Not much time for blogging or art lately...

We are packing up the temporary site of the Church I work for (and are members of) this week, and next week ... moving back to our regular church building ... it is a real mess!! No time for blogging, plus having Kaine and Jorden here for the weekend, so doing birthday party things as well, and hopefully getting time to enjoy them...

Can't wait till the move and unpacking is done... but it may be a month or more before it's all unpacked once we get everything back ... ugggghhhhh

Have I said how much I HATE box elder bugs lately??

UGGGHHHHHHHHHH... horrible, ugly little bugs!! They are really bad this year, esp. on the south side, sunny side, of the house outside ... but, they also come creeping in thru cracks in where the windows are ... I have squished at least 20 today!! Some days I don't see any, but I KNOW they lurking... they are drawn to light it seems... they love my lamp next to my computer, so I often have them flitting around me as I work... grrrrrr ... Other friends of ours have also said they are really bad at their homes too ... Man, I just HATE them!!

Box Elder Bugs
Box elder bugs are common pests over much of the United States. Adults are about 1/2 inch long.
They are bright red or black with narrow reddish lines on the back.
Box elder bugs feed principally by sucking juices from the box elder tree, but are sometimes found on other plants.

They do very little damage to the trees they attack, but at certain times of the year they can become a nuisance. Box elder bugs develop by gradual metamorphosis, from egg, to nymph, then to adult.

When box elder bugs build up to large populations and invade a home they are usually pests only by their presence, although their piercing-sucking mouthparts can sometimes puncture skin, causing slight irritation.

Adult box elder bugs will enter structures into the fall, seeking winter shelter.
They seek shelter in protected places such as houses and other buildings, cracks or crevices in walls, doors, under windows and around foundations, particularly on south and west exposures.

Box elder bugs can come out even during the dead of winter when it is cold outside and the sun is shining.
They will then emerge in the spring to seek out host trees on which to feed and lay eggs.

How to get rid of box elder bugs
Once box elder bugs have become established in the home, there aren't a lot of treatment options. There are not a lot of recommended chemical measures at this point.
The easiest way to remove box elder bugs, once they are indoors, is with a vacuum cleaner.

However, PREVENTION , is the best of all choices . This is done during the Fall time.

Recommended residual insecticides
To help prevent box elder bugs, cluster flies, lady bugs and similar pests from entering in the fall, outdoor, fast-acting synthetic pyrethroids such as the ones listed below are recommended:

Cyzmic CS
8 oz yields about 20 gallons of finished product at the strongest strength.
Demon WP
1 envelope of Demon WP yields 2 gallons of finished product at the strongest strength.
Cyzmic CS will dry without a visible residue, while Demon WP can be seen against darker surfaces. Both products will last 2-3 months on the surface once sprayed.

Spray around eaves, attic vents, windows, doors, under-fascia lips, soffits, siding(including under lips) and any other possible points of entry, concentrating on the south and the southwest sides .
Shady areas are less likely to attract box elder bugs.

Mechanical means of exclusion
Sealing box elder bugs out by caulking cracks and around utility service openings, fixing broken window screens and door jams, plugging cracks in the foundation or roof as well as similar exclusion-type activities will help prevent the box elder bugs from entering in the first place.

Grandson Jake Hockey Awards

This was from Jake's end of season awards party. Their hockey team took first place in their league, and the larger trophy is for taking 1st place in the Sun Prairie tourney. Way to go team!! And way to go Jake!! Jake was awarded the Offensive MVP Award too! We're proud of you! xoxoxx

Our Grand-dog!

Actually, this is our youngest granddog - Cooter, named after a wild, crazy character on the old TV Show "Dukes of Hazzard".

I love this photo of Cooter... he looks so angelic...but looks are deceiving. *L*

He does love to play with the three grandsons ... here he is being the goalie for Jake as he practices his hockey plays in the basement.



He is basically a good dog, but gets wild when the boys are playing wild... unfortunately for grandson Jeff today Cooter scratched or nipped at his ear, and Jeff had to get stitches... poor Jeff, he just had his tonsils out less than a week ago, so doctors are not at all Jeff's friends right now. But he is doing well after getting done at the clinic and coming home with a toy! Janel said his throat may be more sore however after this, from all the screaming he did at the doctor's office!

Sleepless in WI - Late Night Reliquary - Adam's Rib

Adam's Rib Reliquary (couldn't sleep tonite and worked on this idea... I may add more to it yet)

A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine) is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures. The authenticity of any... given relic is often a matter of debate; for that reason, some churches require documentation of the relic's provenance.

This may, or may not be a relic of Adam's rib *S*... it's in a tree reliquary, with apples (temptation- fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil).. Jesus stands at the bottom of the trunk, and snakes are guarding, or lurking, at the top.

