HELLOmynameisHeather

Inaugural Scuffs

To tap things off this month, I started my dance class.  I'm on tap of the world, the tap dog, at the tap of my class, tap o' the mornin' to ya... tap that one.  Good grief.

What a great leg-workout, and hokey and fun to boot.  Imagine stomping about on a wooden floor to a song called Carrot Stew, a dance that conjures picnic plaids, poofy skirts, pantalettes, and pig tails.  Sure, I'll start with clogging, but I'll need to add true tap dancing at some point if I'm to continue my rappity-clackity-dancity-fantasy. 

Watch Eleanor Powell go.  That ain't no clogging costume either. 

It would be extra cool to mix tapping with swing dancing. Oh if I had nothing else to do than dance all day.   

Through the Tunnel

OMGoodness!  What a whirlwind month.  We've managed both of our kids' birthdays, a wedding anniversary, a house hunt with/for my sister & her family, a new office/warehouse hunt for Trash Ties, a Creative Escape project design (fun!), a raised garden bed for the backyard, a snow-camping adventure, and a monster sinus infection.  That's on top of the regularly-scheduled programming around the studio. 

Elijah is now 12 and Charlotte turned 4 yesterday.  Let me say, twelve is a big one to absorb as a parent -- how did that happen!?!  His cub paw hardly fits in my hand anymore.  Four is a little crazy too.  Especially when you're four-year-old speaks as well as an eight-year-old and has a snappy, sophisticated sense of humor.  My mom calls her Scarlett Bailey for her salty coquetry.  Sugary treats aren't nearly as tasty without a pinch of salt.

Just yesterday, when my mom asked Charlotte what she'd like to eat for her birthday dinner, Charlotte replied, "Nothing."  Then, when she saw a twinge of disappointment in my mother's face for her lack of an answer, Charlotte continued with a devlish smile, "Barf would be good!" 

My mom and Charlotte had a good laugh over that one.  Mom loves Charlotte's sassiness, so she gets a good helping of it.  In the end, Charlotte chose hot dogs and strawberry lemonade, with cauliflower and "green olives that taste like black ones" on the side -- in combination, far better than Mac N Cheese alone, which was the runner-up menu.

One Shingle at a Time

Isaac's back on his feet and back to work on Charlotte's dollhouse.  It was a crafty day all around.  Isaac shingled the dollhouse for hours, while Elijah built his first model airplane.  Charlotte looped velvet ribbons and string back and forth across my studio, while I sketched and painted new fabrics.  No computers, no Nintendo DS's, no Gameboys, Wiis or XBoxes, just some old-fashioned, creative, use-your-mind fun.  It was a good day.