Learning Colors - Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I created a poster for my classroom to help my students learn their colors. I was only half way done when I did that one. Now I've created the mate to that poster so now all of the colors are represented. On a side note I'm also taking an online course called Flower Power so my posters seem all the more appropriate. Can't beat flowers teaching children their colors, right? Now that's Flower Power!

The one on the right is the one I just completed.
The one on the left has already been laminated.
They'll be placed side by side on adjacent
cupboard doors. I'll get my students to write
the color names for each flower and tape
their writing on the posters.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Learning Colors - Part 1

A couple of weeks ago I started making posters for my classroom. (I work with three and four-year-olds with disabilities.) Today I made the first of two posters to help my students learn colors. After I laminate this poster and get it hung up in my room, I'll work with my students to write the words for each color and we'll work on mastering color identification. I decided a flower garden would be a perfect representation of all of the colors. I'm excited to create its companion poster soon!

I sketched the flowers.

I began painting them.

I used five colors...five more to go!

I added stems, leaves, and grass.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Grandson with Rainbrella - Rebooted - Part 2

Happy to report that I've had a crazy bug free day...so far. But my precious chicken, Phyllis, did go a tad crazy. We had our grill out in the middle of our deck because Dave and the little guy grilled steaks last night. (Not me, of course. I had mushrooms.) Phyllis had what she thought was a great idea and jumped right in the grill. I'm sure it looked like a lovely perch and all, but the girl and I need to have a serious talk about what constitutes a good idea and what does not.

Here's the completed "Grandson with Rainbrella " (rebooted). Below are the final few stages before I finished. It was just as much fun to paint this time as it was before!

"Grandson with Rainbrella"

After the background was pretty much finished
I sketched out the boy and his "rainbrella" and began painting.

I filled in the rest of him.

I added details to his clothing, hair, and the "rainbrella".

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

I'm running a big sale on my paintings through the end of August. Almost everything in my gallery is 60% off. I'm only keeping my most current work (paintings on page 1) at the listed prices. If there's something you'd like, please let me know by message or comment so I can manually adjust the price. Thanks!!! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/kali-parsons-3935/artwork

Grandson with Rainbrella - Rebooted - Part 1

Apparently I need to work some bugs out of my system. Yesterday with my bee passenger, whom I really didn't have a problem with aside from the potential stinging. And then today with a most unwelcome passenger on my person...my body...my hair and then neck, to be precise. I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher when I felt something. It could have been a bit of hair tickling my neck, but no, I only have longish hair in the front. I reached up to the back of my head, gently touched my hair, and felt the broad smoothness that could only be a big cockroach. It, in response, ran down my neck and then flew to the ground as I frantically swatted and said a few very rude things. <shudder> I'd like a bug-free day tomorrow, thank you very much.

And now on to my painting. If you think the beginning of this painting looks familiar, you're absolutely right! I painted a version of it a couple of months ago. And now I'm painting another version of it for a different family member of this precious little guy. I love that they both wanted one!

So lovely revisiting this image. And this time I get to share my painting steps. Funny thing, I'm painting it in a different order than I did the first time.

I started with the background...
sky, fence, greenery.

I roughed in the shape of the tree with the
leftover paint on my palette. I added some
tree shapes further back and some darker
elements in the front.

I added clouds, gave the tree more appropriate
colors, and added some texture and detail
go the greenery.

I added more foliage elements.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

A Fabulous Day

What a fabulous day! Let me tell you all about it....

The little guy and I went to a new gym today just to check it out. After our brief tour he went one way and I went another. I hit the treadmill and then when I was just sitting down to do my regular routine with the weight machines my little guy appeared.


Little guy: "Come work out with me. I need a spotter."

Me: "Me? I'm too little to be your spotter."

Little guy: "Let's just try. Come on, let's go."


So with great reluctance, trepidation, and a considerable mumbling of protests, I followed.

And we did it. And it worked pretty well. I continued my undercurrent of negative commentary as he pushed and pushed and PUSHED me harder than I've been pushed in many years. And I was actually able to spot him effectively though he likely wasn't pushing himself as hard as he was pushing me...you know, for his safety and all.

So while he's promised me that my upper body will be really really sore in the morning, I'm super excited to go back tomorrow for the leg workout he's got in store for me.


Me: "I promise I won't gripe so much tomorrow."

