Creative Passages

Hideous!

2011-07-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

I thought a flower with petals and a face in the center would look nice. But really! Maybe it's the color or the face or ???? But it's hideous! It's in the July art journal and will stay there! Yikes! I like the face and I shaded it nicely. But other than that it's disturbing. All right! Onward and upward! We can only hope!

New art

2011-07-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had a plan to paint the flat flowers and also to sew them. The painted flowers were less than successful. I'm not sure why, but I didn't like them. But the sewn flowers I like! I cut fabric circles as usual and then sewed the fabric on prepared watercolor paper. I used purple thread and zigzagged the flowers on. Then I straight stitched the stem. I like this a lot but it is labor intensive for me. And one mistake and the paper will rip! I will try something else for a background.

On another note: I went to Zumba Gold class and I liked it. I think I will try it for a month. I need the cardio and this is actually kind of fun. For me to use fun and exercise together is an anomaly.

Trying to be my own artist

2011-07-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend we welcomed Amy home from Africa with a barbeque at my house. What yummy food we had! Dan is a barbeque demon! Wow! I provided ice cream and Fresh and Easy corn (the best!). We saw Amy's pictures of her time in Uganda and heard her interesting tales of life in the third world.

Before that I had been suffering with my gall bladder. I took the gall bladder cleanse tea and that helped a lot! What would I do without herbs?

I watched a video of another artist and decided to "copy" her technique for an art journal page. As soon as I started I realized I hated, hated, hated what I was doing. I can't do the (for lack of a better term) grunge look right now. It just doesn't make sense to me. I need to make collages that have more organization (?) to them. I have to be my own artist. Hard reality!

Walking the dog and toddlers

2011-07-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Some days it's all I can do just to get the motivation to walk the dog. I would soooo much rather be in the studio making flat flowers or touching up the art journal entry that I feel needs a tweak. But I do try to get out with the Stan. Walking with him is like having a small toddler who, instead of wanting to touch everything, wants to smell everything. And he has a tremendous sense of smell! He can smell things a mile away! And everywhere in between! And he's excited to be out to smell it all. I honestly don't know how long it will take until he gets used to the smells and settles down for the walk. Maybe never? I'll give it some time and maybe he'll calm down. I hope so. The good thing about toddlers is that they grow up. With Stanley, well...

Flat Flowers Monday

2011-07-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, more flat flowers! This time the backgrounds are in pastels. I like the pastel effect. So I think I may have done enough for a while and will now begin the flat flowers with petals. Let's see what those look like.

On a serious note. my grandson's great-grandmother died in her sleep today. She was in her 80's and was in ill health, but it was a shock nonetheless. She was such a nice person! Matt is staying with his grandmother while she is getting things ready for the funeral. I am so sorry that the family had to lose her!

More Flat Flowers for Sunday

2011-07-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I scanned the flat flowers I did yesterday and I started some more. I can't seem to move on from flat flowers yet. I have been trying to find something to make the stem and the outline of the flowers stand out more. I tried fabric paint, which I think is too dark and heavy. Let's take a look at them and see:

In other news, Stanley and I walked around Kuns Park four times today. We are getting good at the walking. I did forget to buckle him in on the way back, so unfortunately he was his obnoxious riding in the car self. There are days when I really, really, really want him to find a good home elsewhere.

Crafty Saturday

2011-07-16T17:35:00.001-07:00

Well, usually, I like to do something "crafty" on the weekends. I decided to make fabric rosettes. I found a tutorial at A Day in the Life blog (http://anna-nichols.blogspot.com/2011/07/rosette-tutorial.html). Looked easy, but I didn't have burlap, so I tried fabric. As you can see, these are less than successful. I really hated the red one. It ended up in the trash.

So I went back to my flat flowers. I painted backgrounds and made four pictures. They are drying since I used fabric paint to outline them. I guess I need to stick with something other than flowers for Crafty Saturday.

Tuesday

2011-07-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today I finished a flat fabric flower collage. Actually, I had done the background months ago and then put it away. I decided to do flat flowers in the foreground. I like the look. I worked on another "collections" collage, but didn't finish. I saw this collage as an organized collection of random things that when put together would mean something, I have most of the collection items, but ran out of steam today.

It is cooler here now and at night it's downright chilly! So I am catching up on the sleep I missed when it was so hot at night.

I heard from my daughter today. Glad she's okay.

More art tomorrow!

Sunday Art

2011-07-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

There was no Saturday Craft Day this week. I felt I was so far behind in my art "practice" that I just worked all weekend. Well, I did take a little time off to take the dog to the groomer. (Pictures tomorrow!)

I have been working in fabric--trying to construct collages with fabric and playing around with design elements and contrast. The latest of these is totally fabric. And while I was working I was watching two Shakespeare plays "retold." The first was "Much Ado about Nothing." and the second was "Macbeth." In "Much" Beatrice and Benedick are former lovers who now work together as local news anchors. And in "Macbeth" Macbeth is a chef. Both were excellent retellings. They retained the whole plot but put it in a modern context. Loved it! Thank you Netflix! So far I've seen "Love's Labors Lost, " "Much," "Macbeth," and "As You Like It." My art may not be improving, but my mind is!

Friday

2011-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

An interesting Friday for me: First a long conversation with a friend. She and I bought blue hybrid tea roses at the same time and mine had a bloom! She doesn't have one yet. Then I told her my plan to buy the Black Baccarra rose for a reward for being on jury duty. So she asked me to buy her one too. She has had a couple of tomatoes, as have I. So when we got done comparing gardens, it was time to get ready for the dentist. I love my dentist and his whole clinic. The Western University Dental Clinic is sooooo fabulous! I asked Dr. Lee how long this procedure would take and he said about 30 minutes if it was good news (the metal bridge needed to be fitted) or 2 hours if not. But it did. Dr. Lee is going to the movies to see Horrible Bosses because it has Jennifer Aniston as a dentist (?). I then picked up Matt and we had lunch at Legends and then went to Armstrongs to buy the roses. They were on sale for $19. The picture makes them look black, but really they are a dark, dark red when they are in full flower. I sent my friend a picture just to make sure that she still wanted the rose bush, but she said she did. So right now on my patio I have TWO Black Baccarra rose bushes! Wow!

Then Matt helped me put up the white board/bulletin board/calendar that I bought months ago and couldn't hang on the wall by my self. Then Matt and I hung out and had popsicles and watched old re-runs of CSI. I just took him home--well, Nana's house, since tomorrow he is getting haircut.

This was a goooooooood day!

Jury Duty!

2011-07-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I reported for jury duty at the Federal Courthouse in downtown LA. I took the train in, which, in the morning, is like taking a rolling cocktail party (without the drinks of course). There was one case and about 50 potential jurors. We had to fill out a 10 page questionnaire before we were individually interviewed by the judge, the plaintiff's and the defendant's attorneys. And I wasn't chosen for the jury! They didn't like me! They really didn't like me!

And as an added bonus, because I reported I got a certificate to show the County Courts so that I can be excused from County jury service, which I am supposed to have at the end of the month. I love it!

It's very hot and humid so I have done little art. I did try the handstitching on paper from a tutorial at NewHouse Projects. (Here's the site: http://newhouseproject.com/2011/06/30/idea-for-hand-stitched-card/). And here's her picture. Mine doesn't look so good. Try, try again! Love the idea!

Tomatoes for the Fourth of July

2011-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have tomatoes for the Fourth of July! Three actually. I can't wait to have them in a salad for dinner with my corn on the cob and my grilled chicken! I am soooo proud of myself for actually getting something from my garden!

Happy Fourth of July.

The Blahs

2011-06-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have one of those days where you just wanted to sit in front of the television and watch old reruns of Law and Order and not do anything? Well, that was me today. Although I did do some stuff. But I wasn't productive or energetic or positive or...

I have always wanted to be an artist. And now that I am I am finding it hard a lot of the time. It's hard work! I realize it's not digging ditches, but it's difficult and there's always a critic looking over your shoulder saying that the work isn't good--it's not appropriate---people will hate it.

I think it's time to find the next level of my work. Either showing it or selling it or both. And no more Law and Order!

A free day!

2011-06-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today I tried to do a paining in the style of Matisse. But I quickly realized that like a lot of talented people, Matisse made it look easy. For me, the negative space in a Matisse painting is just as important as the positive space. And the heavy fully loaded brush strokes. Does mine have that? Well, no.

I finished an art journal today and so titled it and put it on the shelf. I have another one ready. And I watched Kenneth Branagh's version of "As You Like It." This is by far one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. And one of the best. It's on my top eight now. I love Netflix! What a variety of movies they have! I can see all the odd ones and foreign films that never mind it to the local theaters.

What a good day!

My top eight favorite movies:(subject to change without notice)

1. As You Like It

2. Love's Labor's Lost

3. Much Ado About Nothing

4. Grand Canyon

5. A Chef in Love

6. Midnight in Paris

7. All the Godfathers

8. Citizen Kane

Rosebud!

No Jury Duty!

2011-06-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

...Well, for this week. I do have to call back on Monday, July 4th to see if I need to report for the next week. Keep fingers, toes and anything else crossed that I am not needed for United States District Court.

