Friday Ramblings

I think it's not quite the end of summer, even though school is in full swing.

For one, we are having summer storms.

This is a huge novelty in our area.

Every afternoon, after the heat builds up to, oh, about 102, the clouds start rolling in. Then they turn an ominous gray and the wind starts to howl. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it spits, sometimes we get nothing. Either way, it's fun to experience.

The other reason I don't think summer is over is because I am  still loving summer foods. Home grown tomatoes and peaches this week.

Don't you think if summer foods are still in season, it should still be summer vacation so that we have the time to savor the summer foods?

I will eventually get off the "why is summer over" bandstand.

Eventually, when it's no longer 95-104 degrees outside.

I found this amazing recipe for individual peach crisps here.

Brenna and I stopped at the store after school for more peaches so I could try the recipe out.

One reason I know summer (vacation) is finished is that our family is T.I.R.E.D.

Brenna is knocked out by 8:30,  and I'm not far behind her. 

Reason number two is that the word homework is once again uttered in our home.

It's not our favorite word.

Not that B has tons and tons of it, but it has always been the bain of her existence. I thought this year would be fun as she is taking an American Sign Language class. 

Ha.

You would think I'm asking her to cut off her arm when I ask her to practice numbers and the alphabet.

I don't know why this is so frustrating to me. It's been the same routine ever since I can remember! At least this go around I'll learn something new...

Here's a fall routine....I have Justin Bieber songs stuck in my head, as that's the only thing Brenna wants to listen to on the way to and from school.

One Less Lonely Girl is the song for the day.

I think I'm going to lower the boom and only allow the boy wonder in my car three days a week.

 All this cooking must mean fall is in the air. Except it's still 102 degrees.

I tried making sweet potato fries.

Someone please explain to me why these sweet potatoes are not orange. Aren't they supposed to be orange? They looked more like jicama when I sliced it.

And, no. It wasn't jicama. I looked closely at the label in the store.

With my glasses ON, thank you very much.

They tasted like sweet potato fries, only not quite as sweet. They were delicious, but not the right color.

I found the recipe here. Yes, it's the same place as where I found the peach crisps. It's a very dangerous food blog...

Pinterest is also signaling the end of summer. 

I found fall clothing ensembles. I do love the clothing ensembles on Pinterest, don't you? Even if it's not for my, ahem, age, I can keep the look and adapt it. As in bermuda shorts instead of little teeny, tiny ones. Or flats instead of four inch heels. I did like this outfit, as I didn't see a need to adapt it:

source

Well, maybe I can do without the funky sunglasses. And the bracelets. Those usually fall off my wrist. Nor do I care for the clunking sound.

source

But this? Oh, now this is perfect. Right down to the Starbucks cup.  Notice that the white and green cup is a fashion accessory? Those fashionistas must have picked it up from me. Pretty sure.

Maybe I am ready for fall. Whew. I was a little worried there for a minute. Or a week. 

the week in iphoto

Art Journaling

I am thinking more and more about Art Journaling.

I'm thinking about a lot of things, but for now I'll talk about Art Journaling. It might take some of the pressure off of my brain. The brain that is going so fast with so many ideas lately. Little by little, I'm learning that  best thing for all these ideas right now is waiting.

Say what?

I'm so not a patient person. I am very task and performance oriented. Ask my Life Coach.

Waiting, and journaling. Getting ideas out onto paper instead of the ideas skittering around my brain like a squirrel on ice is a very good thing. The ideas have a place to go. I have a place to go with the ideas. 

With a day like yesterday, journaling is a very good thing to have.

Yesterday started with a bad blood draw, stopped in the middle with the information that I need a root canal, and ended with me stepping in dog vomit in my bare feet.

Suffice it to say I was in my pajamas by 5:30 and in bed, lights out by 8:30.

So done with the day.

so.so.bad.

Thankful that today is a new day and Mercies are NEW, I took time while at the dog park to read Jesus Calling:

"Demonstrate your trust in Me by sitting quietly in My Presence. Put aside all that is waiting to be done and refuse to worry about anything. This sacred time together strengthens you and prepares you to face whatever the day will bring."

I don't do waiting well. I do anxiety well.

So, I make it a game. Can I sit quietly for two minutes? Three? Five?

Where will I sit quietly? In my art room? At the dog park? In my back yard?

**Note to self: coffee does not help this process.**

Now the journaling comes in. An extension of waiting. As I am tossing ideas around and frustrations out, the waiting makes more sense. It's like cooking. If you turn the heat on super high, thinking you can get the piece of meat done faster, all your going to do is burn the outside and the inside will be raw. Cooking slowly brings fabulous results. Simmering is a good thing. Journaling and waiting is like simmering.

(i told you my brain is like a squirrel on ice right now...)

Journaling brings out emotion. It tends to transfer to canvases. The words can bring healing when written on paper. Those same words can be covered up, buried, never to be seen. Kinda like being in bed by 8:30 with lights out. DONE. Whatever is written on top or on the next page is a totally new beginning.

These days, my journaling is going on everything. Especially on my to-do lists. It makes the lists more tolerable. It makes the lists prettier and while I'm waiting for (bad) blood draws to be done, or awaiting news of a root canal, it takes the edge off of tension.

It doesn't have to be every day, or a certain time spent on paper. Maybe it's a square on your calendar, maybe it's on your to do list, or it could be in a special journal. Shoot. Journal in your cookbook. 

Which ever you choose, journal away.

 It's a new day, with new mercies.

The Day I Sewed.

My friend came over the other day and helped me hem pants for Brenna. Clothes shopping is just not fun for her and when we do find something, we hop up and down in excitement and then take it all to the tailor. It's tough when you are 4'11 and the pooh bear version of vogue. 

