~SNOW~

~"While visions of sugarplums dance in their heads"~
Last week my 15 year old, Hannah, came dashing down the stairs~"Mom where's the camera?"~
"Come up stairs, you have to see this"~ it was very early morning, still dark outside & this what all the fuss was about.~ Hannah was all, "She's so cute when she's sleeping."~"Look at her little hands."~& our kitty "Sprite" all cuddled up with Rowan.~ "Ahhhh, so sweet"~ sorry, it came out so dark, but, I took it over to picnic.com to try & brighten it up some & then started having fun with all the goodies they have to enhance pictures.~cute, right?~(just wish it was brighter)
~AND~we had a very Magical weekend. Look at my front door ! Snow !~that's right beautiful magical snow, Richmond Virginia was just soooo excited, we haven't had a snow like this in years, years I tell you !~It was a huge celebration of WoW! Everyone was calling, Facebooking, running to the grocery store, you have to "run" to the store, it's in the "Snow Book of Rules"~ I think we got about a foot of more.~
~I hope everyone is having a truly lovely & blessed Christmas !~
~ooo~amy~

~Oh Christmas Tree~

~See my "Snow Babies"?~well, really they belong to my children~I gave them, each one for their 1st. Christmas~but, until they get "all" grown up & have their own trees...now that I'm thinking about it, quite a lot of these ornaments belong to them.~o~o~But, that is the spirit & fun of putting up the tree~remembering when...~O~I can remember when "Snow Babies" were kinda hard to find.~
~This paper Angle has been my tree topper, ever since I had my very 1st. Christmas Tree~way back in 1983, when I was in college.~A few years back I started adding the star.~I think they look so pretty together.~

~This jolly elf is one of my favorite ornaments~he is decorating my little chandelier this year.~
~ AND~ last ,but not least~~~This darling "little elf" arrived in the mail on Saturday.~He was my gift from the "Littlest Elf Swap" , hosted by the lovely Vivian.~He was created by the very talented Fran, at "Dolls Are My Canvas Within My Soul"~ He is so cute & sits on the tiniest bench~ I think I am going to find a spot for him, on the Christmas Tree~"Thank you Fran !~"~
~I can't post pics. of my elf to Fran yet~ I don't think he has arrived in Las Vegas yet !~That's right !~my littlest elf is going to Vegas !~lucky little guy!~

~ooo~amy~

~It is Time~

~When you just threw away a" beaUtiful" head of cauliflower~& you see that you own, not one but~2 heads of cabbage~& worst of all you let a red pepper & an eggplant go bad !~ Well, something is not right, in my little world.~Cleaning out your fridge can tell you alot about yourself. And, I don't look very good.~Oh boy~not good.~
~I am way out of balance !~I love cooking!~ Curried Cauliflower recipe will be in this post.~
Such a pretty cauliflower, gone !~
~I have just been running in to many directions.~ It does not work well with me. Things fall apart, when I juggle to much.I am thinking on it.~

~Creamed Curried Cauliflower~
1 sm./med. head of Cauliflower
2Tbsp. butter
2Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
scant 1/2 tsp. curry powder

preheat oven to 400~
Cook cauliflower in salted water~till barely done.Drain~
(lemon juice will keep it "whiter"~while boiling~but not necessary~)
Butter a casserole dish~mine is 11x8 oval~
Brake up the cauliflower (mouth size)
~Sauce~
~in a sauce pan over mid-high heat, melt butter
add flour to butter & whisk, till you have a rue~
add milk then, keep wisking till you have
a creamy thickness~
take of the heat & add curry~

~cauliflower in your buttered casserole~
~pour your sauce over~
~I often top with bread crumbs & dot w/ butter~
~Bake 15 min. or till bubbly~
~Very Good~

~amy~:0)

