My Merry Way

A little bit of house lust ::

2012-01-30T09:41:00.002-07:00

This weekend Adam and I did some modest repairs around the house. Adam took apart the bench he made me last summer. Since living in our house, the wood dried out to such an extent that the legs were turning into an A shape. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly happy about the do over, and is less excited about fixing the cracks in the table top.

I covet this kitchen. Source.

He also took down this 1980s "hood" and cupboard that was above our stove and matched nothing. It left an ugly space, but feels good to have it down. (Now we just need to cut out a hole in the wall there, to have a view through the living room of the court yard.)

I want to copy this bathroom stool idea.
And look at the cute thing hanging in there. They must never use that shower... ?
Source.

My chores were a lot less substantial, but just as good feeling. Cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, living room - including all the floors. Making up a tasty batch of barbocoa, which once June finally tasted, she asked me to make every night! I was also the driving force behind about 6 loads of laundry. It is amazing how much laundry piles up around here.

These 3 kitchen photos are all from dwell.com, an article which caught my eye in part from the Salinger title.
Check it out here.
I totally love it.
In fact, would even move to a town like Charleston in order to have the same restoration opportunities.
At least it is on the beach....

Sweet J and M practically watched movies all weekend. And tagged along on trips to Lowe's, played with the pink backpack, and did lots of snuggling. I want to note for the record that it is adorable the way M says "glubbs" (gloves) and that right now he is not a baby, not a little or a big boy, but a KID. And don't even bother arguing with him about it.

I love the painting on board above the fireplace. Source.

Sadly, I had to neglect my many art projects this weekend. I'm getting so close to finishing the alphabet illustrations that it feels fantastic. I've also lined up a printer who will print them as flashcards for me. Right now I am designing what will go on the back of the card, so expect a post soon requesting your opinion on what to use. I'm working on a little cartoon "persona" which is kind of fun and kind of a challenge.

A Year Ago Today ::

2012-01-26T09:33:00.004-07:00

It is strange how quickly time passes. And yet goes so slowly.

Like... winter lasts and lasts. Yet summer is a blur. Le sigh.

I searched and searched just now for the quote at the end of the movie "The Hours." Because I like it so. It goes something like... what to do with all the hours. Yet it's powerful, to me. I'll have to try again later.

With June in January ::

2012-01-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, or maybe the one before (things blur together), I took these pictures in June's room.

She just stuns me.

I cannot believe she's going to kindergarten this fall. And then again I can. Where has my baby gone?

N for Nest ::

2012-01-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Nesting, nesting, nest.

Based upon my previous post you might guess that we're feathering our nest - but nope. Barely keeping it clean I'm afraid. I think it is all the indoor play. Here are a few recent snaps of the kids with their new play house. I'm trying to encourage June to use it as a hideout.

Cabin Fever

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous capture Adam got with his phone.

Winter is waning, thank god. We have had a lot of snow this year, in fact Adam has piled the snow from our deck so high that it is ABOVE our handrail, which is already a few feet about the ground. There is no more pavement, just inches of ice.

Snow texture.

The view from our bedroom window on a snow day.

Downtown Anchorage - Town Square Park.

We've had subzero weather for almost two weeks now. It is probably kinda obvious, but that makes you want to stay inside. And not go out. Even if it is sunny and beautiful, because it is just two damn cold.

Taken after a lovely family night at Bear Tooth Theater. June's gas tank ice-art scrapings.

The house across the street. Only now, these branches have an inch thick ice coating. Imagine that!
Isn't it a lovely view though? I want to thank them for their red door.

The kids are just as stir crazy as we are. So we've been trying to make indoor play a little more fun. We stretched out a few of the christmas gifts to introduce them later to perhaps more excitement than as part of the bunch. Including a huge indoor house, ride-on truck, and silk play scarves for forts. I am very, very thankful for netflix watch instantly as well - though cannot wait until summer comes and we are too happy to be outside to stay in.

My Type B Blogging, and a Mouse

2012-01-08T17:09:00.001-07:00

I confess I am envious of those bloggers who are so organized, who never miss a post, who line up guest bloggers when they go out of town... But. I am happy to me, even if I am Type B.

I sure wish I had time to catch you up on all of our Christmas excitement in California, or to fill you in on some of the projects I am working on currently. But for now, all I have for you is this mouse.

Five (Long) Years

2011-12-12T21:52:00.002-07:00

And so the day arrives that our Junie B turns five. While sometimes I agree that the time has flown... in other ways, these have been some long, life-changing years. June took Adam and I from carefree newlyweds to parents, in the blink of an eye. And by "parents" I mean people who don't go out riding their Vespa to random parties and bars. And people who actually plan meals. And people who clean the floor all the time because that is where she spends all her time. And people who can try to soothe a colicky baby through 2 hours a night of screaming. Or soothe a mother through 2 hours a night of colicky baby screaming (Guiness, and Adam, thank you so much).

Waiting for the cupcake candles and birthday song.

What can I tell you about our girl at this point?

She's a mother hen to her brother. But on the flip side, has figured out exactly how to get him to do her bidding. She loves all things princess, but finally enjoys wearing jeans. She is addicted to Mommy, but loves to snuggle on Daddy too. She can be motivated by her vanity (which I will try not to abuse!) When she is in a good mood, her laughter is contagious and delightful, and I never want it to end. She loves being read to, but even more loves having me "tell her a story with my mouth."

She's gained ten pounds or so since her surgery earlier this year. And she is now a fierce 43 inches tall. She loves watching movies, painting, dancing, and her favorite song is "Hey Soul Sister." She loves writing her letters. She brings home a drawing for me nearly every day with both her name and my name on it. And lately the drawings all say "toe" mom. So cute.

Getting some help from brother.

She's a little bit shy, or at least bashful at first. And she is very, very patient as I tend to her brother. She is quite wonderful to him, truth be told, despite the occasional hit or shove.

I love our Junie. And I am happy that she was such a life-changer.

La la la Lion ::

2011-12-07T23:10:00.001-07:00

I have been having some issues with these letters. I have made a bunch in advance of how many I have posted, such that now I want to go back and revisit some of the "older" letters. For instance, the first few were simple little things I did in less than 5 minutes while painting with the kids.

Later versions I was trying to get more accuracy... but here's the thing: I do not like perfectly accurate drawings. Don't get me wrong, I think they are impressive and can be quite beautiful. But they simply do not resonate with me.

I checked a book out from the library a few months ago about drawing that helped me to hone in on this issue. It described learning to draw as a transition from symbolic to accurate representations. And the whole book was about increasing accuracy. I would read through it page by page and become increasingly irritated at the snobbishness of the author. How the whole idea was to eliminate the symbolic remnants of the drawing style. When the whole time I am crying out inside, but I like those!

So if this is making any sense, the whole point is that I am trying to walk a line between recognizable accuracy and symbolism - so that I can make the image more fun, more lovable, more me somehow.

And I have to go back to A. That alligator just doesn't cut it for me. Maybe an anteater instead....

Just a little something to remember ::

2011-12-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

I doodled this with you and me and everyone in mind.

I hope you have had a great weekend.

Work in Progress ::

2011-12-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited about this one I have to post it.

Hopefully you can get over the poor winter-indoor yellowish lighting.

And another thing that excites me about it is that Adam, who doesn't really like abstracts, likes it too. :)

The Children Sleeping

2011-12-01T21:59:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed that I've got a thing for taking pictures of the kids sleeping. Well here are a few drawings of them sleeping.

Miles - this one is not so accurate, but I like it anyway.

June. Lovely as ever.

What do you think?

School Pictures and Little Tidbits

2011-12-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

Here are some things June has said to me recently.

:: I don't like you Mom.

:: I know how to fight!

:: If you don't give me the M&M's, I'm not gonna hug you.

:: I always want to snuggle you Mom. Sometimes I pretend not to.

:: She ADORES all things princess still, though she will now wear pants. I am very grateful about the pants.

(Please, please let me get through parenting June with grace and fortitude, especially when she is a teenager.)

Here are some things Miles does and says recently.

:: Do it again? (After he repeatedly jumps off things and giggles.)

:: Want firework. (By which he means, Katy Perry's version. He also often wants Bieber's Baby Oh song, Shufflin', or my favorite request, Only Love by Ben Howard.)

:: He also has started singing more songs. Most recently "Little Bumblebee" and the alphabet song. It is so adorable, because he hardly knows any of the words but has the tune.

::He's great at counting though.... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, Blastoff!!!!

Lots of love for these little growing up kids.

K is for ::

2011-11-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest. I'm rather fond of it.

SOLD (and shipped!!!)

2011-11-27T17:23:00.001-07:00

For the first time in my life, I have SOLD a painting! If you have been around awhile, you will know that I painted this back in February. And I made some touch ups to it since I took this picture, but maybe only I would notice them.

Like two months ago actually, to my dear friend Izetta. And since she lives in Dillingham, it took me a while to send it off to her. Plus I procrastinate like crazy.

But I am happy to report, it shipped TODAY and will arrive at its destination by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

I'm working on lots of things around here. You may have noticed, but I am starting a new etsy shop. It is still under development, but I will be listing items very soon. And I am so excited I can't wait to share the new stuff with you all. And in case you are worried, if you place an order I will actually ship it right away.... :)

Some Scenes from Our Celebration ::

2011-11-25T10:20:00.001-07:00

I have to hustle off to work this morning. But before I go, I want to share some photos of our Thanksgiving. We had some dear new friends over with their daughter and little baby twins. Nana Liz and Pops were here from Thanksgiving. And we can't forget my Mom and Karl.

Is it done yet?

Welcome

Cars in the Kitchen

Mad fan folding skills.

Addie

Mike and Pops

A Little Ambiance

Karl and Beanie

The Ladies Who Made It Happen

Sweet Boy, Whipped Cream, and Puppy

Everybody Loves Handsome Guys With Pie

The Twins

Essential Skills

Princepessa

June's Turkey Day Window Art

Me and the Kiddos

Nana Liz Love

Scenes from My Home

Jackie, Morgan, and Addie

Thanks to all for a lovely celebration. I truly enjoyed it.

