FUTURE DREAMING

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look out our big front windows and think of how blessed we are to live in such a place. We're situated on a mountainside above a river with amazing views of the mountains all around.

That's us under the arrow!

These 2 pics were taken on a hike across the valley-this is the view of the end of the valley.

Our little house is warm, cozy, eclectic, inviting -a real "lived in" place full of the treasures that symbolize each of us and our lives together. But this house aint practical!!!! There's NO storage space -we got stuff stuffed in places you wouldn't imagine! I'm the type that hates to see stuff like food and other sundries lying around sticking out on shelves, cds and dvds stacked all over....I just want to see furniture, plants, and art. Our treasures! And we have no dinning room. We gave that to Lo. It's a cute tiny room..for NOW, but when she gets older? How are we gonna cram a twin sized bed in there? There's no closet or shelves! We have a big island in our kitchen where we eat, but as far as entertaining? That's a real pain in the ass. We LOVE havin friends over and can't wait to finally have a big dinning room and table to seat a bunch of folks in for feasts!

Believe me, I stand here knowing how fortunate we are to have this place...and I lOVE it! But it also drives me nuts!

We are planning to build an addition next summer. Two new floors above the garage. A dinning room/sitting room/pantry on the first and the second floor will be the new master bedroom (Walk-in closet here I come!!!!!!!!)-Dea will get our old one and Lo will move on up to Dea's old room. A little more space, less clutter, more of an opportunity to live eco friendly. We plan to design with passive solar heating and cooling in mind and add a wind turbine for power. Room to breathe....

I had always envisioned designing my own home one day and was looking forward to putting together some sketches of my ideas for this future addition. Here's a very basic idea I came up with for the addition:

(HA! I'm so embarrassed!)

Hello! NOT to scale!

However, I have no clue about the technicalities of architecture, engineering, and the like. All I can do is put down on paper what flows out of my right brain. So unfortunately, my sketches are completely specious. There are so many variables to take into consideration when building. Mainly, where is all the snow on the roof going to go? While I enjoyed expressing myself with the sketches, the guys looked at them and were like,"uhhhhhhh. No." Red faced and nose out of joint I took my damn base sketch and tucked it away. "The guys" meaning Huz and our neighbors, Darren and his son Levi. Levi had known about our plans for the addition and in March asked if he could help develop some blueprints for a CAD/mentorship class he was taking. We said "sure"! So he and Huz did some exploring and measurement taking and a few weeks later Levi presents his plans. Right after I sketched mine. They weren't like mine. At all. My sketches sucked but, oh, what was floating there in my head! But as Levis plans were explained I realized mine just weren't practical or logical. Those pesky variables and all.

Levi's plans have grown on me since then. Here is our humble abode(2 pics stuck together. DAMN I can't wait to get a wide angle lens. I could have backed up more but I'd have been in the brush and, well, you know, the bear and all...) and Levis plans underneath. Compare and contrast:

And I was kidding about the bear. Really, I didn't want to get my jammie bottoms wet.

front and back of new addition

side views

To clarify, there will be a breezeway connecting the house to the addition.

Now that I understand his plans more and have come to terms with the fact the our existing house is already wacky enough, there just aren't that many ways we can build this addition! Levi's plans look..weird. But then again, this is ALASKA! The place of houses covered in ty-vec that go unfinished for decades. The land of the zainiest and most esthetically incorrect homes. The bastion of houses that had no place to go but UP so... the existing home is literally jacked up and the new first floor -and sometimes a second as well- is built underneath it. We call that architecture the "milk carton" look. So.. we'll have a madcap home- Levi's plans being the base of it all. Mind you , Levi is 17 and a junior in high school. As much as I always wanted to be the Ultimate Creator of my home, I also think it would be seriously cool and just..special... to use the plans developed by our 17 year old neighbor who we think is just such an awesome young man. And we're proud of his work.

The inside of the addition? I'M claiming that territory, man! I've already begun peeing on the deck, from which those two new floors will be erected!

ARTE y PICO!- and a fun time is had by all at New York Life!