Little guy: "Oh, you'll gripe. You'll have a lot to say about how sore you are." (Pretty darn sure he looked more than a little happy about this.)


I cannot wait!!! Really!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

The Kid's got Nerve, I Say

Just the big guy is hanging out at the house tonight.  We hadn't seen him all evening, though the "boom, boom" base rang loud and clear from his room.  So...when he finally got thirsty enough to bless us with his presence, well....


Me: "Hi, snoopy-poo!"

Dave:  "Schnickerdoodle!"

Me:  "Love bunny!"

Dave:  "Punkinater!"

Me:  "Cutie boo-boo!"


And the kid totally ignored us.  The nerve!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Lazy is as Lazy Does

Apparently the new operating system for the iPhone just came out.


Little guy:  "Have you downloaded the new operating system?"

Me:  "No.  Didn't know there was one."

Little guy:  "Yeah, look.  I don't even have to type hardly anything and words pop up.  I can be even lazier than before!"

Me:  "I didn't know you could be any lazier than you already are."


...pause...


Me:  "Hey, will you download the operating system for me?"

Dave:  "Wait a minute, weren't you the one just criticizing laziness?"

Me:  "Oh...yeah.  So will you download it for me?"


And my sweet, not so lazy kid did.

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Startled!

I saw my shadow today.  I see it pretty much every day, of course, but it really stuck out to me today.  And it startled me.  The thing is, even though I got my hair cut short about three months ago (it was long for almost ten years), I think in my mind's eye, I still have long hair.  Mind you, it's not a sad startle.  It's a "Dang, that's sassy!" startle. 

So...I suppose I was basically startled by my sassy self.  Groovy!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

The Educating of Strangers

Every once in a while life gifts you with the opportunity to educate someone you don't even know. 

Like today for instance.

I was walking my dog, Hazel, whom I recently gave a very short buzz cut, and a big, beautiful fluffy dog was approaching us with her owner. 


Me:  "What kind of dog is that?"

Lady with the fluffy dog:  "It's a golden doodle."

Me:  "Well this is a golden doodle, too.  I just shaved her...this is what your dog looks like naked!"

Lady:  "That's amazing!"


I'm telling you...me educating strangers...it's practically a community service!

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

So what have we learned about chickens lately? 

Well, they love mint.  I mean they really, really, really love mint.  In fact chickens love mint so much that when you go to the nursery, purchase organic mint plants, bring them home, plant them in the ground, and water them well, chickens will eat every last bit of the leaves in two days flat.

And what have I learned about mint lately?

It really, really, really doesn't grow well when it has absolutely no leaves.


So...I'll be off to the nursery to get a very LARGE mint plant.  My dillusional thinking has me convinced that this will give the plant a head start.

Gives the saying "winner, winner, chicken dinner" a whole new meaning, eh?

Click here to view my gallery.  Most of my paintings are for sale.

 

I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

Bubblicious!

OK.  I made a new discovery today that was so awesome!  And I know you likely already know about it, but to me it was all new and amazing.  Today for the first time ever, I tried one of those bubble drinks.  Bubblicious awesomeness!!!  I got avocado milk...with bubbles... which made my family curl their lips and raise at least one eyebrow in suspicion, but it full on rocked!

Avocado...perfection!
Sweet condensed milk...bliss!
Tapioca balls...fabulous!

It's officially my new favorite thing!

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Marco Polo

I remember not liking that game as a kid.  I found it completely impossible as someone for whom dog paddling was the best swim stroke available.  I got stuck in the land of "it" for way, way too long.  But when I played it today with my kids I pretty much loved it.  I realized there are a few tricks that I didn't know about when I was a youngster.

1 - Splash the face of the person who is "it" if they're pursuing you.

2 - If I'm "it" full on lunge in the direction of the "Polo".  Hold nothing back.

3 - Oh, and it's OK to peek every once in a while.  It makes it so much more enjoyable.

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An Unexpected Overnight Guest

I woke up this morning and discovered that we had a most delightful unexpected overnight guest.  Right by our front door sat a toad.  An adorable, lumpy, clearly missing the great outdoors as he was staring at the door, toad.

And right beside this toad was our kitten, seemingly just as puzzled by our wee little guest as I.

I picked that sweet little fella up, opened the door a crack, and set him outside.  Our kitten looked at me, looked at the toad, and then looked back at me as if saying, "Them's not good eatin', mama." I'm quite sure he at least gave that little toad a taste test lick.

