My Last Post for at Least a Week, I Think

This is the other page I did that same weekend two weeks ago. It contains a little bit of everything.

Our friends will be arriving tomorrow for five days so I probably won't have too much free time to add to this blog.

Back to My Journal

We're in Florida at our retirement home. I decided to buy a week's worth of internet service for $15.

This is from two weekends ago when we were at camp just for two days.

The Rest

My husband and I will be on vacation for the next ten days. We're going to Florida to use the house we built a couple years ago for our retirement.

I'll be taking my laptop but don't know when I'll have internet.

Coincidentally, we ended up going to Florida to buy the house the year I was doing this Moon Journal. April vacation arrived before we had a chance to finish the month so we had to finish them during our break.







Looked and looked for the moon but couldn't find it at night even though the sky was clear.

















The only time I saw it the whole week we were there.


















Then I just kind of let it fizzle out and added these two pages to complete the journal. This is a poem by Shel Silverstein that I used to read to my kids when they were little.












These are poems I wrote about the moon so decided to include them. That glitter probably wasn't such a good idea because it makes it hard to read.

First Moon Journal--Almost Done

I had no idea that after the full moon, it wouldn't rise until after midnight. So I was out there every night looking for it but to no avail.

BTW, I never did get to see the full moon that month, darn it!













Still looking but no moon!

















Finally, there it was about 6 in the morning!

Full Moon?

I was so anxious to see the full moon but all I saw for the next week was clouds!

The kids and I were so disappointed and some of them kind of lost interest in the project. To tell the truth, I did, too, and had to force myself to continue.











You can tell how frustrated I was!











And more clouds!
















The sky was clear but there was no moon!









This is the above page flipped up.

First Moon Journal--Pages 15 & 16

I used felt to achieve the soft look to this.

It was exciting to watch the moon coming up to full.

When I was out for my walk, this Jewel song kept going through my mind.











The sky was amazing and I tried to imitate the colors. That bit of apricot was so pretty.

First Moon Journal--Pages 13 & 14

I remember driving from my mother-in-law's house checking out the sky where this moon was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds and wondering how I could ever duplicate it on paper.













I was doing the dishes looking out the window and saw the moon through a tree and couldn't believe how beautiful it looked.

Afer I finished the dishes, I went outside and picked some lilac branches to use as my "tree."

First Moon Journal--Pages 10 & 11

I guess this one speaks for itself.

















I don't know where I heard the term, "Sky blue pink" but it certainly applied to the sky this night.

Update: School gets done tomorrow for the summer! We'll be heading to camp right after I get out. It's a half day for kids and they leave at 10:45 but teachers have to stay for a full day until 2:30. Hopefully, we'll be heading out of town by 3:30. Can't wait!

First Moon Journal--Pages 8&9

Okay, yes, this page came out really ugly! I was trying for a close-up but failed totally!

I tried layering the papers but it really didn't work.

At least the moon was out, though!









It was mostly cloudy this night but the moon peeked out just for a few moments.

First Moon Journal--Pages 6 & 7

Day 6

It was April and in the 20's! Actually on April 3rd quite a few years ago I remember we had a big snow storm and we couldn't even get our car up our street. We ended up leaving it stuck on the side of the road. I remember this date because it was my parents' anniversary.

In this one I tried to get the idea of the halo around the moon. I used mulberry paper and wet it then tore it.





Day 7

And it did snow the next night!

Naturally, there was no moon to be seen.

I think at this point was already thinking that the next time I taught the class I'd call it a night sky journal instead of moon journal!

I didn't but am still thinking that next year when I teach it again, I definitely will.

First Moon Journal--Page 5

I remember right where I was when I saw the moon this night. I'd taken a walk all the way up 6th Avenue which is quite a hill. When I got up to the Russian Church, I turned around and gazed up at the sky and there it was inbetween the telephone wires.

I used black string for the wires.

First Moon Journal--Pages 3 & 4

I was positive I'd see the moon this night. But, no!

I did stand in front of this red house for awhile sketching it. I just loved the color against the sky.

When I got home, I used cardstock to 'build" it.









And then...finally...on the fourth night, there it was!

I used cotton batting to form the clouds.

The song is one I remember my grandfather singing at Silver Lake after a few beers. I can still hear his deep voice...

First Moon Journal--Page 2

I thought I'd see the moon on the second night but no luck.

The kids didn't have to keep such a fancy journal. It was up to them and I got all kinds. Some were very intricate while others were just on notebook paper with a few words and a sketch.

I had just started scrapbooking and doing crafts so thought this would be fun. It started out that way but got old fast, let me tell you!

But at this point I was still enjoying it.

First Moon Journal--Page 1

Two years ago when I was teaching a Nature Journaling class, I had the great idea of having the kids keep a moon journal for a month. I did it along with them.

We waited for the new moon which occurred on March 29, 2006. I warned them that they wouldn't see the moon that first night.

We live in a valley town surrounded by mountains. My home is on the west side of town just one street away from Mt. Forist, which has basically a sheer rock face in the shape of an elephant. I knew the moon was behind it somewhere.

Kids on the east side of town, though, were able to see a sliver of moon. Lucky them!

I used crushed 'diamonds" for the stars.

Mid-week

I actually started another journal page on Sunday but didn't have time to finish it. Weekends are so darn short!

We did extend this one, though, by staying at camp on Sunday night and getting up at 4 am to head home. Luckily, I didn't have to drive so I was able to doze on the way back. (Although, my husband says I was snoring, but I don't believe him!)

Two days and one week left of school. The kids don't want to do anything and their teacher doesn't want to, either!

I should have a new picture to post on Saturday. Actually, I was thinking of taking my first Moon Journal to camp with me and posting the pages. More about that later...