Sarah's new haircut!

Sarah decided this weekend she was ready for a big change - in the form of a new haircut. We spent a lot of time looking at pictures online, and found a few looks we liked. We took the pictures to the salon and talked to Stacy about our options. We discussed what would work with Sarah's hair, and wouldn't require a lot of effort to keep up. I am so happy with the final choice, and so is Sarah.

So, here's her BEFORE photo:



Lots of hair gave up its life for her new look.

 

And, finally, here are her AFTER shots:

  

Tres elegant, no? She looks so much more grown up. Can't wait to see what her friends say tomorrow.

ACMA Prom 2011

So, the lavender dress won, and I started on the minor alterations required. When she put the dress on for the final fitting, Sarah tucked in the straps and liked it that way. It looked lovely strapless, so we decided to have her wear it that way.

I left the dress on the sofa in the living room while I went to the fabric store to buy matching thread. I'd settled on placing two darts in the back to give the dress a snugger fit, especially now that there would be no straps holding it in place. I got home, put the darts in, and noticed a ragged-looking piece of ribbon attached to the bodice. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a (former) strap. Xeda, lover of all things ribbon-like, had apparently discovered the dress on the sofa while I was gone, and had eaten away most of the right strap! Damn cat!



Good thing Sarah had already chosen to go strapless! A couple of snips and the rest of the straps were gone completely.

At the last minute on Saturday, I realized we didn't have a silver bag for her to carry, so Emily and I went off on a purse hunt. Not only did we find a perfect clutch, but we also came across a necklace made for the occasion. Honestly, the stones were the perfect shade of lavender, and the silver chain tied in with the filigree on the dress like it was meant to be. We brought it home, where Emily found a couple of beads just the right shade and size, and, together with more silver chain, whipped up a pair of matching earrings. What a great sister!



The three of "us girls" had a great time getting Sarah ready, getting her makeup, hair, and jewelry just right. I must say, she dresses up pretty well, that daughter of mine!

     

OK, so here is the breakdown on our four-day rush to get her ready for Prom at the last minute on a budget:

• Dress: $20
• Shoes: $4
• Purse: $6
• Necklace: $10
• Ticket to Prom: $32.50
• Total cost: A real bargain!

The whole experience: Priceless!

Possible Prom Dresses

ACMA's Junior/Senior Prom is in four days. After much deliberation, Sarah decided - today - to go. So, the scramble is on for a dress.

A search of our closets yielded two dresses of mine - from days of yore. This green is one I made, and wore to a senior Christmas dance. Yes, believe it or not, back in the day, I made most of my clothes.

 

The pink is a dress I wore when we lived in Arizona. I believe I bought it to wear a banquet for Tempe Little Theater, back when I was president. Very Southern belle, don't you think?

  

The black dress was in Sarah's closet - a purchase made earlier this year for an as-yet-unassigned event. It fits like it was made for her.  It has a graceful cowl neck and sequined T-back. I'm not so sure about black for Prom, though...

   

So, we went out on a shopping trip this evening, and came back with two more possibilities. The lavender is  organza with lovely silver filigree detailing, spaghetti straps, and an optional wrap.

   

The royal blue has a higher neck with rhinestone edging, spaghetti straps, and a lower back. It matches a pair of strappy silver shoes with rhinestones.

 

OK, so now we just need to make a decision: which should she wear? Help! The black dress is the only one ready to wear. The rest all need minor alterations, which I am able to do. What do you think?

Emily's still sewing...

A couple of weeks ago, Emily decided she wanted to make another skirt. Off to the fabric store we went, in search of a pattern and fabric. She'd seen a skirt at Macy's with an elastic waistband, and wanted to model hers after it.

Once home, she got everything cut and measured and started sewing.

   

By the end of the next day, she was done! Completed with a brown top and a cute tan sweater, she put together quite a stylish outfit.

 

I'm so proud of her. Emily gets a vision, starts a project, and sticks with it until she's done. She's worn her skirt to school, and has gotten compliments from her friends. Who needs Macy's?

I can't wait to see what she'll make next!

Sarah's Latest Art Accomplishments

 It's hard to keep up with Sarah and her art these days. First, she submitted three works to the Scholastic Art Awards Competition. One piece - a print - won an honorable mention.



Another - the big wooden sculpture she did at Jumpstart last year - won a Silver Key.

 

Lastly, her print, "Stonehenge" - also created at Jumpstart last summer - was awarded a Gold Key. Woo hoo!



All Gold Key winners were on display at the Pacific Northwest College of the Arts for much of the month of February. We went down as a family on Presidents' Day to view the exhibit. Drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, prints, graphic design, fashion design - what a plethora of talent filled that room! A lovely ceremony was held at the Newmark Theater on February 23rd honoring the Gold Key recipients and portfolio award winners. What an inspiring assembly of young artists!

  

In the meantime, Sarah's ceramics teacher asked her to submit a pair of Dalek salt and pepper shakers she made for consideration for an exhibit at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Her pieces were chosen and are on exhibit there now and will be up until March 24th. We are heading that way tonight for the Artist's Reception. Ooh la la!

 

Congratulations, Sarah! Keep up the good work!

Christmas 2010

Here it is the last day of December. Guess I'd best post about Christmas before the year ends!

Singing ten concerts with the Conchords, rewarding as it was, was terribly intrusive on the time I had to prepare for and enjoy the season. I have to figure out how to find a better balance next year.



I was able to get the house decorated, though, inside and out, and I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Garlands on the front are a natural with the design of our porch.



This year, I decided to use smaller pine cones on the banister; still not sure which I like better. The result was nice, though, and I like the ornament I added at the front.

 

 Last year we started bringing in fresh-cut greenery from our back yard to decorate the mantels. I love the effect - and the fact that I can avoid cedar, which seems to trigger my allergies.

We cut down our tree early this year, and finally got it up and decorated on my birthday. Squeaked it in with one week to spare! It does look pretty.

We decided to try something new this year, and hung ornaments on the light fixtures over the breakfast and dinner tables. I rather like it! Perhaps a new tradition has been born!

This year's cookies were of six varieties: peppermint, chocolate (a bit of a mocha flavor - guess what the secret ingredient was?), ginger spice, peanut butter with chocolate kisses, cranberry-coconut (new this year, and definitely a keeper!), and my old stand-by date, coconut, and pecan concoction: porcupines. Nearly killed me trying to get them all done in two days, but they made for a pretty platter.

Gifts got wrapped in due time, and Xeda really enjoyed climbing around on them in front of the tree. She really isn't hard to please! The family enjoyed unwrapping them on Christmas morning, too.

Emily suggested we have a menu for our Christmas dinner that included typical foods of Northwest origin. Eager to rise to the challenge, I solicited her help in planning, shopping, and preparation. Together, we made a great team! Our final menu consisted of:

Dungeness crab chowder

Roasted beet and hazelnut salad with goat cheese


Salmon Wellington

Garlic mashed potatoes


Brussells sprouts


Multi-grain rolls

And for dessert:
Blackberry crisp with vanilla ice cream

Time for a nap!