6th Grade Masks

Last Friday, I went into Jzo's class to do this month's art project - well to start it. This is a project our school has used with 6th graders for years. They actually love it, although there is often some resistance to getting all the gunk on your face (I don't blame them), but in the end, they love it! In two weeks, we will go back and they will paint and embellish these "personalized" masks - feathers, felt, sequins, etc, etc. - they end up really fun to see in a collection on the wall at school! I'll take Marina's in next time as a sample - she still loves the one she did over 2 years ago!

This is Jordan (under the plaster) and his friend Parker who did that to him. Once all the plaster casting strips are wet, overlapped and smoothed onto the face, you have to sit for another 10 minutes or so for it to be set up enough to pull it off their faces.
I guess they think they are gangsters (great!) with the slanted peace signs and the "tough" look. Hard to make a "tough face" under a plaster mask!

By the way, I did instruct the class that they HAD TO ensure that their friend had at least 1 breathing opening - nostrils or mouth. They also each had the option of going over, or around their eyes.

Ryker is 15!

got up early on Sunday (6:20) to take out Moka, and it was lightly snowing - after a day on Sat. of on again/off again weather conditions of all types, this wasn't too shocking even though it's APRIL 20TH! This photo was a couple hours later, when the flakes starting to really come down... have to say it's so pretty, and since we "really don't" live in a snow climate, it's fun, but come on!!! later that day, after Marina & I got home from driving up to Everett to see BOTH Madi & Delaney in the "Charlie Brown" play - we whipped up a "cookies & cream Oreo" cake for Ryker. This is Jordan happily lighting the candles at about 8pm while we waited for the guest of honor to come downstairs.... he'd started playing his new video game "Call of Duty 4"
Notice the small round cake next to the Oreo cake... two girls that have known Ryker since kindergarten and live near us, came to the door with this cake they'd made him, sang "happy birthday" and had him blow out the candle! The writing on the cake said, "This is how old you are and the # of reasons why we {heart} you!" The red around the border is a row of "swedish fish" candies... his favorite! Pretty nice of them! At least he didn't have to walk around school all day carrying a cake like he did last year when the same girls made him one.

Painting the Studio

So, for about 8 years, there's been this eggplant color on the walls of what was once the office, and has for a couple of years been in the process of transitioning into my art studio. Although I've loved the contrast of the dark wall color to the white trim, etc., it's time for a change. It's just way too dark for a studio, at night the walls almost appear black.
So, last week (yes it was actually a week ago) this is what the room looked like, after clearing most things out, and starting the painting process. However... I didn't love the color. It was not only too "chalky" it was too "cool" and made the "warm" undertones of my off white millwork seem dingy.
I used more than half of the paint, and then on David's suggestion, I took the can back in to have them tweak the color. In the above photo, you can see a patch of a slightly darker color - which is actually called "Harbor Haze" and is a muted gray-blue, whereas the first color was called "Green Tint" and although incredibly close - it's pale green tone is actually "cooler" than the pale blue tone, and the new color looks way better next to the off white trim. Now, it's been a week since the top photo, the 3rd photo showing the new color was last Friday, and the paint store (Benjamin Moore) said they needed till today to custom match a new gallon of it for me. Still no phone call, and I'm almost out of the original can. Ugh! I just need to get this project done!

Spring Break (part 1)

After packing up all the food from the pantry (about 9 grocery bags worth) and stashing them away in the art studio, then moving all the dog stuff into the garage, we headed off to our home for the next two nights - the Embassy Suites in Bellevue. We went to the nice cinema at Lincoln Square and saw the movie "21" which we all recommend. Had room service dinner, the hotel TV service was out, so we got to rent a "free" movie and saw "I am Legend" (sort of kreepy, Will Smith was good, but story was disturbing 'end of the world' type thing) and went to sleep.
We came back home the next morning to check on the dogs and allow Ryker to play the first game of a league he's in with a new online video game called "Griff-ball" - his team with some of his friends won - they are very happy!


