green chair studio

my top 5 (upcoming) movie picks...

Been doing a lot of reading/research about the way our food is processed and can't wait to see this film... One of my all-time favorite books... Just looks incredibly interesting...

From the apple movie trailer site: HERB & DOROTHY tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists including Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner. After thirty years of meticulous collecting and buying, the Vogels managed to accumulate over 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny one bedroom apartment. “Not even a toothpick could be squeezed into the apartment,” recalls Dorothy. In 1992, the Vogels decided to move their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The vast majority of their collection was given as a gift to the institution. Many of the works they acquired appreciated so significantly over the years that their collection today is worth millions of dollars. Still, the Vogels never sold a single piece. Today Herb and Dorothy still live in the same apartment in New York with 19 turtles, lots of fish, and one cat. They’ve refilled it with piles of new art they’ve acquired.

The Edge... do I really need to say more?... And last, but certainly not least, my friend Johno's film (this interview includes the trailer for the film)... What are your current top 5 picks?

artprize

Today I am very excited and proud to say that I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan!  Check THIS out!

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OFFERS WORLD’S LARGEST ARTPRIZE

Public invited to use text votes, decide winners

Grand Rapids, Mich. – April 23, 2009 – ArtPrize invites artists of all kinds from around the world to participate in an unprecedented competition that will award nearly one-half million dollars to prize winners, including $250,000 to the artist who receives the most public votes.

Details of ArtPrize, which will run from Sept. 23 through Oct. 10, were announced today from the competition’s host city of Grand Rapids, Mich. ArtPrize will have no formal jury, curator or judge. The public will decide who wins the prizes by voting, using mobile devices and the web.

“It’s time to reboot the conversation between artists and the public. ArtPrize will be a celebration of art, design, and innovation that will bring artists and the public together like never before,” said ArtPrize creator Rick DeVos.

The city of Grand Rapids will become art gallery. ArtPrize art works and performances, professional and amateur, will be exhibited at hundreds of venues, all within a three-square mile area in Grand Rapids’ downtown riverfront district. The city has offered up parks and bridges for outdoor venue displays. Scores of businesses will convert lobbies and public space for displays.

“Our family sees ArtPrize as a new and innovative way to engage and support the arts for the future,” said Betsy DeVos. The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation is underwriting ArtPrize. “Dick and I share our son’s vision for encouraging everyone to explore the arts in a truly democratic way.”

Grand Rapids, a city of about 200,000 amidst a metropolis of more than a million people, has an impressive cultural urban core and a rich history of supporting public art. It is home to Alexander Calder’s “La Grand Vitesse,” the first community sculpture project funded through the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as major works by Mark di Suvero, Robert Morris and Maya Lin.

“It is increasingly important to find new ways to engage people, especially young people, in the arts,” said Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. “ArtPrize is a dynamic and creative way to use technology to engage people of all ages.”

ArtPrize is expected to draw thousands of entries, and art enthusiasts from across the globe are expected to attend. The ArtPrize team directly communicated with about 10,000 artists, design schools, art schools, museums and galleries worldwide as part of today’s launch. “This is a bit of an art revolution,” said Jeff Speck, former director of design for the National Endowment for the Arts and author of Suburban Nation. “It will be exciting to see a city use its downtown area as an art gallery to share with the world.”

“I’m astounded by the potential for social networking, community involvement, and the expanded view of the role of art,” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. “ArtPrize will excite the world, and the world will look at our city differently because of it.”

Grand Rapids is internationally recognized as home of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, which showcases one of the world’s foremost collections of modern and contemporary sculptures, including pieces from well-known artists such as Moore, Oldenberg, Goldsworthy, Plensa and many more. In 2006, the city hosted a large-scale exhibit by Tom Otterness, considered one of the premier public artists attracted more than 750,000 visitors. The city recently built and opened the world’s first LEED gold certified art museum.

For more information about ArtPrize, go to artprize.org.

inspiration - day four

More papercutting!!  Today the lovely work of Elsa Mora.  Find her main blog here, papercutting blog here, fashion blog here, and her etsy shop here (yes, she's a busy, busy lady!). 

Also, check out her papercuts inspired by classic children's stories here.  Wouldn't those make such a lovely grouping of pictures for a baby nursery or child's room?  {{swoon}}

Anybody else itching to pull out a cutting mat and x-acto knife?

inspiration - day three

Beautiful, beautiful - the work of Virginia Rose Kane combines lots of elements I love - collage, botanicals, ephemera, old imagery, and intricate paper cutting.  I first met Virginia years ago when she lived in Michigan and we were both participating in the U.I.C.A. Holiday Artist's Market.  She has since moved but I have had the joy of seeing her work progress through her website, shop, flickr, and blog.  Really stunning work!

