Getting Sparked

I recently joined The Gritty Bird Academy and decided to give Becky's Creative Spark Fridays a try.  Here are the sparks for the week of 9/3-9/10:

**CREATIVE SPARK ONE**

•Artistic Theme•

Kaleidoscope of Color

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**CREATIVE SPARK TWO**

•Theme Words, Poem or Phrase•

the kaleidoscope turns

in patterns and colors

a swirl of blend

continually tossed

by each turn of the hand

within the tube are

prisms of light

easily colored

by the direction

it's pointed

and what was a star

becomes a flower

a shape disappears and

becomes a pattern

then shifts again

into the blend

beautiful glimpses

that tumble around

each small piece

a part of the whole

pieces of stardust

pockets of glitter

you know with each turn

nothing much matters

just that you turned

and looked at the colors

admired its moment

and swirled in the blend

- Debby Rosenberg

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**Creative SPARK THREE**

•Theme Color Palette•

You'll notice that the punch of pink in the image is missing from the color palette. I am not sure why it did not come through the generator but I am plan to add into my sparks, so please feel free to as well if you like!

And here's my Sparked Creation:

Golden Memories

I have vivid memories of one Christmas in the early eighties when my dad and uncles gave my grandparents a VCR.  It was the size of today's microwave and weighed 100 pounds!  It was the most amazing thing to me.  Along with the gift of the VCR, came the movie "On Golden Pond."  I don't remember my grandparents ever having any other movies except the tapes my grandma "made" of PBS programming and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."  I watched "On Golden Pond" so many times, I think I must have had it memorized.  The other night when I finally plopped exhausted onto the sofa, I was excited to see my husband had run across the movie while channel surfing.  What was a girl to do but watch it one more time.  I must confess after watching, I had to do some web-surfing of Squam Lake to check out the real estate market.  If you are in the market for a little cottage with a $1-5 million dollar price tag, this is the lake for you!

I've spent the last 2 1/2 weeks learning some metal-smithing techniques from Stephanie Lee.  I can't tell you what an absolute blast it has been!  Here's just a peek at what I've been creating.

Play Date with the Cuz!

We had my nephew this weekend for an overnight stay.  What fun to have a little boy around again!

And of course its always fun to have a little girl around!

Start Spreading the News...

I'm leaving today.  I want to be a part of it, New York, New York.

These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray.  Right through the very heart of it,  New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city that doesn't sleep, and find I'm king of the hill- top of the heap

My little town blues, they're melting away. I'm gonna make a brand new start of it, In old New York.

If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. 

It's up to you New York, New York! 

Don't you worry New York, I'll be back!

Time to Fly

It can't possibly be 18 years ago that I snapped this picture at a turf convention.  And now here it is 2010 and my oldest has officially flown the coop.  
Finger paints and Halloween parties at Jungle Ginny's, sandy everything from swimming at Hillsdale Lake, combined birthday parties at Hillsdale, laser tag, and  the swimming pool, baseball bats turned stick horses, Power Rangers every Halloween, hikes and forts and campfires with s'mores, soccer games, basketball games, baseball games, football games, teaching his younger brother and sister to ride their bikes, dirt bikes and motor cross uniforms, golf cart rides, learning to drive, muddy uniforms in the washer, sprained ankles, sprained knees, torn shoulders, student council, LEO club, homecoming candidates, proms, so many memories to list.  The feelings this transition brings are so opposed to each other; sadness that my little boy is no more and happiness and pride that he has become such a caring, compassionate, intelligent, and capable young man ready to begin his next great adventure.  All the blessings of God and the universe to you Ash.  Can't wait to see you soar!

It's Summer and the Livin' is...HOT!

It's August in the Midwest and that means hot and humid.  We are a comfortable sweltering  95 degrees today!  Here's my prescription for cooling off:  Great big glass full of ice, shot (everyone's definition of shot varies) of Passion Fruit Vodka, lemon wedge, lime wedge, and fill the rest with Peach Fresca.  Perfect!