My Little O’Keefe Revealed

Before I proceed with the filming posts, I know I'm overdue posting Bo's last painting. I showed you her hands while she was working on it in this post My Own O'Keefe back in May. Sorry to be ridiculously late getting the finished product up.

It’s hard to picture the size dimensions here but the painting is 3ft x 4ft. She has the side edges to finish, unless she decides to frame it, and she’s not sure yet so she’s punting. And maybe it's because there was the screenplay to write for the film and her other duties on set. Finishing the edges of her painting so I could post it here hasn’t moved to the top of her priority list. Consequently, I’m going ahead and putting it up in all its edgeless glory.

But I LOVE it. It makes me happy every time I look at it. She had taken a picture of an iris (she also loves photography) and then brought the colors up and out on the computer. She liked the photo so much it inspired her to try and paint what she saw. The orange that appears in the center of the painting (which in its own way seems random) was absolutely present and exquisite in the photo, too.

Yep. Love my girl.

But she leaves me to go to the dorms in a few weeks. College is starting again. And she doesn’t even try and ACT sad. In fact, she reeks of happiness and exudes an effusively ebullient demeanor (I have now satisfied my big word quota of the month). She did casually add while we were out shopping on my birthday, “I’ll probably miss you guys.” Probably? That actually made me laugh right out loud. “Come on now, Ms. Bo, don’t go gettin' all sentimental and SAPPY on me. A mother can only take so much gushing.” That’s okay. I was nineteen once, I'm pretty sure. I know you’ll come home. I’m holding your painting hostage. Yeah, you'll miss THAT.

©Copyright 2010

The Wrecking Ball

Simon Legree came in over night and stole my background. So what that it was old? So am I. Who cares that it was stale, dated, and tired? We were one flesh. Now we're naked.

I'm also wandering the backroads of blogger templates where you can go for a simple stroll and never come out. I cruised the Everglades once and the boat owners said you had to know your way around. Many people who were uneducated about those swampy waterways were never heard from again. They looked hugely disappointed when I showed up at the end of the day with three pelicans on the bow and an alligator glued to the stern.

At least I had company. The world of blogging templates is a lonely landscape. You wander around through page after maniacal page of the ugly and boring and pretty soon, you're choosing the mechanic shop template or deciding that pop-culture anime suits your personality perfectly. I enjoy writing. I enjoy art. I enjoy singing. I enjoy having technical support and never having to figure out anything even remotely computer related or choosing from among 970,586,094,378 template designs.

So, let me know what you think of my new minimalist look. I actually like it. It's a room I can keep clean. On the set of the film, I was required to create a filthy and dysfunctional house from the 70's that was occupied by a raging father, depressed and nearly non-functioning mother, and a sad little abused daughter. (My co-set dresser was Angela Aro and she added just the wretched elements that perfected the whole thing.) I'm thinking after that disgusting assignment, a touch of pink with a nice green couch may be therapeutic. The 70's house was possessed (more about that later). I desperately need clean lines, simplicity, and wipe-down leather.

And each night during filming I wrote an update to all the volunteer friends and family who were helping with the film in a mad variety of ways. This took place no matter how late the hour. I knew I'd NEVER go back and recreate those days. I'm thinking of running the letters as blog posts if you guys are interested. I've had a few friends who received them tell me that's what I should do. It'll buy me some recovery time and drag you all into the wonderful mayhem with me.

Besides, it's nearly my birthday. I suppose a new look is in order. Did I mention I had all my hair cut off? That's another post, too. (Let's see, gone gray, hair cut off - that woman in the photo is seriously demented and needs a major update.)

Just for fun....you might want to drop in on the blogs listed below and say "hi!" There are two blog hops going on. :)

©Copyright 2010

The Best Diet Never

Work 20-21 hours a day, sleep 3 or 4, run whenever asked which is almost constantly, become photographer, biographer, set designer, chauffeur, counselor, make-up artist, actor, and script and scene consultant for ten days. You will lose eight pounds.

Then, lay down in a pine box approximately 60 inches deeper than the surface of the earth you occupy and within another three months, enough weight will come off that you’ll finally have the figure you want.

