Gardening with the Girl

Here is my cute patootie in the garden!
We planted violas and repotted a peace lily and some succulent plants.
The whole gardening experience was a BIG hit with little Lavender... she had such a blast throwing and eating dirt, inspecting the beautiful flower petals and playing with gardening tools like mama.
What a great helper!!!


Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year

Silly about Spring & my new Wreath!!!

Spring has definitely sprung and I can't seem to make myself stay inside for too long. Lavender and I find just about any reason to be out in the lovely lovely, not too hot yet weather.....we pull weeds, inspect the pea gravel, wash the car (to no avail... pollen everywhere!) and take many many walks.

I am discovering that this little one is quite like her mama when it comes to the outdoors... she begs to go outside, reaching for the door and when she gets out there I catch her kissing our pretty red bud tree and giving it a big hug... What a tree hugger! ha

Anyway... all these lovely days inspire me... to plant flowers (I know the violas won't last too long, but hey... so pretty!), to make a new foam flower wreath for the door, to not pull the dandelion "weed" that is growing in my rose bush, and to enjoy the gentle "spring snow" that falls from the Bradford pear trees as the wind blows. Walking in these little white petals makes me feel like a garden nymph!

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

At Long Last

So here i am... finally. Things seemed to get all busied up in no time around here. Joshers and I have been busy celebrating the birth of my bro's newest little girl, Naya Faith!!!! So exciting! She is just really tiny and has this wonderful fuzzy full head of black hair!!! I think she may just be the cutest newborn to ever cross my sight.... so precious.... so lovely. I think we forget just how tiny and fragile these little angels are when they first arrive.
Anyways... I was so excited about the wittle one that I made her a little something to brighten the walls of her pretty little room. The triptych collages with the little girls here are for my new niece. They are kinda in the same stream as the "children's art" that I have done in the recent past (like the 2 pieces that hang in Lavender's room... for those of ya'll who have been to my house!).

This second work is a portrait that I did of my sweet sweet husband... the guy who makes me the best version of myself.
It is the first of a series I have been referring to as "A righteous man." The piece is kind of a tribute to the heart of my husband and an acknowledgment of James 5:16.
I plan on making several more of portraits to accompany this one. But, I will definitely make some different technical choices... like the choice of paper for the portrait. I had loved loved loved this brown packaging paper that Josh's portrait was created on, but the beeswax really penetrated the paper and made it so dark that the image is hard to detect... I was also very disappointed to discover that the beeswax also diluted to pencil itself on the drawing... it made the wax a bit grey... which I didn't mind, except that the drawing just got more and more faint... ugh ugh ugh! I was so pissed... oh well. Live and learn, right???

Anyways... all this to say.... for the first time in a while I am really really excited about the art that's happenin in my studio. This portrait was one of those landmark pieces for me.
I'll keep ya posted!!!

The Big 1st B-Day!!!

Since little Laughfer's Birthday falls on Wednesday, we decided at the very last minute to do a little (very little) Birthday party this weekend. We had planned on having a joint b-day celebration with little Juden over at the Green's, but Joshers was sicky sick and poor Lindy is just so about to go into labor that we changed the plans last minute.

But I have to say I think it came together just fine. We had a really great time and little Lavender was really really exuberant about it all.

I decorated with a dog theme, since our girl just can't seem to get enough of dogs right now. And I have to say I didn't think she would really get that into it all, but I thought she was about to explode with excitement several times. She would start rocking and saying "DAWG DAWG DAWG!" So Cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made her a dog cake all her own to destroy (mission accomplished), little dog & dog bone cookies, and another dog cake for the rest of us. She was so giggly and excited and all that hard work was just soo worth it.

We love this wonderful little girl the Lord had blessed us with... She suprises me everyday with her joyful heart and her sense of adventure. I am ever so happy to be her mommy and to see the new things she's doing and the unique little person she is becoming.

Oh... thanks for all the lovely presents guys... so nice!!! Lavender is fiercely playing with all the dogs she received!!! And she really likes to look at all the cards that came with her presents... What a funny one!

Here are some pics of the event... the cake, the messy kid, the labors of love.

Yet another film

So as a follow up to an Inconvenient Truth, Joshers and I decided to view 'Who Killed the Electric Car' this weekend.

It is so nice to view a documentary and not be left with the feeling of being smacked in the face with a barrage of heavy handed jargon... ya know.

This flick does a really great job of presenting the facts for what they are while intertwining the life experiences of some really charming characters. This film allows the viewer to explore environmental issues and yet you still truly enjoy the story of the EV1 (the first electric car in development for consumer consumption).

This flick is informative and pro active without the heavy hand of an overly politicized director (did someone say Micheal Moore???)

