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Monday, June 20, 2011

Wonderful Weekend Wrap-Up

Greetings, once again, blogland!  I am rolling into this next week with a full head o' steam -- having enjoyed ALL of my favorite things in the past four days:  Friends, Art *with Friends,* and Family - in the form of a fabulous Father's Day for The Man!  I hope that you all enjoyed a most wonderful weekend, whatever it had in store!

JP, yours truly, Sally, BWM, & KS
Summer Fun w/ the B's!
My weekend got an early start, thanks to the Fayetteville After Five summer concert series, on Thursday.  I joined the besties, downtown, for an early evening of live music, great conversation, and a couple o' ice cold brewskies to ward off the unseasonably warm weather.  We were groovin' on the tuneage of Cafe Mars (whose line up included a SMOKIN' hot trumpeteer), and thoroughly enjoyed the *rare during-the-week* chance to play catch up! 

After a moderately busy Friday, which included the 'final touches' for my Saturday readiness, I reveled in the 2nd quarter Day of Creative Play with more Friends in the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild, for a few hours of Altered Book discoveries with member Dawn Meisch.  Alas, in spite of having (A) my camera in tow, and (B) a fully charged battery in said camera I still managed to get ZERO photos :-\  I can, however, assure you that a good time was had by all - and much creativity was on display! 

Stacey, Dad, and meG
Happy Father's Day!
Today, though, surpassed them all!  The Man+The Girls+The Feast (meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, yeast rolls, and the "Extra Special Dessert" by the wee one) = PRICELESS!  The eldest Girl had to work - so was only able to be with us for a short time.  We managed to document the day before the scattering that seems to be the 'one constant'...  'Twas a most loverly afternoon!  The 'surprise dessert'?  None other than The Man's mom's own "Sex in a Pan" -- luscious layers of flaky crust, sweetened cream cheese, chocolate pudding, and cocoa-laced whipped cream.  The only regret of the day was that The Girl had to make the long drive back to school after such feasting :-\

mmm, mmm, goood!
Sex in a Pan, Sin on a Plate...  call it what you will!
My mind was encamped by other fathers on this day of remembrance:  my Granddaddy, my PaPa, The Brother; and although I wasn't able to be with my mom today, Mr. Able was strongly on my mind *in both remembered and imagined conversations.*  The echos of the past are intricately woven into the fiber of our 'everyday' -- we need only be still long enough to hear them.  

There is much in the way of 'continued coolness' here in the realm!  I look forward to sharing with you the latest accomplishments with the Strathmore Visual Journal Online Workshop Series (even though I am woefully behind), some nifty new technique examples from Dawn's online class, news of some exciting new color-play discoveries, and more than a few creative secrets to soon be revealed! 

Onward & Upward!
 - pla


Words of wisdom for today:
"Fathers, like mothers, are not born.
 Men grown into fathers - and fathering
is a very important stage in their development."
                                      - David M. Gottesman

Photo Notes:  
   Taken with Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1) - set to natural light, slow sync/red eye flash.

Bonus Shot!
The Man discovers
Flight of the Concords' "Sugar Lumps"
...laugh out loud, funny!
 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Wickedly Wacky Wednesday!

WOW...  This was just so weird, I felt compelled to share it with you all!  Please bear in mind that I was born and raised in this general geographic region; as such, I grew accustomed to seeing 'odd' things in the meat case at the grocery store.  I was amazed, at an early age, to learn that virtually EVERY portion of the pig was available for purchase - and what wasn't in the case was probably still in the back, for the asking!?!  Feet, brains, fat...  Oh, yes, all the standard cuts, too:  bacon, chops, ribs, ham, loins...  But this!?!  This is just beyond my 'raising' - ha!


YES!  It says "Chicken Paws"
...don't look at it too long - it WILL
make your head feel funny!

Now...  I read more than a few blogs, for more than a few reasons (art, books, music, etc.); early in the thoughts of my own blog-venture, I mused about doing things that I had seen done elsewhere *only natural, right?*...  One such 'regular feature' on many blogs is "Wordless Wednesday."  I was instantly and consistently intrigued by this idea -- I started 'seeing' photographs everywhere I went *oddly, I didn't TAKE any -- but I "saw" them!*

Since I have started blogging, I haven't established the discipline to regularly provide such content *yet!* - but, let's be real for a minute here:  HELLO!?!  You don't even have to know me to see (previous posts offered by way of example) that "Wordless" ANYthing would pose a nearly insurmountable challenge for me!  *...I'm just sayin'!*

SO...  what's even funnier about this particular photo is that this wasn't taken at the time of my first encounter with The Paws!  Nay, nay!  The first time I saw them, I was reaching into my purse for the DROID, and a little, bitty Asian woman came and got them *gasp!  that was the only package - yes, I looked!*  It was several foraging outings later before I re-encountered The Paws -- AND, how very handy that they are so conveniently located alongside the Stripped Back Portions ~>:-)  Who knows?  I may very well be missing out on a truly incredible epicurean delight; but I really don't see any Paws on the menu any time soon.  *...and nobody ever convinced me to eat pig brains, either!*

A little tid-bit from the "Wonderful" file:  our wee one (although not so wee, anymore) called today with the news that she had made the Dean's List for the Spring Semester!  *Woo Hoo!*  We are SO proud of her -- she worked hard for it, and has gotten some incredible feedback from her advisers with regard to her 'game plan' for the remainder of her undergraduate studies -- and some interesting thoughts about her future!  Life is GOOD!