Today I got everything ready, anticipating that I would have to serve. I ironed and I planned my wardrobe. I went to fitness and seniorcise thinking I better get a workout in because I would be sitting all day for days on end. So all is prepared. And that means that tomorrow is a whole free day for me. I can work on projects all day long!

I worked in my art journal today for a little while. I am finished with that altered book. So maybe tomorrow I will start another? I don't like to think of the art journal taking away my energy from actual art pieces. But it does help to have a place to construct drafts of thoughts. So I will continue to use an altered book as an art journal, but I want to first and foremost be "doing art." Not journaling about it.

Eight things I am happy about today:

1. No jury duty

2. No jury duty

3. No jury duty

4. No jury duty

5. No jury duty

6. No jury duty

7, No jury duty

And Wait for it----

8. No jury duty!

Different!

2011-06-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks, I have taken the weekend "off" and I have started something fun and weird. I call this Saturday Craft. Last week it was a kit from the thrift store that had Set-A-Color fabric dye. The dye is brushed on cloth and then you put objects on it and set the fabric in the sun. The sun sets the dye and leaves negative space where the objects (in my case, leaves) were. This was fun and could have been messy. But the directions were very good and I followed them (surprise). One week I made bows out of magazine pages. This week was going to be paper making. I got a kit from the thrift store to do that. (I love the thrift store!) But instead I helped my daughter spray and dry her clothes with mosquito repellent. She is going to Uganda next week and will be working with a clinic there for two weeks. I also made her a sort of sheet envelope with a queen sheet. I folded the sheet lengthwise and then sewed the bottom and the side-half way up. This will be like a little sleeping bag. This will prevent bed bugs (we hope). So the Saturday craft was different even for me.

Besides that I am getting ready for jury duty. I mean I am staying busy and not trying to have anxiety about my anxiety over jury duty. I have served jury duty before but this is the federal district court in downtown Los Angeles. A forty mile drive one way! I am trying to be positive and all but mostly I am not happy about this. The court is right downtown and it is very crowded and ugly and there are homeless and crazies. Yuck! I can get that in downtown Pomona and not have to drive so far!

Yuck!

What do you do all day?

2011-06-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today I went to have a facial and the esthetician was complimenting me on my skin. She said I would never look old. I like her! I have been fortunate to have good skin all my life. I've had very few break outs. I don't know why that is. I am giving credit to my parents and grandparents. So here's 8 things I got from my parents and grandmother:

1. The ability to sew. My grandmother and mother both could sew and taught me on a treadle machine.

2. My art ability. My grandmother had a talent for crafts and art and she inspired me.

3. My resourcefulness. Growing up we were not always flush with money and my mother and grandmother came up with some resourceful ways to stretch our money.

4. My story telling. My father and his twin brother were story tellers and gave me that ability.

5. My honesty. My folks were VERY honest people.

6. My social skills. I was taught how to behave from an early age.

7. My sense of humor.

8. My anxiety. Thank you Grandmother!

Oh and my great skin!

Here's some art I am working on, so you can see where I'm going.

I'm Back!

2011-06-23T20:44:00.001-07:00

When I retired I wanted to be an active blogger, but I have been an active retiree since then! My new career as an artist is taking up some of the time and the other "career" of making myself healthy is taking up the rest. Then there's Stanley, the Wonder Dog, who is healing from his abandonment issues and developing more trust.

So I will bring you up to date with my art and the rest of my life.

Rachelle Mee Chapman writes about taming her Monkey Mind by starting out listing 8 things. I have been using the 8 Things approach to organize my thoughts. So let's start with 8 things I did while I wasn't blogging:

1. I had plantation shutters and new carpeting installed in the living room.

2. I had the living room painted.

3. I substituted at an elementary school for a part-time resource teacher.

4. I took a class on parents of estranged children.

5. I have been going to a personal trainer for 11 months.

6. I started going to a senior exercise class.

7. I planted tomatoes, pumpkin (1), cilantro, spearmint, basil, lettuce.

8. I am growing roses.

And that's not all but that's 8! Thanks Magpie Girl for the inspiration. More tomorrow!

More Fabric Books

2011-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

I have made three more fabric books! I love the idea of using them for journals!
The Green one is entitled "Another thing I need to remember."
The Multi-fabric one is entitled "Questions I don't have the answers to--right now." The questions are from Rachelle Mee-Chapman.
The house one is entitled "Sweet Shelters." The quote is "Regard your home as sacred--as a golden opportunity to experience nowness. Appreciating sacredness begins very simply by taking an interest in all the details of your life." Chogyam Trungpa
Again, I want to thank Chasity at Belle and Burger for the inspiration.

Fabric Book

2010-12-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

I found a blog that had a tutorial for a fabric book. Not a fabric covered book. Or not a book with fabric in it, but a FABRIC BOOK!!! Originally, I went there for the house ornaments, even though I had already declared to the universe that I was not ever, ever, ever going to spend time making stuff I couldn't justify. (But really, what have I made lately that I can justify??? And let's not talk about dishcloths.) Anyway, over to the side is a list of tutorials and the fabric valentine book intrigued me. The directions were clear and I decided to make a book about the issue of trusting I am working with.
So here's some pictures of what I made. I am thinking of doing another one actually for Valentine's day.
The tutorial is here: http://belleandburger.blogspot.com

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to church to prepare for Christmas Eve service. I carried the Baby Jesus from the sacristy where he was "hiding out" to the back of the church. Then tonight one of the children will carry him and his manger to the altar. I keep thinking we need a more "culturally sensitive" Baby Jesus, since this one has bright blue eyes and blond hair. Although we really don't know what Jesus looked like, I suspect, he did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. While I was preparing for the service, I got a brilliant idea: When I put the banners up I always get confused on which banner goes on which side of the sanctuary. So I got my Sharpie and wrote a G on the back at the top of the banner for Gospel side and E for epistle side. That way I will be able to see and I don't have to remember! Working for God is hard! I know God will be understanding if I make a mistake but I am not always sure about his underlings.

This morning the meditation was about Christ (or God) coming to us in human form. God had appeared to others in visions, dreams, and physical manifestations like a burning bush (or a blonde hair blue eyed baby?). But...(the author of the meditation said) we didn't recognize Him. So God sent his son. I wonder how many times I didn't recognize God or his tapping me on the shoulder or sending a burning bush or a dove or a dream about a ladder?
The good thing about retirement is that you can hear your thoughts. The bad thing about retirement is that you can hear your thoughts. And what I've been thinking is that I have not been open hearted and loving as I should have. My heart was damaged not by a physical illness but by cruelty brought about by sickness on someone else's part. And I have yet to allow God to heal me. And yet God has shown himself to me. And just like everyone else, I didn't recognize him.
So, Christ is the manifestation of God in the flesh. "This is me," God is saying. "And this is how I want you to be. I was a baby. Then a boy. Then a man. And I died. And I live again."

Recognizing God. That's the challenge.

Lavender Cottage update

2010-10-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here at Lavender Cottage, we have made some necessary improvements to the old place. Although it was very hot here, the repairs were done on time and well. My goal for Lavender Cottage is to be a real haven of serenity and peace where I can create. So the noisy toilet was fixed. The leaky bathtub faucet was replaced. And the hot water heater was replaced. It is quiet here now since these repairs were completed and I love the improvements.
I also bought some new curtains for all the rooms except the office. However, now that I have the curtains up I am craving plantation shutters. I would like them to be on the west facing windows at the front of the house. I think it would also make it quieter here.
The heat got to all my plants, but I think I can save the roses. I got through another weird and hectic week and will reward myself with a rose bush. However, I think I will order online this time and see what that's like.
Keeping my goal and mission about Lavender Cottage always in the forefront is important as I make these changes. I want to have a quiet serene and spiritual atmosphere to retreat to.

Day of the Dead

2010-09-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

It's never too early for Day of the Dead! I found a book that was just the right canvas for a Day of the Dead skulls book. Here's the first page. It is a black gesso foundation with white acrylic paint and then (what else?) Sharpie markers!
This one is called "Flower Girl."

The Flea Circus

2010-09-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I guess a long time ago you could go to someplace and watch fleas (?). This was obviously before television. And I guess the fleas did tricks (?). Well...We have been inundated with fleas and the only trick they seem to have is to pretty much dare me to spray them or the bedding or the yard or the carpet or the furniture. They thumb their noses at the spray, powder, bomb I use. I have become obsessed with killing them and I think I may be winning the war. I had hoped to be out of the flea combat by August 31 (this is a news reference, related to Iraq, and I probably won't be making a lot of news references--ever). But it appears I may have to have peace keeping force in place for a while. I do think we have turned the corner in the flea battles, but I am not ready to put up a sign that reads "Mission Accomplished." (another news reference, which I just promised I wouldn't do).
Besides fleas and their killing and prevention of another infestation, I have been doing some work. I cleaned the art room (a little) and found I have tons of blank ATC's. So I painted some and then glued them like a mosaic on a piece of cardboard. I am thinking about Christmas, so I used Christmas colors. Over the whole collage I did a wash of quin gold. Which one do you like?
On an entirely different subject: I watched the movie "Men who stare at Goats," with my honey, George Clooney. I always said that when I retired I would have a film class that would show how men think (or don't, as the case may be). And this film is definitely in! Others are: Hunt for Red October, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the classic Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction. Okay a lot of Tarantino films fit this film class. Kill Bill (both volumes) is a good example of how men think women think. Well, I am retired now so anyone want to join me in a film class?

