Vol. 5, No. 110, June 20, 2020

5110 - Happy Summer.

To celebrate the first day of summer, I decided to share last night's sunset. I spent the afternoon and evening out on the lakes. First boating with the Millers and then dinner, a pontoon ride and bonfire with my family. As I complained slightly about the spotty sun, I knew we were in for a magnificent sunset. It did not disappoint. In fact it was so beautiful that I couldn't choose just one picture.

Vol. 5, No. 109, June 19, 2020

5109 - Fresh Baked.

In planning for vacation next week, I made some quick breads for breakfast. With H's help, I baked banana bread, chocolate chip zucchini bread, and rhubarb cinnamon strudel bread.  

Vol. 5, No. 108, June 18, 2020

5108 - Symmetry.

It maybe my art background, but I like things that are symmetrical. Symmetrical balance is pleasing to me no matter where I find it. When I am driving, I love seeing my odometer at a symmetrical number. Today I hit a one such number while at a stop sign so I snapped a quick pic.

Vol. 5, No. 107, June 17, 2020

5107 - Summer Nights.

I am loving my summer night tradition of laying out in my hammock before bed. It has been the perfect temperature to be enjoyable. I usually spend the time listening to an audio book, so I have beem getting a lot of reading done as well.

Vol. 5, No. 106, June 16, 2020

5106 - Game Night.

Today I soaked up the sun and went swimming with the Miller Littles. Tonight I made time to hang out with my family 

And play a game of Hand and Food Canasta. My team didn't win, but we still had fun.

Vol. 5, No. 105, June 15, 2020

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5015 - Nature Walk.

Nature is one of my favorite photographic subjects. So to celebrate Nature Photography Day, I used my phone to take pictures of flowers, bugs, and a snakeskin while on a walk with Littlest Miller this morning.. I would have taken more,, but she was antsy to keep moving.

Vol. 5, No. 104, June 14, 2020

5104 - Shattered.

As I laid outside this morning, I decided that I really wanted some pretty nails for summer. I wanted a full spa experience, but I didn't want to sit inside all day, so I moved everything outside. Sitting on the edge of the hammock I soaked and scrubbed my feet. Then trimmed and oiled my nails. After letting everything dry for an hour or so, I moved on to polish. When I got to the dotted details, the sun was to hot to stay where I was, so I moved to a chair on the shaded patio. Everything was going great until a bottle of polish slipped from my hand and shattered on the patio, purple polish pooled on the ground. I was disappointed because it was a new bottle. I was able to pour what was left of the polish into an old bottle, but I lost at least half of it.

Despite the spill I am happy with the finished result of my nails and I am excited for sandal season.

Vol. 5, No. 103, June 13, 2020

5103 - Serenity.

Today was beautiful. Between loads of laundry, I was able to find lots of time to read in my hammock. After a dinner of slow-cooked BBQ ribs, I took a walk with my parents and Ziva. This picture may not be anything amazing, but it embodies the calmness that I felt all day 

Vol. 5, No. 102, June 2, 2020

5102 - Perfection.

I convinced my family that we should have a campfire dinner tonight. When we were finished, it was time for s'mores. Not to toot my own horn, but I am a pretty good marshmallow toaster. Tonight the fire was perfect I was able to roast 4 golden brown mallows. With some peanut butter and dark chocolate my s'more tasted as good as the mallows looked. 

Vol. 5, No. 101, June 11, 2020

5101 - Lucky Shot.

During my regularly scheduled Miller Time, I was hanging out with Miller 4 Ever. He love vehicles and kept running between the ones parked in the driveway; "mama's car, daddy's truck". For some reason he was enjoying sticking his hand inside the front of the truck. I was sending Mama Miller SnapChats of Miller 4 Ever playing. There were some cute candids, but my favorite was this one where I captured a dragonfly without even knowing it was there until I glanced at the picture before sending it.

Vol. 5, No. 100, June 10, 2020

5100 - Choo Choo Collaboration.

It seems that I have become the birthday cake master for the Miller's. That's fine, I like baking and decorating. The next birthday is tomorrow. I decided to try a pull-apart cupcake cake. Oldest Miller and I had a slumber party last night, so this morning she got to help me bake. She did all of the measuring and mixing herself while I prepared the cupcake pans.  We worked together to fill the pans. After the cake was cooled, I got to work frosting. I decided to use sprinkles rather than dye the frosting. The engineer made from cookies with a frosting face, was a great afterthought.

