time to laugh

with all the depressing news in the world these days, it would be quite easy to get down. i admit it, i do let it get to me sometimes. but i am very blessed to have a quirky sense of humor and a funny event or sarcastic comment can keep me smiling for days. here are a few examples. last saturday in a fit of uncharacteristic domesticity, i scrubbed my hardwood floors and put down a thick coat of paste wax. bill used the electric buffer (fantastic invention!) to buff it up to a beautiful shine. the next evening i was puttering around in the art room when i heard presley making this desperate, frantic yelping noise. this was a shock as he is THE quietest dog, hardly ever making a whimper. so, i know you have guessed exactly where this is going. he had fallen on the shiny floor and could not get up. he was flat on his tummy with his legs all splayed out to the four corners of the room, just scrappling away with his feet trying to get some leverage to get up. i'm embarrassed to say that i burst out laughing and then hurried to get him onto safer, carpeted ground. but not before he gave me one of those disparaging that was not funny looks. seriously, presley it was!



the day of baby ben's birth jenna came and spent the night with us. the very first thing she wanted to do was come into the art room to do a messy craft (her words). the first thing we did was a torn paper collage of a cupcake. it was completely orchestrated by me -- i sketched it out on a piece of paper, then gave her a handful of different pinks papers to select from and so on. when we were done i told her that i was going to sit back and watch her make anything she wanted. she could use the paints, the brayers, the chalks, the glitter, the beads, anything. so she started with the paint and brayer. at one point i took the brayer from her and rolled it over an area to get a bit more coverage and without a moment's hesitation she gave me that same disparaging look as presley and said "i thought you were going to just sit there and watch". well, ok, i was put in my place and gladly sat back and let her have her way with the art supplies! above is step # 4 in her process - the black chalk!! whatever floats your boat, jenna!

the above piece is a collage i worked on yesterday for my daughter. it is still a work in process but just to gauge her like/dislike of it i sent her a few photos via e-mail last night. at 6:00 am this morning i read her reply "can you please make my chin look thinner? i'm trying to lose my pregnancy fat." well, that just cracked me up. what a great way to start a monday morning!


and, last, i've started to list a few of the altered photos i've created in my etsy shop. most of them include a little bit of original verse or poetry as well. i'm having fun, my friends; i'm having fun!