Fire and Red

Fire- How cool is it to have a fireplace? We had a cook out for dinner last night. Hot dogs were roasted and campfire pies(lemon and apple) were made. My husband requested a lemon campfire pie with marshmallows. Turns out we will need to tweek the recipe next time - two marshmallows were just not enough. Good thing Bethany and I did our walking work out.

Red- Painting the flyer from man-land (Menards) red. I am not sure what it is going to become, but Valentine's is approaching. An International Coffee tin is also in process. It is sporting a base coat of pink - so far.

Valentines Day

Decorated and ready for Valentine's Day. It seems to help to get thru the bleak winter days.

We are hosting a skating party for our Caravan kids tonight - think they might enjoy the

decorations. We will have pizza, pop and chips for our dinner, devotions, and then divide the kids up into two or three groups. On the agenda is also making home-made pretzels, valentines for our troops, and playing in shaving cream.

When I asked one of the kids if they would like to make the pretzels for tonight she very excitedly said, "Yes. It is a tradition for when we come to your house." We have made pretzels for the last two years on the night the kids sleep in our living room so my husband can transport them to church camp early in the morning. I thought it was very cool that she thinks of having a tradition with us. I think Jesus likes that connection.

Journaling

I started a new journal focused on Scripture and the subject of creativity. The second page has a few quotes about creativity from one of my current text books. On a couple of other pages I have scripture alone or scripture with something I've drawn in gel pen. I tried to use water color pencils on the first page and the paper is not able to take the water. You never know till you try.

I even illustrated my husbands sermon. This page is done with oil pastels.

Grand opening.

Today is the grand opening. I can't wait to see all the buds open, but am hoping they don't smell to much.

Winter

My husband and I had a terrific photography date today at our local park. Gotta love the ice and snow to enjoy our winter months. This is an awesome photo of my favorite spot out on the island.

Spring Fever

A few days of non-subzero temperatures, a little sunshine, and a splash of birdsong have all worked together to give me a case of spring fever. I have experienced that feeling of spring in the air and desperately want more. Hopefully, today George and I are going to the park with cameras in hand.

In the mean time, I have a little insurance policy growing on my kitchen table. I purchased a little box at K-Mart for $2.00, added water, and am watching spring unfold right in my kitchen.

It's Friday

Yeah! I love Friday. People(for the most part) seem happier on Friday. When people in my world are happier it is obviously easier for me to be happy. Yep, I'm a living barometer of the people around me...but I'm workin' on that. I, alone, am responsible for what goes on in my head.

So what was my latest creative venture...I took some used dryer sheets, painted them, cut them up and sewed them together with some beads and added a pin back. Now am I brave enough to wear my new pin in public? George said, "That's weird."

School

Well it begins again. For the next 13 weeks these two books will become very familiar to me. I am very excited about the curriculum class because we will be doing alot of hands-on activities. I will get to make felt figures for the felt board I recently made. The hardest part about these two classes will be the 80 hours of practicum that I have to complete over the next 13 weeks. There will also be a two day conference I get to attend in March.

Bulletin Boards

I have got both bulletin boards at the church completed. They turned out okay...will probably leave them up till Valentines. My photography is in the learning stage though.

January Art Experiments Challenge

Today is the 8th and I've got three points for the January Art Experiments Challenge.
I played Apples to Apples with daughter and husband (this is a super fun game), I made a homemade card for a friend recovering from surgery, and I made a flannel board inspired from an on-line site. This was my first time buying a piece of wood at "Man Land" aka Menards.

Church

Soup turned out well. Some of the children did not want to try the soup because "It looks funny." After one brave boy was finishing his second bowl of soup, the other children jumped on the band wagon. The soup was a hit. yeah!

Caravan's went well. The lesson kept the children engaged and they created some very special animals. We worked on elephants and giraffes, read a story, put together a Noah's ark puzzle, and played with home-made playdough. I let the children know that they could color their animals whatever colors they liked...we have a blue elephant, and giraffes that are brown, green and blue. And none of the giraffes have spots.

Soup

The creative venture for today will be borne out of necessity. I am scheduled to provide the main course for the church family dinner tonight. So, potato soup is on the menu. I love soup...you can pretty much create your own. My potato soup has grated carrots which turn the soup a lovely pale orange color, chicken broth, and for tonight maybe bacon.

The second creative venture for today will be the Caravan lesson for my mixed age-group of children. You do have to be fast on your feet to keep the interest of two three-year olds, a five-year old, and a six-year old. Tonight we are going to "the zoo" - because People Care For Animals. The scripture is Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." I am thinking 3-d animals from a VBS I did six years ago and making cages or a diorama from shoe boxes. Gotta get this accomplished before I head off to work. Maybe I can post pictures of our creations.

Back To Work

Today I head back to work after four days off. I feel a bit sad that the holidays are over, but I am looking forward to starting in on my goals for 2010 and settling into routines.

What creative things will I do today? Making lunch for 30 children, continuing to customize this blog space, catching up on financial duties, maybe some photography, and a tasty dinner. Sounds like a full day.

Beginnings

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Just possibly this will be a long journey. At any rate, this is a big step. I am seeking to record my journey of schooling, creating, and fulfilling my personal mission of trying to spread a little happiness along my way. Just possibly this will be a good thing.