'll use to finish out the second semester of this year. Any thoughts?

Shawn's electives include finishing up drawing I and moving on to art history using the dvd course I asked for, and received, for Christmas from The Teaching Company: Art Across the Ages. I am very much looking forward to delving into this new course! Also for electives he will continue fencing lessons. Floor hockey and time spent at the YMCA lifting weights and jogging the indoor track will round out his physical education requirement. As always, Shawn continues various small woodworking projects of his own design and choosing. German will have to wait until the community college. Progress is too slow and tedious for my liking without an instructor and a class to practice with. The arts school where he takes fencing is offering a class in conversational German, but alas, it is on Tuesday evening, the same night as floor hockey. I may take it though! I'm still considering my options.

Last but not least, Shawn is continuing A Beka American Government. We decided to throw this in as an elective for his 11th grade year instead of saving it for his 12th grade year as A Beka has it laid out. We just couldn't pass up studying this topic while the election season heats up. Since he already completed Economics last year his senior year will be open for studying whatever advanced history elective he chooses. I'm not sure this is something we'll outsource to the community college because of the liberal spin that will be placed on the study of history there. Perhaps we'll try an online course.

Julia will be starting a new semester when the community college starts back up. On her slate this time will be: Biology II, Differential Equations, French II, Psychology, and her wellness component which is something to do with meditation and stress management. She did really well in her courses last semester and looks forward to tutoring in Biology to make some gas money.

After almost a year at Kohl's she gave her notice last week. The managers were all sorry to see her go and insisted she return in the summer if she so chooses. Not many people make the one year mark in a retail store like that. The turnover rate is very high. She is hoping for some sort of a co-op job this summer through Earle's employer, but these are few and far between. Be praying something opens up for her in a science field.

The most important new adjustment for Julia is finding ways to keep busy so she doesn't miss Derek so much. He returned to school on January second and will be there for about a year until he is done with the program. There is a summer component he needs to stay for. He will be home for breaks, but this will be a long stretch. His school is about four hours away and leaving on weekends isn't an option in the winter as he has counselling duties at the snow camp they put on for Christian teens. After being home a semester and working he decided to finish at the two year program he had started. Then, he will move on to a Christian four-year school to complete a degree in math education and also in preaching, two areas he definately has been gifted in.

I think we are all ready for the work to begin. Before I know it my youngest will be completing his last year as a full-time homeschooler. He will be ready to launch off into community college courses without me. He is almost ready to take his driver's test and has been looking for his first job. How did all this growing up happen right before my eyes? All of a sudden I am mother to two fine young adults whom I am very, very proud of for many reasons. I will surely miss this homeschooling adventure when it is at a close, but it will also usher in a new era of my life and I must admit I am equally looking forward to what lies ahead.

Winter is for Memories

2008-01-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

The snow-covered yard and feeders brimming with hungry birds are a pleasant change after the holidays. The white snow washes the world creating a fresh new start for a fresh new year. It's time for reflection, warmth, quietude, and joy. It's time for closeness by the fire, laughter around a lively board game, serenity on a walk in a hibernated landscape, and sweet slumber beneath fluffy blankets as heavy flakes fall lightly just outside the window, creating their own blanket for the wintry world.

“Winter must be cold for those with no warm
memories”

Make some winter memories to last you through the dark months ahead. Reflect on the joy that 2007 brought to your life in large or small doses. Say good bye to the worst of 2007, reassured that whatever trials came your way, you are stronger because of them and more ready to be blessed in 2008.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

Wrapping Up the Holidays

2008-01-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas and New Year's have come and gone. The long awaited quiet has begun to settle over the house like a thick blanket of snow, muffling the holiday hubbub. Monday morning Shawn and I start school up again. Time to head back into the routine of life.

Heard earlier in the living room:

Shawn said, "Mom, we start school this coming Monday you know."
I said, "Yes", not paying much attention to the young man's warning.
Shawn insists, "You need to get your act together and be ready!"
I let out a groan and return to some mindless activity...

Here are some random Christmas memories I wanted to share with you all. I hope this holiday season brought great blessings to you. I am full of Earle's homemade chipotle chicken chowder, snuggled on the couch near the one remaining Christmas decoration, the tree, feeling safe, warm, and blessed in the cocoon we call home.

Our German pyramid of tiny wooden carolers whirrs round and round atop the piano.

Smokey incense wafts from the mouth of our German chimney sweep smoker as he scents the room.

Earle and Shawn performing an encore presentation of a British comedy skit for the family's amusement on Christmas Day at my sister's house. For a good laugh, watch the real Bird and Fortune as they present their skit on the sub-prime mortgage situation.

