It seems a bit silly to share Halloween almost a week after the event, but I will anyways- if only for posterity's sake. My time at the computer lately has been a bit sporadic, but for the best of reasons- I've been busy creating! My to-do piles have been eyeing me lately and I feared they just might open up and swallow me whole (ha). In all seriousness I have some serious holiday crafting ahead, but first there are more immediate, half-finished (ahem) projects to pay attention to. I have lots of sharing ahead- including the gesso goodness Isia was just working on this morning- but first let's take a look at our Halloween, shall we?
As promised, here's what we created out of our glittery finger paint (here). I traced leaves on Isia's finger painting, cut the leaves out and hung them over our table. The clothespins allow for quick centerpiece change-outs! Then there was Jack, named by Isia. He was created by Isia and I- she dictated the details while I cut him out of construction paper. She enjoyed him immensely, saying goodbye to him when we left and greeting him when we got back.
Finally there was Halloween! Isia woke up to a little note- with stickers and Dora Halloween coloring pages inside. Last Halloween she wasn't sure what trick-or-treating was, but this year she knew. Her costume went on with nary a fuss. Billy was Charlie Brown- I got the idea when I picked up that little vest for him last spring- and she was Lucy complete with white tights and black patent Mary Jane's. The mask was a last-minute addition that I wasn't sure she would use, but she did a great job of holding it up to ask "trick or treat." And all those treats? A few were saved for her (and a few for Mama), but the majority was traded in at Noodles & Company for a small bowl of mac & cheese. Isn't that a brilliant idea? There was a little stomping of feet to accompany the handing-it-over, but well worth it!
"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."
(words and inspiration via Soulemama.com)
. . . . . . . .
(Sometimes life brings you spilled soup!)
Sometimes my independently minded three-year-old gives me the honor of creating a project alongside her. While there are often many directives to follow- "Mama, use that yellow not this one." "Mama, paint something over here."- it's helpful for me to glimpse into how she creates with others. And also gives me a fruitful glimpse into how I create with her. For this artwork she began with glittery hand prints (see more about glittery finger paint, here). Then she asked me to join her...
and I began to paint in the spaces left in-between. She wondered what I was doing, and I explained to her that I was painting in the negative space. I explained her hand prints are positive space, where a picture is. And that the space around the picture is called negative space.
So then she began painting in the negative space too. Painting around the hand prints and in-between the fingers. Adding her own designs to the paint with her fingernails.
Until it was done and ready to be displayed. While I worked alongside her I wondered, Am I really as hands-off as I aspire to be? Do I let her dictate the process and materials? Do I interject words where there should be silence, a sentence when only a word or two is needed? The same questions that usually go through my mind as I watched her little hands move across the paper. Questions that continue to help me grow as a teacher, and as a Mama too.
Today I'm...
...cooking (another) batch of lentil soup. Ah, soup- where all of our leftover veggies find a good home!
...sipping on hot tea to keep myself warm and awake after a long night of restless Billy.
...wishing that my son wasn't quite so enthusiastic about teething- two molars at once, really?
...laughing at sleepless me for putting Friday's trash out (last night).
...eyeing the pile of fabric that is laundered and ironed and ready for sewing!
...wondering how much of a cushion cover I can sew before napping kiddos wake up?
...anticipating out-of-town friends who'll arrive for Halloween tonight before we take them to the airport tomorrow.
...remembering that I need to go put the finishing touches on Isia's costume.
Wishing a Happy Halloween to you & yours!
While making these cards I realized (once again) how quickly our kids are growing up. Thinking of making this card, I took for granted that an outline of Billy's foot should fit nicely on the piece of paper. But as I was gluing the outline of Billy's foot onto the black piece of paper, I realized that we really didn't have much room to spare. And then I started to think about how next year his foot would take up most of the card, and then, well, the years to come after that. So then I had to stop and go sneak a peek at his lovely rosy napping self- before reminding myself that naps last for only so long and I had cards to make!
I used white construction for the ghosts and black construction paper for the background. I then wrote in gold maker:
Happy Halloween from our littlest ghost* to you!
Love, Cory, Cassie, Isia & Billy
*Billy's footprint, 14 mo.
Now I'm sure everyone probably figured out right away that the ghost was really Billy's foot, but I wanted to make sure so I included the foot-note. I'm a bit limited on sleep these days due to Billy's first molars, so I'm not sure if I would realize that the ghost was a footprint. So I guess, really, the foot-note's just for me (smile).
