It seems like everything happens in June -- graduations, weddings, parties. It's no exception here! We've had a few fun times and celebrations of late. Read on -- and don't forget to join the party with the youtube video! (And yes, Wrennie is still in residence! I wonder if she has eggs in there?)
First, my friend Suzanne stopped by for an overnight to break up a long drive back to Ontario. It wasn't a long enough visit (is it ever?) but we had some good fun, as always! (And I could give her birthday presents reasonably on time, which was a change from usual!)
Into the next week, I joined up with the plein air painting group I encountered last year for the first time. They were painting at the Ditch, which was convenient and lovely. On the way to my spot, I encountered this very relaxed (and getting-bigger) gosling!
This is the view I painted.
And here is the finished piece. For a first time painting outdoors, I can live with that, although I think the composition would be better if you just looked at the right "half" of the painting.
I had a little time so I did a quick sketch of a fellow artist. The background is too cluttered. I still haven't mastered editing the background while I am painting it! But I was pretty happy. I hope to do this again.
On a beautiful early summer Saturday evening, Rick welcomed about 30 guests to hear the wonderful music of Onur Alakavuklar, a classical guitarist originally from Turkey that he met through a serendipitous encounter with one of Onur's former professors.
Onur is not only a classical guitarist but a jazz guitarist and composer as well. His program included not only the classics but some of his own work as well as arrangements from the American Popular Songbook.
After, we enjoyed a fun reception on Rick's patio. I wish I'd taken pictures but it was fun talking with people between trips to the kitchen to bring out more food! The weather cooperated and while it was a bit warm inside, outdoors was absolutely lovely!
If you want some wonderful music to enjoy as you scroll through the rest of your blog list (and beyond), please watch or listen to the youtube link below. It was a fabulous evening and I wish you all could have been there. Now, you can be (apart from the snacks on the patio!)
A few days later, my friend Carol came over and we had our belated Coronation Tea. Since it was mid-afternoon, we didn't go all out but enjoyed it all.
The table was set with the royal standard as the tablecloth and with "royal" dishes, including these lovely new pieces with King George V and Queen Mary, along with a bit of Jubilee china. We drank our tea from royal mugs as well.
And of course, loads of food! Far more than we ate that day!
The day after that, Rick and I headed to my appointment with the back specialist from U of M and then continued to the Camster's graduation from pre-school. It was a big day for him! And fun for us.
And I have to say, he looked awfully cute in their matching tie-dyed shirts with the year they would graduate from high school embroidered on the front. They did about five or six songs/dances and then came up to the podium as the teacher read what they wanted to be when they grew up. Cam wants to be a fire truck. Good luck with that. Ride one, maybe. Be one? Tough to envision!
After they had pizza and snacks and some games on the playground. All good fun. Everyone was taking photos of the grad and their family. We did, too!
But this was my favorite!
Or maybe this one!
My yard is a mess. The grass looks like straw because of our drought and so far my strawberry crop has yielded only six small berries. (There had been so many blossoms.) My rose bush is the only thing that doesn't seem to care and is offering glorious blooms.
Even neighbor Rosie's yard isn't as vibrant as usual but her poppies are going great guns. I love them!
And, in recent days it appears that we indeed have baby wrens. I think I have spotted two smaller birds and Wrennie is making sure they eat!
Meanwhile, I've been busy getting ready for a yard sale and the house is a total mess. Total. The sale is the day after my colonoscopy (I didn't pick the dates) and I'm not terribly keen on it but it's a good motivation to dump so many of the craft supplies I know I will never use, not to mention some other things. It won't scratch the surface of what should go.
But.... it's a start. (I'll probably be a slow blogger this week! See you soon!)
PS -- If you are reading this from the Greater Lansing area, the Grosbeck yard sales are June 16, 17 and 18. I'll be open Friday and Saturday till 2, maybe Sunday. LOADS of craft supplies -- good ones -- and home, holiday, books, CDs, astrology, and more!
Sharing with: Rain's Art/Dinner Date / Share Your Style
64 comments:
Good morning, what an awesome list of events-so fun- I love your paintings so I don't seeing editing that needs to be done. enjoyed everything. If I lived in your area I would be at your yard sale-Hugs from the lake Kathy
I wish I lived nearby to come to your sale! But in actuality, I do not need to add to my burgeoning stash, LOL! Great that your wren likes your birdhouse, mine have rejected the house so we enlarged the hole for bluebirds. I hope you get some rain this week, but not during your sale!
