I am just returning to the weekly photo challenges and couldn’t imagine a better way to begin. With all the beautiful snow came an extended long weekend from school and work, along with the trip to the infamous hill in our neighborhood.
Here is my family trekking through the powder…
And my four bundles of joy… literally.
If you would like to join in the fun, go to http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/photo-challenge-family-2/ for more information.
Charcoal and conte on drawing paper.
Phew! I know it has been a while, but my days have been moving at the speed of life!!!…
A typical day… Wake up, shower, hair & makeup, coffee, organize kids, kiss husband, kids out the door & into the van, one more kiss… dreamy sigh… Love that man! Feeling blessed… Oh! The kids! … “Mooo-om! [Yes, the 2-syllable, whiney version of my name] I forgot my lunchbox!” back in the house… Jump in the van, drop the kids at school, drive to college, sketch, get into “the zone”, erase, smudge… repeat, repeat… back in the car, run errands, check off ‘to do’ list, chores, eat a late lunch (sometimes), answer emails, back to school to pick up kids, sketch in the parking lot while I wait for dismissal, back home, help with homework, back to school to pick up an afterschooler… and/or drive to the next extracurricular, back home, make dinner while helping with more homework, husband comes home, happy dance with a welcome home kiss, family dinner… homework… kids’ showers, research, chores, prayers, bedtime hugs, …ahhhh… quiet…. decompression commences, collapse on the sofa, laugh with husband about the craziness of the day, brush teeth, go to sleep to get ready to start all over again tomorrow…
I know that is probably a snapshot of most of our lives, especially for a mom with young children… maybe a few substitutions of work, activities and so on… It’s all good, just not a lot of extra minutes for my ‘Shoulda done’ list… So in the meantime, while I am choosing to focus on what I am able to accomplish in this season of my life, with a prayer for God to infuse me with energy and sustenance, here is a recent drawing I completed for homework just before getting into the onslaught of landscapes… which are so much more involved than I thought they were going to be! Especially for someone who can get absorbed in the details!… But that’s a blog for another time!
I would love to find out about your circle of life! Please share!!! 🙂
Just the basic supplies to get me through the week!…
Ahhh yes, what tiny, brightly-colored plastic bricks can do for a house filled with children on a rainy day! Lego’s are simply a part of our family’s daily routine. Within a week or even a day, full civilizations are built and destroyed – sometimes not by the architect, which then leads to an outpouring of tears and the taking away of said bricks. So when we decided to plan a birthday party extravaganza, merging three summer birthdays, the natural choice for the theme? You guessed it… Legoland!
With a bit of collaborative planning, we decided that they would build cars and race them as a main activity. While the birthday kids were at camp, my oldest daughter & I trekked over to the mall to scope out ideas. I had figured that each could invite 4 friends and with the cousins & neighbors, we were soon up to 20 party favors! Ay Caramba! Well considering it was a merged party, the budget could go a little further on favors, so I was still optimistic… that is, until I quickly realized that the smallest Lego kit for a basic car with 70 pieces cost $5.99 each! Keep in mind that more than half of those pieces are no larger than a pencil eraser… and as you will recall, they are PLASTIC… Let’s compute, shall we?
WRONG!!! There had to be a much, MUCH better way of working out this madness! We purchased one 1/2 priced birthday kit with favors for 10 kids, so I could rationally inspect the value once we got home and I had cooled my jets. An in-law purchased another birthday kit, so we were good on themed invites & little LEGO people. Then after more research at home, and pulling out the creative fairy wand ~ Hey! Desperate times, desperate measures!… I had the makings of Plan B ready for action! I was on a mission!… Project LEGO Lemonade was a go!!!
Fortunately, we have a LEGO store in our local mall, where we promptly formed an assembly line: Tire! Wheel! Axel! Sort, count, hand off… and I hovered over 2 tall bulk containers filling them ever so tightly… beginning with the microscopic pieces, then the larger base plates in the middle, round pieces, fill in with more micro pieces, tip, shift and settle… next layer… All of this on a Saturday no less! Other parents probably thought I was nuts, but I didn’t care… I was in the Zone! I lost count a few times, but at the end of it all, I had 2 full buckets ~ that the kindly sales people allowed me to tape the lids over for my final layers. Once we broke it all out over the kitchen table, we had just enough for 18 cars, then completed the other sets with like parts we had in the playroom! Reassessment computation…
In the week following, I instructed the kids to build basic cars, so I could determine how many remaining pieces we would need. With a coupon for a local toy store, it cost another $30 for a box of 650 basic bricks in the Builder of Tomorrow Set (6177), to complete the car kits. So as the adage goes: When the toy store gives you lemons, go to Plan B!…
The foundations for our individual car kits that filled 2 Bulk LEGO containers.