Down side? No one will see you. But you’ll look great.

I’ll be back!

©Copyright 2010

Film at 11:00 (Maybe Later)

In case anyone is wondering, I will be absent for about a week or more. My daughter and her friend, Shaun, are making a film. Shaun thought of the concept last year and tapped Bo to help him. This has all turned into a major event. They plan to submit it for this year’s Sundance Film Festival in the Short Film category (15-20 minutes) and it has to be in by September 15th. Bo has written and adapted Shaun’s idea into a screenplay and Shaun is directing. The kids are amazing together and it was jaw-dropping to watch tens of thousands of dollars worth of rented film equipment arrive in a huge trailer yesterday. I canNOT believe how much there has been to this from location scouting to catering to set dressing to cast meetings to camera crew to OVERWHELM (not a long trip for me to take).

Everyone we can grab has been pressed into service. Shaun’s parents have worked tirelessly (even when extremely TIRED) and grandparents and aunts and uncles and FRIENDS are in high gear.

They have received financial backing in a near miraculous way. And the film has an incredible message. I’d like to write something funny and entertaining but honestly, I’m too tired to even spell tonight. Windows Live Writer (my format program) is yelling at me with every other word I attempt to wriette.

Our rear ends are draggin’. And it’s high gear again tomorrow very early.

They shoot everyday this week and how it will all come together is beyond my comprehension. Thankfully, no one relies on my comprehension.

Here is a working sketch of the concept art (Bo’s creation):

The actual art will follow after filming this week. The film centers around an unwanted daughter who is raised in a verbally abusive situation. But there’s hope! You should know there is hope. I can’t leave you hopeless.

So, follow along if you’d like and we’ll see how this all comes together. These are pics of them at casting last week with their Producer, Christine:

Bo will probably kill me for putting this one up because she was chewing ice but I thought it was cute:

Christine is a casting agent as well as an acting coach. She is British but has worked very hard to adopt a perfect American accent and has succeeded. (And here I’ve worked very hard to adopt a British accent – go figure.) She’s also a talented writer, artist, and musician. Why do artistic people always do several artsy things? You rarely find an artist who works in only one medium.

Anyway, this week will be insanely busy and I won’t be blogging. But I wanted you to know why and to tell you hello and goodbye and I’ll see you when the train slows down and I think I have a chance of surviving when I throw myself off!

Thinking of you all and keeping those of you with some serious struggles in my prayers. Truly.

XO!

©Copyright 2010

Happy Birthday, Soon-to-be Kiwi!

Today is this girl’s birthday.

Today she’s on American terra firma.

But this weekend, she flies off to a school semester in New Zealand. When she said she was going A.W.A.Y., she was serious. I am not over the fact that all of Bo’s friends are grown up and doing very grown up things like leaving their mamas. Which is obviously wrong. On so many levels. You would think they want to have their own lives or something. We didn’t instill enough guilt or a sense of overwhelming responsibility toward those who carried them tirelessly, through the snow, and uphill, in their bodies. We failed to horrify them sufficiently with stories of thrashing and agonizing pain as we brought forth our firstborns. (Well, that’s probably not true but they may have failed to pay attention and we should have rapped them on the knuckles and made them focus.) Here she is (bottom right corner) with other oblivious girlfriends (my daughter included top right, Kaylee top middle, and Maddie top left) looking entirely too happy. Do you see the girl at the bottom left? That's our Ms. Jenna. SHE just came back from school in England. What did we do wrong?!

And now, just like THAT, more of them are off on big time adventures and seeing new states and countries and colleges and meeting complete strangers. Strangers who will become friends. Friends who will not know the stories of personal sacrifice each of their mothers endured. They will be friends who are escaping the same stories and who will also feel no guilt. For Pete’s sake. New Zealand, I just hope you appreciate what were sending you. One of our sweetest, our best, and our brightest. Now don’t go finding her a husband down there and trying to keep her. We’re loaning her to you. Just like a library book she has to be returned. Promptly. You canNOT afford the fine.

