WE WISHED IT INTO BEING

I think I mentioned before that, when we first moved to this little house we call Seasonality, I couldn't draw stick figures. Luckily, the friend I call High School Debbie took care of all that about six years ago, when she introduced me to on-line art classes. Or, should I say, one teacher in particular -- the amazing Junelle Jacobsen. Why is she so special? Well, for one thing, she was the one who finally forced me to let go of my perfectionism, and gave me permission to just play and have fun. Best of all? She's got seasonality!

A Couple Of Projects From My First Class With Junelle, Spring '12

She's a photographer/artist who lives in Idaho, I believe, and spends lots of time outdoors in nature, especially during the spring lambing season! Her classes tend to reflect those passions, as you can see in these pages from her various seasonally-inspired projects.

Summer Projects from 2013 and 2014

She even taught me how to use an altered book as an art journal.

Spring of 2015 or '16

Not only did she take away my fear of drawing and water-color painting, her fun projects always kept me motivated to stay at it, at least for a while. Whenever I found myself slacking off, I'd just sign up for another class! But then I got sidetracked with weddings and travel and travel journals and collage and collage paper painting and grandbabies! Before I knew it, more than a year had passed since I had taken one of her classes, or done much of anything with watercolors, or seasonality, and I really, really missed it!

Imagine the shock I got when I went to her blog to look for a new class to take, only to find it had been abandoned! No new posts or classes in months and months. I couldn't even imagine what might have happened. I immediately messaged H.S. Debbie to see if she had heard anything. She said she thought she may have taught at a few events during the year, but had seen no sign of her online classes anywhere. She was just as sad as me!

Then, just a few days later, Synchronicity stepped in to save the day once again. I was doing a very quick scroll down my facebook feed, about to shut it off and go to bed, when something grabbed my attention and made me scroll back up. Someone I don't even know had posted a fallish-looking sketch and said something about falling into another Junelle Jacobsen wormhole for the next few weeks. I went straight to her website and there it was -- a brand new seasonal workshop, starting the very next day!

I immediately signed up, then texted Debbie to tell her the news. She said we wished it into being!

A SCARE AND A TREAT

My poor kiddos had a rough week. Little Goober was on the tail end of a long-lasting head cold when he suddenly took a turn for the worse, getting all wheezy and coughing up gunk. Lex took him to their pediatrician early the next morning and we were all shocked to hear he might have a mild case of pneumonia. The doc prescribed some antibiotics, but they didn't seem to be helping, and by that evening he had a "barking seal" cough and was really struggling to talk and breathe. Lex called the doctor back and was advised to take our sad baby on over to Dell Children's Hospital, where they decided the poor kid actually had croup, which is viral, not bacterial.

They ended up keeping him overnight and gave him some steroids and a couple of nebulizer treatments. Any idea how hard it is to get a toddler to keep a mask over his mouth and nose? On the plus side, the more he screamed and wailed, the more of the treatment he was sucking in. By morning he was much, much better, 'tho his parents were a good bit worse for wear!

We gave them some time at home to catch up on their rest, then went over to take them some dinner, and to see for myself that my baby was OK. He still has a really raspy voice, but his spunk is finally coming back and, though I'm ashamed to say this, sick baby snuggles are really some of the best, are they not?

Then came the treat part of the week. A good while back Hubby surprised me with tickets to a concert he knew would set me all a-quiver, and which was to be held at the beautiful old Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. We began our special date here at La Traviata Italian Bistro, a longtime Congress Ave. favorite we had just never got around to trying.

Loved this prosciutto and parm appetizer served in crisp endive boats with a drizzle of truffle oil.

Calamari Puttanesca for me and something with meatballs for Hubby

Just my kind of place -- my hubby knows me well!

Then it was just a short walk down Congress to reach our ultimate destination...

And, judging from the number of rhinestone cowboys and gals we passed along the way, all headed in the same direction, we had a feeling it was going to be a full house!

I think this old theater -- the same one where we saw Postmodern Juke Box with the kids a while back -- is one of the most beautiful ever.

Primping Stations in the Ladies Room

Still a Cutie!

The place was packed, and it ended up being one of the most fun concerts we've ever been to. What a performer! Not only does he still have an amazing voice range (perfect for the occasional Roy Orbison ballad), smooth dance moves, and a great sense of humor. He also, judging from all the swooning women in the audience, still manages to exude hotness as well!

Interested in having a fun date-night yourself? Check out these upcoming performances by a couple of Wimberley's own!

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Sarah Jarosz

Now I'm off to check on baby Calvin again. Catch ya later!

 

THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER...