The inspiration for our centerpieces.
Oftentimes I will find a photograph in a magazine that inspires a project or determination to figure out how to replicate or reconceptualize a design. One of these pictures was a miniature wreath created by pine cones. I was immediately drawn to the simplicity and elegance of this piece. Years later, as I was planning my winter wedding reception, this image returned to my mind, and the concept for our centerpieces was born!
Pine cones that our children painted
were used to decorate the wedding chapel.
My parents live in South Carolina surrounded by magnificent Loblolly pine trees that yield thousands of HUGE pine cones. We collected bags of fallen cones during one of our visits. Then my mum shipped extra boxes as we cried out for more! It turned into a family project to tediously pull each scale off of the cones. But eventually, with the hot glue gun in hand and some perseverance, a finished wreath emerged ready for painting and of course, the shimmer effect!
This was also a great way for our children to contribute to making decorations for the ceremony and reception as we all became more excited for the upcoming wedding!
One of our wedding reception centerpieces.
Later, we used the wreaths to decorate our new house for our first Christmas together as a family!
For more information about joining in on the weekly photo challenge, go to: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/weekly-photo-challenge-growth/
Thunderstorms in the forecast, sweltering heat advisories in effect… sounds like a day trip to the beach to me!
Apparently, this was not as original a plan as I had anticipated because we landed in miles of traffic with other like-minded, coastally obsessive optimists.
A little purple in the grape slushy!
Here, you can see that the kids were contributing to the hunt
for all things purple, as well!
Undeterred, we headed toward Ocean City, Maryland, then passed over to Assateague Island. I had been there only once in my 20’s, but had never seen any of the wild ponies I had read and heard so much about. So I could sense the excitement welling up inside me as we finally broke through the backups and began to see sand along the roadways. Once we parked and unloaded, I felt weeks of tension easing out of my body with every soothing breeze and relaxing sound of waves breaking and rushing toward the shore…
I was able to capture a few purple shots for the weekly challenge with my Kodak Easy Share C813… hahaha!!! Sorry, I couldn’t resist! I love admiring the photographs taken by ‘real’ cameras, posted in photo blogs… I just don’t happen to own one yet, so my camera model disclosure serves as a sort of disclaimer. Just to really give you a sense of my photographic limitations, I don’t even have a viewfinder in my camera! On a really sunny day, when it is impossible to see anything projected on the 2-inch screen, capturing an image becomes more intuitive… much like using the Force. Yes, it’s true… I am a photographic Jedi… now you know! 🙂 So these pictures should really knock your socks off! 
Fast forward a few hours… and I was feeling a bit saddened by the lack of ponies on the beach. There was plenty of… er, let’s say… evidence that they had been there earlier in the day, but as far as I could strain my eyes, there wasn’t a hoof in sight. So gathering all of our gear, and with swimsuits full of sand, we scrambled back to the van.
My husband suggested that we drive further down the island toward the National Park with the hope that a few ponies might be snacking along the side of the road. We drove, scouring waterways and groves of trees… Then suddenly, just as we rounded a bend, there they were!!! I was ELATED!!! You would think I had never seen a horse before in my life. Well, in a sense this was a new experience — I had never seen a wild pony before!! They were much larger than I had imagined. I thought they would be more like miniature ponies – I have absolutely no idea why – and despite my husband’s elaboration of what I envisioned an Assateague pony to be… NO, I did not believe that they would be sparkly and gallop between rainbows in the sand! Although, that would have made for some great pictures!
…BACK to reality, though… I don’t know what it is about coming into contact with an animal in its natural habitat, that is so exciting. In our yard, we see deer, rabbits, a red fox here and again. But it doesn’t matter how many times we see them, we always run to the window for another look. That sense of admiration may change when I finally get my garden in the ground sometime next spring, but for the time being, we feel privileged to get a glimpse into their mysterious world. That was how I felt with these amazing ponies…
The beautiful ponies of Assateague Island (Maryland).
My entire weekend felt complete! …that is to say, until our bellies started rumbling… So we headed off to a local favorite called Waterman’s Seafood Company. Being Marylanders, you just don’t go to the beach without gettin’ some crab! I had two of my favorites… Cream of Crab soup and a Crab Cake! They were DEE-lish!!!
A cup of Cream of Crab soup at Waterman’s Seafood Company… YUM!
…and a FANTASTIC crab cake!
Even a hint of purple in this glorious sunset on our ride home…
Project #1 Objective: Create a blog to share things you are learning and researching that relate to visual art (film, animation, graphic design, painting, photography, etc.). The goal of this assignment is to gain an understanding of the internet and web design.
