• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Inspiration
    • Beauty
    • Books
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Movies
    • Mugs of Wisdom
    • Podcasts
    • Travel
      • Bainbridge Island
  • Food
    • Cooking
    • Entertaining
    • Our Wedding Cookbook
  • Community
    • Adulting
    • Gifts
    • Parenting
      • Country of the Week
    • Relationships
    • Traditions
  • Creative Life
    • Crafts & DIY
    • Knitting
    • Music
    • Writing
    • The Advent Box
    • Short Fiction
  • Home
    • Decorating
    • Organizing
    • Gardening
    • Lolligogin
    • Maryland
    • Washington, D.C.
    • The Southerner’s Handbook Adventures
  • Printables
  • Nav Widget Area

A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

March 11, 2013

Drawing

Can I confess something? I deeply dislike drawing. I avoid it at all costs and groan inwardly when someone asks me to draw anything other than a house plan. And I’m totally cool with that—there are plenty of other ways to be creative.

But that’s probably why I’m so fascinated that a child of mine loves to draw so much and is so good at it. I love how Lexie can picture something in her mind and then get her hand to put it down on paper, or in this case, computerized drawing tablet. Even that amazes me: You draw on a metal thingy and images show up on the computer screen!

Lexie is so nonchalant about the entire miraculous process. But maybe one day she’ll have a child who can, I don’t know, juggle or something and she’ll understand how I feel.

Meanwhile, I will continue to be fascinated and amused (why the fake glasses? do they make her feel more artistic?) and happy when she sits next to me at the table, drawing away.

(She’s a little obsessed with Castiel. Here he is again.)

 

Filed Under: Inspiration, Kid Activities Shannon 5 Comments

Reader Interactions

Short Fiction: Transitions
Mug of Wisdom # 46 / Katherine Anne Porter

Comments

  1. Diane says

    March 11, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    She’s amazing! I’m still dazzled by the snowman she sewed when she was what? 5!?! No pattern, no fear….just extraordinary.

    Reply
  2. Rosa @ Flutter Flutter says

    March 11, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    Great drawing!! I used to beg my parents to let me stay up later to get the picture in my head out onto the paper, so I can relate!

    Reply
  3. Shannon says

    March 11, 2013 at 11:39 pm

    I love that, Rosa. Some more insight into the artist’s brain. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Maggie says

    March 24, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    She’s great! I’m also rubbish at drawing… I wonder how my little ones are going to be!

    Reply
  5. Shannon says

    March 24, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    They might surprise you, Maggie! It’s funny how our kids can be so much like us in some ways, but completely different in others….

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Maggie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Hello! My name is Shannon Taylor and I’m a mom of four, originally from Minnesota and now living in Maryland. I "published" my first newsletter when I was nine, and since then, I’ve written and edited for magazines, websites, and textbooks. I started this blog when my kids were small to reflect on life, share ideas, and preserve memories. Now that my children are grown, I continue to use this space to document meaningful moments and practical ideas.

If you're in the mood for a bit of Christmas cheer, you might enjoy THE ADVENT BOX, available wherever books are sold. You can click on the cover below to learn more.

Instagram

Pandas are back at the National Zoo! We were there within days of hearing the news. 😂 Bao Li and Qing Bao are enjoying the spruced-up panda home on the zoo`s Asian Trail.

We last saw the pandas during a trip to D.C. in May 2011. I`m not sure if it was Mei Xiang or Tian Tian who firmly kept their back to us, but it was pretty hilarious. (photo #7) Not only did we get to see those wonderful pandas, but we got to spend time with Alexandra`s godmother, Amy, who was on home leave from her job with the State Department. Amy`s a fellow Midwesterner I met when we were interns waaay back in the day. (We connected watching "Northern Exposure" at Thompson-Markward Hall, affectionately known as the Home for Wayward Women.)

Be sure to put "Visit the Pandas" on your itinerary when you come stay with us in Baltimore. ❤️

10 0
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18295977556171943
Pandas are back at the National Zoo! We were there within days of hearing the news. 😂 Bao Li and Qing Bao are enjoying the spruced-up panda home on the zoo's Asian Trail. 

We last saw the pandas during a trip to D.C. in May 2011. I'm not sure if it was Mei Xiang or Tian Tian who firmly kept their back to us, but it was pretty hilarious. (photo #7) Not only did we get to see those wonderful pandas, but we got to spend time with Alexandra's godmother, Amy, who was on home leave from her job with the State Department. Amy's a fellow Midwesterner I met when we were interns waaay back in the day. (We connected watching "Northern Exposure" at Thompson-Markward Hall, affectionately known as the Home for Wayward Women.)

