Serious Play

Spring Break

So, we are on Spring Break this week.

 

I have had my two nephews for the week while my sister is on a Mediterranean cruise! I want to be with her in Europe, but I am also glad to be able to help her out by looking after her boys.

Our week was full. We built a city with cardboard, played hoops in the basement as well as mini hockey, drew treasure maps, did various crafts, read books... I forget what it is like to have to be 'on' all day since my girls are now teenagers.

The picture above is when we went on a scavenger hunt along the Glenmore reservoir. I had a list of things to see, hear, smell, touch and we checked off each item as we discovered it. The boys each had their own little scavenger hunt journals and they kept track by drawing the items that they found.

Along the route, we came upon a playground and the boys played hard for nearly and hour. Funny how they gravitate to the puddles and sticks. I forgot that too. Although girls are very different from boys, as I was clearly reminded this week.

The boys went to Gramma's house today. As I wash the fingerprints off my walls and pick up scraps of cardboard from under the kitchen table, I smile. Even if for a short time, I was able to share life with them and pour my love on them.

...and of course was filled up in return.  8-)

 

 

 

 

Half Marathon Training :: LO

So, I am training for a half marathon.

 

My cousin, Richelle, posted on Facebook at the beginning of the month that she was running in a half marathon. I totally admired her for it. I have always wanted to run a marathon.

I texted her, "Oh, next time let me know and I will do it with you."

She replied with, "It's not until May, you still have time to train and join me."

That made me stop. I didn't even know what a half marathon involved.

So, I looked it up...13 miles!

I can't do that much. I haven't run long distance in a very long time. But I love running. And I have always wanted to do it. And I am not getting any younger...

So I said yes...at least, I will train towards it and let Richelle know in a few weeks if I will do it.

Well, this week I finally registered, so it's official.

I am training to run in a half marathon in May.

 

NOTE: Sorry for the terrible pic of the LO. It was taken in my hallway at 9pm, just to get posted for today! 

 

 

 

Notes From Home Mini Album

So, I could not send my daughter off to Cuba without making her something!

 

The week leading up to her departure, I was working on a little album full of notes for Ashley so that while she is away, she can read notes from those who love her back home.

I assembled 14 envelopes to match the number of days that she will be away. I used the machine that we have at school to punch and bind them all with a front and back cover. I am not sure what the name of the machine is, but you may recognize the little plastic spiral from your own children's school writing projects.

 

Over a couple of days, I put some thoughts together for Ashley. Some were words of encouragement, some were challenges, some were things to take note of while in Cuba, some were areas that she could grow in while on her trip. 

I printed out these ideas on cardstock and trimmed them to 4x4.

 

I also gathered a quote for each day, which I hand-wrote on the back of each note. Some were about travel, journey, courage, work, growth, etc.

 

Then I slipped one note card in each envelope, stamped it, added a punched scalloped circle and the date. The idea is that she will open one envelope a day.

There are a few surprises for her too. I was able to gather notes from other family members who love her...her dad, grandma and papa, her sister, one from a friend at school. I know that she was expecting notes from me, but I am almost positive that she will be surprised and blessed to read notes from everyone else too!

 

On the back of each envelope I stamped a little saying with word stamps that I have collected from Michaels.

 

I know that the long, hot days of digging and assembling this playground will wear on Ashley, as this is not just a beach holiday, but a working holiday. I am hoping and praying that she stays strong in her spirit and body and that these little notes from home will be just what she needs each day.

 

I already miss her like crazy...

 

 

 

 

 

Off To Cuba

So, my youngest is off to Cuba.

 

She went with her school's Mission Team to build a playground for children in an orphanage. She has been counting down the days and this last week nearly did her in. She has such a big heart and so badly wants to help others.

Ashley went with a great group of kids who want to share God's love through their service to others.

They will be gone for 14 days.

I know she will come back changed.

God Bless you Baby!

 

 

 

Breathing Normally Again

So, the girls' high school play is over.

