Colors of the season

It's hard to believe autumn has arrived and it's already October! You can probably guess by my less frequent posting that the preschool programs at the library have started up again, school is in full swing, and I'm back to spinning many plates in the air. As early as I get up and as careful as I am with my time, there just never seems to be enough for everything I want to do. But I did manage to create this autumn necklace for a co-worker whose birthday is today (same as my youngest daughter). Most of the components I already had on hand, but I picked up the large copper ring and the hanging ribbon at the local craft store, and created the main yellow leaf by stamping on polymer clay. I got the idea for this style from a book called Custom Cool Jewelry by Melinda Barta. It's fun playing with different combinations of metals, colored glass beads and other components; it's like a charm bracelet, only even easier!

So what else have I been up to? Here's a quick rundown:

• At work, I do seven children's programs a week, including one for caregivers and infants, three for children 13-23 months, two for preschoolers age 3-5, and one for second graders. I see almost 100 kids a week!
• Also at the library, I started a monthly "Creative Playgroup" for women! We meet for about an hour one evening a month to relax, talk, share dessert, and do a simple creative project. Last month we played with polymer clay; next month we're making leaf prints on cloth napkins as a seasonal decoration. I've been thinking about doing something like this for about a year now, and our first meeting was lots of fun!
• We finally had our hall bathroom made over! The new porcelain floor tile, maple vanity cabinet, and vanity top with two recessed sinks all look fantastic! We still need to give the walls a fresh coat of paint, install the new vanity light, and choose accessories. When it's all completed, I'll post a picture.
• Birthday parties! Two weeks ago, we hosted a sleepover for five 12-year-olds (I'm glad that's over!) and tomorrow we're taking a few 10-year-olds out to the movies and then back to the house for pizza and cake.
• We've started finalizing my middle daughter's move from the bedroom she shares with her little sister to her new downstairs place (which used to be my husband's office). All the papers and books are gone, there's a fresh coat of jamaican blue paint on the walls and a fluffy white area rug; now all we need to do is move the bed and dresser - probably tomorrow!
• I started another conceptual art piece for my FANE group. We're scheduled to show them at our next meeting on the 14th of this month. The challenge is to create a piece of conceptual art no larger than 18" on a side that illustrates the topic "art quilt." We are also supposed to make a statement about the piece. I am actually enjoying this one; I'm treating it very playfully and enjoying going through my fabric stash and grabbing swatches here and there in various colors and textures. I'll post the results when it's done.

In between, I try to keep up with the grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, and cleaning. Last fall, I was so strapped for time (that dog takes up more time than you'd guess, and greatly contributes to the mess!) I actually started paying someone to come in twice a month to give the house a good thorough cleaning. But over the summer, I let the girls help me do it and saved us some money to boot. I don't really like cleaning, but I do like having a clean house! When we all work together, we get it done in a few hours on Saturday morning. Have a nice weekend, everyone!