Still hot!

2010-08-23T12:09:00.001-07:00

Working with greens and yellows because my sister came down to look for stuff for her new home. Her colors? Green and Yellow! I did an homage to her new home.
And...some time ago at one of my favorite thrift stores, I came across some carefully sliced/sawed black walnut shells in a plastic bag for $1.00. I kept them and used one on a shrine. But I thought of using them for printing. So the "designs" on this background are black walnut shell prints. What we find to use creatively!

More boxes

2010-08-21T11:32:00.001-07:00

Working in the art room this morning. Can't seem to get away from the boxes! More later! Hot! Hot! Hot!

Before and After

2010-08-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to go a bit darker on my hair color. I was tired of being a blonde. So I went two shades darker to a warm brown blonde which in the picture looks red. (and thin).
I read in someone else's blog about self-portrait Friday, but this is either too late for last Friday or too early for this Friday.
I am sooooo self-conscious about how I look that to post my picture for the world to see is beyond belief. Next I will fly!

Block Mandala

2010-08-10T12:06:00.001-07:00

So strictly speaking this is not a mandala, but I am calling it a block mandala. It is Peerless watercolor (the little papers that you cut up and wet to get color) and Sharpie and text from a paperback book called Fifty Ways to Play Solitaire. All the titles of the games seem to have meaning for me, so I am slowly using it up.I haven't used the Peerless before although I have had them in a drawer for about three years. The good thing about not working is I have time to work on art and time to use or throw away or give away products I haven't used in forever.
I am also making a shrine to help me with a particular problem I am having (long story for another time).

Matrimony

2010-08-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Putting aside images of ancient Rome and Greece, and abandoning mandalas for the art journal (for today only!) I work on a collage entitled Matrimony. I am interested in seeing how this scans. I am inspired by blocks of color today.

More Getty Pictures

2010-08-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

I uploaded all the Getty pictures from my camera and here are some shots of the gardens. There were several fountains and pools. Because the Villa is supposed to replicate an ancient Roman structure, I assume that Romans had that many pools and fountains. Lovely!

Getty Villa

2010-08-06T19:07:00.001-07:00

So Tina and I and 92 other people went to the Getty Villa on the Joslyn Center Tour. We paid $15 and got to ride a bus with a bathroom, And someone else fought the traffic. The weather was perfect and we saw some fabulous antiquities We ate in their cafe and had some fabulous food. And then the bus drove us home! What a deal!
There were a few glitches here and there, but all in all great! I will upload some of my favorite pictures later.

Decisions and Paperwork

2010-08-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

That was my day. I tried desperately to get to the art room, but no luck. I am way too stressed with all the paperwork I need to do because I am retired.
I'm discouraged and I am going to bed. Tomorrow will be a much better day!

Dia de Los Muertos Already?

2010-08-02T23:12:00.001-07:00

Today I had to make some big decisions about my future. As ominous as that sounds, it's actually good news. I really tried to prioritize my needs and my wants in an adult and responsible manner. And then I went to the 99cents store! I bought little water balloons for Dia de Los Muertos paper mache skulls. I know it's August, but I need to get the balloons ready and the paper mache on the balloons. The painting goes quickly.(She said optimistically). I will start the paper mache-ing tomorrow and continue this week. There is a lot of drying time in between each layer and there are three layers. Did I mention that I am making small ones and will string them like a banner??? Oh yeah! A girl must have a project!

Sunday, Sunday

2010-08-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I made it to church with time to spare this morning, but I was up all night worrying i wouldn't wake up in time! I hate that!
I went home and took a long nap! then of course, the laundry, laundry, laundry! Stanley likes this whole nap thing.

What a Day!

2010-07-31T21:36:00.001-07:00

Sometimes at the end of a day, I will discount all the things I have done during the day. So I will list them:
1. Went over my August budget. Since I am now on a "fixed income." I want to monitor my finances carefully. I did that anyway, and it wasn't like I wasn't on a fixed income before, but now I am SERIOUS!
2. Made an appointment with B of A to see about setting up a rollover IRA. Their site was extremely helpful in guiding me to decide on a Rollover IRA. So I want to see if this is really for me.
3. Did some research on a trip I want to take. I want to see Europe. I wanted to see how much it would cost so I could budget (I hate that word!)--financially plan for a trip next year in April.
4. Worked in the Mandala Journal. I wanted to use a human figure as a starting point for a Mandala. It's probably not a real Mandala but it's okay.
5. Found a quote from Marianne Williamson and typed it up, printed it out and put it in the Judgement page of the journal.
6. Printed up some helpful pages from whenigrowupcoach.com, the coaching site from Michelle Ward. I will read them tomorrow during church (or after :)
7. De-trashed and washed all the dishes. I have a clean sink, Mrs. Fly Lady!
8. Talked to my sister on the phone about her new house. She is painting the inside yellow-ish. Nice!
9. Did my exercises! Ha!
10. Prepared the calendar for flowers for the Church florist. I use iCal.
11. Changed the bed linens and the quilt--with the help of the perrito blanco.
12. Went to church to deliver the linens I ironed and to set up the flower calendar for the rest of the year. I was hoping that the Altar Guild assigned people had done their job, but they did not. So I did that too!
13. Went to Stater Brothers to get the rest of the groceries that I needed for the next two weeks.
14. Made the P.F. Chang's Orange chicken for two. Not that Good! For One, two or seventy!
So this was a productive day! I did a lot! Whew! Now I need to soak my hurting foot and watch the rest of the movie I started.

Project Runway Episode 1!

2010-07-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Danielle came over and brought salad and a really good Caesar dressing and black olives and we sat down to pasta and rosemary rolls and lemon bars and swooned and heckled. What fun! Heidi's hair on the sides looked wonky (but I get my hair cut at Fantastic Sam's, so what do I know?), but the bangs looked okay. I think she will look back in couple of years and wonder why she wanted bangs though. And the color is different. But Tim! What a guy! The Times had a fabulously complimentary article about him here:Tim Gunn: 'Project Runway's' dapper dean - latimes.com . But really the woman from Utah with the dreadlocks? Come on! They should have let Casanova go but Danielle has a theory that they keep obnoxious people on for a while to give the show some excitement. Could be.
I am going out on a limb and choosing Gretchen as the winner. I think she is extremely smart and seems to know how to get along with Tim and the other people. I hope I am right. But really! Who cares?
So Danielle's surgery is today and all good thoughts and vibes go out to you, Danielle.
I was blog surfing and found Michelle Ward's career coaching site: whenigrowup.com. On her blog she lists 101 things in 1001 days. It's like a brainstorming/wishlist. So I decided to make a list and right now I am only up to 31.So I think I will add 32: I am going to blog every day!--yes--even on Christmas! Daily blogging from me about knitting, Stanley, art. How will you stand it?

Project Runway!

2010-07-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

Starts tonight! I can't wait! Heidi has a new haircut and I have totally missed Tim--"Make it Work!" and "This troubles me." I invited my friend Danielle to come over and have dinner and talk back to the tv with me. I am making pasta and she is bringing some salad and I will make lemon bars--and she will take the left overs home. She is having minor surgery on Friday morning and she can have a lemon bar treat when she feels up to it. The good thing about Direct TV is that because it is on Eastern time, I can watch PR and know all about it by 7 p.m. This year I am going to predict the winner as I have done in the past. Last year I picked Seth Aaron from the very start and I held out even though all my PR friends thought I was wrong. Ha! Ah! So little excites me!
In the Art room, the mandalas continue. Yesterday's mandala was about eyes. The mandala is Sharpie pens and watercolor. When I was little I was carefully watched every moment and all my movements were commented on and judged. In their defense, none of the people who were watching me had a real childhood. So I think they were watching me to see what a real child would do. But there was a judgement aspect that transcended pretty much everything I did and it is difficult to leave that behind. So the Eye Mandala is about that struggle to go on and to do what I need to do and to do it whether people are watching or not. (But they aren't)
Anyway, I get to watch someone else tonight!

Mandala Journal day 2

2010-07-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

I finished the cover on the Mandala Journal and worked on two pages today. The cover is brown paper painted with acrylics. The Heal my Heart page is scrapbook papers and a heart doily. The Heal my Mind page is a scan of a Leonardo da Vinci anatomical drawings book someone graciously gave me. The writing is sharpie ultra fine and then colored pencils.
The heart page came as an inspiration and I would like to try it again with different colored papers.

And now for a really funny joke about consultants, which pretty much seems impossible:

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW 7 Series advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Cartier sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?'

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure, Why not?'

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his HP notebook computer, connects it to his Nokia N95 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany...

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-Tech Miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.'

'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the Bud says to the young man, 'Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?'

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay, why not?'

'You're an IT Consultant', says Bud.

'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie, 'but how did you guess that?'

'No guessing required.' answered the cowboy. 'You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew,to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows...this is a herd of
sheep...'

''Now give me back my dog''.

