Etsy-ness!

From Blogger Pictures

We'll see what happens, buuut...



I'm on Etsy now! Check it out and let me know what you think. Too pricey? Not good enough? Just right?

What else can I sell? I want to go to France this year!

Christmastime is heeere...

From December 2008

The beautiful tree belongs to Eric's parents. Ours is not up yet. We're rebelling against those who put their tree up on All Saint's Day.

Stacks of cards are sailing across the nation, with a few more still to go. I love making Christmas cards. Even though I've had all the pieces for a month now, they still are late.

From December 2008

Good thing I use the words "holiday season" instead of "Christmas." Am I trying to be PC? Oh, no. I'm buying time. :)

Merry Christmas to all! May your holiday be empty of stress and greed, and full of love and hope.

Happy Birthday, Christopher!

From December 2008

Christopher turned 9 when we weren't looking. He's so sneaky!

Love ya, Fer-Fer!

Margaret Turns Five

So, you're turning five. You know how to "hip it," you have lots of friends, and your big sister's flower girl dress fits you. What do you do? Well, have a princess tea party, of course!

From Margaret is 5

Margaret had five of her friends over Sunday to celebrate her fifth birthday. There was pass the teapot, pin the eyes on Mrs. Potts and Chip (from Beauty and the Beast), wand-designing, bracelet-making, menu-choosing, cake-eating, tea-sipping fun. What a wonderful party!

Mark taunts Margaret with a present, as all good uncles should:

From Margaret is 5

From Margaret is 5

Happy Birthday, Margaret! Hope your wish comes true.

More Canines

From Kate and Mark and Meeb

Kate and Mark and I went to an art show at the 930 building on Friday, after Kate's singing lesson and pizza at Impellizeri's. It was called "Animal Nature/Human Nature" and featured drawings by Matt Loeser and Douglas Miller. Doug is Kate's neighbor, so it was great to see his fantastic art. We REALLY had a good time. Can you tell by these pictures?

From Kate and Mark and Meeb

From Kate and Mark and Meeb

From Kate and Mark and Meeb

Music was by Brooks Ritter. Excellent!

And I love this picture of a girl and her puppy:

From Kate and Mark and Meeb

We now have many inside jokes, including:
> Chuckles is late
> Kate is a drone of the Apple Corps
> Alma Mater
> and maybe one other thing I can't recall. Mark?

Puppy Progression

I've been meaning to post these images of the painting I did of Xavier's best friend, Arthur. Here they are!

From Arthur painting

From Arthur painting

From Arthur painting

From Arthur painting

I decided against painting the letter "A" on it - it looked fine without.

I was happy at how this turned out, and thrilled that Xavier liked it too. Maybe I should do pet portraits instead of people.

Thanksgiving and Bon Bowl 2008 Photos...

...are posted to my Picasa album, here.

Victory!

All I have to say is...

From Thanksgiving 2008

Black is the new black. And I'm officially "black and blue."

The "Youngers" won. Underdogs always, we put up a noble fight against the big, brutish "Elders." Despite the smack talk, despite the Saturday-morning talking heads who put us a 10-point disadvantage, despite the many, many minutes holding our opponents' noses to their own goal line...inches away, and yet, so far, so inaccessible.

Once again, we can wear our black and gold with pride. Once again, we can walk with our heads held high amidst the sneering sea of white and purple. Once again, we can call ourselves "returning champions."

Thanks to everyone for playing, for Chip for organizing it, for Terri and Company hosting us, and for all of our fans and cheerleaders. We couldn't have done it without you!

Pre-season for Bon Bowl 18 begins now.

From Thanksgiving 2008

Gratitude

From Thanksgiving 2008

Mmmm...bread. A staple of life. And a member of our family.

Bread was planned. Bread was given life in the form of yeast. Bread baked. Bread sat around. Bread rode with us in the car. Bread gave of itself. Traces of bread are still being found in the kitchen, leaving its mark long after it has been consumed.

Who is responsible? This guy!

From Thanksgiving 2008

I am so thankful for our home, our families, our friends, our jobs, our cats, our opportunities and chances to make a difference in this world. I hope we can make the most of all the blessings we are given, and not take them for granted.

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” –Alphonse Karr

Understanding and Moving Forward

"Not only do we need to punish that man for his crime, but we need to acknowledge that there's a hole in his heart, one that government programs alone may not be able to repair." -Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope

Worth a Shot

I ran across this and I am impressed. Please take a good look, and let me know what you think. Better yet, let THEM know what you think.