The chocolate cherry mouse brigade. Is it just me or do they look a little nervous?

Old fashioned English wassail. A family tradition.

An apron for my favorite baker! My first attempt at sewing in years and years. Not too bad! The pattern is on line free here:

Susan Branch Scalloped Apron Pattern

What are cousins for? Adam adds some much needed adornment to Shawn's new fencing attire.

Yes, I am flying a helicopter, in the house. Yes, it is heading right towards me. I had no control, just as I suspected. You may laugh with me now.

Holiday Blessings

Happy Birthday Julia!

2007-12-30T19:41:00.000-05:00

Today, our daughter is 19. This is her last year as a teenager. Really, she is already a young lady. How fast time flies. Just yesterday she was the energetic little girl racing through the house on all fours and roaring like a wild animal! Now, she is a successful college student who the professors fight over as a lab assistant.

Earle and I are so proud of the young woman she is becoming. We are blessed to call her daughter and friend.

If you see this smart, adorable, caring, creative, talented, faithful, unique, scientific, animal-loving, lovely young lady today, be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday!

We love you, Julia!

Happy Birthday Shawn

2007-12-24T10:54:00.000-05:00

If you see this artistic, witty, energetic, patient, caring, faithful, handsome, respectful, honest, hard-working, young man today, please feel free to wish him a Happy 17th Birthday!

You are a blessing to your family, Shawn.

We love you.

Readability Rating

2007-12-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

I found this cool little test at another blog this morning and thought I'd give it a try. From the results, it looks like you all who hang out here must be a pretty educated bunch! *Cheeky Grin*

Go forth and test your own blog's readability at:

The Blog Readability Test

Now, get back to those Christmas preparations; stop dawdling about. You've only got two more days left! For heaven's sake, what are you doing here!! Goodness, what am I doing here?! Shawn's birthday is tomorrow and then it's Christmas, and then it's Julia's birthday.

Does chocolate keep panic at bay?

Germany

2007-12-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Traveler and I have returned from our Germany trip. We are jet-lagged and full of fine German sausages and beer! Northern Germany at Christmastime is a wonderful place to visit. Each town has its own Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) set up with traditional food and drink stalls and stalls with hand made goods for sale. Everywhere you go the German people are out for a walk or a bike ride, even the senior citizens. The cold, damp, winter conditions don't keep them inside. There are errands to be run, gardens to be tended, and Christmas markets to enjoy. When you live at the 54th parallel you must make good use of your limited, winter, daylight hours.

I could, of course, fill my entire blog with photos and stories from our trip, but I've tried to narrow it down to the essential highlights. Here are the results of that near-impossible task.

This is the Schloss (small castle) that is across the street from our hotel in Ahrensberg, the smallish little town that was our home base for the trip. Earle stays in Ahrensberg regularly when he makes these trips for work.

Erik (a business associate and friend of Earle's) and I enjoy drinks at the Lubeck Weihnachtsmarkt one of our first evenings in Germany. Each town's Christmas market has its own mug design and color. For a small fee you can keep the mug. We have quite a collection of them now. I am sipping traditional Gluhwein while Erik enjoys some hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. I may look happy, but let me tell you, that Gluhwein stuff tastes like unsweetened cough syrup. You need to try it once for the experience.
One of the main streets along the river in Lubeck. The Christmas market was winding down and we were on our way back to the car after a wonderful dinner of pork and roast goose.
Several days later we visited Lubeck in the morning because there is such magnificent architecture there that can't be missed by daylight. Lubeck is a very historic town with a remarkable past. I am in front of Lubeck's famous Holsten Gate which dates from the 1400's.
Earle was feeling a tad adventuresome this morning. You just can't trust a guy with a camera.
Up close gate shot.

Gate info.
A row of beautiful old warehouses that used to store Lubeck's prime commodity, salt.
Lubeck's Architecture.
One of several historic Lubeck churches.
An attempt to give you some idea of the scale of the buildings.
All the Gluhwein and hot chocolate mugs handing overhead in a stall at the Hamburg Christmas market. Hamburg is the largest city we visited. Much of its old architecture was destroyed during bombings in World War II, but it is a thriving modern city today with a lovely and very busy Christmas market.
The Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt boasts the largest pyramid in Germany. Lovely, isn't it! There were so many lights everywhere brightening the scene with Christmas spirit.
A carved, life-sized, wooden nativity scene.
Just ask for your hot chocolate with a little Amaretto in it and you won't mind the crowds so much...
One of my favorite Christmas market foods came from this stall. Imagine a warm, gooey, layered concoction of fresh bread, tender prosciutto, melting cheese, and spices. Warm Christmas goodness. What a comfort to the German citizens to come year after year to these markets and experience the same tastes and smells that have been there since their childhood. They eagerly embrace these yearly traditions with a twinkle in their eye.
After a few markets, we headed to the northern coast to visit a summer resort town on the Baltic Sea. To our surprise, the beach was well used in the winter too. There were couples, old and young, walking the frigid beach and promenade. Can you imagine the crowds in the summertime?

