Max's Star Wars Birthday!

I was too busy to take photos so Max's Baba was wonderful enough to do it for me!!! Finally posting some pics!
Click here to view photos

We began the party running around like crazy, as most parties do. We then focused and began our Jedi training with Master Athar (Rohan). He instructed the Padwan how to defeat the Dark Side. After the instruction we had an obstacle course through Dagobah with Yoda in our back pack... at the end of the course you had to defeat Darth Vadar! It was a bit silly and took time, as one person did it at a time but when you won Athar gave you a certificate and a prize.

Next they bombed the Death Star with water balloons. Messy and super fun...

Then a game of freeze the Sith. One Jedi to freeze all the Sith (Freeze tag). The Sith Won. The Jedi was out numbered for sure.

Cake, presents and battles ensued. Mom was super tired and glad his Jengo Fett had such a great time. Now for a beer.

tidbits

Tidbits are all I have right now.

More elaborate news to follow.

We celebrated a six year old birthday, star wars style.

Fun and exhausting. Photo's to follow.

I am working with a friends fixing up an old house on my days off.

Heat gun, scrappers and industrial mask.

(I need Christmas money and the whole kiln thing has depressed me too much)

Oh the kiln. Well a major wire melted today....the one between the kiln sitter and the switches. I need another new infinite switch, and maybe some switch wires. I guess when you have an old kiln that has been sitting for a while you need to just replace everything. I have not given up... just feel a bit sad and despondent.I have not worked in the studio for a couple of weeks because I it just makes me feel defeated. 

Enough of that.

HALLOWEEN IS THIS SUNDAY!

We are very excited and are hoping these last few days slow down and let us enjoy October before it blows on by us.

Hmm. That's all for now. 

i need a drink... no really, i do.

Okay, maybe I am not supposed to be a potter after all.

Fired today.

Well, at least I thought I would be.

^06 went down at 1:30.... Hooray!

I was super excited, and yes I am one of those who put cone packs in an electric kiln, I am programmed to make cone packs.

An hour ago I went to check... all the lights were glowing and the inside was that beautiful red hot every potter loves to see.

Then....

I went to check again.

Nothing. The lights on the elements were off. The breaker was not off, the plug was good,

the cone did not set it off, nothing I could see should have made the connection to the elements turn off.

I really want to cry but I am too angry and sad and frustrated. 

At this point I just want to know that I did not spend all this money on a "thing" that is not EVER going to work.

Bummed is an understatement.

I am so thankful that Monks invented beer. I need one.

holding my breath til tuesday

Someone came today,on a Sunday, to help me with my kiln. I had super

high hopes and as the minutes turned to hours I began to think

I WAS DOOMED.

My helper left after over 2 hours of trying to figure it out.

I was bummed.

Then, He called and said, I know what it is. It was something really simple

and IT WORKED!

It is all about what wire is hooked where and what ground wire is hooked

there and how tight everything is.

When I got off the phone, I ran down to the basement and fixed it myself!

I am going to fire it on Tuesday.

I will hold my breath until cone 6 bends and the kiln shuts itself off without

me touching a thing!

the inside of the switch box

the inside of the element terminal and all the crazy wires attached properly!

a side view

my headache with hope

This morning was a complete cooperative lego event.

There were lego's everywhere. Seriously.

I was impressed at their determination and drive to work together.

I said as long as they were put away by bed time they could play all day

(except for chore time ;o))

Halloween is an exciting time at our house.

We used to begin decorating Sept. 1. I quietly did not mention

anything Halloween and was able to put it off until Sept. 31!

the boys contribution

this is our family member: Armleg

He was born with an arm for a leg and he hangs in our house all year round.

We love armleg.

Well here is to patience, determination and the dream to have a working kiln.

I hope to have photo's posted of properly fired pots by next Thursday!

biting the bullet, proposals and camping.....

Well, I did it. 

I called someone to help me not screw up my kiln MORE.

I did not tell you what happened when I installed my ground wire.

My plug and ground wire did not come with instructions.

I guessed.

I guessed wrong.

I installed the ground wire wrong and when I turned the power on

 there where sparks and the fuse flipped off.

SHIT. 

I said this out loud I think.

I opened the other boxes on the other parts of the kiln to se what I did wrong, a little late..... 
OH, you have to bolt it to a separate place entirely.

I feel not so smart at this point and wonder what I have fried.

Well, L. has assured me it is the infinity switch. I tell him to come any way and make sure and help me make this crazy, now seemingly foreign thing, work!!!!

So, Sunday I hope to have a working kiln or at least concrete answers as to what to do next.

Sigh and I can't wait.

the culprit 

Most of you know the story of Max and his many proposals, but for those (family members) who do not do the evil Facebook I will fill you in.

I noticed Max's allure on my first field trip. Two or three girls puckered up their lips at him waiting for something to be returned.

Max would have nothing to do with it.