New Art Journal

2010-07-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

Every summer I make an art journal. I have more time in the summer and I like having a way to document my ideas for other projects. This summer I am making a Mandala journal. All the entries will be mandalas--at least that's the plan today! As usual, I rescued a book from the trash. This was the Richard Scarry Best Word Book Ever, which was my children's favorite book when they were little. It was in bad shape and sometimes I use the pages, but in this instance, I tore them out. Then I made two signatures of watercolor paper and sewed them together. I taped the pages inside the journal using transparent duct tape. The cover is not decorated yet, because I wanted to get started inside first. I will cover the cover (!) with fabric, I think and then paint a mandala on.
The first entry is a healing mandala I constructed.
I am looking forward to making more entries in this journal!

Saturday--or is it??

2010-07-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

When one is retired, every day is Saturday, really. I have this whole routine for Saturdays that involves running around and getting a lot done so that I can rest (a little) on Sunday before I have to go back to work. But that's not the case anymore! So i was at odds today. I kept thinking I need to hurry, hurry, hurry and then I would remind myself that I did not have to go to work on Monday. Finally, I gave in to my confusion and took a half hour nap. When I woke up, I folded laundry (casually) and managed to go slowly through the rest of the day. I think it bothered Stanley as well. I am not sure if he is used to me being home so much! My mind and body need to get this retirement thing together!

Gratitude

2010-07-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today I spent a lot of time trying to get organized. There is so much paper work in my life, and I really haven't been on top of it. So i used a lot of time to organize the various things I need to keep current on. I have a binder for bills and a binder for my investments. And I made a binder for my health/retirement benefits. I already have a binder for my "life." This took me forever! So when I was finished, I ran out to send the invitations for the party.
No trip out is complete without a trip to a thrift store. I needed to buy towels and I went to the Lutheran High School Thrift store and found some for $1.50. (The towels are for the party, since we are doing a spa thing.) Then I went to Goodwill in Glendora and got a "Kate Spade" purse (again!). This is gray flannel and adorable. I might give it to my sister for her birthday.
On the way back, I decided to make chicken salad for dinner. I was going to barbeque chicken breasts and then I would make Ina Garten's chicken salad recipe from the Food Network. As I was driving down Foothill (Route 66) a family was soliciting donations for a funeral. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to beg on the corner to pay for a funeral for a loved one. Luckily I actually had money and gave some. I was so touched by the sadness in that whole thing. There was a little boy on another corner and he was soliciting too. Good Grief! How sad!

art work

2010-07-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Behold! The scanner is connected and I have scanned some work I did. Not the greatest, but still productivity! The red flower is the front of a Thank You card. The purple flower is another card. I did the text in Photoshop. I am hoping that spending four hours a day practice will reap rewards. It does keep me off the streets and I am not knitting so much! Both good things!

Church and Tea

2010-07-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

Today I went to church at 10 am. I have always wanted to go to church during the week, and Holy Trinity has a 10 am service every Wednesday. The Rector, Mother Judy, will be on vacation in a couple of weeks, but I can still go next week. There were only 5 people--all women--there. And Mother Judy gave another great sermon. She is very inspirational! The building itself is so beautiful!
From there I went shopping for some things for the gift bags for the party. i have to decide tonight what I want to have for refreshments and then call tomorrow and finalize. I also have to call Jessica and tell her about the change in venue.
At 1 Amy and I had an appointment for tea at "Two a Tea." We got the full tea and it was delicious! We had soup, salad, scones, sandwiches and dessert. I had strawberry/apple tea. It was so relaxing! I want to go again--maybe after school starts.
Then I was exhausted and went home and took a nap. Tina had called to tell me some school news (gossip). So I had to tell all my friends, and so on, and so on, and so on.
Now I need to get to work. My art awaits!

I am a Super Woman!

2010-07-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe not. But I did put together this BOOKCASE that I bought at Walmart about two months ago! Yes! I used tools: a hammer and a philips and a flathead (!) and I hardly used any curse words! Whoa! And I did it in One hour and 20 minutes. This bookcase is in my office and will hold the scanner and some notebooks and office supplies in bins. I am slowly getting organized so that I can develop my art.
I was in a real panic this morning since the venue I had tentatively booked for my party was not being cooperative. I woke up at 2:30 this morning wondering where I would have the party. But I am back on track with a new venue and a really nice plan. I am waiting for the new venue to get back to me on the details. I hope everyone likes what I've planned!
Yesterday, Matt, Greg and I went out to Round Table and Matt showed me his Monk and Psych bobble head doll apps. I had to have them. When you press areas of Monk's body, he says stuff. The Psych app includes Gus and both say things--as well as bobble.
And tomorrow I am going to tea with Amy. She gave me a gift certificate to a tea shop in Glendora. I remember the tea at the Fairmont in Victoria. What a treat! I am looking forward to this as well.
Now I have to clean up the mess I made putting the bookcase together. If the art thing doesn't pan out I guess I could always help people put together furniture!
Hahahahahahahaha!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

I wanted this Fourth of July to be quiet and dull, and I got my wish! I went to church and then went to get ant spray. I have been overrun by ants! I use the Grant's Ants Stakes, but I thought maybe I needed a spray to clear off the area in the kitchen and then use the ant stakes for prevention. My goal for the fourth of July was to clean out the refrigerator. I intended to only work for one hour, but then when I realized that that was not enough time for what I wanted to do, I brought the portable DVD player into the kitchen and watched Leap Year. Amy Adams! What a cutie pie! And the guy playing Declan! I would have loved to have met someone like him when I was in Ireland! The movie was one hour and 40 minutes and in about two hours I had cleaned my refrigerator and freezer and hauled out mass amounts of freezer-burned food to the trash can. I also marinated some steaks I got on sale at Winco and prepared some chicken breasts for barbecue. I am thinking I will barbecue a lot this summer.
I barbecued chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and skewered Portabello mushrooms I thought it was good! I also stuck a potato wrapped in foil in the coals and baked that. I had cherry pie for dessert.
I decided to give Stanley the benedryl so that he would not be stressed about the fireworks. He was very mellow and quiet. At one point he was on my lap having a hard time holding his eyes open.
Comedy Central had a whole stand up day, and I dvr-d some of the comedians. I really enjoyed Gabriel Iglesias, I like DVR-ing the stand ups, since I can fast forward some of the more "unpleasant" parts. It's not the language so much as the intimate personal details of someone's life! I don't need to get into anyone else's life right now.
So, quiet, and dull and funny. And celebrating the freedom of a clean refrigerator without those annoying science projects!

Clean car!

2010-07-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Now that my car is fixed, I was going to wash it but the guys at the Victory Outreach Car Wash did that for me for a donation of $10. I am going to wash my own car from now on but this was an emergency.
Yesterday I set the timer ("My timer is my best friend in 2010" says Fly Lady.) and worked in the kitchen for one hour. I really got a lot done! Then I decided to do one cabinet per day and I did the pots and pans. I wiped down the vinyl stuff I have in there and then put everything back.I intend to see what stuff I can give away, but have pared down alot in that area, so nothing was thrown away.
Today I worked some more in the kitchen but my big contribution was to church. I went to church and put in new candles and polished the pews on the north side of the church. I could spend three days of 24 hour days and still not be done with that job.
And here's a picture of the cross, newly restored by Eddie, the miracle worker, What an artist!

Another day of retirement!

2010-07-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took my car in to the mechanic--I have a wonderful mechanic, who is honest and fair and nice!--and I asked Tina to come pick me up. My plan was to go to the thrift store in south Chino and then take her to lunch. Tina is limited to 10 books per thrift store, since she hoards books and has about 11,000 at her house (and about 20 in her car). I could not resist the clothes, as usual. I found a thermal hoodie! I always get so cold and this will be perfect! I also found two French laundry jackets. who knew French Laundry made plus size????? And a long banquet sized table cloth that I decided to drape over a chair for right now. The fabric is multi colored and embroidered. It looks Asian, almost Thai. I also found an unopened box of materials for papermaking for a whole classroom. I thought about Danielle and today I talked to her and asked her if she wanted it for her future class. But then we decided to get together and just make paper. Lots more satisfying!
We went to Lucilles for lunch and I had the fried green tomatoes and the fried dill pickles and the greens and for dessert (!) we had red velvet cake and peach cobbler. I am in this not eating much mode (a good thing!), so I had leftovers. Tina and I are going to sign up for some cooking classes and we went over and did that. Then we went to the Senior Center to sign up for a trip to the Mission Inn in November. it was so hot out and the mechanic hadn't called me back, that we decided to hang out at the senior center for a while. We got their menu and I am definitely going to attend lunch a couple of days this month! It's $2!
The car needed an oxygen sensor and so that was $450, but I know it will run better. I did clean it out before I got there, so Mr. Johnson wouldn't say too much.
I was so tired from that whole thing I took a nap and then worked on stuff until 11. But then I woke up at 1 am and couldn't go back to sleep until 4! I think my body is getting adjusted to no work.
I love the idea that if I don't sleep, I don't have to go to get up early and go to work. I can sleep in or I can nap or??? This is a good deal!

I'm Back!

