Saturday, September 28, 2013

from the vine

it all started
with an unlikely pair


and an assignment 
with a new-to-me medium
vine charcoal

first 
drawing lines while applying varied
pressure
progressing to circles
and smudging with
fingers
then
with the vine laying flat
drawing freely
randomly
with loop-dee-loops
and
reckless abandon

next
returning to the tip
and 4 minutes time
 drawing with as much detail as possible
focusing more on the 
subject
less on the paper
shading with the squint
method

now
laying the charcoal on its side
once again
drawing a new 
creature
being loose and flow-y
just getting the gist
the essence


and there he was
appearing from the release
of the stiffness
put upon myself

the hyper-focusing
proved to be 
counter productive

is that possible?


going back to 
rusty the dog
with a 
lighter
carefree
spirit

becoming fast 
friends

gone was the 
need for perfection
that self-induced affliction
that can freeze
faster than
sub-zero temperatures

found
that maybe
the pressure to 
succeed
aided with
heavy expectation and 
tension
are much like
rocky ground
whereas
a calm attitude
nurtured by 
deep belief and
faith
is the fertile soil
that bears much fruit.

all that
from the vine.



Friday, September 27, 2013

this moment


a garden gate

Joining Amanda and friends
in capturing the beauty 
of right now.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

is it too soon...

for me time?

Playing catch-up
since I haven't been sharing with you
on a regular basis.


It all began with a sign.
This particular garage sale sign
I knew well.

A friendly gentleman and his wife
who used to sell antiques
now hold garage sales
throughout the summer.
I have learned that these are
not to be missed
events.
Always cool stuff.

So I went
and I found...
but that's another story.

While there we struck up a conversation 
that went something like...
So...Mr. Lucarelli...
are you still active at the
upholstery shop?
(Al's Upholstery, here in Toledo...
a family business since 1930)
Yep.
He sure was!
Next question.
Do you offer upholstery classes
because I have always wanted to learn?
pause*tilt of his head*pause
 I decided to
sweeten the pot since
I could see he was considering
the offer.
For an experienced seamstress?
Are you an experienced seamstress? He asked.
Yes. Yes, I am.
Because, he added, we are in need of a seamstress.


So I could learn the trade
while getting paid.

That got me to thinking for the rest
of the weekend.
Should I do this?
Do I want to do this?
Can I hold a job AND homeschool?
Did I want to throw something 
else at my already busy 
schedule?
(on and on to tedium)
Could James be self-motivated enough
to allow me to
pull this off?
He assured me he could.



Went to check it out.
Discussed my concerns
the need for a flexible schedule
toured the shop
met my "would-be" co-workers
everything except pay...
my focus was on the learning.

Lifelong learning.
A concept that I want my guys
to not only hear about...
but to see in
action.

The truth is
you don't know
until you're in it
how things are going to turn out.

To be honest...
I'm still in the
trying to figure it all out
stage.



In the meantime...
I'm finding I am eager to add
more...
rather than weed out.
I was asked if I wanted to partake in
a Beth Moore Bible Study
(by a co-worker who knew I'd be interested)
Tuesday nights?
Sure.
I found myself saying...
I'd love to!
And I would.
And I will.
Another lifelong learning moment
which brings me back
 to the original question.

Is it too soon for me time?

Is my focus being pulled from where
it should be...
namely, homeschool?
I could argue that I am
being a poster child for
 interest-led learning.
But...
as I go about and grow
I am once again
feeling the guilt of motherhood
creep into my being.

Balancing
the not doing enough
with
the doing too much...
trick.

Then there are
other obligations and priorities
that are getting nudged
to the side.
Make that two-scoops of guilt please.

Haven't I been through this before?
Like deja vu?
Why am I singing an old song?

It is what it is.
I am who I am.

As I struggle my way forward
it sure wouldn't hurt to ask the advice
of friends
who know what I'm going through...
who understand
what the heck I'm talking about
because we're on this road together.

Thank you, in advance
for your help
on this one.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

retro slide show


Our (with mom & Tina)
first trek to see sister (Mary)
and her family (Ed, Luke, Sam & Maggie)
in the town they now call home...
Pittsburgh.

Pull up a comfy chair...
grab yourself some popcorn and a drink...
I'm about to share
snippets of our time together.

We'll call this 
the classic...
much loved...
(I kid you not...we had neighbors
from childhood days, who would torture us with 
a projector after their long vacations to...yawn...)
why-don't-we-do-this-more-often?
slide show.

Beautiful couple...
beautiful home.

I will try to keep
the sidebars and anecdotes
to a minimum
:)

What would 
sister-time
be
without a stack
of magazines?

Kitchen table preferred.

Pretty, pretties
everywhere.




No rhyme
no reason
in regards to order.

Hills...
hills...
and more hills!

Did I mention
how hilly it is?



Ed 
getting annoyed with me.

Oh, boo-hoo!


A cozy spot.

The perfect way to
describe 
their home.

Cool temps...
cool "gifted-by-previous-owners"
cherry
thermometer.

Orchard fun.

The tunnel to the
city.

Everything is more appealing
when you slap the word
retro
in front of it...
don't ya think?

So...what was
 our time together
really
like?

Something
like
that!

(Ed turned the camera on me
when he reached his
limit of early
morning
snapshots.)


Enjoy your day
&
Keep smiling

p.s. Thank you Mary
for taking such good care of us.
p.p.s. (or is it p.s.s.?) 
Thank you Ed for tolerating us.
p.p.p.s.(enough already!) Thank you for visiting
Old Maid New.

Okay, I lied...one more thing,
hey, I've been quiet for far too long
so we've got some catching-up to do...
after reading my own words
I realized how sweet those days were.
Sure, they were boring as a kid,
but
having neighbors who invite you
over to share
whatever...
those were the 
good times.
Makes me want to be better
just thinking about it.
To quote a learned man...
"Won't you please...
won't you please...
please won't you be
my neighbor?"

Signing off.
Really.

Friday, September 13, 2013

~this moment~

Joining Amanda and friends in celebrating the now...
I mean seriously,
it is the least I can do.

Homeschool is now in session...
*pause*
Is it ever truly "out"?

Art Class with Carla Sonheim.
Does it get any better?

Have a cool...crisp...late summer weekend...
cuz I'm gonna!