~Happy Halloween"~

~My doll~ came so wonderfully packed~ REESES~ my favored candys~

~HAPPY HALLOWEEN !~
~I have been working~painting, painting, painting~SETS~
and a set painters schedule~ is long & hard.~it is true~
& a set painter(scenic artist) who has 4 children & is as so very close to 50~like myself.~well, it is alot. And, I have a part time job from 3~5:30, as an after-care provider for my churches school, me & 2 other sweet ladies look after the pre-K & kindergartners.~Those darling little peoples are now, quite used to seeing "Ms. Amy" in her "paint clothes", they really love them.
Anyway~HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE !~
~So, to keep myself happy,(in the love of making art way) I have joined another "SWAP"~ Zan at Wild At Heart~had the Monster Swap~
& & &~ my Swap Partner was Vivian~ from, Viv, Out On A Whim~
AND~ How I love my little Monster~ she is "scary", "I know", but, if you do not put your finger to close to her mouth, ~she is the sweetest, little mon-star ever. Just look at her. I lalalove her !~& the next sweet thing , is Vivian herself, the lovingly talented artist,an amazing lady, just bursting with the love of life & how much fun it truly is !~Surely things do not happen by accident.~It has been very good for me to visit her blog, I smile every time. And, we have much in common, our darling, "long haired" husbands, for one. She just recently posted pictures of her past & present, GO see, really wonderful, 28 years of marriage. I think I need to do the same.~But, Philip & I have only been married 18 years, we were "late bloomers".~:)
~Vivian is soooooo BeaUtiful !~ inside & out~

~~~~~~THANK YOU * VIVIAN !!!!!~~~~~~

~HAPPY AUTUMN !~

Welcome cool, crisp days ! So, nice to back in my bloggy world. How I have missed being here.
I have been ever so busy. But, I am back. I have been working on my own home, painting, cleaning out, decorating. And, I feel so much better.
Rowan & I have started Home Schooling and we love it, love it I tell you.~
I have also been working on "bigger projects" outside my home. I am finishing one up now.~~~Think~calm, spa, beauty & TREES~ very cool~ I have taken photos & will post them when all is done.~
Gabriel is home from the Art Institute of Washington, remember they are on a quarterly schedule, so his 1st. quarter is done. He did great & we are ALL very happy to have the Big Brother home.~
Well, that's all for now~ Sept a BIG KISSY & HUG to all things AUTUMN !~

~the river~

The summer is coming to an end. We couldn't take a "big" vacation anywhere, so, I tried to fill the kids summer with fun little days. We discovered the James River & what a blessing it has been.
We go to a beautiful spot, called the "Pony Pasture". It is lovely there, with large rocks that you can lay your towels out on. We bring a picnic & enjoy the day. Rowan & I stay close to the bank & my older ones venture further up the river & ride the rapids back down. Dragonfly's flutter about, while ducks & geese swim nearby & eagles can be spotted flying overhead. So, relaxing.
Everyone leaves feeling quite satisfied & of cause good & tired from spending the day in the water.
I am now looking forward to the fall. I haven't done much art over the summer & have decided to forgive myself. But, I am aching to get back to my art, I have so many ideals swimming around in my mind.
I have really enjoyed these simple days with the kids & giving them my undivided attention.

I have decided to home school Rowan this year. She is going into the 3rd. grade & is dyslexic (like me) she has had IEP (independent education program) since the 1st. grade. Which means she has received extra help in school. But, she is still not reading independently or even close.
The program is not working for her, so I need to help her. I have been reading all summer about how to teach dyslexic children. Funny thing, I have suddenly been meeting family's that home school. And, the more I learn about it, the more excited I get.
So, I am going to have to put into place a daily schedule for us. Time for school, time for mom to do her art.....
She is such a bright, happy little person. I can remember being her age & sitting in class & thinking to myself, "why is this so hard for me & it seems so easy for everyone else?" I knew I wasn't "stupid". But, of course in the 60's, they didn't know much about children with learning disability's. So, I just had to work very hard. And, I had my art. That was something that I could do and well. Art got me threw school. It is what held my confidence together. Without it, I know I would never have gone to college.
So, when they talk about & even take the arts out of schools, I think about my school days. How truly sad they would have been.
Well, I really am looking forward to working with Rowan and keeping her the happy, imaginative and smart little girl that she is.
She just learns differently~ that's all~
:)
~amy~

~Here Comes the Sun~

~Hello~ I sure hope everyone is having a lovely summer!
Mostly we have been having a "staycation", as moneys are pretty tight these days. But, that is O.K., the "staycation" part. I have been trying to focus on little, old fashion ways of enjoying the summer with the kids. Like we have discovered the James River, there are some very kid friendly spots to spend the day. And, the kids "love" it ! We/I have been doing "home projects",
Just trying to get things in order around here.
Anyway, I also teach at summer camps. So, I needed to come up with a project that will work for ages 6-12 & can be completed in two days. This is what I came up with this year.
The SUN sculpture that you see here. The kids are split up into 3 age groups & go to differant activitys threw out the day, so you have them for about an hour. On the first day they made there sun & on the second day they painted it.
