From my sister! A good one ~

Subject: Raising Boys
a) For those who have grown children - this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who have children past this age, this is hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.
The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas: Things I've Learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.house, 4 inches deep.
2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.
8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.
11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12.) Super glue is forever.
13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though in TV shows they do.
16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that smell is.
19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.
25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brakefluid.
(sorry guys, I didn't write it...)

DJ and his bass

Well, our son is back from Canada, very tired, but had a great time!

Up at camp, he was talking about being a little bored this summer, and not feeling artistic or musical...

Our pastor, Jim, picked up on this, and said, "Oh, no! What would you like to do?" So our very cool spiritual leader showed up this afternoon with a bass guitar! "Play with it, learn it, and come play at church." The youth director, Lucio, plays the bass, along with some of the young men in the youth group. One of my husband's and I's best friend plays the bass, too...and not leaving anyone out here, I play folk guitar, but haven't touched it in awhile. Time to dust off the case, pull it out, and show Jason a few things...

Starting in the Creative and Performing Arts Academy this fall, he's signed up for dance and theater classes, but maybe he can take an instrumental class for the second semester.

Jim has been known to do these sort of surprises in the past - he is a gift, and is so connected with the kids ~

Cake Decorating Class?

Nah, just two students playing in my "Painting with Fabric Dyes" class Thursday night at the art museum!















Print paste brushed on cotton, thickened Procion MX dyes dripped on. We can't wait to see what happens at next week's class. I decided to have them leave their pieces in the classroom, and because it's been sooooooo humid here, they may still be wet...

On to Luther Village

Here they are - the high school youth group from church all ready to leave for Canada!

A long trip ahead of them today, their destination is Luther Village, a church camp near Kenora, Ontario.

Oh, no - they were not allowed to bring any electronic devices - no ipods, personal stereos, cell phones, etc. The idea is that they have to talk with each other on the trip.

Another rite of passage here...only child going away for a week, far away, without mom and dad...I have to say that I shed a few tears. Then when my husband and I got home, we started laughing...peace and quiet for a week...sorry, no dancing was allowed, because it was way too early for Mr. and Mrs. Nightcreature~

Misty Black Fuse

Time to play with Esterita Austin's Misty Black Fuse ~

Parchment paper on the bottom, a strip of the Fuse, a thin layer of bronze dyed mulberry silk roving, more parchment paper on top ~

Iron ~

Gorgeous ~

Be still my heart...

I directed the men of our congregation today in an anthem called "This Very Morning" ~

"...as though this singing were the breath of God..."

I've done this once before, and just like the last time, my heart was going pitter-patter. Quite different from the children's choir that I usually direct, there was a power to their voices that was quite moving.

The services today, in celebration of Father's Day, was also a send-off for one family, who in their three years at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, had become family. Paul, wife Abigail, and children Thomas and Maya, are leaving soon to begin a new adventure in Minnesota. Rockford's community is losing a wonderful gift that is this family.

At the end of the service, Jim, our pastor, had all of us surround them and lay our hands on them. Emotions...tears...laughter...celebration ~

We wish you well on your journey Paul, Abigail, Thomas, and Maya...

Art on the Lawn 2006

Rockford's first outdoor art fair of the year! Held on the grounds of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, this was my third year exhibiting!
We were treated to the music of the Rockford Pipe Band...


I took some shots of my tent, and some of my new work - "To Everything There is a Season" collage, one of my "Ruanas" (this one sold first), and a piece of art cloth called "The Creative Spirit", which I had mounted on stretcher bars.

Always trying to come up with the best way to hang quilts, I bought a 6'x6' vinyl roll-up shade, cut the strings off, pinned the quilts to it ahead of time the night before, rolled it back up and tied it with wide ribbon, hung it from the tent supports in the back with the same ribbon and a big C-clamp, and let it hang down - it worked great!!!

The garments were very popular, as were some 8x10 mixed media collages...

Milwaukee's Inspiration

Yesterday, the church staff went up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a day. It felt good to get away from preparations for my art fair...

Did you know that the actual chapel where Joan of Arc prayed was brought over from France, back in the 1920's? It was in New York originally,
then came to Marquette University in Milwaukee.


































Then on to the Milwaukee Art Museum! This first photo is of a display of custodians. Actually, my husband is one of them...can you guess which man is art?












A bronze sculpture in the main hallway...



Georgia O'Keefe - one of her "Blue" paintings...















And some artful furniture from the 1940's?

Hardware Girl

Yeh ~ she's mounted on silk, adorned with snaps, a stretched out coiled bracelet, a button, a zipper thing, an un-coiled earring, strips from the back of a bra (painted pink), a couple of washers, and her stiffened wild hair is tied to...you know those hoop earrings that have dangling beads hanging from them? Well, these had little copper discs that I had to take off...save those for later. Beaded safety pins, of course. About 8x10 inches, isn't she cute?