Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Sunday, April 26, 2015

NEW WEBSITE/BLOG

Yes, it's true.

I think this blog has only been around for about 2 years... but it's time to move on.

I finally created a Weebly website to catalog my art, with additional blogging.

I'm not sure how personal the blog will be. I think it will be more art-focused...since that is the direction I'm going anyway...but who knows.

I'm working on it when I have time (that means not that much), but I hope to get it fully updated with lots of artwork that I've made in the last 2 years.

So if you want to keep track of my art making...and therefore, me....you can go to

http://susanharder.weebly.com/

Ciao, Midwest Art Edition.

Write the link down now, while you have a chance.

The blog may disappear from the Interwebs before you know it.

Thank you, faithful readers.

- Susan

Friday, April 3, 2015

schmeckfesting


Hey....

So we went to Schmeckfest last weekend. 
It was a super-quick trip, but well worth it to see some really good friends and family. 
The musical, Big River, was really well done. 
The meal made tasted so good and made my stomach hurt due to my uncontrolled portions. 
Very successful. 

I turned in the first draft of my 30 page paper on Wednesday. 
Needs some work, but my professor didn't have many changes for me. 
The exhibition takes priority now. 
I will put it up in one week.
(I can't really believe that just yet.)
My art is almost done...I'm planning on painting the edges and making a few more marks tomorrow. 

I was just at the studio sewing on a very awesome art project for our show in May.
Hope to show you a picture of it when it's done. 

And now it's Good Friday...I don't have much else to do...and it is REALLY hard for someone who has been SOOOOOO busy for the past year to not have much to do.

I guess the whole house needs cleaning, but that doesn't sound like fun. :)

Life feels very ambiguous and grey right now. 
Ben's got job applications in for schools in South Dakota and Milwaukee. 
Don't really know what's happening with that.
Trying to figure out how not to let it all stress me out. 


Saturday, March 14, 2015

progress


Here's the piece so far!
It's mixed media.
I've painted and done a printing process with newspaper and mod podge on it so far.
More materials to put come, I'm sure. 
Each canvas is 4 ft tall, 5 in. wide., 2 in. deep. 
I'm taking a lot of notes on the process...but haven't started writing my discussion section yet. 
I think once it's nearly done I can start. 

I biked to the lake today! 
12 miles there and back. 
Great weather for it, but I'm wiped out.
And unfortunately Ben has caught a cold so he won't be running 21 miles this weekend. 
He's preparing to run marathon distance at the end of the month in preparation for an ultra-marathon.

My "spring break" is nearly over...but I will get a spring break from work in April...which will likely feel more like a break. 
And Ben will be spring breaking at that same time!

Good stuff to come!


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

art exhibition


Hello, readers.

I'm currently on Spring Break.
That doesn't mean much for me these days since I only have 1 day of class a week anyway. 
However, it was nice not to have class this last Monday.
I also still have groups throughout the week...but they've been fun and meaningful thus far, and I'm happy for that.
The weather has FINALLY warmed up here in MKE.
That means Ben is back to outside running, which he loves. 

We're preparing to head over to Freeman for Schmeckfest at the end of March. 
A quick trip, but looking forward to gorging myself on ethnic food. 

The art show goes up in 1 month. 
Almost 2 months until graduation!
Ordered my cap and gown last week. 

We're looking towards July and the move to South Dakota...though I have so much more think about until then. 

I finished building my canvases, as you can see above. 
It was not that easy. 
It was quite tedious and challenging, in fact.
But now it's done and they don't look too bad. 
I'm going to work on them right now.
I'll (try to) keep you updated.

Hopefully you're enjoying some spring-ish weather and best wishes towards the end of your week. 







Friday, February 20, 2015

ummei


Hiiiiii.....this is Ummei. (ooooo-may)
She is my AT friend's dog.
She is also a Shiba Inu.
Such a beautiful, friendly dog that acts like a cat.

Sorry I have not written lately.
I kind of completely forgot that I blog.
It's just been an exciting February thus far.
Like I've been told by so many, this last semester is flying.

