~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
{pretty}
I know I already showed you these birthday flowers from Suki, but I wanted to share them again, as they were the gift that kept on giving.
I've never seen ranunculus open up this way, and I found it extremely pretty.
{happy}
The Artist and I have some news, which I'll share below. Thinking about sharing it, as well as finally rounding up photos that have been hanging around my Picasa for a while now, have made this post come together for me as a “living the dream” update. Because we are diving in and doing the “artist” thing.
This photo makes me happy: yes, I've finally been doing some pysanky, and yes, I've been sitting across the table from my husband while he's been working on his art project. This has taken up some happy weekend and evening hours around here, lately. To me, this is a dream. Mess and all.
Some of the eggs there in the center of the table are ones that my art students have been working on, which also makes me happy. I love to teach the craft of pysanky! These particular girls were so excited about it that one of them actually went home and promptly bought her own kit and now has all her siblings learning it, as well.
Another item that makes my little heart sing is this creature right here:
For a while, Finnabee and I watched this bird perch on our balcony, day after day. Only once I saw both bird and mate in action for a while did I put it together – of course! This balcony perch was actually a sentry. While the other bird was busy building a nest in the eaves, we were just seeing this one keep watch and make sure the spot was safe.
This set of birds (I never know which one is the male and which the female) became our friends. I think that “birdie” is the first word that Finnabee learned to recognize. After a little while, whenever I said “birdie!” she would turn and look searchingly out the window for a little buddy.
Finally we got a glimpse of the nest-building…
And now, with the arrival of spring, it's feeding time!
That's the nest there, in the gap in the wiring. A very safe and tucked-away spot. It happens to be right outside our dining room, so when we sit at our table to eat our meals, we can hear the tiny chirping voices competing for theirs (our dinnertimes really do coincide! It's so cute!). And the flap of the parents' wings brushes against our dining room window!
I'm not a huge animal person, but I do consider it an honor to have birds choose to come be our neighbors. They are so delightful.
{funny}
Back to art stuff.
Last summer, the Artist had a commission for a painting of St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), which beautiful and noble work of art is now hanging in a parish in Indiana, enshrined and, no doubt, inspiring and providing a source of direction for many prayers on a regular basis.
Surely all the circumstances of producing such an piece were also very noble and dignified!
I mean, when you look at a work of religious art in a shrine in a church, don't you imagine (if you think about it at all) that the process the artist went through must have been so serene and holy? Perhaps it involved a vision; or maybe he worked in an incense-filled, candlelit chapel in the Real Presence with a paintbrush in one hand and a rosary in the other.
If he used a model for a saint, that model was certainly composed and reverent, right? Probably a saint himself, in most cases.
Except that, when The Artist needed a model (as he did on a few occasions, just for details: St. Edith's hands, for example, or her smile), he turned to Yours Truly. And Yours Truly was, aside from not being a saint, at the time, visibly pregnant.
(But, you know, pregnant in the most dedicated-religious-possible way.)
And by Yours Truly, I really mean… this random stranger! No idea who she is.
But it just so happened that, one morning before he headed off to the studio, The Artist needed one more quick photo of the “saint's” hands just so, holding the book like that.
And this stranger happened to be handy! Oddly, wearing my maternity bathing suit and shorts, about to head out for a swim!
She is one presumptuous stranger, because apparently she felt at ease throwing my husband's Myrtle Beach sweatshirt on for the shot.
Crazy Catholic? What would make you say that?
The real kicker though, my friends, is that on a subsequent day, The Artist was heading out even earlier and needed a photo quicker even than in the above instance — and on that occasion, this mysterious, definitely-not-me character showed up again, this time wrapped in a towel, coming out of the shower. As you can imagine, the pregnant belly was even more in evidence. And as you can further imagine, said belly, wrapped in a towel, set off the posed crucifix in a most bizarre manner. So hilarious, in fact, that I really did consider sharing that photo with you. But, even with my (ahem – I mean the stranger's -) face cropped out, it might just be a bit too much for the internet to handle in any shame-free way.
Anything to support the Arts, am I right?
