I went back and finished....with a "B"!!!

It's been a while and for a ton of great reasons, but I wanted to start back up with saying I went back and finished drafting. I had to quite the first class and re-enroll. The instructor was horrible and we all just continued to be sick.

Anyway, this second class went better. I think I just felt more determined. It was just as hard, but I knew how to plan my time better. Anyway, here is a sample of some of my final drawings....enjoy! (Oh and the dark lines down the center are from joining two halves of one sheet of paper....long story, but they're supposed to be there, hehe)

This (stupid!) Drafting Class!!!

Ok, so it's week 2 of my drafting class. As stated in the previous post, I'm behind. This week was puked on quite literally! This class is by far the hardest yet. We are pretty much expected to be full blown draftsman by this week!!
Pictured at the left are 3 rooms of my house. I had to measure every wall, door, window, nook and cranny of these rooms and draft them. Those who know my house, know that no two walls are the same! Standard size doors?! Ya, right! They don't exist in my home. Well, except for my lovely new front door! hehe
And this is just the first assignment for this week! And we have 3 1/2 more weeks to go!!! I just can't believe how much is expected of us. I know it will be worth it all in the end, but holy cow!! The admissions department should add a special clause to the registration application that says you will be driven insane, but can't sue!!! Someone, please tell me you think I can do it! Someone please tell me to keep on keeping on! Someone....anyone?

Cry BABY!!!

Ok, I need to cry for a minute (and stretch out my hands!). This week has been horrible! The whole family (minus Laura!) has had the flu. Needless to say, I feel like if I see or smell any more puke, I'm going to die.
Anyway, because of being sick and taking care of sick ones, I've fallen behind on everything! My laundry, housework, school work...everything! I've managed to stay up on the Lysol and Clorox wipes and am just now starting to feel a little more under control. It is amazing to me how much I utilize every minute of every day. I don't stop. I can see that now. I stopped for the week (basically) and look where it got me!
Now, I know several of you out there are shaking your head and are saying, "now, Katie, you brought this on yourself. You are the one who decided to go to school, go back to work, have so much clutter in your home. It's your fault!". I couldn't agree more! Maybe that's why it stings so much. I brought this on myself. This is more of a revelation entry than anything else. I am amazed and sad really, that so much of my time is 'claimed'. I don't have any time to sit and read. No time to sew. Could never go for a walk or take a pic-nick to the park. It's rather obscene really. I do a lot for my family and for myself, but I'm finding my schedule lacks very much wind-down time.
So, I've decided that I need to commit to dedicating a certain amount of time each day to wind down. To do something NOT important for that period of time. I need to spend my weekends with my kids and not busting my a*# working (except for Saturday chores of course!) I need to promise myself that I will do something each day to relax. I will, each day....starting tomorrow! :)

Did You Know?????

I have made a wonderful discovery this year. It is truly wonderful for those of us who love vegetation, but lack a green thumb.

Shortly after Halloween last year, we got a pretty good sized snow storm. By that I mean, it stuck and covered plants, bushes, the ground and more for about a day or so. Well, after Halloween, our pumpkins were in a horrible, rotted state. They looked like little old men! So we threw them in the back yard planning on taking them to the dump if the deer didn't get to them first. After the snow, they were all but forgotten....until now! About 4-6 weeks ago we started to grow this wonderful vine type plant in our backyard. I thought at first that it was the wild morning glory's we have. Maybe they had spread? Well, a couple of days later, we had huge orange flowers blooming on the vine. A couple of days after that we notice there were some hard, round vegetable type thing growing off the vines where the flowers had been.

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD GROW PUMPKINS FROM ROTTED ONE??? :)

I am convinced that the rotted pumpkins decomposed and some seeds remained and were lost under the snow. Either that or a The Great Pumpkin planted some seeds for me. Either way, we have a mini pumpkin patch in our back yard. There are about 7 pumpkins, all pretty good size.

I don't necessarily recommend letting your pumpkins decompose, but it was a wonderful surprise worth sharing!

Katie

Ode to Fall

I can't write poems, or maybe I could express how much I love fall! Even the name, or true name, Autumn, is wonderful to hear and say. I'm not sure if it's all the colors that I love - the golds, reds, oranges, browns, or maybe the crispness in the air. There's the time change and being able to sleep in an extra hour, the fluffy socks that you get to pull out of storage, the Indian Corn....it's ALL SO GREAT!

For about the last week, on the drive to school, the kids have been noticing the changing leaves. There is one tree that Laura says is "on fire". We love that tree and I will have to stop by the side of the road so I can take a picture of it. Well, we also have a tree (a new one) that is changing color. It's a purple Ash tree and the leaves are turning a wonderful purple/bronze color. I just love it! So the other day I took a picture standing under it. I think I might actually pull out my sketch book and draw this. I love the way it looks sunny, but you can almost feel the cold.

