Yea! My daughter is home from college for a three day weekend. We had not seen her since late August! It was, maybe, the longest stretch of time that she has been gone without me going to see her. She still has homework, so she is reading a lot. And I still have tasks I need to accomplish each day. We may go to a coffee shop, she to read and me to grade papers and of course, we will have coffee and maybe something sweet to eat! Or maybe we will stay home to do it. I found a Napoli Panettone and brought it home in honor of her visit and her 23rd birthday next week. It is a wonderful Italian sweet bread we see in stores about now till Christmas. It is much more reasonably priced in the stores, Walmart or Sam's, than online. Also, we have a wonderful homemade pumpkin bread sent by her "mother-away-from-home" who is also more like an older sister in age. My daughter lives with a homeschooling family on some acres out of town and has enjoyed the children, chickens, etc. this past year during her studies at the university.

More about the panettone. I have modified and combined several recipes for panettone to come up with a yummy version in my bread machine.

2/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, chopped up
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Next ingredients subject to taste and availability:
1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed (really a must if you want the authentic flavor!)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cups dried and candied fruit
dried fruit like cranberries, currents, and golden raisins
candied orange or lemon peel
1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

My daughter believes that this bread tastes best when torn rather than cut but it does cut nicely and makes a very elegant tea sandwich when spread with cream cheese and jam!

We may also do a craft project today. We both need to make gifts for Christmas. If we manage this today I will post pictures!

I found time to pull out yarn, wool, and fabric Friday evening when a friend came over to play. She had seen some of my raw edge applique picture quilts and had a desire to make a fall quilted hanging with pumpkins. I showed her how to use needle felting and fabric on a felt background. I did a little color blending but didn't seriously work on my own project being more interested in enjoying the visit. I finished these little experiments the next day.








Saturday morning I went to an awesome huge charity garage sale. I stood in line to wait till it opened at 8:30 and made a bee-line to the "notions" area where I found a beautiful supply of wool tapestry yarn, embroidery floss and pearl cotton. Then I looked at the neat bundles of fabric for wool to felt and found 2 yards of creamy off-white wool knit and a yard of woven wool fabric. I plan to dye these to use in doll making and art quilts.








I looked for wool sweaters to felt but there were none to be found! I don't know if they had been purchased the previous day. I did find several garments to wear.

I saw such a wealth of discarded items that I am quite inspired to do more without buying new from stores! Of course that garage sale is not available year round and going regularly to small garage sales is time consuming! Oh well, I have enough now for a lifetime of art and crafting!

I just found the funniest AND most thought provoking blog I have read in a long time. I started with this post about junior high and just kept reading.

I usually read blogs by women who are artists and or mothers,... dealing with questions and problems sort of like mine. I read book reviews, view craft tutorials, and travel around the world seeing sites, viewing and commenting on art and life.

Brant Hansen is definitely male, a Christian, funny, and very creative! All this and serious at the same time. (Do I need to say that I don't necessarily agree with everything he says?)

Here is an old photo that I came across recently. We were 19 years old. I am glad that I can spin for the fun of it. I don't do it of necessity.

I have been consumed, eaten alive, by the start of school and the weight of my world. I have had some short bursts of energy to spend on fibers and dyes, but most of my little time in the studio of late has been spent organizing and cleaning. I am ashamed of the volume of stuff I have. I am behind and overwhelmed in almost every area of my life and consequently feel like a failure. What I think I need is a month off, to stay at home! Is that a common feeling these days? I think so, from talking to many people I know.
We have a running dialog, at this house, about the technologies that effect our lives either positively or negatively and can't agree if it is a net gain. I am very thankful for hot and cold running water, air-conditioning, cars, and yes my computer and the internet. But the speed and complexity of the business of life... the paperwork, the news, economics, bills, maintaining all those laborsaving devises, budgeting, various activities that children need transportation to, overseeing homework, grocery shopping, nutrition... As well as the time needed to maintain relationships.
I can hear, "It is a matter of priorities, making lists, delegating, and simplifying." When I manage to actually do that I will let you know... but don't hold your breath!