WOW. I have been blessed in the blogosphere-on many different levels-this past week and was very touched and honored to receive this award from DAWN at Renaissance Mama. I greatly respect and admire Dawn. Within her blog I have found so much inspiration and food for thought, as well as an appreciation for the wonderful life that she builds and weaves around her family. I am grateful that she shares her invaluable perspective and experiences! Thanks so much, Dawn! Sharon, an incredibly gifted artist and writer from One Small Square also gave me this award! Thanks to you, too, Sharon!

Here are the rules of the award:

1) Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award which is here: Arte y Pico

The blogs I have chosen are ones that I am incredibly grateful for and blessed to have found. My choices for the Arte y Pico award are:

1. Living Joyfully with what is- Go, NOW, and read this woman's uplifting, inspiring, and paradigm shifting blog.

"We all face challenges, and all of us have the capacity to embrace these challenges, to see the lessons in them, to act with love and acceptance, and to embrace our lives with joy."

Joyous Judy is an amazing and prolific writer who was diagnosed this past summer with multiple myeloma. At first, when I heard of her blog, I thought,"RUN! it's another scary and sad blog about cancer!", but I braved her first post and was gripped. She experiences her illness with such bravery, open mindedness, and gratitude. Her writings of her personal experiences with the universe and all it's synchronicity are touching me on such a deep level and I thirst for every new post. I am very grateful to Judy for her eye opening insight. Her blog is fairly new so I suggest starting from the beginning and working your way through enlightenment.

2. This is my body, this is my blood-Eldonna is an excellent thought provoking writer and a sister in bodywork! Her posts often "stick with me" for a day or three after reading them. She is the author of 2 journaling books-definitly on my wishlist!-and is currently writing a novel. Although Eldonna has been blogging for a few years, her's is another blog to read from the beginning!!! I'm working my way through it now. Here's her description of this incredibly well written blog:

"I initially created This is My Body, This is My Blood to open an honest dialogue between my mind and its ongoing relationship with this body as we lean closer to the fifty-year mark. Over time, the blog has evolved from a log of physiological and emotional changes, to a place for reflection on life as a woman, a mother, a lover, a sister, a daughter, a writer, and a massage therapist. My hope is this site will inform and entertain, while also serving as a forum for readers with similar interests and challenges."

3. Child's Play-This clever, wanderlusting and funny Mom brings a smile to my face as she shares her life. What stands out for me in this blog is that she experiences the same craziness and stress that we all do-but portrays it through such wonderful humor. In situations where I would be overloaded and crabby, she is able to use hilarious dialogue and witty comedic insight. Her blog is a daily reminder for me to remember to stop find the HUMOR in daily life when things get stressful. About:

"There’s me; homeschoolin’, soapmakin’, fun havin’, trip plannin’ mom… a rather random and ’big picture’ individual who manages to homeschool and run my own company without a lot of the ‘little picture’ details that hubby swears would make my life a lot more orderly. I am the Oscar to his Felix. So here’s my family’s journey with dyslexia, giftedness, homeschooling, & living life well, and a list of books, games, CD’s, and movies that we recommend for everyone!"

4. Collecting leaves .....and other little experiences-This post sums up this creatively written and beautifully photographed blog by Ladybug-zen, an American ex-pat living in Japan with her Australian husband and their children:

"minutia. One of the many things i've learned from my wee little teachers is how absolutely essential it is to throw oneself with passion and fervor into the mundane...to revel unabashedly, unapologetic in the ordinary of the everyday."

Enjoy this collection of musings and life shared by this stay-at-home mom with a penchant for picture taking.

5. Crafty Crow- Here is a collection-added to almost daily- of the Best of the Best crafts, games, recipes, and educational activities found in the blogoshpere. I have found SO MANY wonderful things on this blog to incorporate into the activities Lo and I do. There's even stuff there that Dea has enjoyed doing! Bella Dia says, "I'm a single, stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of three. I was an education major in college, taught preschool for many years, have been a Girl Scout troop leader, camp counselor, and have taught a variety of crafty classes to many different ages. Even now I have my own business designing and selling pretty things for people to love and have contributed patterns to multiple craft books. I guess this is all a long way of saying: crafting and kids are a huge part of my life and I love it!

