3.75 days of quiet left

Every year it catches me by surprise. THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. I mean, I know it's coming - and yet, as the day approaches, I find myself going through the stages of grief. Ya know: denial, anger, something, something... I usually make it to acceptance about 2 days before school starts again in August.

I don't know if the last day of school is on the "list of life stressors" ( you know the one, death of a spouse = 10 pts., moving= 9 pts, marriage = 9 pts, etc. etc.) but it should be. I'd give it 8 pts. - only because it doesn't require a funeral or a moving van. It does send me into a state of shock and panic for several weeks.

I admit there are some good things about summer break- sleeping late, no homework to oversee, no daily trips to the school, no rushing to find school shoes in the am. And I really DO like my kids - they're great. I just like them MORE in smaller doses. Does that make me a bad mother? sighhh....

It's just that I really like solitude. I like quiet. I like hours of uninterrupted - whatever.

But, ready or not here it comes. Teenagers draped on the couch or attached to the computer, 8 year old boys running amok thru the house. Food disappearing at alarming rates. Dirty Dishes ALWAYS in the sink. Someone ALWAYS hungry.

As usual, I put all my hope for sanity into church camps, summer gym and sleepovers AT OTHER KIDS HOUSES.

Happy summer, mother's everywhere! May God Bless you and Keep you...
Lennea

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

I saw this art doll kit from www.artgirlz.com and just had to have it! I've been getting a little too serious with my art lately and this was just the thing to have fun with and lighten up! I had so much fun making this whimsical doll. I don't usually use these bright colors in my art - so it was fun to play with new colors. When I was done, my 12 year old daughter asked if she could have it ( she never wants anything I make!) so I was thrilled. Then her 14 year old sister wanted one, so I have another kit ordered. It was so much fun making something that my teenage daughters appreciate ( i.e. something funky).

Have a creative Day!

Muwahahahaha!

I tag
Kecia
Shakey Sister
Jay
Valerie
Crystal
Karyn
Kim

You must write 7 random things about yourself and then tag 7 other people to visit your blog for instructions to write 7 random things about themselves and tag 7 more people! If you don't comply, the blog police will shut down your blog and take away your computer;)

SEVEN RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME!

Ok... I've been tagged by Krissy and Laurie (and no, Laurie, I do NOT have to write 14 things!) I am the Queen of my Blog and make my own rules :)! ANYWAY...

7 Random Things about me...

1) I was adopted as a newborn. One of the greatest gifts anyone has given me is the gift of a stable family by my birth mother.

2) I NEVER thought I'd live in a small town. Now, I live in a town of 1200 people. Proof that God has a sense of humor!

3) Tomorrow is a day of mourning for my family. It is the last episode of Gilmore Girls. First Cosby, then Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, Friends, Everwood and now this. Oy, with the poodles, Already! ( if you are a fellow Gimore Girls fan, you will get this - if not, you missed out on one of the wittiest, fast talking, best shows ever on tv!)

4) I dream of spending a month alone on a private island. I need a chef and a housekeeper, my books, a ton of art supplies, my Bible and a collection of my favorite cd's. I really love solitude and never have enough of it. When I was a kid, I could spend hours up in my favorite tree, reading or just thinking and dreaming.

5) I take a nap almost every day. I don't apologize for it anymore.

6) I also no longer apologize for my messy house and van. That's the great thing about turning 40 - I no longer feel like I have to apologize for being the real me.

7) My first husband died when I was 31. My kids were 2 months old, 4yrs and 5 yrs. I have never felt God's presence more than that first year after his death. Everything I had come to rely on of this world had fallen away. I had God and my family and friends. And that was enough. Since then, the worries and distractions of this world have crept back into my life. I sometimes miss that bittersweet time in my life. But, I now know that whatever happens, God's strength and grace is enough.

AMEN!

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?" Quote from Jay Leno

Metal Sampler

I made these metal samplers at Artiscape in Cheryl Darrow's class. She's the owner of Ten Seconds studio which sell wonderful tools and materials for creating with sheet metal. It's very addicting! I'm thinking pins, magnets, book covers, ornaments...