Happy Holidays

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TIME OUT!!!

So this year, I'm:
Teaching
Raising 4 kids
Making a yearbook
Coordinating Chapel
Tutoring after school
Attending Bible studies
Working on portrait commissions
Planning an art show for Jess and I
Managing 2 blogs
Working out at the gym
and pretending to be well rested

Most of these things are non-negotiable
about the only thing that I can put on the chopping-block is "Meatballs and Ravioli"
So I'm guessing that by now (assuming you follow the blog regularly) you will have noticed the drop-off in entries.
So for now (possibly indefinitely) we'll be giving our blog a rest. If you'd like, you check out the other blog (www.ccaarthistory.blogspot.com)for regular updates and a little art history. Otherwise, we hope to be here by Christmas.
Thanks for reading, and God bless.

The Five Senses of Parenting - Part 5: Touch

Things I never thought I’d feel until I became a father of 4:

A finger in the eye
A fire truck striking my temple
A kick in the groin while asleep
A rock-hard head striking my cheek-bone
A severely chewed piece of un-swallowed broccoli
A very, very wet diaper leaking on my lap
Baby barf in my hand
Baby barf on my back
Baby barf on my chest
Baby barf on my shoulder
Cake icing on my head
Cheese sauce in my arm hair
Lego blocks under my bare feet
Pennies covered in saliva
Someone hanging by my chest hair
Someone pulling themselves up on my pit hair
Something fuzzy under the couch
Something pointy under the bed
Something slimy on the table
Something sticky on the railing
Three kids and a dog piled on my back
Toddler barf on my bare feet
Boogers

The Five Senses of Parenting - Part 4: Taste

Things I never thought I’d taste before I became a father of 4:

Baby drool
Baby Formula (What? I was curious.)
Children’s Tylenol
Cold chicken McNuggets with ketchup
Cold eggs with ketchup
Cold french fries with ketchup
Cold hotdog with ketchup
Cold meatloaf with ketchup
Cold peas with ketchup
Cold, half-eaten cheese burger
Hay
Marshmallows covered in marshmallow fluff covered in food dye
Soda with floaters
Soggy graham crackers
Soggy pizza crust
Soggy toast
Soggy Zwiebacks
Strained carrots and beef

The Five Senses of Parenting - Part 3: Smells

Things I never thought I'd smell until I became a father of 4:

A Toddler’s morning breath
Saliva on little fingers
Baby gas
Formula burps
Garlic hummus poopie diapers
Petrified McDonald's fries in my minivan
Poo-poo undies
Sweaty heads
Drool on my shoulder
Breakfast cooking before 6am
Dinner cooking after 7pm
Diapers in my garbage pail
Milk in a glass 48 hours old
Little Stinky feet

The Five Senses of Parenting - Part 2: Sound

Things I never thought I’d hear until I became a father of 4:

The sound of a person’s body falling from their bed
The sound of a person’s body as they fall from the couch
The sound of a person’s body as they fall from a kitchen chair
Grown men and women cheering for someone who pooped on the potty
My own voice saying, “There is no way I had this many toys when I was a kid.”
My wife’s voice saying, “Don’t put the applesauce in your hair.”
A screaming baby at 2:30am
A computer generated asparagus singing “This is My Father’s World”
The same asparagus singing “This is My Father’s World” 27 consecutive times
A baby passing gas louder than me
The sentence: I don’t like french fries
People screeching because they’re happy
A baby crying for a 3½ hour car trip
My wife crying after that same car trip
My daughter telling the cop that pulled me over, “Daddy knows all about the police.”
Someone telling me “He has your butt.”

