Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Courage! Look out, beyond, and see
The far horizon’s beckoning span!
Faith in your God-known destiny!
We are a part of some great plan.

~James Weldon Johnson

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be. ~Langston Hughes

O, let America be America again —
The land that never has been yet — ~Langston Hughes

We must take back our land again,
America! ~Langston Hughes

Or do you think those precious drops
From Lincoln’s heart were shed in vain? ~James Weldon Johnson

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work . . . ~Abraham Lincoln

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth. ~Abraham Lincoln

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Sunday, my family had the great fortune to witness the Congratulatory Wall for President Elect Obama, set up by Avaaz, an organization of global citizens committed to taking action for important issues in today’s world. While there I had the opportunity to photograph the many visitors who were signing the wall as well as one man who I noticed kneeling down next to the inscription at the top of the steps on the Lincoln Memorial. Again, I am so grateful to have been among these many visitors and that my daughter and husband were there to share these moments with me.

To learn more about tolerance education and to teach tolerance at home to your children, visit tolerance.org.

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Yesterday, in what turned out to be the longest of nights (during which my husband and I pleaded with our daughter  to sleep or at least rest), I made the decision to get out of bed with my daughter at 6 a.m. and take her for a drive so that my husband could get a few hours of sleep and function as a somewhat sane person during the day.

I quickly dressed and brought Annabelle downstairs where we strapped on her sparkling pink sneakers over her polka dotted footy pajamas.   Since it was so early in the day and the air was cool, I selected a puffy white vest for her to wear over her pajamas.  Looking at her (and thinking about it now), I realize how much we, as parents, get away with when it’s that early in the morning (i.e. dressing our kids as though they dressed themselves) and how much fun it is to be a parent (though I would vote for sleep over a silly outfit any day).

At first, I thought I would take her to see the ducks, although we were both disappointed when some early morning walkers told us that even the ducks don’t come out as early as we do (I politely told the walkers that we usually prefer to sleep at that hour).  I then promised Annabelle that we would have more fun with the ducks at a later time but that we needed to go elsewhere.  Still, I had no idea where to take her.

Then I jogged my memory for ideas of other ponds or at least safe places to go so early in the day.  With all the excitement of the election and my a rekindled interest in politics, I decided that we should drive into the city and take in the national sights early in the day–something that I had never done before.

Driving into D.C. on Constitution Ave., we took in the colorful foliage and parked nearby the World War II Memorial.  As we headed for the Memorial, we saw

dazzling red and gold trees

the Washington Monument reflecting in the pond with gorgeous trees decorating its base

and  on our way back we stopped at the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue

As we jogged up to the White House, Annabelle and I sang her favorite “Choo-choo” song with lyrics that go something like, “First we go to so and so’s house and then we go to so and so’s house.”  Since we were at the president’s house, I sang the song that way too.  The only other visitors were 2 middle aged men in law sweat shirts, and I can only wonder what they thought of us since we literally jogged up, sang our song, snapped the above photo, and jogged away.

While my night and morning didn’t turn out as I had expected them to, my daughter and I still managed to enjoy the morning and do something we had never done before.  Admittedly, I felt exhausted for the rest of the day, and yet, I am still happy for my adventurous morning with her.

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“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I feel like last night was one of many first steps that Americans have taken towards electing a president we are proud of and believe in.  That said, John McCain’s concession speech moved me beyond words, and I only wish his campaign had let him be the candidate I saw speaking last night.

Yes we can!

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I saw Barack Obama yesterday!  On Tuesday I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign announcing that a rally would be held in Leesburg, Virginia, which is just a half hour away from where I live in Northern Virginia (despite what some may say, we actually are part of the “real” Virginia, or at least our tax dollars lead many of us to believe that we are).   I have to be honest in that I really did not think I would make it to the rally, which was set to begin at 5:30 with gates opening at 3.  Not having attended a political rally ever before, I wasn’t sure how early I would need to arrive in order to get a spot close enough to actually hear and see my candidate.

Earlier on Wednesday, I hosted our Montessori homeschool group until 12:30.  I knew I needed to manage fitting in a nap for Annabelle, pack appropriate clothing, food, and diversions for a toddler and all the while doing so without relying on any bags (none were permitted into the rally).

I left my house at 1:00.  My daughter fell asleep in the car on the ride out to Leesburg.  I sat in a long line of traffic for about a half hour, but fortunately, I arrived early enough to manage close parking in a wide field.  When Annabelle woke up, I bundled her up and we mostly ran across the field where we waited in line for 2 hours!  Once we moved through security, we waited for another two hours in the closest spot I could hold down.   I have to say that Annabelle was a real trooper and even made friends with several other toddlers whose parents had brought them along.

Before Obama took the stage, Governor Kain and former Governor Warner (who is running for Senate here in Virginia) took the stage to rev up the crowd and introduce Senator Obama.  When Obama finally walked out, the crowd roared with excitement and I couldn’t help but whoop and clap too.  I hoisted Annabelle up on my shoulder and she too tried to steal a glance of the very tall Barack Obama.

