A Bit Of Dance.

So, you know where I have been instead of here? Stage right, watching my girl rehearse for her second dance recital. My, is it busy! 

But so, so fun. 

(The beginnings of my ballet girl embroidery from a few weeks ago.)

I was going to write a bit about my thoughts on performance pressure, competition, negative body image and conformity, and how it all can relate to dance and other traditionally feminine arts and sports. 

I am just not feeling that today. 

The worry is still there somewhere in my heart when I think of her showing a continued interest in learning ballet. But certainly, right now in this supportive dance community I don't fret about any of those things. When I see Minna out there with her friends on stage and waiting with them patiently during long rehearsal hours, all I see and feel is fun. 

(Remember these blue feathers from last year? Tons of fun.)

What Minna remembers most from last year, was dancing with her good friend. So many friendships were formed. I am pretty sure a lot of the older girls at our school have danced together since they were this little. That is pretty special.

I have been amazed at all the growing that happens between age 3 and 4. Longer (but still little) legs, bigger confidence, sweet skipping skills and professional forward rolls.

The tan tights seem so grown up to me too. As does the sassy wolf pup costume. She is happy to get to add it to the dress-up basket after the show.

We have enjoyed watching everything come together with lights and music and sparkles. We also got to see pointe shoes in action for the first time ever. Again, amazed.

  

It's going to be a great show.

***

Now, the following black and whites of my dancer... 

getting ready for practice with her teeny bun...

and grown up tights...

...will be the very last that my old trusty camera will produce. 

It is time to retire it.

More like, it has angrily resigned.

Time to invest in a new one. 

Which will take time.

Until then, I will be front and center this Saturday when my wolf pup takes the stage. With my phone/camera I will take a bunch of fun pictures of yet another fun year of dance on the island.

Have a great Friday!

May One.

According to Sully's calendar that he is using to check off the days until summer, there are 17 days of school left. That's isn't very many. The last month of school for us is quite busy now that all three kids have their own activities and projects going on. Those 17 days will be checked off before I know it.

My own constant activity (surprise) has been embroidery. It's portable for all the games and rehearsals that are happening and I feel like I am getting so much done even with our non-stop schedules. 

I have many finished pieces that need frames. I still need to figure out exactly how I want to frame them. 

Floss everywhere. Just everywhere.

I finished my head.

And several others that are just hanging out.

Adding color with crayon is my new favorite. I love it so much because I still feel like the blackwork is very dominant. Minna wants her butterfly wings to hang in her room. Maybe a pretty green frame?

My second work with color is a sunflower from the ranch. I have been carrying this thing all over the place for days.

Once it is framed up, it will be cropped just like the photograph. I think the cropping is what intrigues me most about creating an embroidery from a photo. That, and the balance with all the open space. It's an entirely different look but feels the same.

A special gift will be on it's way soon. I will share a full frontal when it gets its proper frame. (I really have to remedy this frame problem.) For now, check out my backside...

There are more gifts on the drawing board. Some for teachers and some for friends afar. 

I am also feeling the need to go bigger. So big, that I feel like I might need an overhead projector to get my ideas on fabric. That's big. That would be some big time design transfer fun right there.

So... happy May! 

The days are nice and long and the countdown continues out here.

I like May.

Spring Defined.

Firstly, Spring is defined by even less time, all the way upstairs on the computer fooling with pictures and posting here. Outside is where everything is happening. If it is light out, which is from 6:30am til around 10:00pm right now, I cant justify being at my desk. 

This is when my bedtime starts to get very, very late.

It's also defined by sitting on the deck. In actual chairs just pulled out of storage, and kids forgetting long sleeves.

Spending most of the week in footwear other than boots.

Friend's kites.

Lingering at the beach instead of speed walking right on through because you are frozen.

More park time.

Walking a bit further and having thawed hands for climbing and swinging.

Increased time at the gym for soccer...

 ...and at the dance studio, readying for recitals.

And for me, Spring means color creeping into my blackwork. 

Makes me quite happy.

Easter Weekend.

A glimpse of Easter before it's next Easter.

Going through the weekend's photos I was surprised at how few I had of the boys. Then saddened a bit because I think its because they weren't as excited about the kid stuff that comes with the holiday. They didn't dye many eggs or show a huge interest in hunting them either. We still had fun of course and the boys always help make things special for little sis.

Egg coloring break for handstands. They are learning gymnastics in P.E. right now. Did you get to do gymnastics in school? I didn't! School would have been paradise for me if I had.

Biking after coloring. Hello non-iced road. Hello bikes. We missed you.

We dyed thirty Araucana eggs. They dye so darn beautifully. Never going back to white.

Easter morning baskets were all about mini clip boards, crayons, Lego guys, glitter, a few chocolates and new toothbrushes. (So simple and healthy mouth centered, Easter Bunny.)

Egg hunt and dinner at the fire house. We have had a good run of Jeff being home for holidays. He was on shift for this one.

The kids didn't mind.

Hope you had a lovely egg filled 
weekend with your friends and family too.

this moment

{this moment} - 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. 

A Round A Day-Revisited.

So, remember my crazy year of embroidery when I stitched a 3 inch embroidery every single day?

I do too.

I felt very accomplished but the pressure of EVERY DAY affected me so much, that a break from embroidery totally seemed warranted. 

I jumped into yarn projects and set my floss aside. I was too busy to feel bad about my little hoops and teensy finished pieces stacked on the shelf. They sat in chronological order, for 8 whole months.

Until a friend asked if I would show them and talk about them at the college library. I was assured it would be totally casual, with no need to be nervous.

I was nervous. But agreed. Then I got excited. And started doing some new embroidery. Then got really excited. I pulled down those piles.

Minna helped me sort. We separated them... Flowers. Animal and bugs. Blackwork. Misc.

I hooped my 40 favorites. I love how they look in their hoops. 

The kids had memories of each and every one. The days and times they were stitched came easily to me. Some so vividly, they brought tears.

I printed photos from the blog of a few to display together with their hoops. It was hard to choose just a few.

I started framing some of my new pieces. My year log project was embroidery to photo. My currant project is photo to embroidery, and feels just right.

I needed to find a way to display 365 pieces! Some were hooped. Some were sewn into buntings. Some I stitched to fabric in a big vintage quilters hoop. The rest were left in a basket to dig through and feel.

Two years worth of embroidery was all packed up and whisked into town.

I laid each one out and about 10 times more people came to see them that I had imagined. Including, the newspaper. (Wish I had brought along a stylist and a wind machine.)

I talked all about how I learned embroidery, why I decided to do the 365, and myself. 

The words came smoothly and the conversations so fun and happy. The little pieces of cloth sparked memories in everyone; of art school, grandmother's hands, stitching tortilla napkins in Mexico, hand quilting and canvas embroidery.

It was awesome and everyone was so supportive. (And made me feel a little less crazy for doing it in the first place.) 

Thanks to all, so much, for cheering me on, asking me to show them, coming, seeing and talking to me about these little pieces that created a journal of a year of my life. What an amazing place I live, that gets excited about all forms of art and has no problem putting embroidery on the front page.

Pretty darn neat.