Art Studio Moving/Utility Room Redo

Sometimes I just need to write, even if I think I don't have anything to say! Blogging was suppose to fill this need but I have become too self-conscious and returned to a white legal pad to do my ramblings. I decided to do it here this morning.

I am pleased about what I did Friday evening and all day Saturday. I cleaned out and painted the utility room. I even painted the floor, mostly. It had been painted before with dark gray base, and barn red brick pattern sponged on. It was clever but always looked hideous to me. There were enough random other colors, dark and light to hide a multitude of "sins, which was it's redeeming feature. The walls were a very dark avocado green. It took 3 coats of a thick, expensive, one coat covers all, white paint!

I am trying to move my art studio out of my kitchen and dinning room but I have too much and am boxing some materials and storing in the garage. I gave an old fridge (40-50 years old) away to friends for their rent house. It was too old to sell. And it was given with no guarantees!

The trial of this new studio will be when I get all the laundry going on in there. There is a significant leak when I wash which I talked to the "landlord" about yesterday. Right now it is a very appealing place to work! By work I mean laundry and art. My sewing is still in the other room where it will stay, for now.

Books I Am Reading and Project I Have Started

I reread three volumes of THE LORD OF THE RINGS by JRR Tolkien this summer. Then I re-read the HOBBIT and THE SILMARILLIAN. Now I am reading the UNFINISHED TALES. I did not remember reading it at first but as I read I could remember reading it when my mother was in the hospital. All the stories were familiar but the actual reading had been lost in the memories of that traumatic time!

When I am too occupied with work to have much time to be creative, or if I come home too tired to do anything but the essentials, I like to have a project book to be reading and dreaming about!

I have a tendency to start new projects when I am frustrated and not having much art time. Then when the schedule is more reasonable, I will work on finishing several things in one or two weekends. My Art Quilt Group is using Jane Davila and Elin Waterston's book for our monthly meetings.

I have started making two dolls using Patti Medaris Culeas's book and patterns, though I used felt for the body and plan to make another head. She is not dressed yet except in a "make-shift" fashion for modesty! The character design is fun yet to come! Will she be an elf maiden or medieval princess?

First Week of School

amo, amas, amat...
ego, mei, mihi, me, me....

Mission accomplished! I got my workbooks ready, to and from the printer before the first day of school. I teach Latin to 110 children in grades 3-6 at a small, unique Christian School. My students learn Latin vocabulary and rudimentary Latin grammar as part of two and 1/2 days at school per week. They have two days of homework we call "homestudy" each week.

One of my duties this year is greeting children when they arrive and helping them out of their cars if needed. It turned out to be a joy rather than burden and will help me get to know the parents.

There is a beautiful eagerness in the faces of children who are wanting to learn something new. After the first day several moms reported to me that little Jonny or Jenny said Latin is their favorite class. This is mostly from 3rd graders. The older children tend to reserve judgment.

My time recently has been spent getting two older children off to college; they mostly got themselves off. The eighteen year-old needed more help (mostly with my check-book!) working his way through the system at the local college. It turns out that his textbooks in some instances are more expensive than tuition!

My two younger boys are in our classical Christian junior high school, associated with the grammar school where I teach. Last week I attended three orientations!

THE LONG, LONG ROAD

Sketches in the Field

I decided to break in a new journal on my camping trip this summer. It is a 5x7 inch Canson spiral notebook with warm creamy white paper. The paper is too thin for lots of water but works well with Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and a small amount of water. I used pens on some pages: Pigma Micron 05 (.45mm line width) in brown ink and a Martha Stewart Crafts pen in sepia also 5mm. I like both pens and neither bled through the page but I can see through to the next page slightly.

Friends, Hiking, Capes, Food, Music, Stories, Jokes!



I have been camping! No internet for several days and I didn't miss it; I was having so much fun! And working hard. When I camp I enjoy cooking, especially breakfast but everything is more work. I would get up as quietly as possible and build a fire, with mostly wet wood this year. Then I cook on a small camping stove. I heat water for hot drinks and make Malto-meal. This is "first breakfast." A few of the kids would be up by now and ready to eat by the fire. Then I made "second breakfast." We didn't have many eggs because we ate scrambled eggs the first night. But made fried biscuits and, well, I admit it, fried spam! It is a tradition left over from my childhood camping days. It is one of those things the kids notice if I forget to do on a camping trip but they wouldn't want to eat at home.


