Recharging!

Recharging!, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

I remember these days...when the little ones would go down for a nap and I'd sit on the couch with my lunch and breathe...then I'd jump up and try to accomplish something before they woke up!
Now my twins are gone...away at college and I only have my "little one" left...another teenager. I'm enjoying the time alone with her...she's so fun! I do miss the others though...I miss the noise and activity...the friends storming the kitchen and eating our food. sigh.
When they were this small, I never saw this new time in life coming. It seemed so far off into the future...but the kids grew up fast and here I am...creating cards to encourage the moms still struggling to make it to nap time!

Confucious said so...

Confucious said so..., originally uploaded by artbyheather.

I normally don't give the fortune in my cookie much merit, but when I received this one at Panda Express the other day...well...what would YOU think? I thought it was pretty good advise and while I don't normally believe in the psychobabble of psychics or palm readers or tarot cards or for that matter, fortunes in dry, tasteless cookies, I decided that this one should be followed very carefully. I intend to follow it to the letter...soon! My energy is nearly depleted at the end of a very busy summer! My kids...aaaahhhh my kids...I love 'em but they wear me out! My two oldest are going off to college and there's something about that summer before they leave that just wears you down to the point of wanting to tell them not to let the door hit them on the way out. I never thought they'd drive me to that point but I guess that's God's way of providing a nice clean break between mother and child. I thank Him for that. I'm ready now...
So, I share this good fortune with you...it was meant for every tired mom in August. Good job! We deserve a break! Let's go!!!

FUN!

FUN!, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

Honestly, how fulfilling would life be without a little fun? You should really make it a priority. Work is important and to work hard is very fulfilling, but if there's no fun after the work is done, what is the point? I've always made fun a priority...perhaps it's gone ahead of work a few too many times...but the sky didn't fall in and no one got hurt! :o)
I'm going to have a little fun today...THEN I'm going to finish the laundry!

Graduation Fabulousness

Graduation Fabulousness, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

Ah...I'm so proud! They graduated! They really did it! I wasn't as emotional as I thought I'd be...the day was too happy for tears! We had a nice family shin-dig afterward and it was really nice to celebrate them! They did high-school right. They got involved, tried new things, excelled at what interested them and what they discovered talent for, worked hard for good grades, chose good friends, and leave without the need to cling. They know that these high school years are not their best. They know that the future holds more than these 4 years could ever contain. That's GOOD! So they are happy to go and make new memories...meet new people...have new adventures! Yay!

Pretty Smile

Pretty Smile, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

My baby got her braces off today! We celebrated with a big dinner...baby back ribs, corn on the cob, popcorn and caramel apples. Not the most nutritious dinner, but a long-awaited feast! She's thrilled, needless to say! I think her smile is quite lovely...the down side, she looks older. Braces have a way of keeping kids looking like kids...there's just something about them.
Congrats my sweet girl! You're beautiful!

Ah, now I get it!

Every mother has had the experience (many, many times) of looking into her child's eyes and thinking "You are so precious...you can live with me forever...I don't know how I'm ever going to let you grow up and go..." Usually followed by a sigh, a tickle and a hug and a juicy cookie kiss. You play together and your child steals your heart over and over...even when they smear chocolate sauce on the walls...it's precious...maddening, but oh so precious!
My kids are late bloomers...they've been so easy-going for EVER! My 18-year-old twins have been SO FUN! BUT...they're about to graduate...there's something about that final childhood milestone...something that makes the synapses in their strange, misfiring, brain matter go wonky and they completely turn on you. It's happened. They're normal. They're not so sweet any more. They claim I'm yelling when I'm using my softest, sweetest tone. They claim I'm a nag when I ask something for the first time. They say I'm freaking out when I expect good results in a completed task. It's not rocket science. It's the every day stuff that just two weeks ago wasn't a big deal! Normal...but aggravating!
So, I'm pretty sure God, once again, knows what He's doing...giving them the urge to break away, making the warm, cozy nest that they once adored, a torturous prison. God is making the break a clean one...for all of us. They couldn't imagine leaving us a year or two ago...the thought was scary and lonely and strange. Now they're ready...chomping at the bit. So are we. They are free to go. I've done my job - in so far as instilling my values and work ethic and beliefs...now they need go out into the world and be the people they were created to be.

I'm being nice to me!