{real}
The other day we received a surprise visit from the exterminator. It was a routine visit – he was not summoned in response to any pest problem, thank goodness – and surprising only because our apartment management is great like that and doesn't give us heads up about things like routine exterminator visits. It just so happened that I was trying to get Finnabee down for her nap right when he let himself in, so I wasn't the happiest camper about that.
He turned out to be a nice guy though – very polite and apologetic for the inconvenience, and extremely quick in making his way through and doing a check to make sure we're bug-free (which, in the grand scheme of things, I appreciate).
Unfortunate, however, that his quick visit through the home occurred at a time when the home looked like this:
Suddenly, a pest-control problem doesn't seem so far-fetched…
Yes, that really really is what our living room looked like at the time. I've been feeling very free with the furniture. On this particular day, I had set up the sofas to be a giant sort of play pen for Finnabee and we'd been having a grand old time. But it's the kind of arrangement that's a little hard to explain to someone whom one has never seen before and whom one will never be seeing again. I knew, obviously, that this dude didn't care and that he didn't need an explanation…
… but it's hard to resist that creeping feeling that the service-gentleman has just left with a distinct impression that one is insane.
And why have I been feeling very free with the furniture?
That's our news: once again, we are packing up and moving (in a move which will be something like the 8th for me in the past 8 years, if I include my college years), this time leaving our DC-area roots and friends and heading up north, towards the LMLD homestead, for our next chapter. The Artist has an opportunity to go back to training with an excellent master of oil painting, and to study the ways of classical technique in order to advance towards his dream of providing more and better religious art to churches (as well as portraits and still lifes and other good things), and it's an opportunity we've decided to seize.
Fortunately for us, this master artist is located not far from my home (the LMLD homestead) in MA, and so we'll be crowding that house for a while as we get our bearings up there. And while it's very {real} to be planning a long-distance move and to leave what has been such a happy place for me for the past almost-decade (and just when the birds settled in, too!), we're excited for what's ahead!
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Leane says
May your move be filled with many blessings! Thank you for sharing your “bits and pieces” with us!
Kathy@9peas says
I love the picture of your artistic domestic life – especially the funny of the pest control man coming into your creative playpen scene. You are such a supportive spouse by posing for the artwork, I just love it and was giggling at your description, you two must have a lot of fun!
stclementmom says
In the Artist’s defence, you do look beautiful in that photo. Hoodie over bathing suit and all.
stclementmom says
defense 🙂
Julie says
I love this. My great Aunt was painting a picture of Pope John Paul II and needed a hand model as her son’s “fingers are too fat.” She proceeded to pose my husband’s hands, and now we tease that he is the left hand of the pope himself.
I also make very free with the furniture at our house as well. I consider it a creative outlet. God bless you with your move.
Julie
Sheryl Finley says
What a wonderful post! All good news and good fun. Auntie Leila must be over the moon-GrandBaby full time, for a bit! Congrats. And I agree, you do look quite beautiful.
Dusa says
Welcome back up to New England: this really is the best time of year to be in this neck of the woods, right? And of course Habou and Auntie Leila (and Bridget) will be ecstatic to have Finnabee under foot, at least for a little while.
Anabelle Hazard says
I loooove the funny photo. It got me to laugh out loud! Do you have a photo of the painting? I’m curious now and I can’t travel to Indiana and look at all the parishes.
Deirdre says
Maybe I’ll post a photo sometime, although I’m sure the photo wouldn’t do the painting justice! Glad I got a laugh out of you. 🙂
Anne says
Hope your move goes well, and there are few complications. That is good fun with modelling for The Artist! 😉
Katie says
I hope you have an easy move and I bet everyone back home is just thrilled for you! Where would one happen to buy a pysanky kit? I went to a Ukrainian pysanky tutorial – luncheon back in my old town and would love to try it again.
Deirdre says
Here’s a site that I’ve ordered supplies from: http://www.polartcenter.com/category_s/360.htm One of these kits will get you started and then you can order other individual items as needed. Good luck!
