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My California Linda's blog

I got a little behind on my blog reading this week. What a great surprise to find this on one of my favorite blogs.

the beauty of buttons

Evan & I sorted my big glass jar of buttons today. No real purpose in doing so... just because we could and it's neat to admire all the different buttons. I created a pile of some of my favorite beige and brown buttons. Then I thought why not take pictures of them? Why should the other colors get all the attention?

Keep your diamonds... give me cool buttons ; )

(click image to enlarge)

winter wonderland

My parents emailed this picture of their backyard. They got 4 or 5 inches of the white stuff over in their neck of the woods.

let it snow... again

2 big snows (well big for our area) in just over 1 month... kinda unusual winter weather compared to our previous winters here, but the kids aren't complaining .

They got out of school early today, had a couple neighborhood snow fights and Evan and Colin made this little snow dude tonight.

Our neighbors captured the event and shared this picture with us.

Evanism

I kissed Evan on the forehead tonight. He wiped it. I asked him why he wiped it off. He said,

"I didn't wipe it off. I rubbed it in so it would soak into my brain and I can remember it forever."

awww. super sweet boy. super full of it, but still super sweet. ha!

swallow-me-whole days

Do you ever have those days where the only next practical step seems to be for a black hole to open up and swallow you whole? Luckily today wasn't quite a swallow-me-whole day, but there were definitely moments when I had my doubts! ; ) There was something intangible in the air today... an uneasy vibe. Or maybe I was just expecting irony to slap me in the face because that is how it rolls. I have court this Thursday for one CASA case and court next Thursday for the other case. And wouldn't you know that after I filed both of my court reports compiling several months of work... signed, sealed and delivered, both cases would sucker punch me (so to speak). No drama or unplanned happenings after the ink on the reports dry! That is all I ask for, People! Not too much, is it? LOL! Well at least I am earning my pay... oh wait... ; p

Despite by near consumption by a black hole today, I managed to snap some pictures of my 2 most recent pairs of fun "just because I can" glasses. The clear glasses I found at my favorite downtown "treasure" store. And the turquoise shades came from the $1 jewelry store in town. I have no actual need for either. Yet once I get them I do feel the need to document them photographically. It was the highlight of my crazy day... well that and playing Super Mario Brothers for the first time in probably 14 or 15 years.

hurricane strength Evan?

Evan had a follow-up doctor appointment with his ears, nose, throat specialist on Tuesday. It went well. No sinus surgery in the near future. woo hoo! And I had told Evan that if he did well at the doctor appointment (let's just say that I refer to the doctor as Dr. Crankedy so Evan really needs to be on his best behavior), that we could go to the mall and do this hurricane wind machine. For $2 you get to stand in this plastic tube and have 80mph air blown on you. Evan loved it. I also let him play one of those use-the-crane-to-try-to-grab-a toy rip-off games... $1 for 2 tries. Evan didn't get a toy, but still thought the crane was neat. Then I really had a weak moment and agreed to having a custom airbrushed t-shirt made for my child. And still he had the nerve to ask for pretzel sticks from Aunt Annie's. Geez. He didn't get the pretzels 'cuz I finally told him he had enough treats for awhile and we needed to head home. While we were getting into the car, Evan turned to me and said "Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to work you over so hard today." He is totally running the show and the worst thing is... he knows it! At least he shows me a little compassion as he pulls my strings ; )

close your eyes and create

Using music to inspire art isn't new for me. But seeking inspiration from a classical music selection proved a fun challenge. In doing so I realized that relying on words make interpreting music into art easier. What to do in the absence of words? I eventually decided I needed to pick a song first (Prelude performed by Yo-Yo Ma - added to blog playlist #22) and then just try to come up with ideas. I sat and listened to the song with my eyes closed. What did I see with my eyes closed? I thought of air and soaring through it. Ergo the ATC I made in my scrappy zone this evening while Evan and Co. commandeered the rest of the house ; )

(spray painted metal letters and busted out the tulle for this one)

more swappage

ATC Swap #2 with My California Linda

This was a big bonus that came with the artist trading cards! Linda made this layout with pictures of Evan from his school's author celebration in September. (I had a small mommy moment when I saw this. Thank you so much!)

Linda's 5 cards
(Pictures never do Linda's cards justice. If you could only see them in person... )

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My 5 Cards
(I forgot to take pictures of my cards before mailing them. uuggh. Thanks to Linda for taking these pictures for me.)
(click images to enlarge)

totally random

for some reason I find this picture totally cute

totally envious - I have been unsuccessful in capturing a great photo of a cardinal, but will pretend for a few moments that I took this one.

totally wow - real beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

totally diggin' this quote

(art stamp by Teesha Moore)

time with the girls

enjoyed lunch, a little shopping and a good chick flick with my home girls Darla and Amy today (added a few songs from the movie to my playlist. check out #19, 20 & 21)

the dog ate spelling words, we ate cookies (and jumped almost to the sky)

So this may sound a little strange, but I try to do something out of the ordinary whenever Markas is going to be gone for a night or more. It started when Evan was 2 or 3 to help him cope better with Markas leaving. Just a fun distraction. A special activity for the two of us. Last night while Markas was away, we made and decorated sugar cookies. Rolled out the cookie dough and everything! Didn't make our own icing though. I wasn't that motivated. Besides icing from a can is way easier to squirt into your mouth and really isn't that what decorating with icing is all about? ; )