The Five Senses of Parenting - Part 1: Sight

Things I never thought I’d see before I became a father of 4:

Pennies in my CD player
Marker on my table
Pen on my chairs
Pencil on my banister
Colored pencil on my walls
Orange crayon on my flat-screen TV
Dirty diapers at 1am
Boogers on my lap top
Ribbons on my dog
Milkshake on my dog
Dirty diapers at 2am
Four umbilical cords
Two circumcisions
Dirty diapers at 3am
Throw-up colored by fruit punch
Poop colored by Lucky Charms
Laundry piles that rival the Rockies
Two people about to kill each other over a Lego mermaid
A Disney princess movie marathon
Dirty diapers at 4am
Six laundry hampers filled with stuffed animals
Princess Leia’s severed head

Rosemary's 1st 7th Birthday Party

Here's some slides of our little party we had for Rosie last night.  I didn't get any pics of the cake but I did get evidence of Joey opening one of Rosie's gifts.  Rosemary was very gracious about it.

Happy Birthday Rosie!

Rosemary is 7 years old today!

First thing is a birthday party at school and then presents when she gets home!

(and Grammy called at 6:55am to sing to her!)

Peter Pics

These are already on my Facebook page, but I'll post them here, as well.  Some pictures of Peter (and some of his siblings, too.)

Two Of a Kind

Here's Rosemary and Carmellina going to school together for the first time.  (Carmellina only had orientation yesterday.)  Rosemary is in her gym uniform.  Carmellina is very excited about her jumper and her new sneakers.

First Day of First Grade

Here's Rosemary in a slightly over-sized jumper on her first day of elementary school!

Got Art?

Since I have all sorts of free time on my hands (ha) I decided to start a second blog. Actually, this one is for my art students. It's a resource they can use to keep up with the 24 slides a week that I bombard them with in class. Take a look at http://ccaarthistory.blogspot.com/ to see what it's like. You can search for an artist by course or by the artist's name. There's even a weekly study guide for the current quiz.

The Fam

Peter Tiberias Rohs Sinagra

Peter T.R. Sinagra's First Day

Summer Vacation 2009

We had a great time this summer when Joey, Jessie, Rosemary, Carmellina and Joseph visited us for 3 weeks! Besides for Joey working very hard on his drawings, we also had a fun time enjoying the great outdoors! There were at least 4 visits to the beach, swimming in family and friends' pools, and having family visit. Can't wait for next summer!

The Hardest Part

This Friday is Jessie's due date.
The house is ready.
The bags are packed.
We're all ready.
All we can do now is wait...

I CAN'T STAND THIS PART!!!

Carmellina

So we're back in Philly now. I managed to pull of 12 "nature studies" while we were in NY. Now as we wait for the arrival of the new baby, I'm attempting to do some newer drawings of the girls. Carmellina is going first. Here are some slides to give you an idea of how it's going so far:

Day 39

So, Joe's work has been flourishing this week despite birthday events and many, many interruptions. He has always wanted to draw a rose and finally had the opportunity to because of this time in New York. We are very aware of God's hand in directing this endeavor even though we can't see the finished product of it.

What a refreshing time we are having too! Our parents have been so very helpful in caring for our children with us and fully supportive of us as artists (not many struggling artists will tell you that). Their love for us and encouragement is just one more facet of God's love for us and encouragement in using our artistic gifts to provide for our family.

And that is our prayer in this creative experiment: that God would enable us to use our talents to simply supplement Joe's income. From experience though, we expect He will do more. Please continue to pray for us specifically that God would provide buyers for our work and further commissions throughout the year. There will be more images in a few days as Joe begins his final series of seashells.

Thank you for reading, enjoy the work, and may God bless and keep you.



Begun... Completed Calla Lilly.

Day 34

Two more! An oak leaf and a maple leaf. He rendered the stem so well on the oak that I feel like I could pluck it from the page. And the maple leaf suffered alteration by our almost two year old son, who in emulating his daddy, tried to use a paper blending stump over most of the drawing. Joe very patiently corrected Joey and his work and the outcome is all the better for both. Now we keep a gate across the living room where the studio is to avoid further "artistic endeavors" upon Joe's work. Our little guy can keep practicing at the kitchen table with crayons for now.

