Sunday, July 27, 2014

Grandma's Boot Camp 2014

The Little People have headed home after another summer at Grandma's Boot Camp. 






Taking care of cats (do they really need all that attention?) was the first order of business. 







Then, there were the birthday parties. GD2 (second granddaughter, now 7) loved the fairy cake


GD1 (now a grownup 12--"What do you mean, Little People???") devoured Harry Potter's Sorting Hat (complete with magic wand).

Notice the leathery effect on the back. Man, that was a delicious cake--chocolate through and through. I get a sugar high just thinking about it! Cake credits go to my friend and fellow sketcher. 

Besides piano practice every day, the girls spent several days at the beach, and we worked on our sketchbooks, sometimes at breakfast.
GD2's breakfast sketch



GD1's breakfast sketch












We did our annual visit to the Roman city of Uthina.

Just imagine that what appears to be a hill is actually a buried city, which is s-l-o-w-l-y being excavated. We visited the water reservoirs that served the city--incredible constructions. 


















And then we took out our sketchbooks and sat for awhile at the temple on the top of the hill.
GD1's sketch at Uthina






GD2's olive tree at Uthina













Back on the farm, GD2 practiced driving the tractor.

OK, I admit that it sounds like we had a lot to do, but, after a busy and stressful school year, the kids (of all ages) arrived at the farm and simply collapsed. Sometimes lazy is good and one just needs time to grow. Take the case of GD2's new tennis shoes, a subject for sketching at the beginning of summer.
GD2's tennis shoe sketch









GD1's tennis shoe sketch




On the day of their departure, I found GD2 sitting on the steps and fussing: "Grandma, my shoes are too tight." Sure enough, the new tennis shoes didn't fit anymore and we had to scramble to find a pair of sandals suitable for traveling. 




And they almost had me participating in the ensuing crying fest. But Grandma does not cry--she has a reputation to maintain. It was close, though.

13 comments:

O'Quilts said...

The roses amongst the thorns...you are wonderful at finding them.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Awww - such a grand time obviously had by all. And I'd be willing to bet that Grandma did indeed shed a few tears, in private.

Ms. said...

That was delicious in every way. Thankyou for sharing your family.

blandina said...

What a lovely post, how much I enjoyed learning that you take the time to sketch with the girls!
And what about that glass on GD1 breakfast sketch, is it one of your mosaics?

Julie Fukuda said...

I love the group sketching!

Stitching Lady said...

I love that you are stimulating GDs to sketch - wonderful. I love the sketches, too. And the complete post - nice to read such posts in the morning with breakfast...

Rafael's Mum said...

Little artists in the making! Great to be able to stimulate them to do this at this age. I tried with mine, sketching, journaling, mosaic, clay, you name it, but they could never sit still long enough!!

Sujata Shah said...

Looks like it was a great summer for all! Loved seeing girls' sketches. I still have my daughter's little scribbles and writing from her childhood. It so nice to see them expressing their mind. They get that from their grandma and her teachings I bet. Beautiful post as always!

Bouts Choisis said...

What a lovely glimpse into your summer with family!Your grandchildren are talented artists already!

Carole Reid said...

Your summer's are full and fun and did you cry in secret?

Sandy said...

How much fun you had, and they grow up too fast. Thanks for commenting on my blog.

KhadijaTeri said...

It looks like your granddaughters have inherited your artistic abilities! It looks like you have a lovely summer. Things in Libya are going from bad to worse. I'm still here at the moment but I'm looking into plan B plan C and even plan D - I haven't ruled out looking for work in Tunisia. It's so hard to give up on my life in Libya and walk away... half my life here... distressing but one needs to pick up the peices and make a life somewhere. I'll let you know if I end up across the border for a while.

Kahna said...

Mom, this blog post brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for documenting a fantastic summer. We would not choose to be anywhere else. I see my daughters' paintings and I just think of how lucky and blessed they are to have you for a grandmother. You are truly, the best mother in the world, I know it's hard to believe but it's true. And Mrs. B. is the most amazing cake artist in the world. I owe her a special thanks for adding joy to our summers and blessing us with unique edible pieces of art. Thank GOD for pictures!