Girls

High School Marching Band

Published on: by catballou24 Comment

Friday night was the pinning ceremony for our daughter.  She is in her high school marching band as a clarinet player.  What a wonderful evening!   Hearing the music, and seeing the kids all doing so amazingly well is so good for the heart.  I firmly believe that kids in activities such as this really helps them achieve success later on.  They have a built in family at school and a place to feel a part of.  Plus, music is so awesome to know how to play!   It’s amazing the things it does for the brain.

This year the band band is doing the show Project Stravinsky.   It’s a telling of the friendship between designer Coco Chanel and the composer, Stravinsky.  It is said when they met they both immediately inspired the other.  Before long, both their careers were kicking up into high gear.   The music is beautiful and the show was amazing.

These kids have been at it for a month and they are already performing at an amazing level!  Looking forward to competition season!

Super League Gaming!

Published on: by catballou24 Comment

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A few weeks ago, I was gifted with 2 tickets for my daughter and her friend to participate in the Super League Gaming Minecraft event at our local theater, the Hill Country Galleria Cinemark.  They brought their laptops, were assigned a team and had a blast for 4 Saturday’s.

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The theater was actually quite full with kids of all ages playing together on the big screen.  The cooperation level was impressive amongst all these kids, with many of them meeting for the first time.

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(this photo is a great example of the participants viewpoints with both their laptops and the big screen).

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It was very well organized, clear instructions were given on how to login, etc., and most of all a lot of fun for these 13 year olds.  John Bickle of the Super League Gaming support team was extremely helpful in getting the girls set up in the computer system prior to their arrival.  He was friendly and answered all my questions.  Overall the entire experience was great and the girls are looking forward to participating again next time it comes back around!  They highly recommend it!

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* All photos by my daughter, Lola Amador-Locher.

Time….

Published on: by catballou24 2 Comments

I promised 2 months ago I’d start updating more and apparently I was telling tales!  I apologize for that.  Life has been so busy around here and the time is slipping past too quickly.  I’ve taken a step back in order to focus on other things but am ready to jump back in with both feet.  I think summer temps drag me down to be honest and de-motivate me.  However, we are experiencing some beautiful Fall weather and it’s time to dust off the cobwebs of this place and get back to business! 

The first order of the day, updating on the girls.  They are doing fabulous!  They both love school and are changing and growing everyday.  Saturday’s are devoted to soccer with the Farm Girl playing double headers sometimes.  She is advancing quickly with it all, as are all the girls on her team.  They are finally playing the way soccer should be played and I see their full hearts in it every game.  I’m so proud of these girls!  Xi is also playing again this year and is our scorer!  She has a determination in that little body that would make a grown man shake in his boots.  She doesn’t take gruff from anyone and has one clear focus, get the ball to the net.  Haha!  She absolutely adores the game and it’s so much fun to watch her confidence building as quickly as it is between that and school.  Proud parents on the farm!

I am finally feeling more motivated as I stated above, and so have been crafting more lately again.  I’ve picked up the knitting needles, dusted off the sewing machine and am plotting the holiday gift making.  I’m a bit behind, but that’s okay!  It always comes together in the end and that’s what is important.  I love that the girls have homemade gifts waiting for them on Christmas morning.  Things I notice that they treasure more.  Makes me proud to see them wanting to  make things for each other too.  Lola just finished knitting a baby washcloth for her teacher as well, who is due with her first baby in about 4 weeks.  I knit some baby hats and made a pocket doll to go with the basket of goodies the class will giving her next week.  I am very proud of Lola…she did a great job!

I am determined to get some long over due reviews up this week, so please look for those!  Thank you so much for not abandoning me in my absence as well.  Sometimes it’s good to step away and gain some perspective again. 

For now, here are some photos of the last few weeks and things we’ve made and been doing.  Hope you enjoy!

 New doll I made for Xi’s birthday…


 Pocket doll.  I LOVE making these and am going to put some up in my Etsy shop soon!


 Harry Potter and Dorothy joined us for the Great Goblin Glow this year!


 Harry practicing a spell on a nervous Dorothy!
 
 A very serious Harry Potter


 And a very sweet Dorothy.


 The Great Goblin Glow!


Some reusable bags for shopping the bulk bins.  I made these from an old sheet.  More to be made and embroidered….
Peace!

Better Late Than Never

Published on: by catballou24 1 Comment

So this is a late post on our May Day celebration.  The girls and I went out to the Austin Waldorf School for their celebration and had so much fun!  We did miss the May Pole, but the girls got to spend the afternoon doing all sorts of crafts and running around the school with other kids, so it made up for what we’d missed.  We truly love this school and really hope that one day both girls can attend.  Right now we are trying to get Xi in for Kindergarten. (She fits the mold for this school 100% and would just thrive here).  The Fall is filled, but she still has another year or so before Grade 1 so still has time to find herself in one of the Kindy rooms.  If all works out, and we can afford it, we’d love to get Lola in started in Grade 3.  She absolutely adores the school and that is the next grade that they start accepting applications for (after Kindergarten).  We’ll see what happens.  It is truly an amazing environment where we feel the girls could get a top notch education and still keep the philosophies that we feel so strongly about.  Regardless we will still keep the principals of it all going at home, while crossing our fingers that the gods smile down on us in regards to the girls’ opportunities there.

At the end of our afternoon, which included a cake walk where the girls danced and tried to win homemade goodies for almost an hour (they did not win a cake, but had smiles on their faces as they played along which in our books is a win anyway), we went into the bookstore where there was a huge sale going on.  Both the girls got new journals, Xi got a new cooperative board game and Lola got some new cookie cutters that spell out L-O-V-E.  We came home with big smiles on our faces and vows in our hearts to continue to branch out within the Waldorf community here in Austin.  We really felt like we were “home” while together there.  

Here are some photos of the day and the projects they did:

Lola sewing a pillow for Emo (one of our cats)

Xi and her pillow.  She filled it and sewed the top herself.  Her’s smells like roses.

Xi’s God’s Eye, which is now hanging in their room along with Lola’s.  Xi was really proud of this one.

Projects galore!  They had so much fun making these.

Having an apple snack and being goofy.
Extremely proud of herself for taking her sister around the craft booths and working with her on their own while mama watched from the picnic table.  Lola had a really great day.
Hope your week has been full of love and joy.   Peace!