Yesterday Joe had about two or three hours of uninterrupted work time and was able to complete a rendering of a pear. It is unphotographed, but once he has a few more I'll post them.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Day 32

Happy 32nd Birthday Joe!!!!
It is a sunny, breezy day (would you expect anything else for his birthday?) and full of fun and giggles. The girls were very excited to celebrate and give him his gift from them. Joey, our son, was just happy to tackle him with hugs and big kisses. Here are a few pictures from this morning's festivities.

And since it is his birthday, he's taking the day off from drawing. I'll post the new studies tomorrow.

Day 29

Here are some pictures of Joe's completed work. Please excuse the amateur photography...there is a lot more contrast in the actual pieces. We hope to have the fruit and future nature studies professionally scanned and printed when Joe is done. Enjoy!

Day 27

To all of our faithful readers: Sorry for the delay in our next entry. The change of hands in blogging took a bit of time with inexperienced me (Jessie) taking the wheel. I hope you enjoy my portion of this experiment, though I make no promises of beautifully edited videos with a score. There will be pictures though! Once I learn how to add them. :)

We arrived in New York safely after a brief stop-over in Philadelphia. Joe took his motorcycle and I followed at a distance with the minivan full of children, luggage, and our dog. We had a perfect ride with beautiful weather all the way.

Now, being here since the fifteenth of July, Joe has completed the commissioned piece from last summer and begun his work of nature studies. He launched his first attempt today by photographing a plum, an apple, and a cherry. By midafternoon he astonished us all by displaying a finished 5X7 plum study...it is such a delicious rendering that Rosemary was tempted to pluck it from the page. Joe feels these type of drawings will not take much time to do because compared to a face, the fruit is just a lump with a stem. Good point, but what an accomplishment for his growth as a artist to crank out a drawing that a few years ago would have taken him much longer.

As for the children and myself we are happy to play in the yard at Grandma and Papa's, splash in the pool, slide down the slide, and just enjoy the time here. I don't think we've completely turned the house upside down, but we've definitly loosened the look of Dad's carefully manicured house. Since Friday we've also enjoyed having Grandma Oreste, Joe's grandmother, here to stay. We've had two cookie fringed visits with Uncle Dom, her son and Joe's mom's brother, who brought the girls black and whites cookies on Friday and rainbow cookies yesterday for Joe. Yummy Italian cooking abounds with sausage and peppers one night and meatballs and ravioli tonight (the girls helped Joe's mom make the meatballs...Carmellina especially takes an interest in cooking). We are definitly well fed-even unborn baby Sinagra.

More soon!

Day 22

Day 18

Day 17

Day 15...take two

Day 15

So it's almost 12:20am on Tuesday and I'm still waiting for this stupid video to upload to the blog site.
I'm watching a Malcolm in the Middle marathon.
I'm tired.
I'm going to bed.
Maybe there'll be a video tomorrow.

Artists' Birthdays

In case you haven't noticed yet, we've been posting the birthdays of artists as come. Keep an eye on how many birthdays are in July. There's almost an artist a day born in the month of July. Maybe there's something in the air that makes July babies extra talented...not that I'm implying anything.
Anyway, in some cases there are no accurate records of the artist's birth. I guess birth certificates were not common back in the 1400's. So while Botticelli's mom and dad must have been happy when he was born, no one else knew, or cared, who he was. By the time he died, of course, he was famous so we do have a record of their death. So in those cases, while I can't post their birthday, I will post their deathday. Hope that's not too morbid.

Happy 4th!

No art work today. Just lots of food, family and fireworks! Happy Independence Day, everyone.
Try to remember the truly remarkable thing it is to live in a country that fought the good fight to ensure your freedom.
God has blessed us immeasurably.


The Star Spangled Banner
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

-Francis Scott Key, 1814

Day 12

Jess has been moving fast. Today she threw 8 more pieces and spent a while putting handles on things. She's already used 5o lbs. of clay and she's going to start on a third 25 lb. bag now.
Things are getting pretty exciting around here!