This is what the kitchen looked like, the sanding of the wood floors sends a fine wood dust EVERYWHERE so the plastic attempts to keep it contained... more on that later. The stain they used the first day wasn't a good blend with the "old wood", so they kept working on it Sunday.
We've had freak spring weather this past week, and this is what the backyard looked like Sunday morning (yes, it was March 30th!) after a heavy snow fall Sat. night. It covered everything over in Bellevue too, as we watched from the hotel windows.
No swinging Sunday - too cold and slushy out there! When we left the house Sunday afternoon, we went to lunch and then another movie - saw "Vantage Point" which we all enjoyed. It's intense, with some plot twists that could surprise you.
Monday morning after our 2nd night at the hotel. Do they looked refreshed?By Monday morning, we were all very tired of the hotel, and not feeling very positive about the beds there... Marina actually thought the hide-a-bed she got the 2nd night was better than the double bed mattress she slept on Sat. night. David & I agree the beds were horrible. The boys traded off one night each on the floor - reporting that it wasn't too bad.

As soon as we were all showered, we took off, eager to go have breakfast and then get home. David has a couple days off, due to working over some recent holidays - good timing for us actually!

Back at home, you can see what Spring is SUPPOSED to look like - just a day later, the snow is long gone, and it's sunny, and almost "warm" - well, that's a bit optimistic, but at least yard work isn't torture! Jzo is out there shoveling up some old, yucky grass which tried to grow in about an inch of old soil, over a base of clay - not a good combination.

Thank you Jordan, for being willing to help your Dad - shoveling isn't a good activity. We got the pantry re-organized, and did lots of floor-to-ceiling cleaning with damp cloths to get all the dust and dirt up. That is quite a job, and the dining room is still a disaster, but that will call to me in a few days. We can walk gently on the newly finished floors but no shoes or anything "on" them for 3-4 days, so there is lots of "stuff" in the dining room which will get moved back into the kitchen and then that room with get it's head-to-toe cleaning/re-org. It needs it!

Marina just put on shorts and a t-shirt to try to catch some rays in the backyard. Many of her friends are vacationing in AZ or Hawaii, so she feels pale (we are all pale!) - Go for it, Marina! I hope you get a little color and vitamin D!

Spring Spirit Week @ Inglewood

oops!

Okay, once again it was "Spirit week/day" at Ryker & Marina's school, so please accept my apology for the blurry photo - had "issues" this a.m. with my camera techniques, but the one of just Ryker is better.

p.s. that is Jordan's "Banyan Tree" art on the mantle behind them!

Easter Weekend w/Stephanie!

Our niece (David's sister's 24 yr old daughter) flew up from So. Cal. to visit us this past weekend. She had been wanting to come see Marina dance, so since the team's showcase recital was on the 22nd, she came for a long weekend and we got to have her for Easter too! This photo was in Kirkland on Lk. Washington looking west toward Seattle. We spent the morning walking around that area while the dancers had a tech rehearsal. It was a long day - great dancing, but over 12 hours from start to finish.
The Pickards joined us for a couple hours in the afternoon of Easter Sunday. We had a casual lunch and since the kitchen floors aren't done yet, the dining room is a disaster thus we all ate in the kitchen & family room. Marina & Jordan thought acting out for the camera would be 'fun', but Steph, Madi and Delaney smiled nicely - thank you!
Caught Ryker with food in his mouth, but Kendyll is photogenic as always! There was a whipped cream fight between David and Madi later on, and Steph tried to catch it on her camera, but it didn't turn out... oh, lots of laughs and fun with family!

Crazy Hair Day

Last Friday was "Crazy Hair Day" at Jzo's school, so of course minutes before the bus arrived, he called me upstairs to help him create a "blue mohawk" which I feel we were pretty successful in doing! I added the "v" coming down from the hairline - as I'm hooked on the scotch tape technique of "stage make-up" I've now had quite a bit of practice doing with the dancers on Marina's team. He still looked good 8 hours later when he got home!