Be Still…

Tomorrow is our last planned day for a while… we’re teaching colonial dancing to a whole bunch of fourth graders. Kate and I are looking forward to it, since there is very little planning involved and we basically just show up and have fun with the kids for the day. BUT, after that, there is nothing on our calendars until September!!! I should probably clarify that… there is the normal stuff like family and church and work and gardening and homekeeping, but there are no big “Events” for a good long while. The pages of our lives have had the margins scribbled in for far too long, and I’m looking forward to seeing some white space on our “To-Do” list. Some negative space.

I think I’ll wax philosophical for a bit…

In art, negative space is as important as positive space. Empty space actually adds to the composition of a picture, enhancing, and sometimes even creating the subject!  The picture at the top of this post is a little different than most of my papercuttings. Usually there is lots of “stuff” surrounding the subject, and then a cut border that goes to the edge of the frame, filling up the entire space. The quiet sheep is different than the norm for me… with lots of negative space around him, he seems to “pop” in his frame. Our lives are like that… when they are filled to the brink it’s hard to see the big things, but when we start eliminating things that are filling in our margins, the important things start to stand out. 

Now mind you, I’m not advocating sheer laziness. (Although it’s crossed my mind this Monday morning!) There are still plenty of things I’d like to do this summer, like finally make some jam from my Dad’s gooseberries, help my Hubby get the asparagus bed established, learn botanical drawing, and sew new curtains for the family room. There are even some papercuttings in my head, just waiting to get on paper. I’d just like to ignore the calendar for a while. After all, school’s out, and it’s summer vacation!

P.S. Despite enjoying being home, here’s a peek into our weekend!  We had a ball! (Literally!) It was probably one of the most relaxed balls we’ve ever gone to… probably because I didn’t have any time to worry about getting ready! (Just showed up and had fun with the kids! I think that will be my new strategy!)

 

 

 

We had a ball!

Or at least we went to one! Many thanks to the Petersons for putting together an evening of dancing for young and old! (I think my avoidance of the Snowball Reel officially puts me in the “old” category! However, Mr. Frey did his duty as a gentleman and made sure the young ladies had a chance to whirl around in circles!)

Just a few pictures… the Gothic Dance (or Race?)

A waltz…

And another…

Pattycake Polka…

And a novelty game…

And lots of good old-fashioned fun!

 

Procrastination.

Hello Everyone! Hope your Wednesday was lovely! Ours was pretty busy… I painted frames most of the morning, and now they’re waiting for me to paint the black edges. And here I am posting and drinking tea and eating Cool Mint Creme Oreos. (Trying to build up my stamina.) Here’s what’s waiting for me on the art room table…

All of these are destined for the wonderful papercuttings our store ladies made! I am so proud of them all! Three of our ladies have come back to pick up some more patterns… and one taught her grand-daughter to papercut since the class and needs patterns for her! I’ll post some pictures once we get them framed.

Another part of my day was spent de-germing the place. Kate came down with a very nasty bug this weekend. She was coughing on Friday, and by Saturday night she was down for the count. Almost. She had a dance workshop planned for local homeschooling families, and somehow managed to teach a few folks to dance while sitting in a chair holding a microphone. She doesn’t give up easily!

Then, she spent the next three days wrapped in a quilt cocoon in the living room recliner. She emerged today, and we decided to take full advantage of an oddly placed May-like day to disinfect her cocoon and hang it out to dry…

 

Then we headed out to search for crafts supplies… one can always use more of those… and I think we overdid her first outing a bit, because she’s just crashed again since dinner. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more improvement, and hopefully nobody else will come down with this bug!

Well, I guess I can’t procrastinate any longer! Off to paint!

🙂