 

It has been the center of our lives for more than a couple of weeks. This week has actually felt a little strange with so much 'extra time'. Or rather, time to catch up on all the other things that were being put on the back burner due to the Cinderella play.

The girls poured their hearts and souls into this play and I couldn't be more proud. Jessica was the head stage manager. Her responsibilities included 

• scheduling and running rehearsals

• communicating the director's wishes to cast and crew (approximately 60 people in all)

• coordinating the work of the stage crew

• calling cues and actors' entrances during performance

• overseeing the entire show each time it is performed

During the rehearsal phase, stage managers also

• mark out the dimensions of the set on the floor of the rehearsal hall

• make sure rehearsal props and furnishings are available for the actors

• notify the designers and crafts people of changes made in rehearsal

•  records all blocking, plus all the light, sound and set change cues, in a master copy of the script called the prompt book

• work out a smooth and efficient plan for the stage crew to follow during set changes. Furniture and prop plans for complicated sets are drawn up by the stage manager and technical designer to show exactly where the furniture and props are to be positioned on stage at the beginning of each scene and sometimes in the wings.

As you can see, she had a lot of responsibility. 

Ashley was the Head of Costumes. Because this was a period play, the costumes were very specific and could not be handmade (at least not with our small school budget). So, she had to oversee the rental of the costumes and then all of the alterations necessary to accommodate each of the individual actors...and there were about 30 actors! Even during the day of Opening Night, she was still making adjustments and solving issues for the cast members.

Over the past four months, the girls had rehearsals after school on an average of 3 times per week as well as all day on the Saturdays. The last two days before the play opened, they spent roughly 14 hours working at school on the play.

Oh, but what a glorious result! My husband and I attended on Opening Night, along with the girls' grandparents, and we were blown away. It meant so much to me to see it all come together, knowing the time and effort that everyone had put in, the problems that had to be ironed out, the unexpected surprises and realizations that arose and the intricacies of working with teenagers.

There was no photography allowed during the presentation, but being a teacher at the school, I am going to get my hands on the pictures taken by the tech crew at some point! So, I have no pictures to share now, but as soon as they are in my possession, I will share them here.

On the final night, Jessica presented roses (pictured above) to all of the teachers involved. And she, in return was honoured with flowers as well.

It is a good thing that our Spring Break begins this coming week as we all need to recuperate and destress from the play, but at the same time, we will look back on this experience as a highlight of our girls' last days in high school.

 

 

 

 

 

U of C Information Night

So, this fall my daughter is going to the same university I attended.

 

It doesn't seem like 20 years ago! But I guess since I have been teaching for 17 years already, it is entirely possible. Wow, time flies.

Last night we attended an information night at the university. I felt 20 years younger visiting my old stomping grounds. It sure brought back a lot of memories...all good ones!

 

I am excited for Jessica to make this transition from high school to post secondary education. I remember it being such a freeing experience. I felt so grown up. I was making my own decisions about everything.

Having grown up on the farm, this was quite a transition for me to come to the big city. But I remember loving every minute of it. I looked forward to going home to my parents during the holidays, but I loved having my independence too.

And now, I want those same positive feelings for my daughter. I want her to see how she is in control of her life, and not to be apprehensive, but to embrace the opportunity that this transition brings. I want her to feel the freedom and feel that she is entering adulthood and feel that she can do anything.

...and we will be right here to support and love her.

 

 

 

DIY :: Confetti Envelope

So, I have been making confetti envelopes.

 

There seem to be a lot of confetti projects in Blogland lately. Some of the bloggers whose projects have grabbed my attention are:

Marcy Penner

Gluestick Girl

Under Scarlet Bird's Wing

She Makes Stuff...

My Creative Life

 

To begin, I found a little package of mini punches at the dollar store.

 

I am a bit of a hoarder of my papers. And I do tend to keep all the little scraps. So this is the perfect way to use them all up!

I punched a variety of shapes and colours to get a nice mix of confetti.

 

Then I pulled out a few of my larger circle punches from Stampin' Up. Being larger, these circles allow a little more of a colour punch in the mix.

