Well, my 30+ days are over, and boy, it's been a lot of fun! In case you couldn't join us on Facebook, or just would really like to hear them again in order, I've created a playlist of all the songs I posted. You'll still have to check FB to find out why I posted them though.... ;)

Some handy tips to keep in mind:

Have the proper attitude. You'll need to not be afraid to get really silly, to be a big enough fan that you enjoy messing around with all the minutiae, and to know when enough is enough and you're getting obsessive and it's time to stop.

Read the books. Especially if you've only seen the movies. You might even want to read a bit of it while everyone is arriving, or needs a little downtime. The books are so rich in detail and humor, and when you read them together as a family, it really adds to the fun.

Plan, plan, plan. Our day involved the guests getting sent an acceptance letter to Hogwarts on the school letterhead, and when they arrived, they were handed a notebook with the day's schedule and some activities to do until everyone was present. We made many, many, many things in advance: workbooks (Google "Harry Potter coloring pages" or "Harry Potter activities" to find loads of free resources), capes made out of trash bags for the kids to decorate and wear, pretend Potions supplies that we gleefully labeled - (like "powdered lacewings" that was really the contents of a jello packet), their wands, and the homemade packages of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans that Sophie chose the flavors for from this list. Fonts were from The Daily Prophet (Harry P and Lumos) and were printed on big Avery labels and cut out with fun scissors.

Have a schedule. The students were greeted by Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, got sorted into their houses with the sorting hat, chose their wands, decorated their capes, and went to Potions class (messy things in the kitchen), Transfiguration class (Shrinky Dinks; we pointed our wands and yelled "Reducto!" at the toaster oven while they were cooking), and Divination class (we pretended to read their palms and predict funny things). As they completed each class, they got a sticker to put next to the subject in their workbook. At the end we had a graduation celebration with Butterbeer (root beer) and cauldron cakes (cupcakes). All of this took about an hour and a half but could have been longer if we'd wanted. The awesome thing is that we're doing it again this weekend for Peter's birthday!

HAVE FUN! I suspect a few of the parents thought we were nuts. We didn't care.

Labyrinth in New Harmony by chrisjuno

I went again on the amazing Mother's Retreat this past weekend (with my amazing Mother!) At the retreat center they had a prayer labyrinth! I've wanted to walk a labyrinth for ages!

The story of the prayer or mediation labyrinth is said to have its roots in the faithful who couldn't make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, so they would walk the path of the labyrinth in a prayerful state - some say on their knees - and follow its ways.

I was fortunate enough to have lovely weather, and the whole area to myself. I picked up a small stone from outside the labyrinth, and began to follow the path. As I slowly wound my way in, I began to pray for my family, friends, and even people who I was upset with. When I finally got to the center flower, I stood quietly for a while, just enjoying the peace and the lovely view.

Then I left my stone in the center of the flower, and made my way back, this time thanking God for blessing me with all the people I had prayed for on the way in, and letting the others go who I needed to forgive. I could have spent hours out there. But I believe I left my cares back in the center flower with my small piece of quartz.

I'm planning another trip back - this time with my family - when the weather gets warmer. I'm interested to hear from others who have ever walked a labyrinth. What was your experience?

Starting late, but doing the Thirty Day Song Challenge!

I'll be posting this on FB only - so if you're not already on the list, come join us! And watch this space.... I'm working on a big post about something very cool!

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - your favourite cover song
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to hate but now love
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

I did something huge (for me, anyway) this weekend. I got a haircut. But not any haircut. A Deva cut. (Pic at the end!)

The Deva cut is the brainchild of Lorraine Massey, who is the curly girl's guru. She realized that since curly hair is not like regular hair, it shouldn't be cut the same way either. Every cut is different, and the stylist cuts your hair based on your curl pattern. Everything, from the products you use, to the way you dry it, is different than everything you've ever heard.

For a girl who normally goes to Supercuts and hacks her own bangs with sewing scissors when they get into her eyes, spending any significant amount of money on my hair is not a regular occurrence with me.

But my hair's been bugging me for quite a while now. I loved my haircut when I chopped about 8+ inches of it off a couple of years ago, but lately it's been just awful - flat on top, big on the ends, lifeless, and most of the time relegated to a ponytail. I hated the fact that still, if I wanted to go anywhere special, I had to wash my hair the day before and put it in french braids so that it would be dry and relatively calm for the occasion the next day. I wound up liking my hair about twice a month, maybe, if the stars were aligned and the moon was in the seventh house.

