failure to commit

save me

I've seen lately how I have a penchant for getting off track in 

my thinking and not even noticing until I'm quite lost.

[Sharpie Marker & Poster Paint on Cardboard]

hanging papers

I have these big rolls of paper: one is white

butcher block for the kids to draw on or

for under painty projects. The other is kraft/

mailing wrap, which Eric bought me on a date

at an office supply store (so romantic! Really!).

And here's the little hanging system I devised out

of dowels and wire so they can stay accessible

and out of the way at the same time!

In the closet of creativity, of course. 

columbine

cilantro

Fresh from the garden! 

Turns out cilantro grows great in Arizona soil;

we harvested a batch and made tasty salsa.

maximizing the space

Now to organize (and redistribute) all this stuff and more!

Turns out there's a lot of stacking space between the shelf and the ceiling...
if you can cram everything into the right containers.

new closet of craftiness

Eric and I spent yesterday painting the storage closet, 

which used to be a grayish seafoam green color 

that was there when we bought the house 11 years 

ago. The above picture just doesn't adequately 

capture the depressing capacity of this hue.

We repainted it into a very pale tan called ginger root,

which reflects light so much better -- it is, after all, a 

closet. And having moved all the storage items elsewhere,

we're in the process of moving in art supplies, craft bins,

and sewing stuff. It will be the sewing & crafting nook.

How exciting! Also, as you can see in this photo, there's

a shelf where things-which-must-be-plugged-in can remain

plugged in, and the power strip can just be flipped on or off.

Below this shelf is a 6-foot long table, so everything's 

easily accessible. I just can't wait to use it! 

leaf

handmade dishcloths

For some reason, the idea of handmade dishcloths has 

come up a lot lately. I think it started in a discussion I had

with a friend about how each person seems to have different

kitchen-cleaning tools and preferences. There's the sponge, 

the dishcloth, the scrubby sponge, the plastic mesh scrubby, etc.

 I like to use scrubby sponges (yellow sponge w/ green scrub)

for washing dishes and use dishcloths for wiping down counters.

As I was getting ready to knit up some dishcloths but couldn't

find my knitting needles, another friend told me she had just

learned to crochet them. So I tried that instead. 

Turns out you can crochet them about any which 

way you want as long as you use COTTON yarn. 

It's way more absorbent than acrylic. And also much 

harder to find. But it has a nice, natural feel to it.

easter is a'comin'

Eric and I had a great time designing these little

cards (w/ maps on the back) to invite people to

the Village Easter celebration & soup supper.

You'll notice I copied Elliott from this sketch.

another rainy day!

 

It's been raining around here A LOT lately,

and we're loving it. The girls immediately 

popped out of bed this morning when they

heard it was raining. And this is what Ashton

came out in: her hooded coat with a cardigan

underneath, a long-sleeve double-layer shirt, 

two pairs of pants, and her shoes & socks.

The clincher was the iridescent Spidey 

sunglasses -- "to keep the rain out of my eyes."

allergy shots

 

Although my daughter is on a monthly allergy shot regimen, 

this year has been so crazy with all of our sicknesses that when 

we went in yesterday it had been a full two months since her last shot. 

My apologies for the Teesha Moore facial feature rip-off here --

I'm still playing with her fun drawing lesson as I work out 

my own figure drawing style. Also, Ashton was NOT excited

to be represented with short hair. But I have... THE POWER!!!!

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha  (evil villanous laughter echoes on as I fly 

away in a chartreuse cape with markers of destruction in hand).

time to sit

I "presented" my Philosophy of Training Children at Moms' Group 

yesterday. Figuring out my philosophy turned out to be 

an incredible challenge, so most of my creative energies 

have gone that direction for the past few days. I'm glad, though, to

have these ideas down.  Now I can see if I actually live them out!!

By the way, here's the story on the See's Candies: 

My dad gave me a box of See's for Valentine's Day, as is his annual 

tradition (isn't that ADORABLE!?).  I had my eye on one particular

candy that I was going to save for last -- the marshmallow caramel.

My husband, however, accidentally chowed it down. 

So the See's candy in the drawing is the box of *just* 

chocolate-covered caramels and marshmallow caramels that he 

bought for me as a super-duper replacement. Thanks, Schmookie!