Art 101

My third year of college, I decided I was going to be an art major with an emphasis in photography. So that first semester I signed up for all the required classes: art history, art appreciation, two dimensional design and three dimensional design. I actually really enjoyed all of the classes, however in the end I decided not to pursue a degree in photography... Mostly because I wasn't a super awesome photographer. But also because the prevailing theme in every class where you actually had to create your own art was that there were certain design principles that should be followed, however the grading was all very subjective... It seemed like if the teacher liked your stuff you got a good grade. If they did not, then you did not. Case in point, my two-dimensional design class. I'm pretty sure all we did was make art projects in that class and it was awesome! I would get excited about every assignment because I thought my ideas were good and I was always very pleased with my finished projects. And then I would take them to class and the teacher would be less than thrilled... It was frustrating and downright annoying when I got a B- in that class.  And the worst part is it actually made me question my abilities as an artist. Good thing that 15 years later I have come to my senses and realized that anyone can be an artist. And some people will like my stuff and some people will not... But that does not make it any less "art".  So the last few years as I have created what I think are amazing and artistic quilts... I have thought a few times, "take that 2-D design teacher!"

:) So go be artistic!!

Um...yeah!

Guess what I found at the store tonight? Oh yes. It's like a dream come true. I haven't had Banana Pudding ice cream in over 10 years. Not since leaving Texas. I haven't lived anywhere that even had Blue Bell in the store. So imagine my surprise when I saw it on sale in 2 different store ads today...I went back in time to a star filled summer night in Vidor, TX. That was a crazy complicated summer. A crawfish boil was just winding down...and we were eating as much Blue Bell as we could safely fit in our bowls. I have missed it. I just didn't realize how much until today. Well the drought is over... And to top it off, there was only one carton of the banana pudding left. When I got to the freezer section and saw all the lovely cartons, I didn't dare hope that they would have it (my favorite flavor)... But I discovered it in back of the others...all alone. Like it was just waiting for me to find it. Seriously. I best $3.88 I have spent all month! The bad news is, the rest of the family has been converted....so I won't be single-handedly finishing off the entire carton. Mmmmm...excuse me while I go get a little more...

Don't worry...I've taught you well.

Juli and I may or may not have watched a classic movie last week. Well...we didn't exactly sit down and watch it... But it was definitely on while we were painting. Since having children (and growing up a bit?) I have pretty much forgotten how to quote movie lines. Oh oh OH! It's probably because I hardly ever watch movies anymore! So I guess I haven't really forgotten how to do it... Because one showing of a quotable flick and it's all coming back to me! For real, it's been over a week since I saw the movie, but I have been catching myself saying things like:

"She really is..."
"Chew like you have a secret."
"When debutantes disagree, they say it with their eyes."
"You know you could use the front door."
"This is not good"
"Ya CRAZY!"
"Trouble with your wig Hastings?"
"I made breakfast darling!"
And "just know!"

And of course you can't just say the lines...you have to say them in the voice of the character in the show. It's gotten so bad that the kids are saying the lines too...
Oh, and poor Juli has been getting text challenges to use some of the lines in a conversation (twiglet)!! Oh what fun!!

Man, there is nothing like a good quotable movie! I think I'll watch it again!

Word, G-mun.

What?!

I don't like cilantro. Or cantaloupe. Or steak. All things my husband likes. I like 80's rock, and country. Husband...not really a fan. This is totally ok with me...everyone likes different foods and different music. (But too bad for him-- I'm the grocery shopper and the cook...so guess which things he doesn't eat very often?) ;) Sometimes I buy him clothes, and occasionally he doesn't like them. He has told me before (though not in these exact words) that he thinks he has better fashion sense than I do. I'm not offended. Everyone has different taste. I get that. But every once in a while I am mystified by what other people like. I've made a few quilts in the past that I think are super cool, cute and pretty much the best things ever. I post them on my blog...and then don't get near the response from the online community that I expect. It's disappointing...but probably only because I think that everyone else will see it the way that I see it, and they don't. Expectations are a funny thing. So then I make a quilt that is mediocre in my mind--not great, just OK. Not my favorite quilt ever. And it goes VIRAL on pinterest. This has happened a few times. And I sit back, scratch my head and say, "What?!" Did not see that coming. And every time this happens, I have to remind myself that it doesn't matter what other people think of my stuff...cause it's mine...so I will enjoy what I like, and let others do the same. And we'll all be one big happy family...