2010-07-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

Well, six months is a long time to go without posting to my blog, but my excuse is that I was very busy and stressed. And here's why:
My school district offered the veteran teacher's a generous incentive if we would shuffle off to another ice floe and never be heard from again. Although it wasn't put that way--as a matter of fact, it was quite respectful--I had a hard time deciding whether to take it or not. But in the end, I did. On January 15th I signed and sent in the paperwork to confirm my retirement from the Pomona Unified School District. Unfortunately, there were still 6 more months of school to get over!
This year was one of the hardest I have ever experienced, so retirement was looking more and more positive. And yet, the doubts and the worries were endless. I did some intelligent things to allay the doubts, though:
First, I went to the STRS counselor and had him run the numbers for my retirement income from State Teachers Retirement. So I had concrete figures that would help me decide. If I only had the look of students' faces to help me decide, I would have long ago retired!
Then, I went to my CPA (who moved to another company, and who charged me a lot of money for his advice), and he ran the numbers for me also. The incentive is in the form of an annuity and the company in charge of the annuity offered 15(!) options on how to receive it. The CPA ran the numbers and helped me see which option I should choose.
Finally, I consulted my life coach and she helped me make the emotional decisions I needed to make.
Teaching has been a huge part of my life. It has saved my life and the life of my family in some ways, since I took the job to rescue the family when my ex-husband was out of work and in the hospital. And I did what a lot of people do: I got involved in the job and left my family to its own devices. I WAS a TEACHER first. Lots of coaching and therapy and praying for forgiveness has helped me see the errors I made.
So now I am on to the next Creative Passage. For at least the next year I am going to focus on ME;
Becoming a better ME. I think I know what that means but I l will be exploring it for this next year.
My new Creative Passage will be to develop the best ME possible.
This should be interesting!

another postcard

2010-01-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

Here's another postcard.
I want to send this one today.

Collages

2009-12-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

Although Advent is over, I am still working in the Advent Journal. I took the wire binding off and have three loose leaf rings on there--for now. I made prayer beads and strung some of them on the rings. Here are the newest collages. I can't seem to get enough of the images of National Geo and Arch Digest. These are essentially glue book type collages. I will however re-size them and they will go out as post cards. I send a lot of postcards. Post cards are like tweets for me. I just write a short message about myself and send it out, like people are really interested in what I am doing!. Tweet-tweet!

Farmhouse Evolution

2009-12-26T10:52:00.001-08:00

I have not been making art for sometime. I have been knitting dishcloths and they continue to de-stress me. But finally I was able to work on an advent journal. The picture is significant because I did grow up for some years in a farmhouse. And the farmhouse and the people in it and around it made a lasting and significant impression on me--and not in a positive way. So the farmhouse impression is evolving into something positive, as evidenced by this piece.

New scans

2009-08-21T12:03:00.001-07:00

One of the many things I wanted to do this summer was to upload scans of a vintage nursery rhyme book with the sweetest pictures! I uploaded them to Picasa and they are in the slide show on the left. They were scanned at 100 dpi resolution. if you are interested in them please feel free to download and use in your art.
Good luck!

And in other news...

2009-08-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

AZUSA

Motorists stop to grab cash

Cash thrown onto a freeway by a 56-year-old man whom authorities described as emotionally disturbed caused a small traffic jam Sunday as drivers stopped their vehicles to pick up the bills.

California Highway Patrol officers discovered about 10 people outside their cars attempting to collect the loose cash on the westbound 210 Freeway near Grand Avenue just after noon, Officer Anthony Martin said.

About the same time, the man who tossed the money walked into the nearby Azusa Police Department and told officers he wanted to commit suicide, according to Lt. Steve Hunt.

Los Angeles County fire officials took the man to a hospital for further evaluation, Hunt said.

Motorists who picked up money were asked to return it to Azusa police or the CHP's Baldwin Park office

But seriously folks! I found another one! A board book with all the backgrounds and some pictures it! I think I get much more enjoyment out of making the books than filling them! Eeek!On the left is a scan of the inside of the book. On the right the front and back covers. It is six spreads. Good Grief!

Blue bound Book

2009-08-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am cleaning up the art room and I found a book I covered and did backgrounds for pages. But now I can't remember why I made such a blue book! So I am hoping someone from the altered books group sees it and wants it. The left is the cover. The right is a spread that I popped on the scanner.The spread is tissue paper over clear gesso over several pages glued together. It is an old children's reading book.

Thrift Store Day!

2009-08-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Thrift Store Day. I am trying to go to the Thrift Store every month around the first. When I realized the first was on Saturday and I didn't want to go on Saturday, I decided the 31st was an all right date! So I invited my friend the adorable Ms. S, who wishes to be anonymous because she does not want her daughters to know that she went shopping at thrift stores. (I told her they will sooooo grow out of that--but I understand). First we went to BC Cafe for Eggs Benedict. I thought that Corky's had better Eggs Benedict, but I think BC won out! Fabulous! Then we went to the relatively new thrift store on Central: What I call the Three Way Thrift Store North. We found tons of cute clothes! And I found some Christmas fabric to make fabric flowers and a door knob. I am not paying retail for stuff like that! Then we went to the Three Way South, which is still on Central but way south. We found more cute clothes! Then we went to the Bargain Box in Covina and I found this fabulous purple silk, never worn, Asian style, Chaus blouse! It was $4.00! But the deal of the day was for Ms. S. We found a beautiful suede jacket in red that fit perfectly and was originally from Nordstrom for----wait for it---five bucks! She definitely got the deal of the day! We finished at the Assistance League where the nice lady was helping us. And Ms S. found more clothes! I found two books and some eyelet lace. From there we made a stop at Fresh and Easy. And then to Walmart to buy a curtain rod, since there weren't any at the thrift stores.By this time, Ms. S. was hungry so we went to Legends in Glendora and had dinner. Of course, I had onion rings and of course, later on I was sick. I need an intervention from fast food!
It was a successful thrift store day, and now on to the laundering of all the clothes!
I will post pictures later.

If this is what it's like to be retired...

2009-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

So since I have been off work, I have been working harder than at work--okay maybe not, when I think about the Kinders and the Firsts and their energy. I wanted to work on some projects that would stretch me as an artist, and I have been doing that. Here's a painting I did:
Besides the paintings, I made fabric flowers (pictures to follow tomorrow). And...I cleaned behind the refrigerator and found lots of disposable plastic ware that I had washed anyway and they had fallen behind when they were drying. And I washed the curtains in the kitchen and in the laundry room. On the swear-o-meter, I was at a full 10 because the bracket was loose. I found another bracket, put it in, but did you know that curtain rods (those metal kind) don't fit the the brackets sometimes??? So now I need a new curtain rod.
But, on the Handyman meter, where I am usually a minus 7, I am at least a 5 because i put in a door knob! The door knob on the laundry room door has been off forever and I found one at the thrift store for $1.99. So I finally put that on. I am such a Handywoman Goddess!
So although I was going to wash all the curtains, I am exhausted and I need to clean up from the fabric flowers. So I am going to quit handywomaning for today and wash curtains on Saturday.
Obviously the only reason to work is to afford a housecleaning service, so that when you ARE home, you have this nice clean place to be. So I am not going to retire any time soon.

Soul Journal

2009-07-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

This summer I wanted to start Sarah Whitmire's Soul Journal prompts. (You can find her prompts here: http://www.souljournaling.com/prompts.php). I thought it would help jump start my creativity after a long dry spell. what I found was that the prompts set me in a new direction. I did all the prompts and then wanted to start again. She has an advanced workshop, but I didn't think I was ready for that. I wanted to explore the first set of prompts again. So I had to alter two books to contain the new Soul Journal. I have always wanted to cover a book in canvas and then paint on it. So I did! I used regular canvas from the fabric store and I didn't wash it (although I am going to do that with the next project). I had some tissue paper with a design i just loved, so I used that for the inspiration.
Then, because I can't seem to do just one thing, I covered another book with a Nick and Nora pajama top that I found at the thrift store. I loved the print and I arranged the top so the buttons are on the front. I tried to duplicate the print on the inside cover and I added a pocket. I had a lot of fun making the books and now I am looking forward to actually working in them!

The Book of the Tabernacles

2009-04-09T16:36:00.001-07:00

I just finished and uploaded pictures of an altered notebook that I used for a Lenten Art Journal. I will show it at the St. Martha's Art Show next week. I was inspired by an artist on the altered books yahoo group who made a loose leaf notebook into an art journal. I started these pages in a bound book, but I didn't like the look. I found a hair dressing training notebook at the thrift store (for $1!), and realized I could tear out the pages and insert them in the notebook. The pages are melted crayons with beeswax to seal. The images are from 2 religious supply catalogs. I inserted some text and images on coasters from a restaurant and they hang at the edge of the cover of the book. The book cover is gessoed and painted. I love seeing the potential beauty in things that are ordinary!

The Mojo is back!

2009-03-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks the dishcloth mojo is back! I have done two just recently and will upload pics later. I am ready for another one. And Stanley the wonder dog is groomed finally. And Little League will be off for two weeks. And my report cards are finished and turned in. So life is good!
I have been following the thread of a group that is into Zentangles. I have started these little obsessively addicting doodles and am having difficulty stopping! They are so fun to do and meditative. I finished one with watercolors but didn't like it. Then did one in colored pencils--much better!

