Happy Birthday Sweet Sheyla!

Where has the time gone

that it's been 25 years since you were born!

I loved you even before you were born

and adored you the moment I saw those big blue eyes.

Watching your daughter being collected by her date

feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius

to a gorilla.

~Jim Bishop

A daughter is the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

and the hope and promise of the future.

~Author Unknown

I love you!

 

Finished Project #15. Teacher Appreciation Gifts.

Yes. 

My son just graduated.

Yes. He is 18

but he has been in Special Ed since the 8th grade

and I have always tried to give gifts at the end of the year

as a small token of the vast amounts of appreciation I have.

I don't get around to making something every year

but this year I did.

Last year I wanted to make pot holders 

(look here)

but I made it too complicated by making 

it a log cabin pattern

(it turned out so cute but takes For-Ev-Ver!).

I ended up making one.

And I didn't know at first 

that you are supposed to use 100% cotton thread

because Polyester apparently can burn.

So I kept it for myself.

This year I thought I'd just sew the strips together

(I cut a ton last year so I saved some time!)

and sew around the edges 

(since I have difficulty with binding too).

They turned out pretty cute

if I do say so myself.

And I do!

Here are some other things I loved this week:

I think this is a great way to keep an old fridge!

Loved this and this.

Interesting.

An adorable cabin? Yes please.

You may be obsessed soon too.

Charming here and here

He did it!

 He did it!

He was the very last in line. He walked in with the teacher

but walked half way around the football field by himself.

He was so happy!

 His teacher sat through the program with him.

He has such a hard time with crowds

that she got him to agree to walk for graduation

by telling him she would be with him.

I so appreciate every single teacher he's ever had!

 The other day he told me,

"I'm happy."

Simple. Profound. Wonderful!

 Proud parents!

 His big cousin came up to see him graduate.

He is 6 foot 8 inches of sheer sweetness.

 All the siblings together.

This made him very happy too!

 They were being so silly.

The mascot of the school is the Skyhawk.

So they were just playing around.

Their version of an interpretive dance.

It was a great day!

Yesterday and Tomorrow.

Yesterday, I watched Little Miss Sunshine

and my heart melted 

when she cried and reached for me

when she had to go.

We later went out to dinner

and went for a walk.

So lovely.

Tomorrow is a celebration BBQ

(here at the house)

and then graduation!

Yikes!

What am I doing on here!

 

Everyone can use a little more sunshine.

Last Day of School.

It's a bitter-sweet day.

His very last day of high school.

We've known for years this day would come

and we are so very proud of him.

This is a day of celebration and reflection.

We frequently get asked, 

"What's next?" or 

"What are his plans after school?"

It has been such a difficult road just to get here

and we don't know where it leads or what is next.

He has been working at an internship

at a local greenhouse for the last four months.

Every single day has been a struggle.

Including today.

He called me around nine.

"Mom, I'm having a real rough day today.

I'm hearing voices and seeing things.

Big time.

What do I do?"

Then I talked to his trusty aide

(if it's this hard to get through 2 hours and 15 minutes

at an internship with an aide,

how would he get through a day, half day,

or even 2 hours and 15 minutes

at college or a trade school?),

"He's having a real tough time today,

what do you want me to do?"

Give it another 10 to 15 minutes

and call me back if you need to

and I'll be there to pick him up.

So, I picked him up

after just being there for a little over an hour.

He graduates on Wednesday.

He finally agreed to walk at his own graduation.

For years he has told us he wouldn't go

but recently changed his mind

with much encouragement and coaxing by his teacher.

His teacher will be right next to him the whole time.

He's terrified of crowds.

He will be the very last student on that stage.

He deserves to have everyone clap and cheer him on.

We will figure out what's next, later.

Ode to flowers in the Garden.

I was trying to take a picture of these purple flowers

that grow wild up here

and noticed a fat little bee.

So I stalked him and tried to get his picture.

He wasn't cooperating.

Then, I noticed a lady bug.

Lucky.

 

Finished Project #14. Decoupaged Rhinoceros Head.

Remember when I painted this?

A friend had given it to me

because her daughter didn't want it anymore.

So I took it.

It was black and a few other colors.

It was free

and I thought I could do something with it!

I spray painted it.

I wasn't so happy with how it turned out.

  I decided to decoupage it with some paper.

I like the graphic quality of print.

I had a free magazine,

Edible Wasatch,

 from an amazing restaurant

(Pizzeria 712).