P.S. Check out Jackie's blog here.

Jelly ::

2011-11-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

All I can say about this one, is I never realized before drawing this just how phallic a jellyfish can be. I had to do some Photoshop after-effects to reduce the similarity...

So which J is your favorite?

The first J ::

2011-11-21T09:35:00.001-07:00

In honor of our daughter June, I wanted J to be really special. While the jack o' lantern is cute, I am just not satisfied. So stay tuned for later this week when I unveil J number two. Hopefully the second one will be an improvement. :)

The More Things Change...

2011-11-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

I was going through a bunch of papers, trying to reduce the paper that we hold onto. I came across this doodle from 2009.

Sheesh. Still walking this line.

Cold Houses

2011-11-15T23:01:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest installation.

When I was in elementary school, I saw a video which showed a man constructing an igloo and which explained that people did not actually live in igloos, but instead they were temporary structures, used for hunting trips. Rather than operate on this small knowledge, I thought I would do some research.

Today wikipedia says:

There are three traditional types of igloos, all of different sizes and all used for different purposes.
The smallest was constructed as a temporary shelter, usually only used for one or two nights. These were built and used during hunting trips, often on open sea ice.
Intermediate-sized igloos were for semi-permanent, family dwelling. This was usually a single room dwelling that housed one or two families. Often there were several of these in a small area, which formed an Inuit village.
The largest igloos were normally built in groups of two. One of the buildings was a temporary structure built for special occasions, the other built nearby for living. These might have had up to five rooms and housed up to 20 people. A large igloo might have been constructed from several smaller igloos attached by their tunnels, giving common access to the outside. These were used to hold community feasts and traditional dances.

I can't imagine living in an ice house - even one with five rooms. It is so cold outside today ... the thermometer in my car read 18 degrees in the morning and 12 degrees as I started my car up after work. Brrr. Both times I started my car it was dark. We live in such an insane, extreme place.

On another topic, that being the letter "I" ~ I could not think of an animal (aside from an iguana) that was sufficiently common or well known enough to use. Ice cream was another good idea, as was icicle. As you will see with the next one, "J" is also proving difficult. So much that I will have two letter "J's" for my next illustration post. Stay tuned.

P.S. If you did not check out the Ben Howard video in my prior post, you are missing out. Not really about the video - but about the song. So check it out!

Some Little Things & a Favorite Song

2011-11-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday a lamp fell on June's head. She then sledded to her heart's delight. We all went out as a family, and while Miles was done after 3 or 4 runs, June stayed out with her Dad for nearly an hour after that. It was beautiful out - the sun came out after a few days of dumping snow, leaving us with pretty marshmallow land to walk through.

Miles can count to 9, though he often starts at 3. His favorite joke is "Guess what Mommy?" And I say, "What?" and he says, with a little grin, "Charlotte." Another of my favorites is that he will often come up to a place where I am sitting and very assertively tell me to scoop. It gets me every time.

And here, here is a favorite song which has turned into a favorite band. I haven't been this enamored with some kind of music in ages so I hope you enjoy it.

Hay is for ::

2011-11-11T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here's my H.

My first horse. Not too shabby, if a little on the Shetland Pony side for a horse.

June's Thoughts on Winter

2011-11-07T23:33:00.001-07:00

If my only audience was me, this is what I would have to say to myself to get myself to watch a video:
Okay you gotta watch this. Just do it already. Commit.

So I'm telling you, whoever you are. It's worth it. Commit.

P.S. We really did try to make a snowman on Sunday, but were unable to because the snow was so dang dry and fluffy it just fell apart. I shouldn't complain though, since that made it far easier to shovel.

A Collaboration ::

2011-11-01T18:29:00.001-07:00

Lately whenever I do a line drawing, June likes to fill it in. I particularly liked this one because she used pencil, when ordinarily the fill-in is a hodge podge of bright, Andy Warhol type coloring. This is more me and I hope you like it.

June's been learning to write (as you can see), and one of her favorite things to write are names. With mine, I am and always will be, the Amy Mom.

Gotta love this girl.

Our Halloween

2011-11-01T08:56:00.005-07:00

Here is a little photo to share of our bunny and princess.

Miles was having a major fit every time trick-or-treaters came to the door and took away ~~our~~ his candy. We rushed them out the door, my thought being that he would start to get the general idea once he was given candy by knocking on doors. We let the kids gobble candy the whole time. I just did not feel like fighting it, and they had absolutely no interest in dinner.

Our sweet little Beanie cat followed us for most of the way, even trying to go inside someone's house at one point!

The snow fell softly and we walked to about a dozen houses, still scoring plenty of loot. June had a lot more stamina than in years' past, perhaps because due to the snow it was a bit warmer. I wish I had a video of the white bunny walking confidently through the snowfall. So dang cute.

Still, by the end we had bright red cold hands and were ready to greet Nana and Karl inside the house.

A Girl Gorilla

2011-10-30T16:33:00.001-07:00

Why of course she is a girl!

I think Miss J would be disappointed though at the lack of eyelashes. Because girls always have long eyelashes. I think she would also want me to put a bow on her head. Because girls always have bows.

P.S. I just finished saying goodnight to the kids. June said the sweetest thing, so I have to share. She said: "Mommy, I love you. You make my heart full with lots of good words." Isn't that great?

A gift

2011-10-24T22:09:00.003-07:00

Tonight Adam gave me a gift. It was this poem to read:

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
- William Butler Yeats, source. Called "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven."

And then he said it reminds him of some of my story ideas. Which was an even nicer gift.

--
This poem reminds me of some seeds of thought I learned through David Whyte. He is a poet that my dear tocaya turned me on to last summer. She played me a section of one of his cds. It's mesmerizing. It's metaphysical. It's like little pieces of life that you recognize and find yourself in. This is the cd. It's like whoa.

Us ::

2011-10-23T21:19:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the four of us from this past summer in Colorado.

There are so many great summer photos that one day I will have to get my act together and post.

By the way I made an awesome dinner tonight. Gluten free penne pasta with a garlicky cream sauce, button mushrooms, and prosciutto. A little bit of seasoning. Mmm. And a side salad of fresh tomato and cucumber with no dressing (the tomato was that ripe) and a glass full of carrot fingers. Yum.

Biggest blog crush this year

2011-10-22T11:31:00.003-07:00

It's about time I shared my favorite blog of the year. It's called Armas Design and is the personal blog of Michelle Armas. I drool over each and every blog post. Just love her paintings like crazy.

Michelle Armas 2012 Calendar anyone?

Other than that, today through Kathryn Clark's website I found this website, In the Make, that I could spend hours and hours and hours on.

Yesterday I also went to Barnes and Noble and found this inspiring book of the inside of sketch books. I wrote down the names of my favorite artists and will likely be sharing their websites here. Why the hell not?

P.S. The cool book is called "Drawn In" and is by blogger Julia Rothman. See her blog here.

Sleepwalking

2011-10-19T08:20:00.003-07:00

Last night Miss J was caught sleepwalking again.

Her Dad and I were in bed reading at about 10:30 at night. J came in looking sleepy and disoriented, and we told her she had to go back to her bed. She didn't listen and instead came walking slowly up to the bed. The girl was on a mission.

As she got closer I could see that her eyes were only half open and that they were moving slightly from side to side. She was asleep!

Evening book time - unrelated, but this post needed a picture.

Our attitudes of "go back to your bed right now" immediately shifted and we embraced the sleepy little creature who came to cuddle. It was very sweet.

****
I think she does this rather often, as she silently makes her way to us in the night. She makes it to our bed almost every night, but more than half the time I do not wake up. One morning recently I walked out of the bedroom - I think it was a weekend because it was light outside - and there on the carpet was a little puddle and a pair of pink stripey +chonies. I could just imagine her sleeping self squatting down for some relief. What was unbelievable to me was that she also got herself a new (and dry) pair of chonies.

+ chonies are underpants, in case you are unfamiliar with J's preferred term.

F is for Fox ::

2011-10-16T22:13:00.002-07:00

Here is my latest creation. I had to change this quite a bit using Photoshop. While I was satisfied with my initial watercolor, my Sharpie filling in of the drawing seemed cramped. The little fox appeared anxious and unhappy, and I wasn't having that. I needed a cuter version. While I could continue to tweak this one, I am satisfied enough to post.

Here is the original version for comparison. It shows just how much clean up and polishing work I had to do.

Lately ::

2011-10-12T08:33:00.002-07:00

Taken by Adam, I'm guessing as a stop off from a bike ride, but not really sure.

Time is just flying lately.

In case you are wondering, the "f" illustration is pending. I am not too satisfied with it and want to tweak it before posting.

I'm thinking about creating my own website for art and illustration. I'm not sure how to do that. Any friends out there with advice for me?

Elephant

2011-10-03T08:33:00.003-07:00

Here is the latest installment to my alphabet series.

It is cold and windy out this morning. Yesterday the leaves were falling like rain. With the rain actually. This morning I cannot tell as it is too dark yet. I keep imagining that soon enough there will be blanket upon blanket of snow outside. I try to enjoy yet another day without having to wear snow boots, for that will come soon enough. On the flip side, I try to get excited about a season of cross country skiing with my new skis. I am hopeful I will be better at it this year. Practice has to help right?

As I type, June is downstairs coloring and Miles is asleep. I feel as though I am stealing a few minutes to myself, and I know this little slice of time will help me enjoy my day all the more.

As I tidied the kitchen a few moments ago, I came across the following teabag quote: "It is important to find your identity and your legacy." It has inspired a lot of thought from me as I go about things this morning. Like perhaps that youth is about finding identity, and age is about building a legacy. Or that maybe identity and legacy are one and the same, at least sometimes. For example my great-great-grandkids might look at my alphabet illustrations and that will be all they know of me, aside from perhaps these words. Identity and legacy then merge.

Both kids are awake now and the sky is lightening. I hope you enjoy your day.

Some of the Beauty ::

2011-09-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Love the little feet at the bottom right.

You wanted to go on a hike right? Then come on!! So says June.

D is for...

