Royal Wedding ... Stand Aside!

 A Royal Wedding in London..... what's so special about that when there's a grand daughter's birthday party in Oklahoma.  In my estimation there is nothing more news worthy than this....  

  
Mom cooking up a feast for the celebration,

a table decorated in polka dots,

 

family together,

 happy reminders,

  

cousins playing,

 in a happy room,

with a bed built by Papa,

art made by mother,

and boundaries stated loud and clear (with a bit of flare, of course).




I understand that even though we closed the party palace down last night, another celebration is scheduled for this very evening with twelve, yes I said twelve, young ladies from the kingdom of Broken Arrow.  

Truly these are the times that I am thankful to be the Grandmother.  I can party with the royal family until 8:00 pm and then go home to my chambers and sleep like a queen.  Oh my but old age is good.

And now I am off to visit the imperial land of Wyoming where three lovely princesses await my arrival.

I don't know when my next blog post will be as I am not always sure if I can get Internet service in those-there mountains.  So I bid you farewell and genuine wishes for a lovely weekend in your own kingdoms of majesty.

A Day to Celebrate

Happy Birthday grand daughter!

I decorated first born grand daughter's cake last night because today we remember and celebrate the day of her birth.

I remember it well.  There were about fifteen or more pressed noses against the hospital nursery glass as our excited family watched brand-new-dad watch the nursers get his minutes-old daughter ready for the needles they were planning to stick in her feet.  Eeh-Oh!

Tonight needles are long forgotten, however, and balloons, games, wishes, enchiladas, presents and cake and ice cream capture our attention.  Not to mention the lovely young lady who is turning eight.

Grand daughter and I are writing a children's story about a cat who creates beautiful paintings. The story relays Sebastian's (cat's name) many adventures before being discovered as the allusive artist.  Therefore the cake just had to pay tribute to Sebastian as well as our exuberant grand daughter, Hope.

Tasha Tuesday

Every Tuesday morning I walk through these doors.


I volunteer at this beautifully landscaped and comfortably decorated home  --  a place that houses and cares for the terminally ill during their last days.  Every board, nail, window, flower, cushion, water pipe and concrete pathway was provided by thousands of generous donors and is maintained by hundreds of volunteers.  I sit at the front desk to welcome all who come for a visit, a stay or to volunteer.  It is one of the best days of my week.  Not only because of the work Clarehouse does but because of the people who work at Clarehouse.

Meet Tasha.

She is a care-giver.  She is a mom.  She is a sister.  She is a wife.  But to me she is a doll! Every Tuesday when I turn onto the Clarehouse drive I get excited to see Tasha.  Sometimes her hair is red.  Sometimes short.  Sometimes long.  In this picture she has a modern day Veronica Lake thing going on. 

I want you to be excited to see Tasha too... so.... I am naming Tuesday's blog posts as "Tasha Tuesday" where I will post a picture of Tasha's style choice for that day. 

Next week I will be in Wyoming and won't be at Clarehouse or flicking any pics of Tasha.... so you all have to wait another week to see the next thing Tasha brings.

I wish you a day of surprises like Tasha gives me. 

Is being happy good enough?

I watched an episode on Oprah the other day where her guest was a man who realized that all the stuff he had accumulated was not actually making him any happier than before he added it to his life.  He was a young director who after seeking Hollywood success for years in the film industry, finally made his directorial acclaim with the movie, Liar, Liar, featuring Jim Carey. 

He went from a small paycheck before Liar, Liar, to the largest amount of money he had ever seen, practically over night.  He continued to direct hit movies and make big money and buy more things... homes, cars, planes.  The last home he bought was a 17,000 square foot mansion.  The  last movie he directed, however, was about selling that home and the other two he owned as well.  Tom Shadyac asks his audience and the spiritual and intellectual leaders interviewed in his recent documentary about the state of our world.  What are we to do with the way we are amassing goods while feeling more and more empty?

I find that a perfect question for our time.  And I am looking forward to viewing Tom Shadyac's documentary, "I Am" when I get home from my trip to Wyoming.

