Here were are living in a new city and a new home and loving it!!! Hanna's 10th birthday was the first birthday we celebrated here. The mountains are beautiful! We love biking, walking, running and doing lots of other things outside. I also finally was able to hang up Hanna's bright yellow hammock that I got her years ago in Costa Rica. Being on the front porch with a book in the hammock while sipping a nice warm drink is so relaxing. Thought I would share a few pictures with you including the one of our blue Icee tongues :). Jen took some and I took others with her sweet Cannon. This place is truly beautiful! I can't believe that my favorite (and only :)) daughter is 10 and in the last year of elementary school. Next year it is on to Middle School. She is almost as tall as me now and getting to be such a beautiful young woman with a sense of humor and the Sweetest Heart. I am so proud of my Hanna Mac. Happy Belated Birthday! (We celebrated Hanna's birthday late because she was sick with Pneumonia for awhile. Jen and Hanna staged pictures of what it is like to be sick. See Jen's site: http://jasonandjenhaynes.blogspot.com/ The pictures were picked up by a Houston's Weekly Chic http://treschicorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/08/sick-week-is-over.html. :) )

So again I sat down to draw while watching the greatest movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, and this is what happened to my drawing. I started out thinking I would just draw from the Katty Perry cover of Cosmo and then my somehow I ended up drawing this. :) And as usual I added words that came to mind as I was drawing. You can see them scattered throughout the drawing. One part says: in the darkness there is light . . . to fill the void. It's always refreshing to sit down and sketch and create a new visual that surprises you. You should try it!

So lately, for the past month, I have woken up remembering some very strange dreams. I don't know if it is what I am eating or just something in the air that is causing me to dream and remember my dreams. It has seemed like a whirlwind of thoughts and decisions have been spinning around in my head. I sat down to draw the other night and what started out as a simple chair turned into this. It never ceases to amaze me at the visuals that my hands can draw to explain what is going on in my head. It's interesting and puzzling at the same time. You will notice the distorted view of the chair and the sense of falling if you look at the seat. The web like lines developed from a simple household ball of yarn and wound their way up which is strange in itself. I wrote some words that represent this image's emotions. But I would love to hear words that you think of when you see this. Does anything come to mind? Or you can even sit down and draw what is on your mind right now and share it as I have. Art is very relaxing and revealing and really just an Amazing adventure.

Last school year I took class photos for our small school. I despise indoor class photos so I set up outside. Each class posed for a traditional picture and then was allowed to do silly poses for another picture. The kindergarten class' silly picture makes me laugh every time I look at it so I thought I would share it with you. :)

by: Jes Rodriguez

Comics Never Die :)




by: Jes Rodriguez (Engagement photograph of Seth and Kendra Russell)

My First Art Therapy Assignment as a "Woodsie" at SMWC was this afternoon. We were told to create a visual definition of Art Therapy.
This is what evolved as my visual definition:















I listened to Lauryn Hill's song "Father Forgive Them" to inspire me. Art therapy to me is about self discovery and healing. It is a process and a journey of learning to understand yourself and live with unanswered questions, the why questions. We are constantly becoming . . .

It was so relaxing and fun to sit around working, talking and listening to music with all the other students. Later I will post pictures of the beautiful campus where I will be flying to 3 times a year. I can't wait to see how even more gorgeous it will be with snow this Jan.!

Rush

The day before Mother's Day this year Hanna, my daughter, and I decided that we should really do something special for my sister. She isn't a mother in the traditional way. But she has always had a heart for animals. And since she rescued this little yellowish stray beside the road one day, she and her husband, Jason, have made him family. So Rush, their little boy dog, became my family too. But just before Mother's Day we found out that Rush had cancer. And as you may expect this was hard news for everyone especially for Jen and Jason. So because I love my sister so much and Hanna loves her Auntie Jen we wanted to do something to show her that we really care. Now some of you may think it strange that we gave her a Mother's Day present. We don't really think he is her actual son but when you love someone you cherish and celebrate what makes them unique and celebrate what they are passionate about. So Hanna and I took Rush outside and had him sit on my favorite green chair. We took some pictures of him being cute but not always cooperative and chose one to use for a painting. By this point his bones were starting to show. And he had to be hand fed at times. We didn't know how much time he had left with us. So that same day I sat down and made Jen my version of Rush with the words, each year, each day, each moment beside him. A couple of days ago Rush passed away very quickly. We will miss him. It's strange not having him around. But through our experience with him we will hopefully remember to cherish each moment, each day and each passing year with those we love.

My Article and a Picture I took were just published in a Newspaper . . . This was fun! Thanks, Jen Barbour!



Click here to read the online version of the newspaper article . My article is on page 14 but also check out Jen's picture of Hanna holding starfish on page 1! :)

This was one of my homemade presents for Jen this year!

(click on the image to see the poster)