Art Is In the Eye of the Beholder....

My New Year's resolution (besides diet...-sigh-) is to take up art as a hobby again!

 This piece has been sitting unfinished in my den for a lonnngggg time, too long and I need to want to finish it! 

 My love of art comes from my father who taught it in a high school.  He painted  and drew for most of his life.  I remember as a small child watching him at an easel and being fascinated with what he was doing and most especially his large collection of pencils and paper.  I still have that love of those things even now.  The smell of paint, or graphite makes me happy. 
This is one of his first pieces...Reims Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Reims) in France.

 This is one that he painted of a sunflower...my mother's favorite flower.

 This is a whimsical chicken he did that is in my cluttered kitchen...

 -and this is a sailboat that I have on our staircase.

 Inspired, I took lessons from two wonderful artists for a while.  Barbara Statlander has pieces in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and in a Connecticut  gallery.  She did this weather vane shortly before she died and I feel blessed to have it.  Linda McFarlin, the country artist, did these Amish pieces.

 She also did these Teddy Bears that I purchased when my children were small and had them in their rooms.  They think I should have outgrown them, but I still love them and have them together as a collage of sorts.

 Then I began collecting our children's work and framing them.  I love this one that Chelsea did when she was in kindergarten.....

 -and this one that she did in junior high which is in our bathroom.

 This one was done by Tim, our son, one of his first too. (We had one we loved by his brother Mike from high school and he sold it to one of his friends!)

 These are on the opposite wall of the bathroom...again by Chelsea.

 This one I did after the classes....

 -and this one....

 -and this one.

To me, personal family art, no matter how bad, is special, brings back memories, and is a part of family history.  Mostly, I enjoy doing it and so am resolved to begin...like the diet,...start again!!

Christmas, Children and Critters!!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...were children!!

Every year as we go to bed on Christmas, we critique the day....and every year we say that it was the best one ever.  This year, we said that again.  With 2 -3 year olds and 2 babies in  the house, it was so much fun! We ate, played, went to church together trying not to forget the reason for the season...but the little ones were sooo anxious to open their gifts!   The best line of the day was Cooper asking "can you find my name"? (on a package)  Bailey, much more quietly asked "do you see my name too?"  When the answer was "yes", her eyebrows went up, eyes got big and she pointed to herself and grinned....adorable!!! Ha! Oh, the joys of grandparenthood!!!

 But about the not a creature was stirring thing....

Today, after we went to see Larry's parents, we came back into the house and I was shocked to see things scattered all over the house. I thought I was hallucinating couldn't figure it out...until I saw something move, jump up on the window sill and saw that it was a rodent squirrel!! I screamed for Larry to come but Scoobie came to my rescue first.  He chased it making things worse and I was still screaming. Larry finally came yelling "what??!!??" I opened the door while he scooted the poor thing towards it with a broom and he finally saw the escape route running out. Phew!  The worst part is, we don't know how he got in!  We think it was there all night? When the kids packed gifts out to their cars and left doors open?  Or came down the chimneys?  Scarey thoughts!!  It took me a while to clean it all up,....but all is well now.

Below...Mike and Lori, with Emma and Bailey

 Tim and Joni with Cooper

 Chelsea and Brant with Bryden

 Here are collages of pictures that made up our day...

 Lots of hugs all around...

 Santa hats and superheros...

 Fun with babies...

 Bottom computer pic..Tim showing kids Norad on ChocolateSanta.com.  Shows Santa's location at the moment.  They loved it!

 and last but not least ~ our ornery children!

In the end....Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!! 

Waiting for Santa...

Our grandbabies Bailey and Emma are dressed and ready to go for Christmas.... 

 and then there's Cooper who is totally reved up about it all!!  He is so funny to talk to on the phone.  He talks a mile a minute and tells you all he's excited about! He thinks he's excited...I can't wait!!!!

Yuletides of Yesteryear....

A Christmas picture from my childhood....sister Lynn on the right, my mother and me (L) 

Yesterday I was reading Sherry's post on her blog, "Country Wings in Phoenix".  She was recounting her childhood memories of Christmases gone by.  Since I had similar memories, I decided to share them here.  I don't think I've even ever told my children exactly what they were like...so now kids, you'll know!  The anticipation for weeks (2 or3 as we never saw decorations until after Thanksgiving) ahead was so much fun yet Christmas was so very simple compared to what ours is like today.  We always had a cut tree but most of our decorations were homemade with a few glass balls and lots of tinsel that the cat ate.  On Christmas Eve we had church services and since I was raised in a parochial school, a Christmas pageant!  We all had to learn our lines playing various Biblical persons, often in costume and were very nervous. The whole community came out for it and following in the Fellowship Hall was always the Christmas gift....a brown bag of goodies for each child!  This was a large grocery bag full of nuts to be cracked, oranges and apples, (even these were seldom seen delicacies..) various hard candies and chocolates!! Chocolate cream domes, orange sugar slices and chocolate covered nuts were the best!  We only had candy twice a year, -at Halloween and Christmas...such an anticipated treat!!

