Labor Day Weekend

Here's a glimspe into my picturesque life of late...



Maine looks "bettah" through a Canon Rebel! Bless you Andi! This thing is so much fun. I really need to get a manual though...and figure out apature settings, and play with light and pretend that I know what I'm doing.





The Catch 22--catching the catch of the day...



Liz --She makes the best lobster rolls



Ed--Our captain--almost 80 years old



Katie and Sam!!!



I'm betting Ed would leave Sam his boat in his will.



Seguin Lighthouse--


Commissioned by George Washington...Way to go George!







Pa on the lookout





Shoot...this is the way life should be!

Comming up--The Common Ground Fair--Sept 20th. I'm planning on getting my hippy skirt on, and reveling in the textile tent, learning more about organic farming, and energy and shelter information.

I wonder if I could buy a yurt there...or get plans on how to build a cob sauna!

Color me "slacker"....

Busy life

Here's the latest

*Working at the Inn. Celebs under fake names = hilarious.

*New baby chickens, 26 lovely balls of fuzz.

*Amanda visit--always a blast. Send off with a broadway surprise, success!

*Fantastic camera--now if only I knew how to use the thing...

*Creating new goals to reach

*Trying not to feel the fall air comming on....PLEASE STAY AUGUST FOR FOREVER!

*Really need to get creative and make some books, paint some walls....find a wheel to throw on.

*ROCKIN' new coat


*Promising myself more time to blog and post pictures soon!

Printmaking final and new hair...

Here are the ones that turned out--yay!






I'm not sure if I dig how dark it is...but I needed a change...

ON TO THE REST OF FINALS WEEK!

A Weekend with X and Z

Funny jokes:

5 1/2 year old.

X: What if there was an animal with a million-jabillion legs!

Me:Hmm, I don't know X. What do you think about that animal?

X: I'd think that's a LOT of shoes!!!

----

3 Year old.

Me: Hey, Z--what are you doing with all those sticks?

Z: Oh, actually, I'm going to put them under the tree.

Me: Ok.

Z: Actually, I'm going to--- stick them up. *Cracks up laughing*

---

X gets Religion--

X: Hey, Kj? You're going to die one day, huh?

Me: Yep.

X: Oh.

Me: How do you feel about that X?

X: Um, I'll be sad for a while.

Me: But, you know what? You can see me again.

X: Hey! When we're resurrected!!

Me: That's right. Who was the first person to be resurected X?

X: Jesus.

Me: Uh-huh.

X: I hope our graves are next to eachother. That way when we wake up I can give you a big hug!

Me: Ohhh! That will be so great!

X: *looks worried for a bit*...But...who's going to roll away the stone?

Me: The stone?

X: Yeah! Who's going to move it?

Me: Uhh...I don't know.

X: I KNOW!

Me: Yeah?

X: ANNIE!

Me: Aunt Annie?

X: Yep. Aunt Annie....oh...but how will she know it's us?

Me: *puzzled*...I'm, uh...

X: I KNOW! Our stones will have NAMES on them!
----

The rest of the weekend was a flip-flop between being the BESTEST COUSIN IN THE WHOLE WORLD...to being THE MEANEST PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD, and back again.

*sigh*...life is tough...especially when you hit your sister and you have to sit by yourself for a while.

Midsummer night...

I'm missing gardens and dewy grass, and the seeming solitude of nature.

Wishing I were surrounded by fireflies and whispering birches, rather than the hum of florescent lights.

I would even brave the mosquitos and black flies, if I could climb up the oak into our tree house and watch the waning moon.

The "Thud, thud, thud" of the annoying rap star base from the apartment below, and the sticky night peppered from orange industrial lights fill my sheets.

I can't sleep.

Give me a hammock! Give me a winding stream...and peepers singing in the blackness.

I'll curl up in my bower, feel the long grasses tickle my back.

Squint your eyes and you may see Oberon and his band of menehune walk past.

BUT NO! I am stuck on the third floor of a concrete block. No breeze...no stream...no midsummer mischief for me...


Goodnight Puck.

TAKE THAT!

I totally aced my midterm for Medieval Literature. (only missed one question!)

I hope I can annihilate the PRAXIS exam tomorrow morning with equal results.

Book Blog for Lizzy

WHAT YOU NEED:
Regular printer paper ( or if you're being brave, watercolor paper, or any other type that makes your fingertips sing!)
Floss (unused is best...blechh!)
Needle
I have a "Bone Folder" in my picture, but not to worry--you don't REALLY need it. You can use your thumbnail to make a nice crisp crease.
Happy paper for the cover. This could be thick, cardstock quality, or floppy leather, or, the morning's newspaper. It's up to you!


Folding is pretty simple, just make sure that everything is lined up, for everything to work best.


This part of the folded paper is called the "Mountain"---ohh those creative book binders!


And this is called the "Valley"


Folded piece of paper= Folio
Folded pieces of paper tucked inside eachother= signatures

Usually 6 folios make up 1 signature. OK! Enough with the numbers--time for FUN!



***This is the tricky part***
THREADING THE NEEDLE

Actually--threading needles isn't the tricky part---it's the snazzy bookbinding thing we do next!
DUM DUM DUUUUUH!!!



You'll want to take the smaller section of floss (the part you just put through the needles eye), ON TO the needle.
This helps you not have to hold all the pieces of string together when you're sewing.
It does take some practice....but it's really nice when it's done!






*** Tricky part over!***

PUTTING IT TOGETHER



Pamphlet Stitch book with 5 holes

Here's a link for AMAZING clear instructions for three holes--might be a better plan!
http://www.booklyn.org/education/ispamphlet.pdf



You just poke the holes with your needle, no need to do ahead of time.

Just make sure you go from the inside (VALLEY!) to the top ( Mountain)--and DON'T prick yourself. OUCH!

Don't sew yet, just make the holes.



Measure out the paper that you want. make sure there's enough to be the front and back cover ( and if you'd like, leave a lot extra so you can sorta wrap it around the front!)



OK! Now we're ready to sew!

http://www.booklyn.org/education/ispamphlet.pdf
--all my pictures look complicated--use this instead!

Through the middle hole from the top this time! MOUNTAIN to the VALLEY.



Don't pull it all the way through--leave enough to tie at the end of the sewing--


and then trim!



YOU'VE MADE A BOOK!


PART II tomorrow....

Student Teaching Placement

SOUTH SALT LAKE!

.....i'mma have to get me a sweater vest now.

All I want to do...

is play this

Here...for the rest of the summer.


But I've got 50 long, grueling, torturous days ahead....

and oh, so many miles to go before i'll ever be able to sleep again.



Say "Hello" to the harbor for me Grammy!

Be--longings

I want to:

*be smarter

*be a voracious reader

*be a film maker

*be an interior designer

*be in the cirque de soleil

*be an art therapist, children's hospital

*be a marine biologist

*be an installation artist in London

*be a presidential speech writer

*be a weaver

*be poet laureate

*be an african drummer

*be social activist

*be a world traveler



*be happy in my skin

*****************

tea time---goodnight

I love you Mom!

Start It All Over Again

I'm the sea that surrounds you
the garden that grounds you



The sun and the wind and the rain

I am every season

Your every reason to start it all over again

Soon you sail the wide river
we'll set sail together, and oceans will call out your name

and by stars you will follow
your hopes for tommorrow--

and start it all over again

If you stager or stumble,
if dreams start to crumble
i'll pick up the pieces of pain



I will cradle you cry with you

pray that you'll try to just start it all over again

Who has eyes that can see
all the things you could be?

who has ears for the sweetest refrain?



May your heart sing forever,
where the sea meets the river

and start it all over again.

---Battlefield Band

faces

Machine drawer catharsis

I forget who coined the phrase in our family...but someone somewhere created the impulse to become distracted by the little things like, a sewing machine drawer, and sort out the bobbins, and wind up the thread, and place the spare needles in a categorized descending line ( by size, and function--dontchaknow?)

This has filtered down to my brain--and I find myself having to organize the tupperware, or my post-it notes--or especially, the silverware. Sure, I know---it sounds like OCD---but really, you have no idea how good it feels to have those little things done!

Because, you see, that "machine drawer" that NO ONE WILL EVER SEE is organized, and together--and although the rest of the house is a mess, your hair hasn't been washed, and neither have your socks, but the tea bags are sorted--It feels SO GOOD! Hmm...says Freud...an outward manifestation of organizing a cluttered mind?

I'm crazy. I know. Minutiae

What I'm realizing however, is that when I tackle these stupid little things, I'm finally able conquer the big things.

In other news: My creative streak has wandered off. It might be wedged between some newly shuffled CD jewel cases, or lined up next to the cumin in the spice cabinet. Where did I put it?


It's gotta be in a drawer around here somewhere. Hold on one second, really! It's right...oohhhh...sharpies--I wonder if any of these work. I really ought to go through these...

My life is in need of a deep spring cleaning!

R.I.P Chickens

Today Mom found all the chickens ripped to shreds; dead.

Happy Earth day. :p