2011-09-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

I did something slightly different with this one. (And I see I left some weird black mark on the bottom edge. Oh well!) For all of them I am scanning them into the computer. I've been dusting off my Photoshop skills and darkening the stenciled letter and adding drop shadows. I've been adjusting the levels as well. For this one, I bagged the drop shadow but I filled the background with solid white. (Except that weird black edge. Grrr.)

What do you think?

One of my favorite things is that after I make the initial watercolor and before I mark it up with Sharpie, the kids already know exactly what the animal is. It makes me happy.

Killing Ants

2011-09-23T08:08:00.002-07:00

This was from a family trip to Kincaid about two weeks go.

I took a bunch of photos and then went to see what he was doing. Killing Ants. He was transfixed. And the ants... they were very big carpenter ant looking things. I didn't let him kill one - though I'm not sure what damage he did before I stopped him. For one brief second I pictured a big swarm of the black suckers swarming us and I got out of there.

Just before the fat lip ::

2011-09-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

Just before the fat lip, it was a pretty idyllic fall scene at the rocket ship park.

The kids were giddy and giggly, and running all over the place.

Miles was running in circles around the toy riding pony. June was climbing her favorite rock. We were all enjoying the twirly slide. But then... Miles wanted to follow June to the top of the rocket.

And Mom hovered behind him, watching his jerky balance as he climbed steps taller than his knees. Watching him sway and catch himself, getting ever more nervous. I made a declaration that he could no longer be at the top of the rocket, and carried his screaming-with-protest showing-signs-of-being-way-too-tired self down to the bottom of the rocket.

I was having fun too, as you can plainly see.

Then I had to go meet my friend and made my goodbyes, and as I walked away, Mr. Too Tired fell head first (from what I could tell) down the metal spiral staircase that leads up and down the rocket.

Lucky his valiant father was there in a heartbeat, and his mother was there two heartbeats after that.

I scooped his bleeding profusely from the face body into my arms and we carried him home, June happily toted in the much coveted stroller. Not before Adam examined the inside of his mouth to get a look at the injury.

Top of the rocket ship.

Weirdly enough, he had already fallen up the stairs on the smaller play structure, cutting his lip slightly that time. I'm not sure if the final injury contributed to the first, or if they were too separate ones.

We brought him home and treated him with baby ibuprofen, a popsicle for the swelling, and lots and lots of love. The swelling was so intense that we thought for sure in the morning we'd get a great fat lip photo - but the swelling had decreased such that it was anticlimactic.

This is him sleeping that night, you can see the fat lip if you know it is there. And look at those hands!

I think the trauma was experienced mostly by Adam and I. And as Adam keeps reminding me, this is only the beginning....

C is for ...

2011-09-19T23:12:00.003-07:00

So, here is another in my alphabet series. I am rather fond of this kitty.

I have so much other news to share but it seems like when the sun shines there is less time that I am willing to spend inside blogging.

Big news. Like: Miles got a fat lip. That story will likely be the next one.

And other news that is not so scary, nor so bloody, like just how lovely the fall is shaping up to be. I love taking pictures of the change in colors. The coming dark is strange though. Like now it is dark by 9 pm. I find the dark to be almost foreign after light bright summer. And though it may seem childish, it almost seems scary too.

B is for ...

2011-09-15T22:06:00.004-07:00

Not my favorite bird ever, I must confess.

But I still think it is cute.

Work in progress

2011-09-12T17:54:00.003-07:00

Any suggestions? Britt? (Britt is my sister by the way.)

The painting is square but is just leaning against the wall, so the proportions are not right in the photo. It is also a whole lot brighter than this picture lets on. It was taken with a yellowish light on it.

I'm thinking about pulling a bunch more light blue over-layer and also minimizing that one bit of pink which looks too blobby.

I'm getting more and more nervous about exposing this to the world so I better just hit send already.

Argh!

A is for Alligator

2011-09-10T15:34:00.003-07:00

A long, long time ago I posted some drawings on this blog. Well, here is a new one. I created a number of these this morning as I sat and painted with June.

My goal is to ultimately post the whole alphabet, letter by letter. My favorite thing about the alphabet drawings is how they make June smile as I hand them to her. So satisfying.

If you like it, please feel free to use it. I would only ask that you link back to my blog as the source.

The Table (and Bench too) ::

2011-09-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

I can't postpone this any longer. Here is my birthday table!!! The table itself Adam built using a free design offered on Ana White's website (do check out her website - Ana has some serious skills) for the Big Ur Farm table. I may have to edit this post later if I get the wood wrong, but by my memory, it is completely made out of fir. The legs for the benches and table are made of "heartwood" and the planks of the bench are pink fir while the table top is blue fir. Adam special ordered the 4 by 4's and the planed 2 by 4's from Spenard Builder's Supply.

These photos were taken at Monday night's dinner. We ate beef basil and coconut quinoa. And the kids gobbled it up. I hadn't ever cooked flank steak before, and for this Adam sliced it up nice and thin for me before cooking it. This was the second time we had this meal - the first time was so good it was a quick repeat. {As in, "Home run babe, home run." And, "Yummy Mom!! I love this." And a boy who quietly shows his appreciation by eating.} I recommend it - find the recipes I worked from here and here. The cucumber radish salad was from one of our cookbooks. (Probably my favorite cookbook, but Adam actually made it so I forget.)

The chairs and dishes are new, and the lovely place mats and napkins were a gift a few years ago. This is a whole lotta newness for us.

The flowers were a random surprise from our neighbor's friend who owns the CSA we participate in. I am always excited about flowers, and cosmos are some of my favorites.

We recently discovered good beer in cans. Who knew?

A toast - with Sockeye Red IPA.

So what do you think of the table? I confess I am quite smitten.

Inside June's pockets

2011-09-05T21:30:00.004-07:00

We take laundry seriously on weekends. Some more than others. Like the weekends when the preschool teachers give us all the blankets and stuffed animals and jackets to take home and wash. Here are the contents of the pockets of two of June's coats. These are her "treasures," particularly the glass bits and colored fish bowl pebbles.

My favorites though, I must confess, are the google-y eye and the snake head with the bit of coiled wire coming out of it. And is that a shower curtain ring?

Gotta love this girl.

Asleep ::

2011-09-04T20:40:00.002-07:00

I was up late last night. Late being 10:30.

Before going to bed I walked around the house and did little things - started the dishwasher, made sure the cat was in the house, put away the chili that was cooling on the stove, etc.

All the while the loves of my life were falling asleep. I sat down to the computer for a little while and the whole house was quiet. Well, full of snores actually. The quiet got my attention.

So I got my camera and here is what I came up with.

Milo.

I love watching these kids sleep. I took a few pictures of Adam too, but he did not approve of my posting them. (Sad face.)

Juna.

The pink is due to the christmas lights strung about the kids' room that we leave on instead of a night light. I love their little round cheeks. And the way their dark lashes look. I could just stare and stare at them, awake or asleep.

Dome Sweet Dome

2011-08-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am totally fantasizing about this home. And I didn't go looking for it either.

We got a free newspaper after we left the fair last Saturday. And as we rode home the kids were nodding off in the back seat and I happened to see the ad for this geodesic dome home in south Anchorage. I couldn't get over it.

So we drove by. The house was completely empty so we got out of the car briefly and peeped in the windows. I liked fantasizing about taking a soak in the hot tub.

The whole place appealed to Adam's and my dream of living in the country.

A friend of mine lives in a geodesic dome and I just adore her place. I suppose it would be kind of copycat of me to go after it, but... then again maybe not.

How often does a dome home come along???

If it was only in a somewhat closer part of town we would probably be more interested in it. It is way out there, about as far as it gets.

What do you think? Check out here and here and here for some other cool dome photos.

PS The answer to what is in the picture of the kids I placed in the comments. Pretty neat eh?

Thoughts on a Rainy Morning

2011-08-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

I crept away from the bed, mindful of the two little bodies still sleeping there. Little Miles was (thankfully!) not entwined around me. Snoring gently. June had found her way to our bed sometime during the night. She is sleeping with her head at the foot of the bed, feet towards where Adam's body was a few hours ago, arms and legs a shambles and her nightgown somehow riding way up her back.

It is a rare morning that I can extract myself from the bed without waking Miles. He likes a solid ten minutes of Mommy snuggles before he can journey out into the world each day.

Adam wakes early now to head off to teach high school. I felt for him this morning because he is fighting off a nasty cold. It came on yesterday and I heard him cough a few times in the night. Poor dear. At least we went to bed early.

I have a bouquet of gladiolas on the kitchen table, and as I went downstairs and filled myself a cup of coffee (that dear Adam makes each morning before he heads out), I admired them. They are coral colored and they are sitting in a beautiful ceramic urn that we received as a wedding present. The urn is a light tan with greenish-blue-gray faint celtic knot designs on it. The vase sits on the lovely table that Adam built me for my birthday. I will have to feature the table in its very own post, it is that good. I like it so well I like placing my other lovely treasures atop it, like the simple white dishes my mom got me for my birthday. I just need to sit there wearing my dress from Anthropologie that Bruce and Liz got me, and I will represent just how fully spoiled I am!

The summer has been long, warm, and full.

I feel full. Full on life and love.

This may be the sweetest period of life I have lived yet.

P.S. Please check out the photo of the kids below. And comment on the oddity of the photo. Do you see it? Hint: It is not the shower of light, it is something else.

Look Closely

2011-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Do you see it?

Photo taken yesterday, 8/28/2011.

Junie Love and Butterfly

2011-08-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

June's end of the conversation before bed last night:

I like you Mommy.
I like Daddy too.
I love you Mommy.
I love Daddy too.
I could never hate my Daddy.
I just wanted you to know that.

Husband Hijack

2011-08-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give my two cents. Amy is very busy and she totally kicks ass, but her cyber life has certainly lost... presence. All I can say is that it must be rough to be interested in so many things and be good at so many skills.
I think she suffers from disappointment more than most people: disappointment in not getting to do as many things as she would like. Ever notice it on here? Knitting, cooking, painting, parenting, etc. Amazing.

