Feel Free to Skip This Post

Because I'm about to post a bunch of pictures of my son. He is adorable and he has a new haircut. What more reason does a mama need?

 These are from when he first woke up from his nap.

Then I got him dressed to pick up Daddy from work. 

Wasn't that totally worth it!?

Outside Family

I know it is exam week. I know I have studying to do and projects that are still unfinished. But weekends are for being outside and planting things, not sitting inside making my head spin with deadlines.

It was overcast today and drizzly. Cool and green. We planted a tree and prepped for summer gardening. I can't wait for some cherry tomatoes.

(James was in some pictures too, but I have to get him to OK them before I post them. Just being polite and all. :) If you think Amby looks mad in these, you are right. We were unable to figure out exactly what he wanted, but his muddy mocassins bothered him a lot. Maybe that's all it was. 

End of Term

End of Term, always so far away, then upon us before we are ready. Except this time! I got ahead because I was expecting a final project on my most intense course. I got ahead in everything else. But, the teacher decided to go easy on us. We just have to finish up our previous project and call it a day. Or even a term.

So I have an exam in Public Speaking. It is a comprehensive exam on a textbook which I am proud to say I never read. Thank you very much. That will be Thursday. I expect to enjoy it.

I have a slideshow to put together for my print class showing all the stuff I've make this semester, showing that I learned a good variety of techniques and tried different styles, etc. I still need to photograph some of my work for that, but here is some that I can show you now.

This first piece is a linoleum cut print. It is based on a photograph I took of James not too long ago. It is about 9"x7" or something.

The next is more or less a doodle because I had little bits of lino and big bits of imagination. The studio was a mess.

 The sugar skull is a two color lino print. It is done on butcher paper.

This sugar skull is just the key plate from above. I hand colored it with watercolor crayons.

For this one, Lady MacBeth, I "rainbow rolled" two colors and attempted a chine coli. I still don't know what that means, but I'm pretty sure this is it. And I'm pretty sure it is awesome.

There were some other processes that we tried, but I can't show you examples until I get them photographed. Also, one is a familiar nude and I don't know you as well as that, so you won't be seeing that piece.

The last process we learned about was lithography. I quite liked it even though it was a beast to figure out. Hours and hours of trial and mostly error. It is a portrait of little James Ambrose:

I based it on a sketch I did of him while he and Bea were watching a movie recently:

So that is what I've been up to. One week form now, the semester will be over and I will have weeks of house cleaning, potty training, grocery shopping, laundry and all those other domestic things that I've let fall by the wayside.

(Also, parties, art exhibits, daytrips, rock shows, skinny dipping, banner dropping, puppet making, drinking, reading, gardening, painting, etc, etc.)

Wind Suit Fashion Shoot

See, I can't understand how anyone could look at this and not want a bowl cut. Right?

I was just hanging out, feeling kinda fabulous because the semester's almost over and I got all my homework done last Friday. And I had on this amazing windsuit (because why not) and figured the occasion begged to be documented.

I might sell it in my etsy shop or just wear it from now on. Haven't decided. It is Umbro afterall.

reading /// watching /// listening 

That Awkward Moment

when you realize you are the only person not wearing all black from head to toe.

Good thing I'm an extrovert. (werkin it!)

Rinse and Repeat

///reposting after a year and a half because today I need a reminder///

I'm always a bit amazed when I go out with my kids at the looks I get from other adults. Looks that say, "Must suck to be her." I guess because having two little kids can be pretty intense and high volume and, I admit, at times hectic.

My kids are not the stand still and hold onto the buggy in silence while I shop kind. They sing and they dance and they point out every sparkly thing they see and Beatrice always asks me to look at this and that the whole time and she gets away every chance she gets!

But to me? This is not a problem. This is what I asked for. My children are not mistakes. It wasn't oops, I guess we're having a kid now. Nope, James and I planned it. We were trying- both times. We wanted this. The messes, the noise, the poop, the cuddles, the sticky faces and hands, sometimes having to buy a snow globe because someone threw it out of the buggy when we were still in the store, the endless trips to Target for diapers and formula, tiny people between us in bed, baby clothes everywhere. All of it.

This is not the time in my life for leisurely shopping in the peace and quiet. This is a time for singing Waltzing Matilda on repeat and reading Dr Seuss. This is the time for crumbs in the backseat. For crayon marks on the walls.

Dove

So a lot of my friends are sharing this Dove ad. You know, the one with the forensics artist? He draws women how they see themselves and the whole thing is suppose to teach us that we are more beautiful than we think we are and boost our confidence and self-worth.

Does anyone else have a problem with this?

This whole campaign is perpetuating the lie that a woman's worth is in her appearance. Dove is saying that women must strive to be beautiful because it is through beauty that we attain strength and power. And when they celebrate "all women," they only show conventionally attractive, predominately pale, thin to moderately thin women in their ads. Thus perpetuating very narrow standards of beauty.

Another huge problem I have with Dove is their parent company Unilever which owns Axe. Don't get me started on the recent Axe Apollo commercials (women portrayed as overly sexualized, ultimately fickle damsels in distress). Dove and Axe are sibling companies, both with campaigns designed to appeal to opposite sexes, both sexist in their own ways.

Have you seen these commercials? What was your initial response?

Dove/Axe 1/Axe2