Catch Up

I feel like it's been a while since I just told y'all what was happening around here. Some of you have been kind enough to ask, so I thought I'd fill you in...

First, how I hung those pictures.

There really is no magic to it. I feel silly even showing you what I did. All you need are a hemp ball (which the girls so graciously unrolled for me :)):

Some good quality black mats:

This was actually the most difficult step. Because they are free hanging, you want them to be good quality. However, mats can get expensive and you must keep in mind I was trying to make my husband happy. The best deal I found was here. I am happy with the quality--good and sturdy. And yes, I bought all 100, but it was significantly cheaper to buy in bulk, and I have the ability to change/add pictures whenever I want.

Some crazy glue and clear tape:

A board, painted the same color as your wall, and screwed in place. And these little hangey down thingeys to tie your hemp to (I haven't searched these out for best prices, but that's the first website I found). They have a lip that goes behind the back of the board and a hook on the end.

I wish I could be a little more help with this step, but these items were already here when we moved in--and the reason for my different way to hang pictures.

Some weights to tie on the bottom:

I took the girls to the beach and let them collect the rocks.

As for the pictures, I ordered 5x7 glossy finish. I would think I would prefer matte finish, but I just don't. I like the gloss. Something about them looks more finished to me.

I don't have any pics of the process, but I just used the tape (easily removable if I want to change out photos as well) to secure the pictures in the mats. Then I used books laid at either end of a long piece of rope to lay things out on the floor as the would be on the wall. I wanted there to be a straight line of pics across the top, but the rest to look scattered.

After scattering and re-scattering (in a state of OCD madness) until I was happy with the color distribution, family member representation at eye level (yes, I took it that far), and placing landscape shots way up at the top...I used the Krazy glue to secure the hemp rope to the back of mats (And spent two days pulling flesh off my finger-tips to try to get rid of all the dad-gum glue stuck to me).

If you notice, while I measured the lengths of each rope, I ended up adding some length to the top as I was hanging. Just tied two ends together and trimmed the extra pieces as much as possible. I did the same thing at the bottom to get more rope to secure our rocks. I'm just telling you, that you don't have to get stressed about things being exact. Rope extends, thank you Lord!

Moving on to life. The girls and I went to support Jeremiah in his race a couple of weekends ago.

I learned, yet again, that they do things a little differently here in Seattle :)

This weekend, Jeremiah's Mom and Dad came for a visit, but I'm going to do a whole blog about that later.

The girls have started school.

Ashley actually took them to school on their first day (pictured above), because it was the one day I was back in Alabama for a wedding. I had some anxiety about not being there, but Ashley handled everything perfectly and I realized I am not needed nearly as much as I think I am :).

They are loving school. Pace because she's just like that, and Mary Aplin because it's the first time in her life she's had her own friends and hasn't just hitch-hiked along with Pace's. Every morning when we pull up to the little church where their school is Mary Aplin screams, "School!! My class! My friends!" It makes my heart happy and helps me justify the ludicrous amount of money we're paying for 3.5 hours, 3 mornings a week.

And while they're at school, guess what I've been doing?? Writing. It's scary to say. I've been trying to be disciplined about it. Really give that time when the girls are away to writing instead of exercising, or cleaning the house, or going to the grocery store, or paying bills... Obviously, those things still have to be done, but I am trying not to do them during that precious window. I drop the two little chicken wings off and get a big fat grin on my face thinking about the time that lies ahead. And then, it passes so quickly. It's a lot of the reason for the major decline in blogging. I've been trying to put my writing efforts into the book more than the blog. That's hard sometimes too. I get blog itch that I try to tell myself not to scratch :)

I don't know that I'll ever be able to get it published, but I am learning so much--and loving so much. I suppose the only way to learn to write a book is to do it, so I've given myself permission to write a first book. And to be ok with the fact that it's not some wonderful piece of literature, but it's my best right. now. The creative high that comes from typing away with one idea in mind and finishing in an entirely different place than expected, is a heady thing. To watch characters dance across the page in their own skin. I've been allowed a small taste of what Michelangelo meant when he said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."

To feel that I'm being led on a journey. The thankfulness I feel for a Creator that allows me the gift of creation. The body-numbing satisfaction of watching the pieces finally slip into place. Those feelings make the writing worthwhile, truly, if nobody ever reads the words but me.

And it's frustrating. On the mornings when the words clash and clang instead of rolling smoothly. When a character won't cooperate as I'd like and the words sound typed instead of spoken. When my descriptions sound contrived and inserted. It is a finicky craft...which makes those glimpses of perfection all the more satisfying.

So, I hope you'll keep coming to visit here, even though I am blogging much less. I hope that one day I'll be able to share it with you all.