Girl Effect

Thought this was thought provoking and also sad. At first when I watched it I thought they were being a little extreme as most girls in America are getting some sort of formal education and aren't pregnant by 12. Then I realized the video is showing what happens to girls in poverty and is more world-wide. Looking at it that way, I'd say it's quite true. And I'd agree with the message and what the organization is trying to do.

This is from the FAQ on their website (http://www.girleffect.org/)
Why Girl's? Why not boy's too?

We started out with a problem that needed solving: Poverty. We did a ton of thinking and researching and talking to smart people. We came up with a quite surprising answer: Girls. Girls? Really? Yup. Girls. 
If it had turned out that rubber bands could cure poverty, we would have started the Rubber Band Effect.
It has been shown that an educated girl will invest 90% of her future income in her family, compared to 35% for a boy. Yet 250 million adolescent girls live in poverty and are more likely than boys to be uneducated, married at a young age, and exposed to HIV/AIDS. Today, less than two cents of every international development dollar go to girls, the very people who could do the most to end poverty. As long as girls remain invisible, the world misses out on a tremendous opportunity for change.
The Girl Effect exists to help everyone. And everyone includes boys. Indeed, better lives for girls mean better lives for everyone in their communities, including their brothers, fathers, future husbands and future sons. When you improve a girl’s life through education, health, safety, and opportunity, these changes have a positive ripple effect. As an educated mother, an active, productive citizen and a prepared employee, she is the most influential force in her community to break the cycle of poverty.

 What's interesting is girls really can change the world. I feel we are made to be strong (sometimes strong-willed is a really good thing), we adapt and rise to conquer challenges, we are nurturing and like momma bears will fight to protect our families, and we are smart. Seriously. I have heard so many stories and know so many women who have done amazing things that you wouldn't think they would have had the power to do.

Embracing Depression

Read this blog today by a photographer I follow. The 1st paragraph especially, I think she wrote from inside my head.
http://anneruthmann.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/gratitude-journal-7-embracing.html

the whole "feeling not right" can be so frustrating. I am slowly understanding that feelings are not always logical and I honestly hate that and want to put everything in their little boxes and have nothing "irrational or illogical" b/c I view a lot of my world as black and white. It's right or wrong. And I think I should be able to fix everything involving myself if I am "off." I fight the "such and such happened and my reaction was X and that doesn't seem to match the situation in my mind and is therefore illogical/wrong." I am working on correctly that line of thought and praying that God will correct it as I guess that's really what will have to happen. Sometimes it feels like He made me broken but then I remember He did that for a purpose. (yes, the theology of that statement is probably off)  I like me better when I am happy though.

There is now light

I read somewhere that the only two fears you are born with is the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. All other fears are learned. Well, I tackled using a ladder to change the light bulb outside my front door and lived to tell of it. I only had a 6 foot ladder and the light was 11 or 12 feet up so it did require me standing on the step that says "do not stand on this step b/c you could lose your balance." I did picture myself falling off, hitting the sidewalk, needing assistance and knowing my emergency contact was probably in meetings. So, I was super careful, hung on to the side of the house a few times, and made really slow moves. Other than dumping dead bugs on my head I did pretty good (even took the light fixture inside and cleaned it really well) and now have a front light again. Normally I wouldn't be that concerned the light was out but as I live at the back of my complex it can get pretty dark and creepy. So, that was my big accomplishment of the day.

Cut the Soap

After an hour and a half the soap is cut. Wrestling it out of the milk cartons is never easy and I am so sore it's ridiculous. Like for real. I did wear gloves so my hands have been saved. Raw soap under the fingernails is no good. So, here are 5 of the 7 blocks. I had already cut the basil-lime. The peppermint is slightly green. It's in the middle.

And here's the 4 trays of soap. Did some kid-size circles and made the big bars quite big. I tried to keep them between 5-6oz. The small soaps and spheres are 2-2.5 oz each. The picture is a little yellow. Basil-lime is at the top of the photo, peppermint is the right side, lemongrass is the left, and unscented is the bottom.