On to my original intended hijack subject.We had a small barbecue as mentioned before. What we did not get to show was the birthday song. It certainly is one for the ages:

As you can see (and hear), we are seeing quite a bit personality developing in Milo:

"No nose wipe, Dadda"

But really, our kids are so great. This was a rainy day after a rainy night of camping and we were hungry, tired, and wet. But when I stepped in the river to photograph them on the bridge, all was forgotten in a burst of joy I call "Look what Dad can do". Walking through the river? Hilarious.

Two rays of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day.

He's Two - good excuse for a barbecue

2011-07-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

Miles turned two last week. While I have some birthday photos, I wanted to fill this post with some photos we took out at Point Woronzof last week. It was sunny and hot for here, and we had dinner on the beach. Adam and I feasted on some Bear Tooth burritos and the kids had dumplings, which they adore and clamor for.

But this post is about Miles. Who is officially two. It feels like not so long ago that he was born, but I cannot pretend that it feels like only yesterday. I do feel a little momma guilt that June had so many more blog posts than he has had. But... I have to get over it.

Some things he says that I do not want to forget:
Choc-kick -- chocolate
Poot-taste -- toothpaste
Oh Man (a la swiper) -- and sometimes, "No oh man!" when he's tired of us repeating it to him
Boo-ka-boo -- popsicle
helipopter
Sliiide
Outsiiide

For yes, he says, "Hmm." Or maybe it sounds like "Huhm." With an affirmative nod. Rather than yes.

To direct us to what he wants he continues pointing at what he wants and says, "Kind!!" And if we get the wrong thing, "No Kind. Kind!!!" And it repeats.

He is steadily and very rapidly growing out of this speech though. All of a sudden, he is talking almost as much as Noah was when Noah was here visiting two months ago. He is learning his colors and is good at recognizing blue, green, and orange. Today he said, "My ball is outside." And while I can't remember it, I counted a six or seven word sentence the other day.

Mean throwing arm - which led my Mom to tell me for the first time ever that her brother was a minor league pitcher.
He is not left-handed though, which perhaps lends to the apparent difficulty here...

One thing I should have documented a while back is that whenever we color, he wants me to draw him an owl and a kitty. Every. Single. Time. Today though I drew him two spiders, and he was wild about those. He did not want anyone to touch them after. He loves to paint, but what kid doesn't?

Throwing is serious business.

He is fiercely into momma these days. And still snuggles closely. He very recently weaned and still wants to nurse now and then, but does not get any milk when he does. I think we have only a month or two to go and he will stop incessantly putting his hand down my shirt. Maybe.

It may be hard to tell, but this was a tough rock to climb. Hence the look of pride.

Both kids have been climbing into the bed at night as we sleep. Sometimes I hear them, but they are stealthy little ones. They like the snuggles and I confess I like them too.

He was afraid of the airplanes taking off overhead.

Miles continues to be a good sleeper all around, but we sure wish he would get over using his "plug."

Today, we bought him a froggy potty at Target. And tonight he used it to go pee for the very first time. He's growing up this kid.

He loves to climb and throw. And hit. We're trying to teach him not to hit. In the downstairs bathroom, he'll climb onto the toilet so he can reach the sink to turn the water on and wash his hands. I'm amazed at the things he'll think of in order to reach something he wants.

June and Miles have a very sweet relationship. She protects him when big kids are running nearby. She overprotects him sometimes and it makes him crazy. She is a little momma to him and I have not once seen her strike him or lash out at him. That'll come I'm sure, but for now they have a very sweet relationship. They are sharing a room and June couldn't be happier about it. She did not like sleeping in there alone.

Our little girl.

He is charming, this boy. He looks like his baby nickname was Smiles. His hair (as you can see) has become very blond. He looks like his daddy that way, but has a bunch of me too.

P.S. I guess I never talked about his birthday barbecue that we had yesterday. I'm about to upload his birthday song video to Vimeo though, so I'll try to post it soon. Like tomorrow. But I know better than to promise I will! I'm so lazy about blogging these days...

Silliness ::

2011-05-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for washable markers.

I love summer! I never noticed how we go straight from winter to summer here. But a month ago or just a little more, there was no green anywhere. More pictures to come. And I have to do a post about Miles or I will forget all the little things, like how he calls popsicles boo-ki-bos. And other things like that.

Ride the Pony

2011-05-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

I love it when Adam takes pictures like this. I love it even though it is blurry. In case you can't tell, he's sitting on June's blue my little (but actually big) pony. Or maybe both that one and the one that came with her Sleeping Beauty barbie.

It has been so great here lately that I haven't had time to post. It's sunny and great and things are growing and it is hard to believe that there wasn't green everywhere just one month ago.

Tender Letters :: Love Mail

2011-05-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Last week June and I opened a very special package in the mail.

It was the headband I ordered from Tender Letters! Tender Letters is the etsy shop kept by my friend Gina, who I met in Tucson. She has impeccable style and a fantastic sense of humor. I read her blog regularly... for style inspiration, peeps of her travels in Singapore and Japan, and just to get a fix of the life of my friend. Check out her blog here.

The cutest model.

If you like this headband, she has one more unique style available now. Check it out!

I also bought an obi belt, pictured below. I couldn't get a good photo of this one on me yet, but it is lovely. And if you look at Gina's blog you can see pictures of her wearing it. She looks waaay better in it than I do at this point, trust me. My waist is (ahem!) not quite so small.

Obi and lovely note.

Junie's favorite part of the package.

Hope you are all having a great week! Thanks Gina!

P.S. I gotta do something like this for June and Miles.

Can anyone tell me what this is?

2011-05-10T12:45:00.001-07:00

Photo source here.

I am captivated by this plant where the central seed is like a heart. Does anyone know what it is?

Edited to add: Thanks to all who commented or emailed that this is the Chinese lantern. I might have to grow some someday!

A Long Story About my Sugar "Fast"

2011-05-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

I have embarked on what I have decided to call a sugar fast. In the last 2 months I have had three infections, two of which required antibiotics. None of them were enjoyable experiences and the current infection ongoing - for pneumonia. My body is working hard to kick the fluid out of my lungs and I am beginning to feel stronger. I can't help but think getting better is in part due to my sugar fast. If I go back to 6 months ago, there have been at least 6 health issues, not including colds or rashes (which I sometimes get and which persist for ages). Getting really sick is unusual for me. Being sick has made me realize that for most of my life I have been almost obnoxiously healthy. So the turn of events has got me thinking fearful thoughts like, "Am I officially old then?" "Is this bump on my nose cancer?" and "I miss my old belly button." (Okay, that last one is more related to this. But I digress.)

Searching for a solution, I did a little bit of research on how to boost my immunity and was surprised to find that sugar consumption can weaken the immune system. Here is a really eye-opening article I found. My eyebrows went up in particular over this:

We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl.

I am among the world's worst when it comes to eating sugar. I regularly put a big spoonful of sugar in each of my too many cups of coffee. I cannot pass the candy bowl at work without at least one piece. At night, when we dole out meager portions of sweets to our kids I cannot help but think about my own consumption, and how amazing it is that they really only eat the sweets we give them. I probably ate some Hostess cupcakes out of the vending machine, had some free danish for second breakfast, and then still wanted ice cream. All this added up to a very painful awareness that I needed to cut back on sugar. And hey! I have now made it through 4 whole days without eating any white sugar or high fructose corn syrup. And I am determined to make it through the whole rest of May.

Let the sugar fast begin! Want to join me? It has not been bad so far, and you can still use real maple syrup, and maybe a little honey....

P.S. Blogger is for some reason causing irritating spacing in my posts. Bear with me... one of these days I will figure it out.

Me in a Tree

2011-04-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

Adam captured this the other day. I find it hard to believe I was smiling so much. I got some awesome pictures of the kids out on the same walk. I will have to share those later. This is my late Friday night post. Yep. I'm livin' large. Earlier tonight I was thinking how great it would be to get all the chores done on Friday night, so I wouldn't have to do them on Saturday. And then my inner 20 year old rebelled. But it's not like I partied. I've got pnemonia. I feel like an old lady. Yarg.

Number 3 is almost done

2011-04-27T11:57:00.020-07:00

I have been working on this one for ages it seems. This is my third painting ever (see number one here and number two here.)

Someday I will get an easel.

Just before I put on what might be the finishing touches I thought to myself, "What the heck? Screw it!" And that was the best advice I could give myself and my powerful thought of the day.

One I wrote down from this weekend was: "I may not like aging, but I love having lived." Perhaps a little bit more substance to this one. Or not. Depending on your way of thinking I suppose.

A Year Ago Today ::

2011-04-26T08:48:00.004-07:00

Breakfast.
Captured by Adam using his iPhone.
My how they've grown.

Decorating Eggs

2011-04-25T16:16:00.001-07:00

We have had a virus cycle around the house for the past 2 weeks. It started with the Fox, then hit the Bug and I at about the same time. Only Adam has escaped. Last night I impulsively stripped all the beds of every last stitch of bedding and remade them.

I opened the windows and let the rooms get cold, if only to have a little fresh air. (Okay, it was bath time, so I only did this a tiny bit, not wanting warm clean naked baby bodies to get too cold.)

I think we are all beginning to feel much better and we are just itching for the summer season to begin. Easter was not as exciting as it could have been. I think these few moments decorating eggs were some of the best. They were from Saturday afternoon.

We used brown eggs this year and made the dyes from the recipe on the back of the food coloring box. I was impressed by how true they were to the rainbow they all turned out.

I feel like I have been hibernating. I yearn to wake up.

I want to empty everything out. To find myself surrounded with fresh air, clean lines, and open spaces. But with this cold still lingering it will have to wait until I am not so tired I guess. If that day ever comes!

P.S. If you are viewing this in a reader, come check out my new look! What do you all think? If nothing else, my desire to clean and organize has been applied to my blog...

Just itching for some green growth

2011-04-25T11:36:00.008-07:00

The snow has finally almost all melted. The street sweepers have swept about half the gravel off of the roads such that they are starting to seem clear. It rained and settled the dust, a little. I raked the yard and felt myself envisioning the new green grass sprouting up. June and I planted a bunch of seeds yesterday: radishes, cilantro, carrots, red cabbage, basil, and lots of lettuces. She was quite good at it, since they planted seeds over a month ago in her preschool and tend their sproutlings every day. Adam unpacked all the pots and containers from the shed so we can do some planting.

