i read something

somewhere and it said to think back to what you were doing 10 years ago. Since it's only a couple of days until Halloween, that was easy. (I know these aren't the best scans but at least I have something.) Well I say it was easy but I can't really remember which it was for sure...
Superman
or Zorro
I don't even think Eric had ever seen a Zorro movie but he carried a sword and I'm sure that's all that mattered. Also, don't judge me for the store-bought costumes. That's what Eric wanted. I hated those things but he was the one that had to wear it. Once I let him have a Buzz Lightyear costume from Walmart, it was downhill from there. It's been nothing but cheap polyester since.

On that note, I leave you with Eric... the homemade, non polyester bear.

hi there, remember

me? Yeah, probably not. I haven't been around much lately. It's not that I've been avoiding a post but while there has been a lot going on, there hasn't. On our way to Mom and Dad's over the weekend, we ran into horrible traffic. There was road work on 45 somewhere between Madisonville and Buffalo. You know those times when it seems like crews pick the worst time to do road work and you ask why they can't do this at night when there's not as much traffic? I ask that often and here's my answer. It doesn't really matter. There wasn't even work being done at the time, they just decided to leave one lane open. Oh well. This picture was taken in the hour's bumper-to-bumper mess we were in.
While we were up there, Lauren made mashed cauliflower. Eric tried it and liked it. I decided to sneak it in for dinner the other night in place of potatoes. I prepared it all while he was at school to hide any evidence. I was trying to keep a straight face. (I'm not the best at getting away with things. I laugh way too much.) He picked up on the giggles and asked what was in it. I told him cheese. He told me he knew it had cauliflower but wanted to know why I was laughing. I told him I was just trying to be sneaky about the cauliflower.
Eric then informed me he actually likes cauliflower and he prefers it cooked plain with salt and a little ketchup for dipping. The ketchup for dipping doesn't surprise me, he likes everything dipped in ketchup. What surprises me is that I never knew he liked cauliflower. I don't even know where he tried it because I'd never made it.
Speaking of making new things, there's a recipe that's been making its way around the internet and I tried it out last night. I was hesitant because I'm always hesitant when yeast is involved. It's rolls with onions, rosemary and bleu cheese. They were different. The cheese is only sprinkled on top but I think I might have put too much. I little less would have been better.
Here's the inside. The onions are strings that have been sauteed with garlic and then mixed into the dough. I like that. Like I said, I think there was too much cheese on top. Or maybe I should have just thinned it out more and not clumped it all on in one spot.
On the menu for tonight? Hamburgers with cauliflower "fries".

the new hairdo

Eric's been thinking about going completely short since, well, since we talked him out of it and convinced him to only cut most of it off the night before school. I took him after school to finish it off. I was hesitant but now I'm glad I did.

It reminds me of the hairstyle he had through most of elementary school.

i'm still here

but I've been preoccupied with not feeling the best and a trip to the dentist. Although I still have sniffles, coughing and now a not-fully-functional mouth, I would have liked to have gotten out to have something to post... but it's raining.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

we stopped for eric's

taco this morning and I thought about trying the pancakes at Takeria La Rosa (yes, I know it's wrong but that's how they spell it). If I got them, I'd stop back by on my way out of town. I dropped Eric off and didn't know for sure if I should stop. Yes, I wanted them even though I could save $5.99 and have a Slimfast at home. Yes, I wanted them even though I could save oodle-tons* of calories and have a Slimfast at home. I couldn't decide, as usual. I think most people know I don't make decisions well. Anyway, I pulled over and sent Cosme a text, "say yes or no". Of course he was wondering what I meant. I told him I was trying to decide on something. If I told him what it was he'd tell me to do it. While I sat waiting for his response... and making a production of something really simple, I took this picture. Would you believe that's not a black and white photograph?
I was parked beside the Methodist church in WC, alongside the cemetery. I just decided to forget it when my phone went off with a big "Yes". Awesome. So I stopped back by and got breakfast to go.
Look at the bacon resting in syrup. It was so worth the $6.48.
Now I need to get busy on housework with hopes of shedding an unexpected oodle-tons of calories.

*This is a word I've heard Eric use. I'm guessing it's the new thing so I'm going with it. I also feel better writing "oodle-tons" versus the possible amount of calories I just consumed.