    

    

   

 

 

inspiration - day two

My featured artist today is the amazing Su Blackwell.  Her book-cut sculptures are meticulously crafted and so very beautiful and inventive.  I would love to see her work in person as I'm sure that it is even more stunning in all its dimensional, delicate glory.  I thought she also had an interesting artist statement:

Paper has been used for communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to communicate with the spirit world. I employ this delicate, accessible medium and use irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions.

It is the delicacy, the slight feeling of claustrophobia, as if these characters, the landscape have been trapped inside the book all this time and are now suddenly released. A number of the compositions have an urgency about them, the choices made for the cut-out people from the illustrations seem to lean towards people on their way somewhere, about to discover something, or perhaps escaping from something. And the landscapes speak of a bleak mystery, a rising, an awareness of the air.

detail 1:

detail 2:

She also did this really cool ad for Beringer Wine:

inspiration - day one

This week I want to share some of my favorite inspiring artists, concentrating on some of those working with paper and bookmaking/sculpture.  I'll be featuring someone every day this week so stop back often! 

First up:  Mister Rob Ryan, paper-cutter extraordinaire.  I was absolutely smitten when I first saw his work.  I can hardly imagine the patience and precision it takes to make these ridiculously lovely pieces.  (And I'm curious how many x-acto blades he goes through in a week!)  Check out his website and shop.

my sentiments (almost) exactly...

My friend Terri recently posted this video on Facebook.  It just really resonated with me and my current struggle to make time for art in my life...

for my beloved...

you are the best thing... you really are.

1000 journals...

In a surprising region where art, performance, psychology and interactivity overlap, during the summer of 2000 a wonderful project was born. A San Francisco artist who mysteriously calls himself 'Someguy' began a unique adventure that touched thousands of people all over the world. He compiled and released 1000 blank writing journals into the world - placing them in cafes, restaurants, parks, bookstores, on streets, and in many other places where random people would be likely to find them. He invited people to contribute some content, then pass them on, and asked that the filled journals be returned. His message to those who found the journals said: 'This is an experiment and you are part of it.' Someguy's inspiration for creating this project came from his fascination with messages that people scribble on bathroom walls. Three years later, only 1 journal had come back to him. His curiosity was overwhelming - he wondered where the other 999 journals had disappeared to, so he tried to find them.

Southern California filmmaker Andrea Kreuzhage chose to follow this quest and deeply immersed herself in the human drama of it. She joined Someguy to document the bizarre and always interesting story of what happened to these journals and this unique experiment, and the process took her around the world. She found herself on a wild treasure hunt which included many wonderful and fascinating people, and a singular look at a whole new world of art, serendipity and possibility. In fact, she discovered a microcosm of human nature, personalities and experiences that left me breathless with the sheer brilliance of it. This film is not to be missed!

In some strange way the journals became therapeutic experiences for some of those who found them, and acted like a mirror for others. It opened up many people's worlds and changed many lives as some pondered why this experience touched them. For others it motivated them to face some parts of themselves that they had never dealt with before, or even realized existed.

This film, which is masterful in both concept and execution, expresses the enormous range of creativity of the artist, the filmmaker and the people who contributed to the experiment, and the drive to creatively collaborate. It's an exciting exploration of a variety of emotions, from joy to rage and everything in between. Perhaps most important, it's about the juiciness of surprise and the belief in hope and the goodness of people. Like most truly great works, it has a deeply satisfying and uplifting way of pointing out universal themes and puts a focus on our humanity and our instinct for contribution and sharing. This is a unique and deeply moving film that has stayed in my awareness since I saw it. It will be equally interesting to people whose world is related to art in their every day lives, and to those who have little opportunity for creative expression.

-Karil Daniels --Rotten Tomatoes

ornament swap (part 3)...

Wow - the holidays flew by!  I never got around to sharing the awesome ornaments I received in the swap so I figured I'd do that now...

   

1) snowflake from Susan   2) paper quilled tree        3) bottle opener/ornament
                                           from Kelley                      from Christine

   

1) sheep from Lorraine     2) skater from Sarah        3) gnome/elf from Anu
                                                                                 

   

1) mitten from Tammy      2) house from Jena          3) wreath from Laura

And a little holiday "corners of home"...