So one day I commented to one of our sitters that her hair always looked terrific - curly, not frizzy, just really pretty, and asked her what she did. "Oh!" she said. "I have a Deva cut." And then it all made sense. More than 2 years ago, another friend of mine had done the same at the big salon in Soho, and her "after" pics were just gorgeous. I knew all about Deva already! After much discussion, encouragement, hemming and hawing, and watching many many YouTube videos,  I was finally ready to take the plunge and do it too. I found a salon near my parents' that did the cut, and made an appointment.

Except instead of being excited, I found myself getting worried and nervous. I honestly couldn't sleep. I'm working on being able to do nice things for myself, and even though everyone I knew was giving me thumbs up, I was still freaking myself out about hair. Not to mention that this was going to be expensive. But you know, when you never get your hair cut, your budget allows for a little extravagance once in a while. And yes, I knew it was stupid to worry. But I worried anyway.

I really shouldn't have. It turned out to be a great experience, and one I will gladly repeat. Renee, the incredibly friendly stylist, cut my hair dry with the care of someone trimming a bonsai tree or a topiary. She would pull out a curl and let it go, watch how it snapped back, and then trim again. She answered all my questions, but mostly there was a comfortable silence. It was so incredibly low-pressure. I was worried my hair wasn't really curly and I had been fooling myself along. Not so! Even before they washed and conditioned it, I could see the curls bouncing up.

And this is one of the most surprising and gratifying things about the whole experience for me - everyone there complimented my hair. Not just people working there - people who were clients, or sitting under the dryer, or whatever - would look over from time to time and say, "you really have the most gorgeous hair!" I'm used to being annoyed with my hair, or wishing it would be shiny, or just look more like everyone else's. These were people who knew hair, telling me it was beautiful, not huge, or messy, or looking at me like I was a freak because I had so much of it. It was kind of like a celebration of my hair.

After it was dry, I was looking at a gorgeous mass of curls. My curls. I can still put my hair up (with masses of curls), pull it back in a headband (with masses of curls springing from it), or tuck cute barrettes into it. I still have the length, but it's like it's free from trying to be something it's not. It's not straight, it's not thin, and it's certainly not tame. I alternated between grinning at myself like an idiot in the mirror, and staring at my reflection wondering who the heck was this chick with the sophisticated hair?

Another reason I really wanted to do this cut was for Angela. She is my curly girl, and while Sophie has wavy hair and can practically sit on it, Angela's looks much more like mine. I hear her complain about it, and how it isn't straight or look like her sister's. "That's okay," I tell her. "It looks like mine!" And I'll make a special point out of using the products on her hair, or styling it with the clips while it dries, or doing something else to show her how we're sisters in curliness, and that it absolutely rocks.

Curly girls unite!

Why hello, 2011! I didn't see you there. I can have all the good intentions in the world, which means virtually nothing when I'm trying to have 5 seconds to myself, let alone trying to post new artwork/stories/what have you. I promise this is something I am actively working on.

But nothing was going to keep me from continuing the let's-watch-those-adorable-kiddos-grow-up-right-before-our-eyes goodness that is the family Valentine! I am so blessed to have the family I wound up with.



and past Valentines....


(2010)


(2009)


(2008)


(2007)


(2006)


(2005) And as always, I wish everyone much love and hope you do the same.

This Christmas painting is for Sophie, at her request. It’s Little My from the Moomin books, and she is something of a teeny hero in our house. For those of you who don’t know Little My, here’s a good excerpt:

“Where’s Mother?” he asked.

“Somebody ate her,” replied Little My untruthfully. “Have you any food?”

Snufkin pointed with his pipe-stem. A small kettle of peas was simmering over his camp-fire nearby. Beside it stood another with hot coffee. “But I suppose milk’s what you drink,” he said.

Little My gave a contemptuous laugh. She did not bat an eyelid as she swallowed two brimming teaspoonfuls of coffee and ate no fewer than four peas.

She’s kind of a tiny little anarchist, and I think there’s something about her sassy attitude that really appeals to my very strait-laced kids. Little My is not mean, just cuts to the chase and tells it like it is. And does it gleefully. If you haven’t read any Moomin books, go to the library right now and check them out. Tove Jansson has a very dry kind of humor, and often her stories are funny but also bittersweet. I love them, and her amazing illustrations too.

