Painting

Clever title, I know.  I bet I got your attention right from the beginning??  Uh huh, that's what I thought.  In class, we call them grabbers -- you know, that first sentence that "grabs" your readers' attention.  You're welcome for the impromptu 2nd grade writing lesson.

And this is my subtle transition into my actual post...

As a teacher, I treasure my summers.  I mean treasure them.  I cannot express the joy it brings me to wake up at 10:30 on a Wednesday morning, mid-June, with absolutely nothing on the calendar.  Pure ELATION.

However, if I'm being honest, which I always try to be on here, there always comes a point in my summer that things tend to drag, just a bit.  I live in the Florida Panhandle.  If you're not at the beach, then you are inside with the A/C set on 60.  (Check out my last post to see how I really feel about warm weather.)  Unless I'm out of town or spending the day with friends, I don't get out too much during daylight hours because it's just so darn hot.  Which means, I have to find ways to fill my mornings and afternoons.

Two summers ago, I hit that lull where things just started to get a little boring.  I needed a hobby to occupy my time.  With my best friend's July 4th birthday coming up, I knew I wanted to make her something meaningful because she is the queen of giving the most thoughtful, tear-inducing gifts.  But, really, I am the least crafty person in the world.  My dad, brother, and sister are all incredible artists.  They can draw, paint, and design anything you can imagine (my dad is an architect).  But, me?  I got my mama's genes.  It just didn't happen for us.  I can only draw stick people, and even those are pretty scary.

I still cannot, for the life of me, remember what possessed me to head to Hobby Lobby to buy a canvas.  I had never considered buying a canvas.  Not ever.  But, somewhere along the way, I got it in my head that maybe I would try to make my friend a name sign to hang outside her future classroom.  I mean, I could write letters...with a pencil, anyway.  How hard could it be?

I'll spare you all the gory details.  The realization that painting is a pretty expensive hobby.  The 20 hours it took to complete.  The tears when I figured out that my thin white paint wouldn't cover up a few serious mistakes.  Uh huh...can you say learning process?  But, when all was said and done, I ended up with this....

It turned out much better than I thought it would, especially since I had seriously considered chunking it halfway through the process.  After that, I kinda got "bit by the bug."  I decided to turn the whole thing into a hobby, instead of just a one-time deal.  I ended up making myself a sign, which led to other friends wanting one, too.  

Sitting here, late-January, I am aching for a little more "me time" again.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my job.  But, there's just something that happens every year, when you reach that halfway mark, and summer feels like it'll never get here.  Last summer, I didn't get a whole lot of time to myself.  I spent a good bit of it in Germany (which I plan to post about soon).  I know, I know, poor me.  This summer, though, I have very little on the agenda and hope to make the most of it.  I'd love to take on some new craft project, just to see if I can do it.  Pinterest is giving me plenty of ideas, but I'd love to hear from someone with a better eye than me.  Any suggestions?