Stuff I Created in October

Here are some fun (and spooky) things I made in October:

I started with the cat first. You probably can't tell, but I actually used quite a bit of blue paint. 

Oct. 1-Oct. 6

I felt like making a Halloween painting to decorate the front room. I found a couple reference photos on the internet and I came up with this. I mostly like it. I had a little trouble with the background though. At first I had a sky blue but it didn't look Halloween-y enough so I made it an evening sky. It looked better, but at that point the paint wasn't getting along with the canvas (cheap paints). Also, I try not to think to hard about the light source--it makes no sense unless we assume there's a bright light shining somewhere off-canvas. Yes, let's assume that. 

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Meh. I didn't like it. 

Oct. 12-29

I wasn't done with my painting kick. I really wanted to paint a skull. So I found one on the internet that I thought would work. The good thing about painting skulls is that they're so individualized, so I didn't have to follow the reference exactly. I seem to have such trouble with backgrounds. I think I spent more time messing around with the background than I did on the skull. At first I wanted a vignette effect but I didn't like it so I decided to paint a creepy, brambled design which I liked. I went even further and painted in some Latin words "Mors Vincet Omnia" meaning "Death Conquers All"--just to be even more creepy. Unfortunately, it looked stupid and I didn't like it. so I painted over it and painted in a big creepy spider instead. I like it so much better with the spider.  

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Oct. 12

I straight-up copied this from a picture on the internet. It was quick and easy. I framed it with a spider trapped inside!

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Oct. 22

Elisa's Young Women's Leader asked me to draw a boat for their joint lesson so I came up with this. I just copied something off the internet and colored it with my art Markers. Elisa helped color a little bit.

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Oct. 31

And now for something truly horrifying which I don't think I will be doing again because it turned out soooo gross, despite tasting fine. A meatloaf head. The kids were not amused and hardly ate any of it. It turned out completely unnecessary too since several houses provided food instead of treats for Trick-or- Treating Halloween night.  Oh well. It sure turned out creepy though!

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Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza Organ Event

Sept. 30

I took Ian and one of my piano students to an organ event called Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza. The last one I went to was a year and a half ago and was geared towards teenagers. This one was for adults as well. I think Ian had the most fun! He got to crawl inside the organ and see how it works, and try out a few of his songs on the organ. He even got to try out a harpsichord. His favorite activity, however, was putting together a portative organ. He said he wanted one for Christmas, but at $3,000 Santa can't afford that. And of course the best part came last of all: Pizza!

 

Trying out a small accordion-type organ before it started

My student, Lydia trying out the organ

Ian looking at the inside workings of the organ

Ian playing Love One Another and When I am Baptized

Putting together the small organ

Playing the harpsichord

Random September Happenings

Here are some fun things we did in September, after our short trip to St. George:

Sept. 4

I made some fried green tomatoes and grilled jalapenos, all from my parent's garden that they gave me. I thought it was all yummy (very VERY spicy though).  

Sept. 4

I made a peach cobbler with peaches that Erik's family gave us. I thought it was good, but nobody touched it except me.

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Sept. 7

Silly Ian made himself an entire computer system out of paper for his desk.

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Sept. 7

We took the kids to a free jazz piano concert at Riverton pianos. It was really cool, and the kids seemed to enjoy it, too. The jazz pianist was Judy Carmichael, and she's really amazing at what she does.

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Sept. 7

I found Ian sleeping like this. How cute--if a bit strange!

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Sept. 9

A one-hour painting I did randomly one Saturday morning. I don't care for it too much, but I don't hate it enough to throw it away.

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Sept. 13

Silly Gwilly dressed up for something at school--was it spirit week?? She's some anime character that she likes. 

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Sept. 15

Erik flew up to Salt Lake for Joel and Lela's sealing. 

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Sept. 18

My cute Gabe. I don't ever buy the kid's school pictures for obvious reasons. There's just no need when I have so many better ones I can take with my own phone. But I do enjoy seeing these!

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Sept. 19

Elisa had her very first temple trip! I went with her. It was neat that the Temple President got to talk to her. Afterwards, we went to Sweeties for some ice cream.

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Sept 20

Gabe finally let me cut his hair! I think that was the longest we've ever let his hair grow out. I wanted to cut it before, but he wouldn't let me. Look at all that hair!

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Sept. 20-24

I made a colored pencil portrait of Elisa

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Sept. 23

Erik and I ate lunch at the Stillery. We tried the sriracha deviled eggs and the house hot chicken sandwich. It was pretty spicy. Erik recognized an older nurse from one of his outpatient surgery centers eating there.

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Sept. 23

Ian and his cute projects.

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Oct. 28

I met Erik for lunch at Tacos El Gordo inside a refurbished old church. He had to leave to go back to work, but we saw each other for a few minutes.

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Oct. 29

I bought a new skeleton for Halloween! Someone had fun putting mini skeletons all over him.
 

Pentatonix Concert

 September 9

Erik and I went to the Pentatonix concert. His friend Dan and his wife Angie went too, but they had seats further in the back. I made the mistake of ordering some overly expensive, overly salty popcorn. I'm glad I got the "Liquid Death" sparkling water drink to go with that horribly salty popcorn. Our seats were okay, not bad but not amazing either. It was a fun concert! It was opened by Lauren Alaina, a country singer that I never heard of before, but she was pretty good. Of course Pentatonix was amazing, Erik got videos of most of their songs:

A huge crowd!

Lauren Alaina, she was good but nothing too original.

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

Daft Punk Medley including Get Lucky

Jolene by Dolly Parton with Lauren Alaina

Kevin the beat-boxer is also a cellist.

Dreams by The Cranberries

Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond

I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys

90s medley including What is Love by Haddaway, All Around the World by ATC, and Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and later by John Cale

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen