beauty that moves

this art retreat has been interupted by the flu

That's right. For the last 24 hours I have pretty much been right here, in bed. I left work early yesterday after feeling certain that the scratchy throat I awoke with had more to do with an impending virus rather than the dry air in the house that comes with shutting the windows and turning the heat on. Fortunately, when you work with children, there is no question about whether you are well enough to stay or not. It is always, "Go go go, and don't come back for a good long while, you hear!?" Very wise policy.

So home I went, and home I will stay. Bummer that it is Halloween weekend, if you've followed this blog for a while you know it's a pretty big deal around here. I'm sure Adam and Emily will do just fine mustering up spooky madness without my direction. (Oh, who are we kidding? He is the one that is all about the gore and I am all like "More candles! More candles! What this front porch needs is more pretty candles! And must you pour so much fake blood all over my freshly painted covington blue porch floor?" Yeah... they might be better off without me.

About my symptoms. They are indeed very flu-like in nature. Fever, tightness in chest, terrible cough, body aches that make you crave childbirth instead, sore throat. You know, the whole gamut of seasonal flu symptoms, and yes, you guessed it, the other flu symptoms as well. Hmm... those two lists are so close aren't they?

My breathing is in check, my temp has not gone above 101, and the rest? Well, I guess that all just comes with any flu territory. As long as my breathing and fever remain at a comfortable place, I'll just stay right here and let it ride out. (With of course lots of fluids and rest, Mom! And Adam's chicken soup. The man does not love to be in the kitchen, his place of culinary comfort is outside on the grill. But man, he makes the very best chicken soup, homemade stock and all.)

All of this brings me to a question. I've got my computer here (bedside) and I can stream videos/shows/movies (I'm kind of half watching, half sleeping). Here is what I've watched so far, in part or in whole:

Episode 1, Season 5 Weeds (Streamed from Showtime website. Wasn't in the mood for it, seemed too dark and violent. Was the show that way in the beginning? I thought it would be different.)

Episode 1, Season 1 United States of Tara  (Also from Showtime's site. I liked this better, but cried a lot because I wondered if this is at all an accurate portrayal of someone with multiple personality disorder and how hard it must be for the person and the family living it. Plus, I love Toni Collette.)

Episode 1, Season 2 of This American Life (Same site... of course we all love this show. I loved the story in the beginning about the inner city teens riding horses who were "ghettofabulous," I wished that story was longer. And as if we needed another reason to love Johnny Depp, the fact that he stepped in and granted the wish of the man in the second story... well, that made me teary too, as did the love and struggle between Sarah and Mike.)

Okay, so I'm dealing with a little fever induced sensitivity it seems. Can you recommend something for me to watch, maybe something refreshing? We have Netflix too so I can stream anything available from their site that can be instantly watched. I'm going to be here for the weekend it looks like and I don't really have the energy for drawing, knitting or reading... I feel like vegging out in front of a screen and watching a few flicks. Can you help me out?

Many thanks, and I hope you all have a spooky and healthy weekend!

we have improvement!

Just popping in quickly to share the excitement... my ladies are actually starting to look like, umm... ladies!!!

Softer jaw-lines... not-so-crazy eyes... we are making a tiny bit of progress over here. Phew!

(I'm also celebrating because my point and shoot actually captured a little depth of field in the above photo. Now that is something to get excited about.)

It is a perfectly rainy Saturday today. We made a wonderful breakfast this morning of french toast using homemade bread, then headed to the library to pick up some fresh reading (I brought this home, I see there are some pretty poor reviews on Amazon. I loved the cover and the title, we shall see about the inside...), we also stopped at the art store for a handful of new pen colors (Did I mention that the art store is two blocks from my house? Dangerous.), now we are back home sipping chamomile lavender tea and jazz is on the radio. The rain isn't supposed to let up until tonight so you can imagine I will be spending the afternoon settled in right here putting those new pens to good use.

Thank you for the encouragement by the way, you are all waaaay too kind. I hope your weekend is mellow and moody... I love a good moody vibe on the weekend.

a newly discovered part of myself

We declared this past weekend in our home to be an Art Weekend! Mostly it was for Emily's sake, she will be selling prints of her art at a school festival in a few weeks. I will share more about that when the time comes. To help motivate and inspire her creativity, we decided to put all other weekend details aside and join her at the table for hours and hours and hours of drawing, Seriously, I have a blister/callus thingy on my thumb.

Funny thing happened along the way. I discovered I LOVED drawing with these fancy new art pens that we purchased after school on Friday. The ink flowed so easily, the colors were beautiful and kept me wanting to add more here... more there... it was endless.

I have never really done this before. There was the semester of drawing I took in art school, but I never really found my voice with pen and paper. But this weekend, I  think I heard the call. It was distant, wobbly, and extremely shy... but the voice was there. Sitting here on Monday morning I can't help but to feel curious and excited. I completed three drawings and another is in the works. Doesn't the lady in this one look like Kathy Griffin? Hee...

All of this to say I am going to take a two week break. I'm feeling the pull to investigate this newly discovered part of myself. In the midst of work, family, cooking and other life details, I will carve out time for a little at home art retreat. It's exciting to think of the colors, characters and designs (and hopefully improvement!) that will come of it. As amateur as it all is...

So, for two weeks I'll step away from the blog and focus on groovy patterns and funky colors. Oh! The part of it all that I am loving the most?

The silence.

As someone who usually creates with a rather loud sewing machine, it is possible that the silence of this work is filling me more than any other part. It's cozy and portable, two things that are much appreciated these days.

Take care friends, I'll see you soon.

Updated: Many of you asked for info on the pens that I used. The black pens are Micron Archival Ink (I got many sizes) and the colored are Prismacolor.  The colored were expensive, almost $5 a piece (at my local store, maybe cheaper online) so I started with only ten colors. There are well over one hundred to choose from so I will build my collection over time. I am also on the lookout for other types of pens... I think I'm hooked!

i took a walk yesterday

I feel so unbelievably aware of each passing moment these days. Maybe it's the change of season, maybe it's the desire to squeeze every last drop out of a chapter closing. Regardless, I am savoring the feeling of immense presence.

Yesterday, I spent some time walking around the property of Emily's school. The sky was grey, the ground damp, and between the two a gentle rain was released. I will miss this school. For all the second guessing we can so easily do as parents, this I know I got right. It's a peaceful feeling.

a giveaway of the book variety!

 

Many weeks ago on a perfectly rainy Saturday, a package arrived just as hot tea was coming off the stove. It was books! Craft books! I wasn't even expecting them kind of books!

Both books are from Make Good Books, they specialize in offering "charming Japanese craft books in English for the first time." What a beautiful treat! Now we can get lost in the dreamy photos and projects while understanding the instructions!

Needless to say, on that rainy Saturday afternoon with chamomile tea in hand, I devoured these two beautiful books. Felting for Baby is still in my possession and has a nice little handful of bookmarks carefully keeping track of holiday gift ideas. I'm thinking the soft flower vase is my first choice. Isn't that the sweetest?

The second book, Carefree Clothes for Girls, didn't stay in my own hands for too long. About a week after it arrived, I found myself placing it in the hands of another mama, she seemed to be going through one of those stretches that only another mama could understand. I thought she could use a bright spot in her day. The book is entirely beautiful, reminding me of what I imagine Anthropologie for the little ones to look like ... should they ever decided to do such a wonderful thing.

Now it's your turn to enjoy the book love! Both of these titles will be released on October 13th, very soon! As part of their celebration, Make Good Books is excited to offer FOUR Beauty That Moves readers a chance to win a copy, two of each title will be in the drawing. Please leave a comment on this post and the winners will be announced on Sunday night. Good Luck!

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The comments are now closed, thanks everyone! I will be back later today with the winners. We are in the midst of a Farmers' Market and multi-day soccer tournament weekend around here... it is wonderfully hectic. ;)

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Finally, we have some winners!!

Felting For Baby

Jenny said:  "Ooh, I like books... :)
And my daughter would love both of those!"

Vala said: "oh I cant put into words how much books mean to me....especially now living in a foreign country where the only access to books in my language or english is by ordering online....its a real treat....."

Carefree Clothes for Girls

Sarah said: "I have been not so patiently waiting for copies of my own! What a wonderful giveaway!!"

Ali said: "I have been forcing myself not to buy these books - but to win them - how wonderful would that be!"

Ladies, if you recognize your comment and would be so kind to email me your shipping info that would be great, otherwise I will email you later on. Then, Make Good Books will send your beautiful books to you!

Thank you Make Good books for the festivities this weekend!