THANK YOU winners and know that this woman is indebted to you on many levels....


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NEW YORK LIFE(Huz's work) knows how to throw a family Kick-off party!

CAKE! (Dea's)

Karaoke!

Face painting!

Wrastlin'!

Dancin'!

And no NYL party is complete without the DANCE-OFF! This one featuring NINO! from Nino's Italian Eatery!

Go Nino, go Nino!!!!

What the..?!?!?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVELY DEA!!!! ...Her Rainbow Bridge story...and the winner is...

My girlie is an official teenager!

Dea turned 13 today! She has been so excited for this birthday!!!! We were all up until midnight working on her birthday cake with her best friend, K. It was the first time she had been awake to see in her birthday day.



We'll be taking the cake to Huz's boss's annual kick-off BBQ(It's raining. swell) and in a couple weeks when her other BFF gets back from vacation we'll celebrate again and camp over night at Eklutna Lake. They will have their own camp site and Huz, Lo and I will get one nearby.

My sweet girlie~

I can’t believe that little baby that I first saw through the nursery window with her Daddy standing above her, protecting-whose wondrousness made me cry with joy- is already13 years old. It’s scary how fast time goes by when you are a parent. I’ve watched you grow from a smiley joyful baby,

to a smiley, joyful, inquisitive, bright, loving, funny, girl,

to a smiley, joyful, inquisitive, bright, loving, funny, responsible, maturing, moral, silly teen.

I am so proud of you and who you are becoming. And although there are bumps in every parent/child relationship(the Universe’s plan for both parent and child to learn from and teach one another) You, as well as Willa, have been the mirrors in which I see myself-the best parts and not so best parts-and that, along with my unending love for you is what pushes me to always try to be the best parent I can be. (How’s that for a run-on sentence!!) I’m so very proud and honored to be Dea's Mommy.
What a great time to celebrate the awe-inspiring creative force that is manifesting within you! This time in your life is when the heart awakens into a deeper feeling life, and your emerging “adult” begins looking into the larger world to sense the individual destiny that awaits, beyond the immediate family. You start looking at the world to see what the future holds for you as a women/grown up ~~~ your awakening dreams have a place in the world! Don't worry-you have plenty of time yet to learn everything you need to know. And there is so much! Later you will surely grow into a wise woman.

I love you so much, my big girl, that it takes my breath away sometimes.

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* Sharpie Tie-dyes! The finished product! (Lo can't decide if they are flowers, lollipops, or fireworks.)

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** I was so touched by all the loving comments regarding my Tuesday rant that I decided to just put ALL the names of the commenters in a hat(box, actually).... And the winner is...............

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Contact me! There'a faux croc comin yer way!

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DEA' s RAINBOW BRIDGE STORY:

(Some of the illustrations for her book can be found HERE)

High up in Heaven in a place that angles call home, there once lived a heavenly child. This little angel went forth happily exploring her heavenly home. She gazed at the beautiful colors and listened to the lovely music of the angels. She loved to leap high and fall into the big puffy clouds. Most of all she was passionate about gathering up as much love and light as she could as she went about. Then one day as the little angel flew from star to star collecting warmth and light, the clouds of heaven parted below her. The angel saw the most beautiful sight-a round, green and blue jewel below! But just when she wanted to see more, the clouds came together again. She called out to her guardian angel and told her of what she had seen. You have seen the earth, “said the guardian angel. “May I go down there?”, asked the little angel . Her guardian angel replied, “Yes you may, but it is not yet the right time.” So the little angel went on about her work amongst the clouds and stars.

Sometime later on earth a woman and a man were dreaming of a baby. The guardian angel saw their dreams and went to the little angel who was longing to come to Earth. Her angel showed her the earth once again. This time she saw children climbing trees, running and jumping in the meadows, swimming in the ocean and walking in the warm sand or the crunchy leaves. There were butterflies visiting flowers and birds flying in the air. There were fish swimming in the sea and many different stones and plants covering the earth. It was all so beautiful!
She saw all the earthly people playing and doing their work. Some were farmers, builders or bakers; and still others were teachers, artists, or shopkeepers. So many people! She saw mothers and fathers caring for their children.

