Reading with David – The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot

David says:
I gave this story five stars because I really like that they figured out the riddle and that they were able to find and return the parrots.

I liked that the parrots all had different funny names and messages and that one of hem was myna bird. I also like that Mr. Huganay congratulated them in the end (and that he didn’t win.)

I didn’t like Adam and the other guy who worked for Mr. Huganay because they captured the boys. I also didn’t like that Skinny Norris helped the art thief. I liked that Mr. Claudius apologized to the children (and the parrot owners) because he got so angry so quickly and screamed at them.

I liked that John Silver told Carlo’s uncle that he had a piece of gold at the end of the rainbow and he trained the parrots to say all those different riddles. It was super-cool that Blackbeard knew them all!


Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Daily Diary – April 9 2011

Yes, I am still in the blah mood. I am not sad, not depressed, but I still feel no motivation to get anything done. I’d just rather lie on the couch and surf pinterest or watch TV. Yes, it’s insane. It shall pass, likely when the todo lists pile up and I feel a sense of urgency again.

However, I am still exercising and we’re taking the family photos, of course. Even if the kids do not cooperate, I love how Jake and I look in this photo. I love how much I am still in love with him after seventeen years. Sure, we fight. Sure, he gets on my nerves (and I on his) and we’re far from perfect but I truly feel like he is a part of who I am. I love him so deeply, so authentically and I cannot imagine my life without him in it. He’s just a piece of my soul. Good or bad, I always want him near me. (And I am thankful for every day that he is and try to remind myself not to take it for granted.)

Tickle time comes quickly on days when the kids seem to have no patience.

And there’s always a lot of laughter.

David’s getting better. No more fever but his lips and nose are all dry from blowing his nose so much.

and right after photo-time, there was daddy and nathaniel fun time which Nathaniel loved.

And then it was nap time, quiet time, mommy-be-lazy time. I did some art in my weeklong journal during that time, too. Then we went to Whole Foods in an effort to peel myself off the couch. Groceries and lunch and reading to David came next. Then I went back to doing some art. And now I am processing flower photos I took today, finishing up my audio book, and getting ready for some more lazy time on the couch.

Tomorrow is more lazy time! (and maybe some art and reading.)

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that despite having the blahs, i got my exercise and my art time done.
2. I am grateful for pinterest today, too, it allowed me to be inspired for hours once again.
3. I am grateful for the patience of my family. They’ve been really kind about how whiny I’ve been lately.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful I almost can ride my bike {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I spent time with daddy.
3. I am grateful family night is tomorrow.

Us Right Now – April 9

jake
Jake had a great week. He went to his new office every day and since David was home sick all week, he got to spend full days at work and they were super-productive. He’s been so helpful to me, too and so much fun to have around. I am loving this new life and really really praying and hoping and wishing for only good things to come his way. My husband is an amazing man and he deserves so much in life. I love him so.

karen
This week was rough for me. I’d blame David and that he was around all week but to be honest, he’s as nice as can be and he gave me a lot of space. I just didn’t feel up for doing anything all week. I did all my work and even my regular daily tasks but I was grouchy and tired and uninspired all week. Which is one reason I took yesterday off so I could have a full three-day weekend and relax and see if I can get my passion, purpose, energy, or at least, will, back.

david
David was home all week. He had a fever on and off the entire time. I took him to the doctor on Thursday and thankfully there was nothing wrong but it still was terrible to see him sick and coughing and his nose dripping all week. He was a good boy and stayed quiet and read books and did his workbooks and quietly played with legos all week long. He even lost his wii day but he was gracious about it. I hope my boy is well again soon.

nathaniel
Nathaniel was thrilled to have his brother home all week. He read books alongside his brother. He sat with him while David played on the computer and they played with the flower toy together. Nathaniel was just a happy camper. He also decided vegetables were overrated and will not eat them unless I put them on his plate without alternatives and will not give anything else until he’s done. Some days that doesn’t work either. But we keep trying because it’s good for him and because we love him so so much.


Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Daily Diary – April 8 2011

Today was a day off. A total day off. I did absolutely nothing. I watched a lot of TV, surfed a lot of pinterest. And did nothing else at all. David was home sick and I let him play on the computer all morning, too. Day off for all of us, I decided.

Little boy made funny faces.

In the afternoon, David and I snuggled up but I was not in the mood to read because somehow I hurt my tongue (I have a cut) so it hurts to speak out loud.

The boys were in a good mood which always makes me happy.

He focused on working on his legos, which he loves and works on diligently.

I love this boy.

I love both my boys. I am in a bit of pain right now so I will just end quickly. Jaw and head hurting. I think I’ll go back to doing nothing and see if that fixes things!

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I took the day off. I really needed it. I need more.
2. I am grateful that I didn’t feel any guilt today. I kept telling myself to let it go.
3. I am grateful for the many pieces of inspiration I found on pinterest during my aimless surfing.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful I watched mommy do art {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played on the computer.
3. I am grateful for my mommy (aww!).

Healthy For Life – Week 14

So when I got on the Wii this week to see my progress, I was confident there would be weight gain. I’m always worried when I do the weigh-in and try to get myself ready for possible bad news. But then the wii came back and said I’d lost 5.6 lbs. I was so shocked, I thought it must surely be a mistake. I did it again and this time it was 5.3 lbs. I decided to just accept the great news and not push my good luck further. It is possible next week will show a very large weight gain but for this week, I’ll take this and enjoy it. Why not?

I’ve been really tired all week so the exercise has been not fun but it’s also not been too tough. It’s working out and I am able to do the 2.9 without too much crying. So, for now, I will just do it and try not to whine. As of yesterday morning, I had done 188 consecutive days of exercise. Go me.

And here’s the promised shots of me wearing the shirt I bought. The jeans are actually big on me and I need to buy a new pair but I am waiting to reach my goal before I do that. I am about 8 lbs or so away from it so I hope that by summertime, I will be ready for a new pair.

and here’s this week’s card:


Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

Sketching Angels

So, I have been sketching. I’m not sure it counts since it’s the same sketch over and over again. But here we are.

Remember this angel from last week (the page that inspired that will come in a few weeks, it’s in my weeklong journal):

I did that with the brown pencil and wanted to see how it would look with the black one:

then I did it again with graphite:

and here they are next to each other:

and then I made another one inside an old book:

then I went and bought a larger sized moleskine book cause I decided I liked large. So I bought a plain one (not watercolor) and made another angel in pencil:

then in the black marks all pencil:

and then made another one today:

and colored it lightly:

And there we are. Angels everywhere.

Daily Diary – April 7 2011

And the big boy woke up with a fever of 101.5 once again! I couldn’t figure out what was going on so I took him to the doctor and it turns out he’s ok. Just a cold, no infections. Thankfully. I’m still tired but chugging along. I’ve told David to take it easy so he read for a while.

While Nathaniel stuck and unstuck stickers on himself.

Then they played with the flower toy again.

And laughed and laughed. That toy’s a big hit. Thank you Cole!

Here’s the face little boy makes when he doesn’t get his way.

And then the tears well up. He’s so good at turning it on and off my boy.

Now they are off to bed. David’s going to be home tomorrow and I decided to take the day off. I need some time to relax and not stress about work and david and I’ve been exhausted and unmotivated all week so I am hoping having a 3-day weekend and resting a bunch will help.

Let’s see! And apologies for not posting the sketches earlier (see, i told you, not motivated!) I’m putting together a post right now.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I took David to the doctor and he really is ok.
2. I am grateful that I took tomorrow off. I will rest and relax and be kind to myself and hug my kids a bunch.
3. I am grateful that I have some good books to read and TV to watch, both of which will help me relax.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful the doctor said i am ok {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played on the computer.
3. I am grateful Daddy said he’ll spend some time playing with me tomorrow.

Daily Diary – April 6 2011

David woke up with a fever of 101.2 this morning so he was home once more. I told him that he was going to take it easy all day so he sat on the couch and read some books.

Nathaniel wanted to do the same right away, of course.

