Totally Random Thought Monday (weekend recap and some things I love ...)

(edited to verify, i did NOT make these amazing cupcakes or cake! Alas, I can only take credit for the photo. my dear friend Michele is the inspired baker and what is even more impossible to believe is these taste EVEN BETTER than they look! yes, that good!)

Okay, so brevity isn't my strong suit! But with summer in full swing, I am having to prioritize things in order to cram in all the goodness. Cowgirls' social schedule is packed with swimming, birthday parties, catching up with school friends and outings with cousins and grandparents. I have flung myself into the eye of the creative storm and have signed up for the Sketchbook Project which means I now have ah, um, FIVE sketchbooks I can be working in at any given time never mind painting for BIG and one more painting for our Painting with a Purpose Campaign. YIKES!

So today I will try to economize here and share just a taste of our life here amongst all the dandelion seeds ...

(are you getting some fluff in your eyes?)

The lovely Faerwillow has hosted a trinket trade and I was the first recipient of her box of traveling goodies. There are five items inside and I could take up to three but I had to replace them with an equal number of trinkets to pass on. I mailed the box on today to Cottage Garden Studios and cannot wait to see all the changes as the box makes its way around the world!

Amanda over at Kre8ive Life gifted me this lovely award which really does sum up my experience here in bloggyland:




I am perpetually amazed by the circle of inspiration and support that moves through our lovely community and feel blessed and fortunate to be sharing in the magic that everyone is stirring up with their words, images and art. As part of the award I am instructed to write or show five things I love and then pass the award along to five bloggers I love.

So here they are, in no particular order, the things that are giving me great joy at the moment (I am taking creative license with the question):

Toy Story 3 - We went as a family this weekend and we are giving it six enthusiastic thumbs up! I particularly enjoyed the scenes that show the kids engaged in wildly imaginative play with the toys (versus the destructive play seen in the dreaded Caterpillar room.) I laughed and yes, I cried at the end (but I also cried when Tom Hanks lost Wilson in "Castaway" so take that into account) and there are scary scenes in the Daycare which had me and Cowgirl clutching at each other for support. Apparently I had a restless sleep last night and the only thing I remember from my dreams was the bitter Teddy Bear Lots-O' but Cowgirl didn't seem to be bothered at all. I was aware in the movie of Cowgirl taking her cues from us. Even when things got tense, there usually is some kind of comic relief that lightens things up. It seems to me that what we love about scary movies is how they help us experience fear in a controlled way. We experience being both afraid and then amused, learning we can hold more than one emotion at a time and that is a pretty useful thing to know. (And I am aware of my veering off topic here and away from brevity ...)

Painting - I've said it before. I am having a blast painting with Cowgirl, painting on the floor, painting postcards, painting in my journals. It's all about the color.

Ricky Gervais and Elmo - Of course! And the podcasts and animated show with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington are brilliant. Or maybe The Husband and I are the only ones sitting on the couch snorting as we laugh?

Wrap-N-Mats - I got these for Cowgirl's lunch box to cut down on plastic baggies for cookies and crackers. The inside is a heavy low density plastic (LDPE #4) and the outside is fabric with velcro closures. They can be used for sandwiches as well and open up as a mat to place food upon, eliminating the need for a plate. What I am not loving is next year I will have to make five lunches a week versus four, so send me your menu ideas!

Dan Zanes - The first CD I bought for Cowgirl was Dan Zanes' Night Time and it has been in our car player for 4 years now. And I still enjoy listening to it. Maybe I am crazy, or maybe it is just the great message and fun sing a-long quality of the songs but we both love his music.

And here are some blogs that I have been loving a lot lately. Hard to limit myself to five!

Kim Klassen Cafe - http://www.kimklassencafe.com/
(sign up for her gorgeous photo textures)

flowers using Kim Klassen's "Random Inspiration" texture

Kristen - http://www.kristenwalker.com/
(an inspired life in progress!)

Tracie - http://www.mybloominglife.com/
(Fellow BIG Tribe member and Creative goddess)

Amelia/101 Bird Tales - http://101birdtales.blogspot.com/
(check out her fantastic Artist Manifesto on the left hand link)

Nolwenn - http://inner-voices.net/blog/
(Another lovely from my BIG Tribe making amazing videos to excite and inspire us all.)



And since I've failed miserably at brevity here (if you have read this far, then know I truly love you!) I am adding a sixth item to my list of things that give me joy. I am always amazed and forever in love with these faces:

What are you loving today?

