auditions, arts and eats

LIGHTS, CAMERA.......ACTION

We're in Santa Fe auditioning for a feature film which is set to film here in New Mexico.

Acting is something very few people know we enjoy doing.

 So before the lights, camera, actions begins we have to....

check-in and confirm our appointment with this guy....

Read, react, recite and memorize the sides....

Cookie fine-tunes Bam's hair for his audition

Then just before we're go in.... we grab the resume and head shots....

It's all in a day in the life of an actor......

Okay..... not really...... it's all done for FUN, for the experience and for expanding our artistic knowledge.

One can only learn to appreciate the arts, theatre and film when one knows all aspects of the line....

from pre-production...to acting....to crewing...to production....to presentation

After the audition we took a much needed break by taking in Santa Fe.......the arts, walking the plaza, artist row....and ending our day with dinner at our most favorite Santa Fe eatery---the Zia diner---they always treat us well......... ALWAYS!!

creative minds at work....

CRAYONS

 PAINTBRUSHES

The art-teese (my fancy way of saying artist) in us.... wants to come out and create.

We have our tools but the inspiration is yet to come across our minds

What should we do?? I'm thinking a family project of some sort.....

time to hit pinterest!!

vamos al museo

Bam is with the speech and debate team in Taos, New Mexico for a tournament.

(they've been there since yesterday........good luck guys..........See you soon!!!)

...........so the girls and I have proclaimed today

Mother Daughter Day

We're attending an art class with a local Albuquerque artist and master printmaker, Carol Sanchez.

(check out her stuff: www.carolsanchez.com)

The class includes a museum tour featuring various types of print forms plus hands on basic print making.
The girls and I are thrilled to have the opportunity........

Cookie and Sweetheart carefully crafting their print design

Squeezing out the paint, roll, transfer and pressing the design onto paper........

"That's easy, peezy, lemon squeezy" says Cookie

Princess Fifi is carefully rolling out the ink on to her project

Ms. Sanchez and Cookie prep the prints for the drying process

Sweetheart is singing while she works......

my lil' artists at work.....

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Wow!!

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The girls made some amazing prints.......

Sweetheart's first print is perfect

My first valentine....

our table is full of prints from my lil' artist

"Are you ready to wrap up your projects girls???" I asked
"No Mommy, we're just getting started, it's time for multi colored prints........."
said Fifi

We had a great time in our art class and museum visit.

Now I have plenty of original prints ready to frame for our home.

dish soap art

Creating inspirational whimsical art on a whim

I love this image with the change of resolution color 

Give my children a box of dry erase markers and they can create a masterpiece.

They made some real eye catching art on the dry erase board this evening.

I like the scales and tie dye effect

I had to be certain to capture these images on my camera before it was brushed away.

uniform bobbles through a child's eye

Can you guess what sparked their imagination for these creations?

Was it the salmon we ate tonight?

Was it the oranges they snacked on afterward?

Was it the gold fish swimming in his aquarium?

No.....

In fact, it was the bubbles upon the dishes in the sink.

"What a funny place to find inspiration" I said.

"Oh silly, art is all around us." says Sweetheart.

What a great thing for a child to say!

Art is all around us.

Beauty is everywhere.

It's all how you look at the world.

I like that thought..........

 As I wash the dishes I am but a renown artist arranging and sculpting the bubbles upon my ceramic bases and vessels.

Suddenly I feel so privileged to tend my nightly tasks tonight.

This is for Grandpa-Great.........

Earlier this month Sweetheart's class has been building ofrendas for their Day of the Dead project.

This project has been finished and was on display at the Hispanic Cultural Center for public art viewing.

Sweetheart made one of the alters on display, commemorating her Great Grandfather, Richard Persinger.

--Click here for a quick reference to my previous blog about the Dia de los Muertos tradition--

She made a traditional Mexican (alter) ofrenda in memory of her Grandpa-Great. 

On Dia de los Muertos it is believed that spirits are welcomed back into the realm of the living world for one night a year to enjoy memories, food and fun.

The ofrendas was filled with all of the items she believed her Grandpa-Great would have like when he visits.

--Fine Red Wine (actually sparkling grape juice)--

-- New York style Pizza--

 (He once told Sweetheart that it was years since he had pizza and he'd love a slice)

--Real chocolate pudding with a side of whole milk--

--Fingertip glass--

--Wall Street Journal--

--Wagon--

--Pictures of family and friends--

-- A string of clear non blinking Christmas lights--

And many origami cranes and marigolds for delight

She misses her Grandpa-Great very much. 

