Because I'm a follower...

Ruthanne and Melissa did this on their blog and I loved it.

Something about this made me feel like I was 15 again.

Laying across my bed filling out a questionnaire in Teen magazine.

A can of Rave and a denim Trapper Keeper on my dresser.

Checking the time on my Swatch watch.

Kirk Cameron and Jon Bon Jovi flashing their dimples from my walls.

All that was missing was this question..."Who do you have a crush on right now and do they know it?"

And my favorite Guess jeans with a tight roll.

Plus I'm a sucker for a post that I can just write and not have to edit pictures for. I'm lazy like that sometimes.

Anyhoo...if you decide to have a little fun with it yourself on your own blog, be sure to post the link in your comment so I can come over and learn a bit more about you!

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

What color are your socks right now? It is Hot as Hades here in TN. Socks are being used as torture devices in the local prisons I do believe. If not they should be..it would make me think twice. Just sayin.

What are you listening to right now? Nothing! My baby and my husband just left for camp today and this house is eerily quiet. Can't remember the last time I heard the clock ticking and the air conditioner running. I hate it. Plus I'm left here with a teenager and a tween. I'm skeered.

What was the last thing you ate? Nutrigrain bar..blueberry.

Can you drive a stick? First thing I learned to drive on.

Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband

How old are you today? 34. I think.

What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Used to hate sports...but I married a boy from Philly and he and Hockey were a package deal...plus it appealed to the ADD side of me. Go Preds!

What is your favorite drink? water with lemon

Favorite food? carbs

What is the last movie you watched? Grown Ups. If raunchy humor is your thing, save yourself $50 and just watch Saturday Night Live.

Favorite day of the year? Christmas

How do you vent anger? I clean. Weird. I know.

What was your favorite toy as a child? Grew up on farm so animals were my toys...a horse named Sundown.

Favorite Season? Used to be Winter but since becoming a Homeschooler I love my summers! Still loath the heat though.

Cherries or Blueberries? Only if they are Bing.

When was the last time you cried? Watching Toy Story 3. It was not pretty. Think snot. Lots of snot. I'm not handling this whole "growing up" thing very well.

What is on the floor of your closet right now? Weights

What are you most afraid of? Failing my children...and airplanes flying over my head.

Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese please.

Favorite dog breed? Standard Poodles...we have two and I can't say enough about these dogs.

Favorite day of the week? Saturday

How many states have you lived in? You may want to grab a coffee...Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania. No we are not a military family.

Diamonds or pearls? Not to sound redundant but if given a choice I'd take a new lens.

What is your favorite flower? Tulips

Did you get an H1N1 vaccine? Nope. Even though my son had it. I would not get this or any other flu shot.

"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"

Georgia on My Mind

Georgia O'Keeffe that is.



I got this idea here and here a couple of weeks ago...so we did what most homeschoolers do...we headed to the library to dig up as much info on Mrs. Okeeffe as we possibly could.

This lady is very interesting...you must read about her. The kids and I love her approach to drawing larger than life flowers and such. And her lack of concern for perfection or impressing others gives me an immense respect for her as an artist. She just wanted to put onto canvas the beauty she saw in the world around her...exactly the way she saw it.

Once we had learned a bit about the artist and her style of painting, we took to the garage for a little Art time...and a little shade. It's hot as Hades right now in Tennessee folks.



No, that is not a closet you see in our garage (we do not keep camping chairs in our closets)...it's a storm shelter. We live in Tennessee (the new Tornado Alley) remember?

1. I had the kids draw their flower with pencil...making sure that the flower came "off" the paper. I just told them that the petals should touch all four sides of their paper.

2. They traced all their pencil markings with a black Sharpie.



3. Then they painted.



4. I told them to think of what color they wanted the background to be and do that first so that their petals would stand out more making them easier to paint.

Some took my advice.



Some did not.



Others got so excited about Mrs. Okeefe's painting style that they created a piece of art that would make even Mrs. Georgia herself smile I do believe.



It also created the need for a little help from mom or we would have been finishing this up around Christmas.

Just a warning...tweens and teenagers may or may not be quite as into this as one might hope...seems hormones zap their creative juices or something.

It's ok.

Trust me.

They still enjoy the time together.

My 14 year old even asked what we were gonna do next time.

And a quick Note to Self: Art time should be covered in a time of prayer in my house...seriously.

For some reason it brings out the crank in my kids.

After a little whining about the heat...a smidge of bickering over whose paint was whose...and a dab of "mine looks horrible mom"...we managed to learn a bit of History...appreciate a little art, and dare I say...have a little fun.

Presto...we had our very own Georgia O'Keeffe paintings!

Tyler


Aidan


Maggie


Mine is at the top. I'm afraid I may have enjoyed this more than the kids. Very relaxing.There is just something about having Crayola products around...brings out the kid in me.

On a side note:
Notice those beautiful braces on that beautiful gal up there? They did not hold my girl back for a second even! Not even that horrific Herbst! She has miraculously (even the doc was amazed) managed to have all of this placed in her mouth without skipping a beat. I'm talking NO WAX even! I gave her Motrin one time and that was it. On her first day even, she managed to learn how to eat Goldfish and Chewy cookies. She is my strong willed determined child. She is my hero.

She still cannot chew for the next 6 weeks or so but I don't think she even notices to be honest.

Thanks so much for your prayers...they were felt...even by her. And they work praise God!






"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"