My Artistic Flare is Sometimes Messy

What to do in an empty nest...

 This past week was exhausting.

I spent half  of each day listening to small children read while timing them for one minute. 45 words a minute is an exhausting speed to follow, thankfully most read at least 65 to 80, some even as fast as 250.

The best part of the week was the sun finally came out.

My weekend project was painting my son's baby chair.

Barnsie will sit here for now

I added a collection of my art below.

It seems the painting clog my brain until I put them on canvas, paper or wood.

The sunflower was blocking the hedgehog Christmas cards.

I didn't see the fairy with the sunflower until it was on the paper.

I wasn't planing to make the picture last weekend so messy...

it just came out that way.

I paint from my spirit.

I paint with my heart.

Sometimes I paint to music.

This weekend I painted the chair with my

hummingbird buzzing around my head.

(I have never been eye to eye with a hummingbird.)

My next painting will be a hummingbird.

Maybe next weekend.

God only knows.

Last weekend a friend brought me a terracotta worm for a pot

                        

 So I had to buy flowers and a pot

Johanna and Steven have been married almost a year
and I finally have their picture framed

Abbie's Picture on the left

I made over a dozen Hedgehog Christmas Cards 

My inspiration board

Last weekends painting

My rainy day crayon melt

The flower that was stuck in my head in front of the hedgehogs

Snow in Redding, what a crazy winter

For Redding Winter is over. This week we will see sun everyday and may not have anymore frost after Tuesday. It is freezing at night and soon to be 65 degrees in the day. I am looking forward to the sunny days and drying out the I-5 cor-adore, so that I can see my Grandbaby girl Easter weekend.

Everyday Miracles

 Happy 6 month Grammie day to me.

Today is Emelia's 6 month birthday, but the road is flooded in places along I-5 and I just don't like to drive in the rain. She called and chatted with me a few nights ago. Em is quit a talker, besides being the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.

I wish Grammie was here.

Good morning Grammie! 

Empty Nest

May 1996 I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.

Cincho de Mayo was never the same for us.

The little boy became a man.

Ian almost 21 years old

Then yesterday this happened:

The young man moved out

bike and Legos behind the screen all that remain

Flip the page...new chapter

I'm still sorting through Moll Anderson's color book. Change Your Home, Change Your Life with Color. I had an aversion to the avocado color of the 1960's, since all the dirty fixtures of my home for the last 28 years had been that color. With this book I was able to buy a chair and reconcile myself to that color and get a bar stool/step stool in the process.

My reconciliation stool

On to other parts of my color journey...

I created a little Zen garden

However,it got flooded. Note to self keep it dry, or I will feel as though my head is underwater, or maybe it is just the effect of our seasonally early flowers blooming from all the rain.

View from my sink

Very odd having this open space, which for the past year and a half has been occupied by my son.

My Happy Board

I initiated a card and encouragement program among my coworkers. This has a few of the Happy Notes I have been given. "If you want a friend, be a friend".

The cloudy view

To date we have had 37 inches of rain since Oct. 1. The average rainfall is 34 inches a year  in Redding. The past two years we have been in a drought with not much more than 24 inches of rain a year. I love having the rain, but it has been a challenge to keep my "Happy" on all the time when the sky is like this day in and day out.

My new wind chime sounds like a bike bell

I found this beauty at a yard sale yesterday. It is leaded glass, sweet chimes and the wings of the hummingbird are on a hing. I cant wait for the wind and rain to die down, so I can hang it higher and enjoy the tickle and light through the glass.

YES!

This morning I was encouraged by a blogger who spoke of Miracles. I went to church and I heard a sermon on Miracles. In my own life I have had many Miracles. A Miracle is something that happens that is unexpected, unnatural and totally an act of God. A $100 bill hidden away in my purse that I did not put there, shoes for my children when I had no money for shoes, a child being healed of an illness that doctors can not explain.
Today my children all live in safe healthy environments. I live in a safe home of my own that is clean,beautiful and there is food enough, heat enough, clothes enough and so many extra that I did not ask for or imagine two years ago. That is my Miracle. I pray you will see your own Miracle today and be thankful.

Good Bye January ~ Hello Februrary

January 2017 just went on FOR-EV-ER!
I work an average of 50 hours a week and some of those days went by very fast, but the miles on my aching feet took their toll. Don't get me wrong, I have a great job, with great people and the most wonderful pair of USA clog "Mary Jane's" you will ever see...
...January in this town is just plan wet and dreary. I have considered hip waders for the cross walk gig.
A week or so ago, I got the latest book that I am advance release Reading. Change your HOME Change your LIFE with COLOR. by Moll Anderson (click the title to see the Amazon order page)



Some of the questions that have come up with me while reading the book are:

* what colors in your box are used the most often? Me: Blue and Green
* what is your favorite color? Me: Magenta
* what color would you be if you could be any? Me: Yellow

(If you can't figure out why I had those answers IM me.)

Last weekend I was going to write my January blog (I had promised myself to at least blog once a month in 2017.) Save by GRACE here. I was sick and went to a conference on Saturday, which means I only have one day off, Sunday. I was sick and knew one of my team would be off on Monday, so I dragged myself to work Monday and took my sick day on Tuesday, by which time  I was really a mess.

Saturday January 28th I attended THE REMIX, Region 2, Expanded Learning Conference. This is to give after school program leaders help and encouragement. The key note speaker, helped me to understand a little better how the kid of today thinks. Of course my Littles are only Five, so, they don't quit fit with the current generation that have an electrical device in their hands at all times.

The second session I attended was on Purposeful Eating as well as other Purposeful choices in their day to day life. This month, I will be working at a club after school that involves Yoga and Self Defense. We will implement some of the Purposeful eating and thinking with this club.

My final session of the day was with Brandon Leake. He is a young poet who help me write a poem about my Littles.

Balls Popping in Pod 1

My students are tired or overwhelmingly busy

One flops on the floor while another is a Whirling Dervish

They are like a child's popcorn popping machine

Multicolored balls popping, falling and banging against each other

Within my protective bubble as I drive them through the afternoon

Pop! Pop! Pop!

When we sit in the Pod ~ I teach them love

Love for each other, respect, and

 acceptance of each others differences

Teaching by example, creating beauty and learning to be beautiful people

Who care for each other 

ღ

~Now I am up to date with my blog for last weekend.

Today: I got a zipper sewed in the sweatshirt they gave us last year at the conference

Baby Girl: Emelia is sitting all by herself.

February is the shortest month of the year, however, it seems like it is really going to be short in 2017. I only have 15 days of school and 8 day off after today. I'm planning on finishing up this book review and getting a lot of rest and reading this month.