A Thankful A to Z for 2009

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

While turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie are really great, Thanksgiving for me is the time to give thanks for all of the blessings in my life. Actually, I do try to do that every day of the year, but today, even more so!! So while I was on my way to Thanksgiving dinner today, I started an A to Z list of what I'm thankful for (thankfully for everyone on the road, I was in the passenger's seat while I made my list!!) Here goes...A Thankful A to Z for 2009:

A is for Air - and clean air is even better! Breathing really is a good thing! Oh...A is also for Art Supplies, which are right up there in importance with air for me!
B is for Books- I can barely get through a day without one
C is for Cars - it's amazing how fast you can get somewhere in one of those things!
D is for Delicious things to eat - way too many to list - I could probably do an A to Z list just on that!

E is for Emotions - even though they can sometimes be a real bummer, they're good to have - maybe I should pay attention to what they say to me a little more!
F is for Friends - I'd be lost without them, wouldn't you?
G is for Green Grass - especially in the summer with bare feet (in a yard with no dogs)!

H is for Hugs - Hooray for Hugs! Especially from people who are good huggers!
I is for Indoor Plumbing - honestly...I am so, so grateful for it!
J is for Jen (my older daughter - I'm so proud of her!)
K is for Karin (my younger daughter - I'm so proud of her, too! I really am blessed with wonderful kids!)

L is for Laughter - when it comes from truly joyful moments and from having fun with people you love to be around!
M is for Mail - the kind that makes you smile (not the other kind)
N is for Night time and all the possibilities it offers (stars, silence, etc.....)
O is for Otters they're just so fun to watch!
P is for Post it Notes - What a super cool invention, and it was all a mistake!

Q is for Quartets - especially playing in string quartets with people who make beautiful music together! Especially playing the Mendelssohn string quartet in A Minor (no, I'm not playing in the video)
R is for Red, Orange, Yellow....oh...ALL of the colors of the rainbow!
S is for um...Sunflowers :) My favorite flower (especially when you are standing in a field of thousands of them in Italy....until a stray dog comes up towards you barking wildly, that is)

T is for Trees - especially in the fall, or burr oaks any time of year!
U is for Unconditional Love - as I told a friend just yesterday, what a dream come true to be able to be yourself around someone, be understood and be loved!
V is for Antonio Vivaldi (Italian baroque composer who lived from 1678-1741 - if you've heard The Four Seasons ever, thats who I'm thanking!)

W is for Water - For drinking, swimming in, watering our earth, and its amazing cleansing properties! Good stuff!
X is for the Xtra special people in my life who I love so much!
Y is for You - thanks for stopping by to read my blog :)
Z is for Zebras, Dalmatians, Giraffes and other animals with crazy patterns!

Disclaimer: This list is not inclusive and is subject to change at any time!

What are you thankful for today? Let me know!!

Till Next Time,


If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.
-Meister Eckhart

Four of a Kind

It must be Thanksgiving break, because I'm finally making some art at home again! I was in the mood to play with some paper, so I got out some ATC size cards that were already painted and a box full of paper scraps that I needed to sort through...Glad I did :)

Hmmmm....

Ooohhh...

Aaahhhh...

And my favorite from tonight...

Thank you to Deja Views and K & Company for your lovely paper :) and thank you to the wonderful people who make linoleum and linoleum carvers, so people like me can carve stamps like this...


Let me know if you want to trade any ATCs with me :)
Must go now...time for a relaxing story before bed...

Till next time,


The thing that makes a creative person is to be creative and that is all there is to it.
-Edward Albee

My Turn to be King!

My daughter got to wear her new Max costume last Sunday...but I got to wear it to my preschool parties this week!! If I look tired, that's because this was taken on the 2nd preschool Halloween party of the week (we had one for the T-Th class and one for the MWF class). Thank you Neil, for letting me borrow your book! The kids really enjoyed the story, and we all had a chance to roar our terrible roars, gnash our terrible teeth, roll our terrible eyes and show our terrible claws!

Before I read the story to the kids, I gave them a brief synopsis by paraphrasing this info from Wikipedia...

It tells the story of Max, who one evening plays around his home, "making mischief" in a wolf costume. As punishment, his mother sends him to bed without supper. In his room, a mysterious, wild forest and sea grows out of his imagination, and Max sails to the land of the Wild Things. The Wild Things are fearsome-looking monsters, but Max conquers them "by staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once", and he is made "the King of all Wild Things", dancing with the monsters in a "wild rumpus". However, he soon finds himself lonely and homesick, and he returns home to his bedroom, where he finds his supper waiting for him, still hot. (I don't tell them this part in bold...that's when I say, "Let's read the story and find out what happens!")

After the story, I try to answer any questions they have, and I tell them a little more about the book...for example....did you know that Maurice Sendak originally was going to call this book "Where the Wild Horses Are" ? But, lucky for us, he didn't like his drawings of horses, so his publisher suggested he make things" instead! And...all of his wild things are based on his Yiddish aunts and uncles that would visit his childhood home in Brooklyn!

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, which is NOT a movie for young children! Commonsensemedia.org suggests this movie for ages 9 and up. Here's what they say...

Parents need to know that director Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are isn't appropriate for younger kids, even those who adore the book (there's a big difference between looking at a beautifully illustrated children's story and watching a live-action movie full of sights and sounds that will probably scare the average 4-year-old). The movie explores mature themes of loneliness, insecurity, and fear of change, both within Max's human family and the one he finds on his adventure. The island that Max lands on can be a scary and dark place, and the Wild Things themselves aren't above threatening (repeatedly) to eat Max, as well as becoming hot-headed and destructive (and when a Wild Thing gets destructive, it can be quite intense). The movie also has a slower, dreamier feel than many other kids' movies, and relationships and storylines aren't always neatly resolved. There's some mild language ("damn," "stupid") and a quick glimpse of Max's mom and her boyfriend drinking wine and kissing, but otherwise the PG rating is due mostly to Max's occasionally frightful time with the mysterious Wild Things.

So if you're a parent...go see it yourself first! Happy Halloween everyone!


And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus begin!
-Maurice Sendak