It Makes a Momma Proud...

...when her ten year-old asks for help on coming up with a jingle for class about suffrage. First we watched this for inspiration:



He made it clear that we could not plagarize anything (proud, again!)

When we asked for Michael and Rachel's two cents they broke into this song, separately:

This was the final product:

You trust us with your house.

You trust us with your kids.

So you should trust us to help the government.

:::::::::::::::You are What You Read::::::

I was in the waiting room while Aaron had his dental cleaning yesterday and picked up the January 2011 issue of The simthsonian and was introduced to the painter Guiseppe Arcimboldo. I was surprised and intrigued by his use of still life objects...fruits and vegetables to great portraits. He used other objects, such as, sea creatures and books. I am completely enamored with this one:



Time for Girl Scouts...later, gators!

I don't Want to be a South Pole Elf

Cold rain...today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HALEY...one of my awesome nieces!


***A.T.C.
I love A.T.C.s...Here is one I came up with:


Here are two oldies, but I felt like sharing them again:




*****Christmas Singing...

Eve yelled at Noah and me for not singing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" correctly, so Noah called her a "South Pole Elf". This morning we sang "Jingle Bells" while I brushed her hair. No recriminations or chastisements of any kind. Things maybe looking North for our little South Pole Elf.

Have a great day!

A Bit Verbose!

My daughter and The Statue of Liberty


Antique Garden paper by Bren Boone
Date Stamp by Amber Clegg
Paint Stroke and Hand Stamped Alpha by Michelle Coleman
Green Ribbon by Micheline Martin
Vintage frame by Nancy Comelab


::::::::::::::::::::::::Sister Wendy::::::

We are using Sister Wendy Beckett for art appreciation class. Aaron has a hard time getting passed her teeth, but I think her enthusiasm and insights won him over. Rachel and Noah watched her episode about the Lascaux cave paintings in the South of France. In that episode she showed The Book of Kells, Greek art on an urn depicting Achilles killing an Amazon woman, paintings uncovered in Pompei, and some Medieval art. I highly recommend her videos!




Here is a great article about her: Click ME!


:::::::::::::::::::HILARIOUS FUN IN A LITTLE BITTY CARD::::::

3x5 card sized in fact. Check out this amazingly clever blog: Click For a Laugh!




::::::::::::::::::::My Hottie Hubbie:::::

had this hilarious video on his blog



:::::::::::::::::::Iguana Invasion:::::::

This is what the kids create when they watch art how-to videos:


_{Font: DJB ANGELA/ DJB KARAHscript by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick, Luscious Papers by Bren Boone, Dear Diary by Erica Hite,
Word Topper dates and Sparkle Block Alpha by Emily Merritt,
Gralpha by Birgit Kerr,
Backward Staples by Jenn Patrick,
G-Funk Alpha: Bright by Gina Miller,
Paper Doodle Frame by Sausan,
Word punched alpha by Christina Renee,
Wordy Bit Alpha by Kate Hadfield and Tiff Brady}



Aaron's version::



_{Dear Diary by Erica Hite,
Luscious Solids by Bren Boone,
Tape Alpha by Kate Hadfield,
Word Toppers numbers by Emily Merritt,
Backward Staples by Jenn Patrick,
Wordy Bits dates by Kate Hadfield and Tiff Brady}

WOO HOO...More Frig. Art and My Daddy Bill:

"There is an infinite number of worlds, some like this world, others unlike it...For the atoms out of which a world might arise, or by which a world might be formed, have not all been expended on one world or a finite number of worlds, whether like or unlike this one. Hence there will be nothing to hinder an infinity of worlds....And further, we must not suppose that...in another sort of world there could not possibly be, the seeds out of which animals and plants arise and all the rest of the things we see."

Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.), Greek philosopher, "letter to Herodotus"


_{background paper by Kim Hill, Studded Ribbon from "Birthday Blitz" by Gina Miller, overlay and glitter brackets from Studio Chic by Shabby Princess, Font: Ash94, Old Style Italic}


::::

If you think some kids go to school these days just to play football...think again:





A.A. (Goat) Harris, as he is listed in this 1974 article featuring the 1938 football team of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, is my maternal grandfather. I knew him as "Daddy Bill". His full name was Arthur Aaron Harris, but he received the knickname "Goat" because he would chew on his tongue and sleeves. He only attended high school during football season, then he would quit and go back to work for his father's furniture store. I suppose he moved onto the knickname "Bill" as it is linked to "Billy Goat".
During his infrequent schooling he defended a couple of his classmates from the school principal and a teacher. My grandfather grabbed the principal and tossed him in a ditch for abusing a student. I wonder if the principal ever picked on the other boy again? On another occasion he had a friend whose arm was broken and a female teacher hit him on that arm, so my grandfather chased her down the hall to the principal's office.


Background paper from "Good Karma" and Brush Stoke Alpha by Michelle Coleman
Scrapbook and corners from Mo Jackson's Primitive Scrapbook
Title Alpha and staples from Shabby Princess' Fall Freebie
Font: Marcishand

More Frig. Art:

_{Ali Folendore's Geisha Girl papers, Willow Haiku papers, Jen Wilson Lamour papers, Font: CAC Shishoni Brush}

Fun with Grandpa

_{Paper, words and elements from Meredith Fenwick's "Just for Fun", Date Stamp by Jenn Star from her blog, and overlay by Nancie Rowe Janitz, font: Pea Angedawn}

Grandpa Jim Towhey and Rachel are great pals. They love The Three Stooges and working on motorcycles and cars. Grandpa loves to teach Rachel simple magic tricks...no Criss Angel--MindFreak stuff here. Grandpa likes to read Junie B. Jones books with Rachel too, but if you like to read about irreverant elementary school kids you would like it too.









It's fun to have someone around who likes to share real learning experiences and a lot of fun times, too!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

More Refrigerator Artwork--- this one is Rachel's version of the elementary school mascot. She created this one in first grade:


_{Orange background paper by me, Clip Its by Gina Miller also the paper from Note This, blue border paper by Jen Wilson "Feeling Blue" papers, Parenthesis from Kristy Ann Nerness' Colorful Spring, paw print (modified) by Rhonna Farrer, font: Amanda's Hand}

I Present: Refrigerator Artwork!

I will be posting artwork my kids have brought home for the last couple of years because today I finally got around to scanning them into the computer. Now there won't be a flood of artwork because much of it, (PLEASE DON'T TELL MY KIDS) resides in a landfill in the great state of Georgia! But the few pieces that passed the "Awww that is cool!" Mommy criteria (I am Inspector 12)...I will post. I present two pieces of artwork today. One is Aaron's and the other Rachel's:



<sub>Painted Alpha by Rhonna Farrer

Layout Credits: Shabby Fall Kit by Shabby Princess, Indian Summer in Seasonal Scraps, button (Delightful element) and blanket stitching by JenWilson, leather roses from Michelle Coleman's Gypsy Rose Elements, Overlay from Carefree Kit by the ScrapArtists
Fonts Used: Stitched font by MoJackson
Special thanks to...: Alb52 for torn circle</sub>

A Little Bit of This and That:

_{Senior Prom Mini-Kit by Holly McCaig, velveteen flowers by Paper Moons (Annaben)}

It is one of those little things in life that coincide nicely, My sister, Tracy, had a baby daughter a couple of months after I did. The little girls are growing up before our eyes soooo quickly. It makes me happy that they get along so well with each other. The minute they get together the giggling and squealing begin. They run off and talk in hushed tones and start in their world of "Let's pretend...". Like all little girls they often like to play exclusively with each other, which drives Rachel's siblings into a tizzy.

-----------------------------------------------

These are just silly collages I had fun putting together:




<sub>background photo by me, Peanut Cartoon drawing by Charles Shultz, The Thinker by Auguste Rodin (photo from internet), bird collage by Hope Wallace.



background from Jen Wilson's "Nostalgic Sepia", Einstein, jester hats and doll head by Maya, postcard by Kristy Ann Nerness</sub>

-----------------------------------------------

My husband is the BEST WIFE I've ever had:

He highlights my hair ever 2 months or so, with this stuff:



He actually loves the chemistry involved and the art. He looks at the results every time and critiques his efforts. He also teaches the children to cook and he taught me to change diapers. He mops and vacuums. He also helps with the laundry. This is all while working overtime at work to help pay bills, assistant scout master, and my sounding board.