Come back for an overnight any time, little fella!

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Magic Happens

One of my paintings was sold in an auction to benefit the school where I work.  The other day I found out which wonderful family had bought it and it made my day because I knew this family.  Then a day later I was walking my dog and I ran in to the lovely mom in this family.  And she told me that my painting was now hanging in her older daughter's room.  And I had worked with this wonder girl when she was in kindergarten.  And then I saw this sweet girl today and told her how happy I was that my painting was hanging in her room.  And she beamed with pure light, happiness, and magic.

And, and, and!!!

...and that is what I love most about painting.

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I'd love for you to share my art and blog with the links below.  Thanks!

The Eggs are Numbered

Big guy:  "Why do all the eggs have numbers on them?"

Me:  "For rocketry."

Big guy:  "Why for rocketry?"

Me:  "We needed to know how much they each weighed so we could shoot them up in rockets."

Big guy:  "Oh."


I'm so glad I live in a house where numbered eggs draw only the slightest bit of attention for being out of the ordinary.

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Our Master Plans Worked!

Dave and I wanted to go out to eat today.  We weren't particularly interested in getting into all the SXSW ruckus, so we went where we figured no cool hipster types would be.  Yup.  Olive Garden.  And the fact that Dave has been totally seduced by their commercials lately sealed the deal.

And we were right!  Not a hipster in sight.  Quick seating, quick food, quick dessert...and we were outa there.  Master plan one...success!


This brings me to our next plan.  How to put my leftover pasta dish in the fridge without the boys eating it before either Dave or I get hungry again.  So, I got a sharpie and wrote "TOFU PASTA DISH" across the top of the "to go" container.  (It so did not contain any tofu.)

Master plan two...success!


Yum!

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Hey, Good Lookin'

We all want confident children, right?  And we want them aware of their strengths and to feel generally pretty great about themselves, right?

Well, the other night I was in the kitchen with Dave and our little guy.


Me:  "Our kid is so much better looking than either of us."  This is a perfectly OK thing for me to say as a mom of my beautiful kid.

My kid:  "Yeah."  Hmmmmm...while it's perfectly OK for him to respond in this way, I'm thinking perhaps it could have been said with just a bit of a pause to reflect upon the genetic goo he received.


You know, something like, "I'm just so lucky that both of my parents are soooo good lookin'."  A white lie like that is perfectly fine in my book.

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My big kid. He's so funny!

My big guy came into the kitchen to get a snack.


Me:  "I wish you guys were on a curling team and you needed to practice all that sweeping all over my house."

Big guy: "If I was on curling team, I'd use a vacuum."


Oh, he's so awesome.  A tad sluggish with housework, but seriously, oh, so awesome!

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Sometimes I Solve Mysteries even Better than Sherlock Holmes

I had a little scare yesterday.  I looked down and my hand was purplish blue.  Now, for a girl who found out a few years ago that she had a blood clot because her hand and arm were swollen and purplish-blue, this gave me definite pause.  I think I actually gasped.

So I ran through the regular questioning I do when I'm suspecting a clot.  Believe me, once you've had one, you're just a tad paranoid about getting one again.

- Is it purplish blue?  Yes.
- Is my hand swollen?  No.
- Are my veins poking out like crazy?  No.

Hmmmmmm...

And then I figured out the questions I should have been asking myself.

- Am I wearing brand new never-been-washed super-dark jeans?  Yes.
- Have I had my hand in my pocket?  Yes.

The Case of the Purplish Blue Hand...Solved!

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He's a Basket Case

The new found freedom our kitten is experiencing is rocking his world...the back yard world that is.  Our kitten has been outside lately...a lot.  He loves it so much that if we walk out there he darts away because he just knows we're going to make him go back inside.  But we don't.  And he stays and he plays and our fingers and toes are double crossed that he pees and poos.

And after all his adventures when he finds himself tired, thirsty, and exhausted, he finally wants in. 

Does he come in and tell us all about his adventures?  No.
Does he want to follow us around to see what we're up to?  No.
Does he start up a game of tag with the dogs?  No.

Nope, he jumps up on the kitchen table (bad kitty), crawls into our basket of cloth napkins (bad kitty), and promptly falls asleep for a couple of hours (cutest kitty ever!)

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