Whatcha Working On: Wednesday

(Did you make this for me?)

Well, I guess posting anytime on Wednesday still counts, right? Better late, than never, I guess.
There have been lots of appointments this week, but when I wasn't taxing kids around, here is what I was working on:




Drawing and sketching ideas for Faux Linen Grainsack paintings...an owl, dragonfly and bee. The owl will hopefully be done in time for my update on TDIPT this Sept. 1st.



A Fall Wall Doll is almost ready to go on Etsy....she still needs her hands sculpted.

But Headless (Sleepy Hollow Silhouette) is now finished and in my Etsy shop:

Pear Tree Primitives Etsy Shop

(building the cabinet)

Since there wasn't much to report for the weekly progress, I thought I'd show you what my husband made for my birthday a few weeks ago. (August is a busy month for our family and extended family....Lots of birthdays and anniversaries!).

(Ready to paint)

(Painted black first....as an undercoat. We paint all of our "new" furniture pieces this way. We like the instant "age" the dark undercoat gives the new wood.)

He is such a handy guy with the tools. He has built most of our furniture in our "Colonial Cottage". We down-sized when we moved into our home a few years ago and when we bought our current home we had to get creative with our furniture and storage. Jeff has been busy building pieces to fit nooks and crannies ever since!

(The topcoat....a creamy white)

This particular cabinet was needed for my sewing stuff that was taking over a hall closet...the one that also has my paints, etc. ie my "craft closet". The sewing stuff just needed its own place!

(An inside peek at the new sewing cabinet....I'll do my best to keep it neat!)

(The new cabinet in its new place in our bedroom)

Love my new cabinet! and I think he may be done with building anymore furniture for awhile, at least. That was the last piece I had on my "request" list.....but, I'll probably be thinking of some other new furniture piece I need...soon! :)

Happy Anniversary

....to us! Twenty-four years ago on August 22, on a VERY hot day in Texas, my husband and I were married. The wedding day was a big blur for the most part, (note the dazed look on my face in some of the photos!), but I wouldn't have changed a minute of it to experience the journey after that day....well, maybe running off and eloping might have been another choice. :)

Just kidding Mom!

Gosh!, We look so young!

The wedding party~ seems so long ago, but most of us still keep in touch.



The Folks


(I think that this is the longest I've ever had my nails. I like to keep them short now....for painting purposes!)

Our hands have done many things together in the past twenty-four years, and I hope to be holding yours for many more to come.
Happy Anniversary ~ I love you!

Whatcha Working On: Wednesday

(Headless has been requested a few times. I'm now preparing one for my Etsy Shop).
This photo shows my "process"....I draw out a silhouette or painting, then use carbon paper to trace that drawing onto my paper or board, and then start painting. The drawing allows me to repaint when a customer requests another.

Now that the school year is "almost" upon us. My husband, the HS Music teacher, went back this week. My youngest and I will start home school next week. I thought I'd "try" and get myself somewhat organized. This is something I strive to do, but with three other "forces", {well, four, if you count our dog Molly}, working "against" me it can be all I do to keep the house in order, let alone my day!

So, the first step in this organizing thing is to plan. And part of the "Plan" is to post more often on this blog! :)

Having a subject or theme to post about will make posting a little easier for me. So, I thought Wednesday would be my "Whatcha Working On" day.....and hopefully I'll have something I'm working on most Wednesdays to show you.

At least this will give me a reason to get something at least started so I can post about it on Wednesday.....See how this will motivate me to get myself organized? :) That's the "Plan", at least! Lol!

These past few weeks of August, I've been busy with custom orders. Seven silhouette orders came through my email, and that is a happy thing....busy, but happy! And, I'm working on a custom portrait, just now putting it on canvas. (with permission from the customer, I'll show you more of that next Wednesday...see I already have a "Plan"!)

Here's what I've been working on:

Lady and Gent in Blue pants~ holding red books

Soldier and miniature couple silhouette (the Mrs./Mr. sils are 2 inches in a 5 X 7 frame)

John and Abigail Adams

That's what I've been working on this week! Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday to Our Traveler

Happy Birthday, Ethan! Nineteen years old, Amazing! Looking back at how far you've come makes us proud and hopeful for your future.

It's been a journey of love and one that isn't over yet. We will continue to travel it with you, hope with you and learn with you. Your journey has been a navigation through confusion, frustration, denial, acceptance, perseverance, and patience, all sewn together with a strong thread of love. Autism is not an easy label to carry. We've watched you struggle, fail, refuse, and then, try and try again. "Try" is a small word with a BIG meaning.

Watching you shake someone's hand when you first meet them, look them in the eye and say, "Hi", seems a simple, uncomplicated task. But, not for you. We know how far you've come, and we know how much focus, energy and effort you've invested into doing that "simple" gesture. And you keep TRYing.

Understanding the nuances of human expression can be daunting for anyone, and especially difficult for you. You ask questions, "Mom, is that person acting mad or sad?", "Dad, what did that person mean when they said that?". We hope you never lose that ability to ask questions, you will need that skill all of your life, and the skill to keep TRYing.