I hope that something wacky and wonderful was a part of your Wednesday!  

Onward & Upward!
 - pla




Words of wisdom for today:
"The few wonders of the world
only exist while there are those
with the sight to see them ."
                     - Charles de Lint

Photo Notes:  
   Taken with Motorola DROID, standard camera app - auto flash.

Monday, June 13, 2011

...at long last! -- OR -- We have a Winner!

Greetings, blogland!  ...alas, it has been many sleeps since our last visit -- sometimes life happens that way, eh?  Friday evening, as I headed out for what seems to be our ritualistic 'weekend kick off' repast *take out Chinese, thanks for asking*, I saw this...  very tall shoot of grass...  right in the middle of the driveway.  It was like a "visual nudge" from the Universe:  "Excuse me...  Are you forgetting something?" 

...the ant's eye view of the
driveway inspiration
I had an immediate wrenching, and it wasn't entirely in anticipation of the epicurean delights I was heading out to retrieve  ~>:-\  So...  to further goad myself back in the general direction of my good intentions of 'responsible blogging,' I commemorated the moment to the secondary brain of my Motorola DROID...  

Realizing this lapse in attention to the task itself, it seems only prudent to point out the question that has lived with me *and a few other folks, I might add* since I embarked on this chapter of my creative journey:  "Exactly why am I *are you* doing this?"  ...to which I can only say now, as I did then, "It seems like what I need to do right now..."  Granted, as with many other creative interests, I have more 'really, cool ideas' than I can poke a stick at; and yet, I carry on -- perhaps not as 'timely' as I would like to be, but sharing and experiencing my delicious, greasy little slice of Life as I go, nonetheless!

So...  when I said, way back when, that I had a plan to allow my beloved canine shadow, Wito (pr:  Wee' toe) to choose the winner of my inaugural Blog Give-Away, there were some questions.  All I can say is that the Fates have smiled on us, today!  When I sat down, this evening, to catch up on my derelict duties as Blog Mistress to the Acre, I did not realize 'how many' 32 actually was -- until I printed you all out, and tore the lines into strips, and the strips into 'tickets', and folded the 'tickets' into quarters -- 32 is a might' fair number *whether one is considering people, or little pieces of paper*!

Thirty-two followers, ready for The Big Red Bowl!
Once the drawing had been prepared, I called for the Wonder Dog!  We went through our ration of 'tricks' so that we could get good and excited :-)  "Wito, sit....  Good sit, good Wito.  Wito, stay...  Good stay!  Wito, tell me...  tell me?..."  *at this point, the dog canNOT sit/stay/be still -- apparently "tell me" rekindles her past life as a rambling gypsy dog, who responded to this command by breathing heavily, and wagging her rear end in a frantic manner!*  That's how I know we are ready!  Into the Big Red Bowl went the 32 name 'tickets'...  Into the Big Red Bowl went the 3 dog biscuits...  I can think of no better place to quote George Peppard, in his immortal role as Lt. Col. James "Hannibal" Smith, of The A*Team fame:  "I love it when a plan comes together!"  While we did not indulge in big, fat cigars, we did clink our glasses a bit following the hound child's incredible performance ;-)  SO, without further ado - here, ladies and gentlemen, in her world wide interweb premier:  Wito the Wonder Dog!


Oh, but we were proud of 'our girl', today!  Note to self:  next time, retrieve the remaining biscuits for her - less chance of the 'extra roughage' from eating the non winning entries - ha!


Handmade and wide open for new possibilities!
There we have it, Debbie Altman is our very first Blog Give-Away winner!  ...and here is the *as aforementioned, designed and made by me* prize:  a one of kind, long-stitch, canvas-wrapped journal!  The signatures are composed of Canson Multi-Media paper, and bound in double-primed canvas with 4-ply waxed linen thread.  Measuring 4.5 in x 4.5 in., it is perfectly sized to serve as a portable journal, mini scrapbook, or a photo album.  This was originally designed as a class sample, but more are on the way!
  
Dated and signed - ready for delivery!
Congratulations, Debbie!

Loads more groovy goodness, of late:  online journal workshop happiness *replete with a new discovery for colorful fun*, altered book play incorporating said colorful discoveries, big fun on the horizon with my creative friends in the CMMAG, and plenty o' ideas brewing for new fun...  But, as the hour is late, gentle readers, I will leave you to wonder at what is yet to come -- for now, it is time to ready ourselves for another week o' busy-ness!  Until next time,

Onward & Upward!
 - pla



Words of wisdom for today:
"We derive immeasurable good, uncounted pleasures,
enormous security, and many
critical lessons about life by owning dogs."
                     - Roger Caras

Photo Notes:  
   Driveway snap taken with Motorola DROID Vignette Demo App, set to random, vintage frames and auto flash.  Remaining photos taken using Panasonic Lumix (DMC-ZS1) - set to natural light, slow sync/red eye flash.
   Video:  RCA Small Wonder (EZ1000R) - set to WebQ