Have a Cow!

Chad & Asher were gone for a few days last week, so Chancery & I were left home alone to fend for ourselves.  On Wednesday afternoon we set out to deliver Asher's newspapers, & as we were walking past the neighbour's garbage bins I noticed a large painting with a "FREE" sign on it.  The neighbour was standing on his driveway, so I asked if I could have it & he said yes!

I quickly brought my free painting home, not knowing where I'd put it, but I figured I could find a spot for such a beautiful piece of art.  I set it in the front room, & dashed off to help Chancery on the paper route.  

As I passed the neighbour the second time, he said, "Thank you!"

I replied "You're welcome!  Thank you, I love my new painting!"

He then responded, "You're Welcome."  I could tell  he wasn't eager for this particular exchange to continue, so I walked onward.

When we returned home I noticed that the colours really complemented the front room, so I added sticky hooks to my list, so I could hang the portrait in the place of honour above the fireplace.

Friday I had all the supplies I needed, so I called my friend & asked her to help me hang my painting.  We did some calculations to figure out the best placement for the 2 hooks in order to have the painting both centered & level.  I knew there was no way Chad would let me keep my new artwork of it was hung crooked or off center!

I decided to not say anything, & see how long it would take for Chad to notice.  Asher walked in the door & immediately said, "Funny, mom says we have too much stuff in this house, then we leave for a few days & she goes out & buys a new painting!"

But it was FREE, & it is BEAUTIFUL, & it's a COW!

Snowflake Factory

We’ve been busy making snowflakes here.  Some are being mailed to the Grandparents, but we’re just having a lot of fun figuring out how to make different shapes & designs.  Here Asher demonstrates how to make a snowflake…

Chad’s Birthday

Well, PChad’s birthday was a month ago, but better late than never! Chancery likes to give people presents to open.  They are usually things which are hers, she gives them to the person for awhile, & then expects them back…  She gave PChad my hat that I was letting Chancery borrow.

 

The kids picked out an England Football shirt (notice Digby quietly eating the tissue paper)

PChad nicely modelled the shirt for us.

 

I had a great idea to get PChad a painting of a VW Squareback, & through many months of trials & tribulations, I managed to find a painter who was willing & able to paint this for PChad’s birthday!

So Broken

So this video is a few weeks old, but it has been my favourite routine on this year’s SYTYCD.  Sonja Tayeh works her magic again!

 

Natural Art?

See what happens when you pour molten aluminum down an ant hill.  This is some really cool art!



HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Colour Queen

Chancery has been on a colouring streak for the last few months, & every time she finishes a piece, she wants us to take a picture of it.  (Probably because she knows it will get thrown out in the next week)

 

We’re still working on getting her to look at the camera…

 

She’s pretty good for a 4 1/2 year old, but I am comparing her to Asher, who never took a whole lot of time to make sure he was staying in the lines.

Fashion Design

Chancery has been on a coloring streak making lots of little pictures of people & animals & cutting them out to tape on PChad’s office door.  She also tried her hand at making clothes for her dog Ginger.

 

Here is Ginger modeling a dress & crown.

 

Chancery seems to have abandoned that project since her creations weren’t holding up to her playing with them.  She has said many times though that she now wants to be a fashion designer.  Perhaps we’ll have to ask Grandma for some sewing lessons when we’re visiting this summer!

Hand in Hand

Chancery has been making lots of paper crafts lately.  It’s great to see her getting better at holding the scissors the right way, & cutting better.  She is also getting quite imaginative with what she’s making.

This is a picture of  Chancery & PChad holding hands.  PChad has short spiky hair, & Chancery is wearing a toque.  Notice they are also wearing matching outfits.  This has become quite the trend in our household lately!

When You Are Sick on Your Birthday…

Sunday was my birthday, & a snow day, & I was sick.  It was a perfect trifecta.  So, while I lay in bed, the kids made me birthday cards!

Chancery made me this birthday card:

The front “Birthday”

The inside “Mummy, Happy, (& 1 heart for each of us)”

The letters are all there, if not in the right order.

 

 

Asher made this one.  I had just been to a ladies’ tea & brought a word scramble home, so he decided to utilize that in my card.

Front

Inside

 

 

Then, since I wasn’t feeling well, they made me get well cards!

This is from Asher:

Front – Since he made bubble letters, & the ‘t’ looked like a cross, he decided to draw Jesus on it.

 

Inside – We have another word scramble!  Asher saw that I had written some letters on the right side of the page & asked me about them.  “I used Grandma Toots’ trick to figure one of the scrambled words out,” I told him.  Asher then informed me, “You are not allowed to write on the card like that.”  I guess I should have used scrap paper!

