Painting With Friends, and an Encore

This Saturday, I got together with my Girls for lunch and painting! We had a wonderful time, great conversation, and super lots of fun exploring our creative side!

A pic of everyone's painting together, except 1 because she left before I took it!Lauren's beautiful painting.

Elizabeth's painting, a gift for a friend's new baby.

Trina's beautiful flowers.

(A) Sandi's sweet pink flowers.

Doella's sophisticated abstract.My flowers, a sort-of replica of our wedding centerpieces.

Because I had such fun painting with the girls, I decided to do some more painting today. I thought the Gerber daisies came out the best on my first painting, so I stuck with those on the two paintings I did today.
This was my first painting. I did it as a sort-of counter balance to my first one. Using my wedding colors, and a band of blue to represent the ocean, I did it as an opposite with the orange background with green daisies.My third painting was another attempt at some more daisies, but was done with some inspiration for a friend. Not sure if it will be given away or night, but was inspired by a friend just the same. =)

I think I got all the painting out of my system for now. First of all, I'm out of canvasses, and second I'm out of white paint-- a crucial element. But who knows. Though I'll never get close to the same world as my most talented painting friend Elizabeth, maybe I'll take painting back up as a weekend hobby. =)

My Latest Crafty Streak...

So, I wanted a new bag but couldn't find one, and couldn't really afford one. So I got some material pieces from Craft Warehouse. I sat down this weekend, made it up, and made myself a bag!

The outside front has one big pocket.The inside has an ornate flower pattern of brown and gold for two sets of pockets.

There are three pocket sections inside, and I plan on adding a zipper to the middle section one of these days.

The back side, with a larger pocket.

It was a pretty fun project. I did most of the sewing by hand, as I have a very low level of patience for the sewing machine. But I did use it for the thicker pieces. Just don't look too close! It is SO not perfect in any way, and the thread is green! Lots of crooked lines. But hey, we're all a bit imperfect, and so is my bag. =)

Obama's Inauguration

I was lucky enough to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President with my preschoolers. Granted, their attention spans didn't allow them to focus for too long, it was still great to experience it with them, and to know that the things our country does now paves the way for their future.

After we watched the inauguration and had snack, we sat down with the kids and talked about what we watched. Here's a summary of our conversation (non-quoted parts are me speaking).

Who was that man we were watching on TV?

"Barack Obama!" --Hope

What was he doing on TV? Why were we watching him?

"He's a singer!"-- Melody
"I think he fell down and bonked his head."-- Olivia
"He was trying to talk. Talk with the people." -- Melody (LOVE this one!)
"He was talking to the people at the stage."-- Julius

You know who he is? He's our new President! What do you do when you're the President?

"Our President says you invite someone over to play with." -- Ryan (LOVE this one, too!)
"You talk to the people." --Finn
"A President stands on a stage." -- Hope
"You stand on a stage and talk." --Elijah
"A President does hello in Spanish." --Olivia

Seriously, how can you not love the things kids say? They are fantastic. I LOVE my kids! =)

New Year, New Approach

So, while my year doesn't have quite as many landmark moments as a good friend of mine and her blog, I like the idea and so I'm gonna copy and list the things I look forward to in 2009!

January: Well, this month is almost over, but it carried one of the biggest events of my lifetime. The swearing in of President Barack Obama. I watched his inauguration (blog on this to follow) with my preschoolers, and I am so optimistic about his term of service and about what it will bring for our country in the way of change, peace, economic upturn, and an overall sense of renewed faith in what it means to be an American in our world today.

February: February brings Valentine's day to many, but to Paul and I it will also bring our 12th Anniversary of being together. I will continue to always celebrate this date, because we spent 11 years together before our wedding, and it is time that represents us growing up forming the wonderful marriage we have now. February also brings one of my beautiful friends' birthdays!

March: Speaking of marriage... On March 15th Paul and I will celebrate our 1st Wedding Anniversary! I am so happy to be married to him, and can't wait to watch and see how things just keep getting better and better. And for us, that's awesome because they are already great as it is. He's a wonderful husband, a fantastic papa to our boys, and one sexy firefighter to-be!
My little Hoban will celebrate his 2nd Birthday on March 27th!!

May: Miss Trina's birthday, which is like a national holiday, or should be! It may very well also be the date of some other great news for a good friend of mine, but I'll not mention that quite yet....

June: A landmark birthday for another of my "girls!" I'll not elaborate to protect her youth....
(Also my fantastic apple-fied Uncle's birthday this month.) My Beautifully Brilliantly Fantastic cousin will graduate from High school this month, propelling her college-bound into the real world where she will surely make it a much more wonderful, and more humorous place to live. She already makes it more beautiful.

July: My birthday. No landmark occasion, a simple 32. But I think Trina would strangle me if I didn't at least mention it. 2 days later, though, woohoo! July 17th brings the 6th Harry Potter movie!!

August: This is my projected date of when we will hear that Paul got the job with Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. It's a 6-month application/interview process, so I expect the results to be ready to go by the beginning of August. =) Celebration parties to follow!!

September: I will officially become a Firefighter's Wife. My mama's birthday is this month, as is the 19th birthday of my AMAZING cousin.

October: Another of my beautiful friends will have her birthday. If my family is still living in the Portland area, it will be I believe our 6th annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

November: This will be Paul's 30th Birthday!! Woohoo! It will also be Gaius's 4th Birthday! It also brings the birthday of the 6th member of my "girls"! Also, November 20th brings the sequel to my OTHER favorite movie, NEW MOON premieres November 20th!