You've also found that people don't always understand you. You've encountered those who judge you or refuse to accept your differences, and you've been hurt, that is an unfortunate part of life, but you keep TRYing.

You haven't progressed through the developmental milestones in a way that the doctors view as "normal", and you may never reach all of these milestones, and sometimes this confuses you. You struggle with learning disabilities and this frustrates you, but you keep TRYing. That is what we want, hope and dream for you.....that you keep TRYing.

Just for a day, dear reader, won't you patiently wait in that slow line at the grocery store while someone counts out change to pay? That person may be learning a great life skill. Will you take time to really listen to someone who wants to share with you although they may be difficult to understand? That person may have something really interesting to say. And won't you allow a little extra room in your life for someone who is TRYing?


Happy Birthday to our sweet boy, hugs and love from your parents who will keep TRYing too.

~*~*~*~*~



For his birthday, Ethan took a flying lesson. A very nice pilot named Bill took Ethan up in his two-seater and let him taxi around the runway, and steer the airplane once they were in the air. Ethan enjoyed himself while Dad and little brother tried to distract Mom who waited nervously on the ground! :)

Here are some photos of our day at the airport:

Ethan and Bill checking fluid levels.

Ethan and Bill checking the aircraft.


Inside the aircraft.....this is where Ethan sat!

One last wave "good-bye".....

.....and they're off!

I sure hope Bill was flying the airplane while this photo was taken!

Thanks Bill for a great ride and an adventure Ethan will never forget!.....and for bringing my child safely down to the ground again! :)

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Here's Your Sign

....or should the title be, "What's Your Sign" ?

While my son was convalescing this summer, I painted a few signs. These are "hanging" around our house now:



This one is hanging on a wall in the main room of the house, where home school is done and where family and friends interact.....not sure if the "mantra" is working yet, Lol! But, its a great reminder, nonetheless. While visiting a little boutique, we saw this saying done in chalkboard colors, ie chalkboard green background with white lettering. I may have to paint one for my husband's classroom/ choir room at school too! This one is painted in different fonts I traced onto a heavily "distressed", (took a hammer to it, actually!), piece of wood. We've had this oak frame since we were married almost 24 years ago, it is about time I put something in it!




Our "new" front porch now has its own little sign. A "friendly" - No 'thank you' to solicitors.



Here is a closer view of the front door sign. My husband came up with the wording for this sign, and I painted it. So far, it has worked! We usually have quite a few people coming door-to-door, but not this summer. (Sorry if you make your living this way... but we live on the corner of the block and seem to get more than our share of solicitors.)

So, after summer is over, I'll either repaint the "summer" part or paint the other seasons on little pieces of wood and hang it over the word "summer". ie. Fall, Winter, Spring. Although the alliteration won't be there for "fall" and "winter". :)



This sign was painted twice. One for my son who plays those "Zombie" games, and one for my nephew who also plays. We saw the phrasing for this online....and my son just HAD to have me paint it! I don't have a photo of it, but I also painted another "Zombie" sign this summer for a friend and it had dripping blood lettering....eeeewwwww! Can't say I've ever "painted" blood before that,... well, maybe once for Halloween on a son's face! :)

And just for fun, and because I've repainted the main rooms of the house a nice clean, soft white color and was "redecorating", I painted this architectural piece on wood. Not really a "sign", but fits perfectly in the spot I need to fill!

So, there are the "Signs of our Summer-time".

~**~ It was my birthday this past Friday (ugh, another year older). BUT, it wasn't so bad because I was really spoiled this year! I'll share all my birthday goodies in the next post! ~**~

Literally Creepy

Sweep, shwish, brush, swipe, dust~ Just clearing away those cobwebs from the blog!

A once a month post is not really blogging! I will get better at regular postings, it has just been a crazy, crazy summer....no, a crazy year!

Ethan (our oldest) completed high school in May, and since he's had such a rotten summer (see post below).....plus he had his wisdom teeth removed this past month, ugh! He is planning on taking it easy this fall.

Our youngest will now be a Junior (yikes!) in high school. So, with only one home schooling this year, this blog should have regular upkeep, and "house keeping" :)

~*~*~*~

First of the month...Update time! My offerings this month on TDIPT are of a "Literary" nature, with a Halloween theme. (sounds like a recipe for creepy!).



Mrs. Peter Pumpkin Eater~ A Wall Doll

This one was a little bit of a stretch for the "Literary" theme, but if you allow some liberties, it works. :)

I had so much fun making a "Wall Doll" a few months ago, that I talked my husband into carving more bodies so I could make some more. I've even created a new page on my website to feature "Wall Dolls". (Just click HERE for my website and then, click "Wall Dolls" at the top of the page).

Mrs. P. Pumpkin Eater is fun to display (with or without her clothes on) for the Autumn season.

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Edgar A. Poe portrait~ painted on 8 X 10 canvas and decorated with Victorian-style embellishments. Ed is definitely the King of Creepy Literature.

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Headless Horseman Silhouette~ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a classic short story of creepiness was the inspiration for this painting.

