Haircuts

How cute is this? People didn't notice she even got it cut and that ticked her OFF majorly. I wish I were half as photogenic as my kids.

And then there's me. Unfortunatly, it looks just like me :) My haircut is a major change and it feels REALLY REALLY short to me. But it will grow. I like it best at the in-between stage, which I'll be at in about 2 months.
This post is about 2 weeks (or more) old. We've been busy with play practices (and other things). Since I can't say no, I've been making props and helping with costumes(if you go to the play . . I made the big hoop snowflakes, the seaweed and the wind and I helped tie-dye the froglet costumes) for Honk!. If you live in Newton I think it will be a great play for families. I haven't really seen that much of it, but it looks really cute and it has 60-70 cast members, ranging in age from 7-60ish, from the community. Ellie is a froglet.

Hi-ho hi-ho it's off to work I go.

Thoughtful Friday (on Saturday)

Thanks for the comments and the prayers sent our way. I'm feeling a little less freaked out today.

I thought I could change the world. It took me a hundred years to figure out I can't change the world. I can only change Bessie. And honey, that ain't easy either.*

Annie Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany, 1891-1995
African-American Author and Civil Rights Pioneer

*Although I do think we can change the world, and we DO change it every day, in little ways (which ripple out into big ways), I loved the humor in this quote. I think there's some truth too, that we get so worried about changing the world (and everyone else) that we forget about the fact that we have something to do with the big picture too.

Freaked

Out.

I know, in the big picture, this probably isn't a huge deal, but . . .
I took Emma to the doctor today because her throat has been hurting off and on and then her ear started hurting. He was examining her and he took a long time listening to her chest and back. Then he had her hold her breath and he listened some more. Then he said something like "did we know she had a heart murmur?" Well, no, as a matter of fact, we did not know that. He went on to draw us a little picture of the type of heart murmur he thought he was hearing. He explained that sometimes this is caused by some muscle in the middle of the heart being swollen (or something) and sometimes when a person exercises or does sports it swells so much it blocks the blood from coming through at all and they DIE IMMEDIATELY. He said that. He really did. He didn't say that was what Emma has for sure, but he said no sports or vigorous activity until she can have an EsomethingG and she has to go to a pediatric cardiologist because she is under 16 and they can't see her til Sept. 24. TWO MONTHS. I held it together amazingly well. She had to have a strep test too, and she is the worst for having anything put in her throat. It was all just traumatic. When I told my mom, and Everett, I fell apart a little bit. And everyone is very reassuring . . .lots of people have heart murmurs and are fine. I know that's true. But he said people die immediately. I know there are lots of other health issues people face with their children every day that are more traumatic and life altering than this. But this is the biggest we've dealt with about our kids. And it feels pretty big right at the moment. Emma is being a trooper but she's sad about tennis. She was looking forward to playing in high school. And her throat and ear are still really bothering her, although they said it isn't strep (I won't be surprised if they call tomorrow and say it is, after the culture has done it's thing for 24 hours). Thanks for listening.

And when she dreamed . . .

They were technicolor go-go dancing dreams.

Thoughtful Friday

When we walk like (we are running), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth... Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

You've Gotta Have Art

"Art seems to me to be primarily a condition of the soul." -- Mark Chagall

You've Gotta Have Art was an art advocacy campaign during my college days. I've always believed it to be true and am so sad when I see art (music, drama, fine arts) programs cut from our public schools. I'm sad when there are programs in place and they're not taken seriously too. That's not what I want to post about, but when I chose that title it kind of made me go off on a tangent :)

I had one kid at home late last week, while the other two went on a youth service trip, which inspired me to get creative with her. We got out all our goodies to make jewelry and baubles. . . polymer clay, beads, findings, etc. Here's what the table looked like when we started. Doesn't it just make you want to dig in and create???

It did inspire us. Here are a few of the things we created (and some of them we listed on etsy too!).

These are little glass jars we covered with polymer canes we made and cut thin. We're calling them Wishing Jars and we have a little instruction card that goes with them telling how to save your wishes in them :)

These two are cell phone charms made from polymer beads I made.

Then, the weekend happened. We picked up one daughter in Murdock and went to 6 basketball games. We had one daughter come home sick from the youth group service trip. We returned one daughter to the service trip and helped the other get well enough to go to camp a day late. Here is what the table looks like now (and has for the last 3 days).Not so inspiring. But it was fun while it lasted. Just now it's inspiring me to organize my craft supplies and put them away so we have a kitchen table again. I threatened last summer that if the kids didn't get along then they wouldn't get their own rooms and I would keep one room for my "craft" room. They were bickering again this morning on the way (back) to camp. Maybe I should . . hmmmmmm.

You've gotta have art!

Look what I found

1. A really cool buy at the local thrift store

And it was only 75 cents. Obviously hand-crocheted by someone. I thought this was soooo cool and carried it all over downtown putting my purchases into it, much to the chagrin of my teenage daughters. Everyone in the shops liked it though. In it now are the shoes for work, also found at the etcetera shop -- for half price -- a whopping $1.50.

2. A cool website

Check this COOL WEBSITE (clickable) out. I've done cake decorating and it really inspires me. I'm trying to think of creative things I can do to earn some extra income and this inspires me to make cakes. I found this through someone else's blog but I can't remember whose.

3. Another inspiration

This e-bay auction! I received a jewelry kiln last year and have been wanting to learn to fuse glass since forever. So I may get a kit or two like this to try it out!

Our older two girls left today on a youth service trip. The house seems pretty quiet already. We'll have to get Erin tomorrow to play basketball this weekend and then will have to pick Em up on Sunday to take her to camp. This is a nearby service trip which is good, I guess. Lots of driving around though. We walked over to the church this morning, me pulling the wagon full of sleeping bags, etc. It was before 8 and it was already VERY MUGGY AND HOT. They are doing service projects at Camp Mennoscah for part of the trip. I know they will be hot. They get to sleep in a/c though, so that will be nice. I'm not used to having two kids gone at the same time. Now that the older two are both in high school that will become more of the norm. Our girls are exactly 40 years younger than my siblings and myself. I was in Ellie's position and I know that soon she will often feel like an only child. I don't think she'll adjust to that as well as I did so it'll be interesting for all of us. I miss the girls when they're gone. I feel like Cher in the movie Mask when Rocky goes away to summer camp and she's blubbering and her boyfriend is writing down what she wants to tell him in a letter. It's pretty funny but sad too. I used to cry every time I'd leave them at camp but I've gotten better about that. Having Erin fly to San Jose with the youth last summer helped. Ok, enough blabbering. Watch for my jewelry creations!!!