Kate says
My godfather was an artist and when he painted a portrait of St. Benedict (which hangs in my parent’s home), my father helped out with the modeling. He held a broom for the crozier and a fat dictionary for the “Rule.” My father had very distinctive hands and every time I look at that portrait, it reminds me of him; especially poignant since he passed away 7 years ago.
I’m stuck out in the West now, but I lived for awhile in NE and left part of my heart there. Enjoy your new adventure!
briana says
A grandbaby at the LMLD headquarters? I am betting there will be Much Happiness with that move!
I feel for you, though. In-between houses Dh and I had to move in with my parents only we had 2 kids 2 dogs and I was pregnant with #7. And then we couldn’t find a house, so we were there for 7 months (it was supposed to be a few weeks!) and I slept on an air mattress that DH would inflate with a foot pump every night when he got home at 11 pm. And, while I was there, I broke every major appliance in the house. Kid you not. My mother was *ecstatic*. My father? Hoped I’d never shadow his door again. Fun was had by all. We finally found a condo, and a week later #3 was born.
briana says
I can count, really. I was pregnant with #3. (we have 7 in total now)
Deirdre says
That makes sense. My head was spinning thinking about that scenario with 7 kids!! It sounds like it was wild enough as it was. 🙂
Meadow says
All too often my home looks like that too and I don’t have a “we’re moving” excuse 🙂
hope says
I, for one, appreciated the “real” but that would be the sort of thing that would happen to me! Keep the house tidy six days out of the week and the one day we let it all hang out and be crazy–and people you don’t know show up and come in! I think you did a fine job modeling! Good luck on the new adventure!
Deirdre says
Yeah, I wish I could say that it’s been tidy six out of seven days around here… 🙂
Annie says
Oh, I wish you were near enough for my daughter to join your pysanky class. She spent 4 hours with a blown egg during Holy Week trying to imitate your (amazing) art. Who knew there were kits?
Safe travels…
Kathryn says
Oh my, the real is me too. I’m pretty sure our exterminator leaves saying to himself “of course they have bugs if their house looks like that!” Best wishes for an easy move.
Mary says
How fun you get to move back near the family! Well, fun once you’re there, at least!
I think you make a lovely Edith Stein 😉
Carolyn says
What would you resources would you recommend using for my 9 year old daughter to learn more about pysanky? She is very artistic and has learned about pysanky mainly from what I showed her on this website :). I thought the eggs were beautiful and showed her the photos. I am not creative or artistic and wondered if there was a resource or kit you would suggest. Thank you! Good luck with your move!
Deirdre says
Hi Carolyn, I posted above that you can buy a good starter kit like one of these ones: http://www.polartcenter.com/category_s/360.htm
They come with basic instructions that will help get her started. There are some great photo collections of pysanky popping up on pinterest, which might help provide inspiration. I hope she can get into it!
eko says
God’s blessings with all your move entails!! So wonderful you’ll be close to home.
Kimberlee says
Many blessings to all of you on your next adventure! How delightful to have a grandbaby in residence at the Homestead!
The picture of you modeling is so great (it’s neat to look at the two side by side on the screen here). My daughter illustrated a picture book and uses her little sisters for models all the time. Supporting the arts, indeed!
Rosie says
Hilarious. Thank you for posting the picture of you posing. It’s even better than the one in my head! And I laughed out loud at your “real” pics, too. Typical.
Michelle M says
Oh, Deirdre, I am happy for you moving back to MA, but I am sad because we are finally moving back to DC and I was hoping to be able to get to know you once we got there! {(I am the overly forward woman who approached you at the Fall Garden Party! 🙂 } I was also looking forward to my boys having The Artist as their teacher. Sigh….
Deirdre says
Oh, Michelle! That is a bummer. It would have been fun to be in touch in person. Well, I’m sure we’ll turn up around these parts every so often…
Elissa says
“pregnant in the most dedicated-religious-possible way” —Awesome. You give me courage!
Woman of the House says
Blessings on your move! I’m sure Leila and the family are ecstatic you will be right there. We are getting ready to move too. Lots of boxes . . . everywhere!