Soul Humming

School Picture Day

 

Remember school picture day? I remember hating school picture day. I have the photos to prove it, too. I remember one in particular from either freshman or sophomore year. I had recently discovered tweezers and plucked my eyebrows to a thin and very unattractive shape. I looked perpetually surprised. And, I do believe there was some horrific blue eyeliner involved along with a pair of denim overalls and little red bell earrings. Make it stop! LOL! My youngest son had one of those days for his third grade school photo this week. He's the most easy going of my two boys. So when he told me he didn't even want to show Me his photo I knew it was going to be bad. He looked like a deer in the headlights, and the deer had Jiffy Pop hair and was wearing braces with his mouth squeezed tightly around them in a painful half-smile half-grimace. Luckily there is a do-over picture day for him.

Here's my oldest son's sixth grade picture. I love his happy smiling face. This Sunday he turns 12. Every year I expect him to still be a laughing four-year-old boy. And of course he is not. But this year, in addition to turning 12, he is going to be baptized on his birthday.

Gotta tweak his pic a little, right?

We are so happy for him. He is growing up and learning so much about life, God, and himself. He is a wonderful little man-in-the-making. We are so proud of him. And while you all may stop by here to see and hear about my artwork and such, right now my family and these boys rise above everything else so I wanted to share this with you all. Soon enough I'll be back to posting what I am making and cajoling you with what inspires and excites my artistic sensibilities.Until then, please join me in celebrating all the milestones in life, whether you are 12 or just feel 12 in your heart. Seize Life and Live Joyfully!

Paper Dreams

 

Seth is posting stacks of paper today for all the stackaholics out there. And he is encouraging others to make their piles as well.

When he first made his call I got out my favorite 12" x 12" sheets of thin deli wrap

and started painting six big sheets at once.

It's a fun way to make background papers for mixed media and collage projects.

It was a little windy outside so I taped them all down to the patio and set to work with my brayer to roll on color after color.

They are bright, lively bits of my day, ready to go into something bigger and more.

I thought that was all I would include. But then, this morning as I was gathering the bits to photograph, I remembered another stack of papers, a precious one, that I keep in an old curio cabinet in my hall.

When I got married almost fifteen years ago, I decided I not only wanted to make my own invitations but I wanted to make the paper for them as well. I made so much paper pulp I could have wallpapered the world with it. I have a few bits of that paper left. It is full of seeds, leaves, and flowers from the garden of my house at the time. I love that special paper. It calls me back to the memories of that girl who finally decided being married was magical when the right man was asking. Those papers make me happy because they hold so many dreams in them.

Gossamer hin unryu paper like wispy webs.

As the wedding guests grew in number I finally had to give in and buy some handmade paper from my favorite paper shop. I have a precious few sheets of the most gorgeous Japanese kimono papers and unryu from Hiromi. Her shop in Bergamot Station was always an adventurous treasure hunt. She was the sweetest, funny girl. She had a German Shepherd named...hmmm....I think it was Psycho. He had an unusal name like that. He lived there in the daytime with her among the enormous stacks upon stacks of amazing papers that reached to the ceiling. There were papers with whole pieces of fruit embedded within. Oh how I miss going there!

Also, in the old wooden cabinet I came across an autograph book that belonged to me when I was in elementary school in the 70s. The picture on the front is classic 70-something.

And inside I have folded all the pastel pages into little accordion fans which hide the silly rhymes written by all my friends. It's a great keepsake from a time I do not remember much about.

And my most favorite of all the things I ran across deep in the back of the cupboard were three letters. One was written by my dear, dear grandmother, another was from her brother, my sweet Uncle Arnold, and yet another from my precious Mom.

My mom used to own an antique mall and my grandmother, a couple of my great-uncles, my aunt, and more family had booths there. These letters were written during a big sale on the day that she was closing the doors.

My grandmother and great uncle have since passed away. It was like a hug and a hello again from them to me. It made me smile deep in my heart to find them here this gray morning. These stacks of papers were new and old but all dear to me. I love finding the unexpected which surely was meant to be right here in my hallway. Thanks Seth. You always come up with such inspiring, fun adventures.

Halloween is Coming...

We headed up to Roger's Gardens this afternoon to check out the Blackstone Theater, their rooms filled with Halloween treasures. They always have the most amazing pumpkins, gourds, decorations, and accessories.

 

Blackstone Theater: Roger's Gardens Halloween 2011 from Elora Lyda on Vimeo.

Here are some of the wonderful things we saw...

Huge bumpy pumpkins in the brightest orange.

These striped pumpkins were very small and very cool.

So many awesome things to decorate your own creepy castle.

