Don't make me chase u; Even doves have pride

I was so relieved to have my grades finalized and my closet clean, that I was feeling a little giddy today (other than the headache, hot flashes, and nausea). I did some chores today, but not nearly as many as I could/should have. I met Denny and Orinda for our usual Friday lunch . Our friend, Carrie, who joins us sometimes came today, and it was great to see her. My stomach was feeling a little off, so I wasn't able to eat much of my lunch, but we had some good conversation.

L and I came home and got some school work and chores done, and she was really determined to go to Michael's to get more clay. When Dej got home, the three of us decided to go to Michael's and then hit Old Navy, since it's next door. It was just the three of us, which doesn't happen very often these days. I love Joe, but it was nice to spend an afternoon with just the girls. I got a bathing suit at Old Navy that makes me look slightly less fat than my other one. The girls each got some cute clothes.

After we got home, Hunter showed up and he and L played outside, enjoying the beautiful weather we had today. I was feeling creative and decided to scrap my to do list and make a necklace. I had to take a break from working to fix dinner, but then returned to the necklace and finished it just in time to read to L and tuck her in for the night. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It was exactly what I had in mind, and that doesn't happen for me very often. It will go with a lot and it's sparkly and shiny, which for some unknown and completely impractical reason, I seem to be drawn to. With a list full of stuff to do over the next few days, this was certainly not the best use of my time. It was fun and I really enjoyed it. I haven't had time to do anything creative for a long time.

I love pretty things. Impractical things. It kind of irritates me, because I like logical explanations for things. I want to be able to drill down to the underlying biological reason for behaviors and preferences. I always run into a brick wall, though, when I try to figure out why I (and so many other beings in this world) am so attracted to beautiful things which serve no purpose. I've pondered this many, many times in recent years, but never reached a satisfactory explanation. I was absolutely thrilled to read an article in my recent 'Seed' magazine (which is one of the best mags ever!) that scientists are scanning and mapping the brain in studies to determine why beauty and art are so important to all cultures throughout history. I will definitely be looking forward to the results of these studies.

This is L's second outfit of the day. I really wanted to get a picture of the first one, as it was much, much more creative and unique than this outfit. I'm sure she will wear that outfit again, and I will not miss my chance to get a picture again! She's been spending a lot of time lately designing dresses and other clothes. She's drawn them out, and I am planning to photograph and post them soon. They are pretty unique and cool. She has hopes of getting fabric and sewing them.