Then suddenly she saw a lovely town nestled amongst majestic mountain ranges. When she looked closer, she saw a man playing his guitar in the sunshine. He was a kind and musical man who loved the gifts of the earth and cared for nature with a big heart. He had a big smile that lit up her own heart. “What a wonderful Daddy he would be!”, said the little angel. The guardian angel knew then that it was time for the little angel to go and share the love she had gathered. “But first you will have to find a mother, as well.” The guardian angel was very wise and although it would be up to the little angel to decide, the guardian knew who that mother would be. The little angel looked lovingly at the man in the mountains again. She also saw two figures standing nearby, but they seemed blurry. The little angel could tell that they were female but could not quite make out their features. Although she could not see them well, she could see a colorful aura extending from each woman, connecting to the man. Then she felt her own loving aura extending out to all three people. Confused, she turned to her guardian angel. “I don’t understand” she said. “There are three”.
“Yes.”, said her guardian angel,” for you will have two mothers. The first is able to give you your first life and unlock the rainbow bridge for you to come to Earth. However, she is unable to give you the love and guidance you need in life. Your second mother who will first be your Auntie and spirit mother will be right there with you on Earth, loving you from the day you arrive. She will be ready in a few years to give you your mothering and guidance in life. The little angel saw that mother then, and it was as if she could feel that mother holding her arms out and saying, “please come and be my child!” This mother was a loving and creative person with a giving heart and embracing arms. The little angel almost burst with the all love they had to offer! She whispered to them,”I want to be with you!” Then the little angel turned to her guardian with a wide smile and said, ”They should be my parents! Oh, how I want to go to them!” “First, you must come with me to prepare for your long journey over the Rainbow Bridge to the Earth.”

Together, they went to the house of the sun. It was there that the little angel received the gift of courage, which was placed under her heart. Next, they visited the house of the star and she was given the gift of wisdom, which was placed under the soles of her feet. It was from the house of the moon that she received the gift of the twinkle in her eye so that she might always see the humor in life. And so, the guardian angel told the child that it was time to go. “The gifts you have received from the sun, the stars and the moon will help you with the work you have chosen to do on the Earth. Now you are ready and I shall accompany you on your journey! ”

The little angel felt a bit anxious about leaving her wonderful heavenly home but with courage in her heart and her angel by her side, they travelled over the Rainbow Bridge that stretched forth from heaven to earth.

It was a summer morning and everyone was waiting at the hospital for her to arrive. And then…a little baby was born upon the earth into the strong loving arms of her Daddy. The little baby opened her eyes and saw everyone for the first time. “My little baby” said Daddy. “Your name is Dea, for that is the most perfect name for you.” And so, the little angel received her first gift on the earth, the gift of her name. Her Daddy bathed her and sang to her and stayed right by her side.
Everyone was filled with elation! Mommy felt the love that the angel had sent forth as she looked at Dea for the first time through the glass of the nursery. Tears of joy welled in her eyes. She could see tears in the eyes of Daddy who was standing right by Dea. And their auras grew strong and bright. Dea looked around with bright eyed wonder. Soon, she was taken home, and with everyone went a feeling of warmth and joy.

Many loved ones came to see the new baby! Granma R and Grandpa W, Grammie, Leslie and her friend Lisa, her Auntie RunninL8, and more....
Baby Dea began to grow and was constantly amazing her family. She was a happy active baby who smiled and smiled. She was also a very quiet baby, watching the world around her, absorbing all the wondrous new experiences. She learned many things. First she rolled on the floor, and then crawled and then walked! She even grew some teeth! She ate yummy food like Daddy’s muffins! She enjoyed her favorite toys Baby, Baboo, pots and pans and her doggie ATTU! Dea loved to spend time playing on the floor with her Daddy and her Auntie RunninL8 who loved her very much. For a bond was made in heaven between them, and her Auntie would someday become her mother. Dea also loved all the gifts of the earth and enjoyed being outside walking, exploring, and learning, eating veggies from the garden and going to the Farmer’s Market on her Daddy’s shoulder’s.

