Sunday, November 8, 2009

Don't forget the UR Toy Story Mail art call!
see www.jenniferzoe.blogspot.com

I've been behind with everything... I've been sending out a lot of mail art but not advertising for my mail art call at all... I did much more last year... much more work... so I'm behind now...

I'm on a roll... with the bad news... it's been frustrating at least... depressing at worst. Nothing I can tell you about. I'm ready to melt into the sunset. I would like to become a blurr of color and then a dark abyss sinking into the sea.

Tommy is back to being homeschooled. We have seven to ten days until the Virtual school kicks in... I've done all my parts to get him signed up. Middle school had my head spinning right from day one. So I'm glad that stress is over. And I already know what to expect from homeschool. I know that I'm going to have to be tougher on him and really watch over him like a hawk. It shouldn't be too hard as my sewing room and the computer room are one. Obviously I can't just sit and watch him and do nothing... ha.

One of my best friends has h1n1 and they are in a high risk category. I'm so freaked out... I cried over it. And I prayed that God would see this person through... Can't even begin to imagine loosing this person.

And that's the news that I can share...

I just want to say that I am thankful for the fledgling network of friends that is beginning to form in the shape of Abalcabal. Bill Wilson gave me a "maybe in 9 days" about participating. He's really busy right now. I was grateful that he wrote back. He said he liked the paddle that I sent him--it's the one I titled, "Ode to May Wilson." I believe that I posted a pic of it here previously. Cecil is the last one who said they were sending. I may just send out the zine when I get his piece. And if Mr. Wilson does send something--it can go in the February issue... It will give us all something more to look forward to...

Some good news--we plan on going Panning for gold for thanksgiving. Isn't that just the funniest thing ever? I love panning for gold, also liked hunting for diamonds in the open face diamond mind in Arkansas. I just dig that kind of thing... It must be my super focused obsessive nature. Couple that with my desire to win... This is my parent's idea. It should be so much fun... They have a very nice camper so we won't be roughing-it too much... I really don't like sleeping in a tent--we did that last year when we took all 5 crumbcakes camping in the Keys... John Pennekamp state park. The snorkelling was awesome... but sleeping in the girls tent on an air mattress was a bit uncomfy for me. My favorite camping experience is when Ted and I went to Key West and then took a boat to the Dry Tortugas National Park. That was an experience never to be forgot... the snorkelling was amazing there... the water was crystal clear and teeming with ocean life... including some squid that kept changing colors as I chased them up and back near the fort wall. I borrowed my dad's underwater digital camera so I kept trying to get good shots of them. And I did get a few. We saw a giant lobster who made his home in the fort wall... The Dry Tortugas is the only place where you can snorkel a reef and only be in about 4 ft of water. The reef has attached itself to the walls of the fort's moat. So when you snorkel you are actually snorkelling around the fort wall. Watch out for the Portuguese Man-O-War... there are quite a few around and the tentacles stretch out and are almost invisible... did you know that sea turtles eat them? The top part of the man-o-war looks like a ziploc bag--even a similar blue color... they even look plastic... it's no wonder why sea turtles accidently eat floating plastic bags...

Well that trip down memory lane was a nice diversion... I feel a little better already...

Oh--Andy who has the blog--my real wall... wrote some very nice things about my most recent mail art to him. Thank you Andy!

A few of our days in photos...

Starting from the top... we have today's event... the Temple Terrace Art Festival. There was a hug crowd there... lots of artists and crafters selling their creations. The festival was on the beautiful Hillsborough River. Then there is a photo of our many postered homeschool room... (AKA the dining room)... Then a couple of photos from the USGS open house... too fun. I am now thoroughly exhausted and will attempt to retire early tonight.

