toddler art

Toddler art today. Enchanting. This job is such a challenge for me because I cannot STAND for people to see my artwork in progress. I like to go through several stages of texture and garbledy goopy-ness before it actually starts to look like anything recognizable. Since I'm working at a preschool, and since I have 130 little artists... the art is everywhere in the hallway drying all the time. It does actually make me laugh on the inside when the other teachers walk by and look for a minute and say, "awww... that is cute. looks like you are having fun." Translation... "O my gosh that is hideous! You have no idea what you are doing AND if my child brought that home I would put it right in the trash can." Anyway, the finished product will be fabulous, but we're still a LONG way from that. I love watching the kids paint. I love playing with painter's tape. I love today. Dear Autumn, welcome. Please stay for a long time. Love, Me.

raise em right

So Millie G. learned about Adam and Eve in her class at preschool. The project was to give Adam and Eve clothes made out of leaves. However, Millie G.'s teacher expressed to me that it was far more important to Millie G. that Adam and Eve had SHOES... not clothes. She finally (against her will) clothed the poor people... but not without giving them little leaf shoes first. At least she has her priorities in order. 

what a mess

Sometimes... things get messy. They get nasty too. So what does an artist do with a mess? Well, she drinks deep from the well of her inspiration and she starts cleaning up. Here's a quote for the week ahead... I'm not afraid of this mess.

i love weekends

Words to describe today... Alarm clock, run, shower, Little Dean dominating soccer, crafts with Millie G., garage sale preparations, Survivor Season 2 on Netflix, hours of Calligraphy on my sister's wedding invitations, date night, coffee, happy and not sad. Here are some pictures...

slow

Hope you're having a big huge purple sparkly bow kind of thursday. It's a busy day around here... catching up on everything since I was sick for a few days. Think it's time for another coffee break. I love coffee so much... maybe too much. o.k. here are a few photos to get you inspired today!

good morning fall

In honor of the first day of my favorite season... I made a little apron dress. Since the long awaited "cold front" came through south Louisiana last night and this morning it's a low 87 degrees... it still feels like summer. When (or if) it finally cools off here I will pair this dress with a long sleeved T underneath or a light pink cardigan. Millie G. loves it and wanted to wear it to school today. I'm sure a day will come when she won't be so eager to wear my little "experiments" in public. Until that day... I just put on her shoes, slap a flower in her hair and smile because she feels like a princess in something that I created. Aaaaannnndddd she has no idea that I really am not very good at sewing. Anyway, happy fall! Make some pumpkin bread why don't ya!

it had to happen sometime

He hasn't stopped talking about it. "Mom, I saw a tiger... a real one in a cage. And then we got 6 points and then we got 2 and Dad gave me a high five! And we ate chocolate ice cream and we said "Go Tigers" and I saw all the football players and I saw a tiger... a real one..." Precious.

sick and tired

I've been sick since Thursday afternoon with some kind of achy, snotty, throaty, dizzy, yucky sickness. So here's a list of things that I did NOT do this weekend...

1. Excercise

2. Put on makeup

3. Change my children out of their pajammers

4. Work on my quilt

5. Breathe with my mouth closed

However, I did manage to make these felt flower hair clippies while the kids played for hours in the playroom. It was an easy project that didn't require too much movement, brain power or materials. Hope your weekend was well!

toddler art

I teach toddler art classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is magical. The creativity is honest, the art is unique. Toddlers never worry about being different or messy or rumpled or disastrous. They simply paint and smile and admire their work. Dear toddler artists, thank you for teaching me today.

need a moment

If your husband comes home thirty minutes early from work on his bicycle (which he rides every day in the Baton Rouge heat... rain or shine) and starts offering to clean up while you "go to the store real quick," it can only mean one thing... he's invited people over for dinner. So off I go the grocery market with my friend, little Dean. Since little Dean gave up watching the end of Sid the Science Kid to shop with me, I decided to get him (and me) a little treat. At the Starbucks drive-thru I ordered a tall soy latte (for me) and a vanilla frappuccino (no coffee, please) for little Dean. I handed the "milkshake" to him and heard something very unusual in the back seat... silence. Just sipping and smiling and after about 5 minutes a whisper "this is awesome." I started laughing so loud (really... is there any other way to laugh? no.) It was a precious moment. Anyway, we had a stupendous dinner with some nice friends that we've been praying will soon discover this Hope by which we live.

working

Hello friends! Here are a few of my latest creations...

first day of school

Little Dean began 4 day pre-K big kid school today. Millie g. goes 2 days a week to preschool and baby Stella Belle goes 2 days a week to Mother's Day out. What does all this mean for me? It means that every Tuesday I drop the kids off in the carpool line and pull out of the school parking lot with no kids... i repeat... NO KIDS in the car! I'll be teaching art at the preschool on Wednesdays and Thursdays so Tuesday is well... to be honest... my favorite day of the week. It's quiet and perfect.

Anyway, they were so excited about starting school this morning. They helped make lunch and pack it up in their backpacks. Then they wore their backpacks around the house for about 45 minutes while they ate breakfast and got in the car. Adorable. ps... Millie G.'s dress is made out of an old shirt of mine that I never wear. I trimmed it down and added a plain white tank to the top. Yay for school! Yay for the end of a long hot summer!

priorities

So I made a pillow... and curtains to match! I sat down this morning and made a list of all the most important things that MUST get done before my in-laws arrive tomorrow. The curtains were at the bottom of the list and the pillow was not on the list at all. Cleaning floors and bathrooms were at the top... which I'm doing now (at 10:40pm). I had tons of fabric left over from the chair (2 posts ago) and it was practically begging to be turned into something... how could i resist? O well... have a nice weekend and create something out of some scrap fabric! ok?

hello september

Let's talk about things that are making me happy on the first of September. Number one... it's a concoction at the gelato shop with one shot espresso and one scoop white chocolate gelato, and Charlie bought me one after breakfast today... heaven help us! So good. Number two... lunch with Jamee B... special.

Number three... dinner at home with lots of friends and kids and noise and mess and wonderfulness. Speaking of wonderfulness... Miss Carrie D. joined us for dinner and, well, love her. Happy autumn. It's been a long summer, but the cool breeze is coming!