   

 

 

 

 

And now it's half way through January already!  I have been very busy at my job for the last month.  I work part-time as a secretary for our church and we've moved into our new building and I've been working on a big yearly project (the Annual Report).  I haven't had much creative time with the holidays and all the extra work!  I am looking forward to things slowing down so I can pursue some ideas that have been floating around in my head for awhile.  I am also trying to get back into journaling on a regular basis - stay tuned! 

Here's my new office with the only creative endeavor of late... a photo collage for my desk bulletin board (click to enlarge)... 

 

 

      

we wish you a merry christmas...

Check out our family's holiday greeting HERE and have a very merry christmas!

ornament swap (part 2)...

As posted earlier, I recently participated in cake & pie / freshly blended's Third Annual Ornament Swap.  This was a swap I did last year as well (see here).  I enjoyed spending a wee bit of time in my studio (which has been rare this past year) to make up these ornaments for my swap partners.  The front of the ornament is a photo I took with a glittered faun attached.  The backside is patterned paper with the first initial of each participant (also glittered). (As a side note, I have to say I am totally in love with the Martha Stewart glitter available at Michaels.)  Below are a few photos of the project in process.  You can check out other's contributions on the flickr group here.

We are having a lot of fun receiving ornaments in return as well.  The kids love to check the mail for packages and they are always intrigued by where each one comes from.  I'll post pics of those next!

   

  

   

    

super fabulous give-aways...

Modish is currently doing three BIG awesome give-away packages.  Head over here for your chance to win!  (Deadline is tomorrow so hurry!)

Give-away package #1:

Give-away package #2:

Give-away package #3:

ornament swap...

It's that time of year again...
 
I just finished and mailed out my ornaments for the Cake & Pie / Freshly Blended Holiday Ornament Swap.  You can check out what others are doing on the flickr group.  I will be posting later with photos of my contribution....

"fall" back into blogging...

Have you ever noticed how many bloggers are perpetually apologizing for not posting more often? 

Have you noticed that I am one of them?

I have all sorts of things I'd love to share with you but find myself quite overwhelmed with this re-entry into "normal" life.  So for today I am trying something new.  I'll be answering a recent blogland One-Word-Answer meme and if you are reading this I tag YOU to play along!  (Leave a comment and a link!)

Where is your mobile phone? unanswered

Where is your significant other? doghouse (ok, not really, that
       just seemed like a funny answer - he is actually at work)

Your hair colour? salt-n-peppa (and yes, I am counting that as
       one word!)
Your mother? gracious

Your father? complex

Your favourite thing? family
Your dream last night? unmentionable
Your dream goal? published
The room you're in? inspiring
Your hobby? consuming
Your fear? loss
Where do you want to be in 6 years? contented
Where were you last night? detatched
What you're not? selfless
One of your wish-list items? tatoo
Where you grew up? suburbia
The last thing you did? laundry
What are you wearing? grubs
Your TV? unimportant
Your pets? nonexistent
Your computer? macbookpro
Your mood? contemplative
Missing someone? sometimes
Your car? gashog
Something you're not wearing? makeup
Favourite shop? bookstore
Your summer? way-too-short!
Love someone? relentlessly
Your favourite colour? purple
When is the last time you laughed? today
When is the last time you cried? today

fall corners of home...

Living room (to the right - dining room / through french doors - studio)
   
Fireplace mantle                                      Coffee table centerpiece
    
Front door                                               Kitchen counter

Dining room table centerpiece
   
Shelves in living room                              Fireplace / coffee table (living room)
Aidan's beautiful fall discoveries

handmade nation...

Official website here.        Blog here.       Book here.

corners of my home (kitchen)...

corners of my home (sunday)...

Short and sweet for today...

The door between our back entry and the kitchen - painted, decoupaged, and sealed with polyurethane.

corners of my home (saturday)...

Well - I'm beginning to wonder WHY I said I would post daily corners this week!  Anyway, I am going to (hopefully) make up for yesterday's meager attempt with today's post!  So here goes...

Welcome to the MONKEY ROOM!

This is my little monkey's monkey-themed bedroom - come on in and hang out for awhile!

Let's start with the bed.  We found this bed at Ikea years ago (it used to be Lauren's bed) and it has three different height options - loft (the way Lauren used it with a desk underneath), mid-height (as you see here in Aidan's room), or regular (then the bars around the top are like a canopy frame).  I used a sheet to sew a sort of canopy over top of the bed with ties all the way around shaped like vines with leaves at the ends.

