Tap Class

For those of you who don't know:

 I am teaching an after school tap class for 12 at risk 2nd grade girls.  We have been having class for about 5 weeks I think and it has been wonderful!  The smile on those girls faces when they get to make noise with their taps is priceless. They are doing really well at learning their steps, following directions, and even keeping their feet quiet while I am talking!  I had one little girl write for her teacher that her favorite thing to do at school and at home was tap dance!  That was wonderful to hear!  I am really hoping that this will give them hope and encouragement to try new things and be creative.  Most of them come from homes where they aren't encouraged to work hard, do their best, get exposed to art, or smile and get and give hugs and encouraging words....but in our class we smile, laugh, encourage each other, give hugs, be positive,work hard, and get creative.  Hopefully the Lord will use our 45 minutes once a week to make lasting impacts on these girls futures!  

I love black and white films, big band music, 50's and 60's music, Fred Astaire, Ellenor Powell, Frank, etc,etc......and these girls no nothing about any of that so I take some time each week to remedy that!  Tristan made me a DVD of lots of old black and white tap clips from old movies and I show a clip every week.  The girls love it and constantly remark on how old the videos must be!  I came across a wonderful video of Ellenor Powell in my search for clips and just have to share it with the blog world.  I wish I could have made a career out of tapping like she did!  Also, I am such a fan of Ms. Powell that I hope to one day name a daughter after her!

 I hope you enjoy the video and that it reminds you to pray for all my little girls! 

Click Here to watch the video!

Woodsy Table Scape

If you didn't know yet that I LOVE to decorate.....now you do!  I LOVE IT!  And beautiful pictures of creative ideas inspire me soo much.  I ran across this pic on a blog a follow called ReNest, and fell in love.  Somehow I will re-create this table, in my own way with things I can find here at my home.....somehow...somehow(part of the fun of decorating for me is figuring out how to do things....especially when it involves using something to decorate that usually doesn't have a function relating to decor).

Here is the link to the blog post: Woodsy Table Scape

Tea

Another must have tradition for the fall is the drinking of tea....and espescially the drinking of tea in the company of people you love! 

Here is Tristan and I enjoying some of that warm goodness together.

Check out the contest Caroline Joy Photography is having...tomorrow is the last day to enter.

Holly...she's the perfect fall treat!

My sister(she is actually my sister-in law.....I hate to put the in-law part on any of my sister-in-laws titles because they are all like real sisters....or what I imagine a sister should be since I don't have a blood sister....by the way...if you include all the Russo girls I have 7 sisters....pretty amazing huh?) Holly came to visit this weekend and we had a wonderful time.  She reminds me of fall.  She has gorgeous Auburn curly hair like Anne of Green Gables, and Holly herself goes perfectly with any fall color!  She loves fall just as I do and enjoys the smells, the colors, fall attire, folk music, the fall weather etc....so I would have to say that spending time with her is one of my favorite fall traditions.  

I love you Holly!!!!

Don't forget to check out:

Caroline Joy Photography

for an AWESOME give-away!

Fall Folk

Caroline,

     I LOVE folk music and my favorite folk band(www.waterdeep.com) usually plays every year in October at Common Grounds in Waco.  A few weeks ago Tristan and I got to go to their show.  It was Tristan's first time to see them live.  It was a wonderful experience.  I have to say that Folk music in the fall is one of my favorite "fall traditions".  I always feel folk really comes alive in the fall.....the colors, the smell, the weather...are enhanced by the music and vise versa!  Below is the only picture we got  at the show before the camera died! 

Don't forget that my fall posts are entries are for caroline joy photography's give away and you can enter too!

I have to say Caroline that it has been fun blogging about my Fall Fave's...but I can't wait for it to be November 4th!

Another Fall delight...

Caroline,

   I also LOVE to burn candles during fall(well...all year really but especially during the fall)....candles that smell fallish at that!  There is something about the flickering light and the smell that just makes a place feel cozy!

Catch your chance to wrap up in Autumn--Anthro style--at http://www.carolinejoyblog.com

Check out Caroline Joy Photography:

www.carolinejoyblog.com

Momma, this is for you!

I keep telling my mom about all my garage sale finds and my little crafty creations, and she has been asking for pictures of the changes that have made around my house since August.......so here they are momma.  I hope you enjoy it.  But, just promise me you will come see it for yourself very soon! ok? : )

First off we re-arranged the bedroom a bit:

This is our new bedspread.  I bought it from Goodwill for 6.00.....It's old and looks like I bought it from Anthropologie!

This is the buffet that we found in that front yard weeks after I had wanted and seen it at an  Estate Sale.  It was 15.00 and Tristan put some extra money, time, and beautiful craftsmanship to make it look like it does today....I LOVE IT!!!!
These are pics of Fall decor in the Dining Room.  It's been up for about 3 weeks but won't be up much  longer though because though I love fall....I LOVE Christmas even more!!!


The Buffet again!



The next pictures are the ones momma that I know you have really been wanting to see: 

The Living Room.  Which we actually live in now...with each other and with friends.  It's been perfect to have the extra seating because we have had 15 people filling the room every week for lifegroup.  That white couch it the one Tristan surprised me with that he bought for $20.00.  He's amazing isn't he?
The white chair from Pom Pom has an old suitcase filled with my growing collections of things for little ones.
Finally got photos on the wall.

Thanks for those NEST letters momma....I love them!  Oh...the bench on the right is the crushed Gold Velvet one that I was telling you about that I got at a garage sale for $20.00 in Abilene while Tristan was taking his GMAT.

This is the canvas painting Tristan and I made together.
The used Ikea sofa we found on Craigslist.   Oh and the lampshades on the two lamps are the ones I had showed you that I wanted....I found them on Clearance......so thankful I waited.  God cares about every detail huh?

This is MY special chair for reading(all sorts of things....including Let's Make a Memory ) and crocheting...I love it.  It was to me the final piece to make the room sing.  I had passed up, or missed purchasing several chairs...but kept praying for the right one.  To some this may not be the prettiest chair you have ever seen...but like the other items God brought our way it was an answer to prayer.  It rocks(perfect for rocking babies some day), and swivels...is super comfy and was only 5 dollars.  And, the old man we bought it from was a kindred spirit. I think of him often when I sit in it!  Oh....the stool in front of it came from an estate sale for $1.00.   

We are so blessed and so thankful for all these finds.  Our God is good, sweet....thoughtful!  We have seen that over and over again in our marriage....which by the way...as of tomorrow will be 2yrs old in 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Like I said.....He is good!!!!