Coming Soon???

I've decided to go out on a limb. I love painting. Almost all of my girlfriend's children's room are decorated with a few of my pieces. There are 4 rooms in my own house that have my stuff on the walls. I loved art in high school, but for self-esteem issues I was too afraid to pursue art in college. Right now, I am privileged with the financial freedom to give it a little time and attention. When both boys are in school I will get a real job, but for now I'm going to see what happens. Mostly just for fun. (I have at least 10 current ideas floating around in my head.) But also to have an excuse to cultivate a hobby that truly feeds my soul.

Here's a Preview. Not the best photos ever :) But you get the picture. I have a few more pieces, but don't have pics of them for some reason.

The Peacock & the Peccary-

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a Face?

Smell My Feet

Halloween is my favorite. Today was perfect! Thanks Arnetts for hosting again this year.

flying to Earth

It's official! I made my first custom Halloween costume.

About a month ago, Nathan and I were discussing the brightly colored Fall trees on the way home from preschool. I said we need to start thinking about what you want to be for Halloween. He quickly replied that he wanted to be a snowflake because he was ready for snow. I said okay. I asked again several times over the next week or so and the answer was always the same. So I got creative.

We went to the fabric store and Nathan picked out fluffy white fabric. I dug my sewing machine out and I started my trial and error. A couple weeks later we made a family trip to the Halloween store to find costumes for Mom and Dad. We found the coolest aviator goggles. We decided to incorporate them into the snowflake costume. The design continued to evolve. Now it is complete with an aviator hat and scarf. Nathan is a snowflake flying to Earth. I think it is the best costume ever!!!

One on One

Nathan loves to cook. I love to cook as well. But I especially like to cook with Nathan. Today we made lasagna. He is an expert egg breaker. Today, he mastered peeling garlic. Afterwards, we washed the dishes together. I washed and he rinsed. It was a perfect afternoon.

Car Ride

Don't let this 30 second video fool you. Zachary is not fun in the car.

Once a teacher...

Teachers of small children all know the power of the stamp. Kids loves stamps and stickers! I also know that kids love and need order and schedules. They want to know what to expect in a day and they what to know what is expected of them. The other thing smaller children really like is the feeling that they are capable and needed. If you combine these things, and you're a former teacher, you spend about an hour coming up with a behavior chart complete with picture icons.

Wow! This is the start of our second week with a behavior chart and Nathan loves it! I am once again amazed by the power of the stamp.

Note: He must earn the stamp. That PM listener is a particularly hard stamp to get. I will say that he has got it the last 2 days in a row.