On another note, Eric corrected a previous post in which I said "cr-zazy". I don't remember what I should have said but I will certainly post it once I find out.

a little reminder for

Lauren:
you have a blog

sorry for the lack

of posting.
This has been a week to get stuff done. Since Monday was a holiday I helped Eric clean out his room. That took longer than expected so I wasn't able to start the guest room, which will be done today. I'm doing the guest room today because yesterday was a fun-filled day with Dr. Schleicher. It really wasn't that bad even though he did lecture me on the importance of not putting off getting two crowns. So guess what that means. Yeah. Another day with Dr. Schleicher next week, but not so fun-filled... unless of course I opt for the valium. I can't dwell on that now. It's time to switch into cleaning mode.

i don't have anything

else to offer but this. Lucille. Lucille minus the pumpkin-sweater glare.
I've been preoccupied. Nothing spectacular just sinus headaches, driving, errands, the usual. Did I mention sinus headaches?

i've had several posts

on how I don't particularly care for Oprah Winfrey. It's not the person she is because I've never met her. I just think it's ridiculous how so many people follow her lead and the extent to which she takes it.

When I checked the mail yesterday I had this.
Wow. I love a good deal.
Seriously though, I would never. I know she'll never see it but I would feel a little better if someone at her empire knew how I felt and that we are not all blindly waiting for Oprah's next "words of wisdom". (Did you notice that on the picture above? "words of wisdom"... please.) So, here's a quick little note I typed up:

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to say thanks, but no thanks for the magazine offer and I hate to pass on such a bargain. I'm sure Ms. Winfrey is a swell individual but I'm honestly tired of seeing her everywhere. Believe it or not there are many of us who have no need for her stance or opinions. I personally find it pathetic that so many others do.

I congratulate her on the wealth and success she has achieved but I do not plan to contribute to any part of that.


Sincerely,
Melanie

Now you probably want to know why I'm wasting my time and money on this. I'm wasting my time because the thought of that being said and sent makes me feel a little better. As for the money, I'm not wasting my money. She was kind enough to send me a postage paid envelope. If I don't use it, that envelope will end up unused in my recycling bag. Now that would be a waste of money.

i promise

this is the last of the drawings, for now anyway. Before we could start drawing people, we had to learn bones and muscles. We had to learn where things were and how they moved to understand a person's pose better. Naturally, we started with bones and I think that's probably why I enjoyed skulls so much. Our assignments were so much fun. It wasn't just about drawing a person, sometimes it was about not drawing a person. There were several assignments to only draw everything around the person, only draw the shadows on the model or as in the picture below, only draw the highlights. Ms. Mouton would get some of the guys that worked out a lot to come in and sit around in a pair of shorts for our class to draw. She would really go all out for our classes.
Here are a couple of other studies we did. We'd go around the room and only have a few seconds to sketch what we saw before the next person would jump up on the table and strike a pose.
Then I found these. Lauren was apparently doing the same thing in Ms. Manor's second grade class. Maybe?
Since posting the pumpkin painting the other day, I eye those little pumpkins every time I go to the grocery store. I probably won't be satisfied until I get one and bring it home to draw.

i was looking through

some of my old drawings yesterday. I do that every once in a while.

I found this pumpkin painting
Hands are something I always draw. We used it on our first study of contour line as well as shading. I enjoyed it and went with that. Ms. Mouton always stressed to us how important it was to only draw it if it was an object in front of us and to NEVER draw from a picture. Anyway, there are tons of hands in my drawings.
See? You can put them in so many poses and it's so much easier than carrying around a still life... says the person who carries a baby shoe, red chair or vintage suitcase almost everywhere she goes.
This next one was the first skull I ever drew. It was never finished. That's okay, I always hated it. This was a lesson on stippling with ink. So all the shading is done with dots upon dots upon dots. I hate upon hate upon hate that.
I still like skulls when they're not shaded with dots, even if they are human... more on that tomorrow. I believe this was charcoal. My favorite medium is chalk pastel and next comes charcoal. (I am framing this and putting it in Eric's room.)
A skull with a flower in its mouth? No? How about a wine bottle with a ballet shoe? Maybe I should give this to Brittany, it was her ballet shoe.
Had enough for today? Yeah, me too. Now I'm in the mood to find Eric's aoudad skull in the backyard and go to town with some charcoal. Although, I think something might have r-u-n-n-o-f-t with it. (If you haven't seen "Oh Brother Where Art Thou", I think something might have run off with it.)

a few more

from over the weekend

here's the last

one from the drive over the weekend. It's also the last one I did with the camera propped up on my arm while driving. I saved it for last because the sky was so pretty.
Going with the orange from the sunset and since there are only 30 days until Halloween, I'm posting the next ones of Lucille. It seems like Strat always makes it up on the blog while Lucille is left behind. I saw this sweater at Michael's. It's made for a teddy bear but you know how I am.
By the way, I intentionally put the sweater on backwards.
Lucille is the sweetest cat. She just wants to be held and scratched on. If you sit, she gets in your lap and takes a nap. Even if she isn't wanting to be held, she goes limp and gives in when someone picks her up. All of these things are why I love what appears to be a glare in the next picture.