Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

  

I love the fall.  I hear it's on the way, although it's sometimes hard to tell in North Texas.   Last week it was 100 degrees one day.  As I sat in my car waiting for school to be out, I watched my 6 year old run like lightning on the playground, darting at rapid speeds with her classmates, hollering, chasing, laughing, faces bright red and drenched with sweat.  The summer of 2010 is going out with a bang, but I guess when you're in first grade, recess is recess, and you can't let a little heat get you down.


The start of school has brought big adjustments for our family.  My daughter is at a new school, and for the first time, she's in school all day.  And also for the first time in 6 years, I have buckets of time to myself, and I can't say I'm always that thrilled about it.  I miss my girl.  This from the mom who was about to go mad at the end of the summer, as my daughter and I were both ready to strangle each other from so much togetherness! And now it feels she's just GONE.  Though I have a To Do list a mile long, I can't seem to figure out what to do with myself just yet.  It's as if I've blinked my eyes and my baby's growing up.  The transition for both of us so far has not always been so smooth, neither one of us are big fans of change.  Annie loves many things about "big kid school", though, so I'm hoping that once she settles in and things don't feel quite so brand new, we will adjust to our "new normal", and maybe enjoy the changes a little bit, too.


I plan on spending more time in the art room while my kidlet's away.  I have 3 shows coming up, so I need to get cracking.   I am gradually getting into a daily routine and have some new ideas for pieces to make, such as handmade journals and bracelets out of spoons.  The piece above is a present I made for my friend's 50th birthday, speaking of Life Changes.  My daughter and I came up with 50 things we love about our dear Shari, wrote them down, then stuffed them into a sweet little change purse that I altered with old beads, buttons, jewelry, and copper trim.  I love how it turned out, and it's almost befitting enough for my wonderful friend, who, by the way, makes 50 look like 35.  I love making altered pieces, and more like this one are in the works.

I'm ready for pumpkins, mums on my front porch, making Halloween plans, weather that's actually cooler than 90!  Fall is a change I will gladly welcome.  How about you all?  What do you look forward to this time of year?