Ben helped me cut wood for my canvases that will eventually become my exhibition piece. I need to finish sanding and building them. Then I must actually start painting. I have a sketch...but it needs to become a reality at some point.

I've been writing my 30-page paper. I feel like the semester has barely started, but I already have 15 pages written and edited. Awesome. Granted, it's the intro & the literature review...which I pretty much copied from my research proposal and annotated bibliography...but it makes me look like I've been working my butt off.

I've also been working a lot. It's been great. I love my groups and the people I'm working with.
Our show is May 7.
That might seem like a long ways off...but it's not. Lots of work to do; it should be fun.

I have a Human Growth & Development presentation on Monday.
My literature review for my paper is due this coming Wednesday.
My resume/cover letter is due in Ethics the following Monday, along with a "developmental autobiographical story" in HG&D.

That's kind of why you haven't heard from me.

I'm looking forward to checking this stuff off of the list. Then I can focus on my paper and art exhibit.

I'm toying with the idea of nixing this blog and starting up a strictly art-based website/blog...mostly because I don't need my personal information on the Internet when I have clients some day.
We'll see if/when that happens (maybe when I have time to set it up?).
But you have me for now!

Have a lovely weekend.


Sunday, February 1, 2015

pie




Pie. 
Beer. 
Hymn singing.
This last Friday evening.
Our good friend from church turned 50 last week. 
And in order to celebrate we all brought pie and beer (even pizza pie) and joined in some fun conversation and hymn singing. 
I definitely left with a stomach ache.
We have a great group of friends at Milwaukee Mennonite.


Ironically, we won't be seeing those friends today because it snowed A LOT.
This morning I was craving some Rocket Baby Bakery bread (only 3 blocks from our house) so I bundled up and walked over to grab some sourdough and cranberry walnut loaves. 
It was a real mess out there.
Some of the snow banks on the sidewalks were up to the middle of my calf.
I had to run/jump through those areas. 
Sometimes I even walked on the road. 
Thus, plenty of snow made its way into my boots. 
I didn't even notice because Smartwool socks do their job...as well as my big old down coat, Under Armour running tights, and Carthartt hat.
If you have the right gear, bad weather isn't so bad. 


I'm procrastinating...because homework and thinking are hard work...

But have a nice Sunday as I try to make that happen. 

Thursday, January 22, 2015

silos


Time for a quick update.
I had a last minute gallery show!
My professors own an art therapy studio/gallery space down in Bay View and they last minute decided that they were going to have a show with art therapy students.
I made these silos in about 2 days time. 
Not that hard to do.
We didn't have a great turn out (cold dark night in MKE), but I did sell two silos.
I'm going to put the rest on Facebook and see who wants them.

Amidst the silo-creating I've also been working on my large and annoying annotated bibliography.
All 20 annotations are currently in good enough shape to turn in on Monday...but they're not quite complete. I should do just a touch more work on them. 

I will work on them on Sunday after my parents leave...
Yay! Mom and Dad are coming for a weekend visit!


We went to Madison to see Taylor last weekend.
We honestly hadn't seen her since summer because we both had a ridiculously busy fall. 
Shared some good beers, laughs, and pizza.



I'm also super excited for the spring because I'll be working more groups!
Three, to be precise. 
One after-school elementary group, one in-school elementary group, and another alternative school group. 
One of my co-workers is a bartender out in Riverwest. 
He likes to hold a "drink and draw" group on Wednesdays at the bar, so I decided to keep him company. 
Made me a real nice hot toddy.

The last semester of my graduate school career starts on Monday! 
What an amazing break it has been. 
I needed every second. 
I've been cooking with more veggies and exercising most days ever since we returned from holiday traveling. 
Feels better.
Nice to get over all of my stifled sicknesses and feel like a normal, healthy person without intense grad school reading and writing to fog my brain. 
And now only  a little less than 4 months of it!
I am ready to go. 

Thursday, January 8, 2015

stuffed birdies


Here's my parents' Christmas picture. 
We took this during our time in Freeman.

Just wanted to check in and let you know that I haven't left the house since Tuesday evening (It's Thursday evening). 
Been some awfully cold and snowy days here.
And if you don't need to leave...you don't. 

