Have you Ever? No, I Never...

Things I have never done, but want to:

• visit Spain
• visit Italy
• see my children graduate from college
• have a gallery exhibition
• see my art in a museum
• teach a single group of children from kindergarten through fifth grade
• make a large kinetic sculpture
• take a cruise with my family
• hold my grandchildren

Things I have never done, and don't ever want to:

• sky diving
• bungee jumping
• diving over a waterfall
• being on a reality tv show

Illustration Friday: Let's BOUNCE!

I'm in! Even though I created the last one, I haven't posted it yet. Here's this week's challenge topic!

Wings to Fly

I had a dream about flying last night. I jumped off a building and right before I hit the ground, I spread my arms and lifted back into the air. I flew over a city I didn't recognize and enjoyed feeling the wind against my face. I think this is an appropriate topic for today.

The morning started clear and bright. The large clouds off on the horizon didn't bother me, as I knew I'd reach my destination before the storm arrived. I stretched my arms and wings, taking in a deep breath of the fresh spring air. There were two goals for today; reach the mountains and find a waterfall.

I took a running start from the deck outside my bedroom door. Leaping into the air, I gave my wings a chance to find the wind and took off for colder ground. I had been working on my endurance over the past few weeks, so I knew I could make it.

Hours later, I spied the Blue Ridge mountain range; the cool mountain air chilling my lungs.

I landed on the grassy knoll and took a look around. Clouds were high and I could see far across the mountains. I spied the waterfall I was looking for and took off.

Ravencliff Falls...the highest waterfall in the southeast United States lay before me. I flew to the highest point and looked down. Diving straight down, I followed the flow as it crashed against the rocks down and down again. Folding my wings against my back, I plunged into the water at the base of the falls. 

I found a long flat rock to spread my wings and dry off. My goals met, I took off once more and found my way home, splashes of rain pelting off my feathers as I landed on the deck and smiled at the end of my day.

Closed Doors

I've accomplished many things in my career in education. I've taught elementary, middle and high school students. I've coached at the school and district level. I'm now a specialist dealing with data.

I am at a closed door.

Without a masters degree, I can go no further. All of the positions as coordinator, supervisor, director, assistant principal, principal, etc. are not within my reach because I do not hold that degree.

So, that makes me think. Do I really want to move further? Sometimes I believe I want those things. I believe I could be a good administrator at a school. I know I could accomplish much in a position of leadership.

However, I enjoy my position now. I love the people I work with and what I'm doing. I have no desire to change or switch positions.

And yet, I keep staring at that closed door.

I make too much money to qualify for a government school loan.
I don't have good enough credit to qualify for a regular loan.


I certainly don't have any extra regular money hanging around to dedicate to the venture. As it is, I owe money that I am slowly paying off.

So, I'm sitting behind a closed door. Will I ever open it?

Illustration Friday: Lost

I want to write and create. This page is an inspiration for creativity. Prompts for writing. A word prompting a piece of artwork like Illustration Friday fits right in. Since it is just for yourself, a piece of writing that illustrates the word "Lost" would work, as well! Sometimes we just need the inspiration to do something creative. This page, and my blog are places to gather any inspiration and share that with others. I'll be looking for photography inspirations to post, as well. Maybe even MUSIC inspiration! (That's scary for me.) I am not doing enough creative things these days, so let's get back into ART!

Illustration Friday: Topic Lost

Click the picture above to go to Illustration Friday's website and read more about this challenge. I will be working on this throughout the week and post my submission here on my blog. If you create something for this challenge, please share it with me in a comment here or on Facebook, so I can enjoy your creativity as well and be inspired by YOU!

A Mother's Time

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I came out of my room. Walking the two steps down in our ranch house, I quickly skipped across the tile floor to the low, flat carpet in the kitchen. Nothing will wake you up in a better mood than the smell of bread baking in the oven. The sweet smell of white bread and a richer smell from the rye bread in the second oven.

I hear sounds from downstairs, so it's back across that cold tile floor to run down those gray stairs. Immediately greeted by the smells of oil paints and turpentine, I'm warned not to touch any one's still life as I wind my way through easels holding canvases. My mother's art students are the women in the neighborhood and each of them has something interesting to work on. My mother is also working on a piece. It's large and my eyes grow wide as I discover it's ME! I grumble a little because it's from that awful photo my father took while I was playing in the sandbox. Irritated, I stomp back up the stairs.

I run through the house and through the laundry room, stopping briefly to grab a home made pudding Popsicle from the freezer as I exit through the laundry room; fresh smells of clothes washing and drying in my nose.

The grass feels so soft under my feet and I bend down to smell the irises my mother has planted along the side of the house by the sand box. I smile, thinking about picking a bouquet soon for Mrs. McConollough who will give me a cookie for my efforts...even if some of the flowers are plucked from her own gardens.

I finish my Popsicle as I wander through the grape arbor and into the gardens where my mother has planted a cherry tomato plant, just for me! They aren't quite ready yet, so I run into the apple trees, making sure to stop at my favorite one to plant a kiss on its trunk. In the autumn, my family will make apple sauce, apple cider and apple butter from our little orchard.

Coming back into the house through the big red front doors, I run right into my mom's arms and a huge hug!

I love you, Mom!

The B Box

Christmas of the year Bethany was born, my dear sister made a box full of writing ideas for me. 

I took the box to my classroom and would pick out a prompt for the students each day to do a quick 5 minute writing at the beginning of the class period. We would share some in partners, some in small groups, some with the whole class. My classes were writing more and interested in each others' lives.

After leaving the classroom to start coaching, the B Box sat on a shelf for a couple years. I started blogging at Modblog, and took the box out once again.

Sharing prompts with my friends online was an interesting adventure. I loved reading what others came up with as responses to the prompts.

When Modblog went away, I once again put the B Box on a shelf. Once or twice, I completed a prompt on Facebook, but it wasn't the same. I missed the blogging format.

So, now I have started this blog, Minda's B Box Blog.  I will be sharing prompts from the B Box here. I will also be sharing other artistic challenges from across the web. I hope you will join me in writing and creating. Please share your comments, artwork and writing. Please "Like" my facebook page to stay up to date on new blog postings.

Let the Creativity Flow!