Abstract Art

We painted that birdhouse today - it was pretty abstract, but Madison likes to paint it that way.  Daddy actually offered to maybe help her try out a pattern or perhaps a image of something like a flower or a landscape - yet Madison insisted that this is the way she likes to paint.  Like the impassioned artist that she is, she quickly went to work, dropping her paintbrush into the various brightly colored paints and wildly streaking them across her visually potent medium.  You can see "the pooled swirls where two colors meet and the wrinkled skins formed by the build-up of paint, barely visible in the initial confusion of overlapping lines."  I got that quote from another website:  that was a phrase taken to describe a Jackson Pollack painting, and it just about covers this birdhouse as well, right?  Pretty much, yes.

Also, in honor of the recent wildlife theme at church, we popped in a movie tonight that Madison hasn't seen:  "The Wild."  

It's not a bad movie, actually.  We wouldn't put it up there with the "Madagascar" movies (which, of course, are remarkably similar).  But it was worth watching, and Madison liked it too.  It always helps to have a bowl of popcorn nearby too!

We did a little piano practice as well, along with some light reading:  Daddy has been reading books from our local library, which Madison has been enjoying.  It's been a great part of the nightly ritual, reading books.  She brushes her teeth, adds salt to the vaporizer, changes into her pajamas, says her prayers, and hears a story.  It takes a little time, but it's good to have all that in line each night.

It's still cold outside.  With the forecast in mind, we gathered more wood today.  It was windy outside, and in broad daylight.  And the second day of spring.  And yet it was still quite chilly.  We got inside, and by the time Madison got home, we'd had a fire roaring in the fireplace for much of the day.  Madison got to enjoy the benefits, standing next to Mommy or Daddy as we stood in front of the fire.  Every so often we'd turn around and face the fire, or put our backs to it - it's such a nice thing having a roaring fire in the fireplace on a chilly night.  It also gives off a characteristic smell of burning wood - the smoke goes up the chimney of course.  But the light touch of burning wood creates an ambience that is most pleasant.

For the most part, Mommy and Daddy stayed indoors today.  Daddy has been writing messages for the upcoming Summer Xtreme in June.  We're having a "tribes" theme, which sort of feeds off of the whole "Survivor" feel, but with different "tribes" working together or against each other.

In this case, the tribes each represent different grade levels from kindergarten through sixth grade.  We haven't assigned any one in particular to a grade level yet, but we have figured out the tribes:  Cowboys, Ninjas, Gladiators, Vikings, Pirates, Superheroes and Luchadors.  Daddy is particularly happy with that last tribe, although they're all pretty awesome.  Again, we don't know which one is going to represent the kindergartners, so I don't know if Madison will be a Viking or a Ninja or a Luchador.  Whatever it is, I'm sure she'll have a costume for it!

In the mean time, Daddy has been writing messages about "tribes."  Originally, I wasn't sure if I could get that much out of the Twelve Tribes of Israel - relating it to an age group of kindergarten through sixth grade.  But after doing quite a bit of research and getting some downloads from God, Mommy and Daddy have written the outlines to five pretty decent messages for the week, each one dedicated to a different Tribe of Israel:  Benjamin, Judah, Levi, Ephraim and Manasseh.  I always have a difficult time spelling that last one.

It'll be another great week for Madison, although I'm not sure if we'll put her in the larger group, or keep her with the younger ones again.  Either way, she'll have a great time I'm sure.  It's three months away, and there's quite a bit of work to be done left.  But Daddy has just one more message to write, so that'll be done soon and we can check that off the list.

The wind is roaring outside again, reminding us of how grateful we are to be inside, and have a place to be.  Still can't get over that it's spring and it's this cold outside.  Spring Break is just a few weeks away!