Airplane Mechanic

Project 365 - May 19

Until recently, Jed had not been much interested in building things.

Now he can't get enough. There are Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Legos and wooden blocks strewn about the house.

It finally looks like a little boy lives here. :)

Lobster Boy

Project 365 - May 18

There's nothing sadder than a little boy looking out the window on a rainy day.

It's been raining an awful lot lately. :)

But look how leafy everything is now!!

Official Snaggletooth

Project 365 - May 17

Jed lost his 2nd tooth today!

This time he was able to hold on to it, so under the pillow it went.

Gourd Art

Project 365 - May 16

A letterboxing friend from Missouri gave me a box of gourds before we moved to Maine 2 years ago.
I ran across them recently while cleaning out the garage, and I spent this morning cutting and cleaning them. A couple will be painted, but two of them have such beautiful markings that they will be left natural.

A bonus is that I used my Dremel tool for the first time today...it was a gift from Tracy specifically for this project. I've had it as long as I've had the gourds.

Better late than never, I always say. :)

Spring All Over

Project 365 - May 15

The trees in our yard are blossoming like mad.






The crabapple tree is especially glorious - absolutely covered with these beautiful little flowers.

Trying to Look Casual

Project 365 - May 14

Jed has been helping me get the groceries in the house for quite a while.

Lately he's been helping me get them off the shelves in the store too.

But today was a big day...he got to push the grocery cart by himself. He did great until we got to the end of the store and loaded up on 3 gallons of milk. hehe

This picture is so grainy, but it's the only one I took today...Jed didn't want me photographing his big moment all the way through the store. I can't imagine why.

But this brings me to the dilemma of the cameras: I keep using the old one, a Canon PowerShot SD600, because it's the size of a deck of cards and I can carry it around with me everywhere. I know the Nikon D40 will take better pictures (at least I hope it will), but I can't really see me carrying it around in the grocery store.

If you use an SLR camera, how do you handle the disappointment of missing spontaneous pictures because you don't have your big camera with you?

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Project 365 - May 13

I was delighted to get this shot of Jed in the apple tree this evening...I love the shadows of the branches across his face.

However, I didn't fare so well trying to get a nice shot of the apple blossoms earlier this afternoon. The lighting of the camera is still not right. Look at the difference in these pictures, all taken at the same time on a very sunny afternoon.


I think it's time to give up on fixing this and start figuring out the new camera. Wish me luck. :)

Bleeding Heart Conservatives

Project 365 - May 12

We spent a pleasant afternoon with our friends Rod and Cynthia.

I've been helping Cynthia work on her wedding scrapbook, which is way overdue seeing as how they celebrated their 20th anniversary last year.

We're pushing to finish up before their 21st rolls around in August.

They have a beautiful yard and now that the weather is nice, Jed and Rod are happy to leave the paperwork to us while they're busy exploring outside. So is Ruby.

Passing Through the Waters

Project 365 - May 11

We spent another afternoon at the cancer center, this time for an appointment with my friend's oncologist and another with a palliative care doctor.

I know cancer affects millions of people and those that love them. But I still can't get my mind around this.

I don't want to, either.

Happy Mother's Day

Project 365 - May 10

This was a very sweet Mother's Day. Mostly because of a very sweet little boy.




On Friday, when Jed lost his first tooth, I was feeling a little sad that he is growing up. He climbed up on my lap, wrapped his arms around me, and told me he was going to give me something for Mother's Day that would make me happy about it. I couldn't imagine what that could be, but I was looking forward to it.

Jed ran into my room this morning with a card that speaks as you open it. He was pretty excited about that. I opened it and heard Sponge Bob say, "Did you know you're my best friend?" Just to make sure I knew it was really from him and not SB, Jed verified that it was true. I was pretty happy about that. :)

Then came the surprise he had promised...the thing that was going to make me not sad that he was growing up. He gave me his Pooh bear, because he said Pooh wouldn't ever get any older.

He loves that Pooh bear. I love that boy.



My second favorite saying of the day: "Is there a kid's day?" :)

First Fire

Project 365 - May 9

We had our first fire of the year this evening.

I love an outdoor fire on a cool night.

And there was a beautiful full moon to boot.



This is Jed's first toasted marshmallow this year. He loved the fire too. :)

Yikes!