Art-filled Summer (Artistic Mother & My Best Shots)

Left: Me by Cowgirl; Right: Cowgirl by Me

A quick recap to help establish the mood and setting for my life last week:

1) dog sick with "tummy" troubles (meaning: lots of walks so no accidents occur):

2) air conditioning on main floor of house not working for 3 of the hottest and most humid days of summer thus far;

3) kitchen sink detaches itself from concrete countertop (a case of beer held it in place);

4) electric circuit in basement (my art area) blows and cannot be reset;

5) did I mention it was incredibly hot and humid all week?

I am happy to say, in spite of these challenges, art was made, projects completed and we earned our afternoon trips to the pool, cold beer (me) and nightly ice cream reward (me & Cowgirl). And thankfully everything except the heat and humidity has been resolved!

One project that had been languishing for weeks was an altered story book which is a project from The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole (I am part of the online Group working through the projects together. To see other examples, or to join, go here.) I don't know why it took me so long to complete; I have made travel/memory books using altered kid's board books before and I love making these pieces.

i collected photographs, tickets, maps, stickers and postcards from our trip and then collaged the pieces into a board book. i wrote journal entries on the back of postcards to document our trip.

I buy cheap board books from the discount table at my local bookstore. (You could probably find cheaper ones in a used bookstore.) I first gesso all the pages and then go back over each page using a brayer to apply the acrylic paint. (The directions in The Artistic Mother have you mixing paint into the gesso for a lighter effect; I decided to stick with vibrant colors so I only did the cover in tinted gesso.)

The theme was to be a story about Cowgirl. Ever since she was a baby we have played the game "Where's Cowgirl?" It is peek a-boo except I had read that since "Bu" is a negative in Chinese, it might scare the child to keep saying Boo or "NO NO" to them. (Never mind Cowgirl knew Cantonese! She used to say BAH! and wag her finger at me which must have been the no she heard from her nannies.) When she was little, Cowgirl would simply hide herself under a towel (her security blanket) but now the game has morphed into a variation of hide and seek. Since this game so defines her, I settled upon the story "Where is She?" Each page asks the question "Where is Cowgirl? Is that Cowgirl?" and the facing page is one of the many characters she encompasses:

To put the book together, I wrote out the text and selected images using matt photographic paper to print on. (I simply created everything in a Word document, that way I could easily change the size of each photograph to fit the book.) For each page I picked a color based upon the images I was going to use and then I stamped in some details and colored the edges with water soluble oil crayon. Since Cowgirl wanted to take the book to school for Show and Tell, I decided to add a layer of Mod Podge over each page for extra protection and durability. I tried rubbing a wax candle over the surface of each page to hopefully cut down on the stickiness (a trick I learned from a fellow art journaler when using gel medium on pages).

I am pretty pleased with the final product and hope to make a couple of books with pictures from our weekend at Chinese Heritage Camp. At least, that project is on my "To Remember" list!

Since finishing my 365 project of self portraits at the end of June, I have been neglecting my camera. One morning I remembered to grab it before heading out the door on an early morning walk with Moose and guess what?

Yup, fog everywhere. I kept my camera with me even though I doubted I would see anything worth shooting. Thankfully, the Universe always has some magical tricks up her sleeve which I might have missed if I wasn't looking so intently for something to photograph:

In one tree alone I found 5 beautiful webs! (To see another one, check out Unravelling Together where my web had a fortuitous encounter with some oranges.)

And even when it is too hot to venture outside, I can stay in and play with some And amazing backgrounds/textures available for free when you sign up at Kim Klassen Cafe for her weekly offerings. This week I received "Simple Things" texture and look how beautiful it is paired with a busy bee (hmmm?):






and a pumpkin blossom (yes, that is Cowgirl's pumpkin plant!):






I've only just begun to explore the possibilities available by tweaking the effects and lighting and opacity features in PhotoShop. So much fun, I can't wait for Kim's Stay-cation in August. (Thank you Janice for sharing these goodies with all of us!)





Guess I have been busy! But there is so much fun to be had, it feels right to balance intense playful work with intense play. Cowgirl and I have two more paintings scheduled to make and I just bought more paints for week three of BIG.

How are you filling in your summer days? What memories are you busy making?

Summer fun (and my Best Shots)

How is it July is well underway and I feel like summer has only just begun? One vacation down, one more to look forward to! I am still searching for that sense of lazy days of summer, but so far my days have felt more like this:

i am getting pretty good with the chinese yo-yo

Enough time as passed for Cowgirl's seedling to grown into 3 full green beans:

And while I run around tending to all of our various projects, Cowgirl is busy being the social butterfly.

impressing a new friend with her soda gargling skills (she spilled more than she drank; he was smitten)

It seems like summer is a juggling act between play and more play; lots of gatherings with family and friends to keep us on the move and then the usual list of unexpected events (a flat tire, a sick dog, a broken air conditioner - all in one week!) Often the end of the day finds me feeling spent, but in the way Cowgirl exhausts herself: from packing in all the sunshiny goodness.