 
But for now I find myself pondering another subject discussed between Oprah and Mr Shadyac that day.    They both talked of living into expectations of a family, culture or media and not living one's own personal passion.  Oprah said that if you are doing something you really aren't passionate about doing a little part of you dies.  Mr. Shadyac said that he loves to make films, especially films that inspire, delight or teach.  Oprah said she wants to raise peoples awareness about many things... especially the unity of us all.  She says that is why she has redeemed victims of abuse, bullying and shame showcased on her talk show.  She wants others in the same situations to realize that hope for a full life exists and has happened for many.

It made me ponder in this way:  I find myself happier than I think I have ever been.  I love all things domestic and making our home a showcase of the experiences of my life that have moved my heart.  I love to paint and take pictures and sew and exercise and hum and cook and plan parties and grow roses, and even clean.  But how in the world is that inspiring anyone else?  I'm certainly not asking the big questions like Tom Shadyac or building schools in Africa like Oprah.... so what am I doing to make this life better?

Then it struck me... not like the two-by-four over the head thing ... more like a gentle whisper from the life that I love.  It is not so much about what I am doing as it is about who I am being.  If I try to be Oprah or Tom, or Mother Teresa or whomever, then I am not being me.  There is nothing more influential that I can give the world than me, especially the happy authentic me who loves to clean toilets and cook omelets early in the morning. Although not both at the same time.

Being who I am is the greatest gift I can give to anyone or any nation or any globe.

I'm not saying that action is not necessary.  It is.  If we did not have action motivated from an authentic heart we would not have Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. or my neighbor who volunteers at a soup kitchen daily.  But action without the passion that Tom and Oprah were referring to is dead - it's void of authentic influence and inspirational power.
So I guess I'll continue to sew and hum and bounce the grand kids on my knee.  Our globe will be better for it.

Happy Easter!

OOPS!  I began this post yesterday with full intention of sending it off after attending Easter service with my daughter and family, but lost the day in an attempt to organize over 3000 photos taking up space on my hard drive.  Whew!  They are now safely down loaded onto their own designated flash drives.

Even though the calendar stated it was EASTER DAY, the weather shouted, "soggy dog."  It rained the entire day, nixing any and all outdoor egg hunting.  In fact this Spring has not acted her normal lovely self.  She has been colder than normal, rainy, cloudy and windynormas.  Maybe she is experiencing some hormonal disturbances before the beautiful birth of lush green lawns and abundantly adorned flower beds? (that reference is for Tara)

Holy rowboat!  It is raining some more.  Pounding down like I suspect it might in the rain forest.  Good thing I crept out of doors early this morning to snap this shot of the river that is growing between our yard and the golf course.

The ground is so saturated that our neighbor's lawn can not hold all the water the heavens keep giving.  Puddles pool on patios, highways, decks and roadside ditches.

My thoughts go to those driving, those living with holes in their windows and roofs and those without a roof at all. 

Even the ants are seeking shelter inside.  Only thing is they are seeking it in our kitchen.  Oh my, I go into crazy mode when the ants come indoors.  I really, really don't want to snuff them out.  After all our house was built on top of theirs.  So we actually invaded their territory first.  But........ I can't accept the little darlings moving about in the butter, honey, spices and most especially my coffee cup!  What do I do?  To snuff or not to snuff?  That is my anxiety inducing question.

Oh well, I'll let them be for now and get back to the original intention of my post for today.




I took a pile of this,

 

 

 

 

        sculpted it with these,

and made this

 

But this is who gave it life! 

 

Add a hand braided bracelet, hot pink painted nails,


  






a sparkly sandal with painted toes


















and Hope's ready for the Easter parade

In an outfit like this a girl might even be able to overcome the silliness of her brothers and....

 

JOIN IN THE FUN!

.

Rewarding Research

My mom told me that she had heard that babies process information through their mouths.  I think that's what she told me anyway.... it could have been babies process with their mouths... or babies' mouths are processors.  Whatever she said, I was intrigued enough to do a bit of research of my own.

