Pumpkin Love

Since Saturday I have...

~ Taken the girls down to the park for the best kept neighborhood tradition of pumpkin painting – sponsored by the garden club. ~ Gone to the Farmer's Market to buy pumpkins for carving. I was just about the last customer on the very last day at the end of the season. 3 pumpkins. One for me. One for Maya. One for Ellie. ~ Indulged in a pumpkin latte at Starbucks. ~ Baked mini-pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing. ~ Walked 7 blocks to 'becca's house carrying a 20 lb. pumpkin on my back and a 9x13 glass dish filled with mini-pumpkin cupcakes. (Got a ride home from April) ~ Carved my pumpkin at the Pumpkin Slaughter party. Great Fun! Pictured above. I named him Jacko. ~ Stopped by Butterfingers for an after-school-before-basketball snack. 2 iced butter cookies in the shape of pumpkins for the girls and a pumpkin cheesecake bar for me. I never even used to like pumpkin. I guess it's an acquired taste. And I've acquired it.

Also, I finished Ellie's poodle skirt this evening. I did not feel like fighting the sewing machine so I sewed it completely by hand. Cutting out the skirt and putting the waistband on took only about 45 minutes. The hem, the poodle and the leash took another 3 evenings. Luckily Maya loves the orange crayon costume so much that she is going to wear it again.

And! I decorated the Girl Scout Christmas tree at the Visitor's Bureau. But, I forgot my camera and cannot post a photo until the exhibit opens.

Dirty

Because I love digging in the dirt so much, I thought putting 100 tulip bulbs in the ground would be quick, simple and effortless. It wasn't. Even though I was determined to have a completely lazy weekend, I felt I must seize the moment. A beautiful, sunny fall day after many cold and rainy days. Time is not always available. Not knowing where I would put them, the job lead to spontaneous transplants and some pruning. While digging I was flooded with inspiration for painting. Painting dirt. It sounds strange, I know. After cleanup my brain stormed an entire sketchbook page with words associated with underground. Everything from growing food to burying the dead.

Thank God!

I've never been so happy for Friday. A jam packed week of: school > work > basketball > Girl Scouts > dance > basketball > Girl Scouts > Book Fair. We could barely eat and get homework done. Yesterday felt the most insane. In hindsight it was not really. My favorite part of the day was a cold rainy hike at the nature preserve and digging worms to feed to the turtles at the visitor center. If that is what brought me the most joy - maybe I should be doing more of that?

Blogtoberfest... not.

This is me not blogging every day in October. I thought maybe I was ready for the challenge. I stumbled upon "Blogtoberfest" on the second of the month. By the fourth, I had lost my focus. While I still wonder why I try to blog at all, I find that it does make me conscious of where I put my energy (and don't put my energy).

Interestingly enough, before going to bed, Maya and I had a conversation about blogging and web design. I told her I should just give up blogging, learn web design, make art, and design a website for my art.

Her response: You're a graphic designer and you don't know web design?!

Me: I became a graphic designer before the internet was invented. [not really before the invention, but before it was widely used and before designers were called upon to make it look snazzy]

Maya: Man, you're old. And now you can't learn web design because you are too old?!

Me: No. I haven't learned web design because I spend my time going to 6th grade girls' basketball games and Girl Scout meetings. (The better part of my day today) So maybe I should just stop doing all your stuff with you and do my own thing?

Maya: Goodnight.

Me: Goodnight.

Watercolor and Latex

This 8x10 painting feels more like an exercise or a sketch. Getting warmed up for bigger projects. For reference I used a photograph from our trip to New Harmony - shot at the roofless church. Before attempting to mix a beautiful blue in acrylic, I remembered this "cloudless" Behr paint left over from Maya's room. If I could paint in latex paint, then perhaps when I'm in search of the perfect color or color scheme I could just go pick out my swatches and then have them mix up those little test jars for a couple of bucks. I'm thinking of painting this large on 2 canvases for my bedroom walls.