And so the bright hot days of summer came once again and it was Dea’s first birthday. It had been one year since the little angel crossed the rainbow bridge and was born upon the earth.
And now, today, 13 candles will be lit to celebrate the birth of Dea, who loves to share her light and her love-brightening up our days. 13 candles for Dea’s 13th Birthday!

DA BEARZ!

I've taken a break from alternating between bashing my own head with a frying pan and flushing it in the toilet, to post. Has anyone ever felt the indescribable guilt, helplessness, and..I can't even find a third word to describe....unintentionally hurting your kid?

Yesterday I accidentally discharged a blast of pepper spray into the air and it blew onto Lo.

Let's backtrack:
Tuesday evening. I'm sitting on the potty doin' my bidness and I hear...something...fall down/ crash? Maybe from downstairs or outside?

"What was that?!", I yell out.

"I don't knoooooooow!", Dea sing-songs.

Back door is opened...And immediately slammed shut!

"Black bear in the back yard!!!!!!" ,Dea is shouting. "By the back door!!"

I cut myself off midstream -girls can do that, ya know!-and barely have my jeans pulled up as I burst through the bathroom door to look out the back door window. Of course I missed him. He took off when Dea "scared" him. The crash was our overturned recycle bin for the "CANS". We picked them up making note that we really need to clean them out more thoroughly with soap and water before throwing them in the bin. Dea banged some pots and we all yelled just to be sure he was gone. It was like New Years Eve 1979.

"Mommy? You have a little wet spot on your pants!"

After my shower we resumed watching The Big Lebowski(One of my top 5 favs!).

When it ended , before going to bed we took a peek outside. To secure the perimeter, if you will. Now the bin was in shreds and the cans are back out all over the ground. We put the other bins in the garage.

Goes to show you what a great home theater system we have! Never heard a thing while a black bear was Go 2 Sleep-ing our CAN bin. The upsetting thing is that he came back so soon after we made a ruckus the first time. And then returned the next day while I was at work. Lo was at a friends but Dea was home and called huz to tell him that she saw the bear heading up into the back yard. Then she saw him again going down the driveway. And where the hell is my dog during all of this?!?!? Oh, well. The guy's old. Moose walk buy him and he doesn't care. Just lies there with one eye open.

Yesterday was the first time since I've lived here that I ever felt like I had to look both ways before venturing from the house. And it was the first time I ever carried the pepper spray to walk down the street. And that really sucks. But, realistically, as far as neighborhood bears go, there are more urban areas like Anchorage that get far more visits then we do. Despite the fact that we live up in the Chugach range, right in bear country. I guess there is more to attract them in urban places. Namely, trash. Many people up in our valley don't have cans full of trash at the end of their driveway just calling to the bears. We haul it down to the landfill ourselves.

I really do not want to live in fear of wild life here. I'm thinking that this new trepidation is a result of all the bears we encountered at the Russian River(scroll to bottom). Dea has pics and video of a few more that she took when she stayed a couple extra days to camp with our neighbors. Then there was that mama moose who charged Lo, her friend, L, and I a couple weeks ago.

And the fact that despite the noise and activity, they all still hung around. It gets scary when these animals are desensitized to humans. That mama moose has been bringing her babies to our property for a few years now. We call her scarface due to the long scar on her side. Why scar"FACE", I dont know.
When she charged us the kids and I had been up in the playgarden screaming, yelling, laughing... We had walked over to examine a cluster of alder about 20 feet from the playgarden. I had noticed that a lot of bark had been stripped off by moose. The kids were climbing on the branches when I turned to get my camera by the swing set. There was mama and baby walking toward us! And she wanted to pass that cluster of alder for some reason. I slowly sidestepped back into the cluster of branches-I saw the ears go back- I grabbed a kid under each arm and pushed as far back into the branches as I could as she charged forward.

