It's the FINAL countdown!

Ok so graduating/ getting a job is really time consuming so apologies for my absence! Today marks the official one month count down until the sweet freedom of having a degree washes over me.
A.k.a I graduate and am really super duper excited.
People keep telling me that I will miss this time in my life but most people didn't do the be married, have a job, AND go to school thing either.
Besides they said that about high school too.... its been almost five years and I do not miss it, not even a little bit.
Here are some pictures of me right after graduation the first time around....

1. Makes me want to grow my hair out
2.Makes me feel old. 17 was a good age for my looks. I know your judging me but I promise you I have gray hair, the beginnings of eye wrinkes, and just recently developed a facial twitch under my right eye (curse you middle school children!)
3. Excited to party it up in a month

For now I have to work on holding on to my sanity as we wind down the educational saga.
Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane!

In the drivers seat.

So I feel like I have alot to share today. I am finally in full take over of the art room at the middle school. So much more fun to be teaching my own lessons. It's just always awkward trying to row someone else's boat, if you know what I mean. I demoed paper marbling for the kids on thursday and they just thought it was the coolest thing ever. 

Sadly, some of them could not handle the shaving cream and got detentions. I had boys up to their elbows in shaving cream! BUT they also ALL look super cool. Its nice to have a project where every print turns out unique as well as everyone is successful. 

On thurday I also had an interesting lunch.... I guess I was just feeling creative with only 15 min of free time

So for lunch I had strawberries but, these were weird because the green leaves at the top were abnormally overgrown. Like they enveloped the whole strawberry. Side note: I have found this to be a desirable quality as it seems to keep them from molding. Being inspired by this I made a forest....

Still needed something so I fashioned a little man out of floral wire...

The tape serves two purposes. One, it holds the little guy together. Two, its quite modest. 

Finally I added a little backdrop to complete the mood. I love when little things evolve like this. Who knew lunch could spark a little fun before the 6th graders came tearing in

=)

Trick-or-Treating for Adults

Today at school all the 7th and 8th graders were talking about how they were going trick-or-treating tonight. When did I stop trick-or-treating? I feel like they are too old for this. I thought "these guys are the reason people don't turn their porch lights on." Yet tonight we found ourselves doing a little trick-or-treating of our own....
In case you were unaware every year Chipotle has a special deal on Halloween. If you wear a costume that matched their theme you (used to) get a free burrito. This year it was a $2 burrito. Thanks recession. But still worth dressing up for. This years theme was family farm. So we came up with this....

Stephen was the organic beef and I was the full of integrity farmer. Stephen asked why he couldn't be the farmer to which a responded " It's funnier if I am the farmer. If you're the farmer it's just chauvinistic." 

We ended up trick-or-treating at two chipotles which secured us both lunch and dinner for under $10

Happy trick-or-treating no matter how old you are!

Chaos

So I named my blog paint smeared life in an effort to describe that my life is full of art and is rather a mess. At the moment I just feel like a mess. Let me describe my week to you beginning with
Sunday
We get up to go to church and we go early cause we have to watch the kids, lunch with Stephen's parents, dinner with mine. Get home, pass out
Monday
get up at 6 and work until 4:30. Come home, get sick, pass out.
Tuesday
get up at 6 and work until 4:30. Run to the store to get a birthday present. Devotional group at 5, turn around lead a devotional group at 7. Come home, pass out.
Wednesday
get up and work until 4:30. Go straight to UNT have dinner with stephen. Bible study at 6. Bible talk at 7:30. Get home, pass out
Thursday
get up and work until 4:30. Go stright to UNT for a bible study get home at 7. Go out and watch the Rangers at 8. Come home, Pass out.
Today
get up and work until 4:30. Costume party at 7:30... No costume to wear to party....

I would just like to have one day that does not end in pass out.

LONG story short. There has been no time on this green earth to post!

I would LOVE to being doing this right now. Can we go back and have another honeymoon!?!

Blerg.

So today I came home from school feeling awful again, a thursday night repeat. I must be allergic to hormonal adolescents. Shout out to my wonderful husband for picking up dinner tonight so I can attempt to not feel like crap. Anyways, I have decided what to do with my Art 2 and 3 kids, so at least I have done one productive thing today. They are going to do woodblock prints! (I wish you could here my voice when I say that, it comes with a goofy smile and spirit fingers) I LOVE printmaking-- favorite process ever. To the left is one I did in college. BUT on top of that they are going to print it on handmade/marbled/ textured papers that they are going to make themselves. AND they will learn about Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, whose work I adore. So I am excited about that.

I also have a strange assignment in progress from my student teaching supervisor. I am supposed to make a work of art using these things....

Here is what I have so far (pardon the bad picture I feel to crappy to take a new one)

This has reminded me how much I miss doing art on my own. Teaching is wonderful but I have to make time to do my own art! 

Ok I have to go lie down before my head implodes.

-Kelly

Kick Off

I never understood blogs until I came across Pinterest. If you do not know what that is you are missing out. It seems like everything interesting I ever find on their links back to a blog! So congratulations mankind you have convinced me that as individuals, people do have wonderfully interesting ideas and things to share.

                  Found this today                        
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

So aside from my cute little why I started a blog story.... Yesterday I just finished my first week of my secondary student teacher rotation. As an art ed major you go through eight weeks of elementary then eight weeks of secondary. (I'm at a middle school.) So far I have liked both levels but I really really miss my little ones. Student teaching is sorta cruel in that it is just enough time to get attatched and then get ripped away. While I was there we made self-portraits at each grade level. Guess which ones are in what grade!