To see any of these offerings for sale, just click here: (later this evening)

Pear Tree on TDIPT

Thanks for visiting! Keep checking back.....I'll try to keep the blog tidy for you! :)

Miracles and Blessings

He Graduated!! The family with the graduate. (me, Mom, caught with my mouth open....probably telling everyone to "Smile"). It was also little brother's birthday, so it was quite a day of celebration!)

Well, there is so much to share! These past weeks have been a blur and then again, have all happened in slow motion. Life seems to work that way, it seems.

I've entitled this post "Miracles and Blessings" because our family has experienced SO many in the last few weeks that I haven't had time to sit and think and really process it all. And this may be a long one, so grab some sweet tea and sip as you read:

Counting my Blessings....and Miracles:

Blessing #1- We finished another year of online home school!! Yipee!! Getting my oldest through his Senior year of high school, I thought was going to be the end of me! It was a VERY looooooonnnnnng year....But, he/we did it and now I have one child done, and one to go!

Blessing #2- He GRADUATED!! (Well, this might also be considered a Miracle...for many reasons!). After a very difficult journey in the world of Academia and having Autism along with several learning disabilities, I'm proud to announce that Ethan is a High School graduate, and with honors! :) (we sort of "share" that tassel of honor, but he worked extremely hard during his home school time with me....I'm a taskmaster!) We are blessed to have found K12's online school for the needs of our boys and the flexibility it provided to our family. Yeah Ethan!!!!

(Jeff's parents with Ethan.)

(My parents with Ethan.)

Blessing #3- We had both sets of grandparents (my parents and husband's) visit for the graduation ceremony. My Mom and my husband's Dad both had recent surgeries for cancer, but both are healing and at latest report- cancer-free....that is a big blessing!

Blessing #4- A family-fun Day! This was a blessing for us to spend time together, and we didn't realize what a gift it was until the following week when we experienced a Miracle.

We've lived in Idaho for several years now and really haven't had the time to explore the state. So, we decided to see some of the scenery via a train ride. It was fun and the first warm day of the year! So we all got a little sunburned. Here are some photos of our train ride:

(The Payette River)

(Riding through Horseshoe Bend)

(The "Boys" after the train ride)

Miracle- If you have made it down the page this far, thank you. This is definitely the hand of God working in our lives.......Ethan (graduate above in Blessing #2) and my husband were riding bikes "just around the block". My husband's bike pedal was loose, so he told Ethan that they needed to stop at the church and fix it. (Our church, where my husband is the Music Director, is just up the street from our home). Ethan can become very "focused" or "fixated" with a idea or goal. If you have someone in your life with high-functioning Autism, you may know what I mean, and once he is in the "Autism Zone" (we call it that, not a "medical term" ), it can be difficult to "connect" with him.

In this particular instance, my husband saw Ethan race off on his bike without him riding in the direction of the church. Ethan was so focused, he did not look for traffic signals and rode out into the street on a red light. He was missed by traffic on one side of the street, but was hit by an SUV in the other lane. The SUV was going 35 mph (the speed limit).

All my husband could do was yell at him to stop and then watch it happen. Ethan was struck on his side and flipped over the top of the SUV and landed on the asphalt behind the vehicle. Jeff (my husband) ran out in the street to stop on-coming traffic and save Ethan from another hit. A group of boy-scouts was having a meeting at our church, their leader was a man from our church that is a trained EMT, he came to help. On the other side of the street is an Emergency clinic, those doctors came out to help.

The Miracle is that angels had to have been flying over the SUV with Ethan. He landed on the ground and tried to get up....those that came to help, just tried to keep him down until the ambulance arrived. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, he said he was asked to count to ten, etc. He started counting the lights overhead in the ambulance (Autism at its finest! ) :). We were in the ER for awhile getting his scrapes and cuts washed and cleaned, and he has a nasty gash on the back of his head, but he refused staples. It seems to be healing just fine. They took X-rays, and a CT scan, but nothing was broken or punctured...Miracle! Considering he didn't have on his helmet (another Autism-related issue) and all of the "possible scenarios" that could have happened...it is all a definite Miracle!

He is healing, still has some deep bruises and is limping around without crutches. But we are so very grateful and blessed to still have him with us and to know that God was in control.

So, that's where I've been...and what has been happening around here! :) I need to come and visit your blogs and see what has been going on for the last month and a half in your lives as well!

One last thing....it is update day on TDIPT.Here is a link to my TDIPT page for more info on the items:


http://tdipt-peartree.blogspot.com/

(I've had to use "art" as my "therapy" while taking care of Ethan, so painting has been a good thing!).

~Devotion~ and faithful companion in simple silhouette of a pooch
framed in a stained wood frame (7.5 X 9.5).

~Adoration~ A simple silhouette of a girl and her doll
framed in a lovely wood stained frame. ( I love this frame!...the frame measures 7.5 X 6.5).

I have needed this reminder to Breathe.
Painted on wood and framed in a stained frame (9 X 11), ready to hang anywhere you need a reminder too! :)

Thank you for reading through all of this! I hope to have shorter blog posts in the future! :)...and not wait until there is so much going that I need to write a novel!

"However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed our wishes and our thoughts." John Calvin-Theologian (1509-1564).