I know I am naïve. I know this is probably a big marketing gimmick to make us think we're getting through and having our voice be heard. But I want to see the best in people - not the worst. I have to believe that we all want to move forward in a positive manner, and not take advantage of our fellow humans. And I have to believe that we all truly want to connect with and learn from one another. Just like watching one-year-olds stare and smile at each other, just like understanding the importance of friendships between three- and four-year-olds; affiliation and empathy come naturally but need encouragement. We all want to be loved, be respected, and belong. We all have something to contribute.

Transparency and dialogue in our government seem like a step in the right direction. I encourage you to voice your opinions to our new administration. Please don't assume that no one is listening.

Yes. We. Can.

I've never aligned myself with Democrats, but Barack Obama floats above party lines for me. Belief. Hope. Enthusiasm. I cannot believe what's happening. I am crying and laughing and so dedicated to making sure that those things that I do not agree with the president-elect about, I speak up and I act upon. Can you feel it? This is amazing.

But I have to go to sleep so I can be a good, patient teacher to my students tomorrow.

Goodnight, everyone! God Bless America!

Predicting the Future

I'm off to vote.

I already know who will win in all the elections. It will be the person who was meant to hold the position, good or bad. Personally, this whole election cycle has already been a success. I've become more aware and more educated about the process and about our government. I've found out what you can do after voting to have your voice be heard. I've seen people debate the candidates and the issues respectfully and I've seen them debate disrespectfully. I know what side I want to be on.

I choose to be on the side of support, action, and respect. So it doesn't matter who wins, because I choose to make the best out of any outcome and work toward positive change no matter what form it takes in office. In this, I have determined the winner.

UPDATE: I've never had to wait a half-hour to vote. Especially not at 6:10 in the morning. One guy said it, pumping his fists in the air: "Vote! It makes you feel tough!" Unfortunately, we didn't get an "I voted" sticker, so I guess no Ben and Jerry's, Krispy Kreme, or Starbucks for me. :)

Happy Birthday, Xavier!

From xavier's 1st birthday

We had a fun time at Xavier's first birthday party. He was quite the gentleman, and so well-behaved. Smiles, laughs, toddling, and even sharing his new toys with cousins and his friend, Van.

I was excited about my present to Xavier - a painting of his favorite dog, Arthur.

From xavier's 1st birthday

I've discovered that pet portraits are so much easier than people portraits.

From xavier's 1st birthday

Happy Birthday, Xavier! What fun we had with you.

Enjoying Autumn

From Fall 2008

We got to spend some time up with the nieces and nephews in Bloomington. Isn't Mary getting all grown up? I had to share these pictures with you.

The weather was amazing. Mary and I spent a lot of time outside, playing baseball and watching the clouds.

From Fall 2008

We also had some fun with The Cheat. We dressed him up, and then made him go hiking. Neither he nor Mary were thrilled about this.

From Fall 2008

From Fall 2008

There was some Halloween fun...

From Fall 2008

And Eric and the girls made bread.

From Fall 2008

Lovin' this time of year! Have a "spook"tacular week!

From Fall 2008

30

From Open House 2008

Today is Eric's birthday. I feel like it was yesterday that I painted this picture, but the reality is that almost eight years have passed. It reminds me constantly of why I cherish him - he waits for me to finish some project (like, say, a senior show) and dutifully acts as a model, a gopher, and a confidant. He is patient and regards me with such esteem. Here, he looks at me - can he tell that it is I who is doing the admiring?

I love this man, and I am so glad his parents chose to have him 30 years ago.

Our Daily Bread

From Open House 2008

What a fabulous open house we had yesterday! Thanks to everyone who was able to stop by and enjoy some chili, Eric's homemade bread and some great company with us. We are so thankful for the time we can spend with family and friends.

From Open House 2008

St. James strolling was today, and the weather was so perfect. We bought Eric a knife crafted from walnut - it's like a bow-shaped saw that cuts bread really well. We didn't have a serrated knife, and this ensures that Eric make copious amounts of leavened heaven. :)

From Open House 2008

I love this time of year. And I LOVE living in Old Louisville on days like today.

We will be continuing our weekly dinners on Wednesday evenings. Please let us know if you can join us one week! We'll be sure to set you a place, so please come visit!

Open House This Saturday, October 4!

From Around Louisville

Please join us for our annual Open House this Saturday, October 4, starting at 11:00 a.m. If you need directions or have questions, please leave a comment! We will have multiple chilis, fresh veggies and hummus, Eric-baked homemade bread, and a number of other edible creations and libations. Park at our place and walk to the St. James Court Art Show!

Sisters

From Sisters

I am very lucky to have such amazing sisters. We were able to get together with our mom at a little condo in South Carolina for a long weekend and just hang out. These women are some of the most talented, thoughtful, intelligent, gracious and benevolent souls you will ever meet. Bonus? They know how to have a good time.

Time with my family is a treasure that I hope I never take for granted.