Be sure to put "Visit the Pandas" on your itinerary when you come stay with us in Baltimore. ❤️

My mom practiced, practiced, practiced and got to sing at Carnegie Hall for the premiere of "A Vision Unfolding" by Minnesota composer Kyle Pederson. A truly beautiful, uplifting work. I hadn`t been to Carnegie Hall before, so to visit for the first time to watch my mom perform was really wonderful.

Before the concert, we met Mom and her fellow choir member, Kathy, at Patsy`s, just down the block. The traditional Italian food was perfect on a chilly, rainy day—and it was fun to see photos of the celebrities who`ve dined there over the years, from Rihanna to Frank Sinatra (the restaurant`s claim to fame is that it was his favorite).

Mom, Tim, and Will hadn`t been to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum yet, so we headed to lower Manhattan after the concert. As we walked silently through the exhibits, trying to take it all in, I was struck by the distance between the concert, "A Vision of Light," and the grief and darkness around us. I thought of the words Mr. Pederson shared in the playbill, "It is my hope that we lean into the invitation that the choir offers—that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community." And that’s what art does—it offers light when and where we need it most.

📷: Distinguished Concerts International New York

34 9
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18047049827096632
My mom practiced, practiced, practiced and got to sing at Carnegie Hall for the premiere of "A Vision Unfolding" by Minnesota composer Kyle Pederson. A truly beautiful, uplifting work. I hadn't been to Carnegie Hall before, so to visit for the first time to watch my mom perform was really wonderful.

Before the concert, we met Mom and her fellow choir member, Kathy, at Patsy's, just down the block. The traditional Italian food was perfect on a chilly, rainy day—and it was fun to see photos of the celebrities who've dined there over the years, from Rihanna to Frank Sinatra (the restaurant's claim to fame is that it was his favorite). 

Mom, Tim, and Will hadn't been to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum yet, so we headed to lower Manhattan after the concert. As we walked silently through the exhibits, trying to take it all in, I was struck by the distance between the concert, "A Vision of Light," and the grief and darkness around us. I thought of the words Mr. Pederson shared in the playbill, "It is my hope that we lean into the invitation that the choir offers—that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community." And that’s what art does—it offers light when and where we need it most.

📷: Distinguished Concerts International New York

Is there a more endorphin-pumping experience than working out to `80s music? I don`t think so! Thank you to @natalie_dancebody and @mindi_dancebody for a truly joyful workout this morning. So much fun to dance along with two songs the Dancing Mamas tapped to back in the day at our kids` recitals: "Footloose" and "Beat It"! I hope you do this again, @dancebody ❤️🔥🎉

30 2
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18107239066486783
Is there a more endorphin-pumping experience than working out to '80s music? I don't think so! Thank you to @natalie_dancebody and @mindi_dancebody for a truly joyful workout this morning. So much fun to dance along with two songs the Dancing Mamas tapped to back in the day at our kids' recitals: "Footloose" and "Beat It"! I hope you do this again, @dancebody ❤️🔥🎉

Happy Valentine’s Day! I approach holiday greetings with more caution than I used to because I know these occasions can be painful for people who’ve lost someone. Which is pretty much everyone, especially when you get to be my age.

This day might not be the same as it was, but I hope you still have a valentine, whether it’s a romantic partner or a friend or a much-loved pet. Or yourself. We make good valentines because we know our favorite chocolate and what books we want.

I’ll always hang the Hearts on a String for any kid who’s home on Valentine’s Day, except not this year because the puppy would tear them to bits.

What a great Valentine’s message. 😅 Well. I do hope you have some treats today and you know I’m thinking of you fondly. ❤️

14 1
Open post by shannontaylorwrites with ID 18049981502173328
Happy Valentine’s Day! I approach holiday greetings with more caution than I used to because I know these occasions can be painful for people who’ve lost someone. Which is pretty much everyone, especially when you get to be my age. 

This day might not be the same as it was, but I hope you still have a valentine, whether it’s a romantic partner or a friend or a much-loved pet. Or yourself. We make good valentines because we know our favorite chocolate and what books we want.

I’ll always hang the Hearts on a String for any kid who’s home on Valentine’s Day, except not this year because the puppy would tear them to bits. 

What a great Valentine’s message. 😅 Well. I do hope you have some treats today and you know I’m thinking of you fondly. ❤️
Follow on Instagram

Fiction

Featured Posts

  • Printable Christmas Planner
  • Tim's Mocha-Almond Biscotti
  • Harry Potter Christmas Countdown Week 1
  • Kids' Craft: Smelly Christmas Ornaments
  • Gingerbread and Eggnog Trifle
  • Advent Reflections: Love
  • Advent Reflections: Delight
  • Heyday Farm Chocolate Pecan Pie
  • A Very Hygge New Year
  • Give: Ginger Soak

© 2025 Happy Crow Enterprises, LLC
About    Privacy Policy    Copyright
Pretty Happy WordPress Theme · By: Pretty Darn Cute Design