And always, there is time to unwind in our favorite way - Spa Night! The big tub, soothing jets, new bubble bath and splashes of icy cold water refresh even the most exhausted among us.

this is a game that could go on for hours: sitting by the faucet and repeatedly splashing cold water into her face, squealing with delight and thrashing all around. the joy is infectious!

(I know - how much longer will she let me get away with bathtub shots? Sigh ... the fleeting joys of a mama and her camera!)

Check out more images of summer here: Unravelling Together (My latest diptych contribution is up!) And later today, Cowgirl will select the winner of our latest painting, Celebration Elephant. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, along with a sneak peak of the next piece we will be giving away.

How does your summer look so far? Is it lazy or crazy or a bit of both?

Making memories; creating identity (& some Best Shots)

Cowgirl and I just spent the weekend attending a Chinese Heritage camp. Last year she attended a culture camp with her friend Ava, whose family we met while in China 4 years ago. This year's camp was different in that it is for families brought together through adoption with parents attending workshops and volunteering for various support duties throughout the weekend. While Cowgirl's story is her own to tell, what I am taking away with from this weekend is the power of older children and young adults as role models for my child. As a mother, I am aware of my responsibility to provide situations where my daughter can have contact with positive and supportive individuals with whom she can identify with and who inspire her. This past weekend I watched her fall in love with her counselors and be enthralled by the culture of her birth country.

the final event was dim sum at a local Chinese restaurant

It was an amazing experience to walk into a room and be the minority; I was a volunteer in an art class and with the same group of third graders in the Culture Village where music, craft, food and costume displays were set up for the kids to experience. To see the children excited to learn about their heritage and celebrate their connectedness was a privilege. These kids did not know each other before this weekend and yet they all fell into a camaraderie that was effortless and intense. Cowgirl was particularly smitten by her counselors, young adults who volunteer their time to work with these kids with a desire to give back to their community. The community being Chinese-American but also adoptive.

the kids enjoyed a field day with sponge races, sled pulls and lots of water play

There is so much for me to process from the weekend and Cowgirl and her best buddy have been in perpetual motion, so I haven't had the chance to catch my breath never mind shift through my thoughts and feelings. We have more travels ahead as we are off to visit family for a couple of days before heading home. We will be returning tired and worn out but from having a full out balls-to-the-wall level of fun that only a five year old is capable of maintaining. We added onto our Life book, the story of our Family which began 4 years ago this past week when we received Cowgirl's referral picture and report from China. Much of what Cowgirl experienced seemed to skim over her, but I believe seeds were planted that will support her as unravels her identity and begins to map out her story. a Memories were made, positive impressions planted and Cowgirl found the love of her life and his name is Eddie.

Cowgirl with two of her counselors, ready to embrace her Eddie

the grand finale: each grade performed a folk tale or song; here the girls are enacting "Pulling the Carrot"

The first night families gathered at a splash park to cool off; Cowgirl was in her element

Summer is in full swing ... do tell, what are your plans for fun? What summer memories are you planning to create?

Falling Skies and other observations

Stormy weather has my brain operating at half speed. The husband said it best when he moaned "It is hard getting any sleep when the gods are playing bongo drums all night long!" (Of course, he rolled over and went back to sleep while I had to get up and get ready for work.)

Amidst this volatile weather, I am finding it hard to get my bearings. I've seemed to heap my plate too full with deliciously activities and am suffering from overload. With today as the official start of summer I wish to declare my intention to allow spaciousness into my life at this. My intention is to take time to linger, absorb and just BE this summer. I feel like I've been grabbing on to too much and I am needing to practice opening my hands and allowing the gifts of this time to fall into them rather than snatching at everything that comes my way.

Opening to receive rather than filling up, that's my goal. It's a matter of perspective. And a matter of trust, knowing everything will come in its proper time.

Here are a few of my quiet observations from the past few days. My attempt to slow down and look intently at this life I've so carefully crafted and needing to enjoy:

















For a fun summer project, consider joining in on an art postcard swap over on Wishstudio blog. Make 5 original inspiration postcards to send off to others and in turn receive some summer inspiration delivered to you the old fashioned way - through the mail! Details are here ... come on, join me!





What are your summer plans? How do you intend to enjoy yourself?

(Painting with Purpose Update: Cowgirl and I have begun our first 8 by 10 inch painting and already I can tell it will be hard for me to part with it! And if you heard a loud BANG this morning, it was my jaw hitting the desk when I discovered you all have already donated $235 to Half the Sky Foundation! What an amazing feat! We are pumped up and ready to paint our little hearts out! First give away is July 2nd. Keep posted for sneak peeks at our paintings.)

