The Last week

Well we are back to the RV after taking one week off at home.  It was kind of a weird feeling going back home.  I know that we really haven't been gone all that long, but it was still long enough for some patterns and perspective to change in our lives.  The closer we got to home the more excited my little girl got.  However I couldn't help but feel a wee bit sad.  I really have loved the RV life! Walking back into our home and seeing all our stuff, the kids were so excited!  It was like Christmas! The first day or two was great.  I was thinking this is a nice break from boiling water for dishes, carrying the kids to the bathroom, and everyone sleeping in one room.  However after day three the novelty wore off and I was ready for the RV again.

So, the quest continues as we have now returned back and I am feeling even more relaxed about getting things done!  I normally would have my whole day planned for tomorrow, packing in as much as I can.  But to be honest I am just really looking forward to spending the day at the beach with the kids and Steve.  After all, it is supposed to be the hottest day of the summer!  Maybe I am learning a bit more about balance with work, rest, and play!  The rest of the week will include me finishing off the fabric painting so Steve can make us some one of a kind curtains, and doing some finishing touch ups for the Champ!  My goal is to make the most out of this week as it is our last one here!  I plan on enjoying each day and the surroundings around us as much as I can, taking lot and lots of pictures, cooking on my Coleman stove, and enjoying my night time drives with my 2 year old to get her to sleep!  It's funny how it's the things you think that you would never miss that you miss the most.  So hello last week of summer.  Let's make it the best one yet!

Squirrels taking our food.  This one got a whole cob of corn.  It should be well stocked for winter.

The playground in our backyard that the kids spent lots of time at playing and making friends.

The quiet view out our RV window, once full of people. 

Creepy crawlers all around us.

Interesting looking mushrooms.

Painting outdoors with my little helper!

Creative patterns in the wood.

Making our all time favourite meal:  Kraft Dinner.

Using the gravel as a canvas.

Walking through the camp with my flip flops.

Having Daddy around lots to do fun things with!

And..I am so going to miss the slow pace of life here!

Art + Community = Joy

Living in community means sharing everything! 

Hello sunshine!  How I missed you!!!  I love the sun but especially here at the RV and lately there has been a lack of it!  Having some friends visiting the last few days, the weather wasn't cooperating very well.  The constant rain, dampness, and un-seasonally cold days made it kind of difficult to show them around this beautiful area!  However, it was still so nice to have friends here at our humble abode.  Which leads to me my post for today: the need for community.  Living up here for the summer has definitely showed me some things about our life and what is really in my heart.  We came up to the RV with a plan to have a really creative time as a family re-making our very outdated RV and yes we have been doing that.  Not as much as I had intended however.  Will we have the make-over done by the end of summer?  At this point I am kind of doubted it as there are only 2 weeks left up here and one week of which we have to return back home.   But in this time away I have really come to realize how much we need to have more community in our life.

It really began to stand out to me when tons and tons of people began to filter into the camp for 2 weeks of family camp.  This quiet empty campground soon became overloaded with trailers, families, and savouring smells of burgers and hot dogs.  I began to notice a switch in my husband Steve's mood as he became much happier with the number of different people he could chat with in a day.  For me, I struggled with the desire to get things done and with taking time for people.  At the end of the day I really saw how I had to let go of getting things done and just enjoy the people here!  Having constant community has a way of bringing things out in your heart both good and bad.  It's a very different life than what we have at home where we cook for ourselves, and spent a lot of time within our home raising our kids.  But being in community we shared meals together, awoke to people saying good morning before I even hit the bathroom and spent plenty of time together.  To be honest when I left home I left feeling like community is a lot of work.  That getting together just seemed like so much effort.  But as I have been pondering community I realized, when functioning properly, it really isn't.  It's about giving and receiving, it's about helping others and allowing others to help you.

Family baseball game.

Yes there were moments when we needed a little time to ourselves and it was hard when our kids behavoir was much less than perfect!  That's the kind of stuff we tend to want to keep behind closed doors.  But not here in the camp.  I truly think our kids were the loudest!  But on the last day of family camp as the cars were loading up and the trailers were heading out I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness over this place and in my own heart.  It would be another year before that kind of community would happen again, and even though I like some peace and quiet, I walked down the once busy road in the campground feeling like I wanted to have the people back.

Art and a community pig roast.

As the week went on I began to get more work done creatively for Funtastical Studios but I noticed a change in my husband's mood as he didn't seem as energized or even happy.  I too realized a void in my day.  Even though I love having Steve and the kids around, there wasn't the same opportunty to socialize.  Even for our 3 children, who would spend their day at the playground with tons of kids, now began to fight amongst themselves.  So, I say all this to say that when we return home we need to be more intentional about community.  I am not sure how all that looks but I know that we have a good community of people around us at home, we just don't always take the time to get together with them.  I saw how much more joy our family felt when we were around people and I realize that this is the way we are wired, just as we are wired to be creative.  So just as I have found that creating brings me great joy, so does community.

The real question: how do we bring the two together?  Having commintuy that also focuses on the arts? This is something I will need to take to the prayer closet.

Brother and sisterly love.

Making new friends.

Time spent with Papa.