If you watch this flick be prepared to leave with the following:
Information
More awareness of the ever growing monster of Greed
Hopefulness for the future and alternative energy technologies
perhaps a desire to actually do something... eh eh eh

If you're interested in more info about electric cars check this out:
http://www.pluginamerica.com

very Inconvenient

So this was one of the films we watched over the weekend.

I have to say that if you haven't seen this one yet, you might really want to check it out. I know the subject matter in this film is sensitive for a lot of people, however I think that their is a lot of well documented information that is pretty crucial to our understanding of the events of the past couple of years...

And yes, yes, I will warn you that the film is littered with propaganda and partisan politics... however, I think that the film is still successful in conveying its overall point - that global warming is real and that our environment is responding catastrophically to our over consumption.

Perhaps this film is particularly relevant to me since Joshers and I had a front row view of the onslaught of the hurricanes that wailed on Florida in 2004 and 2005.... or perhaps it is b.c I always feel an incredible amount of guilt for not assisting with the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in some way, shape or form...especially after witnessing FEMA's lack of basic managerial coordination skills when cleaning up in Florida. I could tell you loads of hilarious and absurd stories about Josh's experience working with FEMA and my own in coordinating temp workers to work with FEMA... but I save those for bonfire chats.

yep. i guess that's all folks!

Laughfer

so here is the cutest girl in the world (aka Laughfer according to Juden).

i wanted to share these pics so you cats could see how much she's starting to look like a kid (the babyness seems to evaporate sometimes)... and b.c. i think the light on her little eggy face is just beautiful. the whole time i was snapping away she was proclaiming"LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT!" I love that...



and since the "cutest girl in the world" barely slept at all last night, i am going to take a napsy wapsy.

more lata kids.

Cogs a turnin'

I'm sitting here watching a tiny little Ladybug trapped in a glass of water on my desk...(yes, i have this very annoying habit of leaving half full glasses of water over every square inch of our house) This poor little ladybug is working with feverish persistence to break out of the glass house he had gotten himself into...

This is a metaphor for my creative self... stuck in a glass house.

It seems like ever since the holidays have past and there are no more presents to make all the surprises have been revealed, there is just space left. The New Year has come and gone and I have art in only one gallery and one retail space. With no new shows coming up that seem to be something special, interesting or inspiring and with the 4 Bridge Art Fest not panning out I seem to be left with time... I feel a change in my work a-brewin'... the cogs are turning and ideas are incubating. I feel the need to rush them into fruition and to let them simmer at the same time. But I guess ideas are better when they have time to marinate and blossom.


Change is coming... I'll keep you posted.

and i did rescue the bug!

Longwood Gardens: Part 2

So here are more glimpses into our Longwood Garden journey... I absolutely adore these pics! And let me tell ya, this is only a mere smidgeon of the plethra of pics I took on our little outing. I am in love with long exposure shots. They are my new thang.

Longwood Gardens: Part 1

One last thing about our Philly trip... we went to this amazing place called Longwood Gardens. Apparently it is quite a popular spot around Christmas because the trees and landscaping are strung from trunk to peak with bazillions and bazillions of tiny little Christmas lights of all shapes and colors.... Amazing! I simply thought we were headed to a little park with some twinkly lights and couldn't imagine why in the world there was such stand still traffic leading into a little ol' parky... but then... we arrived to see this...........................................(please fasten your seat belts for a very long journey into a sacred wonderland)......................................................................................

2 sweet girls

i just had to show yous two of my favorite pics of two of my favoritest girls... lyla and fern.

what blue blue eyes...

so sweet!

luv um!

stay tuned for more big face pictures a la jen!!!!!!!!!!!

A New Year

It's New Years Eve and Joshers and I have spent it watching this way cool flick. If you cats haven't checked it out yet, you gotta get it! I love a film that celebrates the abnormalities and dysfunction of adolescence and family life.

Watching this flick gently stirred the still pot of my memories. I found myself reliving awkward coming of age moments that have been safely stored away in the archives of Green family history... such as the impressive Green sibling catwalk debut at an Eastgate mall fashion show... or the calculated Green family departure of an overpriced Walt Disney restaurant orchestrated by Artsy after they had already seated us and distributed the hot towels (I can still hear him say "On the count of three everybody!")

I guess we all have those moments - It's funny how these memories get funny after the fact, right?!

Yes, I am apparently blogging into the New Year... it is a new year indeed!
Happy 2007!

christmas up north!!!

Did I mention that we had a blast up north??? Yes, yes... Christmas was truly a very merry and fun filled occasion for this lil' fam.

Josh's mom, Ginny and her husband, Kurt, made our Christmas so special by opening up their home not only to us but also to the Kriby's. Let's just say that our holiday was decked with lots of lovelies to spend it with!!!
It was nice to be able to spend time with Ginny & Kurt on their own turf and get an idea of their everyday lives, since they are always coming down to see us kids.