The boardwalk at Kuhlungsborn.

A small map near the boardwalk showing the town and surrounding area.
Lovely trees bedecked with orange berries frame the pier and sandy beach.
Not all Christmas markets are in the cities. We did visit one country market at Wotersen Schloss that boasted the most beautiful handcrafted items for sale, the best grilled sausages and grilled pork on skewers, and the warmest fires for chasing the chill away.
A fine selection of handcrafted items for sale inside one of the barns. Steffi, Erik's wife, ended up with a lovely new felted wool hat. With already bursting suitcases, I was properly restrained yet covetous of all the lovely items.

An enchanting fire to warm hands by made of a single log stuck lengthwise in the ground, split into fourths, and lit from inside.
An architectural feature common to see in the countryside is old brick barns and houses sporting thatched roofs with boards at the peak ends in the shape of horse heads.

Near the end of our stay in Germany, we headed down to the historic town of Luneberg, another city of beautiful architecture dating from a prosperous Medieval time. Luneberg, and its surrounding area, was the center of the salt trade that produced enormous wealth and allowed all the Hansiatic League cities freedom to govern themselves.

A popular landmark in Luneberg is the old crane that sits on the river's edge.

Lovely Medieval building with bowing walls and immeasurable charm.

Luneberg at night.

Germany was wonderful, it was an unforgettable trip into the historic past of Europe as well as a memorable time spent with friends. Erik and Steffi treated us to a very traditional winter meal in their home. First course was a luscious homemade split pea soup and fresh blackberry wine. Then, we enjoyed a plate of green cabbage, sausages, and caramelized potatoes, with a condiment of jalapeno mustard Erik's mother made this fall. The meal was accompanied by a glass of beer which Erik is pouring in the photo above. After a brisk walk through the woods across the street from their house (to work off some of those many calories) and a tour of their duck pond and chicken house, we feasted on steaming coffee and a milk pudding with fresh raspberry sauce.

It was such a treat for Erik to make this meal for us so we could experience a traditional German meal. Thank you Erik, and Steffi, and Svenja for spending time with us while we visited and for making our trip special and making us feel welcome. I'm sure we'll see you again soon, if not there, then here.

Until then, Auf Wiedersehen.

The Traveler and I

2007-12-12T06:17:00.000-05:00

Earle and I have arrived safely at our destination in Germany. We will be visiting for about a week while he has some business meetings here.

Me, across from the hotel with a beautiful old mill and pond for a backdrop

A local residence lit with a different Christmas candle decoration in each window. I am on the hunt for one of these to bring home for my dining room window.

More updates to follow. Wish you were all here:-)

A Tale of Three Bad Kittens

2007-12-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

These "Three Little Kittens" lounge on the rug-covered, heated, tile floor by the door all morning warming their plump bellies and dreaming of chasing what's just outside.

Clockwise from the left: Truffle, Percy, Daisy Mae.

Outside the door a small flock of juncos picks at the fallen thistle seed from the feeder above.

But what's this, mommy? Why have you teased us so by putting safflower seed right near the door, disturbing our slumber?!

"My, what a fat little sparrow you are and my, what big teeth we have. Will you walk into my parlor?"

Moral of the story: Cats who live in glass houses can only dream of catching birds.

Mitten Tales

2007-12-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

The work table hints at the projects I've been working on this week. Glass ornament blanks and polymer clay are strewn around the table waiting patiently to become one of these:

Each year I make an ornament for my sisters, brother, and nephews whom I see at the holidays. We have given up exchanging gifts for the most part as all our kids have grown to "teenhood" and beyond, but I still feel the need to give them something when we get together on Christmas Day.

This year's theme of tiny mittens is evident in my choice of ornament designs and my latest felt pillow adorned with polymer clay mittens that now brightens the felt and embroidery area of my studio. It's finally done save stitching up the bottom where I stuffed it.

This is the craft that inspired all the others. Several years ago I made this felt mitten garland and it instantly became, and has remained, one of my very favorite Christmas decorations. This year it graces the doorway between the great room and the kitchen.

Who doesn't love a precious little mitten?

