may ~ week 20 {art, piano, turtles, keurig, theater}

what's the expression of... we've spent two full days together and i'm not ready to go back to reality, so please don't leave me home alone?   jazzy's face says it all.

while the girls were at theater practice, i seized the opportunity to pick up some mom gifts.  apparently, this mama has forgotten how to shop for herself.  this mama didn't get a thing.  oh well.  shopping is overrated anyway, right?

i took the girls through hobby lobby to find props for their much-over-do-photo-shoot.  if $100 were pocket change, i would have grabbed that wagon down there.  loved it!  we left with a much smaller wagon... and a few other things. ;)




painting props begs more painting.  nator painted a picture, naming it 'world peace' because, in her words... "it's a place of peace.  no one can get hurt or hurt other people.  people cooperate... just as the world should."  love that kiddo.   



we dropped daddy off.  he and his boss were headed a lil' north.  hubs was speaking at a conference. 

nator played her 10 pieces at our local collage campus.  just her, a judge, and a piano.  nervous mama stood outside the door.  we went out to an early dinner.  her fortune cookie said relax and enjoy yourself.  great advice.

while out of town, hubs went to the texas rangers game, sitting behind phil mickelson.  (ummm... yeah, i had to google him.  sorry, pro-golfer, phil.) <= i think google should be a verb.

while at home, mama was doing her sane best to keep the home front moving along.  the keurig was not cooperating.  see the sweet pic of the keurig ready to go for me early in the week?  sweet hubs.  by the end of the week, the keurig waved it's white flag, went wonky, and died.  just outside of warranty.  we called the company.  they were of little help.



at least mama remembered how to boil water for tea.  mama needs tea.  and quiet.  so... this lil' activity to take a vow of silence in our history lesson was quite tempting.  gracie just laughed.  yeah... it wasn't going to happen. ;)

if you felt sorry for jazzy... don't.  she currently sleeps on 4 thick layers of memory foam taken off the girls' beds after their room makeovers, waiting to be turned into dog beds.  do i even need to say how much she loves it?



theater practices always look like a hot mess 'til just before performances.  *crossing fingers*  that it will all come together.  just a nervous mama talkin'.

my little liesl is excited about the swings on stage.  one for each von trapp child. cute.

maria {sound of music} singing her last note.  some of these songs are hard, y'all.

surely, i'm forgetting something from this week, but... this mama is taking pictures for the public school cast tonight.  public school cast is usually much more... chaotic?  i mean no offense.  pray for me. ;)

all for the love of our kiddos, right??  in a world where every day is "kid's day." ;)  <= because on mother's day, gracie wanted to know when kid's day was. ;)

{L}ife {L}ately

{L}ive performances.

seems we didn't get enough of our own. the girls were eager to watch the other cast in their o{L}iver performance.  well, that... and mom was needed to snap a few pix. ;)

sisterly {L}ove. 

the best.

{L}oving others.

operation christmas child.

{L}earning... with our furry side-kicks.

{L}ong division for a certain 4th grader. the pillars of is{L}am. george washington. shakespeare. beethoven. nations of the world. adverbs. dolphins. and fashion 101.   

{L}ong socks don't necessarily go with shorts.  

mom learns that this is shocking news to a certain 11 yo.  

but we let it s{L}ide.  because she's so stinkin' cute.

{L}aughing.  furry side-kicks bring welcome comedic relief during learning fun.  we've really enjoyed having our day-time hours back to fit a relaxing school day.  can you tell? ;)

i{LL}ustration.

we've been studying vincent van gogh's {L}ife and works.  here is our interpretation of the starry night.  can you name the artists of the above originals? ;)  

nator calls it "sunny morning". sounds much happier, yes?  mr. van gogh didn't seem at peace with himself.  poor guy.

the girls thought {L}umping leftover paint colors together just as interesting as any priceless van gogh.  

i love the care-free-playfulness of these 9 and 11 year old girls. 

{L}ittle girl {L}ovin'.

this girlie needed to catch up on some daddy. so... he took her for a treat at non other than panera.  quality time was had as they checked off the grocery list, too.

nator and i enjoyed some quiet time at home. ;)

funny how many definitions there are to romance.  hubs being home on the weekends to cook breakfast and help with the grocery shopping = sanity saver priceless.

