sticky fingers

joseph and i went trick-or-treating with the ole church group for the second year. he loved watching the children walk around the neighborhood and interact with one another. often he called out to them. as i was pushing the stroller in the dark, i developed a new appreciation for the wednesday night church ritual for so many. as a former christian educator, i tried to attend to the spiritual and emotional lives of those who would come to church, providing what would hopefully feed the mind, body, and spirit. since i am no longer working in a church, wednesday night acitivies are an option. most of the last 5 wednesday nights i have had obligations to be at church, leading a group with a colleague. let me say: it takes great effort to go from work to childcare to church...only to get home late, overlooking the needs of the household. (and then stay up late blogging) hopefully, there will be something to feed my and my family's mind, body, and spirit on those nighs we choose to participate. tonight was nice...would have been much nicer had joseph not had multiple pieces of candy (some of which i didn't realize he had been given). so...he's in bed an hour-and-a-half late...thanks to sugar and a well-intentioned mom. peace this hallows eve.

apple picking!

and we went apple picking today! here's a touched up image of joseph picking his own apple...if i'm not mistaken, this is the one he munched happily on for the next half-hour. a VERY good, juicy apple, i might add! Chiles Peach Orchard between Greenwood and Crozet, VA. www.ChilesPeachOrchard.com we'll make another stop there, too! they were great and said that pink ladies will be in soon...my personal favorite. i LOVE sharing apple picking with joseph and richard. on my grandparent's farm were (and still are) a handful of apple trees, pear trees, figs, pecan, as well as the summer garden. i crave fresh (right off the tree) apples and pears! here we have them. apple pie we come (but to just eat the apple right from the core is the BEST that you can do!

weekend getaway

we just returned from a wonderful trip to big meadow and other stops along the skyline drive. joseph enjoyed the great outdoors. i counted 13 deer that we saw while on foot, along with around 8-10 others from the car. no bears, but lots of great images from the beautiful, changing colors of fall. when we arrived yesterday, the clouds were draping the mountain with such somber beauty. i was touched by the "pockets of clarity" where the cloud was higher and you could see the colors of the leaves and the grey of the tree bark stretching up to the cloud. in fact, i will use these images in my sermon tomorrow. i didn't catch these images on film because i was simply too struck to do so. however, here is one glimpse of fall which i find particularly lovely. today everything was so bright and crisp from rain--everything seemed nourished. we're certainly home and well fed, well loved, and thanful for time together. now, that's not to say that we each have a full week ahead. i know we were each pleased to have a moment to stop and enjoy each other and the created world around us...and such a beautiful world it can be.

creative saturday

so i've been trying to rest today since i'm completely exhausted. resting entails playing on the macbook, but also seeking rest for the many tasks on my mind. today i'm organizing, gathering materials to create new jewelry, cooking, and working through old mail. here's a delish dish that i made via orangette's blog. you see beautiful butternut squash grown in our garden, red onion, garbanzo beans, cilantro, and a tahini dressing. yum. with richard's tortilla pizzas, we had a great, simple lunch. joseph at baba's house for the weekend, so it's quiet here. the great weather enticed me to open the windows and let the fresh air give the house a lift. it's grand. there are a lot of talkative birds outside. everything smells good...from this dish to the fresh air and the bean soup richard has cooking on the stove. it's a delightful, creative saturday.

completion

happy birthday, elizabeth! in honor of elizabeth's new home and for her birthday, here's my first completed mixed media (though not using the patterns i've been working on). i'm pleased. truth telling, the longer i keep it, i'll keep adding to it. "maison" will find it's new home at elizabeth's this weekend. cheers.

a fine end to a long weekend. my son joseph and i sat together tonight while my husband richard played guitar. i doodled while he arranged different pieces of the pattern i was using to create. here is the beginning phase of some (hopefully) dazzling mixed meida pieces that i'm creating. much of this work will be at hunter lange antiques & collectibles, richmond, va during the christmas open house november 9-10, 2007. i'm looking forward to introducing new work that weekend...especially since deciding not to put on the annual all-out art show that we've done the last 3 years. this year is a sabbath for that show, which will return next fall if not sooner. well, cheers to this start...more to come...

welcome

for months i have considered blogging. here's the start. i've met other women ministers who blog and thought that this would be a great way to process life. so i hope to share some of the art that i create, along with stories and images of life as a mother.

so welcome.