(I later took this picture to show our vantage point)

She stopped and I whispered for the kids to not move or make a sound. I could feel their little hearts beating in my hands. Usually, if you can't run from a moose you raise up as BIG as you can , flail your arms, and holler at it. There was nowhere to run but my gut told me not to play big. Just then , Niko the hero dog, made his appearance. Remember that big muscled bulldog from Buggs Bunny? The way his little stick lower legs carried that big upper body as he strutted around? That was Niko. He was like,"Yo! Scarface! What the HELL do you think you're doing to my people?" Mama hunkers down and just bores past the alder chasing Niko into the neighbor's yard. Baby runs off in the opposite direction. Great. We wait for Mama to come back past the alder to seek out her little one and then we exit, stage left.

So now it's yesterday and Dea has to walk down the street to the neighbors to water their flowers while they are away. Poor kid is all creeped out now so Lo and I and the bear spray accompany her. My big mistake was taking the safty clip off the "trigger" of the bear spray. While Dea waters, Lo and I run and dance on the grass. Niko shows up to join us for some "chase me- I'm a puppy still!". I'm chasing him when my foot slips on the wet grass. The bear spray, which I'm still holding with finger at the ready, shoots off a blast as my hands clench in reaction to bracing my fall. Only a millisecond but enough to belch forth a red cloud. It shot out in the opposite direction from Lo who was standing about 15 feet away. But it was really windy and blew it back at us. I imediatly yelled a bunch of stuff like"Lo! Close your eyes tight NOW! Close your mouth! Run to Dea! Put your hands over your face!" Too late. As I'm steering her toward Dea and the hose, she's screaming. She got just enough to burn her eyes, mouth and skin. She's coughing and panicking. I grab the hose and am shocked that Lo is totally willing to open her eyes and let me spray her face. It was horrible. Not only was she hurting and panicked, but dumbfounded and PISSED! Between screams and me pulling her dress off she forced out,"you didn't have to do that!" and,"you could have waited for me and Dea to go inside!" My heart was just crushed. I wanted to dig a hole and bury my head in it. I caused my little girl to be hurting and frightened. I feel sick just writing about this. I told her over and over that I didn't mean it, it was an accident, I was so sorry, Mommy would NEVER EVER hurt you on purpose. I wrapped her in my coat as we waited for Dea to come back with the keys. We took her inside the neighbor's house and got her in the shower. Dea pointed out the number on the bear spray to call if someone gets hit with it by accident. We switch and I go call the fucktard of the century. After a hundred years of waiting for this hick

to get his shite together, he basically tells me exactly what it says on the can. Oh, and "Well, at least you know the stuff works on little girls!"

I shite you NOT.

Meanwhile, super big sister has calmed Lo down and has her laughing. I take over and finish up. I wrap her in a warm towel and hold her my arms, apologizing. Lo tells me "You didn't mean to, Mommy. It was an accident." And I'm just bawling. My Dea tells me it's OK and puts her arms around me. Lo tilts my head to give me a kiss on the forehead. We pack up and head home.

ALWAYS keep the saftey clip on the trigger.

We've have always been very respectful of the moose in our yard and exercised a healthy caution for both moose and bears when outside. Watching quietly from a safe distance-NEVER feeding. Now I need to do a little research and find out if it's just better to scare them when we see them(from a safe distance , of course. Like, from the kitchen window!). What we WILL do is have a family sit down and re-teach and discuss bear and moose behavior, what to do if encountering them, and what precautions to take to be safe when out on the property. It looks like we may have to whack down all the long grasses and fireweed out back. That would be so sad but moose sometimes make their beds out there-you'll find a big flattened spot like a mini crop-circle. The kids have always liked to lay down in them. And, a bear could sit unseen but very close by. We'll have to wait and see. We've got a dialogue going with all the neighbors so we can keep abreast of bear travel . We'll check out the property for bear scat and beds to determine if this bear is a "nuisance bear" warranting "relocation" or just a guy passing through to the next valley where the Salmon are. Should we just move? Hell no. Why should we? To only replace this kind of danger with some other kind of danger? You're immune to it NOWHERE. I won't live in fear, just caution and we will teach our kids the same. Wildlife is part of our world. One of the many reasons we live here in this magnificent place.

~sigh~It's been one HELL of a week yet, huh?!!

