nerd day

I wrote these words on the chalkboard, "NERD PICTURES TOMORROW!" And this is how they came to school the next day...

I mean, honestly... they are the most beautiful people. Two months ago, they were high school dropouts. Today, they are setting goals, making plans, understanding algebra, reading books, and adding large amounts of sunshine to my day.

ten things about this weekend

1. It is still hot in south Georgia. Like really hot.
2. We rode bikes for longer than two hours on Saturday.
3. I wore a dress to church that I haven't fit into since two thousand and seven (thank you, p90x!)
4. I spent a large amount of time wondering if I am too old to wear my hair in two braids.
5. I realized that my kids are obsessed with silly bands.
6. I successfully did twenty jumping jacks without a single trickle of pee (thank you, p90x!)
7. Million Dollar Baby is a sad, sad movie.
8. Pumpkin Spice ice cream cones are very necessary (pumpkin spice anything, actually.)
9. Charlie and I talked for a long time about opening a donut shop.
10. We laughed because Charlie had to tell Stella Belle to "get her foot off of her corn on the cob."

we made a map

Sometimes you need to take a whole week during your geography lesson to make a map that is the same size as your wall. It just needs to happen. We know all our states now.

It was a great week at school.

whoa we're half way there

It's called P90X. You've heard of it? Good. It is by far the most ridiculous thing I've ever done. Ever. We wake up at 5:30 am for our hour and a half workout. We eat chicken and egg whites and cucumbers and... well... o yes, water. Today is day 45... half way there (insert intro to "livin on a prayer" by Bon Jovi). Charlie's one and only birthday wish was that we would do P90X together. If he wasn't so darn adorable I might've said no. Here's what I hate about it... 1. no mexican food.  2.waking up at 5:30am  3.the guy on the video thinks he's funny. Here's what I love about it... 1.My jeans are too big. Happy healthy living!

i'm not afraid of you

Weekend project complete. This pretty purple fabric has been staring me in the face from the top shelf of my studio. It's the kind of pretty fabric that I get afraid to cut because I might mess up its prettiness. My fear of cutting pretty fabric comes from two things... 1. I'm not very good at sewing 2. I'm not very good at sewing. I do like experimenting and I LOVE finishing projects. I think this one is a success.

I sewed up the arm holes the first time around and I'll never share how I rigged up the waistband, but all in all it turned out exactly how I imagined. No patterns, no measuring, no finished edges (sorry, mom).

Here's to purple clothes and dinner with friends! Oh, and here's to coffee!

something i love

just thought i would share. happy monday!

do it yourself... screenprinting

Step 1: Draw your design on the dull side of freezer paper (i repeat.. the dull side of FREEZER PAPER. make sure the box says freezer paper. o.k. lets move on) The dull side will not feel slick like the shiny side. After you draw your design, cut it out with scissors or an exacto knife or pocket knife etc. Be careful while cutting. Your design/stencil should look like this...

Step 2: Iron the shiny side (i reapeat... SHINY SIDE) directly onto the shirt and/or clothing that you wish to embellish. Make sure you iron over it several times to ensure that all cuts and openings are secure...

Step 3: Dab fabric paint onto the shirt filling in all the open spaces of your ironed-on stencil.

Step 4: Allow the paint to dry for about 30 minutes, then slowly peel off the freezer paper...

Step 5: Let dry for two hours or more. Finally, iron your shirt (INSIDE OUT) one more time to set the paint. Once the paint is set, it should not wash out.

This is so much less expensive and waaaay more hip than taking your clothes to a screenprinting shop! And who wouldn't want to look super hip on her first field trip of the school year?

long weekend road trip

Did I mention? We love road trips. So we couldn't pass up a quick trip to Fernandina Beach during this dreamy three-day weekend. We went to every book store and toy store and coffee shop. We played on a playground for one hour. We took pictures of the kids next to every pirate and art display and street musician. We listened to Randy Travis on the radio... really loudly.

How did you spend the weekend?

teach them to crochet

My students were feeling defeated earlier this week after a disastrous math test, so we took a while to learn how to crochet. It was nice to see looks of accomplishment and confidence on their faces. Hope your Saturday is breezy and productive! 

i like backpack hooks

I wish you could see mornings at our house. It's sort of like a hurricane, 100 meter sprint, jack-hammer, slow motion, fast forward, rewind, whirlwind experience. My Charlie asked what he could do to help make mornings a little easier for me. After a long pause (trying to narrow down the list to things that are actually humanly possible) I said, "BACKPACK HOOKS! I want backpack hooks." So he put three hooks under a shelf near our front door.

It's perfect. It's calming and comforting to look at the backpacks hanging on the hooks while all the absurdity is happening. Hopefully some of you understand how little things like backpack hooks can be a little slice of much needed sanity in a world of kindergarten, preschool, lunchbox, hair bow, school teacher, sticky syrup, chaos. Amen?