Weekend Highs and Lows, and Some In-Betweens

^^^ I am happy to introduce the newest member of our household. ^^^

This is Anna the Elf.

Greta is slightly scared but very interested in our new friend.

She name Anna after Anna from Frozen,

but she makes sure to clarify that the Anna from Frozen is a "different Anna" 

than our new elf friend.

She also told Anna that she would like a pink monster from Santa this year.

(Wish me luck in finding that one!)

^^^ I majored in Fiber Art in college. ^^^

I seriously swoon over my students fiber creations. 

These two girls are taking their own hand-dyed fabric 

and creating some pretty fantastic sculptures out of them.

The first image is the beginnings of a map of the United States.

The bottom images are fashion designs made of all hand-dye and hand-painted materials.

^^^ Greta's latest obsession is taking off her shoes and socks in the car ^^^

and placing her socks on her hands "to keep them warm."

We are now resorting to leaving the home with two pairs of socks,

one for her hands and the other for her feet.

^^^ On Saturday, some of my favorite girls and I ^^^

attended a wreath-making workshop at Yew Dell Gardens.

It was freezing cold outside, but we had a blast foraging our supplies

and building our very own wreaths.

There were several attendees that had been going for years.

They were the best mentors.

We decided this would be an annual tradition to kick off the holiday season.

^^^ Afterward we went shopping in Norton Commons. ^^^

This new store is TO DIE FOR.

Lulubelle's is not only the cutest name in all existence (besides Greta Grace, obvi),

but it also has the most beautiful (and reasonably priced) treasures.

If I had a Santa this year, I would definitely direct him here. ;)

^^^ Saturday came with some hard news. ^^^

My dear friend, Jenna (who has been battling stage 4 colon cancer),

 returned to the ER & ICU after experiencing

a severe headache, confusion, and overall unsteadiness.

They found another brain tumor.

This is her third.

She will have her third brain surgery

(sixth surgery overall this year) on Wednesday.

Please keep her in your prayers this week and especially on Wednesday.

^^^ Sunday morning, Amanda and I babysat Jenna's daughter, Anna Claire. ^^^

She is 20 months, almost exactly a year younger than Greta.

We had a blast reading, eating, and practicing our smooches!

^^^ Sunday afternoon I cohosted a Noonday Collection party with my dear coworker, Ashley. ^^^

If you haven't heard of Noonday, do yourself a favor and check it out here.

This fair-trade organization is everything I believe in!

It is a grass-roots led company full of women supporting and empowering other women.

All of the products are handmade by women in vulnerable and/or impoverished communities

from around the world. 

If you are interested in making a purchase, please don't hesitate to contact me

or to browse the collection here.