They sell kits to make this fun haunted gingerbread house.

The portraits were especially eerie with this frightening couch overflowing with rats.

Pumpkins in every color including bright white and gray.

They have some fab black hats for the gentry.

These big pumpkins are awesome.

There's a whole room of these terrifying

holgraphic images.

They are SO scary!

Even the big Santos was wearing black today.

And when you are finished with all things Halloween,

there are so many other beautiful things

to enjoy!

Rainbow Love

The boys searched the beach for the perfect heart-shaped rock to give their Grandma Sally on her birthday Thursday.They found this great one and it is Big. They decided it needed a brightly painted rainbow on it so each boy painted three stripes. Then, I sealed the whole thing with Dorland's wax which gave it a pretty sheen.

 

The Newest Journal Keeper

 

i took the boys to the art supply store yesterday and got them each a wonderful journal. i told them that we would work in our journals each week together. i want their journals to be about them, by them, and for them. i'm really looking forward to spending the time being crafty together.

at night, as soon as we were home from swimming, my youngest grabbed up his journal and announced that he was writing his own comic book Today. and he got right down to it. he is busy this minute writing the story which is turning out to be quite an adventure. it is full of friends who wake up with mysteriously colorful glowing skin on friday the 13th. he keeps coming in to share the newest parts with me. it's awesome.

when school ends it is tempting for me to sign them up for art classes, tennis camp, or summer school. but our school year is scheduled so tightly that when summer rolls around we all want a break. and, i know i have lots of things that i can teach them (including doing the laundry!). it makes me so happy when they are eager to try new things and find fun in some of the same activities that bring me joy. they are finally at the age where they can truly take on many of the art projects that i love. my oldest is very much anticipating a paper clay project we are going to  start. i have quite a list of ideas for creative play this summer. i'll keep you posted!

 

Keep Moving

 

 

Father's Day has come and gone. My father died just a little more than a month ago. But, he was lost to me many years ago, really. Still, there was no physical separation. We were blocked through the mist of his brain injury. How do you let go when someone you love is behind a veil looking out at you but cannot remember where you live?

I spent so many years burying everything about my Dad that when he finally passed it was all too heavy to unload. Slowly, slowly bits of this massive grief peel away in strange places, sometimes silently, sometimes publicly. I think that if you constantly put on a happy face everyone around you assumes you are fine. I try to keep moving but inside there is turmoil and roiling waves of flat out terror. Trying to process sadness in the midst of a joyful life is a balancing act. Being a mother doesn't afford blocks of time to work it all out. But that is a gift. Nothing sad can be held onto for very long when there are rocks to be gathered and jokes to be told. As Yehuda Amachai says, you must love and hate with the same heart. And it is also this way with grief. It all happens simultaneously, one emotion folded over on top of another, seamlessly pressed together to fuse new layers of the  spirit. And this is my life today.

Party People

 

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose." - Tennessee Williams

 

As promised, here are a few photos from our annual progressive dinner.

 

Liz's tree is always beautiful in silver.

We've been getting together during Christmas-time for seven years.

 

We start at one house for drinks and appetizers,

then move to another house for the main course,

 
and finish up at the last house for dessert.

 

We take lots of photos.

Lots and

lots and lots.

We eat.

We drink.

We play games.

And we laugh

and laugh.

And generally act very silly.

It was great, great fun. Thank you all for sharing in this tradition of friendship with us. You, my friends, definitely make this life lovely.

 

 

 

 

Firstborn Son

 

Today, I'm sending out happy 11th birthday wishes

to my sweet little boy.

 

i love you.

please don't grow up too fast.

big mister eleven.

 

 

thirteen

thirteen years ago on the summer solstice after many years of dating the wrong guys i got married to this most amazing, funny, intelligent, and right guy. it seems impossible but i love him even more now than i did on that sweltering june day when we laughed and danced amidst so many people who were dear to us. he has been and continues to be the most blessed and unexpected gift i could have ever received. for once in my life i was so fortunate Not to get what i deserved but to instead get so much more.

happy anniversary, baby.

Birthday, Brunch, and Bowling

bowling shoes look like baby clown shoes. i'm just sayin'...

today is the honey's birthday.

 

"One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it."  ~George MacDonald

and what a wonderful face it is!

 

we had brunch and bowling first thing this morning to celebrate.

 

and it was all very silly and fun. the rest of the day is sure to be the same. and for this i am eternally grateful. there is nothing better than being married to my very best friend. every day is full of joy, laughter, fun, and adventure. and when it isn't, it is especially important to have someone dependable, loving, and tough as nails by your side. 

happy birthday, honey!