December: I have a plan for this month, but I'm not gonna share. It will be the first time in 4 years that I WILL have a Christmas tree. And maybe the 2nd annual family trip to the beach in lieu of gifts?

So It think that's it, so far.... Lots of little positive things that remind you what life is really all about. Happy 2009!!

My Year... In Review

So, this has been quite a year for me. Filled with ups and downs, fantastic moments and difficult struggles. I've grown a lot, learned a lot, and gained a lot. So here's a look back at 2008.
March 15, 2008. Paul and I got married! After 11 years, I finally became Mrs. Paul Coplin. Well, Mrs. Stacy M Coplin. =) It was the best day I could have asked for, and I am so grateful to my husband, family and friends for sharing it with us! March 19 - 27, 2008. Our honeymoon in Belize! We had a fantastic time exploring this beautiful country and celebrating the beginning of the next part of our life.June, 20o8. I successfully completed my student teaching. After a very long, hard year, I made it through to the other side. I am so grateful to Paul (and to Trina for her patient, listening ear) for being there for me through this very difficult time.
July 2008. In the wake of the Twilight Hype for us, Trina and I took our first real road trip together. We drove up to Forks, Washington, and explored the place where our beloved series takes place, and experienced a Forks 4th of July.

July 31, 2008. This was my last day of class, and the day I completed my Master's degree. I don't have a photo because I didn't attend any graduation ceremonies, and we didn't really do anything to celebrate, aside from dinner. I was just relieved to have survived the 14-month process.
August brought a lot of wedding festivities. I attended 3 bridal showers, 1 bachelorette, and 2 weddings. August 16th marked the day that my good friend Dollie became Mrs. Kyle Gogos.The next weekend brought Lauren's bachelorette party, and the first bachelorette party I attempted to help plan. It was quite a stressful ordeal, but was a really fun night! Part of our evening included a show at Darcelle's (a drag show of female impersonators). The one with the mike is one of the performers, and believe it or not the one in the red feather boa is NOT. Miss Lauren is the adorable one in the black tank top.
August 27, 2008. I got my first teaching job! I teach preschool, mainly with the 2.5-4year olds.

(this is the school at the beginning of our December snow storm.)August 29, 2008. One of my very best friends, Miss Lauren, married her adorable man, Matt, becoming Mrs. Lauren Sly. It was such a beautiful day, and everything was wonderful!

September 13, 2008. Trina and I ran the Great Urban Race. It was the first annual race here in Portland, and it was such a blast to be a part of it! In spite of a leap-frog related knee injury, I had the best time. It was yet another test for Trina and I's friendship, and we passed with flying colors. =)October 2008. My husband became an official volunteer firefighter for TVF&R. We are so proud of him! And he looks so sexy in his gear...November 27, 2008. Thanksgiving. Paul carved his first turkey. Granted, not one of my milestones, but one of my husband's, and the picture is so cute.

December 14, 2008. The first run in the Jeep with it's new V8 engine. After 11 months of hard work for Paul, and 11 months of putting up with it for me, the Jeep was revved up and we stretched its legs up at Brownscamp. Very cold, but totally awesome !
December, 2008. I think the official count was about 18 inches of snow over a week and a half. This is the first time I've ever seen a snow storm like this. It was very beautiful, and my boys just loved it!December 24 - 27, 2008. Our first Christmas at the beach! Instead of buying gifts, we rented a beach house instead to celebrate Christmas this year. We brought our favorite things (little, small stuff) to give as gifts, took turns cooking, and just enjoyed each others' company. It was the best Christmas I've had in a long time.

All in all, it's been quite a year. I am very anxious to see what 2009 holds, and look forward better health, healthier finances, and a greater sense of peace and joy in life, heart, and mind.

I wish the same to my family and friends. Love to all, and the Happiest New Year!

Snow Way! It's Snowing in Beaverton in December!

So, as you all know, we've had a wonderful surprising batch of snowstorms in our area. It started Sunday, and has continued even through today. It's actually snowing right now! Here's some photos of the snow, and my boys playing in it, of course. =)

Here's our house just after we got home from wheeling on Sunday.Gaius fetching the ball up the street, along the side of our house.

My single-minded Hoban, waiting for me to kick the tennis ball for him.

Gaius playing fetch.

My Jeep in front of the preschool I work at.

Snow falling, from the cottage window at the preschool.

Preschool Art

Wanted to take a minute to share with you some of the art I've been doing with the kids at my preschool. The most awesome part? These kids are between 6 and 16months old! That's right. You CAN do art with very young children. You just have to keep it simple, flexible, and make sure it's safe to go in their mouth! =)

For this project, I gave my kiddos a paper with a drawn tree on it, and spread glue stick glue all over the branches area. I then gave them a pile of torn bits of paper, which I helped them to pick up and drop over the glue area. Then we pressed down the "leaves" to make the tree.This one was done in a similar fashion, but with ladybug spots.

For the above project, I put a spot of red, yellow, and blue paint on a piece of black construction paper, with 4 clear stones. My original thought was that the kids would be painting the stones. However, in addition to beautiful stones, they made some really great pieces of art on the black paper. As you can see, they really got into this project.

For this project, I dribbled water over the paint spots in this watercolor tray. I let them play with the tray, and helped them find the paper to paint with their fingers. Their water color pieces were beautiful!
For this project, I put spots of finger paint on yellow construction paper, along with leaves from nearby trees. Look at how he's digging in his fingers!

Thanks for letting me share!