Of Carpenters

2007-12-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

There's just something about working with wood, the process of turning a living tree into a useful or beautiful object using your hands and a few tools. There is a certain connection with nature in the process. The smell of the shaved and sanded wood, the smoothness of a finely sanded surface as you run your hand across it searching for areas of roughness to even out. The weight of the dense hardwood in your hands. Substantial, durable.

Working with wood is a mind-freeing activity. The kind of activity you can engage in as the hours slip by and day turns to night without your notice. Your attention is captured by the wood.

There is time to think when you work with wood. There is the buzz of a power tool, like white noise, blocking out the world. There is the repetitive stroking of a block plane or the gritty dragging of sandpaper, back and forth. There is the smell of newly planed wood shavings and of tung oil. There is the muffled softness of a workshop floor covered in discarded shavings.

Sometimes in our too-busy world we need to find an escape, a solitude, a meditation. For me it has been my art. The hours fly by. For others, carpentry is that vehicle they use to escape inside for a while, completely focused on the work at hand. What do you do to find that place of solitude and meditation in your life?

My walking stick. Shawn made this lovely stick with its serpentine, wood burned designs for me out of tiger maple. It is as smooth as glass and almost too beautiful to use, but since it is maple it wears well and is much more than a showpiece.

Walking stick detail. I still need to add a cord through the hole. A cord twisted around the wrist provides security against loosing it down a slope while hiking!

In Shawn and Earle's workshop a blizzard of shavings all but obscure a wooden ruler that belonged to my father. I love the mellow hues of the aged wood with its worn patches and faded markings.

Beautiful maple curls. Shawn took all three of these shots of shavings as part of his photography class last year.

A lovely, wooden rosette!

Joseph was a carpenter. Jesus, before he began his ministry, was a carpenter. A humble profession, yet valued and connected to the earth. I have been reading a fictional story about Joseph and Mary. I am gaining great insight into life during that time period. The story is touching and the characters come to life. I am about two-thirds of the way through the book and am eager to finish, even though I know the story already! If you are interested in such a story, a story of a carpenter and his young bride, take a peek at Two From Galilee. It makes good Advent reading.

Annunciation

2007-11-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

She modestly draws back and responds, "ECCE ANCILLA DÑI." or "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord".

"Van Eyck is considered one of the greatest painters of any period. Advances in oil techniques helped him paint the physical world in minute detail and with a degree of realism never before possible. It was said he knew fabrics like a weaver, buildings like an architect, and plants like a botanist. Here it is hard to believe that the angel's gleaming brocade is yellow pigment, not true gold, "woven" with brushstrokes, not threads.

In this painting Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the son of God. She modestly draws back and responds, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord." Her words are printed upside down for the Lord above to see. The Holy Spirit descends to her on seven rays of light. This is the moment God's plan for salvation is set in motion. Through Christ's human incarnation the old era of the Law is transformed into a new era of Grace.

Almost every element in the painting contributes to this theme. The architecture moves from older, round Romanesque forms to pointed Gothic arches. In the floor tiles, scenes from the Old Testament prefigure New Testament events; David's slaying of Goliath, for example, fore tends Christ's triumph over the devil. The single top window, where Jehovah stands, contrasts the triple windows below, which suggest the Christian trinity. Even Mary's overlarge figure inside the chapel operates symbolically to underscore her identification with the Church. The lilies beside her refer to her purity."

-from The National Gallery of Art

Van Eyck is one of my favorite painters, not only for his command of the paint and his magnificent attention to detail, but also for his imagery and symbolism. To view one of his paintings is to peel an onion, to contemplate each layer respectively. The more you learn about the symbolic nature of the objects and the setting the artist chose, the more beauty is revealed. My favorite painting by Van Eyck is The Arnolfini Wedding, which is exhibited at the National Gallery of London.

He, and his contemporary Northern European artists, are credited with introducing and perfecting painting with oils at a time when the Italian Renaissance artists were dedicated to fresco techniques. It is amazing the difference between the art of northern and southern Europe during this time. the contributions by both are amazing, yet so different in character.

Back to the Annunciation, if you wish to delve more deeply into the symbolism Van Eyck incorporated into this painting, may I suggest this site: Annunciation at Wikipedia

There are so many beautiful pieces of religious themed art from the past and present, but at Christmas time, or more properly Advent, with its focus on Mary and Joseph and their struggles as the awaited birth approaches, this particular painting touches me. The holiness and quietude of the scene enables me to reflect on the approaching miracle. The miracle of that one, world-changing birth in Bethlehem.

Nature's Simple Beauty

2007-11-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

I love rocks. Especially beach rocks, rounded by the ebb and flow of the sea. Polished, smooth. I collect rocks. I paint pictures of rocks. I have decorative rocks in my garden. I have a bag full of rocks we collected several years ago on a beach in Cape Breton, Canada, a most magical place.

