How about a little art?

It is just a little, as this month has flown by and I've not done much! In fact, I just gasped at realizing my ATC for the CMP is due Wednesday. Um... not done.
That reminds me of my haiku for yesterday (that I just thought of this morning)
Monday has flown by
days pass without my consent
I hope life slows down



Trying out my new Lyra watercolor crayons . I picked them up in Nashville, IN. The "Once upon a time" card is just an idea for the ATC trade.

The stamp is for a swap at swap-bot, and the shoes were kicked off while waiting for my kids to finish their science class. Usually I'm teaching music at that time, but didn't have a class.

I did have my new Zig pen and pocked moleskine. The pages are really thin, so not good for more than a sketch or to jot down a thought.

My ds, Jedi, and I have filled several pages playing a game. One of us starts to draw a picture and the other has to guess what it is before it's finished. Winner draws next. At first he would copy my ideas, then draw superhero after superhero, but now he's coming up with many new sketches. I'll have to post some pictures later.

Forte and I have another drawing game where one person draws a line, or shape and the next adds to it. We've created whole pages of intricate scenes. Both games are perfect to play when waiting on something, to fill time.

Surprisingly I've gotten this whole post done while everyone is still asleep. That is huge~! ;-)
Another reason to love autumn - cool & dark mornings.

TGIF


a pirate doing puzzles

Ms. Bunny cleaning up her kitchen

Our favorite paint brushes

way cool book from library, Toys Made Of Clay
by Hannelore Schal & Ulla Abdalla

I heart Autumn
Originally uploaded by hsmom2luge

I posted this photo at flickr the other day, and I just have to bring it here. Mostly to any local readers (maybe there are three of you!) who have hit the mid-rainy week blues like me.
Yesterday though we threw caution (and warmth) to the wind and hit six indoor letterboxes.
Fun yes, but alas wet, cold and cranky came home with me. (wet and cold, the two youngest...cranky? probably me)
I keep forgetting that the youngest are so young. I expect them to deal with it, or go with the flow.
They can't.
They need to be heard, to finish that sentence, to meander, while the oldest and I are ready to hop from one thing to the next. We need some balance.
So today, I'll meander, sit with some tea and cocoa and a few books, set out playdough and light a candle. Warmth, creativity,
and calm. A turnabout for all of us.



And now, about that photo from flickr ~
~ Autumn, it is gorgeous.
My mom and I strapped the kids in the car Saturday and drove three hours north to:
:look at leaves
:gad about in shops
(books, toys, crafts, art, pottery, paper, stamps, ink, watercolor crayons, webkinz, crocs, Russian stacking dolls..... oh my)
:and sit in a outdoor puppet theatre watching a slightly scary halloween marionette show.
that was my favorite.
And so I look up, whilst waiting for the show to begin and see the sun streaking through these colors.
Amazing. That blue sky and those autumn colors, simply my favorite time of year.

hammerin' leaves
Originally uploaded by hsmom2luge

the idea from Katherine

Monday's Haiku

our walk this morning
picking up leaves to hammer
color left on cloth

In My Neighborhood :: Home

A year ago we had moved into a new home, in a new city, away from family and friends~ we were on an adventure.

Dh had been offered a new job and I was all for it. While the children were sad to leave, they were excited too. Four months into the newness we found out the move was not permanent. We put the new home up for sale, came back home and bought this house. Yes it was traumatic for us. Not an easy transition by any means, yet it hasn't taken us long to embrace this house . We fell in love with it at first sight. Wood floors, glass doorknobs, screen porch, large kitchen, room to play...

we looked at a few other houses, but really we'd settled on this one.

And then it didn't take us long to fill this house, so that it became ours.

A place of learning A place to hang with your friends
A place to be yourselves.

We can walk to church, or grandmas, or the park, or the pizza parlor. There is something in that.

Today we walked to the park, in the rain. The little kids had their raincoats on and carried pink umbrellas, the oldest walked ahead with her daddy, and I meandered behind. Noticing old ladies smile at us as we walked, and being thankful that on this rainy Monday we were out while the children in the school we passed wouldn't step outside again until after 3:00.

Our home is a place that I seem to have settled. There is a song by Jessica Harper, "I like where I am", that really embodies our family's experience over the last year. Give her a listen, I think you'll enjoy it.

In My Neighborhood:: Special

special
Originally uploaded by hsmom2luge

1. playground nearby with fabulous trees for hanging out in and talking with friends 2. playing a game with homeschooling friends
3. sharing a laugh in the kitchen 4. handprints 5. GG 6. my girls and my goddaughter, who also lives in our neighborhood 7. our favorite reading spot 8. the sweet little older couple's house, they live across the street and bring us garden goodies and Mc Donald's toys 9. sharing paints with GG in the pre-green kitchen 10. more time with friends who live close 11. the sand tunnels 12. swings at our church, which is also in our neighborhood.

Just a glimpse for you today at why our neighborhood is special.

In My Neighborhood:: Weird

A notice on the sewers~

Dump No Waste! Drains To Waterways.

"Every year, at least 1 billion gallons of untreated sewage flows into waterways and ditches and onto the ground in neighborhoods all over Indiana. " (quoted from the American Society of Civil Engineers' Government Relations staff)
Maybe everyone has these little warnings on their streets? Maybe with the statement found above, the warning doesn't matter? ~ weird.

A beautiful bell tower, topped with the largest cross in my city, which holds a cell phone tower. ~ weird.

The neighborhood "witch house"

as named by my children. Never any activity. Who mows the lawn?! The cars never move, the windows never open. Spooky ~ weird.

A pool lies behind this fence, if you click on the picture you can almost see it between the fence posts. One weekend they had company & used the pool. Never heard a splash the rest of the summer. ~weird.