 It's been one heck of a weekend. It started on Thursday, and it's still going! First we went to take care of little Calvin while mama went to the dentist.

Calvin And His Babies

Calvin introduces Papa John to Daniel Tiger -- the only screen time he ever gets.

By the time we got home, my sister Carolyn and niece Stephanie were there at the house waiting for us, and ready to party! The girls and I spent all day Friday in Fredericksburg where, in case you didn't know, you can actually get a traditional German dirndl dress...

for your dog!

On Saturday we celebrated Austin-the-son's birthday at the infamous Texas Chili Parlor in Austin-the-town.

El Camino Parking Only!

So Much Interesting Stuff For a Little Pirate To Look At!

This place was featured in the Quentin Tarantino grindhouse movie Death Proof, which is why there's an autographed photo of Kurt Russell just to the left of that festive buck.

The next day we celebrated sister Poodie's birthday at yet another example of Austin's wonderful-but-disappearing weirdness, Full English, where we had high tea.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the girls will be heading home today after lunch. It was fun while it lasted!

THE SECRET TO A GREAT ADVENTURE

Hubby keeps asking me where I want to go on our next big adventure, and I keep waffling around. First it was Tuscany. Then it was Quebec. Now I'm thinking we might just have to go back to Paris, even though we've already been there several times.

"Why?", you may be asking. Well, our greatest travel adventures seem to have occurred after I stumbled upon a novel that takes place in that part of the world -- especially when it's a novel written by a foodie. And, hoo-doggie, have I ever stumbled upon a Parisian treasure trove! The book I am reading is The Library of Light and Shadow, by M.J. Rose. It's too early to know whether I will love the novel itself, but what I found inside is priceless, nonetheless. The story hops back and forth between the main character's past and present -- a past where her first love took her on a "secret tour of Paris -- every spot chosen for her enjoyment and delight." First stop? No. 34 Passage du Désir, a chocolatier, where he purchased one small sack of chocolate-covered orange peel. Back outside, he opened it and pulled out a piece.

" 'Open your mouth, and close your eyes. Don't bite on it at first, just let it start to melt. There's an art to eating fine chocolate.' I did as I was told, and he fed me. My body reacted to the delectable citrus and cocoa flavor and also the intimacy of the act. Once the chocolate covering had melted, I chewed the candied peel. Before I could open my eyes, Matthieu leaned forward and kissed me..."

I told my hubby we really need to go back to Paris so we can follow the path of their secret tour, and do everything that they did. Everything. Only problem? This mythical tour took place in the 1920s, so I have no way of knowing if any of these places are still there. My hopes are high, however. When I see the amount of detail the author puts into her descriptions, I have to believe these are places that she has actually been to herself.

Speaking of epic adventures, remember this little travel journal?

Remember how, when I finished it, I felt compelled to send it out into the world, just to see what happens? Well, guess who got an email yesterday from Art Journaling Magazine, saying it has been selected for publication in an upcoming issue?  SQUEEEEE!!!
 

MINIMALIST MOTIVATION

King of the Castle

There's nothing I like better than to get a group text from one of the kids saying "So what's everybody up to this weekend?" Saturday we got one from Alexis. Apparently Nate had a work-group-bonding-thing to attend on Sunday (guns and barbecue in Lockhart?) so she and Goobs were going to head our way. That's my signal to scurry, and get everything we let slide since his last visit back to babyproof status. Then comes the fun part! Choosing from amongst all the great toys and books we have been gifted with, and setting up a few "play stations". This time we went with zoo animals, since he hadn't seen those in a while.

He absolutely adores this book!

Then I added just a few tiny fall decorations which I thought might catch his eye, even though it's still in the 90's here, and hard to get in the mood.

The only problem with the baby-proofing part is that each time I think I've got it all figured out, he goes and raises the bar on us. Literally. Now, not only can he climb into those big ol' chairs,  he can also grab the big dining room chairs by a leg, drag them around on the smooth wood floors, and stand up in them to reach all the breakable stuff that was previously unreachable. Now what do I do? Could this be the true motivation behind the younger generation's love of minimalism? The big ceramic pumpkin will be the first thing to go.

Midway through the visit we headed into town to grab a bite at The Leaning Pear. I can't remember the last time we had brunch there -- probably not since Hays City opened, since it is much closer to our house. I was shocked at all the new brunch items they've added to their menu. Especially this one -- Fried Chicken and Biscuit with Sambal Honey and Kimchi! It's got my son Austin's name written all over it!

We capped off the visit by checking out the new toy store that just opened up next door to The Pear.

 
Uh-Oh. We're in trouble now! (More likely from Hubby than from Calvin)