PLAYING CATCH-UP

Well, now that I've sullied my blog...let's clean it up a bit!
(and again, thanks for seeing me through yesterday's BS.)

BREATHE

We had the pleasure of spending some time on a couple lakes over the 4th weekend. On the 4th we went to a rather surreal party thrown by one of Huz's clients. Really nice people with a house on Horseshoe Lake-a very strange group of party goers, though(the Client's employees). For a "Family Party" there was a lot of cussin', drinkin', folks missing teeth, and big gals showing more soiled brazziere then tank-top. Didn't stay long! We enjoyed a canoe trip to explore the lake and for a Forth of July weekend it was surprisingly calm! Huz's client mentioned having some other property on the lake though, so we may be talking about purchasing some. I would love to spend some weekends on WATER.

We are here up in the gorgeous mountains but I do miss the water. Especially the ocean. Mountains and ocean are in my SOUL... but few places to find them together! I was thrilled to see that the lake was filled with lilly pads! Always been one of my favorite things to photograph...

That Sunday's dinner party was a complete 180! One of Huz's peers in food service- a wonderful restaurateur served up a yummy storm on their deck. Right on another lake! More lily pads, ducklings and canoe rides.

There was lots of tie-dying going on last week! Dea and Lo dyed up some tees for a friend's birthday and then we tried a cool craft that I found on Crafty Crow. Tie dying with sharpies. That was a lot of fun! I put a new twist on it by outlining the main circle with black. Lo thought it looked like a flower, outlined the rest and drew stems. One could take this project in a lot of directions! I'll post a pic of the finished product later...




I took Dea out to celebrate that "special" time ;) in an adolescent girls life... We went to the salon for a little waxing fun! Yet NOT fun! She was pleased with the results and I'm glad I'm not the one ripping wax strips off her face anymore! Then off with her to the fabulous MODERN DWELLERS chocolate DEN!!! Drinking chocolate and truffles-what more could a girl want? Dea had the Mint Breezy truffle and I boldly ordered the Salmon Surprise.



Yes, you read and see correctly. Salmon. Chocolate. Close your mind to what each one IS and just let the FLAVORS marry on your tongue. Hey, it's chocolate! Of course it was GOOD! Just...different with that bit of gold power covered salmon on top. Next time I'm going for the Tokyo Tango: Ginger and wasabi ganache with nori and ginger on top! Yes indeed!

REBUTTAL

7/23/08: I've come back to expunge the majority of the original "rant". The whole situation on your part was just sad. Pathetic. And I'm pissed at myself for playing into it. But I guess it was worth the ejection of 7 years worth of feelings -after 7 years of not really having a voice about it.

I leave you with this:

Shame on you. After the divorce my husband bent over backwards for you. To protect you. You will never know the extent he went to in protecting your feelings with the hopes that you could heal and be an appropriate mother. NOTHING that has transpired in the last 7 years was done with the purpose of hurting you. If, in our attempts to do the right thing for our child, you have suffered…what can I say? IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT YOU. Only my daughter and what was best for her. When we decided it was best to give up and not push your relationship with Dea there was no sense of vengeance. There was…..nothing(with the exceptions of the times that your actions or inaction's hurt Dea. Then, of course, there was distress). We have a blessed and ever evolving life with our children, family and friends. Our time is WAY too precious to spend trying to make you PAY for your past addictions or mistakes(Who CARES anymore?!), much less give you much of a thought. Get over yourself-It’s not ALWAYS ABOUT LISA... We never sought out your personal information. YOU revealed your lifestyle to us through your own carelessness. What, exactly, were we to do with that? We did what any good parent would do. The only thing we are "guilty" of is being insensate when dealing with an unreasonable person regarding the future of our child.

I hope someday you get the help you need to release yourself from your need to seek us out after all this time and unleash your paranoia upon us. No one is hunting you down, seeking revenge, or demanding reparations. It was, in fact, YOU who found this blog, somehow. It was YOU doing the hunting and harassing. Transference, much?! Can you not see that? In addition to the hurts of the past, you've now re-entered and invaded OUR lives. It is SO HARD to forgive the past when one attempts to PURPOSELY emotionally assault another with the vindictive intent to cause pain and embarrassment. And now I'm guilty of the same thing. I apologize for sinking to your level. But when it comes to an off beam attack on me or my family...I will state the TRUTH loud and clear.

