Busy times...

I have been buried, as usual, with tons of kids activities and getting ready for my first born to graduate from High School.  I really can't believe it.  Where does the time go.  In the blink of an eye they are grown.  I miss his sweet little hugs when his arms were short and his hands had chubby little fingers.

He is a man now....soon to be 18 and looking forward to what the world has to offer.

This is his passion.  I am so glad he discovered it and has devoted so much to it.  He swims on a year round, National swim team.  Out the door at 4:30 in the morning, in the pool by 5, back home by 7:15 for breakfast...off to school...then out at 3:10 and straight back to the pool.  Some days he has dry land after practice so he's not home until 8pm.  Time for homework and some much needed sleep.  This schedule would kill most kids.  He has definitely had some tough days to work through but somehow manages to do it. 

I told myself I wouldn't cry at his upcoming Graduation ceremony.  But sunglasses will definitely be in order.  I always cry at kid events.  Not because I'm sad....just so darn proud!

Fall Workshop Registration

The Fall workshop information is up and available for registration.

Pop on over to the Workshop page for more information.

Inspiration by Kecia....

Kecia has been keeping us posted on Facebook about a nest that a little birdie was building on her front porch.  The bird had been working hard, building...building...building.  Once the nest was built Kecia took a picture of what was inside and...you guessed it...a sweet, beautiful...gorgeous actually...blue egg.  She waited some time and then took another snap, and there was a second egg.     As I was admiring them from my computer I started to wonder if birds ever use the same nest more than once.  Think about it.  If the nest is intact and they have had successful use of it in a prior year...would they return and use it again?  If you read Prim's magazine and happened to read my article in the last issue you know that the inspiration from my bird dolls comes from a sweet little couple that had been building their nest (on top of one of my outdoor speakers that is up under the eaves) in my backyard.  They have returned for a number of years now.  Each year, after the little ones fly away, I take the nest down and use it on my front porch in a little display I put together.  Last year I didn't take the nest down.  After Kecia's second photo of the two sweet eggs I started to wonder if maybe my little friends had returned and I just didn't know it because 1. there has been so much rain I haven't been spending time in the yard and 2. because they just flew in, did their business laying eggs and they are now incognito...hangin' with the other neighborhood birds. 

Now let me tell you that my backyard nest is not easy to get to.  I had to get out the big ladder...climb way way up....use my cell phone camera so I could stick my arm way up there and squeeze my phone in.  Of course, for the first 4 snaps I just caught the upside of the speaker with lots of bird...uh hum...stuff...but my 4th snap...

I struck gold!!!  

They returned!!