My New Airbrush

My parents (eh... they're alright) got me an airbrush and compressor for Christmas. I took my first airbrush lesson on Thursday, and I can already tell that I am going to be hooked on it. On Friday I painted this picture for my friend, Esther Story, who is having a baby shower today (Saturday). She is having a little boy (her third boy, BTW!) named Nate. If you look closely, you can see the babies name painted on the front of the train Oh, you couldn't tell it was supposed to look like a train?? Well I am new to the airbrush, and hopefully as we become better aquainted with each other, I will get better at painting with it. In no time, I will be painting the hoods of cars, eighties style Tshirts and temporary tattoos... oh and tanning my legs too.

I Love The Zoo!!!

I love the zoo.... probably even more than my kids do.

And the best exhibit of them all....

was this little monkey!

The Spring in Me

There is a spring in me.
Although the waters that surround it are icy cold,
The fount spews forth flames of pricy gold
And its raging waters entice me to behold
That the ground is streaming.
And the sound is screaming.
All that is around is gleaming.
Every thought I've found is dreaming
About the splendid spring in me.

There is a spring in me.
It launches me higher than the trees,
Making me a flyer through the breeze
And the desire of all who sees.
To the stars I ascend.
I never want this flight to end.
To the galaxies my arms extend.
And I'll never comprehend.
The wonder of this spring in me.

There is a spring in me.
It plunges me into the deepest part of the earth,
Where I find hidden treasures and buried art of high worth.
Intertwining roots absorb my soul and start my rebirth,
Conforming me into something new,
Transforming the ground as I break through,
Swarming me with sparkling drops of dew,
Forming me into the tallest tree that ever grew
And it is nourished by this spring in me.

There is a spring in me.
Its addicting sensuality elicits a charming touch.
I can only surrender to its unarming clutch.
And my body pulsates alarming that such
A high potency is frightful.
But the sexuality is so delightful
May it last a whole night full.
Anyone without it must be spiteful.
For they do not know the spring that is in me.

There is a spring in me.
It does not flow with wine or rum
And pills and smoke I would decline to succumb.
For I want the power of the divine to come.
The force of this drug is untamed and wild.
Its savage sting is famed and beguiled
And its intoxicating waters flame my inner child.
Any other influencing name is reviled,
When faced with the unrivalled spring in me.

There is a spring in me.
Its unceasing flow, I will never quench.
I invite its sweet waters to cover me and drench.
I have relinquished my own hands from their old foolish clench.
And surrendered to the spring in me.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

A list of really great things about the snow.

Although we have been living in Utah for over three years now, we are just now experiencing some of the few benefits of this state (and I don't mean Mormons). Here are a list of things we really love about the SNOW!

1. Tubing.

2. Getting pulled up the hill by a really great dad!

3. A really great dad getting pulled up the hill.

4. Kids with really cute red noses.

5. Building a snowman

6. Eating a snowman- yummmmm!

7. Eating snow pudding- even yummmmmier!

Here is the recipe:

Collect a half a bowl of fresh snow (and as we all know- avoid the yellow snow- it has a bad flavor). Bring inside, and add 1/2 cup of powdered milk, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Stir it with a fork and then eat it with a spoon! Enjoy! No ingrediant could be more natural than fresh white powdered snow straight from the back or front yard. This goes great with a mug full of steaming hot chocolate.

Conjoined Christmas Cookies

I could never bear to eat my favorite Christmas sugar cookie, because it held such a special place in my heart. Instead, it suffered an even more tragic end- I threw it away. I am feauring this cookie in my blog in order to memorialize it in a more respectable way. It may look like a cookie with two heads, but it is not. It is two separate cookies that are conjoined, just like Abby and Brittany Hensel- two of the most amazing conjoined twins I have ever heard of.

Christmas Paper and Bows are Sooo Last Year!


Growing up, my favorite part of Christmas time was wrapping presents. My mom taught me to always wrap gifts beautifully. While attractive wrapping paper and a big bow is a classic way to make a stunning gift, it is not always very economically friendly nor ecologically friendly. Neither is it friendly to your creative juice thirsty brain that is always seeking ways to be sharpened. This year I have been exploring more resourceful ways to wrap gifts while not sacrificing the aesthetic value of its appearance. I have come up with many new ideas and know that I have only brushed the surface of possibilities.
This year I only bought one roll of solid wrapping paper (so it is versatile), but next year I think I will challenge myself to not buy anything at all… except for tape, of course. Wrapping paper is pretty expensive considering it is intended to be thrown away, and there are so many other beautiful replacements available. I found that many retail stores these days give out some really attractive paper bags with your purchase. Namely, American Eagle has really cool bags. Christopher and Banks also has a neat bag, but they would not give one to me without a purchase, and ummm… I had already done all my Christmas shopping for my mother-in-law. Also, magazines are full of great images designed by professional graphic designers- so don’t throw them away when you’re done reading them- use them to wrap. Some other ideas I thought of to replace the wrapping paper are maps, old book jackets, painted newsprint, scrap fabric, and newspaper.
Bows are probably the most expensive part of wrapping a gift, but they add the most character to a present. I always save old bows, so I don’t have to buy new ribbon. But there are also a lot of bow alternatives too. This year I used old cassette tape ribbon to make one bow. You can also use old VHS tape too. You can also make bows out of rope or shredded paper. Last week I made a bow out of toilet paper, but it was kind of a joke.
Besides a bow, there are zillions of other ways to decorate a present to equal beauty! Magazines, old Christmas cards and photocopied pictures are great for cutting out images to collage onto a gift. . Rhinestones can make the gift sparkle. The more you look around, the more gift decorations you will find. I used food packaging to make a pop art inspired present. I also thought playing cards would make a cool gift.
Some might think it is a waste of time to put so much energy and creativity into something that is temporary, but lately I have been concentrating more on the value of enjoying perishable artwork (like decorating Christmas cookies). Even though it might not last forever, the process was more important than the product. And, every time you exercise your creative abilities, there will be one lasting outcome. Your brain will be sharper! If nothing else, you can always take pictures of them, like I did.

He Sees You When You're Sleeping???

I have learned one new thing about humans this month. I think that babies come into this world instinctively believing in Santa Clause. Unless that innate knowledge is intentionally molded, they will continue to believe in Santa Clause. I have always intended to never lie to my kids. Of course, as I have encountered certain situations, I have made a few exceptions. One of those situations includes when my kids ask, “what are you eating, Mom?”. I am allowed to say “nothing” or “crap” or “something yucky that only adults eat”. That is an acceptable lie. However, to lie to my kids about an illusionary man that leaves you presents at night… that is just ridiculous to me- especially at an age where the concept of Jesus is just as abstract, if not more, as the concept of Santa. Now, I will admit, I haven’t sheltered my kids from Mr. Clause. (but maybe I should have), in fact, they met “one of them” just last week at the mall. However, I have always buffered these encounters by saying “you know, that man isn’t really named Santa Clause. He is just pretending.” But my efforts seem to be useless. Last year Rocket even emptied the soot out of my in-laws fireplace in pursuit of “Santa”. This year, we are not giving “Santa” any credit for the presents we give our children. They are all from Mommy and Daddy. Sooner or later, the kids will come to their senses, and when they do, I will snidely say, “I told you so!”