The beach in Cape Breton. It just cries out to rock hounds doesn't it?

So, this bag of rocks finally became a part of my world. They are no longer relegated to the shelf in the basement.

I sorted out several sizes and then gave them a light coat of clear nail polish. Now they look like they do when you are at the beach and the rocks are damp and their colors are heightened.

Then, I took a tray, and a bag of preserved moss, and some pine needles collected from the neighbor's trees across the street, and three candles I bought on clearance at the craft store, and I arranged them into a miniature wonderland.

The candle light makes the rocks sing.
Oh, that I was small enough to walk around this little rock garden and leap from stone to stone.

Nature's simple beauty

So quick and so easy. Bring some nature inside this holiday season. It will bring joy to your heart and peace to your soul.

Diversions

2007-11-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

Never mind that you we should be shopping. Yes, I know, less than a month of shopping days left. Then there's wrapping and decorating and baking. All this is, of course, in addition to the usual ponderous slew of daily necessities. Never mind all that. We need fun, diversion; we need brain food.

If your brain needs feeding go here:

Free Rice

You can feed your brain and feed others at the same time.

Or, if your creativity needs nourishing go here:

Snow Days

If you click on Find-a-Flake and type percytruffle into the box you will find the flakes I made last year. Let me know if you make any and what your username is so I can ooh and ahh over your flakes!

And, if your soul needs satiating go here:

Advent Calendar

Enjoy your holiday season. Go forth and bake, decorate, and shop. Just don't forget to refresh!

2007-11-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving blessings to everyone!

Preparations

2007-11-21T12:48:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day to spend with loved ones thankful of all our blessings, and of course thankful for the food. My sister, Kathy is hostess this year. She is a wonderful cook. I learned practically everything I know about cooking from either her or our mom. The usual holiday feast will be waiting for us tomorrow as we venture over the river and through...oops, I mean over the highway and through the towns. As my contribution to the feast I have been asked to bring pies. Guess what I've been up to this morning?

A messy cook is a happy cook I've always said. Are you neat or messy in the kitchen? Do you clean and wash dishes as you go or do they pile up until the end? I'm somewhere in between but closer to the latter.

Blueberry pie, with a kitty-shaped steam hole of course, and a well sugared crust.

Oh look, there's two pumpkin pies as well! It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.

No sense in wasting the extra pie dough. Mom always made tarts with the extra dough. They were the best part because they were so small and precious and because we could eat them right away! These tarts are filled with cherry berry conserve and quince jelly.

What are you having for dessert this Thanksgiving? Are pies on your menu? What kinds? Yum, yum. Be sure to save room for dessert.

Art Lesson: Drawing with Pastels

2007-11-20T10:45:00.001-05:00

Today I have a little drawing lesson for you. Something to feed your creative side over Thanksgiving break.

Working with pastels is like making a pie crust: don't handle the thing too much! If you overwork your drawing it will become muddy and lose all the nice little marks you've made. Nature isn't perfect and neither should your drawing be perfect. There is no "erasing" with pastels, but that is part of the fun. So, loosen up and don't judge your drawing until it is complete and you step away from it and say, ahhhh.

Before we begin, let's talk value. Value is how light or dark something is. For this drawing I am going to let the value of the paper play a part. I am fond of drawing with pastels on a colored background, this time I chose black. Areas in my still life that are in shadow will remain the black of the paper. Let your paper work for you.

Gather a group of objects to draw. Odd numbers of things make your eyes happy. Place them on a simple background that will not be a distraction. This is going to be a simple drawing. When you have a handle on the technique feel free to include whatever background you like. Arrange the objects so that they are pleasing to you. You will find that good composition rarely places the largest, most prominent object in the center of the page (unless it is the only object as in this piece). When you have an arrangement you like, find a light you can direct at one side of the still life. This will help define the highlights and shadows for you, making it easier to see where to place them.

Now we are ready to draw. Go grab your pastels. They needn't be expensive ones. Any student grade set will do to start with. If you like the medium you can always upgrade later. There are some wonderful pastels on the market that produce bold, rich color. Chalk pastels are our medium of choice for this lesson. You don't want oil pastels for this. You'll also need a piece of black drawing paper. Construction paper is sufficient for a beginner. The rough texture of the paper holds the chalk well. You can experiment later with different smoothnesses of paper and how that affects the drawing. While you're grabbing your pastels, get yourself a pencil too. But, no eraser. Put that back.

