pomegranate

metal dog

little green jacket

desert willow

After two years of Keith fighting off the leaf cutter ants,

our desert willow is flourishing and flowery!

new pantry

The Spring Cleaning Continues!

This used to be the game closet.

As we reorganize all the storage areas 

in and around our house, we've turned this

into a pantry, freeing up some good space in 

the kitchen and making all our rarely used 

cooking items a little more accessible.

... and a few more.

drawer labels

I made a bunch of little picture labels for Elliott's bins this week.

i said goodbye

I have this theory that life & relationships are better if we grieve our losses along the way....

Today I got rid of Elliott's tiny toddler & baby socks, which I've been hanging onto all this time (although I did save a couple).
I feel sad to lose those little feet and my part in his life where I was the one who always got him dressed and took care of his little self.
I enjoy the independence that comes from his growing capabilities, but I recognize all the departures of his growing up as a little bit closer than they were before.

banana split

Yesterday was long and tiring, but we found a good way to bring it to a close! My kids have been sick all week, and home from school. The two of them range from highly argumentative to best-friends-forever within any given morning. So it was managing that and the day's housecleaning along with my own hormonally-induced angst. And I'm not sure about Eric. He just kept coming through between work meetings looking exhausted, then tagged in to play with the kids after dinner. Finally we decided to wrap things up with a cherry on top and put everyone to bed.

just ducky

...And this is my 7-year-old
daughter's current favorite.
It's about a centimeter high,
in keeping with her love for
the teeny tiniest of things.
Its (her -- all toys are
decidedly female, regardless
of appearance) name is Ducky.

toy binoculars

I always enjoy seeing which toys my children will get attached to along the way. These plastic binoculars are the e-boy's latest favorites (pronounced "bee-noculars"). My housemate Julie picked them up for him at the grocery store last week. It seems she has an innate ability to determine what will appeal to 3-year-olds.

my nemesis

The mulberry trees are pollinating right now. They're

such atrocious allergens that it's illegal to plant them

in Arizona. And we have one in our back yard. Ah choo!

windchime

rodeo vacation

allowance day

This is my attempt at emulating alanna cavanaugh's style,
although the illustrations I saw had detailed eyes and big mouths.
I like her confident use of a few lines to convey a personality.
Oh - and we're catching up on 6 weeks of allowance.
How is it all going to fit into that little piggy?

day in bed

This is where I've spent most of the past
48 hours with my flu/cold/misery.
Thanks to my mom & my husband for taking
care of the little e so I was free to snooze at will.

birthday show

Anna and Ashton celebrated Keith's birthday
last night by giving a show on the back porch
which consisted of reenactments/re-tellings
of various Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

doodle #2

the great annual pie bake

Every year since we got married, my husband & I have held The
Great Annual Pie Bake on the night before Thanksgiving.
We eat some light, quick dinner, pop in a movie (preferably
one we've seen before or don't care about so we don't get distracted),
and pump out as many pies as possible. The first year was just
the two of us, Little Women, and 5 pies. Tonight (13 years later)
there were 20-some people, Napoleon Dynamite, and 26 pies.
The men usually run the apple peeler-corer-slicer with some help
from the kids, and my daughter makes a mad variety
of miniature pies. It's the best part of Thanksgiving!

cobalt blue

Watercolor & line. May, 2004.