Teacher Appreciation Week!

I’m tired today, you guys. This has been a long week. Tomorrow is rest day finally. My legs need it! I completed a 45 minute tempo run this morning, and the miles before and after my peak speed felt like the longest miles of my life.

Remember a couple weeks ago I told you I was working on a project for Teacher Appreciation Week? I wanted to share with you today the final product! For the entire week, we showered our teachers with love. On Monday they each received a hand-stamped note, and a pad of paper and pen, all with flowers on them. On Wednesday they enjoyed a phenomenal breakfast/brunch spread. Thursday they received a box of chocolates from a delicious local chocolatier (wrapped in flower paper, of course). Friday was the apex of the week — they received handmade canvas art from the kids. Thumb-print flowers.

These are the “before” pics. No flower petals yet!

I must say, it was the single most stressful art project of my life. There was so much pressure to make everything PERFECT! These teachers put forth so much effort with our kids every single day. How could I possibly show them how much we appreciate them with one little art project? Impossible. The pressure was on. These canvases and notecards HAD to — HAD TO — be perfect. No excuses.

After the petals and stems were added, with the kids’ names. Pre-acrylic spray. Not too shabby!

Well, they didn’t turn out 100% perfect, but nothing handmade ever is — especially to the artist creating them. Whether you’re a professional artist or a complete amateur like me, you will always see room for improvement. But that’s what makes us better. (Could be applied to running races too, no?)