Day 10

As I mentioned yesterday, Jessie has hit her quota of bowls; 25 to be exact. Apparently (and this is all new to me since I have never worked in clay) there are still a LOT of steps involved before we can put them to such noble uses as holding cheese-puffs and feeding the dog (just kidding Jess!).
Now that they have all been thrown (made on the wheel):
1. They need to air dry until they are greenware (not really green in color [again, news to me]) at which point they are highly breakable.
2. Once they are dry, we need to carefully load them into out minivan and drive them to the ceramic studio.
3. Once at the studio they will have a "bisque firing". Despite what it sounds like this not a lay-off at the Milk-Bone plant. The bisque firing is the first time the pots will go into a kiln to really dry them out and harden them.
4. Once they are bisque'd they need to cool (for one or two days).
5. Once cooled Jess will paint the glazes on.
6. After the glazes dry the bowls will be fired again and once cooled they will be completed.
Since she has to wait for the drying process, Jessie is using the time now to start throwing some mugs. Her goal is to make 25 of them by the middle of next week. But with the holiday weekend and a mid-wife appointment in Philly on the 6th, it will be difficult at best.
Keep praying that the Lord will give her speed and bless her work!

Day 9

This was going to be a blog entry about Jessie's 25th bowl she threw and what the next steps were going to be now that they are beginning to dry. Instead we're bringing you three very poor quality cell-phone-videos about what happened when I went out to photograph the last few pieces.

We made it out eventually. I grabbed the dog and ran. Thankfully all of the ceramics were covered in time!

Day 8

More!


More!


More!


More?
(Left: Rosemary's vase; Right: Carmellina's candle holder)

Day 7

So uh...I didn't exactly make it outside with my camera today...but take it from me, Jess is still making pots.
I'm sorry I don't have an image of them to show you, but here's something else you can look at if you're really looking for something to see.

Day 6

More pots! Jess is on a roll (or a wheel, at least). We also had an outing today to the playground, followed by a dance performance from the girls on the first 1/8 of the deck and a trip to the local ice cream parlor.
Here's some more slides to enjoy.

Day 5

A few setbacks today. We got hit with a major rain storm. I've never seen a rainstorm so intense that wasn't a part of a hurricane.
The area lost power, had a few mudslides and multiple lightning strikes.
Jess has enjoyed working outside all season, but today's rain not only stopped her from working, but it destroyed a few of the pieces she had finished!
Work on the deck had to stop as well. No one wants to use an electric circular saw in a lightning storm.
Needless to say everyone was a little disappointed in the weather. But we played some Yahtzee and watched some TV and everyone (except Rosie) napped. So maybe tomorrow (weather permitting) we can all make up for lost time.

Day 4

Jessie is moving along well with her work. She hopes to do some test-glazes soon.



Sorry about the poor quality...I guess I shouldn't have used my cell phone!

Day 3

Not too much to report today. Jess kept working at her wheel.

Joey nearly choked to death on a piece of breaded scallop. (Not an exaggeration...seriously scary minute or two there...anyone know baby CPR?)

And apparently building a deck is a LOT more work than I was aware of (not that I have any concept of what goes into building a deck) we work for several hours and there's not much standing there yet!

Day 2

Jess had the chance today to get to her wheel. It took her a little while to back into the swing of things but it came back to her eventually. By the time she finished wedging and wetting the clay she really only had an hour or two before dinner to work.

She did, however, make a two vessels before she was done, and she is ready to jump back in tomorrow.

We also had a fun treat this morning. Joey and the girls went to their first day of swimming lessons at the Tunkhannock High School. Check out the slide show for lost of pics!

Day 1

We arrived in Nicholson, PA this afternoon after a fairly uneventful 3 ½ hour car ride. Those of you with children know that “uneventful” is really the best that could be hoped for on a ride that long.