Project 365 - May 8

Jedidiah lost his first tooth today.

My baby's growing up!




I feel such a conflicted mix of excitement and sadness over this latest development.

He tried to comfort me by crawling in my lap and giving me a hug. It worked. Then he pulled back, looked at me and said, "I'm going to give you a Mother's Day present that will make you happy I'm growing up."

I can't wait to see what that is!

In the meantime, Jed is all smiles. :D

Poe-etry in a Box

Project 365 - May 7

I was busy yesterday making magnet boxes. I thought I would have time to post the pictures but it was late by the time I was finished.

This one is my favorite from yesterday...it's for my husband's niece, an Edgar Allan Poe fan. The stamp was on a letter I received earlier this week...I didn't even know there was an EAP stamp!...and it was perfect to finish off the lid.



I love the Poe-esque magnets! :)

Renaissance Woman

Project 365 - May 6

Jed and I got to build a birdhouse together today.

That was a first for both of us.


Lori was cutting the last few pieces of wood when we arrived. I don't know what was more impressive: her power tool skills or the fact that she's trained her kids to sweep up the sawdust. :)



Jed was hard at work.



Elijah painted his birdhouse my favorite combination of colors.

Josiah's painting looked tie-dyed, which was cool. His mom is the real artist in the family, though......check out that likeness of Josiah painted on the side of his house. :)

Artful Surprises

Project 365 - May 5

Maine has the absolute coolest thing going on.

They're called transfer stations.

For an annual $6 fee, the Marshall Hills station in Winthrop will take your trash and your recyclables. But my favorite part is the area they set aside to leave things that are too good to throw away.

I packed the SUV to the gills - twice - and headed to the transfer station today. It was thrilling to find half the first load gone by the time I got back with the second.

The men who work there run a tight ship, which endears them to me. Considering what their business is, the facility is remarkably clean and incredibly organized. However, they don't have much to say, and their reticence seems typical old-school no-nonsense Mainer.

In light of this, you can imagine my surprise and delight when we caught sight of this critter on one of their buildings.

I love it that people everywhere, even old-school Mainers, do things to improve their environments in endlessly creative ways. For a transfer station, what better way than recycled art?

Lookin' Good

Project 365 - May 4

Thanks for the new pajamas, Grandpa and Grandma!

Tender Mercies

Project 365 - May 3

Jedidiah did something today he's never done before...he treated two of his stuffed animals like babies.

It started with him noticing that the book rack under his night table would make an excellent bed for them.

He liked how cozy they looked in there.



Then he asked me for a couple of small towels (i.e., washcloths) to use as blankets, and he proceeded to cover them up and put them down for a nap.

We had to sneak out of the room quietly lest we wake them.

Later when I was preparing lunch, he let me know that the bears were hungry too, and he got them situated at the table.



They looked pretty excited about the meal they were served.



Jedidiah didn't know quite what to do when the bears asked for some milk.

He quickly realized he had to hold on to them to make sure they didn't fall off their booster seat while he was trying to help them.

He learned that the hard way. :)

This was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen him do.

Spring Training

Project 365 - May 2

Jed started t-ball today.

After practice he told me he doesn't really like sports.


I told him too bad, he was playing t-ball.

hehehe

Actually, I told him it was good for him and I thought he might like it once he knows what to do.

Looks like he's not the only one in the family who's going to be playing t-ball.



I've never seen anyone swing the bat with their arms plastered to their sides before.

Aye aye aye...

Sorrow and Joy Flow Mingled Down

Project 365 - May 1

This is a difficult post.

How do you explain what it's like to spend the afternoon with a dear friend in a cancer center, listening to her talk to the PA about end-stage disease?

And how do you explain that same dear friend sucking on a piece of stick candy, which has been smuggled to her by her sister, like it was a cigar...




...and then prancing out of her room to show it off for her PA?

This was funny not only because she was doing a fabulous impression of Groucho Marx but also because her PA had denied her anything to drink for what seemed like hours while waiting for test results...but she hadn't mentioned anything about a prohibition against stick candy. :)





Her cute sense of humor is one of the things that makes this woman so dear.

To be fair to my friend, I'm including a picture taken a year ago with Jedidiah, just so you can see she has a sweet smile when she's not smokin' a stogie. :D

The joy of the LORD is her strength. Nehemiah 8:10