I wish you the peace of mind you need and that someday your demons will rest. Always have.

*Photo of owl protecting her nest: Copyright © John Henderickson. I WISH I took that pic!

IT WAS INEVITABLE!

I'm sure many of you have experienced this. We have a psycho on our hands folks!!!! Comment moderation has been enabled! I'll tell ya all about it later....Dinner time!

BUTTERFLIES a la ALEXANDER CALDER

We've really gotten into our "study" of the life cycle of the butterfly. Our caterpillars are well on the way toward their transformation. Those 5 little critters we received in the mail became 5 fat and juicy caterpillars!

They then migrated from the bottom of the jar to the top were they suspended themselves one by one, upside down like little "J's" .

No matter how often we looked we never saw that actual transformation into a chrysalis! Those sneaky guys always planned it when we weren't looking! Now they are hanging there-barely a resemblance of their former. The chrysali are beautiful! Earth colored pods with opalescent spots that catch the light. Still and sleeping now with the most miraculous changes within.

The kids and I decided it would be the perfect time to resurrect another project I came up with for Winter Craft Day at Dea's old elementary school. That year the kids were studying different time periods of art history. For the modern art unit, I thought it would fun to make some kind of mobile. I've always been attracted to Alexander Calder's mobiles-especially the the ones emanating from a base as opposed to being suspended from the ceiling. To bring a little summer to our winter we used a butterfly motif that I found online. The kids made some amazing mobiles that year!


Now that we had plenty of time on our hands for the project, I improved upon the original design and we went to town.

Here's how it's done and what you will need:

Various specialty art and scrapbooking papers
Acrylic paints
Rock
18 gauge Floral wire
Old fashioned clothes pin
Pipe cleaner
Glue stick
glue gun
duct tape
bottlenose pliers
Black floral tape or colored wire
Feather craft boa of faux fir fabric(long hair)

Find a nice rock that would make a good paperweight or sturdy base .

Wash dirt off rock, dry and paint with acrylics.

Paint your clothes pin-this is the butterflies body .


Using 3-4 different specialty or scrapbooking papers, cut out a butterfly shape in various sizes so that they can be glued and layered onto each other. It’s best if the bottom(and largest layer) is a very thick paper).


Make sure you leave a thin space between the butterfly wings where the body would be(see pic). This space will eventually be glued to the inside of slit in the clothespin. You can also cut out smaller shapes to glue onto butterfly or even use stickers, buttons, glitter-whatever you fancy.

Using glue gun, put a spot of glue in the middle of the wings

Take an 18 gauge floral wire and wrap floral tape or another colored wire around it.

Make a loop at the bottom-this will be where the wire is hot-glued to the rock.

Attach the other end of floral wire to the clothespin by twisting it around a “leg” of the clothespin underneath the wings or around the “head”. You may need to use bottlenose pliers to twist the wire good and tight.

Take a pipe cleaner( the antennae) and twist around the clothes pin head and tighten with bottlenose pliers.

Using glue gun, attach loop of floral wire to top of the rock.

When wire is secure and cool you can hot glue a chunk of feather boa or faux fir to the duct tape around the base of the wire. Looks like wacky moss and conceals the duct tape!

You’re done! It may take some adjusting of the wire to get it to keep the butterfly upright. You don’t want your wire so stiff that it won’t move in a breeze or so limp that the butterfly just flops all the way over!
Set your butterfly by a fan or open window and watch it “flutter” in the breeze!

And don't forget to enjoy some APHID POPS or NECTAR with your new butterflies!!!!Goya makes yummy nectars the kids can drink like a butterfly. Don some wings, get a proboscis(straw) And drink up!

Or mix up green KoolAid and pour into an ice cube tray. Stretch plastic wrap over the top and poke a toothpick into each compartment. Freeze.

When frozen, pretend you're a ladybug and eat em' up!