Vol. 5, No. 099, June 9, 2020

5099 - Accidental Omelet. 

This morning I decided to get up and make scrambled eggs and whipped coffee. I prepped all of my supplies, and started mixing the coffee; I turned the mixer on too high and sprayed the stick coffee mixture all over the kitchen and myself. My frying pan was already hot, so I decided I would put my eggs in the pan and clean up part of the mess while the eggs started to cook. I intended to go back and scramble them, but by time I returned to the pan, my eggs were a perfectly cooked disk ready to be flipped. So that's what I did, thus accidentally creating a delicious chive and cheese omelet. 

Vol. 5, No. 098, June 8, 2020

5098 - Heat, Hammocks, and Happiness.

After taking a break from the heat by taking a dip in the pool with the Miller Littles, I headed home and relaxed in the hammock. The picture is nothing special, but it makes me happy.

Vol. 5, No. 097, June 7, 2020

5087 - Making The Most.

Today was a hot summer day, with few clouds but lots of wind. The humidity was low, making it a decent day to be outside. I filled a kiddie pool and spent some time soaking my feet to cool off.

Vol. 5, No. 096, June 6, 2020

5096 - Creative Bonding.

Today I got to hang out with Oldest Miller and Miller 4 Ever. While Miller 4 Ever was napping, I asked Oldest Miller what she wanted to do; she chose drawing. So I set out with a blank piece of paper and eventually had a lovely mixed media rose, with markers and crayon. Then, as a demonstration, I drew a maze.

Vol. 5, No. 095, June 5, 2020

5095 - Nature Hunt.

I took some Miller Littles on a walk/nature scavenger hunt this morning. We had a tough time finding everything on our list and decided to get creative. I was assigned to make a butterfly. I used different sized leaves from a weed at the park to make the wings and antennae. Then I used a stick for the body. The body was a little long, so maybe it's a dragonfly.

Vol. 5, No. 094, June 4, 2020

5094 - Glamor Shot.

Today's photo was actually a candid shot. Littlest Miller walked up to me on the stairs, I happened to have my phone out and the camera open so I quickly snapped a picture. I couldn't believe how cute it was.

Vol. 5, No. 093, June 3, 2020

5093 - Summer Vacation.

Today was my official last day of school, which really just meant watching two meetings from the comfort of my hammock. After that I spent lots of time outside with some of my favorites peeps. I snapped this picture while enjoying craft time on the deck.

I was asked "does it really feel like summer vacation if you are spending your time cutting and gluing?" Maybe not, but i was working with friends so I didn't mind.

Vol. 5, No. 092, June 2, 2020

5092 - Rain or Shine.

Today should have been the last day of school for my students. Instead, we ended a week ago and today my school hosted a parade, so that we could say goodbye to our students. As the art teacher I felt the need to be extra creative with my sign and painted it on canvas instead of just a regular tagboard sign.

It had been a hot day with temps in the 90's again, but the weather decided to take a turn and we stood outside in a thunderstorm, which lasted only the one hour we were outside for the parade. Oh well, we teachers had fun anyways.

Today was also the day that I turned in my keys, saying goodbye to my middle school classroom. It was a tiny bit bittersweet, I am looking forward to new adventures.

Vol. 5, No. 091, June 1, 2020

5091 - Restart.

I more or less gave up during the month of May, posting only about 4 projects. I have decided to try a summer restart. I am going to begin with a week of photography, maybe more. We'll see how it goes.

Today was, I think our first day above 90° for the year. Despite being hot and humid, and still 85°, I convinced Margo to go with me for a sunset walk. It was well worth it, because as they say, cloudy skies make beautiful sunsets.

Vol. 5, No. 090, May 28, 2020

5090 - New Adventures.

It wouldn't be a proper graduation celebration without a homemade card. After a Pinterest search, I decided to create a pop-up hot air balloon card. As I was pulling out supplies I came across a stash of old pictures entered in the county fair. I thought that the pictures would make great backgrounds for the card. The basket of the hot air balloon made a perfect money holder.

Vol. 5, No. 089, May 26, 2020

5089 - Drive-In.