Ms. Kelsey, you will be missed and you are loved. We will be watching Facebook for CONTINUOUS hour-by-hour updates the whole time you’re gone. You know this is required. Don’t make us get up and come down there!

And by the way, PLEASE take some close up pictures of just YOU! I realized when searching your Facebook for photos that this type of picture is almost non-existent. True to sweet form, you include your friends in nearly every photo.

Here’s Kelsey front and center with Ms. Jenna (right) and our Bo. And that’s how you’ll find nearly every picture of her – sharing the moment with friends.

You deserve every happiness, sweet girl. Fly off, have fun, grow, laugh, be a blessing, and when it’s time, we’ll all be waiting for you to come home and tell us about your adventures.

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say"
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of The Ring"

©Copyright 2010

Now THIS is a MAN Ad

I’m doing my level best to get around and visit each and every one of you. Just so you know, I first track back those who have commented because that’s only right, and I’m not through everyone yet. But then I have those blogs I like to drop into and who may read mine (like Pioneer Woman…..I’m just positive that she spends a good majority of her time hanging on my every word, or lack thereof), but they don’t comment. Or maybe they don’t even know I’m alive or only come once in a blue moon but I like to read ‘em anyway. All that to say, I’m behind but I’m gettin’ there.

Which brought me across my funny friend, Kate’s, blog. She writes the blog called Tatersmama and I know I’ve told you to visit her before but today? Well I had myself a howling good time reading her. She’s funniest when she’s just the “littlest” bit peeved. And I saw that coming through loud and clear in the post I just had to link you to. Here’s an excerpt:

Lookin’ For a Man

That's right.
I'm in the market for a new man.
Aged between 45 and 75, fit, and able to do small necessary chores around the house.
Must be a self-starter.

Must be able to cook the occasional hot meal, without reminding me of it for the next 50 years, and must be able to at least clear his own dishes off the table without being asked.

Clearing mine off the table when I get sidetracked bathing a child with spaghetti from one end to the other, and who's also painting the walls with spaghetti sauce, is highly desirable.
Stacking dishes is acceptable... but a bonus will be given for actually washing the dishes.
(actual bonus negotiable)

……….for the rest of this post visit Kate here:

Tatersmama's Take on Things

This is the Murphys Hotel in Murphys, California where our dear Kate comes from but for the last fifteen years she’s been a transplant to Australia. She dearly wants to come home as her son lives in Murphys. I’m thinkin’ if she gets this ad answered for somebody stateside it just might happen.

This is a feature I’d love to incorporate more – sharing things that moved me or made me split my seams. Why should I keep all the good stuff to myself?

PLEASE come back and tell me you loved her!

©Copyright 2010

Barrier Breakers

We’re still pluggin’ along over here. TWM has had mono but started on a new med today that is kickin’ it in the pants. Oh-yay, oh-yay. I can’t sit for long and I'll spare you riveting explanations. Consequently, the computer time is incredibly short, much like my attention span. Surgery is my next option and I’m not into next options. (Surgery for your attention span, Robynn? Who taught you to write? No one. Oh, that explains it.)

Bo is script writing and involved in a film project so between that and working, we don’t see her much. Bodie, the new puppy, is now housetrained because TWM and I have been largely housebound. Every silver lining has a cloud, or something like that.

But life is going on all around me and these two darling girls have been in the thick of it:

Rachael is on the left and Hannah is on the right. I got to know Rachael during the seven years I ran a camp for homeschooled girls, and Hannah is also homeschooled and is the sweet sister of one of the Wild Man’s best friends, Josh. Both of these lovelies just returned from the Dominican Republic. They traveled there with their gymnastics group of differently-abled members. This video presentation explains it beautifully and shows love-in-action. I’m very proud of the girls and of the whole team. Good job, dear hearts, and Rachael? You said it best on your Facebook update today when you quoted Martin Luther King: "Everyone has the power of greatness. Not for fame, but greatness. Because greatness is determined by service."

Want something to make you believe in the good that people are capable of? Treat yourself to an incredible seven minutes of your day. It’ll be time well spent. I’ll see you later. I have to stand up now.

©Copyright 2010