For those of you that haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it, Ginny's cooking is divine and I can't fully communicate how nice it was to have someone create such masterpieces for all of us day after day. I forgot where I was and a very big part of me just didn't want to leave. How nice it is to be pampered. smile!

To make things even betta, we got to hang with Cannon, Leah and the girls! What glorious chaos it is to have 3 little girls rambling around all over the place... playing, smiling, drooling, taking things, giggling, pulling hair, throwing food, crawling all over, climbing stairs (yes, i said climbing stairs... a new one for Lavender!) and all sorts of other spontaneous merry making!!! It was nice to see them all playing together and keeping us guessing. Kids are cool!

We also got to hang out with Matt, Jerah, Erin and Becky... and Lavender got to meet her match (he he), sweet little Perrin. I think these two kids are in a secret competition to see whose head is big enough to make it into the Guiness book of world records... just kiddin.... they really were cute together though... rambling around and staring at each other. So cute!!!

Can't get enough time with those New Yorkers!!! We went to the Philly Art Museum and that was super funski!!! Lavender got a Van Gogh action figure with an interchangable head (one head is normal and the other has a bandage over the ear) - funny.

I will post more on these things lata... see ya'll cats.

Hey becky.... If you're reading this... I had a really good time catching up with you! So glad to be able to spend a little time with you... give Devon my best!

Christmas wit da Greens

So we're back from enjoying a very merry christmas up north with Josh's momsy, kurt and the kirby crew. We had ever so much fun that I will blog on about when I get around to posting the Philly pics...
but this a long overdue posting all about the Greens... our 1st or 2nd christmas celebration while we were still in town.
I love having so much family around to share all the celebrating at holiday times.
We ended up having 3 christmas's total... one with David & Bonnie (Josh's Dad & his wife).... one with my fam... and yet another with Ginny & Kurt (Josh's mom & her husband) and the Kirbys.... so there were LOTS of peoples to rejoice with during the holidays for us!!!!
These are some snaps from Green christmas that I like a lot. I couldn't post all of the pics I like, so you cats will have to wait for more pics from this here holiday... I promise both Joshs were indeed present!

I could say many many things about the ins and outs of Green Christmas...
Here are just a few of the things that cross my mind... the wonderful cooking of Mimi... the frosty cheeked little ones playing on the Chicky town playground... the seemingly senseless string of Green family inside jokes that reach back decades... and the sounds of laughter echoing through a formerly empty southern house.

These "small recollections" are what seem to drift to the surface of a mind that is clouded with many sugary glazed holiday celebrations.... Perhaps these small echoes are the things I will probably remember when I'm 80.... and my heart is filled with thanks.

Grreat new flick

Yes, Yes, I know... snazzy movie poster here, right...
I just wanted to give a little shout out to this great little film we watched the other night.
I was pleasantly suprised and delighted to discover that this strangely titled piece was not only extremely well shot, edited and composed, but also that the characters were wonderfully unique and the acting talent really worked its magic on a truly distinctive story.

For all you artists and creative people out there, you will greatly appreciate a film that focuses on excellence in craftsmanship and the creative process. Even though this film is about the development of manufacturing shoes and not "high art" I find it to be relevant to all creative people, whether they might be making candles or oil paintings.

I just really appreciated observing a person working their way through the creative process and trying to navigate their way around the delicate balance of form and function.

I feel like most of the time movies always show the artist as a flake and the artistic process as this highly dramatic and emotional upheaval, when most of the time my experience is quite the contrary... I find that most of my artist pals are quite pragmatic about themselves and their work, knowing what they want and searching until they find it... I think perhaps the artistic process is more about trial and error and trying things on until you find the perfect fit than about a dark and tortured soul.

Well now, I didn't mean for this post to be quite the rambly soap boxing it has become, but oh well, sometimes you suprise yourself by how many thoughts you have creeping around in there.

CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS

I love Christmas time... I love hearing all the Christmas music everywhere you go and all those wonderful holiday smells... like the smell of evergreen clippings... fur scented candles... coffee... scotch tape and wrapping paper. I love all those Christmas rituals like baking cookies and wrapping present after present... and my favorite - watching those you love open those beautiful packages after all the waiting waiting and anticipating! I just love it all!!!

Here are the Kring Christmas cards I've been working away on. I made two different kinds... one in a rectangular format and one in a square. I don't know which I like better, but nevertheless here they are!

I am not finished sending all of them yet, so don't get sad if you don't find one in your mailbox!!
And for those of you who have moved recently... I need those addresses, kids!

These pics turned out kinda dark, so use your photoshop imaginations, guys!!