 

 

Most of the transparent envelopes I have seen lately are glassine envelopes, but I did not have one on hand, so I pulled from my stash a piece of velum...do you remember that stuff? I haven't used it in years, but I knew I had some somewhere (remember the hoarder thing?)

To make the envelopes, I used a tracing template from a variety pack that I purchased years ago at Walmart. You can see the purple template in the pic below. 

I simply traced the template with pencil, cut it out, and assembled the envelope by folding in the appropiate places and using my Tombow roller adhesive to secure it all.

 

 Finally, I added the variety of confetti inside my velum envelope and gave it a little shake to mix it nicely.

 

Once the confetti was inside, I sealed the top of the envelope shut with adhesive.

At this point, I was less than impressed to see all of the confetti gather at the bottom of the envelope. So, I came up with a little trick. I simply selected a few of the confetti pieces and adhered them into place on the inside of the envelope! This way, other confetti will catch on those adhered pieces and remain in place.

Have to say, I like the end result!

 

 These little envelopes would look nice adorning a scrapbook layout or a card.

 

 

 

Starbucks Cup Mini Album

 

So, I finally have my completed Starbucks Cup Mini Album to share with you today!

 

When these adorable cups came out around Valentine's Day, I was enamoured. I knew that I wanted to make the cup into something for keeps. That is when the idea for a mini album hit me.

So I went to work, making this album and problem-solving along the way.

Before assembling the album, I had adhered vintage book papers to the pages and then painted over them with gesso to make them more faded.

 

NOTE:  If you are interested in learning how to make this mini album, you can visit my tutorial.

 

I began by sizing my photos in Photoshop to 3 x 2in and printing them at home on an 8.5 x 11in photo sheet.

I trimmed all my photos, leaving a thin white border on three sides and a wider border at the bottom to resemble a Polaroid photo.

Before adhering the photos, I embellished each page with washi tape, glitter hearts tape (from Michaels), and some gold glitter.

 

Originally, when I made the album, I did not have a specific purpose. Then, as my Mom's birthday approached, I decided this little album would be just perfect as a gift for her.

And I filled it with photos of all her family who love her dearly.

I really am pleased with how it turned out. I am going to make another one too, since I asked my family to save me their cups when they were finished with them. If you do not have this Valentine's Day cup, you could use a cup with the original Starbucks design, or any paper cup for that matter.

Again, if you are interested in learning how to make this mini album, you can visit my tutorial at Squidoo.

 

If you do make your own album, please let me know! I would love to hear what you do with it...

Consumed

So, I have been consumed lately with my girls' upcoming high school play.

 

I volunteered to take over the construction and decoration of Cinderella's carriage.

So, I've been painting...

And doing papier mache...

 

And hot glueing tulle and bows...

And repeatedly going out to purchase numerous crafting supplies...

 

I am so proud of my girls who are right there leading and directing!

And it is all worth it when I catch a rehearsal scene which gives me goosebumps...

The play is next week. Everyone is so excited.

 

Having said all that, I have not been in my own craft room working on my own projects. This means that the Starbucks mini album that I shared a Sneak Peak of, is not blog-ready. And I probably will not get to it this week. My apologies.

 

 

Layout :: Wondering

So, this layout comes on the heels of my OLW post last week.

 

This is where I am right now. It consumes my thoughts.

So good to hear in the comments that there are others out there who can relate.

 

For this layout, I used map paper from an atlas for the lettering. I opened Photoshop and typed the Blackout font to spell the word wondering, then reversed the letters (mirror image) before printing them on the back of my map paper. I do not have a Silhouette Cameo machine, so I cut my letters by hand. I like how they blend in a bit to the background.

I have seen so much confetti in the blogland lately, that I decided to try my own take on it. I trimmed two pockets from baseball card page protector, filled them with confetti punched from scrap paper and then used a zigzag stitch with my sewing machine to tack it closed. I like how they just sort of float around in the pockets.

Both of the pics are taken with Instagram.