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This is a drawing of Nathalie's little one on her first Easter Egg Hunt! I saw her photos and just had to draw her! (see "Kennedy & Friends")

I've been doing a lot of drawing today... must be that the weather is bad and I just wanted to stay inside where it's warm and dry! Nathaniel is home with the flu too, so all my errands got pushed until tomorrow.

I am also having trouble with my Mac and Blogger... I have no idea why. And the technical advisor is being Mr. Landscaper today so I don't know if I'll get any help or not. I'm posting this on my old computer (which seems like a dinosaur now but at least it works!!!) It is too hard to transfer my images to this computer but I wanted to at least show you this one! And now it's being finicky with letting me open another window so I can put in a link! So if you want to see Nathalie's blog, just go over there on the right... it's on my list!

Revision:  Here is her blog link!!

I've been advised...

The technical advisor (to borrow Rebecca's term) has instructed me on how to scan properly with my new scanner. So here is that drawing again. This time it is actually visible! 

Here is my apology for no new drawings in the past several days: I'M SORRY!

This is the crazy movie we watched last night: Eagle vs. Shark . It was a Sundance Film Festival movie that Anna Maria recommended a while ago. I have a strange sense of humor so I thought this was pretty funny, but actually interesting at the same time. Craig gave it a thumbs down... he can't relate to the characters AT ALL. I can relate to Lily... the shy awkward girl, though I think I'm not as clueless as she is.  It is a quirky love story set in Australia and is definately not for children (Rated R).  Jemaine Clement plays the nerdy computer store clerk that Lily falls in love with ... he's the same guy from Flight of the Concords! (take note Monkee Maker!!!) Yes... if you're beginning to slightly worry about me, so am I!

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Baking day! I felt like baking something and found Sarah Foster's Lemon Almond Pound Cake recipe. I love anything with lemon in it. Later we'll eat it with whipped cream and blueberries. Yum.  We're having dinner company tonight so the pork loin is marinating in a red wine - balsamic vinaigrette with dried cherries, shallots, garlic and rosemary. It smells delicious already!  I've been bad today and yesterday with doing my drawing. And it makes no sense as I'm very excited about a couple drawings I have on my agenda!! (Thank you Stephanie!) And a painting waiting to be done... though that will take a lot longer. Got to run again. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'll probably check in with you in the next couple days!

thinking spring...

I saw these bowls on another blog and loved the colors! Then I went here and loved the whole collection of place settings!! The children's dishes are really cute too... as are those red polka dots... so me!

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Just a sketch today, that's hard to see! I don't know how to open my scans in the Mac and fix them like I used to do.  I have no patience for technology!!!

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This isn't what I sat down to draw today. I was thinking about something completely different. But then I got an email from my friend Terri and then read some horrible news on her blog. And it just made me want to hold my children closer and hope that they will never experience the loss that some children have to experience too early in their lives. We just don't know what tomorrow holds. But I can let them know every day how much they mean to me.

What I'm reading now...

James Lord sat for Alberto Giacometti and recorded their conversations and the progress of the portrait, giving an inside view of the artist. I was given this book years ago by a good friend in college who knew my frustration. I suppose he thought it would inspire me. I never read it... I used to be afraid to read what other artists thought because I didn't want it to change my own perception of making art. That sounds pretty absurd now. Maybe because I'm older and have realized how much of your own self that you put into a painting-- that it's not about creating the photographic reality before you but your own perception of what that reality is, that I can understand the struggle of creation by other artists now. I'm not afraid of comparing myself and my viewpoints to them.  I am only on the fifth chapter of this book and I have strong similiarities to Giacometti's feelings about his own work. Yet he continues to work through the piece, even though he rejects it as a failure or impossibility... and obviously comes out the other end with masterpieces. I also watched my DVD of "Craft in America" that was on PBS last year. I wanted to cry throughout it. Why? Because these artists devoted their lives to pursuing the making of their art, even when factories were turning out things faster and for more profit. They understand that their own hands make something more special with each unique chair or basket or piece of jewelry, ceramic pot or glass sculpture... that could never be replicated. And just as important as the finished product, is the process of creating it. Their own history became part of each piece of art that they made. Giacometti was completely frustrated during the process, but maybe that was the only way he felt he could create the art that was truest to what he wanted. To be satisfied and content doesn't push you to go deeper or farther or better. Being an artist is a hard path to take but it is definately an exciting, mysterious path and I wish I wouldn't have stopped for the years that I decided to give in to my frustration. It is easy to misunderstand yourself.  Maybe an acceptance of frustration is necessary to continue to grow.

egg hunting

No spring Easter dresses here yesterday!! But lots of cuteness... especially little Ava!

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny came last night! (and brought some very special bunnies made by Stacey!)

The sun was shining, the daffodils were blooming, and the air was quite chilly! We are having a quiet Easter today, attending church and then just relaxing at home. Yesterday we celebrated with Craig's family, had a very cold Easter egg hunt, and celebrated Nathaniel's birthday too. I prayed prayers of thanksgiving this morning for all of my family and my friends! We have a blessed life. 

"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly." 

1 Timothy 1:14

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Driving back from celebrating Easter with Craig's family... thought I'd do another rearview mirror self-portrait. We had snow today! This is a crazy Easter so far. Hope you're having a good weekend!

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I'm cheating with this one. I actually painted it about 6 years ago for a CD cover. It is in acrylics and it's pretty small. The large blank area is actually where the title went. It is annointing oil being poured out and the bread of life. I took Vermeer's painting and changed it a bit. My mom is still here visiting so there's no creating going on right now (except in the kitchen!). I'm looking forward to some work time again (after Easter).

