kt40

Poppies

Right now the fields along the roads are scattered with wild flowers and I think the red poppies are stealing the show. Just a small reminder I am having a ceramics drawing for some measuring spoons I made in class if interested read this post gives you all the info. I'm not sure if I will get around to posting this weekend. Jason and I are trying to take the kids sight seeing each weekend.  Last weekend Jason didn't end up feeling well so we didn't manage to get out so this weekend we have two small excursions planned, if we manage to pull off just one I will still be proud of us.

portraits

Yesterday, the kids had a day off from school so  I took them to Florence to have their portraits done.  This is something I have wanted to do since we arrived in Italy. It is hard for me to explain how I felt while watching the artist sketching them...they looked so old ...is that how he saw them? Why didn't I see them like that....the artist had captured a moment, 20 minutes of each one of my kids not talking, not moving, trying to be completely still. I felt like someone had jolted me, managed to stop time for me and was saying "pay attention this is who they are now" ....and I felt like crying for being sad about this fact and for also being happy about it, both at the same time.  I started out this paragraph saying it was hard for me to explain how I felt, I was really feeling all over the place. Lucky for them I didn't cry, instead I was the mom in the black dress trying to look normal while having all sorts of emotions surge through her. I also felt like one of the other tourists who were stopping and glancing at someones children getting their portraits sketched and couldn't help but noticed how beautiful that simple act was.

curiosity

I do like that saying "A picture can say a thousand words", something close to that anyways.  I came across this photo the other day.  We had stopped in Paris for a few days on our way back to the Azores.  We had all stumbled upon a tea shop, the fancy kind where everyone (adults) were inside, sitting down at little tables, their conversations were quiet and the tea's sweet perfume filled the air.  I wanted to sit down and I knew the rest of the family wanted to join me but Jason and I looked at each other knowing this wasn't the place you bring kids too, the stares we received from the clientele were dead giveaways.  So instead we decided to purchase some packaged tea to take back with us. Jason went first (choosing his teas) as I waited outside with the kids. 

  I watched the kids grab on to things, let their bodies sway around while holding onto small poles that lined the sidewalks.  Then Wyatt asking the girls to come over and look down the gated alleyway with him. The girls then, running over excited, what would they see?  Listening to their three different sounding "Hellooooos!" softly echoing down the alley's walls.  Then back to the poles they went, this time each one had their own, swinging around and around. Was it all this constant touching and curiosity and plain old goofing around that all the adults inside had wanted a break from, is that why we had received the "There isn't an official sign up but Children aren't welcomed in here" stares. 

"Mom, watch me." 

"Yeah Mom...watch." 

This is why I have kids I thought, and this is why I have more than one.

Measuring spoons, May's ceramic give-away

  

I received some measuring spoons back from class the other day. I had made quite a few, not knowing if they would crack or break in any of the stages that go along with ceramics. Only one 1/2 a teaspoon broke. I am giving away a set it is probably my last ceramic giveaway until after we get settled and I find a new place to take classes. My class here is coming to an end next week. We will be packing up our stuff this June and July. We are moving. Japan is still in the lead for now, but until we are actually on a plane this summer, that is when I will know where we are going, I don't mean to be so high drama it is just the plain truth. So anyways, if you want or need or use measuring spoons leave a comment or e-mail me at kkeuter@gmail.com.  I'll put your name in the hat. I'm leaving this drawing open for one week before I pull out the winner's name.

My Fair Lady, tile

I have been working on making tiles, these are little paper collages that I have made, then mirrored the images and but them together to form a tile.  I was inspired by a trip to Lisbon, Portugal 5 years ago.  I loved the houses and buildings that were covered with tiles, in crazy colorful patterns, maybe not as out there as mine. This tile reminds me of an image you might see when you look in a kaleidoscope. I do think a bathroom covered in these colorful tiles could be fun and wild, a whole outside of a house might be too much but then again......

This tile didn't start out with this name when I first made this collage, it wasn't until I put the images together then the name came to me. I guess this is usually how it goes. This reminded me of the wallpaper in professor Higgins's home, from the musical My Fair Lady.

Step 1. The paper collage

 

Step 2

 Here are the images flipped to form the tile.

 

Step 3

Here are the tiles shrunk down and set side by side.

As I manage to organize these I will post them. It takes quite some time to set up all the images correctly.