"....wherever you may be.... "

Here's one of my latest assemblages ... if you recognize the lyrics to the song in my title of this piece, you'll get it more.



... Here are lyrics to the song "Lord of the Dance".

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Chorus:
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & I still go on!

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Chorus:
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Note Added at a Later Date:  Check out the liturgical dancer we had that danced to this song at Christ Church for Easter Sunday here

My Husband's Assemblage Work...

The Church that we are members of has been undergoing major renovations and remodeling the las 10 - 11 months. A half wall in the nave of the church was removed to make the area more handicap assessible. John used the pieces of the wall to make some lecterns/podiums. He is also making an altar for the Chapel.

Here are the podiums he made from the reclaimed wood of the walls. GREAT work John, I love them!! xoxoxox

St. Patrick & St. Joseph Table Fellowship & Fun

This morning at Church we are having a delicious pot luck of ethnic appetizers, celebrating St. Patrick and St. Joseph, since their saint days fall close together near this date. We ask everyone to bring a dish to share of their favorite ethnic recipe. I made a deluxe version of an Irish cabbage and potato dish called COLCANNON. I add carrots, and shredded corned beef to it, along with some spices .. it's pretty delicious if I do say so myself! *S*



Here is my donation to the pot-luck, staying warm in the crockpot for our gathering in a couple of hours. If you are in the area, come on down to our temp. Christ Church location (221 E. Walworth Ave.) and enjoy all the goodies and blarney that will be flying around after our 10 a.m. worship!

All are welcome!

Art & Fun with the Grandson continues...

It was a fun morning with Josh ... after breakfast we played a rousing game of "Catch Phrase" ... here are some descriptions of items Josh had to give me and I had to guess the word or item.
Josh - "You're happy! And it's on a beach".
Me - "Sand? Sun? Water?" ...
Josh - "Nope, a clam!- you know Gramma, happy as a clam?!" .. *L*

Josh- "Something you count" ...
Me - "numbers, money, things?" ...
Josh - "well Gramma, maybe you should remember to count this - it's CALORIES!"
... arrgghh.. *L*



Last night we had fun drawing cartoon characters, Josh is a great artist! It's been fun to do things together that we both have a passion for. So he was anxious to pull out his artcase of crayons, markers and paints again.





Today Josh asked me to think of some character to draw ... I said, "Why don't we draw a still life, do you know what that is?" Josh said, "Of course Gramma! We studied that in school too!" ...so, we looked on the internet and Josh picked out this still life for us to try to draw, it's called "Still Life - Naples".

Here are our renditions of the still life in marker and crayon. Josh did a GREAT job!! I plan on keeping this in a safe place so in 30 - 40 years when Josh is a famous painter, it will be worth millions! *lol*




A fun Saturday morning with Josh for sure!! After a quick trip to the dollar store, and picking up mashed potatoes & gravy and chicken at KFC for Jeff (some of his favorite things - and the potatoes and gravy should feel good on his throat)..we headed back to see how Jeff was doing and drop off Josh. Glad to see Jeff still doing so well, and he even ate chicken!! *S*

Grandson Overnight: In Search of the Beast ... Art Nite with Gramma ... Super Moon viewing thru the eyes of a 6 year old...

Our youngest grandson, Jeff, had his tonsils and adnoids out early this morning. It is same day surgery, and he was home, after spending a few hours in the recovery room, by about noon. Glad to see he was doing so well, although not talking so much yet, when I went to visit around 4 and pick up Josh for an overnight. Thanks to those who offered their prayers for his surgery and recovery... it seems to be going well!

So tonite it's Josh and I enjoying fun stuff! Josh brought his art books and art case with his crayons, paints, pastels and more! Love that he wanted to make it an art night! *lol* But first he had to watch a show on the Nick TV Channel about Big Foot. When I told him that there was a legendary beast like that around our area, he seemed interested, so I told him about "The Beast of Bray Road"! And then, of course we just HAD to go in search for him .. so off we went, as long as it was still daylight, I told him, we'd be safe...bwhahaha! *S*



But, alas, we only saw some tracks along the road in some melting snow, and couldn't be sure if they were squirrel, deer, raccoon, or some other kind of animal tracks.. *L* But, Josh was a bit relieved that all we saw was the Bray Road sign I think.. ha!

So, after making a stop at Josh's choice for dinner (Taco Bell to go and a McDonalds shamrock shake!), we headed home to eat and make some art.



What fun that was! Josh is a good artist, and his cartoon character renditions seem to have a Picasso-type element to them..*L* He chose what characters he wanted to try to draw, and we both tried our hand at it. I mostly drew the heads on mine, but Josh finished off parts of the body and some other details on mine too.



