Smile And Wave

Helping Moore Families Heal Through Art Feeds

I'm honored to share the efforts of Art Feeds Moore in their attempt to bring healing to the children that lived through the devastating tornadoes that struck Joplin, MO two years ago and Moore, OK last week. If you've been looking for a special way to help this community rebuild, this may be it. 

In Joplin following the tornado in 2011, Art Feeds programs were and are still instrumental in helping the children of Joplin dance, draw, paint, sculpt, design and heal past the horrific trauma they had faced. We are now looking to to the same for the children in Moore, OK.

You see, we always said we were thankful that our tornado hit on a Sunday and the kids weren't in school, our hearts were devastated that Monday, May 20th, as we watched the elementary schools of Moore get hit. We are mobilized to do anything we possibly can to help. To date, Art Feeds has impacted 14,500 children with our free therapeutic art and creative education programs, reaching over 3,000 children in 13 schools and 3 children's organizations weekly in Joplin. 

We have committed to bringing these same programs to Moore to help the little ones heal from the tremendous trauma they have faced and will continue to face following this disaster. At the launch of our programs we give each child an art pack filled with all the essential supplies: markers, crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, a sketchbook and in the case of the Moore students, super hero capes. These art packs will provide comfort for students who have lost everything, allow them to express themselves and the capes will help them feel invincible in a world that seems like it is falling apart. 

An art pack costs $10. Just $10 to provide the first steps of healing for a child. We are raising funds here and asking for supplies in partnership with Do Something (all specifics)here.

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I love that this non-profit is meeting needs on an emotional level as children and families adjust to the loss of everything that made life normal for them. It's my hope that the creative online community can see the value in this important work and help provide art packs and other supplies that can play such a big role in the healing process for these kids. 

Please feel free to contribute above as well as spread the word about what Art Feeds is doing to help the children in Moore, OK.

-Rachel

What We Wore: Territory Days

So many frowny faces but mostly they just wanted to get to the festival and not stop to take pictures. In ten or fifteen years when they're looking through old photos and feeling nostalgic they'll be so glad we made a little time to document life. Matching All-Stars, the raddest little wayfairers, the sweetest handmade dress - all things I want to remember about this day and this time. 

Outfit Details: Sebastian-Shirt, shorts, glasses, Target. Converse, thrifted. Ruby-Dress c/o Misha Lulu. Converse, thrifted. Me-Dress and Denim shirt, Target. Boots, thrifted. Purse c/o Jordana Paige, vintage scarf, thrifted, sunglasses c/o ModCloth (last summer), necklace, Anthropologie.

I was so excited when I found those gray Converse for Ruby but almost didn't buy them because she's all about the pink, sparkly shoes. Brett played it up that they were for him and that they made people run super fast and suddenly she was into them. Well play, Brett. 

-Rachel

Territory Days

We were able to sneak in a trip to Territory Days over in Old Colorado City this Memorial Day weekend. It's a three day festival celebrating the history of Colorado Springs and the heritage of both the Native American tribes that occupied the land as well as the time when settlers arrived on the scene. Like most festivals there are blocks and blocks full of booths selling local honey, homemade soaps, tie-dyed dresses, and random overpriced toys for kids but there were also a ton of handmade jewelry and fine art booths with a Native American bent as well as beautiful carvings, woven blankets, and tooled leather items. 

We'd heard from our friend, Tara, that there were pony rides so we told Ruby we were going somewhere fun and had a surprise for her. She guessed that we were going to Horseyland so she wasn't far off. There was also a petting area full of young goats, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, bunnies, a llama, and a not so young tortoise. I about died from all the cute. 

As I was flipping through photos to post I was struck by this one because Sebastian was looking straight at me with a great smile. I got a little sentimental about how he's growing up so quickly and how he's telling funny jokes and talking about how he loves spending time with me.