My still life of three objects, lit from the left

Step 1. Sketch your still life lightly with pencil. I used white colored pencil so you could see it better, but you will be able to see your ordinary #2 pencil just fine. No details, just a basic outline of the shape of the objects.

Step 2. Using your pastels on their sides (yes, it is ok to break them into smaller pieces) add the appropriate colors to your objects. Press harder to lay down more chalk on the light side of the objects and press lighter on the dark side to let the black paper show through. Shading isn't so hard when you let the paper do some of the work.

Step 3. Use white to add highlight areas to your objects. Squint at your still life. Where is the light the brightest? Put the highlight there. See, there is a reason artists make funny faces as they work. I squint a lot, but it has nothing to do with needing glasses. When you blurr the details it is easier to see the values.

Laying in the blue hue for the ball and adding the highlight

Step 4. Now you can add some detail. Don't get carried away if this is your first try or if you want your drawing to retain a "fresh", "sketchy" look. Pastels can be blended and can be quite detailed, but for this exercise we are going for quick and fun. Remember the pie crust analogy.

I didn't choose to meticulously draw in each twig of the dried Baby's Breath, but rather I chose to represent the twigginess with a few stray marks.

Each dried flower is represented by an irregular spin of the pastel point. Random and natural. Note: this is what happens when you draw with one hand and hold the camera with the other. Next time maybe I'll remember to use the tripod.

Working on the third object. Same steps as before. Lay in the basic colors, add highlights, add details. 1,2,3, simple as pie.

Notice the absence of color on the dark side of the objects. That paper is doing its job for us.

Step 5. Now you can go back in and add additional shading with a black pastel. I usually reserve this for the cast shadows. The objects themselves are fine as is, but adding extra dark to the shadows the objects cast onto the table gives the objects weight. They are no longer floating above the table, but are visualy anchored to it. I also added the final detail to the ball and some extra shadow inside the vase of flowers. How did I know where to add these? Squinting.

Our finished sketch. Step back away from your work when you are done. View it from a distance and you will be amazed at how different it looks than when you are up close working on it.

Enjoy. Happy sketching.

First Snow

2007-11-19T09:59:00.001-05:00

It has been a dreary week and a half. A virus had invaded my life, robbing me of a healthy birthday, attendance at a baby shower, and shopping at a craft fair with Gretchen. All my creative energies had vanished as I hibernated day after dreary day waiting for the coughing and sneezing and aching to loose its grip on me. Bah. Then it started snowing last evening. And I ventured out in it with Julia and Dog. And Julia, Derek, and Shawn ventured out for appetizers and ice cream at Friendly's. And I read in the stillness of the greatroom in the midst of the falling snow. And I began to feel human again.

The coughing woke me early again today. My usual ritual. Today I didn't mind. Today I had intended to wake early, to not miss the magic of early morning snow. First snow. Awake before dawn, I peered out the bedroom window hopefully. Yes, the wind had remained calm. The blanket of snow rested sleepily on the trees, undisturbed. I donned my thick, insulating, L.L. Bean bathrobe and slipped my feet into winter boots waiting hopefully by the door since last evening's venture outside. Camera in hand I met the sunrise, thankful for a private back yard in my odd attire.

The sun is now bright in the sky and chunks of snow like white apples fall from every tree. The jays are hurrying to and from the suet cage, recharging their spent energy. The beauty may be melted away by this afternoon, but the magic of the morning has recharged my energy. I suspect today will be the turning point. I already feel a wellspring of creativity flooding my virus taxed brain. I am on the mend. Finally. And the world is bright and new and waiting.

From the snug greatroom the wonderland of snow beckons

Sunrise begins over the shrouded back yard

A brightening wintry sky

A snowbound bird haven

All snug in their beds

Veteran's Day

2007-11-12T09:18:00.000-05:00

We would all be remiss to fail in remembering our veterans today and the valorous service they have given to all of us and to the causes of freedom worldwide. May God hold each of them in His hand and may He bless them for their service on this day of remembrance.

This photo of Earle's father was take when he was barely seventeen. He served his country during World War II in the Pacific aboard the aircraft carriers USS Sangamon and USS Midway. We salute you today for your service, Gus, and hope the year ahead is filled with all the wonderful freedoms you and your generation procured for all of us!

Updates of All Sorts

2007-11-12T08:34:00.000-05:00

I have been sick the last couple of days with a sore throat and slight fever which has now turned into a nasty cold. Having been couch/bed bound a good deal of the time I have managed to do a little reading but that is about all. I had to miss our neighbor's baby shower on Saturday, but I was able to drag myself out last night for a few hours to hear Julia's boyfriend Derek preach a sermon at the evening service at his church. He did a great job. I was glad I was able to go, but by the end of the evening I was "done in".

