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some from December, more on Instagram
favorite personal images from 2016
When I was younger, I found the idea of New Years silly. Not understanding the desire to wipe the slate clean because it's January 1st. But as I get older, I like it more. Using it as a time for reflection, digging through images & milestones from the last 365-days. Dreaming dreams to accomplish. Goals to conquer. Changes to welcome. A universal time to grow together. To shift our minds from the negativity, & focus on the good. Focus on what really matters. A time to clean out the clutter. A time of celebration. Happy New Year.
The kids & I have been drawing away on canvas, & I'm a bit obsessed. It started with linen because I had scraps of it lying around. I loved the look of it, the sharpie is much more muted, but the fine point sharpie kept catching on the fabric, & it wasn't going to work for the kids. When I stopped by our fabric store, I was recommended canvas, & it's been working great! I went in both my boys' classrooms this past week, & made ornaments with the students. The kids really enjoyed it. For theirs, instead of stuffing, I put a piece of felt in between the two pieces of canvas. It worked really well. I brought in some different step-by-step drawings I made up, mostly inspired by Pinterest, & the kids used both fine point & ultra fine point sharpies. I like the ultra fine point, but I'm free-handing it. I had the kids draw in pencil then trace, & the fine point seemed to work better to cover up the pencil. We did discover it's a bit difficult to erase on canvas. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
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On November 7th, the kids & I went for a walk, in the pouring rain. It didn't feel cold & it didn't feel wet. It felt surreal that day. I was convinced we were on the dawn of history. I felt empowered, excited, emotional. Then all that came shattering down. When I heard Macklemore's song, I went back to the photos of that walk. Of the day before the election, two days before we woke up to the wrong kind of history.
"Bad taste, bad taste in my mouth
Glad wave, I'm glad wavin' at a Patriots house
Lookin' for change in the couch
Mad world, mad world, that's what the TV said
Imagine tryna keep your head
While your daughter sleeps in bed
And when she wakes up, will the world be the same?
Will my girl be afraid in the home of the brave?
See I hope, I hope, that it's gon' be alright
But what a hell'uva a night
Humanity is a privilege, we can't give in
When they build walls, we'll build bridges
This is resistance, we're resilient
When they spread hate, we shine brilliant
March by the millions 'til they hear the children
We found ourselves at a distance
Open up the jails and the overcrowded cells
When we oppress anyone, we oppress ourselves
Greatest gift I ever learned is helpin' someone else
You build, believe and build 'cause you forget about yourself
Service, purpose, work if you work it
Love everyone regardless of the God they worship
This isn't the Apocalypse
We can't address the hate 'til we acknowledge it
If Jesus was alive, would he let Mohamed in?
This isn't nature, my daughter hugs strangers
We teach fear and preach hatred
Put up a fence, scared to meet our neighbors
Think that if we let them in, they'll take advantage of us later
There's so much anger and this world is ours, raise her
My daughter, hope it's a dream when I wake up tomorrow
And we fight for the people that haven't had a voice
Fight for the first amendment, fight for freedom of choice
Fight for women's rights, if she does or doesn't care
We ride for all the queer folk and fight for all to get married
I'm not moving to Canada, not fleein' the nation
No time for apathy, no more tears and no complainin'
Gotta fight harder for the next four and what we're faced with
Got my daughter in my arms and he is not gonna raise her"
- Macklemore, "Wednesday Morning"
