1001 Journals and more...

Finally completed some pages in the journal I got a few weeks ago from the 1001 journals project. I think I'll play around with it a little more over the weekend and then send it off to the next person in line...I've been a bit of a journal hog, keeping it way longer than 2 weeks! But I wanted to complete at least several pages before sending it off. I love this project! I love the idea of a journal changing hands across the country or the world, from stranger to stranger. Awesome.

Below is the start of the third series...I'll add some collage and then scribbles and finally journal some random thoughts.

Been working on more trades for Artfest, too! Below is one of a series of tags I've made...not sure how into mermaids I am, but since the theme is sea monsters this year, I'm just going with the whole ocean/sea/sea creature thing.

I've also made envelopes and stuffed them full of octopus and sea creature images and stickers. And I still want to put together packs of 3-D goodies like shells, starfish and a message-in-a-teeny-tiny-bottle charm. That is in addition to the 25+ charms I have yet to complete! I can't stop, it's too much fun!


Yesterday Maya and I played hooky and I took her to the Children's Discovery Museum and then we had pizza for lunch. It was nice spending the day together just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Most of the time we spend together is in the same room but we're doing different things (she's playing, I'm on the computer) or the car running errands. It's still fun, but it's not that kind of Quality Time with the capital Q. I was so emotional the other night just thinking about where in the heck did the last 6 years go??? She's not my little baby anymore!

It makes me happy to see her grow and change, but I miss that little baby I used to hold or the little 2 year old that used to poke around in the garden and bring me snails. Ok, she still does that, and probably still will for a few more years. But I often wonder/worry if I've spent enough time with her, if she feels loved enough, if we did enough captial Q quality kinds of things together. It's just what a mother worries about, I guess. I know the answer is YES, I'm doing fine and she feels loved. But when in doubt, call your kid in sick and take them out to frolic in the park or just draw on the sidewalk with chalk or collect bugs in the backyard.

Today we made sun prints in the front yard with special sun print paper and things from nature (and a few bath toys!). Maya climbed the plum tree and then we went for a walk around the block, picking flowers from neighbors' gardens (shhh!). We stumbled across this little guy along they way (Maya said, "oh, look mom! it totally goes with your theme this week!" she knows I'm preparing for Artfest!):


I think it's a good sign. ;)