Family Art Classes

That crazy kid and I spend a lot of time in the art studio, and I mean a lot of time every day. We draw and paint while we jam to our favorite records and discuss anything that comes to mind. Lately I've been introducing her to new ways of expressing herself and we've been playing around with different media and techniques. (It usually blows her little mind in the best ways! Love it!) I look forward to our daily art classes together!

Because I've been so busy getting things ready for the Beehive Bazaar, we've been spending even more time together in the studio than usual, and we both have the stacks of artwork to prove it. You can see more of my artwork on my business blog or on my Instagram account, if you'd like.

Arting together is some of my most treasured moments with my daughter, which have been even better than I imagined they could be when I was picturing motherhood before she was born. I love seeing how her imaginative little mind works and it makes me proud to watch her skills develop. It's nice to have an art buddy to get feedback from, too (even though it makes no sense most of the time...she is only three, after all).

What kinds of things did you most enjoy doing with your parents when you were younger, or what do you like to do now with your kiddos?

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

I recently finished reading Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry:

If you liked reading The Giver (a Newberry Award winner for adolescent literature), you will probably like this alternate future tale of a youth discovering an inner gift and ultimately a better way of living.

Although it seemed to end abruptly, I enjoyed the exploration of love vs. duty, what it means to contribute to a community, the value of creatives, fresh starts, and improving surroundings.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Planting our Garden

We've had such a warm spring, that we decided to try plating half our garden early to get a jump start on a happy harvest. And, lucky for us, we have one of the best gardeners this side of the Mississippi:

I think we don't need to ever worry about having a thinly planted crop with this little farmer around.

Nothing has popped up yet, so I'm hoping we don't get a freak snow storm...although, anything can happen through June, I've learned by experience. I'll just need to keep an eye on the weather so I can cover up anything sprouting, if needs be.

Good luck to all those green thumbs out there!

Ghost Town Cemeteries

I shared last week about our visit to a real live ghost town, but an added bonus was the cemetery we found there:

We kind of have a thing for cemeteries, so we counted ourselves lucky to run into such a gem as this little old thing. Most of the graves were unmarked or had been replaced by modern headstones as an act of preservation by a historical society. This place was rich with history and mystery, too! A great combo!

Do you like cemeteries? Do you have a favorite one you like to visit?

Ghost Towns

We recently took a trip to St. George with some friends (no kids allowed!) and had a blast exploring the area. We were really looking forward to seeing some ghost towns, and see them we did. The one in the best condition, by far, was a place called Grafton:

 

These buildings were in much better condition than we imagined they would be, and it's because they are preserved by a historical society. Apparently, there are 2 Grafton ghost towns in the area, and we must have ended up in Grafton 2. So fascinating! I like to imagine what it must have been like to live in the area or how hard it would be to leave a home behind that you invested so much personal time into building.

Then, it got cold and dark. We barely left before the sun went down! So we made a speedy exit in order to not disturb any lingering ghosts in the area because we all know ghosts live in ghost towns. (Phew! Close call!) Actually, I think the feeling in the area was more of sorrow and desperation, not malice or hauntings. It made me feel very grateful for my circumstances. We are lucky to have what we have, you know.

Have you ever been to a ghost town before? What were your impressions?

The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy is a powerful and tender book that I recently finished reading about a family in India during the 70's :

While it was sad, it was also touching and human. I loved the literary themes I discovered while reading this gem:

• The idea of individuality vs. oneness and sameness
• The thought that family members cause internal familial destruction much more than outside forces; destruction from the inside out
• Loving someone double, or less vs. unconditional love
• The destructive power of words said in anger
• Consequences that ripple to innocents and through generations
• A mother's need for a personal identity aside from the role as mother

Have you read this or would you like to? If you've already got this one under your belt, what were your thoughts about it?

Happy Elephant Family

Here's a cute little painting I made of a cute little elephant family for a cute little nephew:

Cute isn't really my forte, but I needed to make it work for him, so I painted with watercolor then outlined the shapes in black ink to give it more of a childlike appeal. I think it worked.