Heading West

An adventurous lust in his eyes
A longing for a place to call her home
Children aged by journey
Still awaiting a dangerous exploration
Into new land

Dust fills their lungs
A sea of walking feet
Cattle disappear along with people
Children escape
To find jolting of wagon
and endless creaking of wheels

A city of fires
The smell of bacon
Boiling coffee
Blankets and stars
Little sleep
and the day begins

Dust fills their lungs
A sea of walking feet
Cattle disappear along with people
Children escape
To find jolting of wagon
and endless creaking of wheels

New sites as far as the eye can see
Wonder upon wonder do they see
Illness upon illness
Death upon death
Until they reach the end
A rush to find property
A place to call home

An adventurous lust in his eyes
A longing for a place to call her home
Children aged by journey
Still awaiting a dangerous exploration
Into new land

Cookie Jar Bear

Coach Quilt and Pillows

Zentangling

The Adventures of Bear Part II

Love Zentangle

I love you (Work in progress)

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
Looking at me
Smiling

3 years ago you asked
me to marry you
But it sure feels as if
that was forever ago

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
Looking at me
Laughing

We are very different
yet somehow the same
Here we are two kids
And we have only been married two years

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
Looking at me
smirking

Life is a zoo
kids, dogs, cats
diapers, furr and puke
yet there is no where I'd rather be

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
Looking at me
Grinning

When we die
I do not know what will happen
All I do know
Is that I will find you

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
Looking at me
Chuckaling

I'll always love you
is an understatment
There is no words to desribe
the feeling I get when you walk in the room

There you are
Plaid shirt
Cargo pants
And I can't help but smile
Becuase you're more than I deserve

The Adventures of Bear (Teddy's Brother)

In Memory of my cat Sara

Ode to My Cat Sara

Sara came to me loving, caring

She came for food,

My love,

And to have a friend.

She loves me

and she'll love me forever.

Lonely before she met me

She is now very old,

Still loving me.

I used to play dress up or house with her

But now I pet her,

feed her

and love her.

She still is my favorite cat

always will be,

even if she dies...

(Sara died February 26, 2000)

Farm Party Favor Bag

Colorful Zentangle

Little Hugs

Diapers, diapers
Long nights 
Feed me, feed me
What a sight
No, no
Keep on the light 
Mommy, mommy
Say good night
Help me, help me
Little hugs make things bright

The Many Adventures of Teddy Part II

Untiled Short Story

    Another day she thought to herself. Wake up kids, feed them, daycare, work, then pick them up and bed. She felt tired and knew that this would not change anytime soon. She tried to lift her head but it felt as if it was wadded down by the world. She looked at the clock and wished to go back on time. What had she gotten herself into? If she had known that Mark would leave her like this maybe she would not have had children.
   That made her think of the day she met Mark. There she was at another boring college party. Her friend was off dancing and she was left standing in a corner wishing she hadn't come. Then she saw him across the room. He had brown hair and blue eyes. She had never seen a guy with such bright eyes. He saw her looking and she quickly looked away. Next thing she knew he was standing next to her.
   "Hey, you look bored. My names Mark," he said.
   "I am Ashley," She replied with a giggle.
   "I have an idea let's get out of here," he whispered.
   "No, no," her older self screamed. But her younger self could not here or fore see what would happen so she said, "That would be nice."
   She can see herself walking away with Mark and she cried. Oh God, my children deserve so much better than I can ever give them. She rolled on to her side trying to forget the past. She had to get up if she was late to work again she would fired. She could not aford that.
   She pushed herself up and looked at the bed where Mark used to sleep. Who knew after two years it would still hurt this much. She punched the pillow and fell onto the bed. She pressed the pillow agianst her face so that her scream was muffled. She could still see Mark standing in the kitchen.
   "What? What? You're pregnant again!" He cried. He fell to the ground. "I can't handle another child not right now. How could this happen?"
   "Well?" I said laughing.
   He looked mad. He was always mad. He hated his job, the house and sometimes it seemed like her. There was never a day they were not fighting.
   "I CAN'T DO THIS!!!" He screamed.
   "Well, we kind of have to," she whispered.
   "No," he said coldly, "Ash, I have thought about this alot, latley. We do not have to do this, YOU have to. I can't, I'm done."
   "What?"
   He turned away from her and left through the front door. She never saw him again. Sometimes she wishes he will come back becuase she still loves him. But other times she wishes he would come back so she could tell him to piss off.
   She thought I better get moving. She pushed her self up and walked to the bathroom. She let the water from the shower wash over her. She thought maybe this would get rid of the sad feelings. It just wasn't working. It never really did she just pretended it did so she could make it through the day. She got dressed and went upstairs to get the children.
    She went into her sons' room. There was Davey in his bed. He would be three in a week. He had his car blanket snug against him and his stuffed dog. It used to be a yellow lab but now looked grey and matted. She then looked at the crib in the corner. Micheal was sound asleep curled up in his blue blanket he called blinky. It had so many holes in it she was amazed it still could keep him warm. She went over to the crib and picked up the pacifier next to him.
   "Micheal," She whispered picking him up. He looked at her in a daze.
   "Paassy?" he asked. She put it into his mouth.
   She walked over to Davey's bed and said, "Davey time to get up."
   "Nooo, moooommmmmyyyyy," he winned. She heard her daughter stiring in the other room.
   "Mommy," She heard her daughter, Emily, say as she heard the door to her room open. She then saw her in the door way. "Brother, you have to get up. I don't want to be late to school."
  Emily loved kindergarten. After school she always went to Grammie's house. She loved going there Grammie always made her pancakes with strawberrries for dinner. She wished her brothers didn't have to go there. They always made a mess and when Mommy got there Emily always had to pick it up.
   "Mommy, you look sad," said Emily. She usually was good at hiding her feelings.
   "It's nothing," She lied.
   "It'll be okay," Davey said hugging her. Emily hopped on the bed and hugged them too. She began to cry. She had not cried once sense Mark left. It felt good to cry.
   Finally she got her self together and said, "You know what Davey, you're right."
   She thought I wouldn't trade this for the world. She kissed Emily on the head and smilied.

My Bag

Little Girl

Little hands
Little toes
Smiling eyes
Tiny nose
My little baby girl

Cream of wheat
Mushed up veggies
Brother sneaks her
Crackers, sandwitches and so much more
My little baby girl

Her she goes
She lifts her head
little grunts
the rest unsaid
My little baby girl

Here comes brother
pushing, fighting
Biting, kissing
Hugging, loving
My little baby girl

Walking, Running
Here she comes
Miss Independent
On the run
No longer my little baby girl

The Many Adventures of Teddy

Circle Zentangles

Bag (I made)!!!

Zentnagle Flowers