Then I realized Thunder had it hanging out plain as day for all the lady horses to see. In fact, all five of the photos I got of Sebastian smiling and looking at me as he went around in circles were displaying Thunder's thunder. So, my apologies.

We let the kids get some treats because half of the fun of going to a festival is paying too much for shaved ice. Sebastian was over the moon that they had root beer flavored cones and then saw the root beer bottle stand next to it and absolutely needed one of his own! He was proudly walking around with bottle in hand when we happened upon a teepee that he and Ruby wanted to check out. I stood back a bit to try and capture how pretty it was on my iPhone when all of a sudden he comes flying out, catches his foot on the bottom of the teepee entrance and falls on his hands and knees as his full root beer bottle breaks on the sidewalk and sprays the passers by.

It was immediate tears and me shoving the phone in my purse so I could get to him to make sure he hadn't cut himself. Suddenly, the bare-bottomed man dressed in his tribal gear on the white horse from the photo above appeared with a rake and a lovely assistant to help bag the glass. His bare cheeks showing through his chaps probably made for quite a sight behind us as he stooped to help clear shards of brown glass from the sidewalk. Apparently, you have to watch out for all kinds of exposure at Territory Days.

Sebastian was given another full bottle of root beer compliments of the nice booth workers and Brett surprised me with a caramel apple so we were all happy campers. At least until we said we weren't going to shell out the $9 per child to do the bungee trampoline and that we would try to catch the bounce house at the next festival because it was time to go home. I remember that feeling as a kid wanting something so badly and thinking your only hope of happiness depended on making it yours only to be told no by a well-meaning parent (who had already spent more than they'd planned on snow cones and petting zoos). 

We got to see lots of animals, people watch, and see the white horse dance to an interesting mix of tribal rock so it was mostly a great afternoon. After hauling the kids back to the car with their free balloons we stopped in to see Tara and oogle her new vintage Airstream. She and her husband are joining forces to overhaul it and are turning it into a creative business venture. We got the scoop on their own drive through the Rockies with battery doors (and regular doors) flapping in the wind at 11,000 + feet on their way home from picking it up. I may drive by her house once a week just to stare at it!

The afternoon ended over coffee with a very talented photographer friend sans children. We got to chat about interior design, connections to Seattle, and her fantastic work over at Chris & Melodie Photography. Then it was back home to enjoy shrimp tacos in the backyard along with most of our neighbors that were grilling or sprucing up their own yards. 

It was a full day but a relaxing one. A far cry from last year's tragic interruption. 

I hope your Memorial weekend was just what you needed - some extra time to work in your yard, hang out with friends, or just do nothing at all. 

-Rachel

Adding Color to Our Backyard

One day early last week Ruby and I stopped in at a local thrift shop to look for a few more planters for the yard. Like most things in our home I can usually find most of what we need second-hand if I just keep an eye out for the things I know we'll need and look semi-regularly. I don't go hardly as often as I did a year ago unless I'm searching hard for something specific. This trip didn't disappoint with three beautifully worn and patterned terra cotta pots shown nested above. 

We then stopped in at Lowe's for a few supplies to finish off the cedar panels I've built to give us a little more privacy and came home with flowers that remind me of California. Marigolds, Hens & Chicks, and the red ones above. I brought out the yellow blooms I'd been keeping indoors for some early spring cheer and finally set our sprouts outside to adjust to the weather now that it's warmer at night. Everything is still waiting on a free afternoon to be paired with a container and placed in it's happy spot but this little corner by our back door is already feeling better.

It helps that the original owner of this home added a variety of fruit trees to the backyard along with lilacs and another flowering bush that I still can't figure out above in pink. There's still not much chance that our lawn from last year will return, especially with this year's water restrictions, but we're going to make the most of the rest of our space. Let's hope the neighbor's new bird feeder continues to hold the squirrels' interest so they'll leave our sprouting vegetables alone!

I think I could spend all day outside planting and tending if it were possible. 