I've been...
watching Grey's Anatomy,
working out, 
sewing small stuffed bird decorations for my pregnant friend, 


cooking, 
cleaning, 
drinking coffee for pure enjoyment, rather than the intention of staying alert,
analyzing my research data, 
and anytime that I am not moving I am underneath my glorious heated blanket on the couch. 
Our house is a bit drafty. 

I also bought textbooks for my last graduate school semester!
Get ready for a lot of "lasts" to start coming up. 
I get to turn in my "intent to graduate form" in a few weeks!

On Wednesday Ben had to go teach...despite the fact that it was a high of 0. 
His school's overall attendance for that day was 42%
FORTY-TWO PERCENT!!!!
The public school system got the hint and decided to cancel for Thursday and Friday.
(it also snowed a bunch and is still SUPER cold)
So much for that first week back to school. 

Looks like we'll be doing wine and a movie tonight!
I hear there's a blizzard in SD right now...so wherever you are...stay warm. 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

more holidays


More pictures from our holiday travels.

This year we took new family pictures as a gift to our parents.
Afterwards Paula and Tom took us out to supper at McNally's Pub in Sioux Falls as their gift to us.
Then we went to Paula and Tom's town home, which they are temporarily living in while their new home is being built.
Paula loves, loves, loves her J. Lohr cabernet, so that is what we are enjoying.
Ben and I brought our gifts along to give as well...


Copper mugs for everyone! 
They are specially made for Moscow Mules, a tasty vodka, ginger beer, and lime drink that we learned about when we moved to MKE.
You can read about why they use copper mugs for this beverage HERE.
Mom doesn't consume alcohol, but we gave her one to keep her drinks cold anyway.
After we gave our gifts, P&T surprised us with a limo ride to see the Christmas lights in Sioux Falls. 
Sneaky and fun.


We saw some beloved friends and family in SD.
Here is a shot of Cousin Jordan and I while we spent our last evening in SD with friends. 
Jordan manages a popular restaurant, Brasa, in the cities and he has been bugging us to visit him for a long time...so we're planning a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul sometime this spring. 


I already mentioned that we spent some time in Lindsborg.
It really is an awesome little town with a lot of cool Swedish cultural elements, such as dala horses. 
Ben and I explored some of the art galleries and shops downtown.
A National Geographic photographer from Belleville, KS actually has a gallery and sells prints there. Who knew?
Also, I think you already know that I love eating ethnic food.
It turns out that while eating a Swedish breakfast at the B&B I discovered that I really love pickled herring.
Who knew?


We participated in two white elephant gift exchanges this year.
Ben really lucked out with this gift.


We can't make a trip to Lawrence without a visit to Love Garden Sounds, a record studio on Massachusetts Street...with cats wandering through the shop. 
Kyle befriends a cat in the picture above. 

Friday, January 2, 2015

new years 2014


We had a lovely time in Lawrence celebrating the new year with our friends.
Brad cooked a lot of amazing food for us: curried soup, cornbread, quiche, roasted beets and potatoes, and cheesy grits. 
He normally cooks at The Roost on Massachusetts. 
If you're ever in Lawrence, check it out. 
Because he's such a foodie he got Ben and I an amazing Southern cookbook for Christmas called Heritage. It's worth it just to look at the beautiful pictures. There's a special section about pickling that made me wish I had a garden...so I made cucumber salad instead. 


We went to Jacob and Chelsy's house on NYE, hung out with friends, and played a little 2014 trivia. 
Ben's team won. Ben is very good at trivia. 

The next day we made our 9 hour trek back home, so we are finally back in MKE after our 2 week Christmas vacation driving extravaganza.
Had a wonderful time, but it's nice to be back home and not living out of a suitcase. 
Because I am FINALLY feeling better I can actually relax (or even feel well enough to do chores). 

Because we awoke to no food in the house we decided to go out for one finally luxurious breakfast.
We headed to Cafe Hollander for Belgian waffles and coffee. 

I have the next 23 days off. 
I plan on cooking, cleaning, baking, art-making, exercising, homework-ing, and spending time with friends.
Can't wait!