Now we just need things to start growing. Now!

Baby fiddles.

P.S. In that last post, I chose the funniest picture of June. She was not really all that upset. And in fact, that face she is making is I think due to something that was going on with her brother and not related to the mascara face at all.

Wait, so that's not how you apply mascara?

2011-04-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

When we found her, she was busily trying to wipe the mascara off of her face with tissue and Cetaphil. At least she has that part figured out. But mascara? You'd think she would know better than to apply it to her forehead!

She had applied mascara to her whole face one time when my dad was taking care of her and she was not quite 3 years old. He told me he didn't know what she'd gotten into, but that she looked like a little urchin. He was right. I wish I could've gotten a picture of her before she was mostly cleaned up, but I am sure June would not have stood for that.

On the Beach

2011-04-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was dumbfounded by these pictures Adam took on his phone.

He took the kids out for a grouchy grumbly walk on the beach on Saturday. Or at least that is all I heard about it after. He neglected to tell me about the massive iceberg that had gotten stranded there like a beached whale.

I've never seen anything like it.

Toast

2011-04-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

I do not often post videos, but this one is worth it.

Toast from Amy on Vimeo.

Look at that face! Are you in love yet?

Love in the House Tonight

2011-03-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help noticing.

June and Beans ~~watching Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses~~ snuggling.

A boy and his Dad. Books before bed.

There was lots of love in the house tonight. Mine was captured behind the camera.

And these pictures were YES, taken at bedtime. We may not have buds of green sprouting up like everyone in the lower 48, but we have got some sunlight people. And we have got to be excited about something with all this leftover ~~snow~~ white crud.

Palette

2011-03-25T11:02:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of my palette after doing some painting. I find myself often more impressed by the random colors and shapes on my palette than I am with my works in progress.

This may be a little unfair, but for example, I've tried and tried to make abstract paintings and I end up with some pretty crappy stuff. I don't mind saying it. I can do a combo of abstract and figurative that looks ok. But pure random shapes and colors that also have emotional depth? It's not happening.

I wish I could paint every day. It seems to take an endless amount of time to complete a painting. I hope to have more paintings to share soon. If only painting came as naturally as drawing.

The Surgery

2011-03-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

June had her tonsils and her adenoids removed on January 21. We had delayed the surgery for some time, not willing to let our little baby go through such an ordeal. After she turned 4, it seemed a little easier to tolerate. Well, for me at least.

June had never been a good sleeper. From practically day one it was a struggle to get her to sleep. For her third year of life she developed night terrors, she'd be scared of things before falling to sleep, and as she thought about it she'd work herself up into a frenzy. I would get so tired after night after night of her crying out 6 and 7 times that I'd start barking at her to just go to sleep. While once in a while calming a scared child to bed after a nightmare is a sweet and endearing thing, when it becomes the norm it is hard to handle. We weren't sure if we were being manipulated or not. We weren't sure what the cause of it was. We did not know how to handle it and we were all exhausted. Was it night terrors? Was this how it was always going to be for June?

June, in the pre-op room.

Her doctor thought that she had sleep apnea, and as time went on, Adam and I became more and more worried when we watched June sleep at night. She'd fall asleep, but her breath sounded so labored and almost like wheezing. Her eyes never seemed all the way closed, you could see the whites of her eyes and her eye sockets looked sunken. Her whole chest would move up and down in a labored fashion. And the noise of it. It was not a funny snore that you would tease someone about. It was a desperately sad sound emanating from a little girl who just couldn't breathe well enough.

That did it. After a few nights of being scared that she would stop breathing in her sleep (though not really thinking she would, but still being scared it could happen) we scheduled the surgery. Luckily we were able to get her in fairly quickly.

Hamming it up, just after being given medication.

I can't say enough about how good the experience was as a whole. June stayed over night there (we called it having a sleep over at the hospital with Mom and she was all about it). She was the only child in the pediatric unit and as a result, had the nurse at her beck and call all night long. They even gave her a huge stuffed animal - an Easter bunny. She ate many many popsicles and ice cream until she couldn't eat it any more. The very first night after the surgery she was far more interested in our sesame chicken and dumplings than her hospital chicken noodle soup, apple sauce, and jell-o. We were surprised that she could eat it right away. (And yes, we were careful not to give her anything remotely sharp.)

After the surgery.

She only lasted about a week on soft foods - not the 2 weeks that was recommended. And she hated the pain medicine, but downed the antibiotic like candy. She only took the pain medicine for the first two days or so. After that it was not happening, though we gave her some over the counter stuff. She had a raspy cough, which we were told was common due to the breathing tube during surgery.

She did not feel so hot at first, and coming out of anesthesia was a screaming nightmare.

Her doctor said that her adenoids were more than 75% obstructive and that her tonsils were even more than that.

Watching a video in the children's unit.

I asked her often if she could breathe better or if her throat felt different. She said no each time I asked. But from the first night home after the surgery, she has slept so soundly, with the most peaceful expression on her face. She looks like a little angel. And I was wrong - she gained five pounds in the first month after the surgery, not over 2 months. (Adam told me I got that wrong in my last post.) She hovered at 28 pounds for so incredibly long. I am happy to report that she is finally solidly over 30 pounds.

Another thing I have noticed is that she doesn't seem to have to chew her food endlessly now the way she used to. She is more chipper and is less cranky when she misses her nap, though perhaps she is just growing out of those. She no longer wakes in the night. She no longer cries out afraid. She has told me many times after I tuck her in that, "Mommy, you can go downstairs. I'm not scared anymore."

June.

We are a happier and much more well rested family, which is a wonderful, beautiful thing.

Robot June

2011-03-17T21:57:00.001-07:00

I wish Robot June would take me dancing.

I'd wear a green dress, in honor of St. Patrick's day. She'd dance circles around me, shakin' it like only Robot June can.

She's a cool kid. I still have to share all about her surgery. It is unbelievable how much it has helped. She sleeps um, like a baby now. And has gained 5 pounds in 2 months! I guess these are the highlights. I hope to post more though, and share some pictures.

Breakfast with Grandpa

2011-03-07T11:00:00.035-07:00

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have breakfast with grandpa. Now that he is living in sunny Sacramento, we miss going out to breakfast with him more often.

In fact, I was lucky to spend a whole day with my dad, breakfasting, watching June at ballet class, and then getting taken out to lunch and on a shopping spree. I can't tell you how nice it was, but perhaps you too have been spoiled now and then by a loving parent? (I am lucky enough to have two of them, and now and then they spoil me rotten.)

Here are some photos of us having breakfast at Middleway. I should have taken some pictures of the food, but Miles is at that phase where I don't often get to sit while I eat. Besides, a bunch of his day care classmates just happened to be at the restaurant too. So we ran around a lot.

I like how in this one, Miles has his hands clasped. It is just like when he was a baby and liked holding hands so much. He still often grips my hands or laces his fingers together when he is resting. It is so sweet to see some baby traits remaining as he becomes so very grown up.

The sweetest thing

2011-03-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, as Adam and I were downstairs visiting and the kids were sleeping, I wandered back up the stairs to discover this sight.

This has never happened before to my knowledge. Miles had carried his milk in too but I moved it because it was blocking his face. He's a little Houdini, getting out of his bed so silently all the time.

Maybe it is time for them to share a room? Close to time?

It's not laziness, really

2011-03-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I bother making promises about posts. It is just so hard to make them happen! But, I really truly do have some in the mix. For now though, here is a silly photo I wanted to share.

This homeowner builds the world's biggest snowman* in their yard every year. Some neighbor hates it, and always complains to the city, so then it makes the newspapers. How could you hate a snowman?

*Ok, so it is not really the world's biggest snowman. But when I was a little kid, someone did build what was at least then the world's biggest snowman in the parking lot of the Dimond Center. So if you want to see huge snowmen in real life, then Anchorage is the place for you.

P.S. It is supposed to hit 35 today! And 37 tomorrow! Time to break out the break up boots!

Work Space

2011-03-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

Here are a few snaps of what I was lucky enough to work on this weekend. (Sorry to be too lazy to adjust the levels to make them brighter for you.)

I would love an in home studio someday, but for now, my kitchen table can't be beat.

I love the light coming in the windows, letting me pretend it is not so cold outside.

I bit the bullet and did a color wheel, making additional wheels for common color combinations. It turns out that my favorite is called split complementary. Previously, I always thought of it as "two and a half steps."

To come this week: a photo session with June, breakfast with grandpa, and some work in progress. Stick around!

What I can't function without

2011-02-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

Adam. And help from him.

My handsome dudes.

My recent foray into painting has been helped along by both Adam and his parents. They visited at Christmas and provided me with my first set of masonite boards, all pre-cut and ready for gesso. This was really exciting to me.

However, I have always liked the look of paintings that stand out about an inch from the wall without a frame. I have recently learned that this look, when it is applied to canvas paintings, is called "gallery wrap." With the boards Adam is helping me achieve the look I crave by purchasing straight 1 by 2's and fashioning frames (if this is the right word) to the back of the boards so that the Masonite does not warp and so that the paintings stand out from the wall without a frame. It gives them a really nice presence. He is getting the system down really well too.

Hottie.

Clamps.

It is these kinds of things that seem so impossible to me that Adam helps me with all the time. While the typical gender roles don't always hold true for us, they do when it comes to anything mechanical, heavy, or remotely involving construction. Or reaching anything up high.

Thanks to Adam and Bruce for helping me express myself through art. It means a lot.

Want to go outside?

2011-02-23T06:16:00.009-07:00

You know it is the depth of winter when on a sunny 33 degree day you feel like spring is coming. Kinda reminds me of this post from last year. It is a false feeling, because spring won't come to Anchorage until April. Still, long sunny days are wonderful for the spirit, regardless of how cold they are.

Here are a few shots taken on days where the temps were closer to 0 degrees and the sun hardly moved from sideways off the horizon, keeping the days mostly gray and blue and us on the INSIDE of our houses.

