Showing posts with label signs I'm raising her right. Show all posts
Showing posts with label signs I'm raising her right. Show all posts

Monday, November 05, 2018

Talented

Both of my parents were artists, whether they got paid for it or not. My dad earned extra money doing lettering and pinstriping on boat transoms, and he was an avid carver when he was retired. My mom taught watercolor classes and could have sold her own work, if she had the interest. Dad could build furniture; Mom could make kick-ass Halloween costumes.

I inherited the interest, but not the grit required to practice something until I was really good at it. I can’t draw or paint, and my furniture-building skills only look good if the furniture in question is on a stage and the audience is pretty far away. I’m good at copying things, and I’m good at following directions, which is why the needle arts have always come easily to me. My knitting and crochet may not always be beautiful, but it’s generally RIGHT, even if I had to fudge a few things to get there.

When Liza started showing interest in art, I did everything I could to support her. Supplies, lessons, attention, dedicated space for her to work ... look back through the blog, it’s all there. And to my surprise, she’s kept at it, even when things weren’t working out to her satisfaction. She’s putting in the hours, and it shows.

My dad passed away before he really had a chance to see Liza’s talent bloom, but my mother stuck around long enough to see the first flowers. She was always so proud of Liza’s work, always happy to have her art on the fridge or in a frame. They did some projects together, back before Mom got sick, and I wish they had been able to do a lot more. My mom would have been so proud to see how much Liza has improved in the last year.





Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Three-way tie

Option 1: That she picked A Light in the Attic as her next book for me to read to her at bedtime.
Option 2: That she can read most of the poems in the book on her own, and she actually understands a good portion of them.
Option 3: That she's up there finishing the last 100 pages of the book right now by flashlight because I got tired of reading after 50 pages or so.

So which is the reason I'm most proud right now? I really can't decide.

Monday, April 12, 2010

My daughter has exquisite taste

This is the yarn she picked for her birthday socks. Not only does it match absolutely everything in her wardrobe, it's also the exact same color I was planning to use, anyway. I can't wait to finish my current Endless Shawl of Damn Dark Delaware Yarn so I can get started. I've only got two weeks to turn out two tiny socks for my (almost) five-year-old.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Can you guess what she's been listening to at bedtime?

She saw me writing limericks and wanted to write a poem of her own, and this is what she came up with. At least it was easier for me to help her spell than, "In Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire hurricanes hardly happen. "