May 31, 2008

I think maybe

All the TV shows
that I've watched for weeks now
are done for the season
~~~~~
So I guess I'll have more free time
on my hands
to be creative
or maybe I'll just stop everything
and enjoy the weather
~~~~~
or maybe I'll just be busy watching him
~~~~~
I don't think John would mind
he likes him too
well
maybe not as much as I do
but he likes him
and agrees with me that he is so talented
~~~~~
I think maybe
I will be the first in line to buy
his CD when it comes out
~~~~~
Maybe
I should just be done here
so you can enjoy him
too


May 29, 2008

a piece of my heart


This is how I felt late in the day,
today.
~~~~~
My sweet daughter left this morning
driving 7 hours south
all by herself
for the first time
and
I was a bit nervous.
~~~~~
When she called
and said she was there
I said a little prayer
and did a little happy dance.
~~~~~
We talked many times
while she was driving.
I told her she was fine
when she noticed an alternate route
where there was road construction
~~~~~
She let me know
that she didn't need to do an illegal
U-turn
on the interstate
like I did
when I made the same drive
last year
~~~~~
Now
she'll be gone
for the next four weeks
and she'll be SO missed
by us
~~~~~
But
she'll also be SO loved
by the children
that she will be counseling
at camp
~~~~~
the hours and days
will fly by for her
~~~~~
while the hours
and days for me
will be every bit of four weeks
and probably feel
even longer
~~~~~

May 28, 2008

just you

I'm walking alone
until you return
from your business trip
~~~~~
I miss you already
even though I could count the hours
since you left
and they wouldn't
even be
very many
~~~~~
I miss
knowing that
during the day
you
are just down the road
from me
~~~~~
I miss
the sound of your steps
on the floor
when you come home
at night
~~~~~
And
I already miss your smile
from when I say something
that doesn't make sense
and we both laugh at me
~~~~~
but
mostly
I miss
you...
just
you

May 26, 2008

in or out

For some reason
I wanted to write something poetic about fences.
~~~~~
Like
do fences keep you
in
or
out
~~~~~
do they
protect
or
prevent
~~~~~
and then I came to the conclusion
that whatever fences do
doesn't really matter
~~~~~
AS LONG AS I CAN HAVE ONE
THAT LOOKS
LIKE
COLORED
PENCILS

May 21, 2008

take a hike with me ?

John and I went hiking out at our cottage woods last weekend.
You might not guess it from this shot, but the woods are actually "clear" right now as far as being able to hike up the hills.
In another month, the growth of "everything green" will have taken over and then it's almost impossible to climb anymore.
In this shot, I'm actually looking up the hill at John and what you don't see is how steep it is behind me. If you look closely, my hand is holding onto a log so that I don't slip backwards.

The woods right now are full of what I call tree fungus.
I'm sure there is a "real" name for all the funky things we find on the trees,
but for now, I just keep pointing and saying,
"look, there's another fungi"
and then my husband says,
"gee, thanks honey, I am a fun guy aren't I?"
~~~~~
{and boy do we have woodpeckers...can you tell ?}

I wish I'd had a tape measure for some of these, as they were so huge.
This one was growing straight out from the tree, like a ledge.

Aren't they fun ?

And this one is my all time FAVORITE !!
I think I'm actually going to have to frame this photo !!
I think it's because it reminds me of a seashell
and since I'm a "water girl"....
well, it's just perfect !!
And speaking of water....
oh how I love the creeks
at the cottage !
Here's a shot of our cottage from the hill we were hiking on.
More tree fungus... isn't the shape of that tree interesting ?

And most of you by now, know how I love my birds.
Well, I've been waiting patiently for someone to find this great house we put up,
and yippee.....somebody found it.