Flower Piece

2011-02-21T09:00:00.036-07:00

I suppose the inspiration for these was tulips, though to be honest I thought of poppies a lot too. This is officially painting number 2. And I had the same struggles photographing it as the last piece. There is a lot more white than you can see here. And the painting is brighter overall. I'll get the hang of photographing art sometime I'm sure.

I used a lot of layers to create this. And the original underlying drawing was created out of frustration. I had been trying a lot of different techniques in order to learn and felt like the results were overly complicated. I wanted to make something simple instead, so I painted these bright red flowers and stems and said, bah!

Detail 1

The result was appealing to me though, and I began to layer it with bits of paper and different colors of paint. Hopefully once my technique is better my work will become progressively more simple. I think it will at least.

Detail 2

Detail 3

So here you go, these are my flowers. What do you think?

Birch Piece

2011-02-20T12:24:00.002-07:00

I tried to take a better photo of this painting.

Here's how we did it. Adam drilled a screw into the kitchen wall. Based on its orientation and because the kitchen has windows facing south, this room and this wall seems to get the best natural and indirect light in the house. You can still tell that most of the light hits the lower right corner of the painting.

Photographing artwork is a serious challenge! It is amazing what the camera does to the color and the way it changes the light. Or perhaps, the way it captures everything exactly, whereas the eye does some selective modifying when it looks at things. Either way, a challenge.

Afterwards, I cropped it and adjusted the exposure using picnik.com. It was useful since I don't have Photoshop on our new awesome computer.

More about this piece... I created a painted frame and green box based upon my drawing habits in college. I have always had a hard time facing the blank white page. (I recently watched this film about Georgia O'Keefe, where she said something like, "Each time we face a new canvas we are facing our whole life, from birth to present." I wish I could get the quote right, because I like it.) At any rate, I had a hard time deciding upon a first stroke. So in came the box, and it freed me up. I tried this technique with my painting. Plus, it gave me a chance to play with creating textures with a palette knife, which is something I had wanted to try. I also used a masking technique to create it, but this doesn't show in the finished painting. The other thing about making the box was that I recently discovered the bar that Judith Murray uses in her beautiful paintings. I like her bar, but I probably won't continue to paint boxes around my paintings. When I look at this painting, I wish it was all forest and no box. But sometimes you just have to stop and say, "enough is enough." I'd rather have a finished painting than continue to work on this one. So maybe it shows that I'm a beginner... but hey! I am.

A Few More Pictures

2011-02-18T21:07:00.002-07:00

I did not have my act together last time to post some photos I really wanted to post. (Besides, it was time for a little Diego, so I had to go.)

How could I not share these?

I have a knack for capturing the serious faces. But the smiles... they all come out blurry.

PS One of Milo's first words was "star." And whenever I say it nowadays, he says, "Up Above..." in a sing song way. It is way cute.

PS 2 Here is a link to a post about June when she was 19 months old. It's astonishing how much she was talking. Miles talks too. For example, when we left the Bear Tooth after dinner just now, it was at his repeated prompting of "Go" and "Bye-Bye." But it is still quite a different experience, as he is quite a different child. Like for example, he only started having separation from mommy anxiety pretty recently. It's kind of surprising. Lately he is asserting his will more and more. It's a very new thing for us as he was such an easy baby. For example, he would just go to sleep in my arms at 3 months of age during my staff meetings at work. Other parents in the room would tease and say I was showing off. But he was just easy like that. He still is in many ways. Sweet boy.

This Boy (and more about This Girl soon)

2011-02-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Miles turned 18 months old last month. He's growing so quickly.

Here are some things I do not want to forget.

On Christmas Eve, about 4 or 5 blocks from my Mom's house, he started calling out "Nana! Nana!" in the car. He also does this as we approach his day care center, by calling out "Archie! Archie!" which is the name of one of the boys in his class.

He pronounces his name "Miney" and sometimes "Mino."

He loves playing the face game, where we point at parts of our faces and name them. He points at funny places still, for example in the crease of the smile to say "cheek." He also points at all the family members and says our names. He calls June "JuJu." I adore this.

He pronounces zebra "bee-ba." He loves bee-bas.

He also loves bananas, which he pronounces "my-na-na."

He is very good at manipulating things - I think he has a knack for all things physical. For example, when he was only about 9 months old he could hold himself in place in the bath without assistance. June could not do this - it took her ages. He can also stack things and figures out how to open things. He is obsessed with closing doors and loves putting things in the trash.

He loves to run and get everyone's boots for them when it is time to go. He picks up my slippers, shirts, and other discarded things and brings them to me too. "Mommy?" He says, handing it to me.

He loves to eat toothpaste, stick his fingers in the sugar bowl, and to play with balloons. He also loves to dance and has some sweet moves, kind of sways side to side with his hips, knees, and shoulders.

He's got animal sounds down, and says some animal names, particularly crocodile and owl.

He sleeps in a toddler bed now at the start of the night, then joins us midway through. He nurses mornings and evenings, loves it like crazy, and is becoming ever more attached to me. It's odd because he used to let me go so easily.

He and June are developing a good relationship. I asked June what she would tell the world about her brother and she said, "I love you." He likes to copy her and wants everything she has. You know, typical kids.

June tells me it is time to watch Diego now. She keeps commenting that I am writing her name here. If she only knew!

Have a great day!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:44:00.002-07:00

Here is a love message I made especially for you.

Yes, you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let's all let love grow into our lives as we move into spring.

Inspired by Elsa Mora.

My First Painting

2011-01-30T22:02:00.002-07:00

I've got a new passion.

That is not to say I'm any good at it.

I've painted over so many interesting almost-paintings. But I just don't want to call something done until it is really done. The layers are interesting to me.

I'm working on building up the "canvas." I put that in quotes since I am working on masonite board. Adam is mounting the board onto 1x2's for me and it gives them a lot more presence.

Birch trees

I'm trying lots of things out, so as my paintings emerge in this space do not expect a theme! I have had some thematic ideas come and go, but mostly just want to play. My next two pieces are a nude and a landscape. I have been dreaming painted images and been having so many ideas. One involves red and blue dots. But then, the images of my mind never match what ends up being created. I wonder if truly great artists can actually create what is in their mind?

Detail

I did one of underwater at water lilies that I just could not commit to and painted over. Too bad I didn't take a picture first!

More to come.

PS Sorry about the poorly exposed iPhone shots. The painting is much brighter than it looks in these pics.

Still here, sort of

2011-01-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from the winter blahs. I am still taking pictures of my kids, and they are still adorable. I'm still making dinners and living for those moments after the kids are in bed that Adam and I reconnect and snuggle.

I am starting to paint and finding it fun, exciting, and difficult. Like, I start a painting and have such high hopes, then I screw it up and paint it over again. Little Miles is hungry and crying downstairs, and June just came up looking for me and I told her I was in a time out until I could be nice.

It seems like there is always work to do. And I'm always wanting to escape. I don't like posting when I am not feeling positive.

So as Toad would say to Frog, Blah! I'm going inside.

Feet in the Bath

2010-12-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

"Feet, what do I need you for when

I have wings to fly?" - Frida Kahlo.

I take baths regularly. Almost every night. I think and dream, read, and take blissful refuge from the demands of being mother in the hot, hot water.

The image I recall when I look at my feet.

Often times, I look down at my two feet near the stopper. Last night it was to think about how I really need to remove the toe nail polish that is now only partway on about 7 of my toenails. (But I didn't.)

I also almost always think about Frida Kahlo, which gets me thinking about mortality. About what happens when you die. About what it would feel like to have a painful disease and be stuck in bed for the majority of my life.

And to still persist in making life a vibrant celebration. That is what Frida Kahlo means to me.

The image which is the source of the quote above, "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

When I was 26 I went to her house in Mexico City. I was traveling alone and arrived there by subway. I was struck by how colorful everything was, how prolific.

I wish I could make my home an inviting escape for all who visit.
I wish I could create something that reflects the life I live, that will persist after I die.

Her loveliness, in color.

See what I mean... morbid. But sometimes it is worth sharing these kinds of thoughts. I think death reminds us how lucky we are to be among the living. And I hope any readers of this know that I mean it in the kindest sense, and do not mean to make light of the very real pain of grieving a lost loved one.

I found the photos via this blog.

A parting quote:

"I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling." - Frida Kahlo.

She's 4!!!

2010-12-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

For a long time now I have wanted to do a post devoted to our Miss June. You see, she is something of a mystery, a whirlwind. Paradox. For nearly a year after Miles was born, I could only capture photos of the back of her head.

She is quite contrary. She is a great debater. She understands fairness, kindness, tenderness, and love.

She is very devoted to princesses. And she has a profound fear of the dark, wolves, scratching at the door, and other terrible things.

She is growing up, sideways, all around us, and despite us.

Our little Junie love. I wish I could capture more about you since you change so very quickly. But for now, I just want to be sure to say:

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

May you always be as tenaciously alive as you are now. I admire how very you you are.

PS This seems like just the other day.

Something You've Never Had

2010-12-05T17:16:00.002-07:00

This is Tom.

My brother is the best.

And here is something you can learn from him:

To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

While I am thankful for many things, I am most thankful for these two.

Madam J-Bug

Milo Fox

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Parenting is hard. So I need a new couch.

2010-11-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

For the last three weeks, our miss June has woken us up at least 4 times in the night. She has been sick and she already has sleep apnea, so staying asleep is routinely difficult for her. The cold has made it much worse. She has had a cold that has just hung on, starting with sniffles and fever, developing to major mucus and cough. It has included a very red nose. And the most difficult part of all is that she has simultaneously developed a fear of the dark. I tell you, it is kind of sweet to comfort a scared little lovely girl in the middle of the night once in a while. It is quite a different thing when it occurs each and every night, and it just feels as though the parent is being manipulated by false cries from a child who refuses to just go to sleep. {Yarg. So frustrating.}
So: last night was the first night she slept completely through the night in a very long time. I applauded her this morning for it. And I feel better than I have in some time too.

