making the cut!

So, as you may have noticed, my girls have very, very long hair.  Sure, I trim it on a pretty regular basis, but it just grew and grew.  As you can imagine, it took a long time to brush and because of the length they often needed help.  That often resulted in complaining because my gentle touch wasn't always so gentle when it came to tangles.

I'm no hair stylist, so I have always told them that if they wanted it cut for real, instead of just a trim, I would take them to a salon.  I also told them that I would not make them get it cut. That decision was theirs to make...the when, and how much to cut...completely up to them.  Some people, who shall remain nameless, thought I was crazy for leaving that decision up to the girls...or for letting their hair grow so long.  Homeschool stereotypes and all.  But when you have that much hair, with the potential of being naturally wavy or curly, it's a personal decision.  A decision made my the one with the hair.  Of course, when talking about haircuts, I always give the sound advice not to layer it because of the nature of their hair.  The liklihood of it turning curly is great and layers don't do well with naturally curly hair.  Yes, speaking from experience.   So the discussion of a hair cut increased over the past month or so.  Then I shared a story about a student at work that donated her hair to Locks of Love, then a friend of theirs at church did the same.  That was it.

The decision made.

Get a cut, donate it, have a cute new style.  On Good Friday they were ready.  In fact, they discussed it half the day and kept asking to go.  So off to the salon we went. Both girls got a hair cut.  The minimum amount to cut for a donation was 10 inches.  One obviously went with about 12 inches, then after evening out the ends this is what they got. 

The picture above is fresh from the salon.  They enjoyed the experience and are very happy with their new looks.  Ponytails are easier, brushing is easier.  In the humidity it's all a little wavy but it's so much lighter and cooler.  And when it's time to go to the pool it'll be so much better.  The best part about this whole experience is the final decision was made because they knew their donated hair would be helpful to a child that needed a wig. 

just after

Sorry, I didn't take a before picture of the girls room when the bunk beds were still stacked. I went through several months of pics to see if there were any accidental before shots, but there weren't. Their room is small and doesn't have the best lighting so I don't normally take pictures in there. I did, however, take an after shot. Prepare yourself for lots of pink stuff...and bare walls. That's next on my list for this room...pretty curtain rods, a new light fixture, and some simple art. On the girl's list...paint for the walls...pink paint, naturally. No matter what gets done next, it's always nice to rearrange.

before & after

Today is the big day! The goal was to complete the to-do list by July 25th then post the before and after pictures to show the world what was accomplished.

I must confess, I didn't complete everything on the list, but I did make good progress.


Here goes....


THE new, super cute, soft and fuzzy, pink polka dot RUG!


THE newly sewn, simple but beautiful, white eyelet with periwinkle ribbon, bathroom CURTAIN! All of the painting is done, the window curtain has been made, and the shower curtain has been purchased. The only thing left is the floor. Oh, you're time is coming, mr. floor.

THE growing like crazy, easily transplanted, filling in the empty places MONKEY GRASS! This stuff is great. Full sun or shade, it just grows and grows. We have cleared out the back corner of our yard and needed to move the monkey grass. I put some in the front yard where nothing else would grow (as you can see in the picture below), I also put some around the base of our deck. There are still a few more plants that need to be moved, so I still have a little more digging to do.

Not too bad, huh? During this time I also made a few doll dresses, finished a skirt for myself, and made my girls matching shirts. I hope to get the girls' room painted while it's still warm...still searching for "cosmic pink" paint. To the girls, that means pink sparkly paint or mother-of-pearl-ish paint. Ever heard of such a thing?
It's nice to check things off the list! Go ahead, try it!