Aloyce chimes in...

Mark is so good about researching and setting things up. I take a little more time. Michele just created her own blog today and I decided it was time for me to write something.
Teaching kindergarten last year (of course I just finished on June 20) was hectic and at times overwhelming, so this summer break is most welcome. Michele has been home a lot too and that has meant time to shop, see a movie or two and have the luxury of just talking without having to rush somewhere.
We have also enjoyed a number of artistic moments. She made a set of assemblages with the flavor of "santos". They are very small (about 5x7) and brightly colored. The center piece features an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe surrounded by dried pink roses. One has the Stations of the Cross inside bottle caps with a wire cross in the middle and the last features a clay sculpture of the Sacred Heart she did years ago. All three have glitter and seguins. I'll have to post photos.
Two things I've made began with wooden boxes I "inherited" from my first kindergarten partner, Jo Williams. They look old and were distressed with random crayon marks. One is small and painted light green. The other long and narrow dark wood. In the light green one I put a number of small religious items: a small souvenier from the Sea of Galilee, a small plastic Mary from Lourdes, multicolored prayer beads received in the mail, a bouquet of dried pink roses in a creamer from my grandfather's Mexican restaurant and in the background a picture of Our Lady of Lourdes. In the long narrow one I glued the front end of an old wooden fire engine, an old wooden miniature chair, a little plastic boy from a dollhouse family, a small house made of small wooden triangles and on top a black ladder that I presume went with the firetruck. In the background I glued some picture from a very out of date book about firefighters. Both pieces were very satisfying to make, but a bit challengeing as to where to put them! Mark is very indulgent about my seeming need to fill any blank space on the walls of our apartment. Maybe this is the summer that I will finally arrive at perfection of placement.
Another small project involved gluing vintage animal cutouts on old wallpaper samples. I edged them with ribbon and just bought some frames they may work in-we'll see. These I obviously have to give away! Meredith may want one or two to put above Micah's crib and my neice Mahana may like one for her nursery(baby Leila Rose made her appearance July 10th).
The last framing project is one I've wanted to do for a long time. I have a patchwork of cigarette silks that belonged to my Grandma Mabel. For a long time I had them in an old plastic frame that was all wrong and lost where I had it on the wall . I also bought a large frame for that and think it will work well. It will be mounted high on the living room wall between childhood photos of Michele and Meredith and just above a framed collection of English cigarette cards (reproductions) of "Flower Culture in Pots, 1925". I just realized how perfect it will be to pair them!
Who knew I had so much to "post"? Hopefully inspiration will strike again.

Aloyce