I succumbed!

2009-02-22T20:03:00.001-08:00

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2009

I succumbed!
My dishcloth mojo is not working right now! I have started and torn out four dishcloths. I am now starting another one that is so far working! Good Grief! If I don't make dishcloths will the world go on??? And I succumbed to taking the Austen test and found out (big surprise) that I am Emma. Of course, I am the knitting dishcloths Emma, though.
In other news, Stanley, the Wonder Dog, has been with me one year officially. To celebrate I had him re-vaccinated with the three year rabies shot! Yes, I spared no expense! And in case I ever can take him to Doggy Day Care, I got the Bordatella vaccine as well.
What can I say? I am a paragon of virtue and a dishcloth mama!

Pink and white hearts lead to a life lesson

2009-01-25T09:37:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Valentines Day...a pink and white heart dishcloth! As I am knitting this one I decided that for me it is an expression of faith. Maybe the only expression of faith I am capable of right now. I start with the cast on and believe and hope and have faith that the directions will lead me to the design in the book. This one is called "Knit and Purl Hearts" and the knits and purls change with every row. So I have to believe that the pattern will emerge and that I am doing it correctly, since until the end, it's not that evident. So in addition to having a perfect (or perfect looking) object, it got there by faith. This is a life lesson I need.

I need faith that what I am doing to help first graders will pay off--if not now--later. But I need to strictly follow directions for the work. Oh yes!

Saturday is finally here!

2009-01-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

I have finished another dishcloth. Pix will be uploaded later. But this one is red, white and blue stripes with a starfish design in it. Patriotic, no?

This week many teachers got a golden handshake letter from Personnel. Unfortunately--or fortunately--I didn't get one. So that means I will be staying in education two more years after this. Wow!

And I went to the doctor to get a mammogram referral and my blood pressure was too high. Big Surprise! This was after rainy day recess and lunch and the principal telling us (in a nice way, really) that we must all do the AR goals and have our kids start taking AR tests. This stressed me out because AR is teacher intensive. So I am going to devote a week to teaching the firsts to do a lot of the prep work and sign in themselves. This will only be possible because of my instructional assistant. I am fortunate to have her.

I am fortunate anyway. I just get so stressed and defensive! Must stop that! I have a good job. I am good at my job. I like my co-workers. I am able to come home and knit dishcloths! What more could a person want????

Inauguration!

2009-01-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

I am exhausted from the excitement of the inauguration! What a treat and a triumph! I let the students watch the actual ceremony and left it on but muted to see the parade. There is so much hope with this president. I can't wait to see what happens!

Rubber Ducky, You're the One

2009-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

This is the ceramic Rubber Ducky I found at the thrift store. It was in mint condition and I made two dishcloths to put in the base. I am working on one more. Then I thought I would wrap it in cellophane. Cute, no?

I am going thrift store shopping today with the eventual owner of the ducky. We are both in our own ways very stressed about the pressures being put on us as elementary teachers. My job evaluation depends on five and six year olds! The good thing is that I am in a very positive environment with an administrator who is realistic about goals and objectives. Gracias a dios!

But others are not--like my friend. So we will go shopping for crap today and forget our troubles for a few hours.

Dishcloths, thrift stores, new years, and me!

2009-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Although I have tried to think why I need to knit dishcloths, I still haven't come up with a good answer! I have done several since I last posted. I will put up pics later. But there is something soooooo satisfying about sitting down and knitting two or three (or twenty rows) and having this perfect square object in cotton yarn completed in practically no time!

I decided during Christmas break to go to my favorite thrift stores monthly to see what I could find under $20. Right now I am looking for a chest of drawers--under $20. I want to organize the art room and put the chest in there to put large art supplies away. I went to two of my favorites on January 2nd and scored! I found some never worn (at least it didn't seem like it) tops and sweaters and got 7 items for under $10. I wore one of the sweaters to school and got lots of compliments on it. Then I found a ceramic rubber ducky vase. My friend collects rubber duckies for her downstairs bathroom, so I bought it and Yes! You guessed it! I am going to put some yellow and orange dishcloths in it and give it to her for next Christmas! I don't think she reads this blog, so I hope it will be a surprise!

And the new year always brings this need to resolve to improve. But this year I decided to let that all go. I am working on the issue of grief and if I can just get over the grief that will be enough for 2009. "I will be fine in 2009." To that end I am finishing my own self help book on grief. I think I have read enough self -help books and taken enough classes and courses and I am no longer going to let someone else tell me how to help me. I know what to do! And I also know that grief gets better when you do something!

The other part of my 2009 "resolution" is to accept what the Course in Miracles says:"God has already given you everything." So I accept what God has given, acknowledge it and appreciate it.

Not my best work

2008-11-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here is another dishcloth. I must have torn it out 15 times total. I just couldn't seem to get this pattern! But maybe I have hit the wall with the dishcloths? They represent something for me that I can't articulate. For some reason it is very important that I make them. I think maybe it's because I need something perfect and beautiful in my life. And maybe I need to show the control over something. And I think they also represent my whole idea of going green with beauty and style. Well, whatever it is, I need to do them and here is another one.

Another Dishcloth

2008-11-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

This week, I

1. finished testing all students

2. re-did two bulletin boards

3. cleaned a corner of the classroom that really needed it

4. went to a Professional Development Workshop that I liked!

5. wrote all my report cards and tried to schedule conferences

6. And...made another dishcloth!

This is the Berries pattern. It is knit on the diagonal. I can finish one of these in two days if there is something good on television!

And here's another one!

2008-11-18T22:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of another dishcloth I finished. I am wondering who to give these to. I am thinking about giving them with a nice bar of soap and other little trinkets.

While I am knitting I am thinking about the concept of resentment and it's effects in my life. It's like all my thoughts and feelings go into the dishcloth I am knitting and I am unburdened for a while.

Now I am starting a lacy scarf in mohair. And tonight I watched To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Every time I watch that movie I am struck by how tiny Bogart is. I think Bacall outweighed him in that movie. This is the one where she says if you need me just whistle and then: "You know how to whistle, don't you Steve? You just pucker up and blow." Walter Brennan is in the movie as an old drunk. I came home tired and sick and started the scarf and was in Martinique with Bogie and Bacall. And then I did report cards!

Tonight if I had one wish it would be to just do one thing for awhile-- and that would be knitting!

The Round Dishcloth!

2008-11-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

I finally knitted a round dishcloth! I have wanted to for a long time, but never quite had the right pattern for me. Even though I finished this one and the pattern (eventually) seemed to be somewhat intuitive, I still had to rip it out three times. The problem was I would get involved in watching something on television and would forget where I was. When I realized that I was getting distracted, I turned it off. The whole thing took about two hours total. At that rate, I could do one every week or so. But really, is the universe ready for dishcloths????

Today I found the project management tool of Word. And made big plans for school and for the rest of my life. And now to implement them. Round dishcloths are included in the plans. I am making time for this ultimate form of therapy.

Catching up

2008-11-13T05:34:00.001-08:00

I was catching up last night with someone I hadn't spoken to for a while. And the old resentment came out as we were talking. I looked up resentment in the dictionary and they referred to the word "grudge." And yet, I, wonderful, saintly person, also swore that I never held a grudge. Ha! Obviously, I am full of grudges and getting more all the time!

Also, I realized that resentment for me is a result of saying yes when I really meant no. Then I resent the act or the service or the task but am stuck doing it because I said yes. And not being honest with people makes me resentful as well. So I need to be honest with the people I can be honest with (you know who you are!).

So, as I contemplate resentment and its effect in my life, I realize how it's taken its toll. And now I must act to clear up the resentment in my life.

And more dischcloths!

Red Heart Dishcloth and Resentment

2008-11-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

Another dishcloth! What good therapy! And cheap! The cost of a ball of yarn and I am calm!
But seriously folks, I realized this week that I have been harboring--well, maybe living with and having it consume me--- resentment for a long time. I thought of how many people I resent and it's in the hundreds. It could be in the thousands, but I stopped thinking about it after a while. So... here and now in front of God and everybody, I am declaring myself free from resentment. I am replacing it with gratitude---and dishcloths.
"Resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die."
Malachy McCourt

(I can't get the pic of the red heart dishcloth to load! I totally resent that!--Kidding!)

Pain

2008-10-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

In A Course in Miracles it says that pain separates us from God. And at first I didn't understand or agree with that. But having been in intermittent pain for the last six weeks, I think I understand. Right now, I honestly admit that the pain I have is an excuse for me to be less than god like. I am rude, lazy, and self-absorbed. I am using the pain as an excuse not to do the things I know have to be accomplished. And I am blaming God for all my mistakes.
I know there are people who are in pain and are not doing that. And I can't really explain their situation. But for me right now, the pain that I feel is separating me from God. And it is also separating me from others. So I declare to the universe that I will not be separated by pain from God or others! Okay, at least for today I will try!

Another Sunday

2008-10-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been sick with a really bad stomach problem. But this weekend I was okay! In my former life the responsible people would say that the pain I was having would make me appreciate the pain-free state more and also give me compassion for others in pain. But I am not in that life anymore and so I can say that I hated the pain and never want it back! This weekend I was able to see people and have fun and enjoy life. I really don't want the pain back ever.
I went to the church rummage sale and scored a fabulous bunch of masks: three with feathers, two with sequins and two to decorate! And a pair of jeans that I bought for the label inside: "LOOSE."
Work and being sick has prevented me from doing any art, but now I have the muse back and I can begin again. Yeah!