Rain, on again, off again

, I am on a roll at getting things caught up around here. Took this photo on the way to the post office, to pay some bills that had been lying around silently nagging me. So just a simple photo today.  This week is about getting things done, I feel like I need a special outfit to wear, super-business-woman-pinstriped-suit, hair slicked back into a bun, leather briefcase in tote, but no it's just me in my jeans, layer t-shirts, converse, hair loosely pulled back and the same old purse.  I'm like the middle-aged assistant that sneaks in lots of coffee breaks because she is left unsupervised, doesn't get paid that much and is a little disgruntled. (I'm not really disgruntled just seemed to fit in with the description and as far as the pay goes well lets just say that I give myself raises all the time)

First one wrapped

Well the first beach souvenir was wrapped, for Suz. There are nine left so if you feel like getting a little something from me to you, just follow the instructions here. ( two more taken today, so you know I will just start putting the little wrapped package in their place when they get spoken for)

You may wonder why is she doing this? Well lets see...... 1. I am seriously procrastinating on getting the real jobs done around here.
2. As I have been going along blogging, reaching out to others seems to be what I am doing, and wanting to do that in a positive and fun way.
3. Sometimes you just need something to come your way, a little gift that is wrapped up for you, little pieces from oceans around the world seemed good to me, oceans do connect us after all.
4. It is fun for me to make funky creations and know that maybe they will sit on a desk or be hidden out in a garden for someone to stumble upon and say "What the heck is this?".
Anyway those are just some of the reasons. I will be taking two days off from blogging I must, I repeat, I must, get cracking around here. Katy

beach souvenirs

I know I dedicated three days to posting about Corsica. So I wanted to share something from the trip, well a couple things. First off the conversation that took place when we first got off the ferry, just trying to keep it real.

Jason: "Where am I going?"

Katy: "Well just stop for a second, let me figure out where we are" (Jason not stopping car)

Jason: "This way?"

Katy: "Jay, I don't know, I don't know where we are, if you would just stop for a minute." (just to be fair to Jason , I'm requesting that he does this as we are going around a round-about in heavy city traffic)

Jason: "I'm just going to take this road" (At this point I am looking out the window, trying to take a deep breath.)

Jason, again: "Is this the right way?"

Katy, not wanting to respond but doing it anyways: "If you would slow down for a minute, I could make out the signs."

Well of course we made it there and he was going the right way, but could you feel the tension which is now humorous of course. 

Secondly, I worked on making some beach souvenirs this weekend for my May giveaway. They are funky! (would anyone expect anything less?) So If you want one of my beach souvenirs with rocks from Corsica, shells from Corsica, the Azores(Portugal) and Tuscany, Italy. Each wrapped with wire and a little bead.

Just leave a comment or email me kkeuter@gmail.com they are numbered 1-10 from left to right. So if there is one that catches your fancy just make sure to write the number. The largest one is #8 (length 10cm & width 7cm) smallest is #3 (length 4cm & width 4cm)  all the others fall in-between these measurements. I must add that Jason came in the room when I was making these "Oh making something with your rocks, interesting." yes I do love this man, dare I say it......even when he is driving, now that's true love.

Here are close-ups of each one since the photos are so tiny.

All over the place

This post is all over the place a bit like my mind lately so it is fitting to say the least. First off I wanted to share a photo of some drop dead gorgeous roses my friend Bridget brought over. They are from her garden, she read my post about my goal of having fresh flowers on my table. If you are reading this Bridget, Thanks again!!!

Secondly I have not been looking at my "To do list" Important stuff that needs to be taken care of now list. Instead I have been varnishing rocks that I collected in Corsica, we all know how imperative it is that I get on this now, I mean really now, the rocks must be varnished before we move to Japan this summer, getting the children's school records is just going to have to wait.

I have been making muffins.
Then sitting down and leisurely eating them and placing my "To do list" across the table so that I have to strain and squint my eyes, but alas, it is to hard to read....ho hum.........
(I highly recommend this recipe, so easy and good and pretty.)

I have been beading wire necklaces. That I shall wear when I get around to tackling my "To do list"

I have been outside taking a break from thinking about how I am avoiding my "To do list". Outside I can admire Iris's bouquets that she has been putting together and trying to sell to people that pass by our house.

I love that she even fills up the the little vanilla bottles with flowers.

Have a great weekend!
katy

small vacation 3

I have mentioned before that one of my favorite things to do is look at hanging laundry, it is a clue to who lives in the house, obviously a sweet baby dwells here. I couldn't resist taking this photo of all the little onesies and sleepers too sweet! It does make me sigh a little though, I can't help but think of my own children's laundry, ohhh......how they have grown.

The four photos below are different shots from another mountain village. These little towns made me love the color gray(I didn't know it was possible to love it more than I already did).

At each place we stopped I took photo after photo. Jason didn't l know that I was taking this particular photo, he was busy petting a dog that wandered up to him while he was waiting for me to finish taking photos so he could drive us to the next town where I would hop out and take more....I think he was secretly happy when my camera battery ran out.

I did feel like a kid in a candy store, each town was so beautiful! I love when signs are painted on buildings.