West Elm Armless Sectional

In addition to this, Adam, Miles, and I have also had the same cold. Luckily for me, I had the mildest version. Miles's turned into an ear infection complete with antibiotics. Then he had a barfy phase that began with a simple little throw up in June's room last Saturday afternoon. He puked all day Sunday. And has puked at least once every day since. Generally, since we still cosleep, this has included at least one vomit all over mama a night. Including last night, sigh. He also has had the same cough as June and is currently battling some major mucus production. I worry his ear infection will come back because he can't keep down his antibiotics. As a funny aside, this boy actually likes his nasal aspirator. How weird is that?

Add to that that it is now a very gray and steely-skied winter. I look outside and wish for an uplifting ray of sunshine. And I don't get it.

Link.

I'm so thankful for the long Thanksgiving weekend. I plan to do a lot of relaxing. And wouldn't it be nice to do it on this perfect couch? I even read the dimensions and it is a perfect fit for our small and narrow living room. It has no arms, which is supposedly the way to go in small spaces. Plus, it is personalizeable through changing out the pillows. I confess this Christmas version "sells me" on it. I like the whole color palette of the picture too, though I could never have a red couch.

Link.

My color of choice would be the charcoal gray, or perhaps the brown. Practical yet pretty.

And I can envision myself on this couch. Watching movies. Eating popcorn. Lounging with my feet up. Reading the bazillionth book to Miles who cannot get enough of them. Letting June climb all over me. Watching her be "another dancer" (this time named Daisy) prancing about the room.

Yes. I need a new couch.

And more sleep.

All images from westelm.com.

A Day Away

2010-11-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today I have been loafing around a lot, given that it is a holiday, and a Thursday, and I decided to stay home and write. Well I did write, a little. But mostly I have been sitting here surfing the internet and dorking around on facebook. When I get up I do small chores to make me feel a little better about so much loafing.

I often think of a Maya Angelou passage I once read to make me feel better about selfishly delighting in a day to myself. It is called "A Day Away," and here is a portion of it:

"Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us. We need hours of aimless wandering or spaces of time sitting on park benches, observing the mysterious world of ants and the canopy of treetops.

If we step away for a time, we are not, as many may think and some will accuse, being irresponsible, but rather we are preparing ourselves to more ably perform our duties and discharge our obligations.

When I return home, I am always surprised to find some questions I sought to evade had been answered and some entanglements I had hoped to flee had become unraveled in my absence."

Text copied and pasted from here.

So today, one of my discoveries was the shop Little Lark, which is a business run by a woman I knew in high school. The shop specializes in sweatshop free 100% cotton apparel, and it looks as though a lot of the baby clothes are organic. I would like to get one of these shirts for our little Fox:

Maybe someone could pick one up for Christmas? I had to paste two of the color options, because I cannot tell which one I like best. I think Miles would look dapper in a long-sleeved T-shirt version, though honestly he might like this Kitty the best, though it would be my pick for June.

Another really cool site I discovered today is kickstarter.com. This is a site for people wishing to embark on creative endeavors, but lacking the funds. Check it out! I was impressed to find some projects by local Alaskans.

And this duo (watch the video, 367 pounds of wax) continues to inspire me.

Holy Shit. This new lens is AMAZING!

2010-11-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I talked to Emery on the phone and she gave me some photo tips. In particular, she told me about a new favorite lens selling on amazon.com for around $90. I had to check it out, and then low and behold, seriously lucked out by getting it as an early Christmas present from Adam.

To be honest, he said it was an awful lot of pressure I put on him to buy it. I guess that says something about me. But honestly, I have wanted a wide aperture lens for a really long time, and we have been on such a budget I had put it off as a pie in the sky dream, until I heard the price for this one.

Every time I take a picture with it, I think to myself, Holy Shit! I've never been able to capture photos like this before, particularly with such low light. I am super excited about it.

Beanie Bean.

Nearly blooming Christmas cactus.

Here are some of the first shots (above), which may not be amazing except for the fact that they were shot by the light of ONE LAMP only.

Looks kind of grouchy, eh?

Here is an early morning shot of Miles. The sun had not come up and the room was lit by a lamp and an overhead light that is on a dimmer.

Ice Queen.

Fox in a Snowsuit.

And here are some good ones of the children, both outside and in.

Best and least blurry child hand photo I have ever taken.

I'm completely addicted. I took like 300 photos in about an hour. The one limitation I can think of is that it cannot zoom and do the same thing (give me the f1.8 photos I've coveted for so long, and now have.) That will be the next lens to lust after.

Thanks Emery!

First sledding EVER.

Thanks Adam! I am pretty excited about taking winter photos now. I can't wait to try it on twinkly lights....

New white blanket

2010-11-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today we awoke to the first snow fall of the year. It was lovely, but I did not get a photo. So instead, here is a picture I found that I took last year around this time that imparts some of what early winter in Anchorage feels like.

I am looking forward to the winter, at least for now. I find myself excited about the holidays, shopping, staying in, and eating yummy things. And after the effort it took just to come up empty handed for an early winter snow picture, I know I need to get out and take some pictures.

I hope you all got out and voted today. I know I did!

My little Halloween felines

2010-11-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here we have two videos, one for the Bug and one for the Fox.

M&M's from Amy on Vimeo.

Can you believe how she has grown? This video is delightful! I am so glad Adam captured it.

Toddler Tiger from Amy on Vimeo.

And this boy... I love how you can see his tail wiggle as he walks.

I hope you had a great Halloween!

Perspective

2010-10-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

I came home to a dark empty house. For one whole hour, mine.

No lights on, totally silent.

I flicked lights on, walked around, changed from my work clothes, fed the cat.

I warmed up some food, sat on the couch in the lamp light.

It was silent.

Way too silent.

I watched a little Battlestar Galactica I got in the mail off of Netflix. I drank half a beer.

And I rejoiced exactly one hour and fifteen minutes later, when this man came home, with these kids.

Sometimes, alone time is not all it is cracked up to be.

Miles and I nursed. And then Adam got Miles to bed in 30 seconds flat. And then June and I had our normal night, plus a little extra tucking in her new Cinderella barbie into her own bed. And some, "Mom, Mom, when I say huummmm-hmma-hmm-hmm, that means, I need a drink of water." Okay babe. For the fiftieth time because you think it is fun.

I'm just glad you are home.

Picture Perfect

2010-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

I often find myself overwhelmed with all the beauty and inspiration online. I go through waves where I find it inspiring and captivating, to other times where it leaves me with a feeling that everything has been done before and that I have nothing unique to add.

My life is often filled, literally, with piles of laundry that we have to step over in the upstairs hallway. The garbage does not get taken out and needs it badly. My baby weight persists around my middle. My boxes remain unpacked from our move a year ago, and my countless photographs remain unorganized and chaotically saved on an external hard drive, some compact discs, and flickr. I long for organization, for pretty photo albums, for an outer reflection of the internal constant creativity that is going on.

But then instead, I sleep. I have dizzy spells. I curl up under a blanket and wish it were not so cold and gray outside. I daydream. Does anyone else have this problem?

Lately it has been sparked by reading some of my favorite blogs. For example, on Pacing the Panic Room recently, there was a post where Cole is adorably riding a bicycle and the theme is "Do What You Love." The same blog talks frequently of things like how when the couple met, they determined neither would give up their dreams just to be able to pay the bills. I read that and think how they are lucky, beautiful, and living a dreamy life. Lucky. I watch the video with the adorable song (by the band Rabbit!) that is the score and think, bah! I similarly read the posts on Soule Mama where she is fixing up and painting her new beautiful farmhouse and I think, bah! And I also think, I want that too, but I want it mine.

Does this attitude make me jaded?

I think that what it really makes me is tired. Tired of the bills that haven't disappeared. Tired of having no choice but to continue at the job that pays the bills. The job that is sometimes very rewarding, but not the same as living the dream.

And then, if am even more honest, it is the constant busy-ness that spurs me to dream. If I had endless free time, if I had an endless budget and no duties - parental or work-related or whatever - then I think I would not have the drive to create and work towards something lovely and inspiring. Something to give my life meaning.

My normal course is to find the beauty in every day. To find meaning in the slightly squinty eyed smile I get from my toddler. From the exuberant excitement of my three-year-old trying on her new rainbow dress. From making something deliciously satisfying to eat and to feed my family. These things are undeniably great.

But still I yearn. To make something greater than myself. To get the thoughts out.

This is where my newfound obsession with writing a book is coming from. And I am determined to work it into evenings and weekends. To cram it into the spaces where I could be just relaxing and daydreaming, or reading lovely blogs about others pursuing their dreams.

And when it is done, it won't be picture perfect. But at least I can have the satisfaction of following through. And of persisting even when it seems so impossible.

Friday Fun

2010-10-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm kinda desperately throwing together a Friday night post to at least come close to making good on my promise, despite the ~~momentary~~ endless (!) computer setback. (And I kinda thought I was over promises, but here I go again.) It was hard to go Mac-less for even a few days, so soon after bring it home.

Little Grocery Store Reaper

So here is some Friday fun for you. A sneak preview of Junie's costume, and a couple pictures of Miles the Reaper. He was seriously scary with that thing - MUCH more so than he is with his brooms.

Soon to be Rainbow Butterfly

Do not look into his eyes.

Have a great weekend! Adam and I are going on a date. To a bar. To meet some friends. It's like we're 20 again!

Little Bits of Things to Share

2010-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

The blog silence will not last I tell you! Stick around. We had an unexpected problem with the new Mac and just got an exchanged version set up. Hopefully I will have some new Friday fun for tomorrow. A whole week, yeesh. Just when I was getting rolling again.

I got another cool present in the mail today from my Dad. It's a program called Dramatica and it is to help me establish my story line for my book. I am crazy with excitement.

Last night I dreamed that I got a large manila envelope in the mail with a solicitation for me to work for the U.S navy and they would pay me around $6,000 a month to write fiction, family histories, and continue to take pictures. I cannot tell you how wonderful this dream was. I kept waking up lightly and deliberately replaying the theme. It felt so real.

Bina: the Lady Gaga meat dress is real! Or perhaps you knew that already?

