Ginger Traditions

Several years ago my mom and my sister and I decorated gingerbread houses together. It has since become a after Thanksgiving traditions. Decorating ginger bread houses is good clean fun, plus it's art that you can eat.
This year mom, and Sandra, and I did the decorating.

I think they turned out deliciously creative!




Please notice the adorable marshmallow Gus in front of my house made of gingerbread!

A Walk In The Woods

On Friday, probably the coldest day that we had, Kev thought that we should all go for a walk. After much deliberation we decided on Patapsco State Park. It was a great day and we had lovely walk.

Here's Mom and I. I don't have a heavy coat, it was windy, I have on a lot of few layers..so does Mom.

You can't tell, but this really is a steap hill!

We all took turns throwing leaves...Kev did it the most!

Trevor kicked the leaves

I praised Jesus for the leaves

Dad threw them at Mom

Hands down the best part of the day was when Kev help me over a log and as soon as he let go of my hand I fell in the most spectacularly graceful way! Here's a play by play.

Here's a special pic I took...I think it's art, from God!

I am thankful.

On Thanks

Because it would take many words to describe the fun that I have had this week in B-town with the family, I 'll use lots of pictures! Home with my mom and dad, my sweetie finally with me after days and days apart, and spending time with our English family...oh what fun!

Besides spending time with the people I love, this dessert makes Thanksgiving one of the best holidays all year...my mom's apple dumplings.
Delicious!!!

Here are my beautiful cousins, Lindsey and Jill

Kev and his mom, and his brother Trevor

Mom and Dad's backyard with all the lovely fall colors

My parents, aren't they sweet!

A Little Less Homemade

Growing up, every spring and summer and sometimes in between
My family would escape to our farm in West Virginia.
Our farm is a large white house with a giant front porch,
there is a stream with lots and lots of rocks to climb on,
there is an old barn that used to have hay stacked to the ceiling
and there is 126 acres that are basically untouched by the rushing world around it.
In this place where many of my childhood memories were made lived a lady and her husband who were old fashion through and through.
There names were Mason and Georgia Strawder.
They lived on the farm down the old dirt road from ours.
They always had cows,
chickens,
sometimes a pig,
a dog,
and a cat.
Mrs. Strawder used to let Amy and I watch her milk her cows,
then Mr. Strawder would let us watch him separate the cream from the milk,
then we would carry the milk back to the house.
Their garden was plentiful,
their house was small.
She made delicious cake,
She churned her own butter,
She hand sewed quilts.
But, sadly she passed away just the other day,
and all of a sudden,
the world seems a little less homemade.
Goodnite Ms. Georgia.

If I Wasn't Here

This week a really, really polite woman(note extreme sarcasm), said that I obviously hate my job...I don't hate my job. I love teaching art, who wouldn't really; there are aspects of my job that I don't like much, you know the stuff about my job that aren't just teaching people about art. At the end of the day it is a pretty cool career. Here's the thing though, I've been going to school my entire life. It makes me wonder all the time what other people who don't go to school everyday do. So because b/c I was wondering, if I wasn't here in this place teaching kids to use the abilities that God has given each one of them, here are some things I would like to try- with pictures to keep it interesting....

1. A mom (obviously)

2. When I was around 10, I wanted to drive a purple big rig and be a truck driver. I still think it's a cool job, it's a great way to travel and your the biggest automobile on the road, but I don't drive that well in a regular size car, let alone one bigger than my first three houses

3. A zoo keeper

4. A circus performer, preferably a trapeze artist

5. A professional painter

6. A cake decorator like this

7. A florist

8. A National Geographic Photographer

If you weren't here, where ever you are, what would you be?