Underneath the bed is a cozy rug and pillows with Aidan's books and stuffed animals. 
Another great "feature" is the optional puppet
theater.  I just sewed up a curtain that he can
attach between the posts of the bed with a
tension rod whenever he wants to put on a
puppet show.  We've collected quite a stash
of finger puppets and a few larger puppets
as well.  And OF COURSE there is a MONKEY
finger puppet AND a larger MONKEY puppet! 

(Note:  Ikea has some great CHEAP finger puppet sets.)

This corner has Aidan's dresser.  His dresser, nightstand, and bookshelves were all things we've had for years (in fact they date back to my childhood) but I sanded them all down and painted them to match the room.  Here are some close-ups of the dresser (click on photos to enlarge).
 
The furniture is all painted in the same colors as the walls.  I really love how the dresser turned out mostly because of the fun knobs on the drawers.

I bought unfinished wood knobs in
different sizes and painted them
with different patterns.  The monkey
face knob was just a plain round knob
that I added ears to (the ears are tips
of popsicle sticks cut off and
superglued from the back on the
sides of the knobs).

This is another corner of the room with a nightstand, rocking chair, and bookshelves for Aidan's toys (I found all those great green bins at the Dollar Store).  A project on my current list of "things to do" is a huge monkey collage for the big wall above the bookshelves.  Hopefully I'll get it done before he is a teenager who will likely not be interested in having a monkey-themed room :)

The rocking chair is something we've had in all our babies' nurseries although the cushions were originally a denim fabric.  I investigated the option of buying new cushions which turned out to be more money than we originally paid for the chair so I decided to try re-covering the denim ones.  I used a brown furry fabric which worked great (because the furriness covered up the areas where my fit was not exact :)  The nightstand was re-painted and another monkey knob was made for it as well.

You may have noticed that the walls are painted in alternating colors between brown and green.  There are two walls that have windows and on the green wall we made the curtains brown and on the brown wall we made the curtains green (the curtains are sewn out of sheets as well).

Here are just some random details from around the room...

1)  Walmart sells these great unfinished wooden letters and the stand to attach them to (the small wooden monkey cut-out is from Michaels).  2)  Magnetic monkeys are great on the metal-framed bed.  The quilt and sheets on Aidan's bed were clearance finds from Target.

1)  More monkeys                                    2)  Rocking chair close-up

1)  Yes... more monkeys  2)  The sock monkey I made for Aidan a couple of Christmases ago (to see more results from my sock-monkey-making-marathon, click on the album in my side bar)

One of my favorite things in the room is actually
really small and frequently goes unnoticed. 
It is a small birdhouse (or rather, in this case,
monkeyhouse).  Aidan built this himself at a
Lowe's kid's workshop and after he brought it
home I painted it to hang above his closet door. 
I even constructed a tiny sign that says "monkey
house" using rubber alphabet stamps dipped in
paint.  I also used some plastic "barrel of monkeys"
(you know the red ones?) and painted those to
hang out in the monkeyhouse as well.

All in all it has been a pretty cool bedroom for this "prone-to-monkeying-around" little boy (and yes, those are monkeys on his t-shirt too!). 

corners of my home (friday)...

Ok... I know... not technically a corner of my home, but this funky plant is in my backyard and I have no idea what it is.  It is 11:50 pm and I just realized I did not post today and since I said I'd post something each day this week, this is what you get - a bit of a cop-out but hopefully I'll have something better for you tomorrow.  Until then, sweet dreams!

corners of my home (thursday)...

My ideal day would start with a cup of tea on the back porch (which would be gloriously clean and tidy)...

followed by some quality time in the studio (which would also be gloriously clean and tidy of which this current picture is definitely not an example of!).  There would be great tunes blaring - for a day like today I'm thinking Ingrid Michaelson and Priscilla Ahn.

Can you tell I'm longing for a day to get my hands all full of paint? 

                                                                            Alas, that will not be today...

Today - hmm - today will be scrubbing toilets and vacuuming dust bunnies and sorting stacks of paper.  There will be much gathering of bits & pieces from all the neglected corners and returning them to their rightful places.  There will be driving and homework and soccer practice and grocery shopping.  Oh, and laundry - always laundry!

ENJOY YOUR DAY (WHATEVER IT MAY FIND YOU LONGING TO DO VS. ACTUALLY DOING)!

we momentarily interrupt this broadcast...

