How about that???

It's been a great couple days....how about that?? Didn't see that one coming did ya?? Let's get happy, why not??

It's not always easy, that's for sure but here is what I know to be true....when you have a lot of hard days the good ones are just SO SO SO good!! 

My oldest son was in his first play this week and I was so amazed at his ease and enthusiasm.  He wasn't feeling that well and he still gave it his all, sometimes we have to do that don't we?  We just can't control all (or any) of what life throws at us, so even when we have something SO exciting that we want to thoroughly enjoy we may wake up sick, or get a poor night sleep the night before, or....well, you get the point....and somehow we still have to squeeze out the beautiful moments and let that be enough.

So my son, my little knight in shining armor, got on that stage for 4 nights in a row, not feeling that well, and gave us so many beautiful moments and that was more than enough.

My Sweet Kids....

For The Record....

For the record I am actually quite funny.  I realize that some of these posts are, well, rather depressing...as in jump off the nearest bridge depressing, yikes.  So before I give you my next wha wha story I just want it to go on record that, well, I am actually quite funny.

I threw my back out.  I don't even know what that means, at least I didn't until a day ago and now, oh my goodness...ouch!!!  I put my baby girl in her highchair and couldn't get her out.  Yep, poor girl kept saying, "Out Mama," and I kept saying, "Um, I'm not sure how I'm going to do that...but I love you, and now I must either call the fire department or your father." And as much as I dig the whole uniform thing, I thought it would be slightly embarrassing to call 911 to get my baby out of her high chair.  I did figure out how to get her out since waiting the hour that it takes my husband to get home would have been a whole lot of cookies (for her and me).
Once my hubby got home I layed on my back and looked at the view below for a couple hours thinking, "Wow, I really should've done a better job painting those line"...yep, pretty exciting.

UGH.....getting older sucks.....see, wasn't that funny.

Wordless Wednesday (kind of)

This was on our mailboxes when I went to get the mail yesterday....LOVE!!!

A Poem

A Body of War

In the wee hours of the morning the trumpets blare as my body begins to attack.

As I clutch my center and make every attempt to slow my breath the vice grip continues to tighten.

I sit and rock with head in hands and try to hear my mother’s voice, “you’re okay honey, you’re okay.”

But am I? Will I ever be?  I have waved the white flag so many times that it is tattered and gray yet this body of mine is relentless.  This traitor that envelops my soul will not come in peace.

The attack begins to wane and as I hobble back I take a minute to crawl into bed with my sweet boy and touch his soft warm cheek, smell his baby breath and let his silken hair soak up my tears. 

As I swallow my sobs I let his body melt into mine and this gives me the strength to fight on.

-Harmony Pyper 2012

Favorite Photo(s) Friday

All the above pictures were taken during our carwash last week.  My son pointed out that the water on the window looked like trees (and he was right) and so I started snapping photos with the Instagram app on my i-phone.  I just love these!!  Let me know which one is your favorite (1-8 starting at the top). Of'course my favorite is the last one of my super cute son who was loving the carwash photo experience (and getting to climb in the front seat).  I would have to say that my favorite picture of the actual carwash series is # 7, but I sure do like the colors in #5.

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Studio CRESCENDOh

On Saturday night I headed to Studio CRESCENDOh to celebrate the release of Jenny Doh's beautiful book Creative Pilgrimage.

On the first Saturday of the month all the galleries open their doors.....

...so there was beautiful art to be inspired by and......

....don't forget the delicious smells wafting through the streets from the food trucks that are all the new rage (and rightfully so, yum).

Oh and of'course there were artists in spike helmets standing in windows doing live art demonstrations.

I had a wonderful time with friends and the atmosphere was festive, yet dreamy.....speaking of dreamy...

....it felt pretty dreamy to have one of my art pieces up on the wall for all to see.  Thank you Jenny for the display and thank you for all that you do to inspire and bring people together.

Today Was Great!!!

 Today started out with a beautiful sunrise.  I watched the glowing sky while sipping my coffee and planning the steps to my upcoming art class.

 The girls arrived and settled in brimming with excitment and anticipation.  I just love working with this age (8-13) as they are blooming with possibility and are able to accept guidance and inspiration.

 I took photos of them jumping a couple of days ago and each girl used their cut out photo as a mask to let the first layers of paint show through as they continued to layer paint.  We used stamps and stencils and found objects to create texture and interest. 

There were moments of uncertainty and angst as they were faced with decisions about color and design but with guidance from their classmates (and a little from me) they were able to let go and trust in the process.  At one point I even heard one student say, "I'm just going to trust myself."  Ahhh...that's it right there....Trust Yourself!!!

In the end they created masterpieces of color and words that were personal to them.  I hope they treasure their works of art as much as I treasured our time together.

Rose Bowl 2012

Well, I wore my red cowgirl boots in hopes of bringing good luck to the Wisconsin Badgers (my alma mater) at this year's Rose Bowl.  They were in the Rose Bowl last year too, which we also attended, and they lost....so anything we could do to bring a different outcome....we did.

My oldest wore his red and made as much noise as possible with his football clapper....

My younger son painted his face red and cheered, "Let's Go Badgers" around every Oregon Duck fan that he saw....they were quite impressed with his 4 yr old bravado ;)

There's just something about a stadium filled with energy and hope and music and sunshine, but in the end.....we went home heartbroken again.  Now that some of the disappointment has worn off I must say it was an incredible game and a family experience we will never forget.  Third time's a charm??? Let's hope!!!! 

 GO BADGERS!!!!