After a quick lunch, Jessie, Nick and I started work to get the clay studio up and running. A cursory survey of the shed quickly told Jess and I that it had been used WAY more than we thought and we weren’t too sure that the smell of grass clippings and gasoline would be conducive to Jessie’s creativity…never mind her pregnancy.

This however turned out to be a happy providence. We instead erected a clay “tabernacle” next to the shed using a lot of the camping equipment that my in-laws have. Jess was thrilled at the idea of working out doors with a view of the woods out back and the fresh air.


The process took several hours. During that time the kids entertained themselves.









In the end we got a product that I think Jess is very happy with. So tomorrow (Tuesday) Jess will begin her throwing. She hasn’t used her potter’s wheel in over two years. Thankfully it wasn’t rusty at all. Let’s hope we can same the same for Jess!

Arganis Art Productions

Summertime is here!

For most people this makes little difference in their day-to-day routine, but for students and teachers summertime means summer vacation.

For a little school kid that means swimming pools and water guns and the feeling like school will never return. For older school kids summer vacation means summer jobs. Cutting grass. Flipping burgers. Packing groceries. Bussing tables. Selling blood. The thrill of the summer job cannot be over-emphasized.
One of the perks of being a school teacher is still getting summer vacations…paid summer vacations. One of the anti-perks of being a private Christian school teacher is still needing a summer job.

In my 8 years of professional teaching I have still had the questionable pleasure of working at a summer job. I’ve been a camp counselor, a house painter, a landscaper, and even a private art instructor. It is difficult to describe the joy of making less than minimum wage as an adult trying to support his family. Nothing says “summer vacation” like working all summer.

But this year is going to be different. This year Jess and I are embarking on a new and entrepreneurial endeavor.

We leave Monday for Nicholson, PA. My father-in-law, Nick, has graciously agreed to
relinquish his shed for three weeks to give Jessie the opportunity to set up a make-shift clay studio. Jess’s old high school art teacher has also agreed to allow her access to his kilns. So for three weeks (or so) Jess will be working in her clay studio making ceramics. I will be watching the kids while she works and building a deck with my father-in-law and brother-in-law.

From there we’re heading to Long Island for three weeks (or so) and I’ll be focusing on my drawings. Portraits, botanicals, and some nature studies. Jess will be watching the kids (as usual) and she will not be building a deck; mainly because her due date is August 21st.

So this summer’s goals are:
1)Jess will make a LOT of well-made, sellable ceramics.
2)I will build a deck without losing any digits.
3)I will make a lot of small sellable drawings.
4)Launch a website (not a blog site) about the work we’re making.
5)Get back to Philly before the baby comes.
6)Find an art fair for the fall where we can sell the things we’ve made.

So for the next seven weeks the blog site will be devoted to tracking this endeavor. I have no idea how this will work out, but we’ll be posting updates as often as possible (hopefully daily) so keep checking back often to see how we’re doing.

And keep praying for us!

Happy Birthday Paul

Today is Sir Paul McCartney's 67th birthday!

CookieJuice?

Our Gift for Grammy

Here's a little something to cheer you up, Grammy. We hope you enjoy it.

Kiddie Vids

Here's a little something to make the grandma's happy:






A typical night around the diner table.

...I'm not dead yet...

Well the end of the school year is here. I know for most people that doesn't mean much, but for teachers and students it's a very tumultuous time. Students are, of course, counting each excruciatingly slow second that passes waiting for the next few weeks to go past so they can be done with the agony of another school year.
Teachers are, to a large degree, doing the same thing.
This summer, though, Jess and I are doing something a little different than the usual summer job, and we're planning to document it on our blog site as we go.
So the blog (in case you haven't noticed) will be sporadically updated for now until I get through the end of this year (June 19).
But please keep checking back because we'll have lots to read about once summer vacation hits!

Easter/Recital/Mother's Day

Easter Sunday in New York - what beautiful grandchildren!

Rosemary and Carmellina's recital - we are so proud of them! Grandma was so touched she cried tears of joy.

Mother's Day at Great-Grandma's House.