Thursday, February 24, 2011

a really cool artist...






I have been admiring the work of a really cool artist lately and I thought I would share some of his work with you. I'm a bit biased because I am his mother, but still, he's a really cool guy...all the girls think so...must be all that hair or something. He's been creating since about age two...on that fateful day that I first trusted him with a crayon and he turned out to be not too trustworthy and I spent the next few years scrubbing crayon off of walls and furniture and that was before they made those really cool Mr. Clean sponges that get crayon off easily...He mostly works in miniatures. All of his early drawings are tiny, tiny and so detailed. He is a "use what you have" kind of guy, which means he makes all of his creations using found objects and things we have lying about the house. He likes weapons and he has made some interesting ones out of skewers and tape and bits of this and that and one with one of my sewing needles that stuck in his brother's butt and got him into big trouble. But all artists are a bit rebellious. He likes to transform paper into wonderful little works of art. His little tiny painted air soft pellets are exquisite. All in all, I think he is a pretty talented fella. I'm sure he will be quite embarrassed by this post, but he will probably never see it. It's not that cool for a teenager to be reading Mom's blog.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

star light, star bright...








...the first star I see tonight,

I wish I may, I wish I might,

have the wish I make tonight...


...a dreamy, magical little star mobile that I made for a baby shower. I really love how this turned out. I'm reluctant to let it go. I could see this hanging in my house somewhere, even though my babies are no longer babies. Guess I'll just have to make another one...


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

when life gives you rotten bananas...






...make Banana Coffee Cake with Orange Glaze!



Monday, February 14, 2011

a monday heart...



Keep your heart open for as long as you can, as wide as you can, for others and especially for yourself.

- Morrie Schwartz-

Sunday, February 13, 2011

a sunday heart...


Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
-Confucious-

Saturday, February 12, 2011

a saturday heart...


The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.
-Jacques Benigne Bossuel-

Friday, February 11, 2011

a friday heart...


Some people care too much, I think it's called love.
-Winnie the Pooh-

Thursday, February 10, 2011

a thursday heart...


Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.
-unknown-

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

life marches on...whether you're ready or not



So Cassidy turned 15 and 1/2 yesterday, which means she can get her driver's permit. And that's exactly what she did. She burst in the door at 3:05 and yelled, "Mom, are you ready?" Well - no - of course I'm not ready. My baby, driving? I think I may be a bad mother. I've raised all my kids with the intention of them being independent someday, but everytime they take a step towards that independence - well - the crack in my heart gets a little bit bigger. I know, I know...it's part of the natural progression of life and all that stuff. Like Cassidy asked me, "Well, Mom, do we want me to live with you forever?" No, no, of course not. But what's the big rush? I mean, does she realize when she's on her own, she will have to do her own laundry?


Friday, February 4, 2011

the things we keep...




I'm doing a little reorganizing this week and as I was rediscovering old treasures, I thought to myself, why do we keep certain things? I try to use the things that I own, it somehow feels wrong to just own something for the sake of owning it and never using it or enjoying it or sharing it. But, a few treasures remain carefully wrapped in tissue and stored in my closet, yet I cannot seem to part with them. The favorite old rabbit, its' fur worn off and one ear mended with sloppy stitches... a few remaining pieces of a child's tea set... a tattered book, the pages written on with kindergarten letters... old ballet shoes, so loved the toes broke through... a shabby trinket with a missing rhinestone...
Each of these treasures means something to me, deep in my heart. They give me a sense of the past, when maybe life seemed a bit simpler. They bring back memories that comfort. I think we have all experienced that at one time or another.
Sometimes when I am out shopping for antiques, I see treasures that are similar to the ones I cling to. I wonder about the person that owned them and how their treasure came to be sitting on a shelf in an antique mall.
Recently, our dear, sweet, grandmotherly neighbor, left her beloved home and moved into a nursing home. It all happened very quickly. One day she was there, enjoying a very full life, very capable and independent, and the next day she became ill and within weeks she was tucked away in her new residence. The contents of her house have been sold and her "treasures" - those items that didn't seem worth anything to anyone else - the treasures that held her memories - were piled up with the weeks' trash. And I find myself feeling deeply saddened by it.
I know this is a really long post and I don't usually go on like this, but it's something that's been on my mind and I thought I would just put it out there. For you. For your treasures, whatever they may be.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

xo

...some wumpy love for you...