What Would Happen if....

you gave two 4-year-olds a digital camera and little supervision?

Since this is a family-friendly blog, any photos containing bare bottoms were removed.

Found Objects

I am taking a found objects sculpture workshop at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. 3D is new to me. Luckily, our teacher Mark Brown is great! He dumped a whole bunch of junk on the table and said, "Have at it!"

We have been learning how to apply some basic principles of art and how to repurpose bits and pieces to make them wonderful.

This is my second piece I started on at the last class. It is fairly small, approximately 12" x 4". It is a bit of masonite painted and collaged with some magazine pieces. I've been adding random pieces of metal that speak to me in some fashion.

This is turning out to be my favorite piece thus far. I think I am most proud of myself for resisting my innate urge to embellish it with glitter or add rhinestones. Of course, I am also very excited to be discovering a new way to create!

Smoochy Movie

I am not a romance movie fan. When the night gets lonely, who do I turn to? My little black book contains Aliens, The Matrix, or Conan the Barbarian. This established trend means my movie watching buddies are in luck. When the horde starts chanting Watchman or Quantum of Solace, I'm already set on GO.

But, I've noticed that all the testosterone laden movie action has been having an affect on me. First off, my voice has dropped an octave. I also find I have an urge to spit after telling a good joke. I am wary that the next step will be hair on my chest or adjusting my crotch while telling a tale. So, I've decided to concoct an antidote.

My formula is simple. Next movie night, the _Guys_ are going to watch something girly. Since I have an extremely short list of what constitutes a good romance movie, the pickings are slim. To choose from, we have Say Anything, Ten Things I Hate about You, and A Walk in the Clouds. Honestly, those are the only three movies I could think of that had a sweetie theme and were memorable enough to make it to the forefront of my brain. Since the opportunity to entertain my estrogenic beginnings may never happen again, I don't want to be disappointed in the viewing choice. Watching something I've not yet seen and approved makes me nervous.

So, I am calling on all you helpful folks in Webdom. Suggest something gooooood.

New Toy

Grownups can have toys, too, right? Well, I am the proud owner of a brand new Fuji instax mini 7s camera. Remember the Polaroids of old? This is a new fangled replacement.

I chose the mini format because I think this is going to be excellent for my journaling adventures. The pictures are about the size of a credit card. I take a picture and pop it directly into my journal while on the go. The per photo price is a little pricey. You pay for convenience, of course.

After one use, I cannot imagine how any modern device could be easier to use. Fuji and Apple need to partner up. They apparently have a keen sense of how to make technology easy. The battery and film compartments are super easy access and everything is clearly marked.

Little thought is required. You only have to make two decisions: Off/On and current lighting conditions.

The only downside might be its bulk. It is certainly smaller than the Polaroid instant cameras, but feels huge when you are used to a camera phone or a pocket camera.

I am so looking forward to big fun with my new toy!

Amaze Me by Answering These

• When you say “Play,” why do little boys hear “Destroy!”?
• How do you tightly roll a burrito so it stays put?
• What good has ever come out of a lie?
• Is there a lethal dose of pasta salad?
• Where is my reboot button for the times when things just aren't working out?
• If the primary ingredient of your breakfast cereal is sugar, does it really matter if it has 120% of your daily allowance of Vitamin C?
• How can I get patience faster?

A New Portrait

It was another fabulous night at 106 Oak Street Place. After stressing on what was to be my next portrait subject...digging through ancient pictures....lots of sighing...I finally just brought a small selection of possibles to class. Adam suggested I combine two pictures into one. One is a picture of Simon and one is of Evy. I really liked the idea.

Here, I have started with the Simon portion of the picture. I felt very happy to have whipped it into shape after just one class. Of course, the credit lies heavily with the expert guidance of my teacher. The man has got skills. But, I feel a transfer of creative powers taking place and that is building my confidence.

Emma Internet

Emma has developed her own system of text messaging. She writes messages on pieces of paper and folds them into paper airplanes. She always waits until I least expect it and sails them at me. Usually, they are expertly aimed at my nose. In most instances, this is a sweet surprise, but when I am driving, it isn't so much.

Sometimes I will catch her lurking beneath the kitchen island or hiding behind the couch...airplane in hand...poised and ready to launch. When I am lucky enough to discover her, I don't make eye contact and just brace myself for impact. All the messages are sweet and written in Emma-ese. They are one of the best parts of my day.

Done

• Whittled on the dog. (Po has three distinctive coats! Even the deluxe clippers were bogging down.)
• Groceries gotten. (We need to get our own milk cow.)
• Van clean. (Inside and out, thank you very much.)
• Clothes washed. (May put kids in swimsuits 24/7. Then I could wash them and their clothes all at once time.)
• Goats moved. (Think it is time to put bells on them and let them free range.)
• Signed up for Remains of the Day online class. (The detritus of life made beautiful.)
• Forgot to leave a tip for possibly the best waiter ever. (If you are reading this, I'm bringing it to you tomorrow.)
• Made a little mischief. (Only the best kinds, of course.)

Snake Day

I'll admit it. I love snakes. I have been very blessed to not be burdened by any of the traditional girl phobias..snakes, frogs, lizards, or spiders. Several young men have been deeply disappointed to see my reaction to an aforementioned creature thrust in my face: "Oh! Let me see!"

When Joseph and I were dating, his friend called me a "keeper" when I hand caught a chicken snake while it was stealing eggs from our chicken house.

These days, Joseph considers it a good day when I don't go lumbering off into the brush looking for the snake that the mocking birds are harassing.

Hearing about Snake Day at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science got me really excited. I had never been. I deemed today a day of adventure and took the two smallest squirts with me to Snake Day.

The speaker Bryan Fedrick was great! He was really good at keeping the info simple and straight forward. He kept the kids participating. At the end, the kids were allowed to file through and touch various non-venomonous snakes of MS.

Simon and Evy loved it, as did I.

Snake Day was well worth the 5 hours in the car, the endless renditions of the Teen Titans theme song, and the subsequent twitch I developed in my left eye.