March :: Out Like A Lamb? Never.

Awesome sign painted by yours truly for the ceremony

Last week we attended the Tomales Elementary School's Honor Roll Ceremony.  G received the highest honor, Principal's List, for his straight A's and 4.0 GPA and he was beaming and so proud of himself.  He was one of two in his class to receive this honor and takes it quite seriously.  This is his second time achieving same this year and he's going for three next trimester.  

Books + Earless Bunny

We hit the mobile library last week and G quickly filled our book bag with graphic novels, a few movies and art books suggested by our amazing librarian.  I love when we leave the mobile library.  G can't wait to get in the car and start digging through his overflowing bag of books.  He opens a book and immediately is transported.  Once we arrive home (about 10 minutes later), he usually stays in the car, absorbed in the make-believe world he's reading about and emerges slowly from the vehicle, walking towards the house with his eyes firmly planted on the pages of a book.  I love library day.

My muses + birdie watercolors

These gals have been my painting inspiration lately.  They've been out roaming the lush, green hills surrounding our house.  They are quite the adventurers.

Me + Owl-loving Boy + Signs of Spring

After last week's blow-up with Grady and re-strategizing my parenting techniques with Steve, I worked on spending more time with my boy and really listening to him.  Sometimes I think just because I'm the parent that I'm right.  I'm correcting or rolling over his sentences with my words of wisdom and not taking the time to hear him out.  I've been snappy with him and loud with my responses for effect, too.  It's funny what you learn when you just shut up and listen to your kid.  He has a lot to say and I'm working on listening to what he has to teach me.

This was a week full of celebrations and art-making.

My little sister turned 39 yesterday and we sent her a care package last week and a special-ordered purse with a picture of her three kids on it from Snaptotes.  I hope she loves it!

Handmade Goodness by GSH

We also carved new stamps for our stationary endeavors.  G wanted to hand-carve his logo which consists of his initials and flames shooting out of the stop and bottom of the "S".  He did a fine job and even carved a really cool skull stamp.

We hosted a friend for lunch to celebrate her birthday (belated at this point) and the date ended up landing on the five year anniversary of her son's death.  G drew her a mourning dove and made fish tacos, rice and Grady's guacamole.  It was delicious and I think she really appreciated spending time with my boy on this hard, hard day.

We were honored and happy to attend the 75th birthday celebration of local birding legend, Don Toms.    This celebration also marked his accomplishment of seeing over 50% of the world's bird species (he reached this amazing milestone two years ago).

Mr. Toms has been kind enough to share his love of birding with Grady and they have gone on two summer birding expeditions in 2011 and 2012.   Their avian bond is really sweet and despite their 65 year age difference, they like hanging out together.

Best Friends 4th Grade CYO Awards Ceremony

Last week was also the CYO basketball award ceremony.  G's team ended up being the 4th grade  league champions and took home the coveted champion t-shirt and a trophy.  Calvin, his best friend, dressed up for the occasion and looked really cute in his all black suit.

I logged 11.5 miles last week on Middle Road Loop (just down the hill from my house).  I've been following a training schedule for a 5K, even though I'm not registered for any such thing.

I'm kind of a rule-follower-list-maker-goal-setting kind of gal and I figured I'd have more success on getting myself moving and exercising if I had a written chart telling me what to do.  So far, so good.

The sage is waking up from its winter slumber
My stack of "on-deck" reading

I've been trying to dive into my bedside stack of books and get caught up on my reading lately.  My stack is a bit schizophrenic with fiction, gardening and cookbooks, magazines, memoirs and a little creative self-help.  It definitely reflects what's on my mind right now and what I'm interested in at this very moment.

G spent a lot of time in his studio on Friday night and Saturday during the day.  He was inspired by the book Darth Vader & Son by Jeffrey Brown.  He drew almost all of the characters on this one sheet of paper and did a really good job.  He didn't trace but, rather, copied by looking at the images and drawing them on his own.  I'm constantly amazed by his artistic talent and admire the way he just dives in and starts a project.

A friend asked him this weekend was kind of medium was his favorite and he answered sketching.  This was news to me, as I thought watercolors were his current medium de jour.  Changing.  Always evolving.

And last, but not least, the guys attended the 50th anniversary of "The Birds" screening at the Bodega Bay Grange, along with Scott and Jill.  One of Steve's clients is an expert on Alfred Hitchcock and spoke prior to the film viewing.  There was also this really fun photo booth that Grady's art teacher put together.

I love where we live.

Crazy birds and all.  Feel free to replace the word birds with people, farmers, tourists, farm animals, ranch hands, neighbors, community members...