I love the paper in that magazine.

I've used it before here.

I don't know if I like it or not.

 I didn't know if I should be proud of myself or what

 when I finished it on Monday

and then on Tuesday I was looking at a bunch of blogs

and low and behold look what I saw!

This!

I love that room AND artist,

by the way.

I couldn't believe it

(they got their Rhino head from Anthropologie)

I may just have to try to find a cute oval frame like that!

Anyway.

Back at the Studio.

I have been thinking of having my own inspiration

board in between the two closet doors in my "Studio".

Somehow I need to get my dad to help me

make a 5 1/2 foot inspiration board.

Yesterday I thought I could just paint

an old picture that I already had

(I like the frame)

with some left over paint

and use that for now.

So I did.

It will do.

For now.

Educating Little Miss Sunshine or the other way around.

 She was pulling toys out of the box like her life depended on it.

I was just watching her.

She suddenly turned to me

and this is the look she gave me!

 She loves that marble game.

She was calling the marbles rocks and

Grandpa was trying to teach her to say "marble".

"Rocks".

But in her own adorable way.

 We babysat for a few hours on Saturday.

We took her to Sam's Club

(which is about 25 minutes away).

She talked and talked

(her toddler baby babble)

almost the whole way home.

It was so adorable!

We went to walk the mall last night.

I saw these shoes from the corner of my eye

and I just couldn't resist them.

Perfect for Little Miss Sunshine.

Luckily, they were buy one, get the 2nd, 50% off.

 

Finished Project #13. Painted Armoire.

 I'm not usually this prolific

(I have been picking my 18 year old son

from school around 10:30

so I DO have more time at home

and it IS a bit therapeutic)

but I have been wanting to get this room put together

and thereby getting oldest daughter's room back together

(the furniture was in her room)

we used furniture we had from her apartment

(and older room)

to put back into her room

(and she is happy too).

It's getting close

and I am having so much FUN working on and in this room!

Finished Project #12. Painted desk and side table.

I should have counted those two as two separate projects

(although I did paint them at the same time).

I just finished the fourth coat of paint on the armoire

(and when it's dry we will move it to the left of the desk)

and I will most definitely count that as a separate finished project!

My plans for this room included using mostly furniture I already had.

I went light with lots of white because there is no window in this room.

I am going to add pops of color with what I bring into the room.

That comes later.

Who do you think I am?

Here are some other things I loved this week:

LOVED this great advice from Aunt Peaches' Mother.

I find this photo fascinating and I have often thought of working with wire.

So charming. So sweet. So eclectic.

This makes me want to move to Paris. Or just pretend to.

Water Bottle Chandelier? Yes. Please.

A really great tribute to Maurice Sendak.

The most awesome chain link fence.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Extra Instagrams.

 A week and a half ago after Sunday dinner

we went for a walk.

Rian would randomly sit down.

Just because.

 Just because.

 Things are getting so green!

 Did you know the other day we had a super moon?

Well we did and I just had to take a picture

of it peeking in our half moon window above our kitchen.

 

 A stunning sunset from the other night.

Last night I walked home from a bridal shower

and couldn't resist taking this shot.

Finished Project #11. Chalkboard Wall.

 Years ago, I painted this half wall with chalkboard paint.

I had seen it every where and wanted it in my own home.

 I loved it so much, I painted it in this room too.

 I always wanted a whole wall

 in the kitchen or living room to paint with chalkboard paint

but we have mostly walls with windows, wainscoting or chair rails.

My Artist Studio has two full walls

(ok. If you are just stumbling onto my blog,

you wouldn't know that I say that in a wishing sort of way

and mostly with dreams swirling and ricocheting

 in my mommy fogged up brain--
which I half way fear is early dementia,
by the way).

I do not consider myself an artist.

But, in this extra room in our house
that I can call my very own
(that has no windows
and once was used as a canning kitchen
by the previous and very first owners),

 I will craft many things
(and not always well)

but I also want to create and pretend to be the simple artist
that's in my heart and in my scattered and rattled brain.

So, I painted one wall,
in that room of mine,
 with chalkboard paint
(because I can
 and I had left over paint
which means it was basically free).

It'll do!

Here are some amazing examples of chalkboard paint in homes.

Here. And here. And here too.

So creative here.

And here.

There are so many, many more examples

all over internet land.

Go see for yourself

and get painting!