Are you having a productive day today?  This should put a stop to that! :)

corners of my home (wednesday)...

The windowsill in our kitchen...

Scrabble tiles and (empty) antique medicine bottles which leads me to a book recommendation...

Merchants of Medicine (Nostrum Peddlers - Yesterday & Today) by Dr. Dewey R. Heetderks.  The author, photographer, and graphic designer are all locals who worked jointly to put this fascinating book together which features the extensive bottle and ephemera collection of the author. 
From the inside cover:

"This book is an imaginary museum of treasures.  All readers, whether or not they are collectors themselves, will be intrigued and fascinated by what they see.  Over 400 objects are shown in over 300 color pictures.  The sheer variety from yesteryear to today's products - means that you will find appealing things to look at, backed up by informed comment.  All medical materials - whether nostrums or ephemera are solely from the author's collection.  The snake oil era of the 1800s is described in colorful detail.  In 1906 the F.D.A. attempted to stop the patent medicine merchants.  Unfortunately, in the 21st century we still have an ever growing problem of quackery.  The book, which is written by a urologist, presents medical topics and elegant illustrations related to his field of science.  They combine to offer an instructive display about our medical heritage as well as to point the way to a better medical future." 

                                                          Mostly, I just love all the pictures. :)

corners of my home (tuesday)...

For today - the dining room...

One whole wall of our dining room is dedicated to shelving for our family library (you probably know by now how much we love books!).  We got all the shelving from Ikea a few years ago.  (When, oh when, will we get an Ikea here on the west side of the state???)  The dining table, chairs, and benches are from Cost Plus World Market and the light fixture was a cheapy clearance item from Target's Global Bazaar a couple years ago.  The photo above was taken last fall (you can see a small glimpse of a fallish centerpiece). 

The current centerpiece that I put together is one of my all-time favorites... 

The large wood tray is from Ikea (I lined the bottom with copies of old pages from a book).  Then I just took a bunch of assorted glass bottles and jars (canning jars, old coke bottles, jam jars, etc..) and added an assortment of (fake) greenery.  Some of the bottles have different vintage papers/patterns wrapped around them and tied with string.  If you look closely, you may even find a bird or two and a sweet little baby fairy I made out of a vintage photo and scraps of paper.

   
Soon I'll be switching back to a fallish centerpiece but I will be sad to see this one go!

And one more dining room corner...

On the opposite wall from the bookshelves we have an old dresser that I brought home from work one day.   (Someone in our office building was throwing it out and there it sat - cold & alone - next to the dumpster in the back of the building... SO, with the help of two very kind pastors, :) it got loaded into the back of my van.  And yes, if you must know, I am also prone to picking up stray and orphaned items on the side of the road as well.  My husband LOVES this habit of mine!)  Anyway - at some point (hopefully not too long off) I will post an awesome before and after photo that will amaze and astonish you all (yes, I am trying to convince myself - or rather, justify my dumpster-diving tendencies) but for now it's still just a "before."  Really what you are seeing in the photo is just what is on top of the soon-to-be-amazing dresser and what hangs on the wall above it (old family photos).  And the branches?  I cut them off the tree in the front yard, spray-painted them white, and added a string of lights.  They too, get seasonal make-overs (over the winter they had icicles hanging from them, and the summer brought some butterflies to hang out). 

                 (p.s.  I'm still thinking about the dresser... if you could only see inside my head... it's gonna be great... really...
                               someday soon I tell ya'!)

corners of my home (monday)...

This week I'm going to be posting daily glimpses... so for Monday...

A corner of our bathroom.  I think I chose this for today because I love the reminder above the built-in drawers - it's what I see every morning when I step out of the shower - "LIVE JOYFULLY."  (There are some other phrases scattered around too - "LOVE ALWAYS" / "LAUGH OFTEN" / PRAY CONTINUALLY")  The wire rack in the corner was a $5.00 garage sale find (it was hunter green but I spray-painted it white).  I like how the curly-cues on it match the border I painted on the wall.

The curtain on the window is also something I'll highlight as an easy, inexpensive window treatment - it is a rectangular piece of fabric hemmed on all four sides.  To hang it I screwed three small metal hooks into the door and placed three eyelets through the fabric to correspond.  About half way down the sides I have another set of eyelets very close together - they are used to third the rectangle and hook it onto the top hooks as well when we want the curtain up.

