It's my birthday...

I really wasn't expecting anything, but my three year olds had a little surprise for me yesterday...

Each child came in with a different flower that morning.

And then they gave me this:

It says,

~ I love Ms. Lydia because she plays with her toys with me. ~ I love Ms. Lydia because she paints with me. ~ I love Ms. Lydia because she lets me catch dinosaurs outside with a bag and a stick. ~ I love Ms. Lydia ‘cause she makes my projects. She do’s it right now with paper. She helps me get the stickers on. She holds me. She smells good. ~ I love Ms. Lydia because I love to watch her paint. ~ I love that Ms. Lydia plays with me and I really love her diamond shoes! Oh and we both have curly hair. ~ I love to paint with Ms. Lydia. WEEEEEE! ~ I love Ms. Lydia because she gives me Big hugs! I love Ms. Lydia because she is so nice. ~ I love Ms. Lydia because she picks me up – one time she did. I give her hugs; she’s nice and she likes to teach me to sing to her; she helps us put the trains on the tracks; I love her because I kiss her on the cheek and I love her because Ms. Lydia loves Sam.

I love all my kids, indeed I do.

Pre-School Projects

I mentioned before that our pre-school is working on a Great Artists unit. There is a curriculum already in place, but I am kind of feeling the need to veer of the beaten path. We'll see how it goes, but I do like the what my kiddos have produced so far.

Inspired by Georgia O'Keefe's flower paintings, especially my favorite, the poppy.


A photo I took in Connecticut last June.


Poppy, by Georgia O'Keefe


Poppy painting by a 3-year-old. Salt watercolor background with acrylic.

My 2-year olds made a marble painting the other day.




I think it looks like Alpha-Pi, by color-field painter Morris Louis.

This Little Light of Mine...

Oh well...

Crafting in Cowboy Boots

Birthday Season has begun! I kicked it off by buying my first pair of cowboy boots!

Aren't they great? They fit so well and feel so good, they were meant to be mine. I bought them at Dolly Python, a great store for vintage treasures.

Sew... I crafted this weekend with friends... among other things.

We decided to make the string orb light fixtures featured on the cover of this month's Ready Made.

All it took was some crochet thread, balloons and some patience.

(Note for next time: It's a good idea to use a different color thread than your balloon.)

Next, came the glue. Actually we used my favorite product: Stiffy!

The finished product the way we left them last Friday.

My balloon is third from the left. It actually fell and is covered with crumbs of crushed leaves. I think it adds texture, and I renamed it "Earth ball." I heard that mine didn't make it. It deflated, but I hear the others are nice. I hope to go check them out later tonight...

My friends are great volunteers. I tagged along with Marianne this weekend to make costumes for the Garland Civic Theatre's upcoming production Mary Stuart.

The costumes are Elizabethan... Here is one of the skirts.

I sewed the hooks and eyes on these Elizabethan collars.

Skirt 4 in action:

Two Reasons I Love January 8

Born this day in 1935:

Elvis Aaron Presley.

Born this day in 1947:

David Robert Jones, aka David Bowie.

Repost

I'm reposting an entry, because (A) I'm wearing the shirt from that day, (B) I always remember this day when I wear it, and (C) I just talked to my friend Melissa in Mexico. She is missing her hubby. And... it makes such a difference to play with the color and size of the fonts.

Aren't they great? I snatched this picture on our trip to Mayto. That was a good time... These are two of the nicest people you could hope to ever meet. They are so positive, so in love, and such a great team, as you can see.

I miss Mexico. I miss my friends. I've been away way too long.

Originally posted: January 12, 2008
Pitillal & some things I (HEART) about MEXICO

There are some really great things that I love about Mexico.
Here are just a few great moments from yesterday:

1) Love notes from my students:


2) Teeny-tiny skirts, singing and dancing:

Their song went like this: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ! They sang at the top of their lungs of course!

3) Escaping with friends to Pitillal:

Pitillal is a nearby town; any green bus will take you there. There is a town square with inexpensive shops all around. Many locals come to Pitillal to do their shopping here because the prices are so great. It's very Mexican and not so touristy.

4) Funny stuff:

Need a baby Jesus? How about an aquarium? Or both?

5) Inexpensive shopping:

This store sells skirts AND tacky cock fighting shirts...
Coming soon, the Cock Fighting Shirt Skirt!

6) Enjoying a beer and watching the sunset from a rooftop restaurant in Pitillal.

Pitillal: where I had the best guacamole, found 3 peso Virgin Mary earrings, and tasted the worst cotton candy I have ever had in my life!

I HEART Mexico!

Still Planning...

We are starting our Great Artists unit with the little ones tomorrow, so today is still a day of planning. I'm pretty excited as this is my area of expertise. This morning on my way to work, I had a thought, and an idea:
C O L O R

Morning Musings...

It's back to work today, and there's plenty to do. I set a lofty goal for myself, not to buy anything new in the new year. I set some other goals, but as I heard those around me confidently declare this year's destiny, I just kept my mouth shut. I've been down that road before, and what I've learned is that things never work out as planned. This may sound cliche, but they work out for the best, often better than what we planned for ourselves.

I have to remember that. That, and to take things day by day, after all that's all we have at any given time. So, even though I'm swarmed with things TO DO, things I want to accomplish, and my list keeps growing and growing, I'll just plan to show up and get it done.

In the image and iconography of my great friend, and fellow Cappie, The King, Elvis Presley:



TCB baby!

Hilarious

Last night I stumbled upon Cake Wrecks, a hilarious blog about B A D professional cakes. It's awesome.

~Enjoy!

My options...

Because it's always good to have options; some people call it Plan B. I went thrifting yesterday, I found a skirt, that I love and I can wear considering the current beautiful weather we are having, but that skirt is for another post. Maybe tomorrow, if I ever get off the couch and get the laundry started. I bought a dress at House of Dang! and that's when my problems ensued...

This is a dress that I saw a couple of months back at an independent store in Austin. But yesterday, when I saw it at House of Dang! and it was on sale, I knew I had to get it. (I have a birthday and a wedding to attend in the next two weeks.) I don't have much information on the designer, Méline, other than she is local, living in Plano, and scheduled to appear in the upcoming PIN show. I love it!
But, I think it needs something...

That's better, but not really the look I'm going for...

Maybe Donna Karen and yellow pants?

H E L P !

Thank goodness for friends. I rang in the new year with my dress and a little accessorizing and stylizing by Steph. The session started something like this, "Let me tell you what I learned from watching America's Next Top Model..."

In the end, my accessories got the best of me.


Did you eat your black eyed peas today? I did.
Here's my version of Hoppin' John:

Here's to 2009!