Excitement aside, it was an awesome experience to listen to Obama speak and hear what voters in the crowd had to say.  I overheard several young people discuss how discouraged they were by the McCain/Palin attacks that accuse Obama of being a terrorist; at the same time, I felt hopeful since I heard others in the crowd defending Islam as a religion of peace (and not as a religion that is equivocal with terrorism).  Much of Obama’s speech was familiar to me since I have been following his campaign from the beginning; he touched on his conversation with Joe the plumber and made the crowd laugh when he said he was simply trying to save Joe the plumber a few bucks rather than Joe the hedge fund manager or Joe the C.E.O. (who are likely well compensated since our government just nationalized many of our banks).  Obama also referenced his tax plan when he asked the crowd how many earned under 200K a year, and well, virtually everyone in attendance raised their hands.  He joked, “You too, huh?”

After the rally, I found my husband standing out towards the road along the fence; he had arrived a few hours after me and had to wait in a long line before being told that they were not letting anyone else in.  Still, he was able to listen to the speech, and we both saw the Senator wave and exit the rally as we walked a mile or so to my husband’s car.  A little while later we purchased french fries for our ravenous little one and made the trek home.

What a night!  I am still amazed that I was able to see and hear Barack Obama.  I hope this will be the first of many great speeches and experiences that I will have with Obama leading our country.  This weekend I am planning to canvass our neighborhood, so the election excitement will continue.

How are you participating in the 2008 election?  Are you volunteering, organizing, or encouraging others to get out and vote?  Also, what resources are you referencing to learn more about the candidates and the issues?

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“Peasants Breaking Bread” 14th Century Paris

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An easy way to make old shirts new again (or consignment and vintage purchases re-styled) is to jazz it up with an iron-on. I originally came across the wonders of iron-ons while brainstorming how to create text in a homemade fabric baby book. While my fabric baby book is still a project in the works, learning how to create a one of a kind garment for myself and my little one has given me a no-sew option to updating old clothing.

When we choose to purchase used clothing or make donations to consignment and thrift shops, we are helping to reduce the cost of waste disposal as well as the natural resources consumed in the life of a product. From the U.S. E.P.A.:

Waste is not just created when consumers throw items away. Throughout the life cycle of a product from extraction of raw materials to transportation to processing and manufacturing facilities to manufacture and use waste is generated. Reusing items or making them with less material decreases waste dramatically. Ultimately, less materials will need to be recycled or sent to landfills or waste combustion facilities.

And when you refashion used items to suit your own styles, not only will you look hip but you’ll feel good about your threads too. Iron on transfers can be used on anything from onesies and tees to fabric bags, pillows, pillow cases, and fabric covered containers.

I created the iron on tee “Barack and Roll Baby” by sprucing up a photo of my favorite candidate for U.S. President with Photoshop Elements and then adding text.

What kinds of projects have you  created (or would like to) using iron on transfers? Do you have any easy tips for refashioning old clothing and stuff? I’d love to hear, as always.

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Two weeks from now marks our one year anniversary in our home. Sold to us as a 3 bedroom home, we anticipated turning our home’s third bedroom, currently a loft, into a room for one of our children. For the first 6 months, the loft served as a sitting space where we stored books, a rocking chair, and my hope chest. When I decided that I wanted to learn to sew, we moved an old folding table upstairs (left behind by the previous owners in our laundry room). To create a crafting table, I spruced up the folding table with a rustic tablecloth made from yellow and purple floral fabrics and covered it with a clear piece of vinyl (to catch spills and messes from crafting).

Sadly, my sewing ambitions suffered over this past year because of my desire to write, mother, take photos, and be with people. I do hope, however, to sew. For now though, my machine rests in a prominent place so that one of these days, when the time and right project come along, a humming sewing machine will be heard (and not just a singing Annabelle).

I packed up my folding table, rolled up the vinyl (it makes a fine crafting mat for projects with Annabelle), and repurposed my yellow and purple fabrics as table and desk covers.

Then I found a desk on Freecycle that needed someone new to love it. I painted it white and purple, borrowing leftover paint from the color scheme used in Annabelle’s room (it really is too bad that I failed to capture a before photo of the desk). I added new hardware to the drawers and asked my husband to sand down the warped wooden sides of the drawers.

A few days later on a weekly trip to the Goodwill, I noticed a white chair that seemed to be waiting for me. $10 later it was in the hatchback of my station wagon and on its way to my writing space. At home, I topped it off with a yellow seat cushion.

Together, the found desk and chair make a perfect pair. I placed my new work station by the window in our loft so that I may see the trees when I write.

I reorganized my idea board by posting cards with ideas to inspire my writing: parenting, the environment, breastfeeding, gardening, journaling, collage, spirituality, education, and photography. My totem images include a photograph of my father from his service in Vietnam (what a handsome dad I had. He looks like James Dean), the cover of Rolling Stone featuring Barack Obama, and a photograph of my husband and me in Peru.

The best part about my writing room’s new layout with the small desk is that it opens up the space for play and crafting on the floor. Later this week I will post photos of a new art project that Annabelle and I worked on here one night.

So this is my writing space. Where I spend my time. Just thought I’d give you a little glimpse into my world . . .

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Guess what?!?  The Sierra Club endorsed Barack Obama “as the change America needs.”  While the Democratic primaries were going on, I made my choice for the next U.S. president a silent one; however, now that Barack Obama is officially the next Democratic U.S. President (I truly, truly hope so), I too am coming out and shouting: “I, Green Mamma, also known as Annabelle’s mamma, endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States!

Click here to read more about the Sierra Club and United Steelworker’s endorsement of Obama.   And to learn about Obama’s environmental platform, click here.

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