I've finished That hideous Strength, the third book of Lewis's space trilogy. While distinct from the other two in the series, it ties everything together in the end. A good read. I am also finishing a book on church history that I started years ago. Since I've pulled it back out Earle has shown an interest in reading it too. We're sharing the book. We are also reading Shepherds Abiding aloud to each other. We've read pretty much Jan Karon's whole Mitford series of Father Tim aloud to each other over the years. They are like old friends and although it has been a few years since we read the last one, now that we are into the story it seems like just yesterday. The characters have become fresh again in our minds and the warm feelings of becoming a part of that sleepy North Carolina town have begun to transform our little world once again. I've also ordered some Christmas books from Amazon and have some others requested at the library. On those lists are: Christmas at Fairacre, Letters from Father Christmas, Starlight in Tourrone, and Two from Galilee; a Love Story. Then, when the holiday books have been read I will finally make my way through Sophie's World.

Earle's domestic side has been showing lately and it has been refreshing! After coming back from Maine with a recipe from his brother-in-law he whipped us up a fabulous batch of Paula Deen's Chipotle Chicken Chowder. I may have to request this again soon. Then, on Saturday he filled our big, orange Tupperware bowl to the rim with homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They have been disappearing fast. Hey, oatmeal is a breakfast food. I think i need to get sick and stay out of the kitchen more often!

On Sunday afternoon Shawn participated in a fencing demonstration at a local high school. Guess what's on his Christmas list this year? Yeah, fencing equipment. I think his instructor looks a tad like Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Starship Enterprise in The Next Generation, don't you? Picard was also a fencing aficionado as well as an avid consumer of Earle Gray tea. A Renaissance captain indeed.

I feel an art update is needed soon. Look for Shawn's continuing progress with Artistic Pursuits, some examples of his walking sticks, and a drawing lesson using pastel that I have been meaning to share for some time now. My next project will be a painting. The canvas is ready and the photo I am using for reference has been selected. Also, each year I have made it a tradition to give each of my relatives a handmade Christmas ornament. That project will have to be underway soon as well. I just have to decide what medium to make them with this year. Past ornaments have been either painted wood or polymer clay. Maybe felt will be playing a role this season.

Silver Maples

2007-11-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

Sixteen. I counted them yesterday and yet I can hardly believe it. Sixteen medium to large silver maples on one plot of land less than an acre in size.

Silver maples are one of those "messy" trees, the kind that shed branches with each passing gust of summer wind and shed large leaves all fall, but they are also beautiful trees, covered in lichens, dotting our front lawn and lining our back yard on both sides with their golden leafed brilliance and delicate, swaying branches.

They are a haven for the birds. The mourning doves frolic in them trying to catch the eye of their mate during courting season. The chickadees take off and land from the low branches on their way back and forth from the feeders. The orioles hang nests like ornaments and sing sweet lullabies from the branches. The jays and cardinals hold noisy meetings high in the treetops. The catbirds tease our felines with their mocking calls heard always just around the next corner of the house.

Yesterday was a day for enjoying the autumn warmth and cleaning up the falling leaves our maple friends have left us on the front lawn. Earle and Shawn take turns raking up piles of golden treasure and carrying their bundles to the truck. Our silver maples' leaves now mingle with their cousins from other yards at the green dump. Other years they have been allowed to nestle into our brushy area in back of the house, but the carpet there is growing a bit thick, so off they went this year.

Soon the maples with be bare, they will don their winter snow coats and wait for spring when their energies can once again be put into making leaves, new leaves for another year's annual father-son raking in the golden sunlight of a perfect fall day.

Our lone Japanese maple glowing scarlet against the graying horizon of the late fall landscape

Percy, one of the blog's namesakes, just wanted to sit among the fallen leaves by the back deck and pose for his autumn photo shoot

Away She Goes

2007-11-05T13:14:00.001-05:00

Around lunch time today the truck came to gather up our van we donated to the National Kidney foundation. Kidney cars, as they are called, are taken to an auto auction house. The Kidney Foundation uses the money from the sale and the person donating the vehicle takes a tax write-off in the amount the car sells for. It is a good deal all around. Any progress the foundation can make towards helping people with kidney disease is wonderful.

My brother Tom is a kidney dialysis patient. The treatment saves his life, yet burdens him with a tremendous time commitment hooked up to the machine as well as a cycle of feeling some better after a treatment, then lousy the day before another one. I pray, and hope you will join me, that new treatments will be found and new ways will be discovered to both protect our kidneys and help them to heal when they are damaged. I'm sure Tom would appreciate your prayers as well.