day in the life

• wake up
• get out of bed
• drag myself to the bathroom
• (I guess you thought I was going to drag a comb across my head!)
• Brush teeth and other duties, get dressed
• downstairs for email check and a bowl of organic purely Os
• Yell to the kids to 1)get dressed 2)eat breakfast 3)start homeschool at 9am
• Homeschool... which means monitoring the kids in all there schooly duties...
• reading, writing, rithmatic, science, chemistry, (yes--we are often doing two sciences), and such
• LUNCH TIME!
• Special days we have Chem or American History (alternating weekly)
• Then time for... running to Nature's finest, Publix, Jo-Ann Fabrics, the printer, the Globe, the man who sells stamps, art museums, beach, napping, making lots of groovy art or mail art.
• 4 PM MAKE DINNER
• 5 PM Eat DINNER
• 5:45 Do dishes and clean-up dinner
• Clean up around the house
• Ted puts the kids to bed and READS to them--hopefully that book on THINKING that I gave him.
• Then I have some MMEEEE time... sewing, painting, writing my zine... drawing.
• 8 PM or SO perhaps a movie with Ted, perhaps time alone, perhaps we'll read to each other.
• And that's it. That's average day and I like it.

Hurricane Faye?

http://www.vuetoo.com/vue1/SituationPageNews.asp?sit=1400

Here's a neat website with all sorts of good hurricane information. It looks like we'll be okay here in Tampa Bay.

We'll have a normal day of homeschool--even if we lose electricity. ho-hum. On another note--I'll be having my mail art show this Saturday night at the Globe in lovely downtown St. Petersburg.
www.globecoffeelounge.com For more info. I'll be featuring 53 pieces of mail art sent to me over the past few months. The theme of the show is "self-portrait." If you'd like to be involved for next year's show please add the group: Mail ARTists Unite to your facebook. (www.facebook.com). I'll have all the updates there--including the new theme. I was thinking about: Recycle. Possibilities with that one are endless...

Benny got to go with Granny yesterday to Busch Gardens. I think he had a grand time. I really don't like going there so the passes were a HUGE waste of money. I do not like the crowds and I don't like waiting in lines. And really I'm disillusioned with the whole idea of a theme park. But, the kids like it so I pain myself to take them. Lately I do not want to go anywhere--I seem to be so productive with my art and homemaking these days it seems like such a waste of time to be other places. I'm happy at home. If I get bored with home I'll have to figure something else out. I used to be obsessed with shopping and going places. Really--how many clothes does one person need? Not nearly as much as I have. So quitting shopping has done a world of good for me. Yesterday I made two dresses for my Lulu. I used fabric that I already have. I have a huge stock of fabric. I love to make quilts, dresses, sometimes purses, rag dolls. In between painting and writing my zine I keep busy with the machine. (sewing machine and serger). I feel incredibly blessed with this American life. Incredibly. It's a blessing to live in this country of plenty and I thank God every day for the food we eat, the house we live in, my husband who provides for the family, my family, really the blessings in my life seem endless. And I know that everything in life is temporary and I know that some people have it better than me and some people have it worse. But I give the glory to God.

I can't sleep. I should be fast asleep. Maybe it's that crazy movie I watched tonight called, "Derailed." It derailed my sleep--thanks JEN2 for recommending it. No problemo sweetie--it was a interesting movie. The movie stars Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen. Clive is a cutie. I won't tell you what it is about but it has a lot twists and turns and not totally predictable.

I'm listening to Secondhand Serenade right now--they are the Air Supply of this younger generation. It's Air Supply with a little kick. I accidentally saw them in concert when we went to see Yellowcard acoustic at the State theater. There were a bunch of bands playing that night... Play Radio Play, Secondhand S, Treaty of Paris, and another band who I bought a t-shirt from and which I can't remember the name of... too funny. I like the State Theater--it's an old theater that they have concerts in now... I guess you could of figured that one out already. Anyway--I love the whole general admission thing and I like the upstairs balcony. It's sweet in a gross old building way.

Oh, this week I went to a baseball game with my hubie and folks. We had a good time--I thought I would be bored with it--but I ended up really liking it--despite the fact that we lost. BOO HOO.

I think I'm ready for homeschool--starting next week!! Jumping right in--a week early from public school--but we got a lot of info to cover this year! I'm taking on Chemistry and American history... we'll see how that goes! I'm guessing I'm going to learn a lot! I hope the kids do too!