Sunday, 22 April 2012

Body Parts and Book Thieves


Don't freak out at the Sunday Sketch this week
I haven't gone all serial killer on you
it is actually relevant to what has to be 
the parenting moment of my week
if you like your moments slightly surreal that is
and I kind of do
keeps life interesting...


I have an almost 16 year old daughter
who has her quirks
she likes to change her name for example
and doesn't actually limit these to her correct gender
so it can be a bit of a lottery as to which name she will answer to
though Steve and Phantom still seem to get her attention
don't ask me why 
she has always been like that okay

She is also a tad precious about anything belonging to her
doesn't give two hoots about anyone else's property
trash away
as long as her life and world is kept in pristine order

and without a doubt is the greatest living creeper 
in the history of the world
this girl could creep up and scare the living bejeesus
 out of someone holding a directional mic
she is in permanent stealth mode


Which helps put the following into context...

I am standing at the kitchen sink
when out of nowhere comes a voice at my back
asking if I happen to know where the fist Harry Potter book is?
which of course surprised the life out of me
making me drop the plate I was holding
luckily into a sink of water
and as I tried to calm my now racing heartbeat 
and turned around to find her standing there
smirking and 
holding her life size medical model of a foot


Heart back to its proper rate
I simply asked if she would like help looking for it
accompanied her up the stairs and started scouring the bookcases
which is actually quite a task
as we have a six metre , about 18 ft, wall of shelves filled to the brim
and oh so casually gestured to the foot 
which she still held in her hand

so Phantom, what's the deal there?

Oh yeh, 
she says while thrusting it in my face accusingly
wondering what you did to it to make it sticky?

Like I somehow spend her school hours playing 
with her shelf of body parts and models...

Anyway the mystery of the sticky foot is as yet unresolved
though we suspect the Sinus may have a hand in it
he is quite a tactile person after all

But HP1 is still awol
so maybe we have a sticky handed book thief in the house 
who couldn't resist touching the foot
either way I thought it was appropriate to illustrate this moment
in case someone out there has information 
which may lead us to apprehending this nasty piece of work....xx






36 comments:

Anonymous said...

well then,,, that explains that! ha ha ha,,great sketch too!

Jenn Girl said...

Love this one!

Tammie Lee said...

oh my gosh, life at your house is anything but boring. it would be wonderful to have a journal to write these tales in and gift to your daughter when she is 40 with kids of her own:-0

love your art by the way!

Liz Powley said...

So this is the world of the teenager? Mine are still only 2 and 4. I have a lot ahead of me.

Nice sketch as always. Skeletons and skeleton pieces are great fun to draw and useful should you draw people.

Thanks for sharing the story as well as the art :D

Best wishes,
Liz

Serena Lewis said...

LOL....the case of the sticky foot and the missing HP1 book....what to make of it all??! Well, one thing is for sure...GREAT skeletal foot sketch!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Tracey, someone has obviously been very light fingered and light on their feet and awayed with HP1. Teenage daughters....um can only say they get worse, sticky skeletal feet usually result in one day, two live hairy sticky feet attached to one hairy sticky pimply older teenage boy. That is one scary that sneaks up on you and has you running and screaming for the hills.... love the foot... :)

Anonymous said...

o wow! haha..the story behind the drawing was super! :D i used to make those in my school days.. :)

Creatively yours Fi said...

very entertaining Tracey :) I think I can wait until my 4 yr old gets to 16!!(what they don't grow out of their quirks?) Wow...what a bookshelf! That'd be my dream bookshelf :))

AM Zafaran said...

Ha ha ha! Really enjoyed reading your post. Lovely teen! She has a great Mom with super sense of humour:-) My son , 21, is practicing hooting.

AM Zafaran said...

Ha ha ha! Really enjoyed reading your post. Lovely teen! She has a great Mom with super sense of humour:-) My son , 21, is practicing hooting.

Valerie-Jael said...

Good one! I know where my Harry Potter is, but have neither feet nor sticky fingers here! Valerie

kat said...

Thanks for sharing with us yet another funny little story, always fun to check you out here and see your sketches and read your words, thanks!

Unknown said...

Ahahahah!! Love your stories! :))

WrightStuff said...

