10 Things...

About My Mom...as written by Jakob Kelly:

1. She is a very good cook.
2. She spends lots of time with me.
3. She loves dogs.
4. She is a good writer.
5. She loves to cooke.
6. She is a good artist and loves art.
7. She loves to learn.
8. She listens to me.
9. She wants to make me happy.
10. She wears glasses for reading.

I wanted to share one of my favorite valentines cards with you. My 10 year old son wrote these in school inside of a big heart; he gave them to me for Valentines day...kind of reminded me of the "25 random things about me" that is circulating on FB...only sooo much better! Number 10 cracks me up....how random?! How delightful. I cherish the honesty, innocence and naivety kids' possess...makes me wish that as they (we) age, those qualities wouldn't get lost. Sometimes they do not.

In love with...

Gimp...how do i love thee, let me count the ways....you bring my pictures to life. you are fun. time flies when i am with you....my boyfriend recently downloaded gimp 2.6 and from the moment i opened this application on my desktop it was love at first click. Seriously. An evening hardly goes by that i don't open it up and fool around with it a bit (warning-can be rather addicting). If you have never used it, you should give it a try, plus it is free! Just google gimp 2.6....And you can do sooo many cool things with your pictures...my favorites are the soft glow filter and the fuzzy border...take a look at some of my gimp handy work!

Better Late Than Never....

I know, i know...it's been way too long and you're feeling neglected...i'm feeling guilty (bite lip...sigh)....but it is a new year and we're only 27 days into the new year, soooo like my momma always said...better late than never Maria. Sooo, i write my first of many blog posts for 2009! 2009 is a year of changes big and small for me....the year i follow my heart, trust my instincts...begin anew. With the new year comes a good dusting off of my hopes, dreams and ideas that have been sitting around way too long hiding behind other things and quietly collecting dust bunnies. There is a saying I love and it goes something like this...
"It is never too late to be who you might have been." ~ George Eliot

The Days are Getting Cooler...

Love this cooler weather....wish it could stay like this all year round...slight chill in the air but not too cold. I made this little art canvas last winter and thought I'd get it out...."one winter day".....i used some torn bits of paper and some text from a vintage book. Once i glued all my pieces in place and my collage was complete, I added a thin layer of white paint for a wintry look...then i added a strip of ribbon to the top and a fancy, sparkly button from my jar. Lastly I aged the edges with a little black paint and added some homemade glass glitter....Christmas balls work great! So here it is, my "one winter day" on this cool autumn day. Enjoy!

Sweet, sweet music

My son Jakob came home from school a few weeks ago sooo excited...he wanted to join the school band, an opportunity available to fourth graders and older...."Ok" I said....."What instrument do you want to play?" A fairly innocent question, i thought.....His answer: the trombone. "OH, the trombone...ok. Are you sure?" His reply: Yup! with much excitement! Well, that night was a Friday night and we couldn't leave the house until the band teacher called, which she did a few hours later...and long story short, my little man is now playing (learning to) a big instrument...he's supposed to practice three times a week, 10 minute intervals.....So, as I write this post, i am serenaded by the loud.....hmmmm....how can i describe them???.....the loud....."sounds" of the trombone....I am proud to have a budding musician around the house....I'm sure i will get used to, i mean....I surely love that sweet, sweet sound.

Boo-tiful October...

Ahhh...the crisp October air...loooove it! Inspired by one of my favorite times of the year and one of my favorite holidays...I made this little Halloween Princess by recycling the packaging from some sugar cubes...yup, plain ol' sugar cubes....could use any type of box with a window on the lid or you could even cut out a window yourself! I gave her a pointy Halloween hat with a star on top and some funky black fur on the bottom. The pumpkin moon is a bottle cap that i filled with a little drawing of a jack o'lantern....think she is boo-tiful if i do say so myself...hope she inspires you to cast a few spells of your own!

Call me THE GODMOTHER...

Yes, I am the proud godmomma of little baby Asa Matteo...or as my Italian cousin calls me "grandma"....I keep telling him there's a BIG difference between GRANDmother and GODmother, but he doesn't seem to get it....i'll blame that one on the language barrier...but back to my bragging about little baby Ace....isn't he just adorable....just love the wee ones....that new baby smell, the little coos and ahhhs, the tiny fingers and toes, long eyelashes, unconditional love...AND i can give him back to his proud papa and mama...my cousin and wife...at the end of the day. Congrats to Diego and Katie and the birth and christening of their beautiful bundle of joy.