The neighbors have a really great tree in the front of their yard too. It's one of those Maples that the leaves turn every fall color and those colors are pure. The red is crayola red, the yellow is canary yellow....pure colors. So I took a picture of that too. It's full of luster and glory of fall! Here it is with their cute little "wishing well". It almost doesn't even look real for the colors. It reminds me of when my mom would take walks with Ben down the street and come how with the most perfect Maple leaves. Autumn doesn't last long enough though. Before we know it, these same trees will be just wood covered in snow!

It's Official!

Those of you who have seen Dylan in person, know how thick and long his hair has been. Almost since day 1, people have commented about Dylan's hair. It styles itself, it's so thick, it's so dark....all comments I've heard about Dylan. Well, my baby looks like a little man now! I cut his hair!

I started with clippers on the side and back and planned on keeping the top a little long by using scissors. Well the bottom clipper part was hard enough. I just had him in his highchair, so no one was holding his head. Anyway, I ended up using the clippers all over! It's short and lays close to his head, kinda like dad's (minus the receding hair line!). It really changed how he looks so much.

Now, what I'm afraid of is that it seems like a Sampson thing. I seemed to have cut away some of his extra sweet sweetness! He imediatly turned extra fiesty, confident, silly, and explossive with his actions. But he is still a good boy. He's just a boy! And I love it!!! :)

Happy Birthday Dear Dylan!

On September 1st, Dylan turned 1! I can't believe how quickly the time flies. And yet it seems like ages ago that I was pregnant.

As you can see, Dylan had no problem digging into his cake. He was very mythodical about the whole thing. He did a lot of eating. Then a lot of playing. All the kids got a little lick of the frosting. As you might imagine, he was pooping green and purple for the next couple of days! Ugh! But it was worth every moment.

He really enjoyed opening his presents too. It would be hard to guess his favorite, but I know he really liked his activity chair that Jeremiah and I got him. He also really liked the cards. He was so intersted in the pictures. He sat and listened to several of them, but it was funner to chew on them.

It was a very fun day and my baby is 1. He's a 25 lb, 32" tall frisky little goober! He throws his toys, uses his chair to climb on the couch, a likes to be held up-side-down. He splashes like a whale in the tub and knows what "high five" means. In other words, he's a toddler now....we're all on our toes!

School days, School days!

Back to school time brings all kinds of excitement in our home. There's the clothes shopping, picking just the right snacks for the lunches, waking up early and going to bed early. This year was that and more!

Ben started 5th grade this year. Yes, I can hear all of you saying "Oh my gosh!!". This was a wonderful prospect to him because it means getting older, having a little more freedom, and of course, being one of the "big dogs" on campus. But there was a sad twist to all of this. The "love of his life" transferred to a different school this year. She still lives in town and can see her often. He wanted to see her in class though. This little girl is so great! She's been over several times and they really do have a neat connection. She wears glasses (like Ben), love video games (like Ben), can't stop reading (also like Ben)....I can go on and on. So this year brings some joys and sorrows for Ben that he can learn and grow with. I can also now say that his streak of getting Student of the Month the first month of school has been broken. About this he said, "The girls who got it don't seem to into school. I think the teacher was trying to motivate them when she gave them the award." :)

Laura started Kindergarten this year and man was she excited. I was excited about K going to an all day schedule. For her, I knew it would work great. The first week of school was awful for her!!! After several situations, I knew I needed to move her into another class. She joined a K-1 split class. There are 5 kindergartners and the rest are first graders. The teacher is the same one Ben had for 1st, so I knew she would be a much better fit for Laura. Well, all I can say is Laura was so different the second week. She entered the car brimming with news of the day. She couldn't stop telling me about all she learned, the songs she sung and her oh so sweet teacher. It was very comforting to know that she found a place that was safe and happy that she could blossom in. She proudly shows me the work she's done each day and tells me the story behind them. It's so sweet and sad all at the same time! She's growing into a very sweet young lady!

My (very big) water baby!

All my kids love the water. They have since they were little babies. Maybe it's that we always play in the tub, or maybe that water can do so much and it's fun to look at. I don't know. But Dylan is no exception! I usually put him in the bath with Laura I do have to turn his back to her though for a very important reason. He SPLASHES like a whale!!! The whole time he's in there he's either chewing on a toy or splashing. So I thought I would share how beautiful he is in the tub. Hes' almost 1, and I can't believe how big he is. He's been standing up (holding onto stuff), walking with assistance, wanting to feed himself, helping to pull off his clothes when getting dressed.....just too big! And, those who've seen him can attest to this....he is also just BIG! I have his next dr's appointment on 9/4 so I can tell you just how big then. He was 21 lbs and 27 3/4" at his 9 month appointment. He is soooo much bigger now. It's really scary actually. It's not fat...he's loooonnnngggg! And has a huge head! hehe

So I hope you get a kick out of my water baby. Next time your in the bath or shower...just splash!!!

My Final Drawing....

Well, I'm done with drawing!!! With the class at least. I still plan on keeping up on interior spaces and perspectives. But I am not planning on staging any more still lifes for a long time!

So this is my final drawing for the class. It is of Dylan's room. Well, I guess I should clarify...it's how I WISHED Dylan's room looked. It's right as far as the arrangement of the furniture, windows and that stuff. But I have been inspired by my own drawing. I want to get in there and do some more refined decorating. Oh and the squares and stripe on the wall are there now. They are brown, orange, blue and green. Very warm boy colors.

