The Queen of Burned Fingers, that’s my new title.  But, I’m okay with that!  I’ve decided I’m also okay with Monday alarm clocks and impossible looming deadlines.

Have I gone crazy?  Well, judge for yourself.

It started with the blister, but since that’s not very pretty and it is thankfully quite small, I’ll give you a pic of my reason for smiling while I burned myself.

Snazy, don’t you think?  They’re new hair clips for my daughter, which she and I made together.  For Christmas I gave her several new clips, but they were snowmen and winter flowers, not something she’d want to wear in the summer.  As the weather’s warmed up her thoughts have turned toward the beach and pool.

I think the sun is cuter, but the sandcastle is my pride and joy since it was harder to draw.

Delivering on my three-months-ago promise involved lots of patience on my part, and of course the burned fingers ’cause heaven forfend I come near a hot glue gun without getting at least one blister.  But it was such fun to listen to her deliberate style and texture, and carefully consider the different colors she wanted.  When we were done, I felt the finished project was well worth any trouble or burned digits.

This morning when the alarm went off way too early, I reminded myself of the same thing.  You can’t have spring flowers without the showers.  I know this.  But sometimes I forget.  I want a world where things flow freely and easily, where I can sleep til I feel rested, and where the joy of a new life doesn’t bring with it any shadow of death.  But since that world just isn’t possible and probably wouldn’t suit, anyway, I’ll try to remember instead that it’s worth it, and that even the most onerous things can bring unexpected friendship.