It begins...

A friend recently forwarded an email to me titled "The Invisible Mother," a short essay comparing the tireless and often thankless job of a mother to the builders of Europe's great cathedrals. Both give their whole lives for a work they will never see finished, both make sacrifices and expect no credit, and both are fueled in their passion by the faith that the eyes of God see every detail. The writer of the essay was inspired by the thought that our endless efforts in motherhood, invisible as they may seem, are worth it and can make an enriching life.


For many of us, the way we choose to hold our invisibility at bay is by creating something tangible. For me, my days often end with knitting - my love of fiber and the need to do something relaxing end up producing something I can hold and look at. Nobody will know how many times I swept under the high chair that day, or how many toys I picked up, or how many times I tried to coax a "please" or "more" or "sorry" out of my 5 year old. But a darling, handmade infant hat? That you can see.


I start new projects every day, and my 10 year old does the same. In this process of creating (and yes, often not finishing our projects!) we connect with each other and a bigger picture of ourselves in the process. My plan for this blog is to share the projects that excite me and bring some accessible proof of my existence in this invisible world of mothering!


So, this blog is dedicated to the mothers out there whose days are filled with the minutia of tasks that build our children and our families. I often tell people that I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. But for now, I am the builder of a great cathedral. With every shoelace tied, lunch packed, and forehead kissed, I build.


And I can hardly wait to create something new...


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Threes

Is it that good things come in threes? Or bad things? I don't remember, but today my crafty to-do list has three projects I am itching to work on. (Oh, I'm not counting Grace's hair because...well because I'm going to rely on my mom for help with that!)


The first project I need to work on is to attach the ear flaps to my hat and then braid some long cords to hang down. Not exactly sure how to sew those puppies on the inside without it showing on the outside, but I'll get it figured out.
Second, I have been commissioned to make a couple of little-boy hats for my friend Alex (www.teaginnydesigns.blogspot.com) in trade for something from her etsy shop. Can't tell you more, as part of the trade will be a gift for someone...but DANG she makes beautiful stuff!
Third, Rowan's 1st grade musical is coming up in a few weeks and Rowan and two of her friends will be playing the "3 cabelleros." What is a cabellero, you ask? Well, Rowan thought it was a bird of some kind and Brad thought it was a cowboy. Turns out it is a "Spanish gentleman." Think "The 3 Amigos." ("Cuh-caw, cuh-caw!  Lookuphere! Lookuphere!" for you movie buffs.) The girls will be wearing sombreros and poncho-type tunics, and you guessed it - I volunteered to buy the fabric and make the tunics. I found the perfect "novelty" fabric at Joann's this morning (on sale, no less) and bought their very last 2.5 yards.
Rowan has been practicing her songs for the musical for a few weeks now, and I gather it is all about "threes."  Three little pigs, three billy goats, three men in a tub - you get the picture. Oh, and three little maids - I was startled to hear her singing about the 'three little maids from school' - isn't that from The Mikado? Anyhoo, she was very excited to get cast as a cabellero and the girls will look stinkin' adorable in their (oh-so-matchy-matchy) costumes.


It's all about three's today! 


(And yay, oh yay! My mom is coming to visit and due to arrive in a couple of hours! There will be much crafting this weekend, but probably not a lot of blogging. Catch ya later!)

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