Mother guilt (and my Best Shot)

For the record, I will state that I have a pretty good set up going on in my life. I work part time with benefits (meaning vacation, holiday and sick leave) and my job is fairly flexible. After years working retail and then adjunct teaching, it is a huge relief to know that when I or my daughter are sick, I can simply choose to stay home without any guilt over how my absence will impact co-workers. I work a 4 day work week with afternoons and 3-day weekends to spend with my family. I do not bring work home with me, nor do I stress about it once I walk out my office door. Sounds ideal, doesn't it?

But with Cowgirl leaving the world of preschool and becoming an official full time student (kindergarten is full time where we live) next fall, I am feeling huge guilt and remorse over the absence of unstructured time in her life. It is a feeling that has been nibbling on my emotional toes but last night felt like a great white shark ready to snap at my heart. As I struggled to fall asleep, I was remembering all the summers I had as a child when days seeped into each other with the only routine to speak of being play. When I was very young, we would spend summer's at the Jersey shore, my dad driving down on weekends. Weekdays were spent with my mom and the pack of neighborhood kids I roamed around with. I was either on the move via my blue hand-me-down boy's bike or sauntering in flip flops to the bay or ocean for swimming, card games on beach towels, or sandcastle building. Adventure was an excursion to the drug store or 5-and-dime to see what our quarters would buy us. A new Archie comic book was a celebration and evenings at a putt-putt golf course this child's dream of perfection.

This summer will be Cowgirl's third time in summer school. I know she has a blast, has access to so many wonderful activities, other kids (which our neighborhood lacks) but still this huge BUT has logged itself in my throat. School mornings I have to drag her out of bed and down to breakfast. Her demeanor is crabby and whiney. On "home days" (non-school days) she is up at the crack of dawn, playing and happy to just hang out in her p.j.s all morning. She gets up early because she doesn't want to "waste time" - her words - sleeping in on a home day. Now, she never wants to leave school when I pick her up, so I am pretty certain her resistance is not because of a problem at school. I think her resistance is to the busy-ness of another school day.

I totally get this and I wonder how I would have felt as a child not to have enjoyed long summers which invariably ended with a level of boredom and readiness to head back to school. And I understand she doesn't know anything different so my guilt has more to do with my expectations and memories. I guess I miss not having a long string of days in which play is the main objective, busy-ness is replaced by laziness and boredom acts as motivation to become more creative, silly and spontaneous. Life seems far more mapped out and planned these days. I suppose my challenge for us all is to figure out ways to loosen things up a bit. Slowing down and making a priority "spacious time" as I like to think about it. Time when things are allowed to unfold, plans change and the attitude of "why not?" prevails.

How do you built spacious or unstructured time into your child's schedule? Or even into adult life? Summer always seems like the season for loafing, lolling, cloud gazing and general relaxation. Am I the only one feeling anxious about facilitating all this?

Happy Monday! Here are my best shots of spacious time from this weekend.

Summer: Let the Games Begin! (and taking my best shots)

I know summer is officially a few weeks away, but in our house summer begins in earnest with the opening of the neighborhood pool. Add to our daily pool routing lots of cooking out doors (the husband has a new smoker/cooker that he is passionately involved with these days) and house guests visiting, it feels 100% like summertime. I love the pace of summer when the days seems to climax with dinner on the patio with goods from the farmer's market and reading novels seems the height of ambition. But I am also aware of this shift in our daily routine that I have so carefully crafted and there is a level of anxiety about losing track of those activities I need to keep me balanced: art journaling, crafting, writing, playing with my photographs. Ironically, I can think of lots of things I want to explore here when I have very little time available for blogging. In fact, I am working within a window of 10 minutes before I have to get dinner started and while Cowgirl is away at a swimming lesson and our guests are napping after a day spent at the zoo.




The challenge for me will be to strike a balance with my need for routine and summer's spontaneous character. Vacations are planned, interrupts will be occurring on a regular basis and I want to be open to enjoying the carefree quality of summer without losing the momentum of my art-filled life. This blog feels like my touchstone: coming here connects me to what I want to play attention to in my life. And while I am busy living my life, I find myself anxious about losing touch with this life. I find myself wondering what others are up to; I want to check in on Flying Lessons; I want you to know I appreciate each and every comment and I feel so guilty when I fail to immediately get over to your home space and chat.

an outing to a favorite ice cream shop

Here is how the craziness looks around here:














So tell me: how do you find balance in the crazy days of summertime? Any secrets besides having a gin and tonic on hand? For more on this subject, check out today's Best Shot by Tracy Clark.

Is this how all mommies feel?