Friday Fun

2010-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start a tradition of posting something fun and entertaining on Fridays. Seems fitting right? So here is a video that I watched for the first time in the car on my iPhone a week or so ago. The song is "Love is the Slug" by the extremely famous band Fuzzbox and it is totally rockin'.

This was something on a mix tape of my sister's circa 1988. And it is awesome.

While I love the song, I think the video is only so-so. But DAMN I wish I could know what these ladies are doing now. They are amazing. Do you see that drummer? The smile on the bass player? I love it! And the zombie dance style is pretty killer.

The Fox at 14 Months

2010-10-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

Little Miles did not get a birthday post here, which I want to call tragic, but really... that is too melodramatic even for me. BUT, it is something I have to remedy. So our boy is going to be 15 months old soon, and I have a lot of catching up to do if I want to give him even a fraction of the blogging attention that I gave to our lovely June as she transitioned from baby to toddler, now to big girl.

Walking Love

The night before last, Adam and I had gotten both kids to bed and were enjoying our short, exhausted moments together at the end of the evening, when we heard giggling coming from Miles in the bed. A lot of it. I cannot say how lovely it was to hear him laughing in his sleep. I like to think that it is a sign of a good life.

We cosleep still. I am grappling with him being my last child and the sadness of not having another baby. If logic had any place in the matter I would not feel this sadness at all. But I wished to stay home with him his first 6 months at least, and in my heart I feel as though I missed a lot of the little baby cuddle time with both children, in those very first days. So, we cosleep, and I know by looking at June that this time too will be over so quickly. He will be sleeping on his own before we know it. There are no do-overs with children. I am not ready to rush it just yet.

Mama Love

This morning he very clearly said, "apple" while pointing at the mini Alaskan apples we still have in the kitchen. He has a nice little roster of words, including Mama, Daddy, Up, Uh-oh, Cracker (all food is cracker), Na (for No, which he does not say yet, but he has got a very emphatic way of shaking his head no that is unmistakable), Touch, Sister, June, Kitty, Dog, Woof, Broom (oh is he ever obsessed with brooms), All Done, Boo, Ta Da, Bath, Ball, Balloon, and Book (which sounds like Book-u.) And oh! The intonation of his voice. It is so sweet and kind of squeaky. Adam says it is as if he is always singing when he speaks. He chatters a lot to himself nowadays. He understands a lot too, and will do things that are asked of him, like "Miles, go get your starfish." Or, "Miles, time to go up(stairs)."

We still nurse. (Which he calls Boo-Boos, as June did, or else "Mii" since, Milk is hard to say.) He very adamantly expects nursing when we reunite in the evenings. Having been through this before with June I just adore it the second time over. Except at times when we are sleeping and I get a good sense of what it must be like to be a mama-cat, as Mr. Claws scratches me both with his toe and fingernails.

Balloon Love

He adores books. Some of his favorites are Go Dog Go! And the Eric Carle book From Head to Toe.

He is very active and always likes to figure things out. Yesterday I loved watching him figure out how to squeeze a lime onto his dinner after I had done the same to mine. He has already figured out how to squeeze a few kinds of bath toys so that they squirt water, which took June ages to figure out. He walks, runs, and climbs quite well. Climbing the stairs, into the dishwasher, onto various pieces of furniture. He uses a fork and spoon, particularly at school, since it took us a while to try it at home. He loves sitting at June's princess table to eat. Another favorite thing is chewing on toothbrushes.

Daddy Love

He's made a very cozy home in all our hearts.

P.S. Peep Junie's 14 month post, here.

Family Hike

2010-10-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

{Cold looking!} Beautiful View.

We try to get out every weekend. Generally, what this means is Adam goes stir crazy until we do. And every time it is hard to get out of the house, but ultimately, very worth it. This weekend we went to Kincaid Park and wandered around. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots.

Handsome guys.

Junie.

Nice stick.

Smiles Fox.

Mt. View Public Sculpture

2010-10-11T22:33:00.002-07:00

Today I was on a walk in the cold rain down in Ship Creek. I walked by a quonset hut with Fleetwood Mac blaring. Inside, I saw someone who may have been welding for all I knew. The hut was warm and golden with light compared to the drizzly salt-smelling outdoors. She had the garage door wide open and I could feel heat emanating out. But what was so eye-catching were the masks.

Photos taken with my iPhone

I walked by at first, but curiosity got me bad. I turned back and gestured to the woman inside that I'd like to take a picture. She gave me a thumbs up back. Ultimately she came out and told me that the faces are all residents of Mt. View neighborhood. I told her that "my other dream life is as an artist." She agreed it was pretty cool. And while my little rendition of this conversation is coming off trite, it was a nice little exchange that left me uplifted and hopeful.

The eventual installation will be a public sculpture in Mt. View, where each mask is embedded in a steel wall and lit from within. This will be so cool in the dark wintertime I can hardly stand it. I'm also excited because who knows? Maybe this could be the beginning of knowing some creative, possibly like-minded people. I always like that.

See more on the project at their website, www.keseypollock.com.

P.S. It seems like cool things are happening in Anchorage. I mean, Drew Barrymore is here! I cannot help hoping to run into her, invite her over for dinner, show her how much our June looks like Gertie...

P.S. 2: There are classes! I wonder if I could get 15 people?

Kitchen Inspiration

2010-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Remodelista, Schwartz Kitchen, More here.

Bit by bit, Adam and I intend to update our new home as we did our old home in the Sonoran Desert. Last winter when we were living at my Mom's house, in fact ever since our home deal closed 2 days before Miles was born, I have been obsessed with nesting. It was particularly rough having nowhere to actually nest, and having all of our stuff stored in my Dad's garage/horse stable (photos from inside).

Canadian House and Home

So last winter I collected these photos and have been unearthing them as I reorganize my photo stash, only to discover that many of them I still really love.

From Apartment Therapy

I think that the style I like is warm rustic modern. And the good thing about it is that I think Adam can get behind a warm modern look too, which is essential. Yesterday he said, "So how does remodeling our kitchen down to the studs sound?" And I had to confess, it sounded good to me. Though without him, I can only dream. So I'm glad he is on board.

From Skona Hem

It is funny to me how many of the photos I save feature my favorite color. I do not do it intentionally.

Here, check out what our friends Shelby and Joe did with their kitchen. I think it looks awesome.

No excuses now

2010-10-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Look at this new amazing thing on our desk. Holy cow!

Thanks Mom.

Who I am

2010-10-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted, and I think that I'm long past promising another post will be forthcoming.

But while I have a minute, and your attention, I thought I would describe the space that this blog has been, and is, for me.

Memories.
I'll begin with a story of me, age 22. I lived in a little 4-plex apartment and had been settled in for several months, though I still had two boxes in the trunk of my little yellow toyota corolla. Feeling mad in the crazy sense, I took those two boxes and without looking inside dropped them at the good will. I felt good about this unorthodox and totally un-sentimental-packrat-me move until a few months later. When I realized that I had inadvertently donated my box of memories and could not get it back. Goodbye spelling bee button. Goodbye prom princess crown and sash. Goodbye old love letters. Goodbye childhood photos of me. Goodbye little art pieces saved through the years. Luckily, I had saved my journals separately.

Yesterday I started looking for this binder I made in 8th grade called "My Self Book." I think it is torture to have an 8th grade girl create a self book, as I think most 13 year olds have a hard time identifying as a unique self at all and just want to be a loved part of the pack. And I couldn't find it. And now I worry, was it in the box? Is it gone forever? Because that would mean the loss of other treasures, beauties of my heart, lost.

My twenties were spent in a pre-digital age. Sure, digital cameras existed. But I was happily luddite, stupidly "punk" and had very few friends that gave me photos of myself. Any friends out there with pictures of us? Send them this way! I would love any photos that prove that I was once between 18 and 26 years of age, carefree and beautiful.

So first and foremost, this is a place to save memories. It is a place to track the hours (a la Virginia Woolf). It is a place to prove the past was real.

Beauty.
Ah, beauty. Ok call me crazy, but I love it. I love the amount I have and get to enjoy in my person. (There I said it and call me an egotist.) I love what I see outside and in small things every day. I can't get over the beauty of my children, and they grow on these pages as my relationship with them does. Cada dia.

My children.

The Bug and the Fox. With their dad, they form the brightness of my every day. I am delighted by watching them change and grow. We have a love positive feedback loop that is just divine. I post about them all the time and go back and forth about whether or not this is a good thing. Time will tell.

My husband.
I am very stingy about him and you get to know very little at all. Unless he says it is ok. Our love is private and I'm not sharing. (Ok Morrissey song, get out of my head.)

Ideas.
I'm also a big idea person with very little follow through. I blame this on lack of free time. But really, it is also that I just cannot stay focused on one project at a time, or apparently long enough to make something out of it, most of the time. But here in this electronic blip of memory, I can record my stops and starts, my minutes of ingenuity, and feel as though they had some purpose. This gives me peace.

Fu#!ing politics. 

I will now and then make some stupid political commentary and you dear reader just have to suck it up. I will try not to swear though because I hate swearing.

Fashion and Design.
In my daydreams, I have a really stylish wardrobe and an organized home full of carefully selected pieces that reflect me, my family, my husband, my life, and our favorite things. One day soon (two years from now?) we hope to remodel our kitchen. One day soon (before I die?) I would like to have a really stylish wardrobe. So here and there I will likely post the kinds of things that inspire me.

Evolution.
As I wrote this post I realized I was writing about what this blog is and will be about. That was not my intent as I sat down, so now that I am taking the time to try to capture all of what it is, humor me in knowing that it will likely evolve, be totally erratic, and maybe only half the time meet the descriptions I have made here.

P.S.

I want to be an author. I may someday post little bits of my latest book idea here. Or story. Or something else altogether. (See above.)

Third Week of Photo Class

2010-06-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

I did not post on the second week because the pictures I took were pretty boring. They were experiments with ISO and shutter speed, and resulted in progressively dark and well-lit photos. While my subject matter (Miles in his crib, the road at 65 mph) was sort of interesting, I was not too inspired.

But this, this assignment was something I could get into: A PHOTO CONTEST! These 3 photos were my submissions. I will let you know how I do.