From Sisters

After the Storm

From Wind Storm 08

Well, the past few days have been gorgeous outside, and yet the remains of a tumultuous Sunday afternoon are grotesquely spread everywhere. With power out at home and school, I spent the daylight hours touring around to see the effects of the wind damage. It was pretty impressive.

From Wind Storm 08

From Wind Storm 08

From Wind Storm 08

We were so lucky to have the giant oak tree in our front yard stay put and only lose a few limbs. And the amazing weather we've had has certainly been blessing for families with children. I witnessed a group of kids eagerly making a fort out of a fallen tree. It was so energizing to watch their excitement and teamwork.

I think the next time we have a power outage, we should organize a community cook out to use up all that food that will go to waste. It seems so ridiculous to have everyone fighting for take-out after chucking their food, when, if we had pooled our resources, many could've been fed and community could've been built. Now I know. Who's with me? :)

Summer 08 Wordle

Well, it's tiny, but if you click on the picture above, you can get a feel for "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." I feel refreshed and ready for school (which is good, since our first week just ended)!

I am really, really, REALLY glad I teach preschool.

More soon.

Phew! Made It!

Eric and I had the crazy idea to ride our bikes this weekend. From our house to Jefferson Memorial Forest. With camping gear in tow. And make a detour to Waverly.

The route was (unintentionally) 32 miles there. It took us a looong time. Not just because we stopped at Waverly (which, of course, we couldn't go in), but because in true form, we got lost. Reminiscent of that fateful trip to Cinque Terre (Sorrento, to be exact), we went in the wrong direction. It was soon corrected, though, and after rehashing a particularly nasty hill, we were well on our way to the Horine section, where friends of ours had rented a group site.

Today we rode back, and despite a flat tire this morning (we were well-prepared with another tube), we made it in record time. We ended up taking *another* wrong turn, but it served us well; New Cut Road was fairly empty, and we made the entire trip home in just over an hour. No kidding.

It was so lovely. I am proud that we made it there and I feel refreshed and like I accomplished something. Ride with us for a second...



Now we get to try another bike trip next weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Can you believe it's been six years?! Location is yet to be determined, but we decided 30 miles is about all we can do in one day without being completely useless.

And speaking of being useful, I start back to school tomorrow, getting our room ready for the kiddos next Tuesday. Wish me luck!

Freaky But Cool

I'm learning about storing seeds. Here is the seed casing for my snapdragons. Doesn't it look like a skull?

The best ones seem to have a little green still on them, or are darker with the "eyes" and "mouth" being small, still-somewhat-closed openings. Take your fingernail and open up the mouth, a-like so:

And you can then pour out the tiny black seeds!

Only time will tell if I can figure all of this out. Until then, I will try to find more portraits in nature, and attempt to bring this blog back to actual painted portraits, rather than the random stuff that amuses me. :)

Stuff of Dreams and Nightmares

I got to go riding yesterday. I still ache. But there's nothing like cantering around an open field, surrounded by woods, haystacks, wind, butterflies and sunshine. It's the stuff of dreams for horse-loving girls like me, and I am so grateful to Debbie for giving me this chance. I might not have it for long.

There's talk of developing this paradise in Oldham County. The idea makes me sick. I am starting to get quite disturbed by "progress" when it levels out our rolling fields and puts asphalt over burrows. We're becoming increasingly distant from nature, and I think we're being forced to see the implications of that choice.

I remember traveling through the Midwest and seeing all the strip malls and the supercenters. Each one looks the same as the one before. I don't want Kentucky, which I think possesses a distinctive visual portrait, to fall for that kind of peer pressure and succumb to the plastic surgery of "development." Just look at that amazing area off 64 just outside the Watterson. The rolling field and barn in the distance represent Kentucky for me. Very soon, it too will succumb to development. To see the "real" Kentucky, well, that will take you about 45 minutes from downtown. By car, of course.

Which would you prefer?
or ?

Why can't we cultivate the little greenery we have left within our county instead of leveling it? I feel like we're learning that we still have a lot to learn from nature. Let's make sure everyone has access to it.

Eric and I frequent Central Park, and I am thankful the Olmsted Parks Conservancy is such a prominent institution here. And the "City of Parks" movement (if achieved) is inspiring. I maintain that we need still more nature for more people in more accessible places.

I'll leave you with a quote that reminded me of my childhood (so much spent in trees, creeks and the magnificent Atlantic Ocean):

“And this our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing. I would not change it.”
-Duke Senior, from Act II, As You Like It

A Little Thing I'm Doing...

Why worry about November when you can vote now?

Barnett love

These pictures are from Kristin's birthday celebration. Aren't all my nephews and nieces adorable?

I especially like this:

And (drumroll please)...Fishy's first picture!