more in process details

new piece in progress

wow, it's been forever

I've been virtually dark in all of my social media due to work, but I think it's time to get back into the world. Quick sketch I did of Paige for her documentary film screening invitation.

a little bragging

Paige, a high school sophomore, just passed the test making her eligible to take college courses next year. The best part is, Denver Public Schools will pay for it since she is attending the online high school. The course is actually held at a community college, so it will be a great opportunity for her to meet some new people.

She's only going to take one class, as she already has a heavy schedule, plus her film class, but any chance she gets to chip away at her core classes is fantastic.

3 gardens urban co-op

As some of you may know, we are pretty obsessed with urban homesteading. From converting our yard into planting space, raising honey bees and canning everything we can, we're doing it. This year we took it a step further. We have invited two other families to be part of a garden co-op. This way we have more space for raising a variety of produce - plus we get to share our experience with our friends who want to become more aware of where their food comes from.

We have started a blog documenting this experiment. Like this project, it is in the early stages. Take a look and see what you think.

http://3gardens.wordpress.com/

sweet 16

Paige turned 16 this weekend, it's hard to believe. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. For her 16th, she wanted a party with her family, so grandparents and aunts flew in. Catching up with everyone was wonderful. Not only did Paige turn 16 and have a great party, she got her braces off. I think that was truly the highlight. 

some quick pics

We had a great holiday. Below are a few quick pictures from Christmas day, horseback riding, the girls sewing, and a new in progress painting I'm working on.

almost Christmas

It is almost Christmas, and the family has been busy indeed. There have been school performances, parties, shopping and baking. I am looking forward to the holiday, but wish it would slow down a bit. Things seem to be moving too quickly.

The girls are growing quickly as well. It seems that overnight they have grown an inch or become more beautiful. They are all doing well, and excited to be on their holiday break.

Last night we went to see the lights at the Denver zoo. Denver has been unusually warm for this time of year, so we were able to stay longer than usual. The photos didn't turn out to well, but you get the idea.

Dragon Hunting

An updated version of one of my old illustrations.

happy birthday

First off, happy birthday tomorrow to my Mom. Have a great time in Ireland, I'm jealous.

Some long over due pictures of carrots, parties and probably other things...

penny

Penny doesn't show up too often on the blog. She likes to fly under the radar. This by no means she is not doing incredible things, she just doesn't always demand attention. She is having an amazing start to the year. She has decided to really make a strong effort at her school work. She has worked, head down all week without help or needing to be reminded. She has also joined the school softball team, which is a great outlet for her. She is definitely the bravest at trying new things. The teams first game was yesterday, they lost 12 to 8, but gave it a great effort.

Also forgot to show some of the atomic red carrots we're growing. Very cool.

here come the peppers

The garden has done remarkably well this year, besides the tomatoes which all have grown to the size of a grape, which would be fine if they were "grape" tomatoes, but they're not. The peppers however have done incredibly and continue to grow. We began drying some cayenne's, they are hanging all over the kitchen, and the jalapeno's need to be smoked and frozen for chipotle peppers or pickled and canned for the winter. Of course we will use many for fresh things as well.

better day

A much better day today. Thinking we just need to be mindful of the potential for flare-ups, but the girl has really grown and learned how to handle things.

signs of the past

This morning brought back a bit of the dreaded morning anxiety that we have not seen so so long. Paige has been doing so amazing with her school and schedule and everything else in her life, it's easy to forget where we were, and how far she's come.

Her day had to be deviated a little this morning so she could do an assessment for her french class. Just this little thing was enough to set some of the old habits in motion. The positive side to all of this, is that she didn't have a melt down, she got it together and made it to school without issue. The scary part was, there were signs of how it used to be, Crystal and I would be the only ones who could have picked up on them, but they were there, just under the surface.

The bottom line is that the anxiety is still there, and we can't forget that. I am proud of her for getting it together, but I can't assume that it is always going to be easy.

horse camp

Abby had a fantastic time at horse camp. We were really impressed with how much she learned, and how independent it made her. Here are a few pics from the phone, I will post better ones once I download from the camera.

doppelganger

Checking through some design blogs I daily read, I stumbled across a picture that knocked me out of my chair. It's Abby, but not Abby, since Abby does not own a shirt that says "My dad is a hells angel". Her twin is out there somewhere.

monday

Today is Abby's first day of horse camp. She bounded out of bed this morning, and any worry of her having some anxiety were gone. Crystal said she was beyond excited getting dropped off at the stable. So she should have some great stories to tell this evening.

The weekend found us deep in cherries. Our neighbor has a neglected sour cherry tree and Crystal got it in her head that we should pick some. Our neighbor was more than happy to have me clear much of the forest that had grown up around the tree, just to get near it. A few hours of picking later, we had a significant amount, with even more left on the tree. Crystal did get five jars of jam and an amazing pie. I have a feeling I will be picking more this weekend.

We also did a ton of weeding and mulching in the garden, built an arbor for the beans did some writing, and checked the bees - the Maria hive is almost 90% full on the first honey super, and had a very quiet time with just Abby. Without the other sisters around, the house is strangely quiet.

friday

Back to the blog. For the last week we have had Crystals sister and family in town. Much activity in a few short days. The studio has also been crazy, so I have not had time to post.

The two older girls left with the extended family to stay in Arizona with their grandparents for a few weeks. Not fun for the littlest who did not get to go. I had no idea how much she would miss her sisters, she literally cried for two days straight. I feel terrible for her, but it makes me happy to know they are so close. She has horse camp next week, so I think she will rally around.

For the garden, the weather has been ridiculous. We went from upper 90's to low 60's. Nothing knows what to do. Everything looks a little stunted. On a positive, the cucumbers are finally taking off, as well as many, many sunflowers. Crystal had to replant due to some bad seeds. We also finally have apples on our Granny Smith tree. We've had the tree for about six years with nothing, but this year we have had success. Pie is in our future.

happy wednesday

Some cool shots of the herb garden and our center garden. Also two not very good shots of two new paintings that I'm happy with. Water color and ink.

sketches

Sketch ideas for upcoming paintings.