The reason I got to be with CC on her birthday was because it was also her Graduation Party. She was one of, if not the first, in the area to have a graduation party this year. Rather than the traditional reception, she had a drive-thru party in her driveway. We lined the drive way with a balloon arch and pictures of her growing up. CC stood at the end of the driveway to greet each guest and hand out goody bags. If was a fun and unique experience. I was fortunate to be invited to hang out longer and take pictures. Here are a few of my favorites.

Vol. 5, No. 088, May 25, 2020

5088 - All Grown Up!

I can't believe that CC is all grown up. Today I got to be with her as she celebrated her 18th birthday. I was in the mood to create, so I made her a cute little Birthday Card.

Vol. 5, No. 087, May 7, 2020

5087 - Looking Up.

Last night I came across a Facebook post shared by the College of St. Benedict, my alma mater. The post was inviting people to a free online watercolor painting class with the St. John’s Preparatory School art teacher. I thought this would be a great way to practice a medium in which I have no formal training and very little experience.

So, this morning I dug out my watercolor supplies and got ready to paint. My picture is by no means perfect, but I love how it turned out.

Vol. 5, No. 086, May 5, 2020

5086 - Cardinal Strong.

Today I had my first Google Meet with students. I was asked to join one of my first grade classes and do a guided drawing with them. I spent a few hours this morning setting up both my laptop and iPad so that students could see both me and my paper at the same time. I thought I had it all figured out. Then when it came time for the Meet, my internet connection decided to give out, partway through the drawing. One of the last things I saw was one of my students in tears because she couldn’t follow along because she hadn’t been able to see my drawing.

I promised my students that I would create a video for them so that they could draw on their own time. My plan had been to share only my finished drawing, but since I made a video, I may as well post that as well. I hope you enjoy drawing a cardinal with me.

Vol. 5, No. 085, April 29, 2020

5085 - Bleeding Butterflies.

Today was another Miller Time Art day. Middle Miller needed to make a butterfly, so everyone tested out one of my Kindergarten and First grade lessons. We colored coffee filters with washable markers and the got the filters wet, causing the colors to bleed. Then we folded the filters and attached two together. We couldn't find pipe cleaners, so we used binder clips instead.

Vol. 5, No. 084, April 27, 2020

5084 - All Grown Up.

It's hard to believe that Lil' E is no longer a baby; today she officially turns one! While I didn't get to be with her today, we did celebrate over the weekend. On Saturday, we met up for cake decorating and a One Year photo shoot. The smiles were hard to find, but it was a beautiful day, which made for some beautiful pictures. Then on Sunday, we celebrated with a Birthday Zoom call.

Today, I got to celebrate with Shawn and Ziva as they celebrate their birthday as well, turning 33 and 3. Normally I would have made them cakes, but Margo has taken over the baking at our house lately.

Vol. 5, No. 083, April 26, 2020

5083 - Cheater.

The next project for my middle school art students is to take a virtual field trip to an art museum. While there, they need to choose am artwork they would like to reproduce. Then they have to make a poster showing the original and reproduction side by side.

I decided to be a good teacher and make an example. I chose "Pies, Pies, Pies" by Wayne Thiebaud. This may look familiar, because I used a picture I had taken and shared back in September. Fortunately, my students won't know.

Vol. 5, No. 082, April 24, 2020

5082 - Belated.

Last week I made a birthday card for a friend and then forgot to post it. It may not be the best card in the world, but the pop-up cake is fun.

Vol. 5, No. 081, April 23, 2020

5081 - No Going Back.

Today Governor Walz announced that Minnesota schools would be closed for the remainder of the year. Everyone at the Miller house, parents included, was sad about the announcement. They won't get to see their friends or teachers in person again. Middle Miller asked me if I was sad, I gave him my honest answer, "no". My reasoning was that this way I got to spend more time with all of them. To help brighten their day, I added a new quote to their chalkboard. Oldest Miller added the hearts.

Vol. 5, No. 080, April 22, 2020

5080 - Artsy Millers.

I go for some Miller time once or twice a week, usually taking some of the kids outside while others are getting individual help on school work. Today was art day for the Miller Littles, so I decided to lend a hand. Littlest Miller had to draw a helicopter. Miller4Ever didn't want to be left out, so he did some coloring of his own on top of mine. Then Oldest Miller had to draw a raceway. Mine got a little squished. The last project was drawing a jaguar with Middle Miller.

Vol. 5, No. 079, April 20, 2020

5079 - Sunny Sunday.