My hope for you this week?...
          For you to  LIVE JOYFULLY, LAUGH OFTEN,
                      PRAY CONTINUALLY,
                       and LOVE ALWAYS!

corners of my home (part 2)...

If you remember from here I said I was going to start posting some "corners of my home."  So for today...

This silk-screened reproduction of a British World War II poster (purchased here)
hangs at the top of our stairs. 

Here is a fuller shot looking up the stairs.  Below the poster is a small antique sewing table that is patiently awaiting a before and after shot.  (I won't divulge how many things in this house are awaiting the same thing -  let's just say I have a very long make-over "to do" list).  The circular pieces hanging on the wall going up the stairs are just pieces of fabric that I like "framed" in wood embroidery hoops. 

This image* is of an original poster hanging somewhere in Britain.  You can read the history of the poster here.  The poster is becoming somewhat ubiquitous and  apparently lots of people have an opinion about this! 

I do see it popping up quite a bit and I'm not sure if it's just that I happen to notice it more because we have one or if it truly is "everywhere." 

I am also noticing some knock-offs...

   
available here                      available here                       source here

(there are a fair number of others as well.)

support local art...

hidden messages...

Apparently Michael had the same idea as me yesterday only he "hid" his message (a link in the text of my post).  Click here if you missed it. 

And THANK YOU for all the comments, emails, and well-wishes!  We had a great day yesterday - Michael took a vacation day and we just hung out together during the day while the kids were at school.  Rileigh started soccer last night and we all went out for icecream after her practice to celebrate. 

Check back tomorrow for the next post of "corners of my home."

for mik in honor of 20 years...

20 Things I Love About You...
(in no particular order)

1.  that you've been my best friend since 7th grade and you still are - what a privilege it has been to grow beside you all these years!

2.   how you are so in touch with your feminine side as evidenced by the photo on the left (circa 1985-ish).  no, seriously... your sensitivity (in a good way) and how you are good at being tender and strong at the same time.

3.  your servant's heart - not only with me and the kids, but with everyone else too.  You are so generous with your time, talents, and resources and you are a blessing to the many people around you.

4.  that you strive to be a godly man and the spiritual leader in our home (this is something that I have seen you really work on and grow in over the years and I respect you so much for it).

5.  your infinite patience with God's process of sanctification in my life (seriously - if we believed in sainthood eligibility, you'd definitely be in the running for putting up with me!).

6.  that you are an awesome (really awesome) father to our children.

7.  you can always make me laugh (I am totally holding you responsible for those moments of inappropriate uncontrollable giggling).

8.  your self-sacrificing, unconditional love for me - FOR ME!?! - what did I do to deserve this?  I am very blessed indeed!

9.  I respect your integrity and honesty in all areas of your life (even when it ticks me off in regards to speed limits and copyright infractions - but then again... you're not the one who has had to apologize profusely for a speeding ticket and the accompanying fee so I guess you probably have a valid point).

10.  your tolerance for all things art-related (and your tolerance for... well, we don't need to get into all that publicly - ask me for a list later).

11.  you readily admit when you are wrong and are quick to ask for forgiveness (you also readily grant forgiveness which has been important living with me).

12.  that you value my gifts and encourage me to use them for God's glory.

13.  your technical savvy - I love having my own personal tech support (or as you like to remind me, I can't get rid of you yet - you are way too valuable and I'm way too much of an idiot when it comes to computers - we balance each other nicely, right?)

14.  (trying to keep this g-rated/family friendly)- let's just say that you still totally turn me on (ask me for the expanded version later).

15.  that you feel so comfortable and at ease with me that you openly share all your bodily functions (oh wait... that one was for the other list!)

16.  the selfless way that you provide for our family (you always put everyone else's needs above your own).

17.  all your goofy impressions (although... enough already with the joker from Batman!)

18.  your goatee (you knew I had to say it!  BUT it's still your choice whether or not you shave it off - don't let the fact that I'm absolutely crazy about it influence your decision at all :)

19.  your morning cheerfulness and your long-suffering for my lack of the same (now if you'd only stay awake long enough for my late-night "cheerfulness").

20.  seriously?  The twentieth thing that I love about you is that there are way more than 20 things!

                   HAPPY 20th ANNIVERSARY TO THE MOST
                         FANTASTIC MAN ON THE PLANET! 

    still?....

                            ....always.

p.s.  since we aren't spending money on gifts this year, here is something I would have gotten you (and me)...

                      (jane jenni mugs)
                     perfect for us, huh? :)