365 ~ Week 15: a crafty-busy week!

The blog has not been quiet for lack of things to say.  There's been plenty.  Believe me.

You know that feeling of having so much to write or document that you don't know where to start??  So you do nothing?  That's me.

Here are a few things that have taken place this week...



Hubs grilled.  These tender cuts and aromas are like kryptonite.  I can officially no longer call myself a vegetarian.  *sigh*



We were busy in schoolwork, but had to take a break for sanity's sake.



We wrapped up our study in science with an actual blood typing test.  The girls' sigh of relief was laughable when I announced that there was only enough to test one person.  {as if i would have made them. ha!}  So, Mom was the guinea pig.  At least I received a good grade.  A+.  ;)

I think it's safe to say that I'm dedicated to my work.  Notice the girls didn't want to assist me for this part.  I can't blame them.

 

We made petal portrait {fairies} from Family Fun magazine.

 

Original artwork is simply the best.  Looks muy sophisticated in frames, no?

The girls worked on hand-print lilies.  The best bouquet ever.

 

And... we happened to be at the library when an Easter craft was being put together.  A crafty week!



There was a trip down to the boardwalk,  running into old friends, piano lessons, a dog under my feet at all times...

 

And a trip to the vet.  Heart-worm tests, and all that jazz.  Chu-ching!  This is the 'how could you?' look.  It's the same look I give to the vet when they hand me the invoice.

We found a few bluebonnets.  More pix to come...

 

And I'll just say that there's going to be some girl movie nights this week.  If you know my bloggy, you know what that means.  *sigh*

a day in the life

One thing that I love about my life is that each day is like a box of chocolates.  You just never know what you're gonna get.  I prefer the good chocolate days.  Just wanted to put that out there.

One day, you can find us window shopping at Target.  Dreaming of things we'd like to buy, instead of the things we actually need to buy.

One day, you will find us on a long voyage at the Space Center.

Painting canvas.




{you can find that tutorial here}

Or maybe you'll find me changing the litter box... or catching a mouse.

No pictures, please.

It's never a dull moment around here.

Today, I'm choosing to see the blessing in my day.  It started rough, taking hubs to the airport, and returning home before the sun ever made an appearance.  Goodbyes are hard.  And sometimes a tear or two are shed.

Thankfully, he made it there safely, and we had a chance to catch up on rest when we returned home. ;) 

And thankfully, the mice know better than to come indoors.  {If not, I can introduce you to Bella and Jasmine.  They would be more than eager to meet your acquaintance.}

Our goal was to create a video vlog {of sorts} of our week, but we just edited our car ride today.   Now that I think of it, it's really not all that exciting.  Don't feel obligated to click.  Really.



I sound tired.  I am.  And this is not the most flattering angle.  Really.  But I'm too tired to care. 

*yawn*

Oh... and some have asked about my decision to eat meat again after a year of going vegetarian. {if salmon doesn't count. ha!}  Have you ever seen Food Inc??  It was one of the many reasons I chose to go vegetarian to begin with... as well as a lot of other health research. 

But here lately, I've been reading a lot of Mercola's articles that argue that a complete vegetarian lifestyle is not best for everyone.  So... I figure if I add some meat occasionally {preferable organic... they have to treat the animals better, right?}, I'll be covering all my bases.

Have you ever gone vegetarian?  Have you ever gotten a ticket in a school zone?  Has a police officer ever spoken to you from his car on his megaphone thingy?  Do you bring your dog everywhere too? Does your dog have anxiety issues when left at home alone, like mine?  Do you have movie nights with friends or family when one of your peeps are out of town? 

The girls and I do...  I'm being summoned now.

*yawn*

Do you always politely cover your mouth when you yawn?  Are you yawning now, due to all of my *yawning*?

A Simple Canvas {tutorial}

Looking through aisles and lists of products suggested to get you started on a simple canvas with your 'little ones' can seem overwhelming... but it's really simple.

No, really... it is!