I took a painting, working, and everything else break to have a little fun with Facebook's new settings. Unfortunately, this isn't an option (yet?) for fan pages, but you can certainly mess with your personal profile all you want! I was inspired by the post here, and there are directions and a download to do it yourself! I will add to this - after you make your images, upload them in reverse order, one at a time. Otherwise they'll upload in a scrambled or backwards fashion. Have fun!

I really wanted to post a new painting every day or so, but right now all the free time I have has to be spent posting, not scanning. :) Rest assured I'm still painting up a storm and will post as soon as I can.

Meanwhile for your viewing enjoyment, here's an amazing video where the animation is all done in watercolor. By hand. (and most definitely not by me, I wish!) I'm in awe.

This is the third year in a row that I've done custom paintings for Christmas gifts for family members. For some reason, everyone wants one! So I have been painting like crazy. Good crazy.

I'll be posting a new pic every day or so, and I'll start off with Peter's. He wanted a rainforest. A rainforest! Nothing like something simple and uncomplicated, huh? I told him that would take a while, and he pointed to the painting I did for his father that now hangs above our fireplace and said, "You know, just do what you did for Daddy, but in a rainforest instead." I don't know whether to be honored that my kids seem to think nothing is impossible for me to do, or frustrated at the complete lack of concept of the amount of work that goes into a project like this. So Petey, you get your rainforest.

One really good thing about challenging myself to pick up the brushes again after 6 months is that I have a huge looming deadline to contend with, and a large number of paintings to finish in that time. (I also have some stuffed animals I wanted to try to make too, but that's a story for another day.) The good thing about all this pressure is that it forces me to make the most of all the time I have, and to declare something to be done sooner than I would have normally. And they really ARE done, it's not me slacking off; it's that ordinarily I would fool around with something that was done for another week, and think about it, blah blah blah. It's a rainforest, Peter saw me working on it and loves it, and I'M PAINTING EVERY DAY. That's all I need to know.

When I posted my last video, I asked what you'd all like to see - so this is a very very informal video of how I paint my backgrounds. (Try to see how many times Sophie sticks her hand in.) It was fun!

This is one of the three paintings I finished yesterday, with #4 in the works...

Fun things to make around the house for your Thanksgiving celebrations:

Give Thanks Banner

This was actually my kids' idea! They wanted to make a banner that said "Give Thanks", and other than a tiny bit of help from me, this was all their work. Each letter is one half of an 8.5" x 11" piece of copy paper, and they're decorated with all the other bits of copy paper. :) It's hard to tell from this pic, but the hole puncher played an important part in our decorating - all those polka dots are from cleaning out the 3-hole punch! I stapled each letter to the long piece of yarn, and added an extra thread to anchor the G so that the bottom didn't curl over.

Thanksgiving Tree

This was an idea I'd seen online and adapted for my CCD classes. I drew leaves (four to a sheet of paper) and copied them on various autumnal colors of paper. Each child got a leaf and wrote his or her name and what they were thankful for. Then I hole-punched each leaf near where the stem would be, and tied it to branches from our yard. I took all the extra copies and gave 2 sheets of different colors to each child to bring home so that their families could make their own Thanksgiving Tree on Thursday. I absolutely love how this came out!

As promised, I'm posting my Twitter background as a thank you to everyone! Take the one on the left, or continue the color wash onto 2 monitors and download 'em both. They measure 1600 x 1200 pix. Enjoy!

Click each link to download each to your own computer. These graphics are for personal use on a home computer only and are not meant for anyone's website or business. These are the only graphics you may use from this site without written permission.

Main screen background
Right screen background

I have a longer, more introspective post coming, but I noticed this morning that my Facebook page is hovering around 300. While it completely astonishes me that almost 300 people (who can't possibly all be my mother) want to know more about my work, it's inspiring to know that, and it helps push me to create more, and share it.

So.

When I get to 300 fans, I'll post a new wallpaper to download! I'll also post one for people who use two monitors, like me. (For those who want a peek, it's my new Twitter background.)

</shameless self-promotion>

Ever wanted to hear what I sound like? Or learn how to make a custom fan page on Facebook for your artwork or your company? Kill two birds with one stone and check out my first foray into the world of video! :)

This is for our blog at PRI, but if I was going to do an instructional FTG video, what would you want to see? Watercolour techniques? Packing school lunches? Sewing? Leave me some ideas in the comments.