Two of my children went with me to New Mexico. We camped with friends in the Sacramento Mountains at almost 9000 ft above sea level. It rained a lot but didn't dampen our spirits, for long. The campground is one we have visited for years. It has had some recent improvements. We paid extra for the site with covered picnic tables. And it made all the difference in the world in our enjoyment of the rainy times! We sat out the rain singing, reading, playing games, and I did some drawing.

The kids, ages 8 to 24, hiked and wore out Andy the basset hound! Here are some photos. The pictures with people and dogs were taken by my long time friend, Kathy. Her children and mine have been friends for almost 16 years. We have camped together about 10 times. Four of my children were unable to come this year because of work or other trips. Next blog will show my photos and sketches of wildflowers.

Inspiration and Design

Here is an Australian print I used as the inspiration for two small journal sized quilts.



I have been taking part in a local informal Art Quilt Group for the last 3 months. This group of quilters includes some awesome talent. I learn and am inspired from them even when they are using techniques I am not currently using. I am not, at this point in my life going to make bed quilts. I love their "tailored" and perfect paper-pieced rendering of their drawings. However, I am not using that method and I don't have the time or patience to put perfectly mitered 1/4 inch binding around each art quilt.

I believe that many quilters are artists even when they use traditional patterns and methods. Art goes beyond skill alone but can certainly utilize skill. This gets into the area of "craft" and Art, how the two differ where the two intersect, a perennial question!

I am currently working with raw edges, free-motion machine stitching, felting, and an overall sketchy and messy look. I am painting with fibers!

In other words, I feel like the odd one in this group but still very welcome and more at home here than in the larger quilt guild.

Last month we isolated a 2 x 3 inch area of a printed fabric and used a sharpie to trace the lines of the design on a piece of clear acetate. We were challenged to take this home and create small quilt 9 x 12 inches to show at the next meeting. Here are my examples.

Long have I been absent from blogging!

"Momma is playing with dolls again!" This time paper dolls. I have been drawing and painting. Then using images of my various paintings I am playing with digital collage to which I will add hair and I don't know what else before I am finished. This is my small creative endeavor/offering for this week.

I am working at school three or four days a week plus two other small jobs that occupy me for several hours 3 afternoons. I feel wrung out... "thin, sort of stretched ...like butter scraped over too much bread." I have the "mid-to-late-summer-blues, I am not going to get done all the things I need or want to do, blues" I have had the satisfaction of working on flowerbeds.


O, and I am re-reading THE LORD OF THE RINGS. I am reading leisurely for an hour or so at my early bed-time, more on the week-ends. I already know what happens so it is a savoring of words! I am actually reading my mothers copy so I see what she underlined. I read it the first time when I was fourteen, the summer before I went into high school. I was into speed reading then purely for plot. I did not read it again until Christmas break after seeing The Two Towers. I read fast that time too. This is my second slow reading through. I love the story, plot, characters, images, and language!

I have not had any available creative energy left for blogging these last three weeks! All of it has gone into thinking about and preparing for the museum art camp I have just finished teaching. I enjoyed it immensely especially this last week. The title was ART IN IMAGINATION, official description: Mermaids, Fairies, Spacemen, Robots- Create original artwork based on fantasy using both 2 and 3-D media.

I remembered to take my camera two or three days but I needed a full time photographer to take pictures. With things happening fast and furious most of the art work got away without being photographed! We try to send most of the art home as soon as it is finished so usually my pictures of finished art is a haphazard catch-as-catch-can occurrence.

My lovely and talented assistant, my daughter gave her account of art camp here.

Monday- Draw and paint your imagined character using tempera paint on white paper. Embellish the person and place with the addition of yarn hair, google-eyes, glitter, sequins, tissue paper, and feathers.