She says she can imagine sitting and listening to all his great stories and adventures he had in his lifetime.

This was a nice opportunity for reflection for all my children and I.

Read more and see more about our Grandpa-Great 

Here

"We miss you and we LOVE you Grandpa-Great"

♥♥♥♥♥

"I did all this while you were watching t.v."

Today, Fifi, Sweetheart, Cookie and I are headed to Camp Oro Quay in Sandia Park, NM to pick up Bam.

He is attending a religious retreat at Camp Oro Quay this weekend. Bam is working on achieving his Confirmation sacrament.
Going on a retreat is one of the requirements needed to fulfill his obligations for Confirmation.

The drive to Sandia Park was a beautiful short 40 minute drive past Cedar Crest and Paa-Ko on the Turquoise Trail almost to Golden, East of the Sandia Mountains.

 If only you could smell the fresh pine, cedar and piñon trees.............

The air is fresh and filled with the aroma of the fresh pine and sage. Our eyes and ears were treated to the sights of rabbits hopping along the roadside and birds singing their most heartfelt whistles.

We arrived to Camp Oro Quay a little late for Sunday Mass but we had the chance to enjoy our "cowboy" themed luncheon with Bam and the other families of Confirmation students.

Sweetheart's cowgirl shadow

Long Luncheon Line

For lunch we had tacos, delicious home-made salsa, cowboy beans, spanish rice, a beautiful garden salad, pink lemonade and for dessert; fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies.

Afterwards, the Confirmation students, treated us to some skit performances they put together.

Bam enjoyed his weekend camping retreat with his Confirmation friends.

Plus Bam absolutely loves the outdoors. He was enthusiastic to show me the grounds, the activities and the animals.

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As we drove back through Cedar Crest, we decided to stop by Tinker Town Museum.

Tinker Town is this little, off the road, quirky, curio and wood carving museum.

There's always dozens of hummingbirds to greet you on the porch

This place is one of our favorite destinations when we go through the Sandia Peak area.
We always look forward to visiting the place of imaginative, artistic and creative hobby works.

The contents of the museum was built by Ross Ward as part of a traveling exhibit.

The carved dioramas are intricately detailed and push button animated. I recall seeing a sign that said, "We did all this while you were watching t.v.!" 

My children enjoy pushing the button of the various themed showcase dioramas. Also featured in the museum is a vast quantity of collectible items from past traveling circus and vaudeville era items, antiques and dolls from around the world. Featuring a couple of coin operated one man band and a vintage fortune teller machines.

Esmerelda said, "I foresee great thing for you and those around you."

The museum was featured on Antiques Roadshow, Good Morning America and is listed as one of the top ten small museums in American by Fox News, Huffington Post and Trip Advisor. For just a small admission price of $3 adult and $1 children you are treated to an awesome variety of Americana, American talent, and antiques all playfully and creatively displayed.

It took Ross Ward over 40 years to carve, collect, and lovingly construct what is now Tinkertown Museum. His miniature wood-carved figures were first part of a traveling exhibit, driven to county fairs and carnivals in the 1960s and ’70s. Today over 50,000 glass bottles form rambling walls that surround a 22-room museum. Wagon wheels, old fashioned store fronts, and wacky western memorabilia make Tinkertown’s exterior as much as a museum as the wonders within.

Inside, the magic of animation takes over. The inhabitants of a raucous little western town animate to hilarious life. Under the big top, diminutive circus performers challenge tigers and defy gravity while the Fat Lady fans herself and a polar bear teeters and totters.

Throughout, eccentric collections of Americana (wedding cake couples, antique tools, bullet pencils and much, much more) fill Tinkertown’s winding hallways. Otto the one-man-band and Esmerelda, the Fortune Teller, need only a quarter to play a tune or predict your future. Through a doorway and across a ramp waits a big-sized surprise: a 35′ antique wooden sailboat that braved a 10 year voyage around the world.

Ever a work in progress, Tinkertown is ready to inspire your imagination and awaken your creative spirit. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Wishing you a great sunny Sunday with tons of creativity and imagination..............

is it fair??

Bam is headed for Camp Oro Quay for a youth retreat today.

