Mommy & Me: The First Year + Recital

Ohhh how I always loved ballet and how I've craved the moment my own little girl could be a ballerina!! OR any sort of dancer! I did ballet and tap and I clogged! I would have loved to have taken jazz and gone further in ballet but for whatever reason, I did not. In fact, I would take adult ballet now if it were in the budget. But, as it is not, I get the honor and joy of being beside my daughter in her first years of dance! How special!

We take dance a Sterling Studio of Performing Arts in Easley. We love our teacher and owner of the studio, Mrs. Carrie. She is like a bright firecracker of love and creativity. She has put my uptight heart to rest all year long and has helped me help Ellie. She also goes way above and beyond a role of teaching dance moves. That woman holds parties for the kids, takes us on events and adventures, has craft dates for us, and gives us doughnuts!! Say what?! We love her. This studio is very family oriented and I couldn't ask for more. She always puts the needs of the babies first. (And the grown dancers, too).

I asked Carrie about getting involved back in August to start. Ellie was only 12 months exactly. Typically, 18 mos is the starting age, yet; I asked if we could go ahead and start and let her get the feel of it. And she said that would be fine! I am so glad we did. Ellie now has an entire dance semester under her belt and she is not yet 2! It has given her soooo many experiences that we are grateful for.

First Day of Dance!

When Ellie first began dance, though tall, she is slim and trim....and even the smallest of tights, shoes, and tutus were too big on her. She barely had hair, and her bows were huge. Now everything finally just fits! Hahaha! Dance has been an excellent way to watch my child grow physically, yet also in gaining confidence. She is a shy, observant girl. She is very very much like myself. I don't like to out myself out there or talk to new people until I have had time to soak them and my surroundings in. I am introverted, yet when I am comfortable with the people and my surroundings I am cray cray. Ellie is the same. But, she loves Carrie and she trusts Carrie. This is so good and so helpful. She even picked a booger once and gave it to Carrie to take off her finger, telling her thank you. And you know what?! Carrie took it! and wiped her hands of course. She is a mommy herself so she really gets it. It has been an excellent fit for us.

Ellie won't perform much at class or for others. At home, though, she does all of her warm up exercises, and her kicks, and tip toes, and twirls. It is very evident she loves dance and she loves to display her moves for my husband and I. She has learned so much and she has gained confidence in what she has learned.

For her recital, she and her two adorable other classmates danced to "I really love to dance." Ellie was more fascinated with the lights and finding her Daddy. But she enjoyed it! She truly enjoyed the recital and it made my heart so happy! When she got to watch others perform she said, "Wow!" and she clapped for them and cheered them on saying "Yayyy!!!" And when it was her turn to curtsy, she hammed it up and smiled and held her cheeks. Again, just like me, once she has warmed up to something new, she holds nothing back. Her Mimi and G-Daddy gave her a ballerina book and bear for her recital, her Nana and Papa visited before from Michigan and gave her a ballerina barbie which she positions into dance moves, kisses, and sleeps with every night, and Eric and I gave her a bouquet of flowers! I am so proud of her and so happy to be alongside her for as long as I can be! She will start a summer dance class just to keep her fresh, then in August she starts back with a new mommy and me class for another exciting semester of dance!!

Preschool Science Fun: Color Changing Flowers

When I was 4, my grandma (who we call Mamarie), took me on a walk where we picked some white "flowers." They were pretty weeds. We brought them back to her house and she showed me something that has stuck with me ever since. (Just proof that experiences and time invested will stick with your child both in knowledge and in forming positive relationships).

She got all the food coloring she had and mixed each color individually into a cup of water each. Then, she stuck those white flowers in the colored water and with time, I saw that each flower was no longer white, but the color of the water it was placed in! I was insanely amazed and it has truly stuck with me ever since.

So I was out mowing my lawn and saw those exact pretty weeds growing in a gulley and I went and clipped them. I set Ellie up to show her this cool science my Mamarie had taught me. This was cool, even for a 21 month old!

So here is what we did, super easy:

Supplies: * Food coloring
                * clear glasses
                * water
                * any white flower (or white flowering weed; bigger is better).

First, Ellie and I filled up 3 water glasses because we only happened to have 3 tubes of food coloring in the pantry. We had blue, yellow, and green. Red actually works best and I so wished we had it. Another time!

Pour in many drops of the food coloring and really change the color of that water! Ellie loved doing this. Many paper towels and wipes were involved, ha! But I did want her to be as hands on as possible and messes are fun so who cares?!

Then, simply place one flower into each color you have and give them time to "drink" and absorb the water. You will be able to see a gradual change in color and then an obvious color change to the white petals as time passes. In only 24 hours, it was most obvious that our blue water had transformed the flower into blue! Our green is subtle still yet obviously changing. Yellow has been a bit piddly. Its a very light color. Obviously bolder colors will be more dramatic! Another good lesson in this little experiment of play. Ellie even was so interested that she let me explain the science to her and she was telling it back to me! She has been watching her flowers and is very pleased. She most importantly just had fun doing something with mommy that involved water and flowers! Try it out! Super easy and sweet. Also, I took like a ton of photos because she is adorable! Enjoy!

Desk Makeover

I love taking old pieces of furniture and restoring them to a fresh new beauty. I love reviving them and restoring their purpose.

I have saved our family much money by simply taking pieces we already possess or those given to us and giving them a little loving. I have restored end tables, a vanity, Ellie's crib and bedroom suite, and as of this weekend, a desk.

This little desk was my husband's when he was a kid; and he has carted it with him all through life into adulthood from apartment to apartment and house to house. I nearly ditched it as we prepared to move into our newly built home; yet, I decided the desk may be able to serve our family again one day. Besides, it was not hurting anything to hold on to it.

This week in the new home, I have been piddling in the "Africa Room" putting it together. Some friends who read know about our Africa Room but for some background for those who are not sure what I am talking about: My husband and I took a mission trip back in 2014 to Uganda to help a team who provides villages with clean water. I had always felt called to Africa and God finally presented me the perfect opportunity to go and serve and love others in this beautiful country and continent, as well as to be touched by the lives of these people and their beauty. Eric and I fell in love with it all and bought many artifacts and paintings made by the people and brought them home to display them in what is considered for most homes, "the study." Our Africa Room serves a purpose as our library, craft room, and will be Ellie's homeschool room.

Speaking of homeschooling, we circle back to the desk. I had found her purpose and now she just needed a face-lift. I wanted to make her beautiful so that she could be Ellie's desk for homeschooling and crafts! Of course, the homeschooling portion will be quite a time from now.

I discovered restoring furniture with chalk paint and wax many years ago at a shop in downtown Greenville called Vintage Now Modern. There, I was provided the supplies I needed and an excellent lesson on how to get the best results from my piece. I was instructed on how to get a traditional finish or a distressed finish. While I love antiqued looks, my personal style for my own home is a traditional flair. Not overly fancy, comfortable, practical (especially with a near 2 year old running around), but beautiful. So, I redid the desk in the same way as I have done my other pieces in the past. I used Annie Sloan's Honfleur color of chalk paint, her black wax, and a creme wax finish. Then, I replaced the knobs. I am loving how this piece turned out. Now to add a chair!