Last photo I leave you with was taken along the beach. I made it a little out focus, to make it seem dreamy, that is the word I would use to describe Corsica, dreamy.

a small vacation 2

I think for the next few days I will post photos of our (mine and Jason's) two nights and three days in Corsica on our own.
Yes without kids, my dad and step-mom watched the kids for us, such a treat. Corsica is one of my favorite places, I am drawn to Island life, seems slower and the beaches the kind that are not filled with umbrellas, those are my favorite.

If I could become a professional beachcomber I would, it is my true calling I think. On our last day there before catching the ferry, I said to Jason, I need to go to the beach one last time to gather some more rocks."
Jason said "I think you already have enough." as he watched me stuff my tote full of rocks.
"I need just a few more." I pleaded. And there he sat on a bench near the beach, patiently watching me.

Here are some windows in a small town in the mountains, I really like the one with the older person inside reading the paper. More photos tomorrow.

a small vacation

I didn't think these photos needed to many words next to them.

at home

Tomorrow my dad and stepmom come to visit, so I won't be blogging for a bit. Iris has been counting down the days until their arrival and set up a desk space for them in her room, in case they need to write. Jasmine is willing to part with her room for a little bit, snow globes have been rearrange so that they can be admired by visitors. Wyatt is sick again today, I am taking him to the doctors today, flu like symptoms five times in the last month in a half, minus the fever, it just doesn't add up to me. Jason has been getting job offers from around the world, but Japan still seems to be in the lead. Last but least I've been cutting roses from our yard and calling attention to them when a family member passes by the table,
"Look at the roses aren't they beautiful!"
"You can smell them if you want."
I'm getting half responses in return.
"A yeah , mom......can I have my computer turn now" or "Ummmm Okay.... in a minute...maybe....has anyone seen the black stapler."
Doesn't matter, there will be plenty more flowers this spring that will grace our dining room table, plently, it is in my job description after all, the mental one I wrote up myself.

featured blog this month, Sperlygirl

A while back I talked about introducing a new blog every three weeks or so. Well I'm changing this a little I want to first go through the blogs I already have on the sidebar (down a bit and over to the left).
Do a little feature on them and why I chose to put them there. First up is the first blog that I ever read sperlygirl. I am lucky enough to know this blogger in person, lucky that my family sees her family and that her and I are good friends. I loved looking back on one of Suz's first posts red laundry then viewing her blog now. The size of the photos stand out as the only difference to me (which I am happy about, I like seeing them bigger) unlike most bloggers who start their blog off sounding like a beginner, Suz's blog started off seeming like she had done this before. She manages to maintain and continually surprise us with her poetic descriptions that makes one wonder if her first words were written, it seems to be second nature for her to write. Her words are always a perfect fit next to her consistently touching photos.

A person who seems to always find the light in the dark,

sperlygirl

Check out her blog, I know you'll end up as a regular visitor too.

finally finished my dream piece

You might remember that I have been working on and off on making a ceramic piece that I had in a dream long ago, well I finally finished it!! There was a point where I almost threw it in the garbage. I had received the two ceramic pieces back  (they looked like a hot water bottle that had been cut in half) and I hated the glaze, really I did, I even gasped when I saw it, nothing like an ugly ceramic hot water bottle split in two.  Then I said to myself "Katy you still need to finish it!" if you have read any of my other posts you know I have to see things through to the end. So, I went to the store and purchased some ceramic paint and painted and painted.  Then my mom entered the picture, she really saved this project, she sent me some feathers (I was having a hard time finding any here).  She knew just what I wanted. I never went into detail with her, and then there they were sent through the mail, the feathers from my dream and ones that I couldn't have even dreamt about, they were so beautiful. This dream piece does not make sense(a lot like my dreams really) It is a vase that simply holds feathers and a single rose.....it is laced together.....it is uneven.....it is strange.....it is something I would have never made if it had not been in one my dreams.  Doing this experiment has really made me listen to myself, lower the critical voice and turn-up the encouraging one instead. For myself and others. I have this tendency to see someone else's art, for instance a piece in a modern art museum and judge it immediately, I don't get it and I do not get the point of it. Making this piece makes me want to step back from being that person, I don't want to be so quick to judge, I don't have to always get it that isn't really the point of creating something......at least it isn't the point for me anymore.

I just needed to add that I realized that this project was a collaborative effort, the people who encouraged me to finish it, my mom, The people who collected the feathers, then dyed them, the rose, whomever it was who made the rose, the color of the paint for the vase, who came up with that color? The ribbons and their colors, my ceramic teacher for firing the pieces, my camera, the people responsible for designing my special little camera.....making something does involve other's creativity and ideas that is the other gift I received by seeing this crazy project through, stepping away from myself and seeing the bigger picture, others, some I will never know and ones that I do, and truly appreciating them all.