A (Long, long!!) Harvest Hello!

 Although this has been a particularly rough week filled with worry and wonder,  I am happy to say that Brandy, our blessed 8 y/o Mastiff, is out of surgery and recooperating!  We have been on bended knee and terrified after learning of her tumors and cancer ~ and at the same time grateful in knowing they have been removed and praying for a good pathology report to tell us even better news.  Thank you all so much for the shoulders, tissues, listening ears and mostly your prayers!  Fur babies are so special to my heart!  She's medicated and sleeping and I can't wait to put her head on my lap and tell her I wuf her :)

Fortunately for me, I've had plenty of distraction.  I'm volunteering nearly 10-15 hours a week at my son's school alone, and loving my "job" as room mom to the fullest.   Just this week alone, I commissioned some mom friends to help me make the kid's Harvest shirts - a spin off of tie dye (too messy!) yet a GREAT kid's craft - they had a blast!  I had the most wonderful compliment as well - in the midst of thinking I'm being stretched too thin and that I have too many irons in the fire, I noticed a few other teachers smiling and watching every time I do "something' at the school.   Just yesterday I had a good friend tell me "Do you know that you are THE most sought after room mom here?"  I was shocked and surprised and didn't quite know what to say! I've had people tell me all the time that I missed my calling in life, but being mommy extraordinaire is a pretty good job :) 

 I mixed up some batches of Rit Dye in Fall, Harvest colors and put them into squirt bottles and let the kids have at it in the courtyard :)  Some of them were so meticulous and neat while others just went straight at it like paintball, lol!  I added appliques of a pumpkin and harvest leaves, so after they were washed/dried, I peeled them back to reveal the stark white underneath.  They came out so incredibly unique, not a single one alike.  However!  I got to take them home and wash them all, then outlne the shapes with puffy paint - can we say time consuming!  I loved every minute of it, but give yourself plenty of time to complete this project as it has to dry overnight on one side, flip it over to paint the back - super fun and festive!

Once the shirts were done and the party is tomorrow,  what better idea than to put them in a gift bag that you made as well!  This popped into my head at 1:30 am - probably after one of my doppio expressos, lol!  I asked our local S'Bux if they could donate the bags to our classroom and they generously did!  {thank you!!}   I was reading the side of the bag and LOVE the "reuse, reimagine, recycle" I saw on the side and love how the children hopefully will see an important message :)  I knew instantly I wanted to use Sweetest Treat from Deedee's Digis - they will have several stations at the party where they will use these bags for collecting treats, sweets and things that are neat!  (yes, that also came to me at 1:30 am, lol!  I need to get more sleep, eh?) ;)  I added some rafia at the top, festive orange ribbon and a doubled sided pumkin tag made from the SU! Oval punch, a button with matching raffia and some colorful tissue paper.  Did I mention I had to make 25 of these!!  23 kiddies and 1 teacher and 1 aide - wowzers! 

I only have half of the shirts photographed, the other half were already folded and in the gift bags - woot, woot! 

Well that's my post for today!  Long overdue (and long winded!) 

Blessings to you all .......

heading off to snuggle with Brandy for a bit!

x0x0

~Kelly