This is a fun post to procrastinate with when I really should get up and get this day started. Smile. You have been busy Jeanie, but a good busy for certain. I first have to say that Cam is adorable and holy cow, 2037 seems like it should be in a futuristic novel, not really someone's high school graduation date. And your get togethers sound like fun, and of course the music is lovely. I think your paintings are great too. You shouldn't judge yourself so hard. How fun to be able to meet up with the plein air group and join them. It sounds perfect! Funny you are in a drought and we have so much rain. It started right after we left and there hasn't been much even since we've come home. I'd love to send you some, but I bet the PO would charge a lot for that. I hope this week is also going well. hugs-Erika
Sounds like an incredibly busy time. Sounds as though you've been loving it though.
The music is really nice.
The boys are growing up so fast! And that's so cute about Cam wanting to be a fire truck. Well, he can dream, right? Maybe he'll grow up to be a fire fighter?
Good luck with the yard sale. Hope lots of people show up and take the stuff off your hands.
Kids always 'steal the show' with their cuteness and sweetness.So much so, that when we get to them we tend to forget about the turkish guitarist, the royal plates and mugs, the delicious food on the table, the flowers, the birds, your awsome art! They cannot compete, though, with your smiling face.
What a fun graduation! 2037--OMGoodness!
Baby wrens--I wonder if you'll be able to get a photo of them? Not an easy thing to do. They'll be gone in a flash.
You did great on your first plein air paintings! I found I need a photo to be able to draw or paint...well, almost anything. I need something already 2-dimensional, I guess--lol! The people I know who are in plein air groups really love it, though. Enjoy! You have the knack!
Both visits with your friends looked like a good time. And the music event was wonderful! Busy, fun times! :) :)
You're hilarious!!! A yard sale after a colonoscopy? You cannot be kidding. LOL. But, I loved your High Tea so much. Loved the food and the table decor. Excellent concert, too. What's not to like about your life? BTW, I showed your art on my blog today. Looks nice.
Graduation Congratulatios to Camster!
Beautiful family. Thank you for the video.
That was quite a lot if work to put together. Prayers your test goes well.
Slowing down eating and portion size before the fast has helped me through a few over the years.
So great to hear what kids say they want to be. Alice at around age 3 always said she wanted to work in an elevator. We never did figure that out. Her current plan seems to be in computer programming. More understandable.
Congratulations to Cam! Good luck with his plans.
best, Mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Lovely photos. I have never seen a nest of a wren (nor the feeding process)
You are evidently keeping busy, but having big fun just now. Way to go! Hugs, Valerie
Are those water colors you did outside? If so did you paint flat or on an easel? Either way, you did well!
This post is filled with all kinds of wonders. Loved your paintings. Did I hear correctly--the TV was on so I might not have--was Rick a professor at Indiana University? Or did I completely mishear?
Lovely photos! I like your painting of the artist painting, pretty cool. Keep on having fun, it's the way to be. :)
You are having great adventures! I enjoyed them.
How cool to present your own concert! Love your plein air work. The coronation tea looks delicious. The graduation photos are adorable. Good luck with your sale.
Not to be a downer, but are we sure that gosling is OK? That seems like a very unnatural pose.
Love your decorations for the royal tea! I never realized the royal standard makes such an excellent tablecloth. LOL
I think your paintings look great, and the background on the one of the artist doesn't seem too cluttery to me. I can see the figure clearly enough!
Wrennie is cute. Hope we get baby pictures soon.
Happy graduation to Cam He is so sweet! How fun to have so many things to celebrate at once. Yes June is usually a busy one, but for us it was just taking my FIL out to dinner for his 80ytjh birthday. Janice
The wrens look fabulous. What a packed day of events. Such a positive vibe
Preschool graduation - I remember when our daughter did that, 20 years ago now. Goodness, those 20 years just flew by.
Your painting is beautiful, but I know that one always sees something that needs to be done - we always tend to be over critical with ourselves.
Good luck with your yard sale (and with the colonoscopy - the day before is always the worst of the entire procedure, I think). Yard sales are a lot of work, but it's nice to get some things out of the house. I would come by if I lived in your area.
Jeanie, you have been busy with wonderful activities. First, you look great and it appears to me that you have lost weight. Congratulations to your handsome Cam! I love your plein air paintings and all of the fun you have been enjoying! I am going now to listen to the music!
Oh, I hope your yard sale goes well, Jeanie. I just love yard sales. Your grandson looks cute in his tie-dye shirt at his school event. Your rose bush is blossoming like crazy. Love the color. Looks a bit like Fall. And your neighbor's Poppies are very nice. What a Yummy spread you had, and I'd love one of those macarons with my tea right now. Your sketch turned out lovely of the artist, you did a great job on that. Oh my, that bird looks so still. What a strange position she's in. And so glad your resident Wren returns to visit from time to time.