I've mentioned previously about my lack of painting, drawing, and general downturn in just plain old creating. You know how the cycle goes: you stop doing something, and then it gets to be more and more of a burden to start it up again because now there's not only the effort of starting something that's completely at a standstill, but the added pressure to make it "GOOD". I put it in quotes like that because it's subjective and should be completely up to me on a personal project if I deem something to have a satisfying or worthy result or not, right? But there are days I look at my work and think it's all rubbish, and then I come back later and find it wasn't so bad after all. So by my definition, if I create? It's good.

In any case, the holidays are looming coming up, and I've been giving careful thought to what I want to do, and what effort I want to go to, to make the season feel right to me. This isn't me going all Martha on the family, it's more of putting the priorities in the right place and making sure we focus on the right things without going overboard. And for me, that includes a certain amount of homemade goodness, whether it be food, crafts, or paintings.

So - I'm taking the handmade pledge again this year, and I will be trying to make as many of our presents this year as I can. I'm hoping that by doing that I'll also be able to satisfy the paint dragon that lives within me that's been growling and unhappy lately because she's hungry. Boy, is she gonna get fed.

Will I be documenting and posting my progress here? You'd better believe it!

My goal for today: email the painting recipients and start taking requests, and make a game plan and schedule for the other items (tiny stuffed animals, ornaments for our CCD classes and family, finding recipes for good vegetarian food I can serve up on Christmas so I have something to look forward to).

While we didn’t go away this summer, or do anything exciting, we did have one special project I made up for the kids.

Squirrel Scouts.
Because my kids weren’t doing any large, organized activities over the summer, I made up a fictitious organization/day camp I called “Squirrel Scouts” to keep them occupied. We had a handbook (see above), a nature journal, t-shirts, and of course, we earned badges!

Since they are pretty young (6 and 7) we concentrated on a few main things we wanted them to learn over the summer, or at least get a good handle on:

• Learning to swim 
• To be able to tie their own shoes 
• To ride their bikes without training wheels 

Along with that were many other badges to earn, some pretty easy for them and some pretty difficult. All of them took TIME and they were so proud of themselves when they earned each badge!


The badges of course were paper (I made them in Photoshop. How crazy do you think I am? Don’t answer that) and we had a place on each page to paste the badge once it was earned. I think their favorite one was the cooking badge, where they had to plan a menu, make a shopping list, and then do every bit of the cooking they were capable of with Mama to do the heavy lifting/dangerous bits. Their meals leaned heavily on macaroni, cheese, and creatures made out of bits of veggies, but we loved it all and documented their creations with a photo shoot and much fanfare.

But my personal favorite was the Nature Journal badge.

They have been keeping amazing journals for themselves, full of notes, colors, and observations from their time spent playing outside. They can open them anytime and relive that summer (and now, autumn) when they took special notice of the world around them.

ps ~ I'm seriously thinking about making all of this a PDF package for purchase for next summer for any other families who want to use it. Thoughts?

excellent news from the eye doctor: Sophie is to be patch-free for three months!
wonderful news from the dentist: none of the kids have cavities!
super news from today's parent-teacher conferences: all the kids are behaving and doing well in class!
amazing news from yesterday's post: we got a shoutout from ALLCAPS! WOO!
best news of all: Grandma and Grandpa are going to watch the kids and Paul and I are going to go on a real date!

Please share your good news with me in the comments:
Your marvelous news: ______________________________!

Halloween, 2010. Robots, robots, robots.

And the video that inspired it all....

I'm keeping this short and sweet today, as it's (yay!) Halloween, and I'm hoping to get some homemade costume goodness up for tomorrow.

I found this site this summer, and it soon became my go-to site for peaceful and hopeful reading before I went to bed. It's called Gives Me Hope, and it's packed with short stories of courage, bravery, and inspiration. The first few nights I started reading it, I couldn't stop and went all the way to the first post to start from the beginning. I didn't want to miss any. I still go to it a few times a week to help get perspective and to say a few prayers.

Something else I've begun doing in the past month or so: when I wake up in the morning, I read Bible verses for the day from my Bible app and choose a certain one that seems to really stick with me to be my verse for the day. Then I go on Facebook, read the live feed, and pray a blessing for each friend who's posted recently. I mention this because with my absolutely nutty schedule, this way of centering my morning and dedicating my day works for me right now, and if you're ultra-busy, that might work for you too. I also try to catch Paul by the coffeepot in the morning to say a quick prayer before the kids wake up, that we will be a blessing in someone's lives that day.

So here's wishing you some blessings and hope, whenever your day may start.