Wishing for more leisurely weeks of summer vacation.

 

Less than 2 weeks of summer vacation left.  YIKES!

 

This summer was full of emotions ranging from happy to very sad.

 

Loosing a friend is never easy.  This summer I lost two.  Feelings of sadness creep in each day so I try to stay active.  But when it gets quiet, usually at night, I find myself grieving.  alone.  And it's hard.  I have tokens, little treasures and memories that I can cling to.  But I'd rather have them here.  In person.
Don't take anyone or anything for granted.  It's easy to get comfortable and then boom!  Your whole world changes.
The above journal page was created with scraps of paper I had sitting on my desk.  How appropriate that they were just the right pieces for me to use as I was thinking of two people who are going through some major adjustments.  The words next to the flower eyeball (yes, I was feeling very creative last night!) reads "Some times you have to go away to see where you have been."  
Hope you enjoy the final days of summer and that they're happy and full of appreciation for what you have. 

I remember that scent.

 

 

As I walked up to the house where I grew up the other night, a strong perfumed scent hit me like a ton of bricks and I was immediately taken back to the past.  It was the smell I'd encounter on walks to the park with my siblings on summer mornings.  It was the scent I would inhale as I would began my early morning walk to catch the bus while I was in high school.  And it was the scent that would greet me when I'd return home from a date with my future husband.  

The mysterious perfume would only be available for my senses during early mornings or late at night.  Until two nights ago I had completely forgotten all about it and then BAM!  Sadly, I don't know what it is or whose house it comes from and I've never smelled it anywhere else.  I only know it's one of the best things I've ever smelled and it reminds me of home.            

Like it or Not....

 

I never look forward to this time of the year but like it or not it's something that needs to be done.  Never mind that it gets pulled and stretched and mashed it HAS to be done.  And at the end of the day I am thankful that I have something to get checked out.  Still, I prefer mashed potatoes over mashed boobs. 
I'm beginning to journal one thought at a time.  That thought is what came to mind as I got dressed this morning.    
So there I tried to stand with my feet planted on the floor (they were both trying to get me the heck out the door)and my arms outstretched with my head turned and chin up.  Less than ten minutes and four x-rays later it was all over.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  The whole time I tried to imagine myself eating a bowl of hot mashed potatoes with a dollop of melted butter on top.  It got me through it.
Stay tuned for my next journal thought.  I  Promise it won't be about one of my body parts.   

August.  Really?

 

Whoever said time flies wasn't kidding.  The summer months are practically over and since the calendar page turned to August I've begun to think about the past few weeks, months and years.
I spent five weeks in summer school with close to 50 elementary students.  I've come to the conclusion that BOYS are much more talkative than girls.  Feel free to argue with me if you'd like. 
My first group consisted of a class with 2 -3 girls (depending on the week) and 14+ boys.  THOSE BOYS!  That's all I'm saying.  But we had fun as long as I kept the paint circulating around the desks.  Watercolor, acrylic and tempera all made their rounds quite frequently.
My second group consisted of 1 - 3 boys, again depending on the week, and 14+ girls!  These kids did as much painting as the younger kids and we spent the last week painting pages for a journal and on the last day we binded the pages together.  It helped me so much to have an assistant who I could depend on each day.  The journals came out fantastic by the way.  Why no pictures?  I was either running back and forth with paint or helping students to master the pamphlet stitch!  There's just no way I can easily maneuver a camera and paint at the same time.  Or needles and awls.  Let me just say that my heart was very happy to see how these students put together their very first visual journal.  They brought magazines to cut and glue images onto their pages.  YES!  The above image on my journal page came out of a rock magazine several years ago and she was one of my inspirations that began my signature "Tag Girls" way back in 2007.     
It'll be back to school soon.  Two weeks.  Have you seen the latest Target back-to-school commercials?  They've become my favorite new back-to-school ad.  Love the recorder playing old rock tunes and the way slashes of what appears to be post-it notes being thrown across the screen at the end advertising something come together.  See, I don't even pay that much attention to the words, I'm just listening to that rockin' recorder instrument in the background! 
Yes, it seems another summer has come and gone leaving me wondering where has the time gone.  Now that I'm back at home it's time to give my poor cluttered art room a good scrubbing and cleanse.  It looks neglected and I must admit that it's not much of a motivator as far as making art goes. 
So off to my art room I go to begin the decluttering process. Hopefully I can once again get inspired to paint pages of my own, reflect, and perhaps post about it here.