~Sheri
House concerts are special. I’ve been to two but not recently. They were both fiddle concerts.
Your paintings are lovely and the family photos from the little one's graduation are wonderful. Glad you enjoyed your little Coronation party! The table looks lovely.
So much fun in this post, I don't know where to begin. I love the pictures of family, and your coronation tea looks delicious! It's a treat to have the video of Onur's guitar playing; I'm listening to it while I get ready for bed.
What a fun entry, love the happy pic of you two.
Oh, and your painting! now I get why an easel might be a good idea.
Great music. And I love the table setting.
2037.... cute shirts, we made those at school, too. And the cutest boy! Fun idea with the graduate-pic, too.
A busy time, but a pleasant time, Jeanie. I am quite sure the important school graduation will soon be followed by a wren graduation. Good luck to little humans and wrens alike.
What cute graduation photos :) My great-niece in San Francisco also had her graduation last week and said she wanted to be a firefighter :)
So cute that you have little wrens.
I like your outdoor paintings.
I enjoyed the music, it would have been a great get-together.
Have fun at your yard sale.
Hello Jeanie,
Congrats to the Camster! The concert looks fun!
You have been busy, fun times with friends and family.
The roses are gorgeous and I love the poppies too.
The wren is adorable. Cute photos.
Take care, enjoy your day!
Dang! I should have stayed in Lansing longer to attend your yard sale to look at those craft supplies! LOL. I hope the appts went well!
This whole post made me so happy. The baby wrens, the art, the music gathering, the preschool graduation. Such a good month so far. It is so nice to be able to gather again! Congrats to your little future fire truck! Kids say the cutest things!
I love your art---how fun that you were able to paint outdoors just like Monet. I'm planning to do some urban sketching next week for the first time. We'll see how that goes.
The photos of you with family and friends are wonderful, too.
And all with a lovely guitar accompaniment.
It's nice to finally catch up with you. What a treat to host a musician like that! Amazing the talent that people have, isn't it? I love you paintings-what a wonderful outlet for your artistic bent. I am so glad you could spend some time with your girlfriend-even if it was a quick visit.
Your little grandson is adorable. What a cute little boy. My SIL just retired after 31 yeas with the fire department. His last few years as a chief. He wanted to be a fireman since he was little and entered that service right out of high school at 18 years old. He retired with full benefits at 50 years old!
Have a wonderful rest of the week. xo Diana
We're only half-way through June and you are having lots of fun. It's always great to see old friends no matter how short the visit. Lovely paintings from the ditch. Now as for wanting to be a fire truck, that sounds quite natural for the age group.
You totally know how to live life to it's fullest:)
Sweet post Jeanie, and so full of life. Loving the paintings. Trick I learned from a pro here in Chicago in a class, was to take along an inexpensive small size photo matte say 8x 10 or 5x7...and you can hold that up in front of your subject and help you 'eyeball'and edit your composition. Then your proportions are about the same as your paper size, also. Love the teeshirts...and your nummy table full of goodies! Hugs, Sandi
What a fun post and so many fun goings-on. Loved the graduation pictures and your painting. Hope the back specialist visit went well.
Lovely art and photos
Sounds like you've been busy.
I love little Kindergarten Graduations....so cute. You have a darling family, Jeanie! I love seeing the photos of your grandson on his big day. I love the shirts, too. Did they make them in class? We have a little family member living in San Francisco (she's 2 1/2) and she made a tie dyed t-shirt at "camp" this week, and she is so proud. SHe wants to wear it everyday!
You have had a busy June so far. BTW I love your flip flop shirt. :D
The pre-school photos are sweet, and the parts of your garden that are blooming well look beautiful. Painting outside with others seems like a lot of fun, and I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to do two paintings. Good luck on that yard sale.
A yard sale after a colonoscopy..Great planning..Good excuse to beg off..
The drought has been bad everywhere I think..We had a little rain yesterday..My grass is still green but only because it gets a lot of shade..Love your paintings..I can't do anything original...
You are the busiest person I know..
Love the concert, Coronation tea, the Wren family, and your artwork. What fun you have had and then there is the special graduation too. Love it all.
Wow! What an active, involved, creatively engaged, totally amazing life you've been leading! So glad you've been able to enjoy all the chances to catch up with friends and family. And those kids are just completely darling. And I'm very interested in this plein air painting group you've discovered... what a great new challenge!
