1st grade track and field

I got to spend part of my morning watching some very talented 6 and 7 year olds race with bean bags, run with hula-hoops and relay with a ball on a spoon. It was very fun and Mara was fantastic.

I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I think you should know that you are reading the blog of a girl who won first place in the frisbee throw in her own 1st grade track and field day, back in 1987. And I still have the construction paper ribbon to prove it. As it turns out, that was the only blue ribbon I ever was given for any sort of athletic achievement. Hence why I still have it 25 years later...

my painting teachers

I played hard last night. Oh how I played. It was awesome. I've had this in me for a long, long time and last night I began to mix paints and choose which size of brush to use and the process was pure joy. I purchased two huge canvases, but in the end, I started with three little ones. The smaller ones felt like a better place to start.

As I worked I kept telling Rory how good it felt to play. I thought about the three painting "teachers" I have learned from, all though their blogs and books, and how grateful I was for the freedom they have presented in not judging the art as its being created, not worrying about the final product, but rather enjoying the process, embracing the imperfections and waiting with anticipation to see what unfolds.

I thought I would take some time tonight to share with you these three free spirit teachers whose art I enjoy so much.

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First, Donna Downey:

Lots of years ago I started following Donna Downey's blog. She is a mixed media artist who paints on canvas...just the fabric part. She makes awesome aprons and made a flower art project that knocked my socks off, so that I had to make one of my own. And then I got to attend one of her workshops when we lived in Nebraska, and that was about the greatest thing ever.

She's not afraid to get messy, and when I watch her Inspiration Wednesday videos, I always feel a freedom to create. Like there is no one right way to make art. She works with whatever happens as she creates and to watch the process is sort of mesmerizing.

I stopped following her a while back because I had to simplify my life and streamline my online time. But I still would consider her my first painting teacher. And I definitely still spend some good chunks of time browsing her site and her latest projects.

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Next, Kelly Rae Roberts:

I was introduced to Kelly Rae Roberts by my friend Shannon. Kelly Rae was pregnant with her son the same time I was pregnant with Ivar, and at first I just liked tracking the size of her belly compared to mine. I think we were three weeks apart. But now I read her blog not only for her candid take on motherhood, but also for her creative joy as she lives her life, makes her art, and runs her very successful business.

When I was in California with Rory this spring, I brought along her book, Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to give your Creative Spirit Wings. I can't say enough good things about this book. It brought something to life in me that wanted to come to life and I'm still listening closely to that little voice inside of me that surfaced as I read through the pages of this book.

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And finally, Flora Bowley:

Kelly Rae introduced a friend of hers on her blog a few weeks ago. Her friend's name is Flora Bowley and she recently came out with a book that I purchased based on Kelly Rae's recommendation called, "Brave Intuitive Painting." It's a very free spirit book that does everything to empower you, encourage you to try and rid you of the fear that you might not actually be a gifted artist. Last night I kept thinking about her words, telling my critical self to calm down, telling my creative self to keep on playing. I read the book in one afternoon and still thumb through it for eye candy and inspiration.

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I'm going to paint again tonight. It's really fun. And a really great way to nurture my own self after a day of care taking. Here's to all things bright and beautiful!

a great big blank canvas

                                                                image from google images

A few months ago I was at the obgyn and pointed out a lump I have in my armpit. The doctor kept an eye on it from visit to visit and after another 6 or 8 weeks it had noticeably grown. So she sent me across the street to the hospital for an ultrasound immediately that afternoon. I just had a few hours to wonder and get really curious. She seemed concerned, but I refused to get really worried until I had all the information.

Still...in those hours I did wonder how I would react if I got some crazy-bad news. You know, the sort of day dreaming you did when your parents were late coming home from a meeting at church on a snowy winter night and you were able to take that situation all the way through the fatal car accident that left you orphaned and alone. And you may or may not have had tears streaming down your face while your imagination ran wild.

Or was that just me?

So in this scenario, I wondered, if I got news with a timeline that told me I had months to live, what would I do. It's a good question to ask from time to time anyway, just to see how fully we're living out our days. But in this moment, the question held a bit more weight. And honest to goodness, sitting there in my paper smock in the ultrasound waiting room, looking out the window at the tree blowing against the glass, I had one clear thought: I would go to Dick Blick, buy a HUGE canvas, every color of acrylic paints, a variety of brushes and I would paint something really big and colorful.

It made me smile. This honestly is my dream. Not a trip to Bora Bora. Not a chance to meet famous-celebrity-whats-her-name. But to use a lot of thick paint on a great big canvas.

My appointment proved to be very uneventful (praise God) and I left with a clean bill of health. With this good news, I got in my car and drove straight over to Dick Blick. You know, to price check my dream. Turns out, my greatest life's dream might run me around $100, depending on how much paint, how big of a canvas, and how many brushes.

Not too shabby to make a life dream come true.

So for Mother's Day I asked for a huge canvas and some acrylic paints. And tonight we are going to Michaels (because I've been price shopping and have a 40% off coupon) to purchase a large canvas, paints and brushes. I can't wait. I'll be sure to show you my masterpiece when it feels presentable. It might take a lot of paint to get it presentable...

memorial day

Rory and I just watched a documentary on PBS called Hell and Back Again. It was powerful and sobering and the sort of reminder I think we all need to remember the true gift we are given from a military who protects and defends and serves our country. To those of you who have served, and to those of you who pray with might for someone you love who serves on our behalf, thank you.

After the program, I wrote an email to my cousin Diane whose son-in-law is a Marine and has served our country on multiple missions in some terrifying situations. This is what I wrote:

Diane,

Rory and I were just watching a documentary of Marines in Afghanistan and it made me want to drop you a line to pass along to Steve. I watched this program and thought about all the things that he has seen that he wishes he never had seen. And all of the things he has felt that he wishes he never had to feel. All the sounds he has heard, the emotions he has experienced and terrifying moments he has lived through that he wishes he hadn't heard, felt or witnessed.

So on this memorial day, just wanted to say a huge thank you to Steve. And to Libby too, for sharing her husband and her little girls' daddy with the rest of the country. It is overwhelming to me and impossible to say the perfect right thing. But I'm grateful. That's what I want him to know.

Becca

Ivar's swing/ thoughts on 18 months

I adore 18 months. Ivar now uses enough words that I can usually figure out what he needs, and this is fantastic. I recently heard him yelling from the bathroom, "Helpee! Helpee!" which is his combination of Help and Please. I ran to the bathroom to find his hands on the bottom of the tub and his feet extended over the ledge. He had been bending to try to get a ball and was stuck in a pike position with legs in the air. Thankfully there was no water in the tub, but more than that I was glad he had a word that could get me to his aid so quickly.

He will do anything for a laugh, and is often making himself laugh. Yesterday I heard him back in his room, all by himself, cracking himself up. No idea why. And now we have this swing, which is basically a giggle machine.

He also can entertain himself for longer stretches of time. I can't always count on this, but sometimes he will play in his room for lengths so long that I have to go and see what he's up to. Sometimes he's balancing on a box looking out his window and yelling, "hi!" to our neighbors in their backyard. Sometimes he's reading books in his glider rocker. Sometimes he is manhandling the cat. It's so fun to watch him grown and learn.