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I always hate saying good bye to summer. I love that
freeing feeling of having nothing that must be done and all day
to do it. A mixture of lazy and low key that rejuvenates
me for the madness that is the school year. Even though a
piece of me is eager to meet my new students and to get back
into an organized routine, most of me resists clinging to each
August day like it is the last day of summer. In
addition to being my favorite season, I find summer to be easier
to define. Each one seems to have a specific attitude and
theme. Even a theme song. Think about it--you hear a
song and are instantly transported back to that summer and a
series of memories. Have you ever had that for spring?
Me neither.
For me, this summer theme was family. My mom came to
live with my family. My nieces stayed seven weeks doubling
the size of kids to enjoy. And our only trip was one to
catch up with family and let the kids have memories of their
great grandmother as she struggles with her health during her
twilight years. As I walked them through the town of my
childhood, I could not help compare the summers of my youth to
theirs.
I know that every generation romanticizes the time of
their childhood believing it to be a gentler time. As a
child, I rolled my eyes when my father would tell tales of his
summers. I am pretty sure I saw my own daughter's eyes
make a circle or two as I shared what life was like without
computers, satellite dishes, or cell phones. Still, they
did try to experience a bit of my childhood as they headed into
the woods to have their own adventures--with cell phones
in hand--just in case.
What was the theme of your summer? Crank up your
current playlist and capture the moments. Or if you are
feeling really nostalgic, make a mix tape and try to explain it
to your kids. Be sure to have your camera ready for those
rolling eyes pictures.
Happy last day of summer,
Woods 2010 Style by Dora Phillips
Supplies: Paper: Cosmo Cricket,
BasicGrey, Rub Ons: Fancy Pants Designs, Pink Paislee, Ribbon,
Chipboard: Cosmo Cricket, Chipboard Alphabet: Pink Paislee,
Sticker Alphabet: Jillibean Soup, Flowers: Prima Marketing,
Marker: Copic, Other: thread. Tools: Punch: Fiskars,
Other: sewing machine.
Design Notes: The chipboard letters were
not quite the right shade for the page, so I grabbed a copic and
colored them. Easy fix!
Journaling: The morning after a 16 hour car ride filled with stories of how my siblings and I spent countless hours playing in the woods at Grandma’s house, the young cousins were eager to head into the trees. I coated them with bug spray, tied back hair, and showed them how to mark a trail. With huge smiles, they started forward. When Lauren called over her shoulder, “Text if you need us,” I could not help but laugh. |
