Energy

Our little girl turned four years old the other day. (I can hardly believe it, where has the time gone?) We celebrated Bee's birthday at her preschool, and it was a short but sweet celebration. My favorite part was before the party even started. We got there early to set up, and the kids were outside playing. They were frolicking around in the fresh air, and when they saw us they came running over. Well, the girls did anyway. The boys were too busy pedaling in giant circles on their trikes to pay us any attention. Bee was so happy to see us, and was extremely excited about her impending party. So were her little friends. They chatted and giggled, dancing around us in anticipation. And then it was time for them to line up to come inside. They were all so happy you could feel them physically vibrating with intensity, they could barely contain themselves. If we could find a way to harness all of that energy, oil would seriously be a thing of the past. Preschool Kid Energy is pretty clean, easily renewable, and healthy for the environment. If only I could figure out how to do this then we probably wouldn't be Misers anymore.

More Jewelry for the House

I've made more tiles to hang on the house, around the downstairs doorframe, outside. I like it that they are not perfectly square, and some of them turn up a bit at the corners. The glazes also look much different than what I originally intended. When I first started making ceramics I would get upset when something came out of the kiln and didn't look I thought it would. But over the years I've learned not to expect too much control over my pieces as they rarely come out looking like they do in my mind's eye when they're being made. In fact, sometimes they are far better. And I've learned to like their flaws as well. Sometimes these flaws are the best part, but it usually takes me a couple of days of living with the pieces before I come to that conclusion. I have to first let go of my expectations, which is not always easy to do.