After the art fun, and a few games, we decided to look outside and see if we could see that "Super Moon" that was suppose be happening tonite and tomorrow night... It was a pretty bright moon, fun to see Josh excited about it too... *L*


(Note: turn off my playlist song to hear Josh on this short video clip.)

A supermoon is a new or full moon that happens to coincide with a close approach of the moon to the earth. Saturday's full moon will be the closest it has been to Earth in 18 years, according to Spaceweather.com.
The distance between the Earth and the moon during the event will be about 221,567 miles, as compared to the average distance of 238,000 miles, according to Space.com.
That may not seem like much of a difference (and compared to the distance it's not), but the diameter of the moon is only 2,159 miles. That means the moon will be over 7.5 diameters closer to Earth than average.

If you miss seeing the "super moon" tonite, you should still be able to check it out tomorrow night too!

It was a busy, and fun night... Josh is almost asleep, and I'm not far behind him! Thank you Lord for grandchildren!! ... and for Jeff's continued recovery!

NEW ECVA Call for Entries....

Open Studio 2011 is an opportunity for ECVA artists (those members of The Artists Registry @ ECVA) to submit their newest, favorite, or "best" work. (Images must not have been shown in previous ECVA exhibitions.)

Open the doors to your studio, we can't wait to visit!

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DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS APRIL 17, 2011

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Artists who are members of The Artists Registry @ ECVA may submit one (1) image for this exhibition. It's easy to become a member of the Artist Registry at ECVA, go to their website to find out how!

These images must be in either GIF or JPEG file format and sized so that they are at least 600 pixels (8.33 inches) on the SHORTEST side, when displayed at a resolution of 72 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Check out the website at ECVA for more info!

Adelaide's Diet Aids

Seems that diet fads back in the early 1900's were a bit bizarre.... Sanitized Tape Worms that helped banish FAT, easy to swallow and NO ill effects either!
And La-Mar Reducing Soap, guaranteed to wash away fat, and years of age too!

Poor anorexic Adelaide seems to have gone overboard on both products!



This fun Shadowbox Assemblage includes a skeleton body (from my grandson's Halloween lollipops), with a vintage head (formerly a pin). Adelaide has a vintage bead heart, and beaded brass umbrella. Her dog (brass) eyes one of the brass tapeworms warily. A fork and knife, along with remnants of a piece of La-Mar reducing soap, and vintage ads are featured inside as well. On the outside of the box, which sits on a distressed pedestal, a cloth tape measure lines the box sides, and another brass tapeworm sits on top.

Finally I am fully into the year 2011!!

Even though we are 2 1/2 months into 2011, I was still back in 2010 ... but finally, I've finished getting all my 2010 tax papers in order and took them to our tax man this morning. A job that I am glad is over, at least on my end. I do our books for the business throughout the year, but there is NO way I would do our taxes... not with all the changes from year to year.

Also today, our internal audit committee finished up the annual church books audit for 2010! This year we have been "awarded" a limited audit because of the good job we had done in the previous year... so it is much easier this time around... about 20 hours less work for the internal audit committee and myself!



Thanks to Barb and Bill for their time volunteering for our Internal Audit Committee too... we appreciate YOU!

SOOOOOO, now I can advance fully into this year...(a burden lifted!) YAY and PTL!!!

Conjoined Trinity .... unfinished

This is something I have had sitting around, wishing I could be inspired to finish it and put it into something. It was originally a vase with joined handles, and three different places for flowers. I added some old doll heads, some shoes from clown dolls, and some wire and shoe charms around each neck. I think it looks like conjoined triplets... what kept coming into my mind while I was putting it together was "the trinity", but not sure where that idea will go from here?

I was also considering putting this into a box that would be decorated like a circus tent, and finding some old vintage freak show posters to add to it. The round ball thing on their heads is just sitting there, not attached, I kind of like it. The trinity piece is on a turntable, so it can spin all the way around, I'd like to decorate that also with some kind of beaded fringe perhaps?

Anyway... I have quite a few things here in the works... just haven't had much time to get any art done lately...

2010 Tax things however ARE getting done, and almost ready for my meeting in a few days.. and then the annual audit of the Church books from 2010 will get done this week, and perhaps then I can finally get into the year 2011 fully! *L*

Early Celebration of St. Patrick's Day with Friends...

The Delavan Lion's Club annual Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner was today. Our friend Randy has treated many of us to the annual event for a number of years...this year was no exception! THANKS RANDY!! We gathered with others at Randy's before heading over to enjoy the Lion's Club dinner held at the Village Supper Club. It was a fun afternoon and early dinner... delicious food too!