What we put up with

2008-09-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, I was talking to someone who has a bi-polar relative. She said that she should have seen this most recent manic episode coming because as she looked back, she could see a totally inappropriate reaction to a little thing that seemed to foreshadow a bigger explosion. This person lived with a bi-polar parent, so maybe, like me, she was used to big reactions to little things.
When my father was alive, he was arrested for shooting a pellet gun into the neighbor's house. The neighbors according to him were shooting laser beams at him. The officer who arrested him called me and asked, "Does your father have a history of mental illness?" And although I was in my forties, I was shocked to realize that yes, indeed he did! And that I just realized it then.
We put up with so much stuff from people who are supposed to love us for a variety of reasons. And we realize later that they are crazy and all we had to do maybe once was tell them no.
New goal: no more putting up with stuff!

Long Time, No Write

2008-09-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I last posted! And in that month, I have settled in to a new school and new room, hurt my back, fallen, had some horrible stomach something, hurt my back and tried to educate 23 and now 22 Kinder and first graders. And do Altar Guild work.
No mention of art, you notice. That's because I have done very little. I write in my art journal--no, really I whine in my art journal. I finished a dish cloth that I started last month. This is the nicest one ever! I finally understood the directions! I am putting it on the scanner and scanning it for you to see.
Mostly I have been trying to remember what it is like to teach 5 and 6 year olds after 10 years of not teaching them! Let me say it is difficult! They cry. They pee. They cannot stop talking about their Iron Man shirts! And I have to teach them to read write and add and subtract!
Pray for me!

Rant: I am not your entertainment!

2008-08-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been receiving phone calls from people who believe that I am available to talk to them because THEY are bored! I hate this! "I will call Colleen because I am bored! Then I will pretend to listen to her, but really I am just want to talk about ME."
Well, that's it people! No more answering the phone for me! Email me or speak to me in person, but DO NOT CALL ME BECAUSE YOU ARE BORED!!!!
And now back to the regularly scheduled calmness.
I have been getting ready for my newest adventure: teaching the K-1 at San Jose. On Saturday I went to school with Steven and Brandon and got the room ready--basically. Now I can tweak it this week. Tomorrow is the first day of school for teachers and I will be in meetings most of the time, so I needed the room to look ready for students. I have also been organizing my clothes so that I can plan what I wear and here is a picture of my new sweater. I will wear it with black pants and a white camisole. I am looking forward to a fabulous year!

If I defend myself, I am attacked

2008-08-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have been dilligently reading A Course in Miracles since...well, I am not sure. But I had added it to my routine to protect myself in the "Forest." (The toxic work environment). And I told my friend about it and she made two video journals of her readings from ACIM. And...the miracles have been happening as I have been reflecting and putting the concepts of ACIM in practice. I am doing other things as well: Yoga, prayer, church service, readings from the Bible. All designed originally to protect me. And it worked! The miracles that occurred were phenomenal.
But now I am not in the toxic environment anymore and shouldn't need all that, right? No! I am moving to a new school to a grade level I love, and a room I love and I have been very grateful and appreciative. But... I met someone in the new environment who had so many negative vibes that I began to get that old PTSD feeling. I was feeling defensive.
And because I was trying to defend myself, I got the biggest back ache! I realized I was getting defensive and tried to pull away, but too late! My defensiveness did manifest itself in a back ache.
I am really defensive about just about everything, which is probably a normal human reaction. I am however trying to be more like God, so I remember to let the love of God and His forgiveness shine through me.
And on another note, I could not have gotten my room ready without the assistance of my three wonderful grandsons, Brandon, Steven, and Matthew. They worked like troopers to get the room ready for the first day of school. Thank you!
Here is Brandon on the Aero Bed with Stanley guarding him--or waiting for him to wake up so he can play.

Too much time on my hands!

2008-08-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have been researching sites for teachers of both fifth and kinder since I won't know what grade I will be teaching till next week (I hope it's next week!). There are tons of sites out there and I want to publicly thank the teachers who gave so generously of their time! What a lot of work! I am in awe! When do you all sleep????
While I am waiting for news of my assignment, I am taking advantage of this free time I have. I will never have this time again! So I need to enjoy it! I am making desk accessories out of (plastic) coffee cans (no tinnies!) and glass jars. I made fabric flowers that turned out sooooooo cute! I am in love with these and plan to make lots more! I can make them for the ECW craft sale or give them as presents. I will put magnets on the back. I scanned the ones I have made, so the picture looks dark, but you get the idea.
I made one with the lace I got at the thrift store last year. This is lace that was used to make panties. I think the lace flower looks great but I am not happy about the button in the middle, so I will upload that scan later.
On another note, the woman I was writing to for Chemoangels died on July 19th. She had lung cancer. i wrote to her for 5 months. I hope her family are comforted in their grief.
And finally, I am saying to the universe that I am going to stop complaining! Yes! And to mark this momentous event I am making a new altered book! (any excuse:)). I am making a "Do you know the Way to San Jose?" book. I am going to use it to capture the beginnings of my new adventures at San Jose School. I am so grateful to be in a new challenge!

Art Society

2008-08-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Another Art Society meeting was held Saturday. We watched Lynn make tyvek beads and then Zanna showed us how to make blank journals with fabric covering a cut book cover. I made mine purple since I am into flowers and happy colors and sewed the binding in pink hemp beading string.
Yesterday while procrastinating the clean up that Art Society entails I decided to make another blank journal. This one is covered in black and white fabric with black and white cardstock pages. I watched "Love in the Time of Cholera" while doing it. "Love" is really a Javier Bardem fest, which is not a bad thing at all. I think I need to read the book to get the whole point of the movie other than love transcends all.

Meaningful dialogue--Intimate conversations

2008-08-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

I have just finished taking a technology for educators class. It was four days at Cal Poly. I received a lot of info about various aspects of tech ed. However, I was amazed to understand the depth of knowledge that our students need to communicate in the world now.I love technology, but do I really need a facebook, myspace, etc account? The blog is my attempt to chronicle my art journey, but what else is important. The facilitator for the class was talking about how she checks her accounts when she gets home from work and chats with her daughter and other friends. And there's Skype for talking on web cam. And on and on...
I feel like I get enough being talked to during the day. I want to enjoy face to face intimate conversations with people right there in the room with me. Low voices, slow talk, meaningful dialogue. That's what I want after a day of teaching the sound of the letter a.
However, I did get inspired to begin--again--my book of Bad News. I think I will make it an ebook though and allow it to be downloaded.
And finally, my Friend, Shirley has a You Tube video on A Course of Miracles. They are really good and the idea of a video journal is such a good idea. She turned her PowerPoint presentation into a quick time movie then uploaded to YouTube. She said she couldn't see herself writing her thoughts in a an actual paper/pencil journal. See? Technology again! Maybe I need to travel back in the time machine to pre-computers and appreciate the world after their invention. I'll work on that.:)

Working on Computers

2008-08-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

I am taking a class on educational Technology, but I am really trying to see how I can use this for art. So... here are some pictures I took of recent works and uploaded to Picasa.

Trying to make a movie!

2008-07-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Post cards

2008-07-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today was postcards to be altered. Scans to be uploaded later,

Earthquake!!!

2008-07-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

The 5.4 earthquake centered in Chino Hills really shook us up. Stanley was freaked. He went into the living room and was barking and I grabbed him and took him to the hallway. We stayed there for quite awhile. As I was crouched in hallway, I saw the ceiling fan in living room swaying. It was strong! Stanley and I huddled on the couch for awhile. Then I gave him some PetEEZE because he had thrown up. Later in the day he was stuck in the office and wouldn't come out. He just barked and barked. Finally I picked him up and carried him to the couch and we did more sitting and calming. I debated whether to take him to Pet Training, but I did and he performed like a star! Wow! When the pressure is on, he can do it! What a trooper. Earthquake??? What Earthquake?

Free!

2008-07-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

I have mixed feelings about this, but I am putting it out to the universe. I am leaving the school I have been teaching at for 16 years. My last day was yesterday. I am truly sorry to be going, but my position was eliminated and I couldn't stay there as a classroom teacher. As much as I want to express the true story of what went on, I know I cannot. So...on to a new chapter in my life. I went to meet the new principal yesterday and she doesn't know whether to put me in K or 5th, But then she may have a K-1 and I love K-1, so I hope I get that. I will be downloading standards for all today! And a trip to CM is in order.
In the meantime, I am off work with a small four day seminar in technology education in August. More time for art! And I signed Stanley up for the intermediate class in dog training. And I prepared five books to be altered. Three are board books that are painted and one is a board book that is going to be all fabric as a base. I wonder how to put other things on it, but that's my challenge! I am also doing three books in tissue as a base. I am liking that a lot! So that makes more than five! Maybe I do need to teach kinder!
Just knowing I survived 386 days is commendable! I need a prize!