Yesterday I took advantage of the sun and the Easter flowers that were going bad, to make some art. I used Nature Print Paper and created some cool prints. The butterfly was my dad's suggestion.

Now I just have to decide what the next step will be.

Vol. 5, No. 078, April 18, 2020

5078 - Let's Get Creative.

One of my Kindergarten classes uses Facebook as their mode of communication during this time apart. I was invited to join their class which is awesome because O get to see pictures of them and things they are doing and creating at home. On Griday their teacher posted a directed drawing, showing how to draw 5 different farm animals. I thought it was an awesome project and I wanted to get in on the action. I sat down with the Miller Littles and we drew along with the videos. The girls just free individual animals, I took it further, drawing and coloring a whole scene. I love how the picture turned out. Oldest Miller did too, she asked to keep it.

Vol. 5, No. 077, April 17, 2020

5077 - A Girl and Her Pup.

On Holy Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went outside to take Easter pictures. Lil’ E was not a fan of wearing anything on her head, so the headband came off quickly every time, but we got a few cute pics with it. Lil’ E loves to touch Ziva, so we got her in on some pics too. The only way we could get them to sit still was by having Margo hold Ziva’s favorite frisbee in the air.

On Easter, when the weather got much colder and it snowed, we got a few shots inside with Easter eggs.

Vol. 5, No. 076, April 16, 2020

5076 - Cardinal Strong.

As teachers, we are banding together to support each other and our students. At Annandale Middle School, each of the teachers were invited to send in a picture with a message of encouragement that was shared with the students. I decided to take out some paints and make this quick sign, complete with a cardinal; as the art teacher, I needed something artsy.

Vol. 5, No. 075, April 11, 2020

5075 - Rejoice.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It is low key holiday filled with lots of time spent with family and hours at church. I love attending the Easter Vigil each year. This year, I won’t get to hold a candle and smell the sweet sense of incense, but I still get to spent time with family. Together, Margo, Becca, Dad, Eleanor and I created some awesome sidewalk art. We taped of the sidewalk, creating a stained glass style drawing. With all the changes this Easter Season, it is nice that we still have things to make the season bright.

Vol. 5, No. 074, April 10, 2020

5074 - Farm Fun.

Today was National Farm Animal Day. To celebrate, I made a quick pencil sketch of a cow head.

Vol. 5, No. 073, April 7, 2020

5073 - Learning Together Apart.

As we delve into the world of Distance Learning, I have to write new lessons plans for my students. New lesson plans means new project examples. This week, my middle school students created found object color wheel. They were required to use at least three objects of each color. My 6th grade studens focused on primary and secondary colors. The 7th graders added tertiary colors.

Vol. 5, No. 072, April 6, 2020

5072 - Palm Monday.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. I had a lot of time, so I decided to try something new. I braided 6 palm fronds to create this cross. It may not be perfect, but it was a great attempt.

Vol. 5, No. 071, April 5, 2020

5071 - More Flour Please.

Today I helped Momma Miller celebrate her birthday by making a flourless chocolate cake. She had wanted a Tripple-layer Brownie Cake, but that is a large time commitment, so I chose something equally as good, but a lot easier to make. Before I started baking, I was getting supplies ready. After making scones the other day, I new the flour was low, so I asked that it be added to the grocery list. Margo looked at me and asked "Why? It's a flourless cake." Whoops!

The cake turned out beautifully, topped with chocolate ganache and Reese's.

Vol. 5, No. 070, April 4, 2020

5070 - Fridge Clean Out.

The other night, I made sweet potatoes for dinner. I had been craving some Sweet Potato Pie since Pi day in March, so I cooked extra potatoes and stuck them in the fridge. Yesterday, during my Prep Time Culinary session, I made Sweet Potato Hand Pies. I stuck the pies in the freezer so that I can have a little pick me up during these long days at home.

Vol. 5, No. 069, April 3, 2020

5069 - Beneficial Baking.

As a teacher, working from home and learning lots of new technology has been a struggle, but there are some benefits to this arrangement. One benefit is that during my "prep time" I can do other things. Yesterday I went on a walk with my sister and the day before I watched a couple episodes of a TV show with my brother. Today, I decided to bake. Culinary project number one was Candy Cane Scones. I had been planning on making these since Christmas when I crushed up the candy canes. Today I made time to actually do it.

To top the scones, I made some Candy Cane Cream.