Mother's Day

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

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

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

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

Feathered Friends

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

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?