I used an airdry clay that I found at Ben Franklen's craft store. I was quite pleased w/ it. It was not paperclay, too exspensive. But, this clay was very similar. I rolled out the clay myself & gave each child a flat pancake of clay, that was formed around half a styofoam ball. They then cut out the rays of the sun. Leaving them with extra clay to make the eyes, nose & mouth.
I loved the what the kids came up with. And, they really seemed to enjoy this project.
The last two were done by me. But, I gave mine away, to my darling "galfriend", Janine. that manages the camp.She does an amazing job.She is such a sweety & she calls me "Teensy", I like that! Go & check out her "bloggy", the "Make Believe Cooking Show".
:) ~amy~

Summer, Family Photos~

~I just love this "sister picture",the Gethins girls~ L-R, Bronwyn, Megan, Bridget &
I am the one in the back.
My very pretty mommy ! Patricia Gethins
Here is my son Ian, SMILING~ he try's, hard not to smile
in pictures. :) But, my sister Bronwyn , caught him. Yay, Bronny !
The car photo. ~~~But, mostly what I have been doing here, in this post is learn how to use Shutterfly. Bronwyn told me about it. And boy, do I need Shutterfly. It is a great place to load your pictures, all safe & sound. Still learning how to get them over here on to my bloggy.

It has worried me, leaving all my pictures on my "puter". And, you can load as many as you want onto Shutterfly. If you have not checked them out, I would. ~Shutterfly.com~
They have all kinds of cool things you can do there. Like share with your family. Create albums.
Bronwyn, my sister, took the top pictures. She is a wonderful photographer.

Not, looking forward to the "Big Move" of my pictures, but, it will be worth it.

~amy~

Gabriel

~Well, we took Gabriel off to the Art Institute of Washington this past Tuesday. It is here in Virginia, not Washington state. The school is located in the D.C. area of Arlington, Va., which is about two & half hours from here. (Richmond)
Lucky for us, my husband was raised in Alexandria and the school is only 9 miles from his mothers home. So, we left Tuesday evening, stayed there & got up & took Gabriel to his "housing orientation". The car was all packed with his stuff.
After orientation, they gave him his apartment keys, they don't have dorms, so they house their students in these very nice apartment buildings. I am not kidding, fancy, fancy.Pool & gym.
They are given Metro Passes, to get to & from the school.
So, we made it to his "new digs" & unloaded the car. This is where we took these pictures.
I thought I did pretty well. I didn't cry, I had done plenty of that over the last 2 weeks or so. Not, big "boo hoos", just little moments of getting teary.
Then over the next two days, man, me emotions were all over the place! Mostly happy & proud, but there was also a "feeling lost" feeling. That I really can't describe.
So, by Saturday, I flat out "crashed" and realized, I just needed to sleep. And, sleep I did. And, when I was not sleeping, I read. Hannah has been reading the "Anne of Green Gables" books.
So, I had joined her. She is already done with the 4th book and over the weekend I was able to finish the first & get half way threw the second book.
Yesterday, I woke up & felt soooo much better!
Now, I can move on to my next project.
I am sure, that all the moms out there will totally understand what I was feeling, this past week.
WOW !
ooo~amy~

~Under the Sea Swap~

~From my "swap buddy"~ Kim Turner at Soggy Dog Studios ~
~My, my I have been a busy girl...~
But, what do we have here?
They are the art dolls from Zan's "Under the Sea Swap", over at Wild at Heart .Zan is one of these amazing ladys, not only is she an artist, but she does so much more~like raising bees, in the city!
Well, they are at least two of the many dolls made. My "swap buddy's" & mine. My swap buddy was, Kim, at Soggy Dog Studios. And, looky at my beautiful doll, I was so excited when she arrived. She is just perfect and those are my colors. She is painted fabric & stuffed, then was glazed. I know just where she is going to live here in my house. It just so happens that I am getting ready to paint my dinning room blue. This precious mermaid is going to live amongst my china.
The second doll you see here, was made by me. Her name is "Emmaleen", my daughter Hannah, named her. And, I have to say, she was a pleasure to make. It feels like she came to life in my hands. She grew a little personality.
She is made of paperclay. Then, a crackle glaze was applied. Then I painted her w/ the blues & greens. Then, I used an antiquing glaze here & there. Then finally a clear coat was applied.
~OH~ and the shells were found by my youngest Rowan, when we were at the beach a few weeks back.~ Then she was mailed to my buddy, Kim, in Florida! What a lucky little "mer-girl", to live in Florida. Specially, since she loves collecting shells, so much.
:)
~amy~

~Wonka Pictures~

Here are a few pictures from "Willy Wonka". In the last picture you can see how large the cast was, I think something like 85 kids ! Ages 6 to 18~
They were amazing, so talented. It was a very exciting show. Brooke Abrahamsen,the director makes all this magic happen with the kids, she really knows her "stuff"~ how she does it~I don't know? But, she is a pleasure to work with, she is also Artistic Director of CYT.
these pictures were taken by Doug Meacham~ my pictures never turn out this good.

:)
amy

~PICTURES !~

~I have pictures !~ For the past few weeks when I would try & post pictures, NOTHING, it was very frustrating. ~ But, this morning, "the puter goddess" smiled on me.~
~I am not going to ask "why", I am just going with it.~
~So, I was going to post about the play, Willy Wonka , that I was working on & the Under the Sea Doll Swap~
~But, I was browsing my pictures & "WOW", so much has happened in the past month or so.~ So much I would have blogged about.~

I will save both of those for the next two days.~ Because, both deserve their own posts.~

~SO~ they say "A PICTURE is WORTH a THOUSAND WORDS"~
my last post had no pictures, this one is all about the pictures.