Maya made this fabulous banana cake from scratch, Ellie helped decorate it with some candy found in the pantry and my sister Maureen had a lovely dinner for me with the whole big family to celebrate my 41st birthday today. Yes 41. (In case you couldn't make out those candles.) I got another great message on my answering machine sung from the land of cheese. I still haven't deleted my birthday wishes from last year. I should just record that onto some other sort of media for a keepsake.

Painting

Today I started a painting.

It's the third of October

and I have posted 3 days in a row.

Maybe I could make it another 28 days?

Deluxe Accommodations

Here is Ellie's little house for little critters that I finished this summer. I wasn't going to post until I sewed the family and that happened today.

I experimented with the design of the house. Instead of the front side folding down - two halves pivot open. When I completed this I told the girls I wanted to be a doll house architect. Maya said, "You ARE a dollhouse architect."

Plenty of room for company.

Ellie found a floor that I had sewn completely, then had to toss aside because it wasn't the proper size for nesting one on top of the other. It was her idea to arrange it like so to create 3 rooms.

And for now, my fascination with creating hand-made toys has been satisfied. Although, Maya has been playing with these today and expressed that she has changed her mind and would also like a house of her own. She will probably have to wait until next spring as I have told Ellie she will have to wait for painted bedroom furniture until next spring. I am ready to paint. I am ready to paint paintings, that is - not closets, walls or furniture.

I'm a Little Off

This poor little dog with one long skinny arm is a symptom of my imbalance. I've sewn at least 15 of these little critters so far and none of them ended up lopsided like this one. I've been struggling with physical fatigue and mental fatigue (brain fog) all week. I think I may be done with little critters for a while (after I sew the dog family I promised for Ellie.) While I was enjoying craftiness as my creative outlet I am feeling the need to return to the mandala and the abstract nature. I need to paint.

Leaf Print - Double

One of our new Girl Scout leaders brought this great project to our meeting this week. Put a piece of fabric over a leaf and smash it with a hammer. The chlorophyll from the leaf becomes imbedded in the fabric and creates a beautiful imprint. I didn't make one in the meeting, but was anxious to try it at home. I taped my leaf to a piece of card stock so that it wouldn't shift. I was surprised to see when I removed the fabric that I had an imprint on the paper as well.

O Christmas Tree!

Yes. Christmas. Last year I was surprised to find myself on November 1 working furiously to coordinate a tree decorating project with Girl Scouts for the Lake County Visitor's Bureau. It was Halloween just the day before. This year I wanted to lead the project again and thought I was working well in advance to get it together and this week I was notified that the tree will have to be decorated on October 25! What a surprise that was.

I thought for sure that last year when I resigned as the leader of 2 troops I was going to find myself with all sorts of free time on my hands. I am a lot less stressed out about it, but...time? I spent my whole day off this week making sample ornament projects and getting instructions together. Tomorrow I am going on nature hike with the Brownies. Saturday I will be baking for a bake sale. And, Sunday I will be working the bake sale. These are all things I want to do, but Girl Scouts is still consuming my life.

If you are interested in making any of these little projects, here are some links for you. The first one is just scrap cardboard (cereal boxes) painted gold - using this template.

And the others...

Flying Bird Ornament

Buildable Bird

Salt Dough Ornaments

Infinite

This is re-post from 2 years ago when I began blogging. As I have said before, my intention for blogging was to put my art out into the world. It was only after I created my blog that I realized how much I enjoy writing. After having written this post, I wanted to add some art and so this little watercolor was my illustration of "Infinite".

It's funny to me, looking back, what a different frame of mind I am in now. I'm not really living in the mystery these days. Sort of just trying to make the most of daily life. I think I have become a little more patient with the girls, but I'm still looking for my car keys.

Infinite Possiblities.

No right or wrong, good or bad. I spend much of my time contemplating art and the metaphysical. No wonder my energies are scattered. I crave objectivity, but I am living in the mystery. I can’t deny it.