Altered Board Book Tutorial

2008-07-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to post a tutorial on how to prepare an altered board book. I think a board book is a good way to start since it usually only has about 6 to 10 pages and the fear of the empty page just isn't so bad. Also, I buy my board books at the thrift store and they are really cheap, So if you mess up you have only spent a quarter! I like to buy a few at a time and prep mine so t hat I have a bunch on hand whenever the mood strikes me.
So here's what I do:

That's the first step. Now on to the next! Tune in tomorrow!

Good News!

2008-06-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

After almost 10 months of anxiety and stress, I am leaving my position for something else. I am not sure what I will be doing or where, but I am grateful to have a job and to be in a different location with different challenges.
Although I have done some art, it has suffered as I have tried to overcome my anxieties. Moving to a new location will help. I am sure. I also had a computer crash and all my pictures of recent art work were lost. So I am now compiling a new folder and will put all my art work on a separate hard disc. What I've done so far are:
Painted three bird houses for decorations for a party
Started on (another) shrine
Completed an art journal for April and May
Started on another for June
Made some charms our of key tags. I will post pictures later.

Back to Blog

2008-02-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas I have been working to be less stressed and more able to overcome what is essentially a PTSD reaction to someone's crazyness. So although I am working really hard and reading and meditating and doing yoga and saying positive affirmations, I am right now so tired of it. To add to the mix, I got a dog on Friday. I wanted to name him Fernando, but he just isn't a Fernando, so his name is Stanley. And he is a Stanley. He is about 3 years old and a terrier of some kind. Amy rescued him from the freeway off ramp, but since she has two dogs already, she thought I would like him. So now I have a dog. He will be neutered on Friday, and he will be groomed today. He was very matted.
I have done little art, but am now getting back. For Art Society we are making charms and I am trying to think of different ways to make some. I have a couple of prototypes already, but want to expand. And of course, when all else fails, I alter a post card or two.
Instead of art, here's a picture of Stanley before grooming. And now back to meditation: "you are in a forest...."

Christmas is Over!

2007-12-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

This year the record was set: Four people cried on the phone with me during Christmas! The worst year ever! And then I was accused of holding on to a journal from a swap. So...I am pleased to say that Christmas is over and next year: some other strategy. Not sure what, but hey!
In the meantime, I am going to show my latest work: Golden birthday girl, which is a painted transparency collage. I will use it for birthday cards.
Also I have scanned some vintage pages from a nursery songs book and I hope to have them available to upload.
Happy New Year!

Self Help

2007-11-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Since School started, I have been overwhelmed with the frenzy created by one person. But...after much work on my part to calm and center myself, I have begun to return to living. I made an altered book to help me through the journey in the petrified forest and I am now making another one to deal with my other interesting problem. The books are my attempt to make my own self help books. I am no longer going to depend on platitudes of others, but will document my own progress as I begin to go through it all.
To self-help!

Adios Amiga

2007-08-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

The Day of the Dead skulls are done for Art Society! But the leader won't be there. Instead, we will be honoring her with our art. Vickie Enkoff died last Friday. Although I had only known her two years, I felt so honored to know her. She was a great artist and a fabulous human being. So the Art Society girls are meeting one last time to do Day of the Dead skulls and celebrate in art our wonderful friend, Vickie. How I wish I had known her longer! Thank you, mi amiga, for all the inspiration you gave me!

More Day of the Dead skulls

2007-08-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

This is Blue Boy, another Day of the Dead skull I have finished. The skulls for Art Society are being made now. I managed to make six while watching two chapters of "Pasiones de Gavilanes," which stars the muy guapisimo Mario Cimarro. This is a Telemundo novela, so Kristen Lilly is in it as well. This novela kept me going and entertained while dipping my hands in papermache paste. There is much to say for entertainment by Mario.

Wedding Pictures and No more Fashion Design!

2007-08-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

It seems like no time at all since I was in Puerta Vallarta for the wedding. The picture is of the bride and groom and both families. What a cute couple! Usually I go to weddings with this pessimistic view point and kind of guess how long the wedding will last. But these two are very cute and it looks like this might be successful.
This week I had two fashion design ideas. Both of them bombed. No more fashion designing for me! The next batch of skulls turned out better because I switched paste. I used the old flour, water and glue recipe. This is better for the balloons. The good news is that it is so hot, the skulls dry fast. The bad news is that it is so hot. Only 17 more skulls to go!

Bad Vibes

2007-08-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today I was working on the Day of the Dead skulls and had technical problems. The skulls "imploded." A balloon is the base of the skull and when I poked the hole for the eyes, the balloon didn't burst exactly. So, I had to scrap two of the three skulls I was working on. I am thinking the glue really bonded to the balloon and so I am changing to the paste that Kathy suggests. I will do one with new paste and then if it doesn't work, it's the balloons. The third one I had to build up but it was salvagable.
I attribute this to the fact that right before I went to work on them, my friend and are were talking and complaining. I have tried to be so--well, if not positive, then not negative. And we were just on our merry way complaining like we do. This is what we talk about. So I will try to reverse the bad vibes tomorrow with positives all day! I think it affects my art!

Thrift Store scores!

2007-08-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Got back from Mexico--about which more later when I have time to upload some sweet pictures of the newlyweds--and decided to go to the Community Thrift Store on Arrow in Covina. I truly scored. I got a huge bag of punchinello in silver and a navy(?) for $1.50 and some lace used to make thongs. Another big bag for a buck fifty! There must be 20 (?) yards of pink panty lace. Then there were these front of thong things (for lack of a better term) made with net and ribbon sewn on them. In various colors. And som black velvet ribbon front of thong things as well. I am so naive that I kept wondering what they were used for until there was an actual made thong in the bottom of the bag! I thought the black would enhance a lot of things for me. We'll see about the others.
I also bought a large glass relish tray for $2 to replace the one that got taken by someone else at the last party I brought stuff to. Why I only buy stuff like that at the thrift store.

Mardi Gras Woman

2007-07-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone at Art Society liked Mardi Gras Woman, but me! I liked the other two smaller ones I made--pictures later. Mardi Gras woman got trashed before I left for vacation.

Stress?

2007-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

This week has been the most stressful of my life---without someone dying. The work continues to be hard and demanding is the name of the game. And I received word that my boss wants me out by next year. The reason? I am not bilingual. No, the reason is I am bilingual--and getting better all the time--but I remind her of the previous boss. And I could be fluent in Spanish and still not be right for her. So I am looking at options.
Summer School is over and testing cntinues. With an added bonus of testing the Kinders on entry skills as well as language. But... one more week and I will be finished for the time being.
I did another skull with wallpaper paste and glue this time. I will paint it this weekend and post. It is smaller than the others. I will need more balloons if I continue to do this project. Sculpting the paper mache has been fun for me and relazing. I need to do more to alleviate the stress. Oh! and find another job.

And another one bites the dust!

2007-07-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today I heard that another teacher--a true gem!---had been offered and accepted a job a the new magnet school. This leaves us without a sixth grade teacher and a CELDT administrator. And a personal friend. I am truly learning the need to be flexible and to be one of those "door closes, window opens" kind of people.
But... really, the art is all. I have finished another skull but will not upload yet, since i may want to tweak it a little. This one has a lot of glitter on it. And those eyelashes I got from Kelly, they're on there.
School is becoming more successful as I gain the students' trust. They are writing better all the time.
To take my mind off the impending loss of Marlene, Matt and i went to RiteAid where they had cotton candy ice cream and I had a half a scoop. It was delicious! Mood altering ice cream!
And finally, "I remain confident and unaffected by negative attitudes around me." That's my new affirmation. Does that mean my own????

Freedom?

2007-07-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

The new principal has begun to change a lot of things at school. This is somewhat upsetting to me, but since (so far) I have not been asked to move rooms or been observed, I am relieved. But paranoid!
On another subject, Matt has been here two weeks now and he is setting into the boredom. He does some chores for me every day, but it is so hot now that I feel guilty asking him to do stuff.
And in the art area, I have completed one Day of the Dead skull. I have downloaded a picture of the first one of what will be many. I certainly like doing these! The instructions are in Kathy Cano Murillo's book, La Casa Loca. Thanks, Kathy!

And More Changes

2007-06-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

We have three teachers that were told to pack up their stuff 'cause they were not being re-hired for next year. And they did. And Tuesday they were told they were coming back! Wow! How can a company do that to people? Is that the way it is in the real world????
And Matt and I had a good talk and he is coming over for the month and will stay home. He promises not to be bored or set fire to the house. I will pay him to do chores and stuff. And we will have regular outings somewhere--Not sure where yet.
Summer school is almost ready. Tomorrow is my final day to prepare. Then I intend to take the weekend off and go back on Monday to teach 2nd and 3rd grade English Learners. Today I sent out letters to the students reminding them that they need to show up at 8. There are a couple of kids and their parents who are worrisome to me, but I did teach Summer School two years ago. I hope I'm going to remember what to do! Reading, Writing, Math, right??? Lots of writing! And snacks?
I was extremely frustrated and went home on Monday and made a one page book/shrine "What Would Frida Do?--A book to replace dependence on La Virgen" Then Tuesday I made "What Would Salvador Do?" I hope to go through all my dream team members, reminding me that I have them on my side. Robert Goren is next!