Camera-hog Ron and me posin...*L*
And, yes... as you can see... some of our friends (Rocky!!) like to dress a bit over-the-top..*L* ...Gotta luv em!!

Tiny Tim ... unfinished

God bless us every ONE! A damaged doll, limbs missing, canes, crutches .... this reminds me of tiny Tim, the crippled boy from "A Christmas Carol".

I'm not finished with this yet... but kind of liked the assemblage of things together...


.... more to come on it at another time....

Shrove Tuesday - Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - Pancake Day!!

The day before Lent begins... At our Church we have the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. This year we had to host it at our temporary downtown storefront location since the major renovations on our church building are still going on.

It turned out to be one of the best crowds we've had in the last few years... but I think the fact that there wasn't a major snowstorm tonite also helped over previous years!

Lent, which starts tomorrow, usually is a "season" of self-denial, more prayer, worship events, etc... well, I guess you could say I started some self-denial early since John and I, along with Randy and Sue gave up our Tuesday Nite "Support Group" dinner at Tubbys and had pancakes instead of our lobster or shrimp dinner ...yep, that was indeed a sacrifice! *lol* But the pancakes were delicious too!




Here are a few photos from tonite...

My Dad was part of the Pancake Crew, again washing dishes and helping out, along with Bob Britt, who has been part of the Crew for over 70 years! His son, Mark, took over as "head chef" for this year's event.






Ron and Mark had to hustle to keep up with the pancake eating guests!! Dad takes a break from dishwashing to enjoy some pancakes too!




Thanks to the men for all their work in our Pancake Supper!!

Temporary Office - Shrovetide - Pancakes & more ...

As some of you know, the Church I work for has been undergoing some major, MAJOR renovations. And we've been in a temporary, downtown, storefront location since May 2010. We actually started packing for the move over a year ago now... but soon, in less than a month (hopefully!), we'll be starting to move back to our newly renovated Church building! Yay!!! I'm looking forward to getting out things that have been packed away, and getting into a new office space and new worship spaces. BUT, I'm not looking forward to the actual repacking up and moving, reorganizing, and all this huge move-back will involve.. ugghh!




Lately I haven't had much time for assemblage art ... been spending a lot of time in this little cubbyhole space and getting things done for the coming Lenten Season - which starts this coming Wednesday - Ash Wednesday!

Right now, we are in Shrovetide!

The Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday are known as "Shrovetide," from an old English word "shrive," meaning "to confess," a name gotten from the tradition of going to Confession in the days before Lent started. Shrovetide is traditionally the time for "spring cleaning," and just as we clean our houses in these days in prepation for Lent, we also "clean our souls" through confession so we can enter the penitential season fresh.
Shrovetide is the last two days of "Carnival," an unofficial period that began after the Epiphany and which takes its name from the Latin carnelevare, referring to the "taking away of flesh" (meat) during Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, the day following Shrove Tuesday.

The Tuesday of Shrovetide is a particularly big party day known as "Mardi Gras" (French for "Fat Tuesday") -- or "Pancake Tuesday" because fats, eggs, and butter in the house had to be used up before Lent began, and making pancakes or waffles was a good way to do it.




In many places, especially in England, pancake races became popular and remain popular today. In these races, women must run while flipping a pancake so many times, and whoever crosses the finish line first wins. The largest pancake race in England is in Olney, in Buckinghamshire. There, the women must wear a dress, apron, and bonnet, and flip the pancake three times -- while ensuring it is intact after they cross the finish line, of course. The story told to explain the origins of this race is that in 1445, a homemaker heard the shriving bell (the bell rung to summon people to confession on this day) as she was busy working in her kitchen. Not wanting to be late, she rushed about and ran off with her skillet still in hand.

Our Church is having the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper tomorrow night, (ALL ARE WELCOME!), we had hoped to be in our renovated Church building by this time, but unfortunately we are still in the temporary site.




However, the tables are set-up there, awaiting those who want to come and have some delicious pancakes, sausage and beverages! If you're in the area on Tuesday, between 5 - 7 p.m., stop on in and enjoy some food and fellowship!!

Happy Shriving!!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

A nice day off! John & I spent part of it going to see grandson, Jake's hockey game, and spending time with grandson Josh watching it. Since it was a tournament weekend there, there were basket's for drawings, and other chances to win things. A lollipop tree caught Josh's eye, as he hoped to win $20 if he picked the right sucker. He tried several times, but alas, all he got was a lollipop and an empty sucker stick. *L*





Jake and his team had a good game! They won 6-3! Good going Beloit Blades!!
Jake was a real go-getter, even against some bigger players who liked to shove a lot.



It was fun watching Jake play, and fun spending time with Josh too (such a goof!) *S*.




Our other grandson Jeff, was at a birthday party, so we missed spending some time with him, but next time we will!