Sounds like you've been surrounded by art and music, friends, and family (and beautiful birds, too). Once your back is feeling better, sounds like things could be pretty darn perfect.
Happy weekend!
I enjoyed each and every photo and the family ones are so sweet! What a wonderful time you have been having. Fun to see and so glad you are enjoying yourselves.
Beautiful music! Rick is so connected with other musicians! Has he always had a passion for music/guitar? Did he play from a young age?
Love the Pk grad pics - and the ambition to be a fire truck. Lol. That will be funny for him to look back on someday! ;) Paul has PK graduation next Friday so we are looking forward to that.
Good luck with the sales - I hope you bounce back ok from the colonoscopy!
I LOVE this! Having the music is the icing on the cake (or scone, as the case may be). Wonderful visits, family time, art creation, and purging! Good luck with your yard sale this weekend. I saw photos on FB. I know you'll be tired, but the feeling is wonderful when it's over!
Wonderful post
Jeanie, the music was lovely to listen to, so thanks for including in this post, such a talented musician. The graduation photos were sweet and reminded me of our grandson's similar event - Yikes, 16 years ago! It's nice that you and your friend Suzanne could spend time together and you and carol outdid yourselves with the high tea event. I also liked the art you did with the outdoor group!
Hello Jeannie…read back all your beautiful posts today..no blogging time for me…..searching for a home to live for me and Leaf…I am temporarily living buy my friend right now….it is hard….but I do my best….love from me and Leaf 🍀🐾🙏💗🍀
There is so much to enjoy in this post and yes, I am listening to the beautiful classic guitar music as I write this. Your art is lovely and well balanced ... don't see the need to change any of it. So you put out quite the spread whenever a friend a arrives for a visit ... Hmmmm, perhaps I should come your way :) I love your adorable Grandson and I laughed when you told us what he wants to be when he grows up. My son was a motor loving boy and I am guessing he had similar wishes at that tender young age ... and congratulations on his graduation. Love the family pictures too ... I assume that is your daughter and her husband with Camster. You have a beautiful family. I love Wrenny ... we had a Wren family that lived in on of our bird houses on the lake ... they are such a delight and I can never get over how such a little bird can belt such a loud and lovely song. Thank you for this lovely joyful visit, Jeanie :)
Andrea @ From the Sol
Lots of fun happenings around your place! How cute the kids are in the tie-dye shirts. Love your paintings! And the tea party - so lovely! Have a good week!
I'm only four days late visiting. I wish I lived closer, because I would probably buy every art supply you have, especially if it was paper or cat related.
You are so lucky to have so many wonderful friends who visit you. I bet both yours and Rick's homes are places where people gravitate.
Cam sure looked cute in his tee. Wish they had done that when I was young.
So glad you had a good time with the others doing plein air painting. I thought of you as I perused the Willowing Art Taster Series. Nothing I could draw, but there were some great and very different artists drawing mostly faces.
Such a lovely post, full of good things to read, see and listen to :)
Love the look of your Coronation Tea...
Super family photographs photographs, love the smiles.
Thinking of you.
All the best Jan
I hope your yard sale went well, Jeannie! It always seems when our neighborhood has one I'm away. I try to sell things on Facebook marketplace and sometimes I just give things away there.
Congrats to Camster on his advancement from pre-school! They grow up so quickly!
Your roses look beautiful. We've had too much rain this spring and cool temperatures so my garden is making slow progress.
Your paintings are beautiful, Jeanie.
Sounds like you've been really busy.
Love your high tea and the video. Such beautiful music!
Hugs and blessings
such lovely family photos Jeanie. and how nice to have baby birds nearby. I am a happy twitcher and love to keep an eye on our local birds.
Your Coronation Tea was splendid the royals would have approved.
Such great photos. Hugs.
Jeanie,
Looks like you have been busy!! Good for you!! I wish I lived closer because I would definitely be at your yard sale...
Again, I am amazed my your artistic talents...Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Deb
I am glad you have had good days.
You have had a Royal Time for parties my friend! Seeing the little one graduate was so sweet! Thank you! I use to be a preschool teacher and we loved putting on our graduations! I taught for 20 years!
I also enjoyed your paintings!
Happy Tuesday’
Time flies! The first half of the year is almost over. And you have a productive and fun month. That's great! Your photos make me want to move to a place like yours. Beautiful nature. I hope your little friend there have babies soon. I'd love to see them.
Looks like you are having good summer fun.
Lovely thing to do art outside with other people.
You will know if there are eggs in the bird house once they start crying out for food ;-)
Somehow I missed this post. You always have such fun things going on! Hope you did well with the sale.
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