I feel blessed that I could open my mind really wide and consider the infinite possibilities. I have even considered the possibility that the possibilities may be finite as well. What good are all these ideas if I cannot manifest them into something to be shared?

I am aware that people show up in my life to teach me lessons. The faults we see in others are just reflections of our own. I can’t describe them as “faults” when my lessons are revealed to me by Maya and Eleanor. They are children. They are innocent. They don’t know any better. But, what I try to teach them, I really need to learn myself.

Focus. Make a decision. Just do it.
Here is what I am trying to get my kids to do, while I am a scatterbrain myself. Sure, I could get my shoes on, brush my teeth and get in the car without someone standing over me and repeating the directions several times. But, I have a long “to do” list at all times. Some items are daily, menial tasks, some are big life goals. Progress seems slow sometimes because my head is in the clouds. I need to focus. Make a decision. Just do it.

My greatest frustration is getting the girls out the door in the morning. What are you going to wear? What do you want for breakfast? What do you want for lunch? So many possibilities... and these are such huge decisions for small children because in the midst of all the uncertainty of the whole entire universe, this is what they can control.

I try to simplify the process by limiting the possibilities. Either THIS or THAT for breakfast. I’ll pick out your clothes even though I’d rather see you express your individuality in the way you dress. We don’t have time for that. What kind of sandwich do you want in your lunch? And what will accompany it? Yogurt? That’s great! Strawberry or blueberry? I see you drift off... your eyes glazed over as if you are imagining the future where two parallel universes exist... and in one you are eating strawberry yogurt... and in another whole universe... it’s blueberry.
PICK ONE! IT’S YOGURT!

I’m sorry I raise my voice in anger. And I’m sorry I shame you for not putting your things where they belong while I search aimlessly for my car keys. I’m learning.

Victory

When time is short with ongoing interruptions I feel defeated when the day passes and I have made no effort to exercise. Today I was determined. At 8:35 pm I ran out the door and then two miles more. It's been a struggle lately, but that 2 miles felt almost effortless. It's a great way to end the day. Especially a hectic one. Maya did homework and they both ate fast food in the car while driving to IUN only to find that the gallery for the Fusion of the Arts Exhibit was not on campus, but further north on Broadway. I wasn't feeling too comfortable looking for an elusive address in Gary. One might have thought the Public Library would have had an address on the building or that the drop off information for the art show would have mentioned that the gallery was inside the library. It was an adventure. I am so grateful that the woman signing in work saw me at 7:05 getting out of my car as she was walking to hers. She stayed late so that I would not have to return tomorrow. As I ran this evening I contemplated dedicating the month of October to only art and no words for my posts. Ironically, I came home, sat down and spilled out this little ramble.

Abundance

Mid-September bumper crop of tomatoes. The above photo is what I just picked. The photo below shows what I picked in addition to what was already in the house. I was wondering if we would ever get any tomoatoes. Now I am thinking about cooking up some sauce and putting it in the freezer. Perhaps I will also make a little zucchini bread.

Do You Like My Hat?

"Hello again. And now do you like my hat?"

"I do. What a hat! I like it!"

Happy Birthday Eleanor!

Ellie got a ride to school today because it's not easy carrying 32 brownies in a shirt box. Her school treat request was "The Best Brownies." This recipe is from the box of Hershey's unsweetened cocoa. When people taste them they honestly say "these are the best brownies." And I say, "The recipe is called 'The Best Brownies.'" Easy to whip up and delicious. Today I added sprinkles for the first time because sprinkles make class birthday treats even more exciting! Happy Birthday Ellie!

The Best Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING

(recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan. 2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. 3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies. [I always double the recipe and put it in a 9x13 or a 10x15. 9x13 gives you a nice thick brownie. 10x15 stretches it so that you could cut enough for a whole class, plus have a few extras. Baking times may vary.]