Now I'll have to watch to see who it is that's going to be living in there.
The great thing.....my wonderful hubby put this house right at my level, so that I can open it and take pictures anytime I want....well, almost anytime.
You know how those birdie parents get while their raising their babies.
~~~~~
I hope you enjoyed the hike with me !!!










May 20, 2008

You'll see.....I 'm not suziblu

Well, today I decided to play.

I should have been packing what the kids need for camp, or cleaning, or doing laundry, or running errands...all the things I told my hubby I'd be doing today, but for some reason...okay, the reason is because I love Suziblu, I decided to take a video of myself. I asked my daughter{who insisted that she not be filmed} to take it for me while we were eating the lunch she brought from Trader Joe's...but she just laughed at me. {I get that alot from my family, usually with a roll of the eyes} Anyhow, the only video camera I have is just an "extra" on my regular camera, so the quality isn't that great...well, neither is the subjuect matter, but it was fun to do....we laughed alot. So for me, the girl who doesn't even like photos of herself, this is a big step to show myself "raw to the world"....oh, and on top of it, the house was a mess with "camp" piles while I walking through it....but I digress !

So here I am.....on my first {and maybe last} youtube video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByPsy1uXGSo

May 19, 2008

broken words, maybe

I want to write the words that are on my mind,
but they're broken.
All I'm seeing is a big pile of letters,
wishing they could right themselves in order to make sense.
~~~~~
Maybe the words are there...in my head,
and not broken at all
and they do make sense
and maybe I'm just scared to share them.
Maybe I'm afraid that if I said what I really wanted to say,
I'd hurt the feelings of someone.
~~~~~
In fact, I know that's the reason
I'm not writing what I want to write...
because of the feelings
of someone
who could, maybe....
read this blog and know that I was talking about them.
~~~~~
It doesn't seem fair, does it ?
That this is my blog,
my place to express myself
and yet
today I'm feeling
that I can't write or say what I want to.
~~~~~
My feelings are still fresh
at the moment.
And somewhere in my head I'm hearing
the words
wait.
So maybe this isn't the right time to let those feelings
birth the words that go along with them.
~~~~~
So for now,
I'll keep those words
mostly to myself,
mostly bottled up,
while my hubbby helps me sort out my feelings
and
supports me
and gives me strength
and helps me lift those broken words.




May 17, 2008

skunk cabbage

My view while down in the wetlands.
I'm not sure why I find this plant interesting, but I do.
This is what it looks like today...
and that's my hubby getting close enough to it to see if it really does smell awful,
and it doesn't,
unless it gets crushed.
It looks like a huge head of lettuce,
good enough to eat,
but I guess that animals
find it really digusting.

Here's another photo of the skunk cabbage,
from early spring,
just as it was starting to grow out of the wetlands
at our cottage.
And then another week or so.....
~~~~~
As you can see,
we have tons it...
none of the plants are close to the cottage,
but the valley and the wetlands
are full of it.





May 15, 2008

build it and they will come......

"it" being a new journal and "they" being my thoughts
~~~~~
Yes people, I've actually been in my studio playing.
{look at that mess}
I've probably lost all of my "art buddies" since it's been FOREVER
that I've posted anything art related.
So if you're still out there, I've got some journal pages ready to share with you.
This is my first moleskin to work in....
thanks to Suziblu.
{don't you just love her and want to spend a day with her?}
It's a longer, skinner moleskin
and obviously I had a hard time
trying to photograph
2 pages at once.

I'm not sure which one she uses,
but I liked that this one had watercolor paper in it...
I like that heavy feel !

I used the "regular" stuff...
magazine everything, rub-ons, markers and paint

and tons of my scrapbook paper...

some words from the newspaper

and my new favorite thing...
paper drywall tape.

I love using the magazine "real simple"
and the catalogs "anthropologie" and "toast."
Can you tell that the picture on the right is a mug of tea ?
{actually it's probably coffee, but since I hate coffee and LOVE tea, it's tea}

And these two pages are my favorite, so far.....
between my love of a good beach and the saying on her hat...
well, it's just so me.
{you should be able to click on any photo to enlarge it}











May 13, 2008

a whole box of kleenex and then some...

I cried alot the other night.
Not because I was hurt,
but because I love so deeply.
I cry easily.
I show my feelings freely.
And sometimes I let go to the point of no return.
~~~~~
I laughed the other night, too.
And I smiled.
I also did of alot of thinking.
~~~~~
Why all the emotions you ask ?
John and I watched,
P.S. I love you
If you've seen it, let me know how many tears you wiped away.
And if you haven't seen it,
please do.

May 11, 2008

I remember.......