Tulips make me happy!, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

So...I made a decision a few months ago. Nothing major...nothing life altering...just a simple little thing that has had a rather large result. Every week, I buy myself tulips. Just a single bunch of 5 stems. 4 bucks worth. It doesn't break my grocery budget and I haven't missed the cash. The result has been a little oasis of happy on my antique pie safe. I found this fabulous copper pitcher for $2.50 at a thrift store...yes, you read that right, $2.50! It is the perfect vessel for my tulips! They look fabulous in it...a contrast of old and fresh. The most important bit to all of this is that the act of buying flowers for myself is so nice. I'm being nice to me. I buy them whether I deserve them or not. Even if I haven't finished my housework. It is my own little reward for all I HAVE done. AND having fresh flowers in the house makes me want to keep the space around them tidy...which is why I put them in the center of the main living space!! :o)
May I suggest that you buy yourself flowers today too!? Be nice to you! They're relatively cheap...even one stem will brighten up your whole day...your home...your attitude!
:o)

The world is her oyster...

Senior Picture, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

aaaah...she's about to leave the nest. This girl of mine is leaving in June instead of August for college. She was offered a FULL RIDE scholarship to the summer session at a State University! She's so excited! I'm so proud! It's the perfect opportunity to acclamate to college life...to train for the upcoming cross country season...to get used to being away from home in a shorter time period - sort of like "summer camp" before she leaves for the whole school year. She's been given such an incredible gift. We are a very close family and to send her away early is so hard, but exciting too. She will do well. She will make new friends. She will do things she never thought she could. She will grow up...not just in responsibility and independence, but in her heart. She has always been confident, but there's just something about being away from Mom and Dad and having to realize that you can figure things out for yourself and manage your own life that grows up a kid into an adult. Into a woman. Into a friend. I'm glad she's going...

I'll miss her...

I've been Funkified!

I'm featured on Funky Finds! Yay! Thanks Jessica! If you haven't ventured over to Funky Finds, you really should...click on the title of this posting and you it will take you there! Her tagline is "They once were funky lost, but now they are funky found!" I'm found! There's just something about being found...especially after you've been lost. It's comforting...a relief even!
I'm going to shout it from the rooftops! "I'm funky! I'm really funky!" - in a good way, of course! :o)

Treat me as you would the queen

Treat me as you would the queen, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

I have this domino on my keychain...it's been there for the last year or so! I wish someone would notice it...maybe think to themselves: "Oh, I think I'll do just that" and then whisk me away in a limo to the spa and pamper me as a queen should be pampered, OR at the very least, clean my house for me. Yes, I do believe I'd feel like a queen if I could sit in my little studio and create fun fabulousness while someone else folded my laundry and mopped my floors!
Gee...that would be lovely!

sisters...

sisters..., originally uploaded by artbyheather.

These girls are so close...big sis is off to college in the fall. What will the little one do? She claims she's looking forward to the peace and quiet...that she'll love having the bathroom to herself...that she'll relish taking over her brothers' bedroom and dance around in the extra space. But what will she feel when the paint in her new room dries and the quiet becomes louder than the noise she claims to be bothered by? She denies that she'll miss them...a typical little sister response...but she will. I know she will. She's never been one to beg for friends to come over - I think because she enjoys her siblings - so maybe she'll have more friends over to fill the gaps...time will tell. I'm just thankful that they love each other...mostly...and that they'll have a new appreciation for each other. Sisters Rock!

Shock and Awe

Stud, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

Seems I'm blogging about this kid a lot lately...he's blog-worthy!
He's about to graduate (he and his twin sister). Four years ago, this boy was shy, tiny, light as a feather, lacked self-confidence, didn't speak much to outsiders...I worried about him. I knew he'd blossom some day...I had faith that he'd make his way...he was dripping with potential...but I didn't know how or when this blossoming would take place. The years passed...still he lacked confidence. His sister is a star runner...he cheered for her. She excelled socially...he was happy for her. His body grew quickly and he was awkward and clumsy. He had lots of friends, but not the confidence to go to dances or "chill" with the girls - he stayed behind. Then he began his senior year of high school. He grew into his own body...now 6'1", he used his height and muscular tone to have a stellar cross country season, ending with a trip to the State championships. He dove into social situations and went to a dance! Suddenly girls were calling and texting and he had a busier social calendar than his sister! Now...here is the shock... This boy, the shy boy who couldn't talk to people without stammering around and looking down...this boy who would sing around the house but claimed singing in the choir at school was "gay"...this boy who would be funny for us but hide his wit in public...just won a roll as the dentist in "Little Shop of Horrors"! He is singing a solo and a duet in the spring musical. WHAT?! How does that happen. If a prophet of God had come down from heaven two years ago and told me that my boy would be in the spring musical, with a show-stealing part, singing a solo...I would have laughed...and claimed the prophet was an imposter and obviously didn't know my child...wrong kid. But here's the awe...while I worried and prayed for my kid to become comfortable in his skin, God was working it all out behind the scenes. I didn't need to see all the parts work themselves out. As a mom, I WANTED to, but faith is what matters...I had faith that this boy would show the world what I knew he had in him and what God put there. Now he's doing just that!