I located a willing subject and went right to work gathering data.
 Gender: male
Age: 10 months
Aptitude: Genius
Dexterity: Ecellent
Hygiene: Pantless, shoeless, saggy diaper
Agility: He's ten months old for crying out loud.    He bends like a pretzel.

Aha! This looks interesting.

But this looks good too. Better go in for further analysis.

  Maybe its a ball.

Yup.  Just what I suspected.  A football and a Wilson at that!

 Nope, this is not a football.

Now let's give this a taste test?

 Tastes like a book to me.... an orange book with a yellow chick.  But I've been investigating this thing for a while now as you can tell by the dated markings on the top. 

Now what's this...looks familar... looks kind of like me and smells like those things mom and dad put on my bottom that sag when wet.

 A slight lick determines further sampling

...and deeper investigation

...and more sampling of this flap

 Sure enough!  Pampers Cruisers.  Guess all that sampling paid off.

Wow! I even amaze myself sometimes!

Because of the vast amounts of data needed for significant scientific findings I will deliver more on this subject at a later date.  The only conclusion at this time is that the subject matter has an extreme need to taste anything he gets his hands on .  But to prepare an accurate report more data is required.  It will be time consuming and uncomfortable, spending a large amount of my time scooting my bottom across the floor and contorting my body into muscle demanding poses to get just the right angle for a photo.  It's a tough job but yaya's got to do it.

Enjoying Home

I love being in our home.  I love having other people in our home.  I love making a home ascetically pleasant, invitingly comfortable and visually balanced.  When I have been away for days or only a few hours, there is nothing I like more than coming home - opening the door and immediately feeling its call to settle in and settle down. 

Here is a photo of one of our living room sofas as it looked months ago.  Masculine design dominates in color and form. 

 

It felt a bit unbalanced to me so I added something old, something new, something girly, something blue.

 
Now the wall above our sofa displays items of meaning that have been with us since we began building a home and forming traditions.  A few new additions complete the grouping. 

 A large oval mirror resides in the center, referencing the new as well as the old.  It catches the day's sunlight, anew every morning, encircled by an old thrift store frame. 

 The two square frames on the upper left hold pictures of special meaning.  One is a linoleum ink stamping that our oldest daughter gave us for Christmas when we first began the tradition of exchanging home-made gifts.  The other is a pencil drawing of my brother who is no longer living.  It is the only piece of his art that I have and it is a constant reminder to me of the humble talent he possessed.


The two large frames I bought at Hobby Lobby on the 80% off aisle.  Love those sales!!  The large frame on the left holds a penciled portrait of our oldest grand daughter who lives in Wyoming and whom I see only a few times a year.  I think the artist captured her shy, yet engaging essence and I love looking up to find Anna in our living room.

The large frame on the right will house an original piece of art as soon as I complete it. 







The long thin frame in the middle is also a thrift store purchase and will carry within it's boarders one of my favorite photos of dogs or grandchildren.  I haven't decided which yet.  Maybe I'll do a combination of the two.  It will be fun to experiment and come up with something you-nique and special to me.


The smaller frame in the center is a picture my daughter gave me a couple of years back.  It is special to me because it hung in her house and also because it is a symbol of her strong faith and the way she stands firm while holding her arms wide open.




Design is not something copied directly from a magazine page.  It is a creation of what makes your heart sing - of those things you want to share with anyone who comes into your home - those things that hold memories, or make you feel safe and balanced.

Design should not be as Lady Yaya does it (unless in my home), but as you do it with a few basic fundamentals: scale, placement, light, texture and color. 

I think that pleasing design is always a combination of many things: old and new - items that have meaning, that have been gathered over time and items that are fresh and contemporary - items that are masculine, bold lines and strong form and items that soften the edges, add a curve and are light and airy. Contrast makes for drama.  Monochromatic is more relaxing.  Neither is right or wrong and both belong. 

In design so as in life: opposites woven together in harmony make everything much more interesting.