Then we went home to our family Christmases....ours always opened presents on Christmas Eve.  It seemed magical because of all the festivities and then the dark, starry night.  There is something special about seeing the tree lit in the dark with all of us gathered around.  We often had some kind of treat that mother had made to start with.  Then each of us had a gift,...very often only one, to symbolize the gift God gave the world.  Each of us took a turn to watch the others open and appreciate what was in the package. My favorite was a ballerina doll that I had for years.  Another year it was the original Barbie with the blond hair and striped bathing suit.  The simplicity of it all startles me as I recall how Christmases used to be.  Now I enjoy having many gifts for the children and grandchildren to open and be excited about.  It ends up being a lot of work to bake and shop for weeks until the first gifts I wrap I've forgotten that I had purchased! It seems so special and yet as I remember the simple times, I know we were just as excited and happy. Do I over do it?  You bet! -and will I next year?  My resolve is always not to.......and yet?

2010 the Starkey Year Christmas Card!

Click on this link to see highlights from this year:
2010 Starkey Christmas
Happy Holidays from our house to yours!!!

Snowflakes and Dog Kisses

Bryden was here the last couple of days while Chelsea was working.

One of the things he loves the most is Scoobie....

He has learned that if he gets close enough...he gets kisses!

He loves to stick his head by Scoobie and wait...

with a big grin on his face!  So fun to watch!!

Chels wanted a pic of him in his jacket to put on her desk....

The big dog earred coat ready for snowflakes!!!

Old man Winter...

Winter really blew in today with a wet snow....we are actually supposed to get several more inches before the week is out.  It makes things seem more like Christmas coming as we are doing all the preparations though so I don't really mind.  It looks so pretty too...but it can all go away in January!!!

 It's time to make goodies too, so I was working on that today.  We had our annual Christmas muscial in church today and with all the Christmas songs, it put me in the mood to bake.  On the "Barefoot Contessa" I saw a fun recipe this week....

 She melted white chocolate, put a stick in it and added "goodies"...nuts, chopped dried fruit, etc. 

 It looked easy enough, and it really was as I melted the chocolate in the microwave, yet it took me all afternoon to make these.

 I usually make all from scratch but after watching Sandra Lee on the cooking channel too ("Semi-Homemade")  I used Pillsbury sugar cookies to make these (yes, I watch too much food channel) and cooled them in my outdoor refrigerator, ha! Don't worry, if I saw a flock of birds fly overhead, I'd move them!!

 Here are the results...

 Guess I will diet on January 1st!  Below is one of my co-workers, (dark clothes and hair front row ) Shay (click on link to see her pre-twins birth!) just lost 60 lb in 3 months!!  She has six children and lost it following the birth of twins two years ago....Congratulations...you look great girl!!  Behind her Judy, another co-worker and her twin sister (in white top front row) also did well.
-Ummhumm, as for me...hopefully, January.

I started to get wrapping done too, since I am in this festive mood....

I really enjoy doing it!!

Decorating too is done...

So all that is left to do is dream of Visions of Sugarplums in  a sleepy head!!

Bryden's First Birthday!

Today was Bryden's first birthday!  The theme (since they live on a farm) was...farm! This is his birthday cake which was made by a friend.  Check out the pigs rolling in the mud!!

 They had the party in the Carrousel which was perfect for a winter day and a lot of little ones! (daddy-Brant and Bryden on his very first ride)

 Mike and Bailey having a ball!!

 Santa attended too...here with Bailey and Cooper.

 Bailey and Uncle Tim...

 Grandpa Larry enjoys the rides with Cooper.

 Friends and neighbors Hollie and Annabella...

 Mom (Chelsea) and Dad with Byrden and cake...

 Aunt Lori and Birthday boy...

 Friend Debby and cousin Emma...

 (Grandmother) Mimi with them as they try the cake...

 Aunt Joni and Emma...

 All us grandparents and Birthday Boy Bryden...now officially 1!!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet little guy!!!