Winching the van onto the truck

The donated vehicle that was on the flatbed when he pulled in becomes a tow-behind to make room for the van

Why Church?

2007-11-04T06:33:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me the other day why I go to church, in essence, what's in it for me, how does it help me to have a better life.

There is certainly companionship, a traveller through life can always use the support of others. We were not meant to be an island unto ourselves.

Also, we were created by God, made in his image, for a purpose. We are to have a relationship with him. Imagine, the Creator of everything there is wants to get to know me and me Him. I am but a speck of dust on an insignificant planet in a nondescript spiral galaxy among millions of other galaxies, yet He wants me to know Him. Who could refuse an invitation like that?

But He isn't out there, He is everywhere, He is inside me. You know that voice, the one that keeps nudging you on to find something new to fill that longing within your soul. You can try to fill it with many things in this world: friends, activities, work, things, but the shape is all wrong. After a while the newness that seemed just right begins to rub the wrong way like a pair of shoes that seemed comfortable in the store but give you blisters on the backs of your heels when you've walked in them all day. Nothing of this world can fill that longing. That hole is God-shaped.

Church isn't a building, it is a relationship and a community. What's in it for me? A chance to experience being surrounded by other Christians, to support them and be supported in return. The opportunity to join together with those other Christians to worship the Creator of the universe, jointly. To give Him the honor He deserves and to give it publicly and with a loving heart. Sometimes it isn't enough to pray, to think about praise and honor in your own head. Sometimes it is necessary to come together with others, to become one voice just as the millions of galaxies of the universe He created sing His praises together. One of them doesn't step out of its orbit and say, "Look at me, I'm special, more special than the others."No. When we do that we bring the focus of worship to ourselves. In the corporate body of the church the focus remains on the one being praised.

I told my friend church can be a wonderful place, but be sure you will not find perfection there. There is not perfection on the Earth. We are all fallen creatures, imperfect is so many ways. Church isn't about celebrating our perfection, but His perfection. If we were not broken we would have no need for Jesus as our savior. If we could get it all right by ourselves we would be gods- perfect, whole, all powerful. I am certainly no god.

Sometimes church is a frustrating place to go to. There are people we don't especially like and truths we don't especially want to hear. Maybe we'd rather have different music or a different color carpet. Perhaps our preference is for guitars, but this Sunday we sing His praises accompanied by the piano or organ. As C.S. Lewis said, "We are all fallen creatures and all very hard to live with."

People often criticize Christians as being hypocrites. How can we claim we are Christians and "saved" when we are still so imperfect? What's so good about that? There is the expectation that churches are full of people that are somehow "better" than the rest or at least think they are. Really, churches are filled with people that know and freely admit they are no better than anyone else, they freely admit their need for Jesus to have died to pay for their sins so they can have the relationship with God that He always intended.

That's what's in it for me, a place to come together with others who are imperfect like myself and let go of the burdens this world puts on us to be perfect and to lay those burdens in the hands of a loving God who gave up everything in order that we, in our brokenness, could know his love and forgiveness. It is not a place to worship myself and my success and a human being. When we are free of the burden of trying to perfect ourselves by our own power then we can really live. Everything we do takes on new meaning. We no longer do them for ourselves alone, but for Him and for others out of gratefulness and thanksgiving and love.

God beckons us to worship because he knows we need it and we need Him. Church is not the building, it is the people and the experience. It is the chance to fulfill the words of the Bible:

28One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: "Which is most important of all the commandments?"
29-31Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."
32-33The religion scholar said, "A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!" Mark 12:28-33

The Creator of the whole universe doesn't need our worship on Sunday mornings, he knows we need it. How wonderful to know He cares for this tiny speck of dust as if it was the most precious jewel in the whole universe. How can I not be grateful and praise Him in return?

Happy Halloween

2007-11-01T10:16:00.000-04:00

Last night we had our token three groups of trick-or-treaters. They were young kids from our street and cute as can be!

Shawn helped hand out candy at Deborah's house to about a hundred "kids" of varying sizes and ages. It seems the older teens, young adults, and even middle aged adults hit that neighborhood. Since we are on a dead end street up a hill we don't get neighborhood extras.

Julia and Derek went to visit some friends in the town he is from and ended up playing The Farming Game well into the night. These older teens/young adults give the game rave reviews.

Of course everyone is going to be enjoying a nice sugar high today from all the leftover candy!

Here are some pics of Julia and Shawn and their pumpkins. They made a perfect welcoming committee at our door last night.

Pre-carving

Santa's little helper is early this year?!

It pays to have long arms

The friendly giant!

Toothless (almost) grin

The welcoming committee