Dream

Dream, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

I have been accused of being a dreamer...an optimist...a pollyana...even an...airhead. If my brilliant mind is occupied with fabulous ideas and potential creations and my creative solutions to the world's problems, how can I possibly stay focused on the topic at hand 100% of the time? Hmmmm? Answer me that! Without people like me...like us (you with me?)...the world would lack color...spontanaeity (did I spell that right?)...and FUN! I'm all about fun. To a fault. You'll never wonder if Martha Stewart lives in my house, no sir. My house is clean...but messy. I do not have time to do it all. I really would prefer to have staff following me around picking up after me but since I do not have hired staff, I do the best I can. Brilliance is messy. That's my mantra. No, I don't really think I'm brilliant, but here we are, back to the title of this ATC...dream! That's what I do!

The Stuff of the Old Days...

Vintage Label - free to use!, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

What is this exactly!? Does it actually have anything to do with sheep? I suppose I could google it but I'm not THAT curious. I just bought a bunch of these old labels...with the purpose of selling them in my etsy supplies shop. I am having a hard time parting with ephemera. I think I am so enamored with the simpler things of the past that when I find something cool, I just want to hang on.
I've never been a hoarder...I've always been a thrower-awayer. To a fault. With regrets. I have one little box of goodies from my childhood. One. I think back, however, and wish I had kept some of my favorite clothes, some books, some little trinkets that I remember and can't find anywhere to repurchase. Dumb stuff, really, which is why I probably threw it out in the first place. I didn't have a grasp of the sentimentality...I was too immature to feel the feelings attached to it and wanted to grow up and move on...so a few little items hit the trash and I never looked back...until recently. I'm in my 40's...at the age when grandparents are passing on...and I'm revisiting fond memories. Wishing I had that toy or that outfit if only just to SEE it again! Recently I bought some clickers at Goodwill. Remember those? You just squeeze them and they make a clicking sound. I've seen novelty ones shaped like frogs or ducks but never the plain rectangle-shaped ones of my childhood...and there they were! I snatched them up so fast! I clicked them and brought them home and showed my kids. Then I told them the story of how my siblings and I used to play "bike cars" - we'd ride our bikes on the trails by our house and when we'd make a turn, we'd click the clickers to sound like a blinker. OH it was so fun...we felt so grown up! Turning my blinker on isn't nearly as fun now that I'm an adult!
So...I will part with this label...I will, I will, I will. It has no sentimental meaning for me. I will divy up my stash of labels and list them...probably this week.

Jake

Senior Picture, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

I almost lost this boy yesterday. He was in a very bad car accident. By the grace of God, he not only survived, but walked (ok, limped) away with minor injuries. It's amazing how fragile life is. How in a split second it can be snuffed out. How the things that seemed so important to us moments before are just fluff in the grand scheme of things. I don't know what I'd do without this boy. He brings so much joy...laughter...fun...and yes, aggravation at times...to my life. I'm thankful for the aggravation...thankful for the crap that goes along with dealing with an accident...thankful that I'm dealing with insurance companies, hospital bills, wrecking companies...thankful that I'm not dealing with funeral arrangements and coroner's reports... Aggravation and trial make up life. Life is good. As long as my kids are driving me crazy, we're fully alive. It's tough having teenagers...quasi-adults...it's also a joy. If it wasn't a struggle to grow up and help a child grow up, it wouldn't be much of a life. So...today I'm thanking God that my son is alive and struggling. Alive to work through the muck of an accident...alive to teach me the lessons of life...and appreciating the little things...the tough things...the everyday things. Today I'm just simply thankful.

My first ATC/ACEO - The Adventurer

The Adventurer, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

That's what I am too...an adventurer. This is my very first ATC/ACEO. I quite happy with it! I have had a couple of requests to trade it so maybe I'll make a couple just like it and trade! I can't let go of him, though...he's my first. I am attached. I rather like this little form of art. I am going to experiment with inchies too...Yay! My brain is expanding bit by bit...

This is pretty typical

This is pretty typical, originally uploaded by artbyheather.

My kids are weird. No joke. I'm glad, though...they're fun...they're funky...they're a lot like me. They're slightly odd because they feel comfortable being themselves. I wasn't that comfortable in my skin at that age...it took me many years of trial and error to realize that it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks I should be like...I just gotta be me. Funny...now that I don't worry about what everyone else thinks, it's quite apparent that they never did...think that is...mostly people just make snap judgements about people and move on. They don't dwell on us. Sometimes we think they do, but they don't. Mind you, there are the random jerks that take great pleasure in picking people apart, but honestly, who cares what they think anyway, right?
Anyway, that's the way I've raised my kids. Be yourselves...don't worry about what other people think...people who judge, do it to make themselves feel better somehow...to ease their own insecurities.
All this from a goofy picture. I think too much sometimes!