Would you like to guess which is my favorite? Which one is yours?

Shoe envy

Life is not fair. I have known this for a long time. But occasionally I realize it all over again and I just have to say it out loud. I was in the first grade when I saw the first pair of cute shoes that I had to have. They were on the feet of Nicole Downs--the girl who sat behind me. They were white hightops with pink, yellow and turquoise hearts on the side. They were perfect. I asked her where she got them and she told me. As luck would have it, I needed a new pair shoes. So I told my mom I had found the pair I wanted and asked her to take me to the shoe store to get them. So we went to the shoe store. I found the kids section, saw the shoes and started looking for them in my size. Before long I discovered that not only did they not carry them in my size, they didn't carry ANY cute shoes in my size. Because in the first grade I wore a size 4. In women's. That was the day I found out that I had BIG feet. It was a devastating realization. Mostly because I wanted the cute high top shoes. And instead went home with a plain pair of white grandma shoes.

Having big feet wasn't always bad. There were a few times in school when I won the Bigfoot contest and got a big foot shaped donut or cookie and a little extra attention for having such big feet...But I would have definitely traded those few treats for a smaller shoe size any day! Over the years I have been disappointed several times when I could not find a cute pair of shoes because they did not make it in my size...which is holding steady at size 11. I really need an 11 1/2 but since they don't make that size and there are less shoes that are cute in size 12 I decided that 11 is my size.

So in the last couple of weeks I have been seeing lots of cute shoes on the feet of girls I see all the time. I asked Madi's kindergarten teacher where she got her darling green bow sandals and her answer: Kohl's. So then yesterday at church I saw another darling pair and asked the woman where she had gotten them and she said..."Kohl's... And they were so cheap!" So this morning I was in Kohl's looking for a shirt for Jeff. So on the way out I decided to check out their shoe section. Well it was a gold mine! There were TONS of darling shoes and sandals...and lots of them were 80% off! Here, I took pictures:

Not crazy about the crochet but the mint green makes them awesome! And they would look sooo cute with the new mint green maxi dress I just got from Target.

 Mmmm... Turquoise and adorable Love, love, LOVE!

My picture does not do these justice-- they are 3 shades of aqua... They also had these in brown, silver and white...and they were 8.99. Plus another 15% off that. Crazy. They were my faves and I was ready to buy them in every color. But of course guess what the largest size they made any of these sandals in? Thats right...10. Ten. TEN! Really? So it was a goldmine as long as they actually made any of the shoes in your size. big sigh.

So I'm super jealous of everyone with normal sized feet! But the good news is...today I found out that they make special shoes in size 15. At least my feet aren't THAT big! :) 

Baby brain

Sometimes I am amazed at the amount of brain cells you lose when you have a baby. I mean, you know you're tired. The sleep deprivation is pretty obvious. But the loss of brain cells kind of sneaks up on you… Like today, for example. I had to pick Miss M up from school at 11:40. I knew the parking lot at the school would be crowded because of a special event going on, so I decided to leave a little early. I got the other two kids ready, put them in the car, got them seat belted in and then dug around in my purse for my keys. Not finding them, I ran back inside to see if they were on the counter. Nope. So I ran back outside, dug around in my bag again, and asked my three-year-old if she knew where my keys were. (sometimes she plays with them and hides them or loses them). She said they were probably in a drawer. So at this point I am thinking, great, we are going to be late. So I called one of my friends who was picking up her kid from the school and asked her to tell the teacher that I would be late and might need to pick up Miss M in the office since I could not find my keys. Meanwhile, the baby was screaming so I decided to pull both kids out of the car and bring them in the house so my three-year-old could help me find the keys. So I took both kids into the house, put the baby seat down on the floor and went back outside to check my purse one more time. It was then that I noticed the dinging sound coming from the car... You know the sound...it's the one that happens when the door is open and you've left your keys IN THE IGNITION! If I'd had time, I would've smacked myself in the forehead! Seriously? How is it possible that I had stuck the keys in the ignition not two minutes earlier and could not remember that I had done it? Amazing. Well luckily I was able to throw both kids back in the car, call my friend and let her know I was on my way and get to the school before the teacher locked the gate. My only excuse is baby brain...

Monsoon season

Sometimes it rains in the desert. Big storms. And this is what comes pouring off your roof during said storm:

Welcome home Kaeli. Guess I will have to start blogging again. So if you happen to drive thru my town you might get to see these little cuties...

Just sayin...