Then Max kept telling me about this girl who would drive him crazy wanting to sit next to him wherever he was. "Mom, You don't know her. She is crazy. She will NOT leave me alone."

So Wednesday I am picking up the boys and Max first. His class comes out in a line.

Max runs over to me and it begins. The series of proposals.

A, oh so sweet, kiss is blown his way. And this follows,

 "Max, I'll marry you when I grow up". 

There is a slight pause.

Then a another blown kiss further on down the line and a "Me,too!"

and another and another and another.

I stood there wondering what just happened.

Then I saw Max. He grimaced, flashed his smirky smile and turned off in disgust as I busted out laughing with a feeling of OMG what just happened.

Today two new girls professed their desires for marriage.

I think we will read Where Did I Come From this weekend.

Rohan and the entire Third grade are camping tonight.
Jay and Max are there right now eating dinner, singing camp songs and eating smores.


How cool to spend the night with your class and friends in a cabin and experience life outside school with adults you call "teachers".


I will be there all day tomorrow for those of you wondering why I did not join in the fun. Besides, Rohan will have more fun with out "high expectation" Mom there to ruin it for him ;o).


WE have an amazing school with a seriously dedicated staff.

ENOUGH of this day... where is tomorrow?

I am having one of those days.

The kiln is frustrating me to no end. I have no idea what is wrong or how to fix it.

I have put new elements in, new bolts,screws,washers, wires and still the elements are not getting red hot.

I am stumped.

On top of that my controlling, demanding, expectation side has reared its ugly head.

Rohan is going through a serious stage of I want to do what I want and I do not care what you say.

He wants to do the bare minimum to get by and does not want to push himself.

And he is lying to me.

This pulls, pushes,  and stretches every button I have. 

What I know.

I should be calm, listen,  be understanding that he is shouting out for attention and acceptance.

What do I do?

Get angry, frustrated and feel the need to be apart from him.

At Drama club today, he did not want to do some of the exercises. As I spent a good hour and a half today working on Drama Club matters I felt personally accosted. Why do I take these things so personally? 

(I did begin my "cycle" today... and it is not pretty in my system ;o))

He then came home and began his homework. Great, right? Except he changed the timer, that tells him when he is done reading, while I was outside with Max doing homework. He lied about it... and lied

and lied until I told him I knew he changed it because I knew what time I put it on.

He thinks he should not have a consequence for lying.

Deep breath inserted and a REALLY?

This is a day when I am dreaming of the kids sleeping in their beds, a lovely drink in my hands,

quiet, and a new beginning tomorrow.

A new tomorrow. please.

Halloween Chinese Celebration and other tales

I had never been to a Halloween Chinese Celebration until....

yesterday.

Something is in the air and it makes the kids more creative and spunky.

As I was making our homemade pizza and salad for dinner,

the boys were feverishly creating an act to perform.

They gathered their props, made some tickets, set up the 

viewing area and proceeded to invite us to the first

Annual Halloween Chinese Celebration.

Puppy (a stuffed animal) and I were given tickets for row 4.

Dragon and Jay sat in row 5.

We put our tickets in the top hat, took our seats and the show began.

There was dancing and banging of drums. It was wonderful. The sun was setting,

the wind was blowing, we were sporting jackets from the chill and the kids were just plain excited to be alive.

Afterwards we fill the hat with coins and clapped profusely.

Here are a few shots of the event but none do it justice, except maybe Jay sipping a "hot" drink at intermission. (hot water from the tap ;o))

Influences and  the subconscious can rear their heads at the most unusual times.

I posted on throwing slabs and was not sure what I was going to do with them.

I have made some new cyber clay influences recently and one of them is Tracy Broome.

I love her hand built barns. The textures and detail are amazing. The layers of textures  and colors make it have the appearance of wood and that comforting, alluring quality that all barns have. She has also been super encouraging through this rediscovery of clay....

I have also enjoyed Vicki Hartman's hand-built work. The simplicity, bold colors and drawing intrigue and demand attention. 

This got me to thinking about

Chuck Chamberlain, my friend and previous professor at ECU. He made these incredible, elaborate,

organic, church like structures. I tried it once.... too many years ago and still have a result of one, 

sitting in my garden.

Well, between the three of them and my experiences in life... I decided to begin a series about sacred spaces. It is more about architecture and light and surprises so I am not quite sure how it will all turn out. Here is the first one I have been working on.

It is now finished but was not in the photos.

I started a new one today that will have a dome base... not sure how it will progress but I am excited. I like to work on the inside of pieces to so that the viewer has surprises to find... my Chagall influences I guess.

My headache:

It is still not working and still having trouble ordering the right parts.

I had spent 40 minutes in front of my kiln explaining to the person what I needed and still did not get the right parts!

I am hopeful the new shipment will be right but that makes it another week with finished work piling up and me wondering if I will ever get it firing.

HOPE. At least I have it right now and persistence.

This WILL happen. I just have to make it happen.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

Calvin Coolidge quotes