20 years ago....
getting pregnant fairly easily~
being diagnosed with placenta abruption and being on bed rest for 14 long days~
taking it easy for 6 months~
growing huge boobs~
gaining 35 pounds~
having an epidural~
pushing for hours~
being told, "it's" sunny side up~
pushing and crying~
looking at the clock feeling helpless and miserable~
the doctor telling me they were going to use forceps~
John being close to fainting~
holding a beautiful baby girl~
instantly knowing my life would never be the same~
16 years ago.....
it taking us 9 months to conceive~
everyone in the family finding out we had sex at my parents house Christmas eve, as that was when I was most fertile~
growing huge boobs again~
this pregnancy being a breeze~
gaining 28 pounds~
picking the name Jack for a boy and not finding any girl names that we liked~
being overdue, grouchy and demanding at my ultrasound to find out what sex "it" was~
going into labor quickly~
wanting to push this baby out, but the doctor wasn't at the hospital, so I had to wait~
with one cough, out came the baby boy they told me "it" was~
being amazed once again in the miracle of life~

"happy mother's day to me"


May 10, 2008

even hairy moms deserve credit this weekend.....

And for a really good laugh that will make you appreciate being a sibling or a mother,
please entertain yourself with this video clip !!!

May 8, 2008

and then just like that

my hair never gets pulled back
my floors are not dark
my dresses are not that short
and grey is not really "my" color
but I love being barefoot
I love black and white
and sometimes being upside down
is just what I need to shake out the cobwebs
and make the world look right again

May 7, 2008

as days go by

Last Friday, I got to meet someone.
Do you recognize her ?
She's in the red.....that's the famous Michelle Ward,
and she is a doll !
We had shared a few emails and had read each others blogs, but other than that we were strangers.
Strangers who hugged at the airport and then spent the next 90 minutes talking, laughing and gossiping in the car like we were old friends catching up !
I was taking her to Valley Ridge where she was teaching for the weekend.
Due to other plans, I wasn't able to take her class, but just spending time with her was worth it's weight in gold.
{and the tiny woman in green is michelle's mom who came down from Minnesota to spend the weekend with her at VR..adorable isn't she?}
Kathy and Bill, being the fabulous entertainers that they are, immediately gave us a full tour of their wonderful new home once we arrived.
Can you say ART ?
Every inch of their house is colorful and artful and I feel blessed to have seen it during the building process and now again upon completion.
So we all walked around for another hour or so ohhing and ahhing over everything and then it was time for me to leave and head back to Madison.
It was a beautiful night to drive.
The rain showers were long gone and the sky was still a bright blue with cloud shadows dancing around.
I turned the music up as loud as I could, and thought to myself...
this has been a great day !

May 6, 2008

just some stuff.....


First of all...a new banner !
The green in that photo screamed SPRING to me
so I had to use it.
Plus, the lace in the window...too cool !
~~~~~
Also, I have a new widget !
Sounds kind of like my undies are riding up, huh ?
But seriously,
on my side bar, you can see who most recently commented...
and it could be you !
~~~~~
And last but not least,
SIT DOWN NOW
and watch
AUGUST RUSH !!!
If you like~
love
art
music
children
wonderment
honesty
determination
and
wind chimes
YOU
will LOVE this movie !!!!
Even my macho 16 year old was glued to the television like we were !!!
What a great family night we had !!!

May 4, 2008

to be a kid....or a dog

Tired boy comes home from school and literally falls asleep as soon as his feet hit the carpet.

"but Mom, he's in my bed"


After an hour of napping, a phone call, a lick from Sophie and a change in body position, tired boy is still sleeping.

"fine, I'll let Jack stay in my bed ...but Mom, you gotta promise me that next time he has to at least make it to the couch before he passes out !"



May 1, 2008

it will always be all about the shoes


I did it...
and I'm still alive
to talk about it !
I didn't get hurt,
or hurt anyone else.
I didn't complain.
I remained focused.
I played by the rules.
~Yesterday~
I played golf !!
real golf~on a league~with other women
and I survived !!

Golfing for me has always been played with my hubby and he lets me play by the rules that I make up...like if I get tired, I can stop playing at anytime. If my ball goes into the rough, there is no penalty for picking it up and throwing it back into the fairway. If it takes me 8 putts to get the ball in the hole, but I think it should have only taken me 4 putts, well then we'll call it 6. If a ball lands in an area less than perfect, I get to move it to a new spot that is perfect. If my tee shot is awful, I get to hit another ball and pretend that the first ball never existed. If I think a hole is just kind of odd or too long, then I just let him play that one while I work on tanning my legs and last but not least, if we're playing 9 holes and I suck after 4, then I'm done.


So, can you imagine me after all those years of golfing with "my rules" playing by someone else's rules ??....me neither !!! But I did it and it was fun !!

And my new shoes and glove....
well they totally rocked !!

{and for any real golfers out there who think keeping score is important....it was a par 32 course and I shot a 58}