The early morning camp bus was full of sleeping bags, overnight totes, pillows and yawning kids

We'll join Bam on Sunday at Camp Oro Quay in Sandia Park, NM.
After Sunday Mass, we're invited to a "cowboy" themed family luncheon at the camp.
 We look forward to the drive, the meal and reuniting with Bam.

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Meanwhile, Princess, Sweetheart and I are going to Cookie's jump rope perform at the NM State Fair today.

Can you spot Cookie?? (hint: front-center-right)

The jump rope team performed under the big top pavilion at the center of the fair grounds. The performance started just as the rain began to pour down; resulting in an extremely large amount of spectators.

Cookie on far right with the orange sneakers

The show was well received by all those who enjoyed seeing the talents of the young local NM jump rope team. Taking pictures of fast moving Cookie and the other jump ropers is proven futile.
I can't seem to get many decent shots without extreme blurriness.
Plus trying to edit in vlog format is just too frustrating right now.
To see Cookie's jump roping show live is amazing; something photos just can't translate.
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After the show ended the girls and I decided to just enjoy the rest of what the fair had to offer.
We enjoyed the various local art exhibits again. Sweetheart was eager to show the girls some of the art she saw when she was on her class field trip.
Then we went to the floral, horticulture exhibit. The girls enjoy looking at the plants, flowers and award winning arrangements.

NM State Fair Fora and Fauna 

The slide shows photos were all shot by Sweetheart, Princess and Cookie as fair favorites.

We headed to the NM School Arts and Craft Building to see if their schools had submitted any art.

Fair School Arts and Crafts Exhibit 

After all the walking (jumping) in and out of exhibit halls and art galleries we decided to head to 'Indian Village' for a super delicious, satisfying lunch of Navajo Taco and ice cold lemonade.

"Mmmmm........Mommy, this is so good."

"Auntie Honey--Auntie Leprechaun--Auntie Shalo,
this bite is for you."

"So tasty, it's almost as good as Nana's..........."

NM State Fair Indian Village 2011

There is nothing like listening to traditional Native American music outdoors with a belly full of traditional food that makes your soul feel whole again............Aaahhhh
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Afterward we went to the dairy barn agriculture and ranching area for some time with the livestock.
The children always enjoy seeing all the hard work and pride many 4-H students their age put into raising their animals all year long just for the fair.

Expo NM Livestock 

Plus they enjoyed the live demonstration of the dairy cows and goats getting milked.
Also the live demo of the sheep getting sheered with the wool being spun into balls of yarn while some women knit it into sweaters and scarves.
The "from the farm to your table" hands on activity is always a favorite. The ranchers, farmers and demonstrators politely and patiently answered all the questions my girls had.
We also enjoyed the sounds and smells from the Hispano villa, the lights of the midway and the roars of the lionesses from the live lion show. But we ran out of memory storage space on the camera.
What a great Mother--Daughters Day!! 

educational fun

Field trip day to the New Mexico State Fair for Sweetheart's class.

The children, the teacher and eight parent chaperones, walked down to the city bus stop to board public transit to the fairgrounds. It was an educational trip through the fine arts photo gallery, Hispanic art center, and the Native American arts gallery.
There was an wide array of beautiful, award winning art, jewelry, sculptures, pottery and furniture throughout the galleries--we were not permitted to take photos in any of the art buildings.

So then, we headed to the New Mexico agriculture, food, and forestry exhibits.

Splashy local rainbow trout and catfish

Ewww..........baby rattlesnake

Award winning HOT, HOT chile

"Non of your beeswax" said the kids.

Midday, the class took a break for lunch in the courtyard.

Sweetheart decided to take the time to rewrite her observations sheet with more details between bites of yogurt and rice.

 "I just remembered something else I must include on my observation sheet"

After a satisfying lunch we watched the performance of the young chinese acrobats.

The stack of chairs was very wobbly in the light NM breeze

Chinese diabolo aka chinese yo-yo performance

I guess there is more than one way to light a candelabra

The fire twirler is fast with his dagger ablaze

 After the show we headed to the junior livestock barn.

Up close with the chicken

Awwww.... this donkey is named Eeyore 

Goats are cute but really smelly

"Sooie........ pig pig!"

Rams have dignity to not be overwhelm with children

It was a perfectly beautiful day for a field trip to the
New Mexico State Fair.

The ABQ police said, "Come back soon"