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING

3 Tbs. butter or margarine, softened

3 Tbs. HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1 Tbs. light corn syrup or honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 C. powdered sugar

1 to 2 Tbs. milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

Furniture Before and After

I am so excited about this furniture! Thanks to design*sponge for the inspiration! The dresser was mine when I was young. My three sisters and I each had one. I ended up with 3 out of the 4 of them since, apparently, no one wanted theirs. I found the desk at a resale shop for $30. A little paint and new hardware makes these two pieces so hip and trendy for a tween girl's room. I'm such a cautious person, painting furniture (that's never been painted before) was quite a bold and daring move for me. It felt great! Of course "before" pictures are usually dramatically pathetic looking. These were shot completely un-staged. It would be nice if the dresser top could stay picture perfect, but I can't say I am a role model for neatness.

Circus follow up

It was awesome! Amazingly talented acrobats and trapeze artists. One totally hilarious clown. The only animal acts were poodles and ponies. To the best of my recollection, I don't think I've ever seen a circus in an actual tent. Every seat was up close and cozy. It was perfect except for the end. The show was cut short due to poor planning – I'm guessing the on part of the entertainment committee that books such events in the park. We could hear a fireworks display just outside the tent. The last act consisted of five elephants - they were introduced as the stars of the show. Long pause after the announcement. The elephants marched into the ring, posed once, then the ringmaster informed us that they were afraid of the fireworks and could not perform. By the time we all exited the Big Top, the fireworks display was over. Proper planning would have begun the fireworks show at 9:30 as opposed to 9. I'm glad the feelings of the elephants were respected, or maybe they were only taking safety precautions. The ringmaster looked a bit angry. I don't blame him.

Coaxed by the Calliope

When Ellie came home from school this week with buy one get one free ticket coupons for the circus, I was not interested in going. I really don't like circuses. Of course, there is something sweet and sentimental about taking a child, but I feel sorry for the animals. Circus life just can't be good for them. I told Ellie we would be having a busy weekend. I thought we could discretely avoid it. She might forget if we didn't drive by and see it right there in the park by our house.

This morning while we were getting laundry down the chute and tidying up the bedrooms... Hey! What's that sound? The circus is in town! The calliope music got me. I knew if we walked down to the park we would see them putting up the big top and we might see some elephants. How could you not visit elephants if they are right there in your very own park? Just a few blocks away things were just as I had suspected. We are all so excited that this evening we will be redeeming that coupon and watching the circus.

Sneak Peek

Vacation, Day 3: I could not have asked for more perfect weather to be on vacation. Perfect for doing anything outdoors, especially painting furniture out on the driveway. The actual cost of Maya's desk – my $30 re-sale shop find – turned out a bit more than $30. Primer, paint, new knobs, sandpaper, wood filler and many trips to both the local hardware store and the big box home improvement center makes me realize spending $100 on a desk would not really have been so outrageous. But, It has been a creative endeavor that I have enjoyed. Just a little sanding on a couple of spots I need to touch up tomorrow and I will be done with the desk and a dresser. I love, love, love this color! It was over 2 years ago that Maya decided when she got her own room she wanted it to be blue and green. Here I am - finally getting it together. Why does this trendy color remind me of 'becca and April so much?

No art. Just words.

The thought had crossed my mind to blog everyday in September. I had also considered getting serious about diet and exercise - as if it were January 1. Well, now it is September 2 and so it is too late to blog everyday in September. It's never too late to begin a new exercise program. I'm not sure why I've struggled with this lately? Maybe tomorrow? Today, I very much enjoyed my first day off since everyone is back at school. I started painting some furniture for the bedroom makeovers. So far I am very happy with the results and before/after photos will be coming soon. I love spending quiet time alone. As a mom, I need to learn how to spend quiet time alone guilt-free.

Caution - Illustration Friday - Digital

I had to do it. I drew over my little sketch in Photoshop for this digital illustration. I didn't want to spend too much time on it. I should get on with the next topic. So here it is - pretty plain and simple, but having fun experimenting with different techniques.