Anywho, all this sewing my friend, Wendy did, got me inspired (as well as made me thankful to skip the tailor this go around-thanks, friend!) to try a little tutorial I found on Pinterest. 

Disclaimer:

I do NOT sew.

This is evident in a couple of ways.

1. I bought a rotary cutter and mat to cut squares out of cardboard food boxes for a mosaic project.

2. It took me a while to realize I had to replace the blade of the rotary cutter when it wouldn't cut through fabric I was using for rosettes. Duh. Cardboard isn't real great on blades.

3. I did not hand sew the rosettes on this project as suggested. I hot glued them, as I am too impatient for the glue on the rosettes to dry and ruined them when I tried to sew them on while the glue was wet.

4. I don't own a decent pair of fabric scissors. I keep meaning to buy some, but darn! They aren't cheap.

5. I am not precise in any way, shape or form when it comes to sewing. At all. As in never. It usually is not to my advantage.

There are exceptions. Like eyeballing the 1 1/2 inch of fabric needed to be cut for the headband. I kinda sorta measured it, but didn't keep the measurement all the way across the edge of the t-shirt. Plus, I only had to sew the headband closed. I can sew an inch and a half. Well, I did pretty well on my second try. T-shirt material is a little skitzo on the machine. It just goes wherever it wants whenever it wants.

The t-shirts I used were pretty thin and I decided to sew two pieces together on the second headband. Don't try this, as you won't be able to stretch the material over your head. Too bad, 'cause I thought this green one was pretty cute.

Brenna's teacher wants me to make her one, so I'm thinking I'm on my way to changing my status from NOT a sewer to a seamstress.

HA AH HAHHHAAAA HA HA AHA HA.

Wrapping Up Summer In A Ramble

The end of summer vacation.

The worst time of year for me. 

Ever.

The end of not setting an alarm.

The end of lazy dinners, pajama days, iced tea runs, hours spent reading library books, beach days and summer camp.

What happened?

Just when my husband and I have gotten into a routine of reading outside under the lights in the summer air,

I'm staring at the calendar, realizing we have three days left before school begins.

Shoot. We still have home made popsicles left to eat.

Zoku Popsicle maker from Williams and Sonoma. 

Rad birthday gift for Brenna. These are watermelon/ peach, and lemon. The key-lime flavor was pretty darn tasty as well.

Now it's the season for appointments, the push to buy holiday items and practice after school.

(yes, this is what I wear at my dentist's office.)

We won't go without a fight, though.

My neighbor and I took Brenna and a friend to the beach today for one final summer hurrah.

It's been hotter than hot here and we just had to go down one last time.

It was cloudy and warm....I knew better, but I wasn't the sunscreen nazi I usually am.

Let's just say we are all paying for it.

At least we'll remember today when school begins and our faces, arms and legs are peeling.

One more layer of me looking like saddle leather when I'm 70...

Have I boo-hooed enough?

I guess.

Sigh.

Thank goodness summer comes again next year.

Here's the Iphoto summer highlights:

beach*birthday*starbucks*july4*camp*bbq oldstyle*pajamadays*weddings and love*art*dolphins*dancing*vacation*family*bravegirls.

Save The Date!!

I'm so excited!!!!

Saturday, October 6th

It's really happening..

Last week I was painting like a fool (the paint on my p.j.'s is amazing) and this week, it's gear up for school week.  As in, get to bed at a decent time and quit reading the latest novel until midnight. Well, maybe just til 10:00 or so, right?

Next week?

PAINT. MORE.

Pajama Painting...

Today I'm happily painting in my pajamas. Best work outfit ever.

I'm also trying to learn how to watermark photos.

Not the easiest thing in the world, but I managed a small one from Picassa 3.

Kinda in the round about way.

These canvases emerged from two out of the  three below:

I am so, so pleased with them.

The bird just plain 'ol makes me happy.

AND it makes me happy that I have seven of the twelve 12x12 canvases finished for the Oct. 1 show.

Then I remind myself to breath...

I added free motion sewing to this one.

I am SO not a seamstress. You should have seen the mess I made figuring out just this little part. I have this tendency to sew the wrong things together.

It must be worth the effort, because I keep doing it.

Pretending you are a seamstress is pretty fun.

Man.

I love color...

which is strange as my p.j.'s are black and white.

Maybe I'll paint those as well.

Hope your week is happy and you are staying cool.

It's Her Party....

It's her 18th.

I wish I could have all of you over to celebrate.

Stop by Sunday to follow the link to Vanessa and Heather's blog,

atthepicketfence.com

where I'm guest blogger and get the full version.

Thanks for all your support and love.

Various Stages of Happiness

We are back from vacation and I am in various stages of painting.

Which brings me great pleasure...

Which is good, as I have found out that I have been accepted to a three day show in town called 

Art For Heaven's Sake!!

When I received the acceptance letter, Doug and Brenna had to tell me to breathe.

I now find myself getting ready for this show as well 

as a show at Jenny Doh's studio in Santa Ana.

Nervous happiness, realizing just how much needs to get done in the next two months.

Excited happiness, as this is truly what I want to do and I'm given opportunities to do so.

I can't say Miss Party has brought much happiness.

My kind neighbor had her for the week we were gone.

I got a text that said, "do you think it's possible that Dixie would eat a box of chocolate and the wrapping and hide it? All we can find is the bow that was on top of the box"

I, uh...well, let's think back to the box of Oreos she nabbed off the kitchen table which we found for days under couch cushions. Umm...

Yes.

They eventually found the evidence hidden in the back yard.

No, she didn't get sick, and yes, I offered to replace the box of chocolates.

Naughty.

Check back on Sunday, I'm blessed to be doing a guest post for Heather and Vanessa's blog,

At The Picket Fence.

Have a great day!