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We also commandeered our neighbor's trampoline yesterday for some mega jumping action. There is something so carefree about jumping that lifts your spirits. And since I weigh mucho more than his friends, Evan thinks I may be the best jumping buddy 'cuz I can make him jump 'almost to the sky'. Even knowing at the time that I would pay for it later when my back and hip started lifting my pain levels, it was worth it. Aleve and stick-on icy hot pads are my friends!
***
After jumping and eating yummy cookies, Evan and I settled in for homework time. Evan has spelling words to practice every week. He began this week with 15 words. However last night his list seemed shorter. In fact, we counted and it was down to 12 words. Twelve little squares of paper with his words printed on them spread out across the coffee table. We look around on the floor, under the couch... no luck. Then there was 11!??? Our dog Price was eating the word 'cake'. Mystery of the missing words solved. Evan laughs and proclaims, "The dog really did eat my homework!" Yes he did indeed. Luckily Evan remembered what the missing words were and we made replacement cards. [pending crisis diverted] ; )

it's hard to be an out-of-work gargoyle

This was my dilemma just before Christmas while perusing my favorite this 'n that shop in town... What is one to do when confronted with a down 'n out gargoyle?

Well, duh, I adopted him. Gave him a perch on top of my computer armoire. I felt pretty darn good about my deed of kindness. I mean times are tough allover, but can you imagine the bleak outlook for gargoyle in this day and age? Not a lot of opportunities for a small, ugly gremlin statue. (It's not as if he could pass himself off as a cute garden gnome or fun pink flamingo.)

I think Gargoyle is having an identity crisis... losing himself a little at a time. I was hoping it was just part of an adjustment period, but it is getting worse. I come home to find his perch empty all the time.

for example:

last Monday in Evan's room
Saturday with the girls
yesterday in the big chair with two remotes and one of Markas' beers (Markas will not be thrilled when he sees this!)

That is when I knew I had to take action. I am considering setting up some travel for Gargoyle. Get him out to see the world. Maybe it will open up a whole new horizon for him. First stop is likely the West Coast (hi, Linda!). A little sun and surf. (Do gargoyles surf?) 'Box seat' tickets ala the US Postal Service. Priority mail. If it fits it ships for one low rate. Travel insurance and delivery confirmation for a small additional fee. That is the best travel deal around! (When I travel there is no confirmation that I got to where I was going! And I pay way more than $4.95!)

I will keep you updated about Gargoyle's struggle to find himself. And if you would like to host a gargoyle in need, please let me know and I can ship him out to you.
*Thanks in advance for your overwhelming concern & support*
LOL!

art {hearts} music. music {hearts} art.

Artist trading cards I made recently for my friend's blog ATC the Music.

(all three songs are on my current blog playlist)

Head Full of Doubt. Road Full of Promise. by Avett Brothers

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That's Not My Name by the Ting Tings
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Hey Ya by Outkast

"shake it like a polaroid picture"

I have been itching to use googly eyes on a card ; )

got {kid} art?

nothing against the great artists of the world, but kid art is the best! : )

here is a sampling of Evan's recent story illustrations from school:

Evan & Alon hiding under the bed as MeMaw looks for them; Markas & Evan in Acadia watching a black camero go by; riding "the buggy" at the lake; turkey; Evan riding the bus on a field trip; close-up of "the buggy".

(click image to enlarge)

Tuesday Tidbits (at least I think it is Tuesday...?)

My Computer's Virus
Yesterday I actually paid someone to hack into my computer and rummage around. It was a very surreal and slightly unnerving experience to say the least. Our home computer needed a good tune-up and removal of a couple of stubborn viruses. After researching options, we decided to try Geek Squad online support. Cheaper than taking our computer to the store for service and letting a stranger rout around in it. And way cheaper than having someone come to the house to work on the computer! Plus I could watch everything the Agent was doing in real time, asking questions and getting updates throughout, and there was a big red 'X' that I could click at any time to stop the online process, if I felt the need. Either way you go, a stranger is going to have access to whatever info is inside your computer. It is just part of the techno-saturated world that we live in now. A risk we take. Kinda scary if you think about it too hard...

My Virus

I'm sick. Still not completely sure if it is a cold or a fairly mild case of the flu. Either way it sucks : / On the plus side, I am enjoying my PJ time! Simply divine. Also managed to make a few artist trading cards for Linda and Linda. Not very easy when I don't feel well, but it was good to focus on something other than snot and body aches ; ) And for some random reason I have been craving cheese popcorn. Not the stuff you cook in the microwave and then pour cheese sauce on. No, I am craving the stuff that would need carbon dating to determine how long it has sat in a giant tin or econo-size bag on the store self shielded only by a layer of mysterious orangey cheese-flavored powder. That's what I'm taking about! (yummm) I have been full-on sick since Friday. Still craving the stuff and haven't had any yet. damn you cheese popcorn! [air pumping my fist in mock anger]

(It's a shame that I can't fix my virus with online help!)

Our Very Own Holiday

I haven't mentioned this yet, but Friday was the first annual New Year Jackson Day. We created our own holiday that coincides with New Years Day. The event colors assigned were medium blue and red. Festivities for this year's event included poster making, Wii competitions, Lego construction projects and family game time to name a few. Bigger plans are in the works for next year's Jackson Day. I'm thinking matching Jackson Day shirts... get your orders in early if you want your very own. ha!

the joy of boys

Alon & Evan at the grandparents earlier this week(click on image to enlarge)