I remember spotting a canvas at Bed, Bath & Beyond that I really liked, but the price tag left me feeling a bit deflated.  I thought... why not try to create something on a canvas of my own??  Better yet, why not let our girls create something?  That would make it a cherished masterpiece.  I'm a sentimental girl.  It works.

This project quickly became a favorite.  The proof is all over our house.

This is how we do it...

{Any supplies used to create canvases like ours will be in bold print.}

We haven't encountered any disasters, but like us, you may want to be prepared... just. in. case.  Cover your table.  We use an old sheet, but newspaper, a cheap shower curtain, old table clothes, or even city trash bags would do!

Plastic might be best for young{er} artists that may accidentally spill {to give extra protection to the table underneath}.

You will need a blank canvas.  Any size will do.  I usually buy the 2-pk canvases found at Hobby Lobby when they are 30% off.  The girls paint 2 each... I mean, what's the use of taking the kitchen table hostage and only having one canvas to show for it, right? ;)

My girls enjoy picking out their own acrylic paints, so we opt for the 'small' sizes.  Be sure to get enough of the color you want for your base coat.  {Two coats work best.}  The biggest dilemma is which color to pick!

As many times as I have encouraged our girls to think of what they want to paint before picking colors, they usually don't know until they are sitting at the table, blank canvas sitting in front of them.

Be on the look-out for sales on acrylic paint! The metallic acrylics give a neat effect, too.

Sponge paint brushes.  These are great for little learners.  After use, they can either be rinsed and dried, or tossed.  {We toss}  They can also be trimmed with scissors to make a narrow tip, when needed.

Paper plates.  These are great for dipping your sponges in paint.  AND they can be tossed.  Less mess, the better.  Noticing a theme of efficiency here? ;)

Large foam stamps are not a necessity, but they are fun!  Painting a thick coat of paint directly on the stamp instead of 'dipping' them usually works best.

We use Mod Podge for adhering pictures, scrapbook paper, or any other embellishments to the canvas.  Be sure to put a good coat under and over the picture, working out any bubbles that may get trapped underneath.

See what fun you can create? :)  The girls also use paint pens for filling in small details.  {In this picture, I used my Cricut to cut letters, but you can find pre-cut letters in scrapbook areas in various stores that can be adhered using mod podge.}

Paint pens are also great for drawing pictures your lil' budding artist can 'color'.  Gracie loves horses.  Notice the light-brown metallic paint used on this horse.  A pencil can be used for drawing as well, but make sure you go over the canvas 'lightly'.

 {Once 'colored', sometimes Mama uses a small paintbrush to add detail, too... but only by request.}

 

Sometimes, they like to do it all by themselves. :)  This is Nator's masterpiece.

Once finished, you will want to protect your priceless art with about 3 coats of varnish.  You can choose between a matte or glossy coat.  {We used matte for these.}  A bristle-style paint brush may work best for applying varnish, to avoid finding bits of foam dried on your canvas.  In times past, we have also simply used a couple coats of mod podge.

Some things to keep in mind:

* Let each coat of paint/mod podge/varnish dry completely before starting another step.

*To keep your brushes from drying out before the next step, store them in saran wrap or small, inexpensive Ziploc bags.

*If using plastic to line your table, be sure that it doesn't stick to the mod podge or varnish before drying.

*When done, I store all of our paints in large Ziploc bags.  This keeps them fresh and everything else protected in case there's a leak.

*Let the artist 'be' the artist.  Sometimes, our girls pick colors that leave me scratching my head, but surprisingly, it always turns out well in the end.  {Well, except the 'neon' colors.  Mama 'did' say no to those.}

*Remind your artist that there are no mistakes in art.  {Besides, once dried, it can simply be painted over and tried again.}  Encourage.  Encourage.

*They're never too young to start.  Lil' hand and foot prints would be a great keepsake!  Sigh.

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This school year, we are diving deeper into art.  Our color wheel alone should make us look professional, right? ;)  I have already bought different brushes and canvas paper to change things up a bit.

We'll be studying various artists, as well as... color value, texture, shape, line, and form.  My inner artist is excited.  We'll keep you posted with any future art projects.  Be afraid... be very afraid. ;)

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I hope you found this helpful!!  :)