Growing

A little veggie garden:

{From this…}

 {…to this.}

A little girl:

{From the first day of kindergarten…}

{…to the last.}

Guess which one is growing too fast?

Sand, ocean, fresh air, family time…

{Malayna in Cape May, 2009}

We are taking our yearly Cape May vacation soon. I cannot wait to hear, smell and see the ocean. There's nothing like being at the beach to inspire me. It must be something about the openness of the space, breathing that air everyday and having no schedule other than sitting in the sand with the sun shining overhead. We park the car and leave it there for most of the vacation since everything in Cape May is accessible by foot or bike. We've been vacationing here for the last 10 years and it's at the top of my list of favorite places.

 {Philadelphia Beach in Cape May.}

I plan on taking a new sketchbook and some pencils and markers with me. Malayna makes friends easily and always finds someone to play with on the beach, which leaves us with the time to draw, read or do absolutely nothing!

 {Buried!}

{2009}

Do you feel freshly inspired after going away?

Sending love to another mama

I've been following Katie Allison Granju's story of her son's drug addiction and his subsequent death. She tells her story as a kind of warning to other parents: don't take your child's drug use lightly, no matter what kind of drug they are experimenting with. Her story is a reminder that it can happen to any one of us with children. Read her story, watch the video and hug your kids.

You can donate to the Henry Louis Granju Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will provide funds for families who are struggling to pay the costs of drug and alcohol treatment for their children.

New work & summer art classes

Hello all! Seems like during the warmer months I take an unintentional break from blogging. I'm still here, but it looks as though my website is down at the moment. You can still view everything (which is good, I guess), but you can't add anything to the shopping cart and I can't add any more new products (which I just took pictures of on Wednesday). I've started adding things to my Etsy shop, but I'm nowhere near finished. I'm pretty sure that the problem will be solved if I could update my shopping cart, but I have no idea how to go about doing that (even after reading the tutorial). I'm looking for someone to help me, so if you know of anyone drop me a line at milkshakecrafts at yahoo dot com. Thanks :)

 {New clematis desk clock}

If you are local to the Philly area (Elkins Park to be exact), I will be teaching art classes in my home (backyard) this summer on Thursday mornings from 9:30-11:30. The age is 6-8, and I already have a few children signed up. If you're interested or just want to hear more, email me at milkshakecrafts at yahoo dot com.

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

 {Springtime 6 years ago.}

Summer!

{Look, no arm floaties!}

It's not officially summer yet, but it sure does feel like it. Malayna has been counting down to the end of school for a few weeks now. But she's not counting the days because she wants school to end - she's sad that she won't be in kindergarten anymore.

{Giant inflatable water slide.}

 

{Let me in!}

We have a few things planned for the summer, but I mostly want to enjoy not having a schedule for a few months. I'll be teaching an art class here on Thursday mornings for 6-8-year-olds in July and August that I'm really excited about. I love watching kids create and seeing how each one interprets a theme differently. We leave for our yearly Cape May vacation in June, and I cannot wait to dip my toes in the ocean and park my beach chair at the water's edge.

{Lola swims!}

 {This is what happens when a five-year-old applies his own sunscreen.}

Meanwhile, we'll enjoy swimming in our pool and playing with the ever-growing group of kids on our block. I love that Malayna can go outside and play with her friends - no need to get in the car and drive anywhere, no sitting inside watching TV, no complaining about being bored (okay, maybe a little of that). It reminds me of the neighborhood where I grew up and I'm so happy that Malayna gets to experience this. Our yard has the swingset and pool, the neighbors across the street have a trampoline and inflatable water slide. There are trees to climb, grass to run in and friends to play with. Isn't that what childhood is all about?

 {Not so sure about this swimming thing.}