I Love Summer

What I Love About Summer

Lazy mornings

stretched-out days,

soaking up the warm sun's rays,

brewing sun tea,

crunching ice,

going camping once or twice,

wearing flip-flops,

twirling skirts,

feeling warm in sleeveless shirts,

tending the garden,

smelling flowers,

breathing scents of thundershowers,

hearing the songs of bugs and birds--

all help me to write these summer words.

(c) Rebecca J. Gomez

Getting Creative

I promised my kids we would do some art projects this summer. So today, we got the paints out and got a little messy!

We made leaf prints with our radish greens (yes, I said radish greens), and they turned out beautifully. See?

So, here's how we did it, for those of you with kids who love to get messy with paints.

You'll need some poster paint in various colors, several sheets of art paper (5x7 or 8x10), paintbrushes, and some fresh leaves.

Place the leaf veiny-side-up on the table and paint with a thin coat of poster paint, using a wide, flat brush for best results. Be sure to paint outward (middle to edge) so you don't wrinkle your leaf. For a more colorful leaf, add a few dabs of a contrasting color.

Once your leaf is painted with a thin coat of paint, carefully place it on the center of a sheet of art paper. Be careful not to move the leaf once it is placed on the paper.

Now you're ready to print. Place a clean sheet of paper (copy paper is fine) on top of the leaf, hold it in place and rub over the leaf with your palm. Be firm but gentle.

Lift the leaf off of the paper to reveal a beautiful, unique work of art!

*This post has been edited since it was originally published, to include the image of the leaf print.

A Glimpse into the Near Future

Tomorrow, it begins.

My husband's 10 days off of work.

Vacation?

Something like that,

though,

I see it as

busy busy busy

with piano lessons

three birthday parties

a Tae Kwon Do belt exam

one wedding

and a Sunday morning teaching preschoolers.

Still,

there will be

Saturday at the farmers market

and a stroll through the art museum,

a night of tent camping

and smores,

sleeping in 

and waking with hubby beside me,

no hurry to get out of bed.

And, if I'm lucky...

a few stolen moments alone with my book.

Inspiration from a Ham Sandwich

Inspiration comes from odd places sometimes.

The inspiration for my most recent picture book came from something funny my husband said while he was making a ham sandwich. It ending up being a picture book about pirates and pigs, which you may recall me mentioning in this Tuesday Tip post.

I queried an agent concerning this PB last week and now I have a request for the full manuscript! I'll be sending it out later today. Hubby will deserve a big reward if this book ends up snagging me an agent!