And more random University goodies, left from a ribbon ceremony at least a year or two ago. Most of the words on the ribbons have washed off. Maybe more cool than weird, probably depends on who sees them. I'm sure they drive the "major" of our block crazy.

Don't you have a block major? The one who stands on his porch, cigarette in hand and tells you that you can't let your cat out because his allergies are so severe. The one who shoots firecrackers into his trees so the crows won't nest there. (and poop in his yard)

Ah but, he's also the one who can play guitar, and sits on the porch singing and strumming. He plays Puff the Magic Dragon for my kids and loads of Johnny Cash & folk tunes.. weird.

a fountain near our home

In My Neighborhood:: Fun

There is a nature preserve within walking distance to our home that has a playground, trails through the woods, letterboxes hidden about, tennis courts, basketball courts, etc.

We gravitate toward an old swing set that sits in a huge sandbox. Not long ago the kids built an intricate tunnel system
with hills, volcanoes, and bridges. They all connected and had plenty of room for the playmobil folks. We went two mornings in a row to work on the tunnels, but day three we had an appointment and could not make it.
I figured that the tunnels would be gone when we returned, and they were. Wouldn't you be devastated? Hours of work had been raked away, or stomped down by others, yet my kids just ran through the woods, jumped on a swing and carried on in that carefree way they have. There is a lesson in that.

(the oldest captured this gorgeous photo near our spot)

Another fun aspect of our neighborhood is that we live within two blocks of the University. Which means we always see fun signs like this:

"Letters today ~ Leaders Tomorrow"

And cool little places like The Slice. So delicious and equipped with video games, and any little sundries a co-ed might need.
And now, the pièce de résistance:

A vintage clothing store! It just opened this summer. The oldest and I love to peruse the racks. As a huge Brady Bunch fan, she is particularly found of 1960s Marcia Brady skirts and dresses. Fortunately, she's got a slim enough waist to pull them off!

I love to try the 70s hippie skirts. However, she won't let me out of the store with one in tow........ that's probably for the greater good.
We snatch up old lacy gloves and sweet aprons. There are some great hats and shoes and handbags. It isn't very affordable, but it is fun. And trying things on is free!

There is a Subway and a coffee shop around the corner, and although we don't do it often, it is nice to have the option of grabbing a couple of books and walking to one of those places for lunch.
We pass apartments with names like "The Spring Haven", "Lincoln Park"
"Ramona" and "Hazeart" .

And there is the biggest, gnarliest, coolest tree on campus. The kids climb all over it. Its branches become horses, or foes to defeat, or the tip of a mountain.

And do I have a picture of said tree? No. But you bet we'll capture one soon!
Tomorrow (or today/yesterday as the case may be) is "weird". I've got plenty of that stored up for you, and the oldest keeps adding more ideas. Oh, mom you've got to take a picture of this or that. It is so weird!

In My Neighborhood :: Peace

This blog entry idea originated over at green jello's blog.
Of course, I'm a day late,
as the plan is ~

Monday-Peace

Tuesday - Fun

Wednesday - Weird

Thursday - Special

Friday - Home

~but I don't mind if you don't. This is an "assignment" I gladly embrace as
I have lived in my neighborhood for seven months now and I want to know all these aspects.
Some I can name right off the bat. Like the beautiful photo of the sky above. Right out our front door, even though we live in the heart of our city, we have a gorgeous open sky. No wires, no buildings blocking our view. Just a breath-taking glimpse of the heavens.

And this fantastic tree in our neighbor's yard. It is right out the window where I am sitting, and I love it. I love it's strong branches reaching upward, like it is holding up nature herself.

So I find peace in creation surrounding our home. The sky, trees, and the squirrels that curl themselves around the tree trunks and play chase down the top of our fence.

I also find peace in the fact that my folks live three blocks east of our home. (and my mother-in-law 10 blocks east!)

I didn't wonder if that would be "too close", though some teased us. And even though my oldest is able to sit with the younger two while I'm running a quick errand, there is peace in knowing that all the Grandparents are right around the corner.

There is joy in that too, as Grandma is always up for a quick run to Starbucks or Sonic. She always has stamps and band-aids and ice cream.

Grandpa is always willing to let the little ones dig in his yard and had an endless supply of quarters. Mysteriously, they are often found glued to the sidewalk near his house! Amazingly when the children have picked and picked one until it pops off, a shinny new quarter appears the next day!

Oh and Nana's house always has chores available for a fair wage and of course treats to be had after. And she has cable too, so movie night is sometimes held at Nana's. (or maybe for dad, a "Dirty Jobs" or "Myth Busters" marathon.)



Well, it looks like some of tomorrow's fun has seeped into today's peace. But don't worry, there is more fun to come tomorrow.

something's hiding

Today is Haiku Monday around the cmp yahoo group. Mine came with a confession:

Hi my name is Kris

letterbox addict am I

sketching carving fun!

Ryan introduced all of us at the cmp to hand carving stamps in early summer. He posted this awesome tutorial.
Letterboxes most often include a hand-carved stamp, so for the last month or so I have been sketching, carving and putting together logbooks.
This past weekend all five went out and found 8 boxes, then that night the oldest and I went back out with a flashlight and found one more. We had so much fun. It is really nice to find an activity that everyone enjoys. The little guys last as long as we do!
Atlas Quest has a large community of lettebox
addicts & loads of information of the hobby.
Definitely worth checking out.
















playing near a hiding spot!

What is important, really?




Having the coolest hair?

Or letting my sista talking me into cutting my hair.

(then momma has to buzz it.)

Interestingly, the question turns out to be

more for the momma than the child. What is important?

That my child(ren) feel comfortable in their own skin

or hair as the case may be.