76 - Easter decorating

I found my favorite paper bunny to hang! It's made of heavy paper covered with glitter and decorated with pretty ribbon. I also put out my spring placemats that I sewed last year and the Easter baskets for the kids. I think we're all set... besides coloring some eggs!

Little Man Nate

A BIG Happy Birthday today to my little man!!! He just turned double digits - the big 10! (Kind of like Ohio State...which is BIG here!) So it's a BIG day. Going to see a movie and out to eat with his friends! Mom (who is visiting right now) and I found the greatest favor bags for this theme: movie theater popcorn bags, that we filled with little toys and milkduds and popcorn! (of course!). The day started out REALLY EARLY with Nathaniel up and ready to open presents before we were even thinking of waking up!!! Hope you're having a great one! And Happy Spring! This is the first day of Spring :)

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I didn't have time to put in the background color, but I actually didn't mind that in this one. It is sort of a modern "bread and wine" painting. We only have 2 more classes left! Time flies when you're having fun.

More Birthday Wishes!

Pop in over at Willow's Cottage to wish her a Happy Birthday!!! She is a St. Patrick's Day baby too!! And a knitter-extraordinaire... and a great photographer... and a great blog friend!!! Happy Birthday Willow! Hope it was special!

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A card for a little one who just had a birthday! (It hints as to the present it goes with!)

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Things are crazy busy around here but I couldn't stand not drawing after three days... so here's a little doodle for you! Hope it brings some luck with it!

Wish Nathalie a Happy Birthday today too at Kennedy & Friends!!!

OM Regional Competition

Our Odyssey of the Mind team competed in the Regional Competition on Saturday, a culmination of 5 1/2 months of their ideas and hard work! Lucky for us, it was being held at our School District. When I and my assistant coach and her husband arrived to register and bring in the vehicle and all the props, we had a small scare when the vehicle was too large to fit through the door!! We finally found a double-wide door and got it in to our designated area. Whew! 

Here's the team waiting for our 11:00 am Long-Term Problem time.... 

and waiting...  (Stephanie and Max)

practicing lines, and waiting...  (Carley and Emily and the girls)
butterflies... and waiting... (Caroline, Carley, Meg, Emily and Hannah)

Here's Laurie, my assistant coach and me! Laurie is a first grade teacher in our district and the mom of Foster (our pirate). She is one of the most fun people I've ever met....she makes me laugh constantly!!!Waiting outside the performance doors, ready to go on!

With one of the check-in judges. That's Foster as our pirate and "ship" driver! And his dad Steve, who was a huge help too. He taught the kids how to use a saw and drill and a lot of the tools needed to build the vehicle... Waiting for the judges to signal them to begin!!!!....Foster looks pretty cool about everything, doesn't he?? He was up at 4 am thinking he had strep throat!! Poor guy... he's on tylenol!!Our vehicle! It is a pirate ship which will perform 4 tasks: pushing a soccer ball across an 8 ft. area, there's an oar to push a hockey puck across several feet to knock down a "ship", a catapult to throw a tennis ball into a treasure chest, and a homemade bow to shoot an arrow across the mountain range!! The kids designed the pedals out of pvc pipe and created the whole axle and steering themselves. It was pretty impressive for fifth graders!...

"Team are you ready?"

"Aye, Aye, Matey!!!"

"Bring it On!!!" (the judges!)...

Max started out introducing the skit: 3 grandchildren visit their grandparents. They ask for a bedtime story and are told a story of their great-great-great grandfather who was a pirate in a "Road Rally" and the tasks that he needed to do to win it!

Max is making the "water" of the sea move, as Foster is driving the vehicle to perform the tasks. They played "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood when Foster first comes out in the pirate ship!!..That pearl (tennis ball) went right into the treasure chest on the first try!!!! A huge applause from the audience!!!...
The panel of judges questionning the kids afterwards and scoring everything... yikes... I'm just watching and waiting....

Stacey taking photos of the team... the parents were so proud!!!!...Then the kids had to do a spontaneous problem. They went off into a room without me, were given a problem to answer and scored on how creative those answers were. They all came back out to us beaming from ear to ear!!!!... Now to wait for our scores!!!
We waited in the auditorium....and waited, and waited... they were an hour behind getting the results tallied.

Carley's parents: Paul and Christylee...
Meg's mom Stephanie and Emily's mom Jean... and Scott, our school coordinator and Caroline's fifth grade teacher...Finally... they're ready to announce. They do third places first. Not us. Hmmm. Then they announce the first and second places for each of the different events. "Division I- Odyssey Road Rally. Second Place goes to... John Henry Neff Elementary!!! That's US!!!!! The team all goes down to get their trophy and ribbons! We're going to the State Competition in 3 weeks in Altoona, PA!!!!!! (Where's Altoona?!!!)... YIPEEEEE!!!!!

Watch out Pennsylvania... here we come!!!Yippeee... now let's all go celebrate!!! Pizza at Uncommon Pizza!!!!.....Happy parents and one very happy coach (though if we had gotten third place, then I could breathe a sigh of relief! On to the next one!...)My favorite fifth graders in the whole world!!!!:

Hannah, Caroline, Max, Foster, Meg, Carley and Emily
And my favorite parents!!!:

Me talking to Chad and Stacey, Stephanie, Christylee, and Tim (By the way Chad, Tim and Stephanie P. judged ALL DAY LONG!!!! They had just as hard a day!)Paul and Kevin with Stacey, Christy, Tim, Jean and Stephanie....
Scott, Chad, Stacey, Stephanie R., Doug, Tim, Jean and Stephanie P.... There's Craig at the end of the table too! Steve and Laurie were there too and some other siblings....