corner view~all the small things

All the small things make up the whole of our lives.  We look back through snapshots and remember moments, like the four-year-old birthday party with the flowerpot ice cream, served individually to each child.  The trip years ago to St. Barth's and how fun it was, how much planning it took, so many small details to propel us to that tiny landing strip that ended right at the ocean's edge. The search for a new car with numerous test drives before we picked the one that worked best for us.    

And there are so many small things to attend to.  I have heard a quote that says the way a person deals with the small things reflects their character.

Mothers (and fathers) have so many small things to do.  They work, they take care of their home and children.  Life can get mundane for some.  For me it doesn't get mundane.  I enjoy cleaning, changing the beds, vacuuming the rooms, cooking and even washing dishes.  Especially when I have hours of free time to get to some of this before I go paint.  The time in the art studio is a reward for my efforts.  It happens occasionally.

I enjoy most of my daily chores. It's just that there is so much to do that I never feel caught up, and at this point in my life I don't get much free time.  So the small things can sometimes become stressful and feel more like a chore than a blessing.  A list that I never get through in a given day, that carries over to the next day.

But it is a blessing to have a home to care for, to have children to feed that fill our home with laughter, excitement, crazy noise and rock 'n roll, to have a spouse I love to share this busy life with.  It is important to remember this, always.  

i am excited to present...

My very first banana crop!

My very first blog post mentioned bananas as a quintessential tropical image.
Back then I wrote for my family and myself, never imagining I would get comments.  It felt so wonderful to press that publish button and see that post, all neat and tidy and official.

Back then I read a few other blogs and would occasionally comment.  Then one day I got a comment. I was so surprised.  The next thing I knew I was hearing from people from all over the world.  I joined Jane's corner view, which is now hosted by Francesca.  I found comfort in this virtual connection, mostly with creative women and mothers.

Now, five years later I am still blogging.  I'm still doing this primarily for my husband and children. And my mom, she reads my blog too.  Hi Mom!!

Eventually I am going to write a new topic.  Sort of advice to my kids, in little individual topics, based on life lessons.  It's always hard for me to begin.  But now that I've put it in writing I'll probably start that.  

san francisco

We took the kids to San Francisco for a day that ended in a special event. There is no city like San Francisco.

We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, the fog beckoning us on to the city's turquoise skies.  It was cool and crisp and the air was filled with excitement. We parked near Fisherman's Wharf and walked around, taking in the sights.  We got some clam chowder for a snack and then headed to Ghirardelli square. They gave us big samples of chocolate there.  We saw many street musicians and even a mime, colorful boats, beautiful Bay views, and sourdough bread animal sculptures.  The seagulls flew overhead, searching for food.  We took the kids out to dinner. I had a large crab and ate the entire thing myself, although I did share a few bites with the kids.  Soon I write will be about our special nighttime event from this same day.

final song from her album

Skylar is pictured above with her ukulele, her newest instrument.  She and Annabel have been playing music together a lot these days.  They are planning to record a Paramore cover together.  They attend a high school where they have some days off weekly and are assigned virtual work.  They get their schoolwork done early in the week, and then make time for music.  It can be a bit chaotic for Gary and me with no regular school schedule (every day is different).   But the girls are having a balanced life, they are students and artists.

This is the final song from Skylar's album.  The song title is "Journal Pg. 15." Click here to hear it. She loves getting comments on her songs if you have YouTube accounts.

in woodacre

We had sunny days and crisp evenings, friendly artistic neighbors who gave us eggs, brought us flowers on my birthday, and fresh baked goods.  We had neighborhood walks and discovered that the wild berries were ripe for picking. We had a baseball field to walk to from our house.  We had new friends and old friends to visit with. We had peace.  We had love.  It was fun.

corner view~last but not least

We were invited to a potluck party and at the last minute I decided on a desert tray due to lack of time for cooking or baking.  It was really fun to make, delicious, and people loved it.

baseball boy and the culture of boys

For Shawn, this past summer was about baseball.

When I think of him as a young child, one story comes to mind.  He was about two, and he and I were visiting a park.  On that particular day, there were several fathers there with their children, in fact I was the only mother in the park.  I sat on a bench and watched as Shawn toddled over to people, kids and adults.  He talked to everyone.  Eventually the fathers went to sit on different benches perched throughout the park.  Shawn walked over to each bench, one at a time.  He climbed up on the bench and then turned around sitting right next to each man, so his little legs were right up against them.  He turned to each man and began talking in his little raspy voice, until he visited each father.  

It's no surprise that Shawn loved baseball camp this summer.  It's no surprise that he made a new friend, a boy who gave him an entire box of baseball cards, because his uncle had given him several for his birthday.  And it's no surprise that Shawn connected so strongly with his coaches, including the ex Giants pitcher, Jessie Foppert!

He was especially thrilled when after the first week he was awarded a wooden pro size bat for standing out among his peers and exhibiting good sportmanship.    

annabel's first band gig

We heard about this week long band camp from a friend whose son has done it in the past.  The counselors said we could come the first day to check it out before paying, since we were from out of town.  "We need a lead singer," they had told me.  Annabel was happy to accept the challenge.  The first day we walked in with her, all of us, the five Marks family members, into this tiny room packed with about twelve boys, and two male counselors.  They were friendly and welcoming.  Annabel turned to me and said, "I've got this," and that was our cue to leave.

She went to camp daily for a week, coming home happy and inspired and chatting about her new friends.  Then on Friday afternoon the kids performed five songs, one of which was Annabel's original, a new song that still has no title.  

ok it's october...

...so I think I need to finish up posting about our summer trip in the next few days.  Although where we were in northern California it's still summer there now, a time known as "Indian summer."

Looking back, what a sweet time we had.   We spent the first few weeks in our old hometown staying a few minutes from our old house, in a place across the street from an old friend of mine.  Her teen son spent a lot of time with our kids, as teens do.  We had them over for dinner a few times.  We settled in to this tree lined sidewalked street and I pruned the rose bushes in their yard.  All of our kids had their own rooms which worked out well, especially after being in a hotel room for a straight week.  We stocked up on summer fruit and made fruit salads every morning.  The kids walked to the local high school and skateboarded there almost daily. Our girls took some private hip hop lessons with Miss Christina.  My friend Kate took us for a hike on top of a mountain. All of our kids made new friends. Annabel met a new friend who plays guitar. They have stayed in touch all of these months via Skype, and just tonight at dinner Annabel was saying how supportive they are of one another's music.          

time

A couple more of Sky's original songs are here, (written in 2009) and here (written in 2010).  The first one is called 'Survival," and the best line from that song is, "How can you love with an unhappy mind?"

The second song is titled "Flying Through Time," appropriately illustrated above.

I am catching myself flying through time these days.  And it seems like all of our kids are ready to take off.