Tuesday- Create your own three dimensional imagined character. I showed examples of a doll/action figure made of a roll of corrugated cardboard, one inch diameter wooden bead for the head, and pipe cleaners for arms and legs. I also showed how they could make a character by cutting two simple shapes of felt, ovals or rectangles stapled all around and stuffed with polyester fiber. We had colorful felt, pipe cleaners, colored staples, google-eyes, variety of colored paper, plastic lids, corrugated cardboard, brads, buttons, beads, sequins, markers, paint, glitter, craft glue, and yarn. Available tools were: scissors, hole-punch, needle, and thread if asked for. We had a cool glue gun station with an adult doing the gluing as requested. My assistant was very busy gluing as soon as the children realized the potential to glue almost anything without the “wait to dry time” required by the white craft glue.

Wednesday- Continuation of the above. Most children made multiple items of increasing complexity.

Thursday- Imagination at Night

The children wanted to do the same thing again as the previous two days….They begged!

I had them start with black construction paper to create an imagined scene at night with their characters. All of the same materials and tools were available to use. Some children were so intent on creating 3-D that they pushed the boundary of the assignment to construct dioramas out of the black paper. Others made three dimensional characters to attach to a night-time scene. I found a roll of yellow crepe paper so I showed anyone who wanted to how to make crepe paper and tissue paper flowers.

Friday

Imagine a set of double doors that when opened hold an imaginary world. All the materials and tools of the previous days were available. We made triptych structures out of corrugated cardboard with bead and button doorknobs. The interior became a forest, mountain with a castle, the moon with an astronaut, sea shore with fish and mermaids, space aliens and dragons… Some of these structures morphed into castles!

The director of the program, parents, and children gave this class high praise and I have already been asked to repeat it next year.

Altered Mead Composition Notebook,
originally uploaded by molly jean henson.

I recently found a movie of 500 years of women in art for your inspiration. It reminded me of this composition book I altered several months ago with art prints.

On the last day of this week's Art Camp the children made books with people on each page. Some of them created a character for each page with names, ages, and occupations.

Next week class title is "Art and Imagination." We are going to make 2-d and 3-d imaginative characters like fairies, robots, super heroes, space aliens, "monsters," etc. I am going to do my best to not say "monsters" and to steer them away from scary and movie characters!

Making art with children is sometimes tiring and a bit frantic but fun, and amazing! I love what they create. Here are some more exaples of art from my classes.

Making Books with Children

This week and next I am teaching two classes each morning at a local art museum's art camp. My twenty-two year old daughter is my valuable assistant. We have 15 - 17 children in each class, ages 6-12. This week we are making books. This is one of my favorite things to teach! Yesterday we taught them the three hole pamphlet stitch. They made an accordion style book travel journal with pockets, one signature, and a pop-up! I would call it a hybrid book. Constructing the pop-up was the hardest part but they all got it, some after a try or two.

We are making nature journals tomorrow using an easy construction method. Maybe we will have time to go to the sculpture garden to sketch. I never have long enough with the eager artistic children but there are always a few who would rather be elsewhere. So far, they are a very pleasant group of children.

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow!

(pictures added after this was written)

The Chihuahuan Desert

On visiting the real desert... A

bit obsessed!

I say that I live in the desert or on the edge of the desert. Recently we have had several years of drought. Our annual average rainfall is 13.51 inches. But in 1998 we got 5.18 inches which was the lowest rainfall since 1930 when measuring in this area began. We have been in a drought since 1998. Of course that means we are due for some catch up years. We have had good rains this spring even to flooding in specific locations. I don't yet know if it is enough to end the drought but I hope so.

This Sunday we went to Van Horn, Texas, which is in the Chihuahuan Desert, with its characteristic yucca, agaves, grasses, creosote bushes, prickly-pears and other cacti as well as a wealth of wildflowers. I love it! The Chihuahua Desert does not have the saguaro cactus, the tall branched cactus of western movies and illustrations. If you ever see a western movie ostensibly set in Texas but with this type cactus

you can be sure it was not actually filmed here but in California.

Here are some of my sketches and photos recent and old. Some are from previous trips and visits. When I was looking for old photos of the desert I found these of me as a child. I loved tocamp, still do!