fun with woodburning

                      Oh, summer...

save the date

 

So, this is what I've been up to lately.

My dear friends Layne and Mark are getting

married soon, and I had the privilege of

designing their "save the date" postcards!

Scroll down to catch a glimpse of the process.

 

 

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party time

200 water balloons + 4 pounds of bacon + 90 degree

weather (what a relief!) + one kajillion kids =

PARTAY!!!!!

Happy Birthday, little buddy!

 

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skating

My failure to blog lately has not been for lack of interesting things to

talk about, but rather for a complete lack of motivation to snap a decent

photo. Maybe one of these days soon I'll strap my camera on and get to it!

 

Anyway, in search of fun, air-conditioned exercise activities for the

kids this summer, I discovered our local roller rink's summer pass.

I love to roller skate and don't especially like to swim, so this was a

no-brainer. It has, of course, taken the three of us a little time to work

the kinks out of our process, find the right skates, etc. But we're meeting

people, getting into a rhythm, learning how to keep track of our skates,

and even figuring out how to skate backwards!!

 

In my random skate-related internet research, I came across the

skate leash. This is a strap with some sort of loop at either end

to wrap around any part of each skate (the brake, wheels, etc.)

for easy towing. I figured out how to make my own rather than

shell out the $20 they want online, and I'll post a tutorial on it soon.

Maybe you need one, too!

 

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back from vacation

 

We spent last week in Carlsbad, California enjoying the

60-something degree weather, the beach, and a cutesie

little beach town with plenty of coffee and ice cream shops

(sometimes combined -- what could be better?!).

 

The week largely felt like this.

We are back now, to the 100+ heat, but fully enjoying being home.

The skating starts today, and the bumming around with friends.

Ah, summer.

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redecorating: room 1

 We have been dancing our way through room redecorating 

this spring. The kids are shifting into new rooms, 

and it's been many years since the last fresh coat of paint. 

So it's up with the linoleum and down with the concrete stain.

 The kids got to pick their accent colors,

and Elliott went for teal.

We also put in a few functional accents, like hooks

for all the bags; a hamper that has a handle and wheels (!);

chalkboard paint on one of the walls; and a magnet board.

Ashton's room is up next, with pictures coming soon!

snow? yes, please.

It's snowing in Tucson, which hardly ever happens.

Totally.

Magical.

 

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roll it, roll it, roll it...

We have been angling to repaint the interior

of our house for several years now. However,

we were waiting around for sufficient funds to

kick the whole thing out at once as well as

an end to the Leaky Roof Situation of '98.

With these things recently resolved and the

kids in the midst of bedroom shuffling, we

decided that it was high time to do away with

the purple ceilinged coffee room, the green

ceilinged hallway/kitchen, all the random murals

and even the orange, purple and blue everything else.

As the seventeen-year-old of the house says,

"You guys are moving on to

the old folk's home stage of life."

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washing makeup brushes

So... did you know that makeup brushes are

supposed to be washed prior to their first use?

And then, I guess, on a fairly regular basis after that.

Well, I hardly ever wear makeup, but being

an artist I'm always glad for the right tool

to do any job. So here are some of my new

makeup brushes. They're super soft,

and I'm looking forward to giving them a whirl.

But first I decided to give them a wash.

Apparently, you just have to dampen the hairs,

swirl them around in a mild soap (I used baby soap)

in your palm, and then rinse thoroughly, all

while keeping them pointed down-ish so as not to

get water inside the metal ferrule. Shape them

and dry flat on a towel. Once dry, give 'em a fluff,

and they're good to go! I was quite surprised how

much they acted just like paint brushes, but I

guess that's really what they are. So if you

haven't washed your makeup brushes in a while,

give it a go! They'll be glad you did.

 

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closet renovations

Well, for some reason, Eric and I decided

that we had to remodel our closet.

Two weeks before Christmas.

So this has been my scene lately. It's

astonishing how much stuff we had managed to

cram in there. In the past two days, we have

displaced all closet contents, sorted through

(and given or thrown away bucketloads of) them,

reorganized our clothes into drawers and baskets

so that we only have one small section on hangers,

painted the entire closet, built shelves, and

moved what's left back into the closet. Today we'll

put together a desk so all office-related tasks

can happen comfortably in the now super-cute closet.

I'm not sure why these sorts of events have

to happen at the most inopportune of times.

Perhaps it's because there never actually is a

right time for any sort of upheaval.

Plus, who doesn't love a good deadline?

And on we go with life.

 

 

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picture day

The monastery I went to last weekend has a bevy of

peafowl (did you know that only the males are

referred to as peacocks?). More to come on that.

Today I am spending a ridiculous amount of time

getting my family ready for a photo shoot.

As I do this, I realize just how rarely we all

get spiffed up at the same time. Tucson is

a very casual place, and even at formal events

there will be a full spectrum of attire,

from shorts to dress gowns. For the four of us,

even the weekly Sunday worship service

(which in many families might motivate synchronized

spiffiness) is very casual. We often wear what

we would any other day, unless one of us

decides to attempt a fashion statement.

But more likely than not, another of us will be

shoe-free within ten minutes of entering

the building. So I am in the throes of making

sure all four of us are freshly bathed with

proper outfits washed and ironed for this

highly unusual occurance.

 

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we're going solar!