Here I am, winding down at the end of the summer semester. My Project 1 parameters have almost been met, and the whole exercise has become somewhat addictive. This blog has been a great tool for keeping track of research that I make mental note of along the way and sharing my progress as a student. But admittedly, I find myself getting more excited about the traffic to the site by the day. It started out with my online classmates, then trickled to family and friends… until international flags started lighting up on the Stats map! Then my whole family was hooked, from which stemmed the realization, “We must conquer the world!” (in your best Dr. Evil voice)
While I am fairly certain where the Canadian hits originated (…a shout out to my cousin, Sandra, & sister-in-law, Tanya! Thanks for being the first to bridge the international gateway! 🙂 …), I’m not sure what drew visitors from the UK, Brazil & Germany. Regardless of the reason, my son has now determined that we must gain recognition in Madagascar. You can imagine where the interest was born. Here is a hint:
Yeah, what can I say, we love the movies. Anyway, I can see the value in continuing to ‘journal’ about this academic road I travel. This will help me to maintain focus, to keep trudging toward my goals – my ultimate “Fitztopia” – and with hope in my heart, may even inspire a few other moms to open their minds to their own possibilities. So with my bright pink Jansport on my back, and a constant stream of java in my cup, I am unstoppable…
“Jaws” by Seth Goldstein and Paula Stone (2009) created with oriental bittersweet vines (Celastrus orbiculatus).
School is out!!! Time for fun, excessive playing of video games, popsicles, suntan lotion, and above all… field trips!!! One place I have never visited, and always wanted to explore with my kids was Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County. I knew this place by reputation alone and had heard about the butterfly garden that they maintained. With summer fever alive in our house, a sunny and breezy day in the forecast and the need to get out of the house for a new perspective, we packed up the family van & set off for adventure!
Upon our arrival I could sense the excitement building as we made our way through the jam-packed parking lot. We parked and unloaded in a way resembling the clown car at the circus and finally began to take it all in… It was beautiful! On our way to the Conservatory entrance, we passed a series of unusual vine sculptures created by repurposing a non-native, invasive vine from a local parkland. According to its plaque, these vines would have otherwise smothered and strangled other plants. This in turn, would have seriously hampered the regeneration of the woodlands necessary to support wildlife. The sculpture was very appropriately named, “Jaws”.
The grounds were so peaceful, even with all of the visitors… and the landscaping was absolutely stunning! I could see why this was a haven for photographers! But by far, the highlight of the day was the “Wings of Fancy” exhibit. I have visited butterfly
gardens before, but this was such a different experience with the infectious enthusiasm and wonderment of the children. Gorgeous butterflies fluttered wildly all around us! They landed on our hats, our shoulders… it seemed like the brighter the color of our clothing, the more they were attracted to us as if we were giant flowers filled with nectar. Our favorites were these gloriously huge Blue Morpho butterflies from Mexico… They were so vividly hued, and they were everywhere!!!
We had a wonderful day! Breathtaking gardens, a nice exhibit of paintings in the Visitor Center, a whimsical children’s garden complete with a lovely little treehouse… all came together for an enchanting afternoon. I highly recommend a visit, just be sure you get a bite to eat before you arrive. There are no picnicking areas on the grounds, and you will want to be there for a while!
So here we go… it’s my first college course in (cough, cough) FIVE years! Better late than never, as they say… I am thrilled to be back in the virtual classroom studying the fundamentals of Digital Design! This is my debut as a blogger, and it will be my first time working in Photoshop, Illustrator and Premier Pro. Just in this week of class, I am experiencing new revelations in design concepts through our discussion of Wassily Kandinsky’s “Composition VII”, and I love to see how one artist’s vision can provoke such varying impressions of his work.
Yesterday, I ventured out on a field trip to celebrate 100 artists who were honored by the Maryland State Arts Council. The reception was held in Baltimore at the American Visionary Art Museum. I have passed this building on the way to other museums and always wondered what dwelled within, so this was a terrific opportunity! While I was only able to survey the works within the walls of the Jim Rouse Visionary Center, I peeked into the main building which started my planning for a day trip with my kids once the school year ends. I am posting some of the pictures I took last night for your viewing pleasure. They are just too much fun to keep to myself! This is my Fitztopia… Enjoy!!!
Andrew Logan’s “Cosmic Galaxy Egg” (click on the photo to learn more about this artist’s work)
Richard Windley’s “Arkopter”
Peter Markey’s “Natural Wave Machine” in the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (click here to see more examples of his creations)
Fitztopia 