Summer I sure am going to miss you!

Doodle Stories

It seems that everywhere I go people ask for the story that is behind the character in my prints.  So, by popular demand,  here are the names and stories that go with each print.  I should mention that I did not do this alone.  Anyone who knows me knows my ability for ryhthm is nil.  However, I don't completely agree!  I did once win best dancer at a dance contest!  Don't worry!  I got my muscial husband Steve to help me with the rhymes.  Yes,  not only does Mr. Stevie Seamstress make curtains, he also makes rhymes as well.  All of my prints are printed using good quality archival inks and paper.  They are 8.5 x 11 in size and come with a little tag introducing the print.  They are $20 plus shipping.  Be sure to check out my Etsy page if you are at all interested in purchasing any of them. (www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FuntasticalStudios).  I am currently designing new ones with more funtastical ideas.  There are a few down below if you'd like a sneak peek at what's coming down the line!  So... here you go... the names of the current prints along with their stories......

The Top Of the World

On top of the world is where I want to be

I want to be up there so that I can see

Every river, every mountain peak, every ocean, every pair of feet

Every cloud that moves and swirls

That's what I see on top of the world

The View Up Here

Jack the explorer went to see what he could find

To his surprise he saw a rainbow floating by

With the brightest colours you ever did see

Coloured in red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and green

The World In My Hands

Putting on my roller skates and reaching way up high

I take hold of the world and I raise it to the sky

And as I lift the world up for young and old to see

Remember that there are great things out there for you and for me

My Fundledee Tree

Swinging in my Fundledee tree is where I like to be

It is like no other place in the world for me

I love to sit and swing and watch the clouds float by

I love to daydream at my Fundledee tree as I look into the sky

The Treehouse

Welcome to the treehouse where a way up on top

Sits a house for you and me, where there's fun until you drop

There's a view you can't forget, step by step climb on up

Come and see for yourself and let us show you what we've got

Shiloh Sunshine

Meet Shiloh Sunshine, she was created to dance

She loves to twirl and spin and prance

The dance she does is one of a kind

And she says that inside of you there's a dance for you to find

Sweet As Can Be

Meet Millie who is as sweet as can be

Her dress is lined with yummy candy

She has a bouquet of lollipops just for you

She'll tell you you're great and make you smile too

The Rose Garden

Welcome to my garden, come on over, grab a seat

Make sure to smell the roses, they are awesome, they are sweet

They hang like chandeliers and the swing down from the leaves

You'll never be too hot, for there's always a cool breeze

Below are some of the new ideas that I've been working on.  I will have these available to purchase in the near future.  Enjoy!

Chanelierville

The Watering Machine

Garden Flower

Wowzer Bowzer's Flight

Celebrating Creativity and Children

Hello Children's festival.  So glad to see you!!!!

We had the privlidege to go the best children's festival ever!  And it was all FREE.  We ventured out to a nearby down that was so charming.  Streets were lined with picturesque houses and shady trees as we walked towards the festival.  The main street was closed off with numerous fun activities for children! Big wheelbarrels full of bubbles, paints on the streets for children to get into, blank pages ready for creating, bouncy castles, cupcakes to decorate and to eat, and even a reptile zoo equipped with snakes and other strange things.  Wow so much to do!  A kids dream!!!!

Inviting homes such as this lined the streets. 

Inspiring idea's for an artist garden.

Celebrating Kids in the Arts

First stop: the hotdog line, where they have conveniently set up a table for kids to colour while they wait for their nutritous lunch of hotdogs, freezies, and watermelon.  I sure appreciated it.  I could actually wait in line in peace without little hands tugging on me wanting their food.



Next on the line of stops was the balloon lady.  This was a must-stop and was a bit of a long line, but well worth the wait.  Creativity with balloons!  This lady was well trained and wasn't just making something simple, but was actually making sculptures out of the balloons.  I was impressed by her apron filled with balloons of all colours, ribbons, pens, and who knows what else!!

The balloon lady captivating our kids.

Streets lined with paint and banners for kids to freely paint.

There was a spot where the kids could make their own decorated sticks (kind of reminded me of my doodle sticks).  Our kids loved making these and have played with them a lot since the festival!!

Beads to make things with.

Making special sticks.

The focused artist.

Time to let off some energy in the bouncy castle!  A bit of a hard job getting them to come out though.

Steve and Anna introduce themselves to Captain Underpants.

The longest line of the day went to the free face painting!  Again it was well worth the wait.  These face painters were skilled artists creating cool faces.  They had been out there painting all day and I could tell they were exhausted, yet they kept on sharing their skills with all the kids!  

Colour and more colour!

Lucy trying her hand as a fire fighter, minus the fire!

A turtle in the mix from the reptile zoo.  Wow that was a must see too!

The percussion playground was enjoyed by everyone!  A place to make lots of noise and try new instruments.  I think Steve liked this as much as the kids!!

This is where I located Steve.  What a great idea, and the kids loved it too!

Hmm, what are these??

Is he a firefighter, a drummer, or maybe both??

We had a great time at the festival and came home with a bunch of exhausted kids.  It was a great day and we will be back next year!!

So long Children's festival.  We will be back next year!!!!