turkey time

our last lesson before the Thanksgiving break

involved turkey place mats

with the students' favorite foods.

First we painted and drew into the wet paint,

then splattered the background...

and stamped silverware and cups and added napkins...

then we stamped rolls and a turkey and drew our favorite side dishes.

I for one am thankful that the 24 hour flu 

(with almost 102 degree temperature)

only lasts 24 hours...

glad yesterday has passed and I am back to the land of the living!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

wishing you all a very blessed

Thanksgiving Day!

we really do have snow - lots!

and 15 coming for curry chicken salad today

as we are celebrating Thanksgiving Friday.

I am thankful for so many things 

and oh so thankful for my blogging friends.

wish we could truly meet up for a huge party -

now wouldn't that be fun?

what are your plans for this weekend?

and Zoe and Matteo send their furry love your way too...

how you gonna keep 'em down on the farm?

Michaels surely owes me someone freebies

as I am always promoting their products.

this time it is these cute wood barns for $1.99 each.

and since it is an art class we had to add our own art.

so we painted a lake and grass as the base...

then the barn...

and we drew farm creatures...

then set up our scenes...

this guy is even fishing in his pond...

and she visits with her sheep...

and makes new friends.
farm living looks pretty good to me.
we have a week break for Thanksgiving and
lo and behold it is snowing as we speak...
with a high tomorrow of a whoppin' 23 degrees!
I have 15 coming for lunch Thursday (not Thanksgiving mind you),
as we are celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday.
I know - confusing, but that's the way it is.
Nick is having a hard time explaining this to his friends who may come over.
don't want them to expect a turkey Thursday.
almost over this stupid cold but boy has it taken the energy from me...
I wish all of you in my neck of the woods a very blessed Thanksgiving 
whenever you celebrate it
and if you live on a different continent then a very wonderful week to you too!

a Sunday blessing

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant

between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth.

Genesis 9:16

Doesn't color just fill your head to the point of being giddy?

The art kiddos couldn't figure out why I was taking a picture of the sink...

but just look at that hue!

God in his infinite wisdom blessed our existence 

with every color of the rainbow

and I savor them all!

and as a side note, I just love this verse because:

#1  It's the first covenant and includes an over the top art lesson in it, and

#2  all the creatures of the earth are included in its promise, not just man.

Isn't God amazing?

a good day indeed

the other day I met a friend at University Village

to spend time with her and her adorable son,

and to do a little shopping.

Ravenna Gardens always has the most wonderful displays...

and their garden shed would fit perfectly in my backyard...

and their pumpkins and gourds were every orangish color imaginable... 

and their plants' textures were amazing...

and of course Anthropologie had a cute little indoor artist's shack

with paint brushes and jars with paint spilled on them...

and lanterns made of canning jars.

and just look at this autumnal sofa - 

I so want it to come spread its autumn cheer at my house.

 the drive home was just beautiful 

and since there was boat traffic at the Montlake Cut

and I had to wait for the bridge to open and let the boat through and then close...

well my handy dandy little camera took a snap through the sunroof-

just love my Subaru's sunroof, the best part of the car...

and there was more roadwork by Lake Sammamish,

but how could I complain with a view like this?

and knowing I just picked this book up at the library

and would get to read it when home.

seriously get this book from the library -

just put your name on the waiting list and wait

because you will.

it's that good.

with gems like this...

and this wise ole owl.

I am so cheery in this post - 

I wrote it about a month ago and forgot to post it.

I have been sick with about the worst cold known to man or woman this week,

but I may see the light at the end of the tunnel

and I am oh so optimistic and keeping fingers crossed that it will be gone 

by Monday (ya, right...),

or at least that I can fake it well enough to go to school 

and do my TA thing,

and teach art,

 and enjoy a birthday party for me and the teacher I work with -

 so must get well, must get well.

hope this post finds you well and looking forward to the holiday season.

ye gads don't think I am there yet.

can't muster the idea with a mucous-filled head-

maybe it seeped way into my brain.

back to bed...

fall leaf frolic

Autumn Leaves
One of the nicest beds I know
Isn't a bed of soft white snow.
Isn't a bed of cool green grass
After the noisy mowers pass.
Isn't a bed of yellow hay
Making me itch for half a day
But autumn leaves in a pile that high,
Deep and smelling like fall and dry.
That's the bed where I like to lie
And watch the flutters of Fall go by. 

~by Aileen Fisher~ 

in art this week we made our own pile of leaves 

topped with friends enjoying the autumnal view...

first there were leaf rubbings with my favorite art supply-

that would be the highly underrated crayon...

then we watercolored in cool colors 

to balance the warm tones of the autumn leaves...

and these could have been framed as is without the next step...

but I wanted to see who was going to enjoy the romp in the leaves.

so we made people...

notice the similarity.

and hamsters and dogs and platypuses...

to romp and frolic in our leaves ...

and yes, this is a platypus playing in the leaves...

and the family dogs too...

please find me a pile of crisp leaves to flop on right now!

Yippee Yahoo

remember the nearly amputated finger last June?

(sorry, I doubt you wanted to remember that time - 

I know I don't, 

but btw it is healing nicely and the feeling is slowly returning 

so yippee yahoo to that...)

well during this time I wanted to send my Holly and the Ivy piece

 to Somerset Studio,

but couldn't physically pack it up.

when I told my sweet husband I was going to pass,

he quickly packed and sent it for me.

what a sweetie...

and then I didn't think it was accepted because I didn't get an e-mail...

so when the newest copy arrived I was skimming it

when low and behold -

there was my piece.

exciting news never gets old, does it?

now I can't wait to see my old friend when it returns.

oh ya cards are for sale here.

I think they would make nice holiday notes,

don't you?

since the sun was out today,

I needed to photograph cards and prints to sell on etsy 

and this guy insisted on being my helper...

thank you Matteo...

love you too!