He found some choo-choo ones.

David then colored a bit.

While the little one kept “reading.”

Then David read out loud to him. It was so so cute.

They both went to their rooms after that. Nathaniel took his nap and David played quietly. I did some work. Nathaniel ended up taking a really long nap and woke up really rested.

My friend Nicholas gave me an electronic flower toy yesterday which the kids both loved and here’s Nathaniel when he hears the toy talk.

Listening closely.

Then he walked over to play with it more.

And laughed and laughed and laughed.

In a little while the kids will go down. David doesn’t seem to have a fever anymore and I am hoping he’s going to be ok tomorrow. I have a few friends coming over tonight and I am excited to see them even though I feel really tired.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that David does seem to be ok. The fever scared me but I think it’s just a little cold.
2. I am grateful that I have friends coming over tonight. Friends I really like.
3. I am grateful that it’s been a quieter week at work. With David sick and at home, it’s been busier than usual so I appreciate the lower stress at work.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful I did my workbook {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I colored.
3. I am grateful I played with the flower toy.

A Book a Week – Room

I picked up Room mostly because everyone else I knew was either reading it or had read it. And I had a hunch I wasn’t going to like it so I picked it up and put it down many many times before I finally decided to read it.

I was totally right. I hated it.

Well I liked the way it was written from a little boy’s point of view. And the story was interesting. But the sense of doom and feelings of being haunted never left me throughout the whole book. I know that was on purpose but it still sucked. I felt so sad and depressed the entire time. And I know these things happen in life which made the whole thing even worse.

Yes, life can suck, but do I really need to read about it?

Home Sweet Home Wreath

Now that CHA is passed, I wanted to share some of my The Girls’ Paperie work I made for the show. All products are from The Girls’ Paperie Vintage Whimsy or Mix and Match lines.

Daily Diary – April 5 2011

I’ve been doing my exercise first thing in the morning lately. Which means I feel a big sense of accomplishment early in the day. However, it also means I am tired and worn out really early in the day, which is not so great. David was home sick today, too. He was still coughing a bit and I just wanted to play it safe.

The little boy’s been struggling lately, too. Not napping until he’s supremely tired.

But he was delighted to have his big brother at home.

And gave him a lot of kisses and hugs.

David played im his room quietly for a very long time this morning and then I told him he could play on the computer.

Nathaniel played with his legos and watched us read.

And watched his brother play.

David was really engrossed.

And so was Nathaniel. Both my kids are such great players, thankfully.

Kids are down now and I am resting for a while. I might go out to see a few friends tonight but I am not sure. I feel quite tired so we’ll see. This is a typical “i don’t have enough to do” week for me. When I am not overwhelmed with todo list items, i end up accomplishing nothing. It’s ok. Productivity will come back.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that it was a quiet day. I needed it.
2. I am grateful that I got an email from a great long-lost friend whom I love so much!
3. I am grateful that I lost almost 5.5 lbs this week! I could not believe it so I tried twice. Whoa!

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that mom got me a magic set {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got to play on the computer
3. I am grateful I did my workbook

Weekly Art Journal – She Art

I signed up for Christy Tomlinson’s She Art Workshop a few weeks ago and I cannot tell you how much I love the class. I love watching Christy create these beautiful canvases and make it look so easy and so meaningful.

So today I wanted to share with you a few of the She Art pieces I made. All are inspired by Christy. The first one was in my art journal and you saw it last week:

and then I made one in my art journal just for fun:

and finally, here’s the one I made for the Pink Paislee blog:

All three of these pieces use a combination of Pink Paislee papers, paint, sequin waste, rubons, and stamps.

There’s something magical about combining scrapbooking paper, rubons, paint and stamps that just makes it so much fun to work. Mixing all my words together. Truly mixed media. I’ve really really enjoyed Christy’s class and have actually completed one more piece inspired by her. It’s not a girl but it’s almost a direct lift of a piece of art by Christy and I will show it in soon since it’s in my daily journal.

Thank you, Christy, for this beautiful class. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.


Weekly Art Journal is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.