Day 60

With a nod to my friend Kala, I wanted to let you know about a giveaway she is having on her blog today... you should check it out! She is sponsoring Ohdessa Knits and she has some really cute patterns. I myself am very fond of her Owlet Mitten Pattern.. Aren't they super cute?

And with a second nod to my friend Kala, look what I realized today!?!?!?!?! 

Look closely.... 

Closer

That's right, my conditioner is 100% vegan. Aren't you proud of me Kala?

Day 59

Ok, being sick really sucks but you can still find something positive about your day. My happiness today was based on this movie:

Seriously, you have to see this movie. I told G today that if we have a daughter, I hope she's tough enough to be a roller girl. I'm such a wimp that I can only dream that our daughter would follow in her father's footsteps of toughness and then I can go and cheer her on!!! A girl can hope, right?

Day 58

Have you ever been to a SPARKLE PARTY??? Well, let me tell you that they are super fun- mostly because you can make fun of the silly costumes your friends are wearing.... They shall remain nameless but you know who you are!!! 

Pictures may be crap quality but it was a night to remember!

Day 57

Do you know exactly how much work it takes to buy a house? I mean, not just the process of making an offer, signing the papers, and then paying for the house for the rest of your life. But what I'm talking about is the researching to find the right place, visiting the houses, and then all the packing, moving, painting, repairing, rearranging, and finally living in a new place....

We've been in the researching stage for quite some time now and I'm tired already.... I think I'd just like to be done with this part and start the painting part- that's what I really like and can't wait to do again! We may be there soon enough though...

On a separate more professional note, yesterday evening, our media center specialist and an English teacher were at a book signing in our high school library when a school board member and the superintendent came over to ask them a question. They wondered who had created all the beautiful vases that were on display above the bookcases. They were impressed with the skill and wondered if it was the high school art students- well, that's a really nice compliment to receive! The media specialist was so happy to share with them that I was the teacher responsible for the classes that created them and that more importantly I displayed them in the library. She was super excited when I asked her this fall if I could display some pieces there and now we both got complimented for how nice they look in the library. In a year of budget cuts, a compliment from a school board member and the superintendent is reassuring.

p.s. These pieces are quite large- each piece is at least 11 inches tall. Not too bad for Ceramics 1 students. Some of them have never worked with clay before so for their first projects, these are pretty impressive. 

Day 56

G and I went to see a house today.... potential but possibly some basement issues... who's to say.... fingers crossed...

Day 55

So the next few days are the ones that my Ceramic students have waited for all trimester. The glazeware firing is complete and the pieces come out of the kiln colorful and shiny. Ashley is an amazing student artist who just started taking art classes her senior year because she has a few free periods. This happened to me when I was in high school too... take all the requirements until finally I get to take art as a senior. She does great work. Check out her thrown cylinder: 

I am so proud of her. 

Day 53

While it may be super snowy outside, look what's reminding me of spring inside!

Grant gave me this orchid for our third Valentine's Day and it continues to bloom. I thought it would be so difficult to care for but it is SUPER simple. Three ice cubes per week and it's all set. I love her so much because of her beauty but also because my loverly gave her to me.

My friend Maya gave me this gerber daisy when she came to our place for a knitter afternoon. I thought I may have lost him but he continues to bloom again and again as well. 

A bit of water and some sunlight and it's a happy little guy.

This is my amaryllis. I received her from a teaching buddy who didn't want her. She got it as a gift from another teacher and decided she was too much work to take care of BUT yet again, this lady is easy to care for as well. A bit of water and some chit chat and she blooms repeatedly- can't wait 

to see her flower again.

Day 52

Guess what I did today?

Caroline invited me to the shearing. She's pictured here with her favorite sheepy sheep. She calls him Wuzzl and has had him for about five years. She used to ride him to the mailbox down the driveway everyday. He loves to be petted and comes to his name. Whenever Caroline walks into the barn, Wuzzl comes through the flock to get his love'n....

It was so much fun! 

Day 51

We got back to Waseca and I looked through my photos from the Philippines. Look how cool the light painting (also called light drawing or light graffiti)  photos are!!!!

Amazing, right??? 

Plus, look how great I look? Wowza!

Day 50

Have you ever heard of light painting? The first time I ever heard of it, I was teaching in the Philippines about 8 or 9 years ago. I was sitting at an outdoor patio and a British artist struck up a conversation with my friend Farah and I. We ended up chatting for most of the evening and he took pictures all night long. I have the most amazing picture of me using the light painting technique- I'll search my archives and see if I can find it for tomorrow's post...
Anyway, light painting is a form of photography in which you use a slow shutter speed and a strong light source. The photos are usually taken in a darkened room or outdoors at night and the light source or the camera are moved. Because of the slow shutter speed, the camera records the lights' movements and this results in lines of light on the exposure. The earliest record of an artist using this technique is in 1935 of Man Ray and his "Space Writing."

Picasso also has portraits using this technique...

I didn't start out thinking about light painting today but as I was I trying to take a photo of the moon, it came to mind rather quickly.  We were in a moving car and trying to get a photo at night of the amazing yellow dot in the sky was not working out so well..... then the whole light painting idea popped in my head and these were the results.

Not bad for a first attempt.