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A few years ago Ethan coined the word 'congraduate', cleverly combining the words 'congratulation' and 'graduate'. We have corrected him a considerable amount of times, but somehow this newism has stuck. And I have to admit, I sort of like it. It deftly streamlines the need to congratulate a graduate, which, as many of you know, is just so Ethan. I mean, why say two words when you can say one instead and still manage to infer the same sentiment and information. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone. Or if you are Ethan, thinking about killing two birds with one stone but convincing your brother to do if for you so that you can just lounge back and reap the rewards of a scheme well thought up.
This week, we had a doozy of a congraduation around these here parts. That's right, Finn has congraduated from Kindergarten to Grade One - or from K to REAL SCHOOL.
So excited we couldn't even get a clear image.
Mrs. S, we will miss you!
Finn and Mr. A, bbf.
My boys....
Big D and Finn, two peas in a pod.
Finn and his longest buddy, they are quite a pair, as you can see.
I can't believe the whole year is done! It went by so fast. Now, onward and upward. Grade one? Here we come.
Camping weekend. Cast of characters:
Jessie, the wonder dog. Eight months, chocolate lab. Love.
Pocahontas.
A rare and mysterious forest creature. Looks a tad dangerous.
The extremely common, if new to me, 'spider dog'. Apparently only allowed out in mixed company during camping excursions.
Here's a closer look.
A Blue Bird? A Blue Jay? A wild Amazonian Crested Blue Finch? No? Okay. I don't know for birds.
My husband, pretending he doesn't notice my camera. I'm NOT FOOLED!
A very rare cabbage patch dolly. Not indigenous to the forest.
And a not so rare camping squirrel.
Good times. Good friends. Good food. WAAAAYYYY too much laundry.
Remember last week I blogged about making lounge pants for my girlfriends birthdays? I have been playing catch up. Severely behind is an understatement. I made three pairs of pyjama bottoms last week out of yummy vintage sheets because I have missed birthdays for my girls since January. People! This is a travesty of some kind, isn't it?
Today, I caught up one more of those 'I'm going to get around to that' things. A dress for a wee girlie who is four months plus old. I saw this cute dress on Made By Rae - to give credit where credit is due - and it turned out just as it was supposed to. I love this little green apple print. It just makes me happy.
Now, onward and upward to conquer all the other projects I've put off for the last, oh, say, 2 years. I'm am slowly digging myself out and it feels so good.
Oh, right, I was going to exercise and log it here. Okay, let's qualify that with 'staaarrrtttting, NOW'. Today, today I will exercise and log it here. Yesterday I had a busy day and just didn't have time. Really. I taught art class in the morning. Had a meeting, did an errand or two, fed the kids and the dog, and then sewed three long awaited overly belated birthday gifts for my girlies. I was three gifts behind!
Sadly this is the only evidence left of the lounge pants I made for C, J, and P. I was pushing it to the limit to make three pairs from start to finish in an afternoon but I managed to do so. AND write birthday cards for each of them. Phew! Glad that's out of the way.
Now to tackle ONE of my to-do piles.
And exercise.
And unload the dishwasher.
And conquer the monstrous mountain of laundry.
And....sigh.....hotcha! I'll dig myself out eventually.
I'm committing to exercise again. How many time have I done this? Too many to count. Once again I'm there, admitting that lately (read: the last year) I've been a total slacker in this department and I CAN TELL! Which can really mean only one thing - I have to get off my ass in order to lose some of it.
So for the next two weeks I'm going to double up my cardio with some sort of toning exercise and LOG IT HERE so that I am forced to actually do what I say I'm going to do. Because you know us flaky artsy types. We've got big plans, BIG plans but not a whole lotta follow through.
Ugh, I'm feeling the pain already.
On a totally different note, I saw one of my purses yesterday. I made it about 3 years ago and it was given to this lady as a gift and holy cow #1) it's still intact (relief) and #2) she still uses it all the time(!) and gets compliments on it(!!). I can't tell you why, exactly, but this thrills me. I have such a hard time knowing if what I create has any appeal. I want to believe that it does, but somehow I don't trust that it does. I don't trust that what I love others will love also. Which, I know, is ridiculous, because some people will totally find my style their cup of tea and others won't and that's okay. I don't know why I spend so much time worrying about something as subjective as personal taste. I'm dorky like that, I suppose.
Also, I realized something the last few days. I spent some time sorting fabric in my stash and getting rid of one huge ol' pile of scraps that I inherited and realized I would never use. I sent off Carley's quilt (may it float home on angel's wings) AND I saw that purse I made 3 years ago. I have this weird obsession about my paintings - I feel loathe to part with them and feel a loss for them even years and years after. I feel a very similar thing for my writing - I have this obsessive need to look at what I've done over and over. I sort of have this weird feeling that my paintings and writings aren't really mine and so if I look at them enough then maybe I'll recognize them as mine? And also, this really silly fear that I will never be able to duplicate or reproduce such work again. Like the minute I put down my paint brush I'm convinced that I could never paint like that again, and therefore it's some weird fluke that I even did it in the first place. I know, clearly I have issues. Somehow though, I don't feel that way about stuff I sew. I have obsessions about my fabric. I feel loathe to cut into certain 'gems', especially if they are vintage mostly because I don't want to waste them. I want to know that I'm using things for the right projects. Once they are done though, I'm perfectly fine letting them go. Even the quilt, which is by far the most significant and imposing project I've worked on, which would make me think that I would be supremely attached to it and yet off it goes today and I'm excited to see it go.
At least I'm aware of it I suppose. But still, kind of confounding.
Okay. Enough talk, off to exercise.
