Oh how I love Oliver Jeffers' childrens' books

The Latest and Greatest

My daughter is going to art college in Boston for Illustration. Childrens book illustration, to be exact.
This is something I've always had a love for also. When I was a child, my favorite favorite illustrator was Richard Scarry. Still is my all time favorite if I had to pick one. I couldn't wait to have children of my own and buy them storybooks! The first book I ever read to my daughter was The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, when she was just 3 weeks old. It didn't take long until she was surrounded by books. Baskets of them. I discovered yard sales and would buy oodles of them, many for only 25 cents a piece. Sometimes, if I really hit it lucky, I would get a whole bag or box of them for a few dollars! (I will cover more on the topic of childrens books in the future for sure.) But for now, I wanted to tell everyone that Oliver Jeffers latest book, The Day the Crayons Quit, is the most clever, wonderful book. Has fast become a favorite. You will never look at a box of crayons the same way again. I really hope the crayons can work things out, because a world without crayons would be very plain, very boring, very blank.

Kayaking. This is the LIFE.

 July 8, 2013

My husband and I got our first taste for kayaking during a trip to Jamaica. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The water was calm and crystal blue. When we got home that November, we vowed we would kayak as soon as the weather here in Pennsylvania turned nice. We are fortunate to have a number of parks with lakes in our area. Something about being on the water it feels so primitive, so right. Maybe its the relaxing feeling of floating, the rhythm of the paddling, the splashing sounds. Combine that with a beautiful sunny day, a little breeze, and some natural scenery...you have the recipe for a perfect day. I just have one question. Why do these kids keep following us? ...stalkers.

ART JOURNALING

I started art journaling about 3 years ago. I have 2 full journals and am half way through my 2013 book.
This art form is my therapy. With art journaling, anything goes. It's very "free-ing" to put down on the page whatever I feel like at the moment! Even if there are no words. I lose myself when I'm creating in it. I can look back at my old pages and remember exactly how I was feeling when I created the page. So far, it has been one of my top favorite types of art.

The unexpected.    5/30/13

The surprises you encounter when you least expect them. This tree formation is in Boston, Massachusetts, along the Charles river. Looks like sunny rays on a cloudy day. 10/2/12

Ha, said I wouldn't be one of "those people" who start a blog and then drop it. I admit now that I am one of "those people"...but I'm back today. Life can throw you around at times. I have been thrown around a lot in my lifetime. Today I am feeling like a rag doll that's been chewed up by a dog. But I know I can be stitched back up. Cleaned up. Maybe some new fabric to patch up my frayed and tattered soul. New and Improved! could be the name of that book I've been thinking about writing. I recently read advice from Jeanette Walls (author of The Glass Castle) about writing down your story. Owning it. I have told people some things I've experienced that leaves them a bit speechless. They don't know what to say. I don't either. Bad things happen to good people, so we hear. Jeanette says we should embrace the bad experiences. Share them. So others can learn that they are not alone when the bad things happen. Not to keep them hidden. I'm thinking about it. It's a scary thing to reveal, yet I am feeling a very strong pull to write about it. I am at a time in my life when I feel I can change the direction of my life. for the better. Do things I never thought I deserved to do. Yes, I just said that. Do I deserve good things? I have good things in my life but do I feel that I deserve to have even more good things? The dreams that I have suffocated for so long? My dreams. The things I always wanted to do. This is what I find myself struggling with at times. I always want the best for my family and my children, but do I feel that I should have the best? I recently met up with an old friend. We connected through Facebook. We hadn't seen each other since we were 12! I remember back then how dysfunctional both of our lives were. So when we reunited a few weeks ago, I got to hear the rest of her story. She got to hear mine ( leading up to where we are now, at 45). And as the exchanging of stories took place, I realized something. She is one of the few people in my life that understand what it's like. What it's like to be in the middle of a family with so much dysfunction. And having no control over it. Because the direction of your life is being decided by people who make bad choices. We also have the power to make the good choices. And I will leave this page for now...to be continued...