 

Back – isn’t it nice?

 

Chancery also made me a get well card!

Front “Card card caar”

 

Inside – “Chancery Mummy”, another heart & a design

 

I also got a picture of the world from Chancery for my birthday!

 

I am glad to say that I feel much better today, but I seemed to have passed it on to the kids.  Hopefully it steers clear of PChad!

Too Awesome For Words

I loved this routine from the finale of SYTYCD…  Animation at its best!

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Is it Possible?

I’ve always loved MC Escher’s designs, trying to wrap my head around some of his drawings.  Here’s a lego build of one.  Click on the link for more info!

Lego MC Escher

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!

Light Dance

A bit of dance for your enjoyment…

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Ever Had A Bad Dream?

Pchad’s on holidays for a few weeks, so we’ve been busy going here & there, doing fun summery stuff.  I’ll catch you up on our activities once we’re back to normal around here…

 

Here’s an amazing dance to tide you over!

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Turn Around…

This is a routine performed by Katie & Matt, 2 of the final 4 dancers on SYTYCD UK.  I just thought it was an amazing routine & they performed it so well.

Jump ahead to 1:55 to skip all the practice shots & view the actual routine…

 

Wow, Just WOW!

It’s time for another season of So You Think You Can Dance.  They are getting better & better every year!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Argumentative

We were at a friend’s house today & Chancery somehow managed to get a hold of a crayon & colour on the window.  A little while later, Chancery pointed it out to me & said, “I colour on the window!”

 

“Is that good or naughty?” I asked her.

 

“Good,” she replied.

 

“No,” I told her, “that’s naughty, you shouldn’t colour on the windows.”

 

She then told me, “When I grow-up, I can colour on the windows!”

 

**********************

A little while later she got a time-out for climbing on the table & as we were discussing it afterwards, I told Chancery, “You go play, and be a good girl.”

 

As she walked away I heard her quietly say, “…I’m a boy!”

 

I suppose she may think from watching her brother, that that gives her license to be naughty.

Banana Art

At lunch yesterday the kids were eating some banana.  I gave Chancery a chunk & she quickly gnawed away at it until it was only about 1/2 and inch tall.  She set it down on her plate & said, “Potty!”

 

I didn’t really know what she was talking about, so I didn’t really acknowledge her.  Apparently my response was less than satisfactory.  Chancery then announced, “Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!  Chancery made a potty!”

 

Indeed, it did look much like a child’s potty chair.  However, I was just trying to get the kids to eat their fruit.  After that she refused to eat anymore.  Maybe she felt she just couldn’t top a masterpiece like that.

Trash Or Treasure

When we were first married, PChad & I didn't have a lot of money, nor did we have many nice things in our house.  I used to go to garage sales quite frequently & see what I could find to pretty our house a bit.

One saturday morning, I saw a nice little painting marked $3.00.  Being Dutch & cheap, I decided to barter with the man, & asked if he'd be willing to take $2 for the painintg.  He thought about it briefly & said ok.  As he was handing the money over to his wife, she turned to me & asked, do you know who the artist is? I told her that I didn't & she replied, "I am."

Well, of course, I felt pretty stupid having talked them down on one of her own paintings, especially when she commented, "Two dollars doesn't even pay for the frame!"

But her husband could've always said no!

I still really like this painting, but PChad for some reason, has never liked it.  I decided that it needed to be hung, so I figured that if I hung it in the washroom on an existing nail, PChad wouldn't have a problem with that.  The next day, I noticed that he had put a new nail in the wall & hung the painting across from the toilet, instead of leaving it behind the toilet.

When I questioned him about it, he said, "That way when you go in the washroom, YOU can see it & I don't have to."

Breast Cancer Awareness

Once again, dance expresses things that words cannot.........

Art Appreciation

I'm not much of an art fan. I don't know what's good makes a piece good, & I really don't enjoy going to look at art exhibits. There are a few paintings/pictures that I like, but mainly b/c they remind me of a place I liked or something like that.

I was discussing with my mother-in-law a few weeks ago, that I really enjoy the show So You Think You Can Dance because I find that to be such an art. The dancers put everything they have into the pieces & tell stories through their dance. I think one of the reasons why I appreciate their efforts is b/c I have a tremendous lack of rhythm (ask anyone who has seen me attempt to dance, even PChad is quick to agree).

On the last episode of SYTYCD, Kayla & Kupono performed a dance about addiction that really struck me as an excellent example of art & if you missed it, here it is: