Keeping Cool

It was a hot day yesterday. We went to a picnic at Martha's house. It was at least 10 degrees cooler at her house because she lives very close to Lake Ontario...but it was still hot. We spent the day eating and talking and staying in the shade. There were also water balloon wars and your general picnic rambunctiousness. It was so hot that even Sherman (our wonderful yellow lab) stopped to enjoy a slice of refreshing watermelon. Martha took the picture and sent it to me today. Thanks, Mart! I love it!

We Remember

Here is my grandfather. World War 1 vet.

I took the kids to the Memorial Day parade today. There were several vets in the parade of course. I really got a little teary eyed when I saw very old men from the local nursing homes being pushed down the street in their wheelchairs. They wore their American Legion caps indicating what war they had served in. Very touching.

Thank you, vets!

Fly, Little Fledgeling! Fly!

This is me and Freddy. Don't know how old I was. 3? In that case, this picture was taken in about 1970.

I finally got around to doing some painting today. Still working on the milk can with the cats. I'm procrastinating because the lady I'm painting for isn't going to be around until July. Also I am a little intimidated by the project. Actually...it's turning out ok so far. I've been asked to do another mural...for a kid's room. The daughter of a friend of mine. It sounds like a fun and low stress project! I probably won't get around to it until some time this summer. We still have to figure out what I am painting. I was going to do a lovely crown adorned by tromp l'oeil curtains above her bed...but she has changed her mind. I'm a little disappointed because I was so looking forward to painting that. I would paint it in my own daughters' bedroom...but they have a bunk bed!

I've been researching schools to go to. I want to go to faux finishing school. I like one I have found in Louisville, KY best. Jamie is very supportive of me going if we can come up with how to pay for it!

Yesterday I subbed as a teacher aid at the elementary school. I worked in a special ed class. It was a pretty good day. I'd much rather be painting a mural...but it's a little money anyway. Money that I would not have otherwise earned. Business has been slow...but it is because I am a fledgling artist...just starting to figure out how to fly. I'll get there eventually!

Melissa Gilbert?

Here's a picture of me at around 9 years of age...and I look quite a bit like Melissa Gilbert. If I remember clearly, I was quite a fan of "Little House On the Prarie" during this time. Every Wednesday night I believe it was...we'd gather at 8:00 to watch the show on our black and white portable TV. I always wanted to live back in those old fashioned days. In fact I would have been flattered had I believed I really looked like Melissa-Sue. Anyway, at around 8:30, during the commercial break, my parents would tell us three girls to run and get our pajamas on. We'd dash to our bedrooms to pull cotton flannel over our heads and then dash back so as not to miss anything. That was a good TV show. I've been thinking that it would be fun to get some copies of those old TV shows and watch them with my kids. I think they'd enjoy them. Other good shows were "The Waltons" and "Emergency!"

What were your favorite TV shows?

Busy busy busy and yet nothing to blog about!

Well....it is time for me to blog something new. That last picture made me feel like I should lose perhaps 10 pounds...maybe a little more. It's hard to find a picture I like of myself. That's why I should stick to pictures of my kids or my dog. They always look good.

It's been busy here. Tonight, Jamie and I had to play shuffle kids and activities. I took Audra to swimming, dropped her off, took Alicia to the elementary school art show and in the mean time, Jamie took Allen to his soccer practice. Now everyone is home, homework is completed, showers are being taken and kids are going to bed. I was thinking maybe Jamie and I would sit together and talk. The night is young...it could still happen.

Oh I hate blogging tojust blog something...but I can't think of anything interesting! But my dog is cute isn't he?

From the Mouth of Babes

So last night I'm putting my 2 daughters to bed. Audra says to me, "Mom...you kind of...well" she looks around nervously and giggles. "You kind of dress old fashioned." She told me in particular, my glasses were out of style (I was wearing the pair you see in my profile picture) She looked at Alicia for back up...and her little sister agreed. So...now I am hopelessly out of step and old fashioned. "Geeky" might have been the word I would have used as a teenager, but I suppose that word is out too.

The funny thing is, I remember thinking my mother was way out of step in a fashion sense on a few different occassions...particularly during my teen years. I remember thinking that I would never let myself be that way when I was a mother some day. *Sigh*

The above picture was just taken the other day on Mother's Day...in front of the house I grew up in. (that's one of my nephews in the window) I don't really care how out of style she is now. I'm just thankful that I have her as my mother...and I hope that I do as many things right while raising my children as she did while raising us.

Growing Up

Another of my son's photographs.

He's growing up! Next year will be middle school. Tonight he got to visit the middle school youth group and tomorrow his class goes to the Middle School here in town for a visit and tour of the building. I've been letting him ride his bike to and from school now because he hates taking the bus. I think he's quite pleased that he is gaining independence.

So what does this have to do with the picture? Nothing. I just liked it.

Doggy in the Window

Someone mentioned that this blog is going to the dogs...so I thought I'd post this picture. Our yellow lab always watches us when we leave the house. I think he's trying to make us feel bad for not taking him with us.

Pretzel Kids

My sister mentioned in her blog that she went to the pretzel factory in Lititz, Pa. Just thought I'd post the picture of my three posing with the pretzel just 3 weeks ago.

More Snippets From the Past

More snippets from the past...only a bit farther back than the snippets from Martha's post. Here we are from left to right. Martha, me, Tim, and Dan...sitting on the porch swing at the home of our childhood. I'm guessing that Rachel was "in the oven" at the time this picture was taken. Aren't we cute?

I have to smile a little because now that I am a mother, I look at the old photo a little bit differently than I did in the past. Actually, I look a bit like my daughter Alicia...who is also a thumb sucker. What goes around comes around...or the apple doesn't fall far from the tree so they say.

Once in a while I wish I could go back in time and just be a kid again. Just for a day. How would I spend it? Riding my bike, sitting on Dad's lap as he read stories to us, playing "FisherPrice" people with my sisters, camping? Probably sitting on Dad's lap would win. Being so much a child that I am free to suck my thumb all I want to!

That was close!

Phew! I made it! I sanded, painted, painted, blew it dry, painted some more, sprayed it with gloss (3 times), put the hinges back on, filled it with stuff and wrapped it! I finished wrapping it at 3:23 and put it on the table. The bus came at approximately 3:30!

Wow! What a job...but I made it just in the nick of time!

Artist at Work

Here I am hard at work with my colored pencils while camping up in the Adirondack Mts last summer. Actually...I wasn't really doing serious artwork. I was working with Crayolas that one of the kids brought along just for fun. I had fun drawing with the kids. I was working on a quick sketch of the Lakefront at Star Lake.
Tomorrow is Alicia's 7th birthday. I am painting a box for her treasures. I am having to do some super fast work here because it needs to be done by tomorrow night. That's where a hairdryer comes in handy. Money has been a little tight lately and I'm at a loss on what to get her anyway. She already has plenty of dolls of all sorts. There are enough games in this house. Basically you can call me a scrooge because the kids all have plenty of stuff. Wait. Let me correct that. We all have plenty of stuff in this house. This house is only 1500 sq. ft. And with 5 people along with our stuff...it makes for a tight squeeze. I'm thinking that I need to simplify big time.
Anyway...I think she will like a box painted just for her with her name on it. I have purchased a few small things to put inside. Some pretty hair bows, some sidewalk chalk,...and I can't even remember what else I bought. Not too much. Don't want to take up all the room in that box. I'll try to post a picture of it sometime.
Anyway...I need to go check to see if that first layer of basecoat is dry and get back to work!