Happy Halloween!

We finally gt to the pumpkin patch a couple of days ago, and made it out with four pumpkins, one of which was the ugliest pumpkin I've ever seen. Leave it to my daughter to see potential in something that most people would quickly dismiss. There's a life lesson in there somewhere. 

Instead of carving pumpkins, we opt for pumpkin junkin' because A. it's a lot of fun, and B. my kids won't go near the vomit-smelling innards of a pumpkin. So, out comes the hot glue gun and a lot of craft supplies and costume jewelry and a couple hours later, we have our characters.

This year my kids wanted to be pirates, so we did a test run of their outfits this morning. 

Mr. Augustus didn't take too kindly to his bandanna. I'm not sure how happy he's going to be tonight when I get him in the rest of his outfit and draw a mustache on his face. Wish us luck!

xo

nessa dee

Hello, Monday!

After this weekend, I feel not unlike this squirrel:

He's a regular on that tree branch. We've had more fun watching the squirrels scamper along the fence top in our backyard. They've been extra busy this past month gathering nuts for the winter. They drive our dog crazy running up and down the trees just outside our windows. Everyday, though, at some point, that one squirrel will stop to take a break on his branch. He's quite the character sprawled out there. He usually stays until he spots us spying on him.

Then, he gets back to the business of nut gathering.

Sometimes I wish I could join him on that branch for a few minutes.

Happy Monday!

xo

nessa dee

Spooky Decor

Before Halloween passes us by, I want to share a little bit of our spooky decor. This year, I got so far as to dragging out my box of fall decorations, letting it sit out for a week, and then dragging it back into the garage. I did put up our pumpkin votive holders and a wreath, but anything beyond that seemed like work. And it finally dawned on me as to why my mom relinquished control of the Christmas decorating to her children well before we reached middle school. Since I decorate mainly for the kids, and since they love to help, I might as well hand over the reins [which only works, by the way,  if you don't care too much about the outcome, and I don't].

So, with their new titles as Head of Halloween Decorations, they disappeared into their rooms and left the box of decor to sit and gather dust. Several hours later there was still no sign of my children, and except for the spider webs that grace most nooks and crannies in each room, the house was lacking in spookiness. I started to think I had misjudged my kids' level of enthusiasm for decorating. It wasn't until that night when I went to tuck my kids into bed that I found out saying " Why don't you two decorate the house this year,"  translates as "Just decorate your rooms," in my kids' language. So my house remains untouched, except for the pumpkin votives, a wreath, and my daughter's lair.

 [signs on the drawers say poison, shrunken heads, frogs, and assorted bones.]

My house may not be the spookiest or falliest or cutiest, [all of which are words in my world], but I'm okay with that. And that monster hiding behind Audrie's bed scares me every time I go to tuck her in at night. 

xo 

nessa dee

Two boys + a dog

two silly boys...

plus

one crazy dog...

equals

a super cute trio

xo

nessa dee

Framed

I've been trying to get some small house projects marked off my list, and sprucing up my studio is one of them. I deliberately made the room a big white box in hopes of infusing it with color through the art and furniture. The big white peg board was hung on the wall to make for an ever evolving art wall where I could store my paintings, or hang them to dry, but it looked unfinished [as seen here behind the bat man.]

 I finally got around to adding color and a frame [the pieces of which I've had for 5 months now], and now it looks fantabulous! Let's take a gander, shall we?

Isn't it fun? All this color makes me happy. So does that 'Employees Only' sign on my door. Every time family comes to visit, the kids transform our house into a hotel complete with room numbers and card keys. The sign on my studio door keeps visitors from mistaking that room for their temporary lodging facilities.

The room isn't finished yet, but for now, I'm quite happy!

xo

nessa dee

[The color of the peg board is hard to see, but it's a very light blue called Valley Mist from Behr. It's the same color as Finn's room. The frame is painted in Tomato Red by Glidden. Both paints were leftovers from other projects.]

Hello, Monday!

Hope everyone's having a great start to their week! I've got some projects I've been [slowly] working on, and there are some big changes occurring around here. My plan is to get them posted this week, if I'm not too busy staring into these baby blues:

happy baby!

happy monday!

xo

nessa dee

From my sketchbook

Sketching's about all I have time for right now. Anytime I try to go paint, I get everything set up and ready to go, and somebody decides he needs me. That's okay, though, because I need to work on my technique. When I was young, pencil was my medium of choice. I liked the control it offered. Now, I much prefer paint and collage, and the freedom they allow, but my technique has suffered a bit because of it. Now that I'm back to sketching, I'm starting to look at every detail, trying to figure out how to translate each object with a pencil.
 I got my haircut yesterday, found myself lost in the drops of water falling off the tips of each bundle of hair. I was drawing the droplets in my mind, studying the highlights and shadows, the overall shape, and the movement of the drops. I haven't paid that much attention to something in years, but I attribute it to my renewed (if not forced) interest in sketching. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm a walking zombie who's slowly losing her mind.

xo

nessa dee

Dancing Light

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

             photos by Audrie

                                                               
                                                                 

Introduction

We spent the better part of last week visiting Jonathan's family and introducing August to his aunts and uncles, great-grandparents and cousins. Here are a few pics from the trip...

August slept better last night, but he's still not taking more than ten minute naps, unless someone's holding him. My arms are about to fall off from lugging this chunky monkey around. I'm afraid he might be teething with the way he's acting, or worse, he might be spoiled! 

xo

nessa dee

Hello

We've been having a rough few days around here. I hope to get some more posts in soon, but I need to get a little someone to sleep a little better, so I can sleep, and better function during the day.

He sure is a sweet thing to lose sleep for.

xo 

nessa dee

From my sketchbook...

xo

nessa dee

2 months

sweet august, our big little boy. you're only two months old, but my how you've grown! You are tipping the scales at 15lbs. 11oz. and are 25in. long. no wonder you've outgrown all of your 3 month clothes. my arms are becoming quite muscular lugging you around.

you love to talk and you're a smiling fool, especially in the morning. [i couldn't get you to smile for your pictures because you were sleepy] it's so hard to be grumpy at 5am  when you give me those big smiles and tell me all about your dreams. you like to be heard and tend to yell at us from time to time. i guess you're practicing for the future because being the baby in a family full of talking know-it-alls won't be easy.

you are busy, busy. when i put you on the floor or on my knee you never stop wiggling. if you could sit on a tricycle, i bet you could give lance armstrong a run for his money.

you are working so hard to get your thumb in your mouth and keep it there. controlling those little arms is tough stuff, but we love watching you try. you slowly bring your little fist to the top of your forehead, drag it down the tip of your nose and into your mouth, if only for a few seconds. this morning you were trying to get your brother's shirt. i know you're concentrating because you get really quiet and still.

you bring us so much joy, august.

my heart wells up every time i look at you.

xo 

mommy