 I can't tell you how excited I am to see my squatty, terra cotta colored
house develop this odd, space-aged exoskeleton on top.
I have dreamt for many years of installing solar panels to replace
our dependence on the electric grid -- not so much because I'm a
particularly "green" person, although I do believe we should participate
in managing God's resources and creation well. Not altogether because
of the potential cost savings, although that is becoming more desperately
motivating of late with our already high (think nine people under two coolers
washing dishes and clothes while using their various computer-based
technologies and eating food out of three refrigerators) electric bill
unexpectedly increasing by 25 percent this year. I mostly have always
thought solar is a great idea because I live in a desert. Tucson gets 350+
days of sunshine every year. Why not get something out of that?!?
It just makes sense.
However, when I looked into solar a few years ago, the cost of purchase
and installation alone would have taken 70 years to equal the amount
saved on electric bills. There is more of an infrastructure for these things
now, and perhaps with more supply and developing technology, costs are
coming down. That and my housemate works for the county and was able
to get in on a lease agreement where we are likely to cut our energy
bills in half while paying for the use and upkeep of the equipment
over a 20 year period. Hooray to that! The big switchover happens
next Wednesday. I'm not sure what to expect at that point. I guess I'll
just be eagerly awaiting the upcoming electric bills to see what's changed.
I'll keep you posted!

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collage stage completed

 

... acrylics come next.

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making a mess... finally!

I recently borrowed the book Layered Impressions, by Katie Kendrick,

from the library. I'm trying to work my way through some of the exercises

before I return it. The first exercise is a collage-based painting that calls

for stacks of light, medium, and dark bits pulled from magazines.

I'll post updates as I (hopefully!) progress through the book's ideas.

Oh, and as for the fruit flies, they've moved on.

I guess the soap wasn't the main attraction!

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before and after

 

Eric and I spent the last part of the summer (I know --

it's still August. But school started on the 2nd, so summer's OVER

already. Can you believe it?!) giving our bathroom a makeover.

We tore up linoleum, painted the concrete, put in new baseboards,

painted walls and cabinets, and replaced most of the fixtures & towels.

We're really enjoying the renewed space. Yay!

Have you done any renovation projects lately?

 

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corvallis highlights

 

Here is a small sampling of things we enjoyed in Corvallis.

First off, I may have mentioned that the park was just minutes

from the house we were staying in. We played a lot of basketball.

There was a cherry tree in the back yard.

A cherry tree!

We headed out for coffee most days (where the kids opted for mango

smoothies) and played board games a lot -- mostly Ticket to Ride.

We headed to downtown Corvallis several times for shopping

(the kids discovered a rock shop that needed multiple explorations),

and for eating pizza, hot dogs, and gelato.

 

There was also the beauty of walks and drives in the rain,

the sound of rain on skylights in the middle of the night,

spending time with friends from home while away from home,

listening to dance mix late at night on long stretches of road,

watching more movies than usual, and the quirkiness of

cooking for four. All in all, it was very quiet, restful, and refreshing!

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home again, home again, jiggity jig

After a beautiful time away (more to come on that!), and a 3-day road trip

back through the redwood forest and the central California coast, we arrived

to Tucson in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. This photo takes place

in front of one of the massive trees we drove past. Just standin' there on the

side of the road!! The road, in fact, was nestled into this magical forest glade,

where moss or clovers were clinging to every surface. Moments from this spot,

the trees gave way to reveal the ocean, and then back into the woods again.

That was just day one! Anyway, we absorbed a great deal of beauty

and were greeted by rain upon our return, which reminded us of the

beauty of our home in spite of this month's 100+ degree weather.

I'm grateful for the trip, and it's good to be home.

 

on song

We're absorbing a lovely dose of rain this week in the Northwest,

restoring our spirits for an impending return to the desert heat.

One of the ideas that emerged from the recent sermon series on Hebrews

at The Village was that of knowing our calling so we would not drift away

from Christ & the true gospel. The idea here was not the general calling of

people who follow Christ, although the Bible certainly says a lot about this.

What we were looking to do was to know our individual callings, as found

in answer to such questions as the following: what are my spiritual gifts?

what was it about God that I most loved when I first met Him? how did He

awaken my heart? what am I doing when I feel most connected to God?

If our salvation is the source of our calling, as Paul's was, then we should listen

back to the initial call of Christ we heard and find our vocation. From that we can

tell our story and proclaim the truth about God's grace to us.

Hebrews 2:1, "We must pay the most careful

attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

Our task as a church was to help each other diagnose this root of salvation

and what it might look like to live it out, turning away from disbelief.

This led to a string of exciting conversations for me, as I had opportunity

to explore my own life and the beauty to which God was inviting my friends.

The interesting thing that surfaced in many of these conversations, and in

conversations in different contexts as well, is how many people have

experienced passion for God through music -- as children or teenagers,

in groups or alone, through dancing or singing or playing an instrument.

Most of the friends I talked with about this were unsure of how to proceed

with this aspect of their calling. Many of them had completely discarded or

sidelined it. They don't seem to be in a place to perform in public settings or

to be part of leading music on a large scale. Does their musical

past lead to the present? Is it something to offer other people, or did

God give it to them primarily for connecting with Him in an intimate way?

These are questions I have been asking as the leader of bands at

The Village. I wonder what my role might be in helping people integrate

the musical part of their vocation into their lives and maybe more into

the community at large.

 
 

week 2

Eric and Ashton have been feeling crummy all week.

We finally went to urgent care yesterday to find out that Eric

has strep throat!! Looks like Ashton might have the same thing --

they said that kids often test negative at first and then show up

positive the next day. After 12 hours on antibiotics, they're looking

much perkier. In spite of the malaise, it's been a restful week of

beauty. The weather is similar Tucson in February (just greener!).

I'm currently reading King's Cross by Tim Keller and the 2nd book of the

Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. We've been getting remarkably

little done on book writing and other accomplishments, which we're okay with --

I think this part of the summer is about recovery & reorientation.

So, we've watched movies (saw Madagascar 3 in the theater -- it was hi-lar-ious),

played basketball, sat in coffee shops, gone thrifting, and taken long naps. Yum!