I love the little trips you share into your life... All Mums are finders and fixers don't you know?

I have a story to share myself about creeping up. Was out with my son and as usual he runs ahead. I spotted him hide around the edge of a building so he could jump out and make me jump - it having worked very well earlier in the day! So instead, I crept up and leapt around the corner shouting "Boo" at the top of my lungs. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one standing there. Some poor girl was on her cigarette break from Starbucks and jumped a foot in the air as my cheeks turned a bit red and I apologised profusely. Son was rolling about laughing....

Jo Murray said...

A delightfully told, and amusing, mystery. I await the conclusion with baited breath (whatever that means).

Unknown said...

I LOVED this sketch at first sight and now that I've read the story behind it, love it even more! BTW, there is always someone in our house (including me) reading one of the various HP's at any given time....we love those books!
xo
Stephanie

Heather said...

ha! Love your story - keep us posted on the revolving mystery! beautiful sketch as ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!

*jean* said...

the creeper sounds as though she has a bit of a twinkle in her eye! mine is a hider...once i could NOT find him anywhere in the house, come to find he had stuffed his entire body into a shelf under the bathroom comode...he was about 11 and quite tall...the contortionist...now he just hides from the dog so i don't have to play that 'game' anymore...we lost our HP1 to our nieghbor and forgot about it for 3 years...was totally shocked and in disbelief when he tried to return it...love your foot...the foot is such an amazing machine...cheers!

Christine said...

you did a wonderful job with that intricate bone structure. I have a 17 year old and didn't realize/forgot what a difficult stage that was!

Melisa said...

Hmm, it's a mystery but your police sketch of the evidence is wonderful and will surely help in apprehending the perpetrator.

carol l mckenna said...

Hmmmmm ~ not sure if she is very healthy for you ~ not my business ~ Your sketches are awesome as usual ~thanks, namaste, ^_^

earthen-magic said...

...just super awesome! ~ (sketch AND tale!) ~ thankyoU for the s.s. share! ~ blessed be!...
...xXx...

Morph Waffle said...

Great sketches and love your story! Your daughter sounds pretty darn awesome (besides the scaring you part)!

Joni Nickrent said...

Love the story and the sketches! Your work is always amazing! :)

Carol said...

Great detail on these drawings. My son is in nursing school and he drew detailed sketches like these to memorize the skeletal bones and their names.

Debbie said...

quite the mystery, i hope you will share the conclusion! Meantime, your sketch is awesome and quite realistic!

Jennifer McLean said...

laughing every time, Trace! Isn't it great that you have a unique daughter instead of one of those boring mean girls?? Ya, I'm thinking she's a chip of the ole' block! Unique is good, look how YOU turned out!!
Hugs,
Jenn

Rita said...

Seems like when you have a house full of people there are always mysteries to solve. Some remain mysteries. I hope you find the sticky-fingered, book-stealing culprit. ;)

Alexandra MacVean said...

What a wonderfully written post to go with your sketch. Seriously, you should write a book....or have you?.... ;)

PS I've taking a liking to Phantom...lol

Joanne Osband said...

Thanks for the most amusing story! Children are the joys of life :)

Your sketch is captivating.....I find myself staring at those feet. Nice details!

Sabina said...

Teenagers are funny with how insulated their worlds are, not unlike people in their 20s either.

Well anyway great job on the skeletal foot. Feet are tough to get right, at least for me.

Alicia C said...

Great foot study! I remember drawing things like that in drawing class.

VonnyK said...

Are you sure the sticky on the foot isn't slobber from a little fluffy you know who. You'd be amazed how high they can climb when a bone is involved!! He might also have the book tucked in his bed for a little light reading :)

Love dem bones.
Von.

Terrie said...

:) Yep, cracked me up again. I have boys, neither of whom were creepers or hiders, just loud and pushy and demanding. Love the little glimpses into your life that you parcel out, a nugget here, a snippet there. Brings back so many memories of when my boys were that age..... such a great drawing....I could never manage it so am in awe of your abilities to render it so well.

Jaz Higgins said...

All those little bones! Great sketching Tracey! :)

HollyM said...

I don't know which is better, reading your blog or looking at your paintings. I think you could write a book!