whirling dervish

My Mom put things in perspective for me when she used the phrase "whirling dervish" yesterday afternoon when we spoke on the phone.  We were, in fact, talking about a little whirling dervish named Astralita....but it hit home for me.  It seems to describe how my life has felt these last few weeks....ah yes! A whirling dervish...so exciting!

Some of you who have seen our walls understand that I have had many different paint swatches on the walls of my kitchen!  Once we figured out the colors to paint (in Nov) I thought it might be easier!  No....  There was always something more important .... more pressing to do than paint walls while Astrid was napping or in bed for the night.  The two attempts I made to paint while Jeff was away failed miserably.  I won't show you our "shrek" (as Jeff refers to it) bedroom! or the bright yellow entryway...I'll spare you. 

Once I discovered that the walls were simply not going to paint themselves.....these last couple weeks and weekends we have been all business.  We have not yet to put our artwork back up on the walls - but we are pleased with the results.  The place feels warmer and cozier with these colors, and Mama is a happy camper.

Goodbye paint rollers, naps, cans of paint, buckets, stir sticks, drop cloths, brushes, screwdrivers, outlet covers, tape...from the top of my kitchen counters!  YESSSS!!  D.O.N.E!

Jeff and I were the best tag team ever!  One of us would "get lost" with Astrid while the other painted their little heart out.... as fast as they possibly could.  Each time Astrid would get up from her nap she would seek out and start climbing the ladder if it wasn't stored away.














(Astrid, what are you up to?)


Speaking of painting....My friend Jen (a talented oil and watercolor painter who is also finishing up her undergrad degree at UM) tapped into my artistic side this week.  She invited me to assist her with a video installation / art abstract she is working on for an upcoming NCUR conference in April.  She was such an inspiration!  I can't even express how amazing it was to take part in her project.  It was such a cool concept she had.

Jen had this idea that she could physically symbolize the Earth with her body.  She wanted to bring voice to what has happened to Butte, Montana.  For the video/photo shoot She bound herself in copper... got a killer hairstyle... a Harper's Bazaar quality makeup job (the heavy eye makeup was to look beaten up) and set out to represent what has happened to Butte, Montana....  (Butte is the largest superfund site in the United States....and home to the largest pit lake in the country.)

I'm excited to see how her video installation is received in April.  I, personally, think it has potential for an even larger audience in Missoula....(and beyond!).  MAM eat your heart out.

The subject for my photographs couldn't have been more perfect.  To top it off - Jen and I both reveled in the fact we were out creating art under a big bluebird Montana sky with our daughters.  Astrid was on my back for nearly two hours just watching everything....and Jen's daughter Ellie helped Jen with her outfit, entertained Astrid, and video taped some behind the scenes footage for the "making of" video!







(This one is more of a Fashion shot - not really her project.  I wanted to show the makeup...and Jen's skin in the sunlight.  Beautiful afternoon sun in the Rattlesnake)

This past week my little whirling dervish hit the 20 month mark.  I have no idea when I will stop taking these monthly shots with her and Skagit, but it's easy to remember - it is the center of each month.  Since Astrid has been mobile I find it more and more difficult to just simply plop her next to Skag and snaps some shots .  The process itself has become the story.  Since I would be filling this blog with photo after photo of each frame of the story.  I loaded a video...

It takes FOREVER to get a photograph that is workable (I'm not talking award winning, even) I have become a bit desperate in my attempts to get Astrid to stay still for a few consecutive seconds to take a photo that is worthy of saving, so I've resorted to waiting until snack time...then I figure I can always photoshop out the crumblets around her mouth!...the thought that I have even come to these measures makes me laugh.

Here is the one that I will save, after the whole Ta-do!

(I find her irresistably sweet in this hat!!)

Thank goodness this little darlin' is so adorable or she wouldn't be able to crawl under my desk and get away with this several (thousand) times a day!!!  he he!  Where exactly do you think you can go from here, Astrid?:




(punk)

Astrid thinks she is PRiiiTYYY special in this video.  Just moments before I shot this video I discovered she was pointing to the ground (from her perch in the stroller) saying "woK" "woK" "woK" repeatedly.  Well, I let the girl walk!  And, boy, did she want to "walk"!  More like, "RUN"!  Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!

There was some more sliding (sledding as they call it here in Montana) with Mama this week after a fresh night's snowfall!  Astrid...not as interested in being in the sled as running down the hill SUPER fast.  Enough to almost stop my heart kind of FAST!...at the same time I'm prying this monsterous freakin' bloody deer leg out of Skagit's mouth...holding her back...attempting to toss the leg up into a large ponderosa pine branch (it was futile - either the leg kept bending in the air, the branch was much too high or my head would whip back to scan for Astrid bounding down the mountain at the most crucial moment of this task)...  It was wild!  Thus, this is the only shot I got!!! he he!!!! 


Visits to Dad's office to completely halt business is a fun diversion if we are downtown at the library, buying something I probably shouldn't at Loopy, or daring to ride the horseys at the Carousel (as was the case Thursday).  Dads are the BEST at having fun!  It doesn't get any better...Dad in a hard hat, blowing bu-bos (bubbles) for Astrid with her  new teddy bear bubble dispenser!  Awesome!


So many to please, so little time:

This is the cup of coffee I had the other morning afternoon.  I think I had warmed it up maybe four times throughout the day...but it was SO GOOD.  Ahhhhhh. mmmmmmm.

After a little bit more of this....

I'll be ready and raring to answer Astrid's new favorite request:  "mo bubbo peas" "mo bubbo peas".  Life is so SO SO good!!!