Caution - Illustration Friday

I did this very quick sketch today and thought I might do a more refined drawing when I realized, wow! it's Thursday already! So if I wanted to post it, I had to just throw some color on it and call it done. I prefer when illustrations do not need explanation, but I'm afraid this one might. Influenced by my experiences as a scout leader, I can say it's not usually necessary to tell young scouts that a fire is very hot. It is quite necessary to remind them frequently to watch where they are waving the long pointy stick that their marshmallow is on. Use caution when giving long skewers to small children. The quick drawing and loose watercolor does not bother me so much. I'm glad I threw something together. However, the drawing does not communicate that the girl on the right is being poked with a sharp skewer. (It just looks like a tangent.) I just realized a better way to draw that would be with her back arched, her hips moved forward and a surprised look on her face. When I showed the drawing to Maya, her reaction was, "I don't like angry people."

Ya know... something more like this... Yowza! If you didn't recognize it, the girl on the left is holding her graham cracker and chocolate bar. It is the juggling of the s'more ingredients that leads to the careless waving of sharp sticks.

Catching Up

Don't know why I've been away from blogging for so long. Here's what I've been up to....

Everyone started back at school this week and it is strange to just be eating the first few tomatoes from the garden. More than a month late because of the cool weather. I'm wondering if I will have to learn how to make fried green tomatoes or if the weather will hold out long enough to ripen the plentiful supply that is still green on the vines.

I've finished Ellie's little playhouse, but I wasn't going to post until I sew the family and the bed. Her choice is black and white dogs for the family of critters. I was excited the morning I finished it that she stepped away from computer games and played with it for hours (with other miniatures she already had.)

We went to see "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" at The Museum of Science and Industry. Even though Ellie and I are not the enthusiasts that Maya and Darrin and I are, we enjoyed it very much. Of course there was no photography allowed inside the exhibit, but the Weasley's flying car was out by the very long line where we bought tickets.

We watched the Chicago Air Show from a 48th floor high-rise apartment. Very cool! I always thought I would live in the city for a couple years of my life. At this point, I guess that is not happening. I'm still thinking that once Maya and Ellie get older I may look for a job in the city. Don't know how long I could handle commuting after many years of convenience, but it could be interesting for a while.

When we got home from our very long day in the city, I opened up the mailbox to find my first acceptance letter from a juried art show. This piece, "Snow" will be hanging at the 66th Annual South Shore Arts Salon Show. It's about time I start putting together my resumé, as now I have more than 3 shows to add to my list of accomplishments.

My cousin Laura's comment from my first post about broccoli informed me that it is still edible after it flowers. We're having fun eating broccoli flowers. The flavor is still very good. I thought it would be bitter, but it's very mild. I'm thinking about making cream of broccoli soup because wouldn't these little flowers make a beautiful garnish on top?

Happy Birthday Grace!

Don't peek if you haven't gotten your brown paper package in the mail yet. I was going to say "don't peek if it's your birthday," but that would include Barrack Obama and Auntie Rhonda. I see Rhonda got her package. And I'm sorry Barrack, but I didn't get you anything. I didn't know Obama had the same birthday as Grace and Rhonda until today! Happy Birthday to all of you!

Due to the size and the shape of the packages, Rhonda's only cost 5¢ more to send Priority rather than First Class. I had to do it, but I should have paid the extra to ship Gracie's as well? What was I thinking? I hope you enjoy it!

The first house I made (for Maddie) out of cardboard and craft paper, I thought, was too delicate to play with. But, I heard she does play with it. That makes me happy. So, here is my second attempt. I sewed fabric over cardboard and I think it can be handled by a 5 year old. Oops! I mean SIX YEAR OLD! I would actually be curious to see how well these will hold up. My next model will be stronger cardboard and a slightly modified design. I need to get working on that soon. Eleanor is patiently waiting. I had so much fun sewing this - I could become obsessed with cute little toy houses.