The recipe full of goodness. The soap will take 6 weeks to cure and be ready for use. I think next time I'll add more essential oils as they have a light scent which is fine for me but I know most people want more scent. They do all smell really clean.

How to Feel Miserable as an Artist

How to Feel Miserable as an Artist

(or what not to do, underline any that currently apply.)

1. Constantly compare yourself to other artists.
2. Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on.
3. Base the success of your entire career on one project.
4. Stick with what you know.
5. Undervalue your expertise.
6. Let money dictate what you do.
7. Bow to societal pressures.
8. Only do work that your family would love.
9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor asks.
10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals. To be accomplished by tomorrow.

(Keri Smith)

150

I just noticed on my timesheet that I've worked for UT for 150 months. I should celebrate or lament or something. That's 12.5 years folks. Almost a full teenager. So far the worst years were 8-11. We'll see what the future brings. Hopefully a husband or Christ's return.

Now accepting invites.

So I've found myself sortof disconnected and lonely lately. A friend at work left the company a couple weeks ago and I still haven't gotten over another friend leaving work last April. I have a few casual friends at work I still talk with occasionally but no one who really knows me. Then I am not in a small group right now so I don't have regular times to connect with people. And I am between churches at the moment so that in itself is really weird feeling. I love the people of LO but it was time to move on. Wasn't an easy decision and I realize some of you reading this may not even know I left. We can talk. Honestly I haven't told you b/c I don't know HOW to tell you.

I've been struggling with some blah-ness and have been spending alot of time alone. Some of this alone time has been great but in it I've realized I need to connect with people. But I also know everyone is busy with their families and schedules of their own. But just letting you know I am now accepting invites. Invites to meet for lunch or coffee, invites to eat with your family, invites to your kids basketball games or talent shows, invites to come over and watch a movie and order a pizza, invites to pretty much anything. Have your people call my people. Thanks.

20 pounds of soap

Decided to make soap this weekend. LOTS of soap. I was going to make it around Thanksgiving but never got around to it. Made 3 batches, the 1st 2 were 5lb batches and the last I doubled and it was 10 lbs. Barely fit in my pan and I made a mess pouring it but it turned out fine. Made a Basil-Lime - RedLeaf soaps has a great basil-lime that my sister and I really like so I was trying to imitate it. Hopefully it will be as crisp and delightful. Then a Peppermint with a touch of rosemary. I've made this one many times before and really like it. And I love lemongrass so I made some with that and put a touch of lime in that. I only use essential oils for scenting as "fragrance oils" sortof freak me out and I am probably allergic to most of them. And then left about 3 lbs unscented. Ended up not putting colorants like I sometimes do. I did try infusing spinach powder into the oils for the peppermint soap. We'll see if the soap ends up tinted green. Right now it just looks yellow. I did put lots of fun oils and butters in them all (used the same recipe for everything) - mango butter, avocado oil, fair trade organic cocoa butter, shea butter, and jojoba oil, along with the normal coconut, olive, palm, and palm kernel oils.

the 10 pound batch.

took this picture as the first batch was in its "gel" stage. too crazy. The soap once you pour it into the mold heats itself up turning it to gel before it hardens into soap. I rarely see this stage as its usually all wrapped up in towels to keep the heat in so I get a nice hard bar.

here's all 7 milk cartons of soap. 2 each of the scented, and one unscented.

and here they are all wrapped up for a few days. Yay!

I also made a batch of liquid soap from a recipe everyone was posting on pinterest. It is made from a bar of peppermint soap and is sortof a snot-like consistency but seems to work ok.

A bunch of squares

Last night I went to the glass studio for some "table time." I needed to get out of the house and be around people so I went and cut out and stacked squares for 3 hours. It was quite therapeutic actually.
the finished stacks ready to go into the kiln.
and after the first firing. Not sure if I'll slump it into a bowl or something or cut it up into jewelry. I've fired the kiln quite a bit lately. Getting more used to sleeping with it on and not worrying too much that I'll burn the house down.