-Rachel

P.S. The stories coming out of Moore, OK continue to be both sobering and hopeful. Have you seen this video of the woman who thought she'd lost her dog and then they found him while filming her for a news piece? 

Family Photo Shoot with Rebecca Caridad: Part One

The lovely Rebecca and her sister, Alysia, came down from Boulder about a month ago to do a home shoot and an outdoor shoot with our family. I just got the prints and cd in the mail today and couldn't wait to share my favorites. There are a lot of favorites! 

Funny story: I'd spent a few days getting our house super clean along with the help of Brett and despite the help of the smaller people that also live here. I'd been so busy I'd put off coloring my hair to hide the (quite) noticeable difference in browns (and maybe a few grays) and finally made some time to take care of it a mere three hours before the ladies were to arrive. I couldn't remember which color I'd used the previous time so I just picked something that looked right and went for it. My middle name is procrastination.

As soon as I got out of the shower I blow-dryed the top of my hair to see how it turned out and grew a little concerned that it was more fiery red than auburnish brown. I went out in the sun and had Brett take a picture of it so I could see and then panicked a little when even he said I should probably high tail it back to Walgreens. I threw my hair in a bun, checked for dye stains on my face and neck, and tore out of the driveway. Thankfully, I still had enough time to redye my hair a more subtle shade of what I wanted and got things diffused just in time. 

Despite the hair drama it was such a fun afternoon and evening. The kids were pretty cooperative and loved the extra attention from our company, the weather was great, and Rebecca and Alysia were so warm and full of whatever it is that makes you feel so much at ease around them (and their large lenses). After our shoot Brett took the kids home to put them to bed and the ladies and I went to Shuga's for dinner. I loved getting to spend a little extra time with a fellow creative that I've only previously known online. I was so inspired by stories they shared about their mom and how much she nurtured their creativity as kids and taught them about farming and gardening and different mediums she was interested in herself. It's so evident that that made an impact.

I have more photos from our venture out to Garden of the Gods to share in a future post. If you're in Colorado and are looking for a photogapher you can check her out and get in touch with her here.

 

Devastation in Oklahoma

Every May there are sirens and every May there are tornadoes along with jokes about going back to sleep or watching the funnels from your front porch. Then there's that year when the interior closet or bathtub aren't any safer than standing out in the rain because the force that is moving over the earth is just eating everything up as it goes. 

I've had texts and phone calls from my parents the last three Mays saying they were driving to the local hospital to get in the basement, waiting in lockdown at work, or running to the library just down the street from their home. They're Oklahoma natives but I think they've had more close calls since they've been in the OKC area than in all their years living further south. My dad texted me this video he took on Sunday, May 19th right after he and my mom ran to the library down the street from their house. They were just about to lock the doors when they arrived. This tornado went nearer to Edmond and did a little bit of damage to power lines and ripped trees out of friend's yards.

I remember feeling relieved that the damage was minor until getting a call from my mom saying Shawnee, the town where Brett and I spent six years during and after college, had been hit. We called our friends to check on them and were able to reach them but later learned a whole trailer park had been wiped out ending in two deaths and more injuries. I went to bed right after hearing there may be more storms Monday.

I had arrived at Sebastian's school for his end of the year party Monday afternoon when I got another text from my dad saying he'd left work early and that my mom was in lockdown at her school again and that a big one was headed to Moore. I sat in the hallway outside his class glued to the KFOR news app but then school was out and there were teacher gifts to give and books to sign and other mamas to hug. It was raining and the sky was moody and we sat in the car talking about his day when my dad texted asking if I'd seen anything about the school being hit. My heart sunk. 

I sit here tonight with a heavy, heavy heart for the people in Moore that have been hit with yet another historic, devastating tornado but so much more for the families of those K-3rd graders and staff that have been the focus of all news stations. I really just can't imagine not being able to get to my kids or the agony of waiting to confirm whether they'd survived or not. My mama heart hurts for those families. 

It's been mentioned on Twitter and in the news that you can help the towns of Shawnee and Moore as well as surrounding areas by donating to both local and national charities. Here's another list of places. 

I drove through Joplin a few weeks after the destruction there and was surprised to still see volunteer tents with people handing out food and water to workers clearing debris from neighborhoods and commercial sites. I will never forget the feeling of driving down residential streets that I could tell had held 100 year old houses from the state of the foundations and not seeing a whole tree for blocks. Seeing the twisted metal of the roof of the sporting goods store, piles of shoes and clothes and belongings waiting to be claimed, stacks of crushed cars being gathered and removed from parking lots was haunting but I was so moved that people were still there working to rebuild.

Clean up is going to take weeks and recovery is going to take months for the families in the affected areas. Let's help in ways we can. 

-Rachel

Dining Outdoors

We have been enjoying mostly lovely weather these last three weeks which means more time spent in our backyard. Our apple tree has finally bloomed so we have all kinds of shade in the afternoon and end up only going inside long enough to cook. There's still a little bit of work to do to get our yard feeling summer ready but one new addition has made it a lot prettier already!

The lovely people over at The Makerage, a brand new consortium of artists, engineers, and designers, recently sent over one of their new products. It's a hexagon-shaped, concrete lazy susan and is absolutely perfect for our outdoor patio set. It's just the right size to hold all the condiments for summer cookouts but also works to create a lovely centerpiece and it won't get ruined if it accidentally gets left outside. I'm always a fan of pieces that are both practical and beautiful. 

Also, I need to give a shout out to Mel, one of the lovely people behind the company, who also happens to be the girl that introduced Brett and I after English class our freshman year of college. Let's all give Mel a round of applause for that, okay!

Also, let's give Colorado a round for not having many mosquitos! It's not it's best feature but it's definitely in the top five.

Do you enjoy eating outside? Have you done anything to make your outdoor space a little more special this year?

-Rachel

Note: Lazy susan c/o The Makerage.

Her Little Green Thumb

Ruby and I planted some seeds over the weekend in our self-watering sprout kit. We should've started a few weeks ago but we're still well in the safe zone for getting these little guys started and hopefully into a raised bed soon. I debated trying to grow anything new this year since the wildlife ate up anything that sprouted last year, including the mature sunflowers, but it's a great way to teach the kids about gardening and another chance for me to learn something new. 

We planted carrots, radishes, and bell peppers in our sprout kit and the radishes shot right up about 36 hours later! The carrots are on their way and we're still waiting on the peppers but it's been fun to see Ruby's excitement when she checks on them every day. We've planted moonflower and morning glory along part of our chain link fence line thanks to my friend, Ruthie, in hopes that it'll shoot up fast, too! The sunflowers will go up where they did last year but I have to finish bolting my cedar fence panels to the fence and then I hope to get some marigolds in a pot or two soon. They're my favorite summer flower because they remind me of my childhood.

My forsythia bush got planted in a bare spot and my burning bush shrubs seem to be alive even though the last snow did a number on them. The grass...well, I just wonder if it's time to throw in the towel since we're on water restrictions this year. If you have lush green grass, go roll around in it for me, okay!

Have you planted anything in your garden this year? I know some of you are probably already eating the fruits of your labor if you live somewhere warm!

-Rachel

What She Wore: Cauliflower Kids

Outfit Details: Dress c/o Cauliflower Kids. Jeans, Target. Shoes, Payless. 

Cauliflower Kids is one of my favorite on trend, handmade kids' clothing shops right now. Each of the designs is fresh and each collection is so cohesive. This is one of the dresses from the spring collection and I love how unique it is. The keyhole back, the raindrop print, and the way it's pieced together all contribute to it's charm! Ruby likes that it's made out of jersey because it feels like a t-shirt and she's all about t-shirts right now. 

Do you think she'd go for this top? I'm gonna ask her.

-Rachel

Spilled Milk: Grow

Head over to Spilled Milk to see the rest! 

-Rachel