My next class is the Theory of Color! Wow, I was way off in what I thought it was going to be. I thought we would learn if you mix blue and red you get purple stuff. But then I guess that would be first grade art and not a college coarse! It's very complex and scientific right now. I'm hoping it will get more into the psychological of how colors make people feel and think. That's something that's always interested me. Most of the assignments are done on the computer using both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. These are both amazing programs that are easy to use. But man! there is a ton you can do on them. That makes it tough to do. You could spend hours playing and learning and then forget what you've done and how you've done it!. I have a great book explaining a lot though so that makes it nice. (on a side note...until taking these classes starting in May, I've NEVER used any program other than Word. now I've used Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe PDF!)

So, I'll keep you posted on my adventure...if I don't go crazy! :)

What I've Learned....

Well, my drawing class is coming to an end. I've learned so much in just the 5 1/2 weeks. I'm in a class with such talented people it's actually been very humbling most of the time. So I thought I would show you all how far I've come. The first of these is an assignment where I had to show the different "shade values" in my drawing. It's almost like on a selvage of fabric where you see all the colors that are used. I drew my plastic bag holder. She's a doll at the top, but her skirt holds the bags. She looked so happy I thought she would be fun to draw. For the next assignment we had to do a complex sketch of a room in our home. I decided to do the main bathroom. I really wanted to do this because of the walls. There are several angles that I wanted to get just right. There are a few changes I had to make. The border around the room actually has a camping scene. I couldn't do all the detail of it in such a small space, so I just made it a solid color. I also did the molding in a dark color for interest more than anything.

Next week our final is do. I have come a long way, but I will be glad when this class is over! It's been so much to learn in such a short time. I think I will keep sketching though. I like the challenge, but will love not worrying about the grade!

The next class is Color Theory. I am really looking forward to this one! I have to buy paints for it!!! Yippee!!!

The Infectious Laugh of Laura!

Laura's laugh is soooo funny! It's hardy but girly at the same time. She loves to laugh, but loves to make others laugh even more. I have to say her whit and timing is unlike any other kid her age (well, accept maybe for Hayden). She comes up with the funniest things! But you almost have to hear HER say them to really appreciate it. My mom and dad always say I was funny when I was little, but this girl has to have me beat! So if anyone is in need of a good laugh or a deep chuckle, come see Laura!

New Drawing Assignment....

Well, for my drawing class we had to take our original sketch and enhance it. We had to add shadowing, details, background...make it look more like a real drawing. This was such a challenge for me! The dimensions are all still so new. To add so much detail was time consuming. I do think for my real first attempt at drawing it's not too bad. I am loving all that I'm learning though. I wish we could all be like my mom and Linda and just be able to see like an artist. I guess I can in other ways, but not in drawing.

So now you have my first two sketches. You can all see the progression over time with me! :)

Sibling Rivalry (or jealousy!)

OK, so two of my sisters now have blogs. I could sit by idly while they have all the fun, or I can follow the trend and start my own. So here I sit....starting a blog. My first thought is what in the world do I have to say? What could I possibly share? So this blog is dedicated to my sisters! There won't be anything super great or profound here. Just pictures of my wonderful kids, and occasional funny that I hear, and maybe a recipe or two. This will just be a little link to me and my family. Because God knows I'm SO good at picking up the phone! (ugh!!!)

Baby Dylan is 10 months old!!!

Oh my aching back! This kid is so big! I think he is sollid beef and muscle! At his 9 month appointment, he was 29 1/2" long and 23 lbs. Yikes! Anyway, today he was rolling around and "army" crawling everywhere. He was so cute I just had to take a picture. Well after the first shot, he realized what I was doing and started kind-of posing for each photo. Here's what he looks like now!

My Drawing Class....

Some of you know that I'm taking an Interior Design course online. Well, this session, I have a drawing class. My mother and a sister or two can draw....I can NOT! I was pretty excited for this class because I've heard everyone can learn to draw. So I get the books, and tools (pencils with funny names, sketch pad, etc) and I've been staring at them ever since!

When your in these online classes, there are assignments due on certain days. So my first drawing was due on Wed. night. I had to arrange 3 items and sketch them in a loose sketch focusing on their geometric shape. So it was like 11 pm and I was still staring at the items on the table wondering where to start. Jeremiah got up and said his good nights and headed to bed. About 15 minutes later, Laura comes walking out in the living room! She scared me sooo bad!! She came over to the table and asked what I was doing. I'm sure she noticed the pencils lying around...she's my artist. I told her I had to draw a picture of the things on the table. Then I said "Laura, how do you know how to draw so good?" She said she didn't know. But when she doesn't know what to draw, she just starts on one side of the page and goes to the other (left to right I think is what she meant). So I took her back to bed with a thanks for her help.

I started just as she suggested....from one side to the other. Because I'm left handed, it made more sense for me to start on the right side of the paper (I still don't know why...don't ask!). Here is my first drawing for class. It's rough....but it can only get better right?!!!