Happiness is... the Tulip Fairy and Elf Festival in Boulder

 Spring in Boulder is a wonderful time of year. For one thing, winter is OVER! I'm so happy to have survived those cold, dark days and to have many months ahead of warm weather to look forward to.

And even though we do get a few Spring snow storms here in the Boulder area, we have plenty of sunny days, more daylight hours, and we see the Spring flowers making their colorful appearance.

One of my favorite Boulder spots is Pearl Street and I especially love it when the tulips are in bloom. There's an annual Tulip and Elf festival where kids come dressed up as fairies and elves (well, that's the idea... There are LOTS of little girls with wings and beautiful fairy princess dresses, but not as many elves.  The boys are more often pirates or, in the case of my grandson, a pineapple.)

Since I have a collection of funky hats, glasses, and costumes, I let my grand-kids rummage through my stash before we headed out for the festivities. Once we arrived, we were able to get the requisite wings for my granddaughter, and my grandson got a pirate flag and bow and arrow to go with his 'costume.' Even though these things had nothing to do with either elves or pineapples those were the 'boy props' that were available and he seemed very happy with them.

I wore a bunch of purple (my standard 'Super Carpe Diem Woman color)... Next year, I'll really have to find some wings to complete my look.

In summary, the things about this day that really made me happy were:

• Spending the afternoon with my grandchildren
• Dressing up in fun costumes
• Seeing all the beautiful fairies and 'elves'
• Sunny weather
• Flowers on Pearl Street!
• Pretty butterfly face paints
• Watching the fairies and elves dance to live music
• Enjoying a beautiful Boulder tradition!

Happiness is.. Days for Girls

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Shelley Gordon, asked if I might be able to volunteer at some workshops she was hosting.  Here's what her message said:

Hi Yvette! Hope you are doing well. I wanted to invite you to come to our Days for Girls kit making team days. Days for Girls is a nonprofit who makes feminine hygiene kits for girls around the world who would otherwise miss school due to lack of supplies. The kits last 3 years which gives a girl back 6 months of school. I have started the Superior CO team and we are making 100 kits to go to Ghana this summer. Sewers and non-sewers are welcome as we have jobs for both. Jim and I took 91 kits to Tanzania when we went and I did the education program at a school there. It was an amazing experience.

In my usual sure-I'll-volunteer-some-day-when-I-have-more-time attitude, I was very non-committal, but asked if I could drop in for a little while.  I fall into the 'non-sewer' category..  That's one who does not sew..  Not to be confused with someone who doesn't live in the sewers like Ninja turtles.

When I walked into Shelley's home I saw stacks of brightly colored fabric cut neatly and ready for assembly. Shelley gave me a little of the history of Days for Girls..  she told me how in some cultures girls are separated from others and quietly sit on cardboard or rocks, basically excluded from society, while having their periods.

Geez. There were some pretty awful stories about what girls have to go through. It's funny how we don't know how lucky we have it here in the US.  I never once thought to be grateful for feminine hygiene supplies!

Thanks to a lot of volunteers like Shelley, kits are being created that provide girls with washable, brightly colored liners and shields, underwear, and soap, so that girls are able to continue to go to school and interact normally with others when they have their periods.

One quote from the Days for Girls Website that I love because it's very "Agile" is:

Developing the DfG Kit has been a labor of love. We've gone through 27 iterations, incorporating feedback from thousands of women and girls around the globe in the design process.

(I'm an "Agile coach" and one of things we teach is to "iterate," get feedback and keep improving!)

Even though I didn't do any sewing, I did help with some pinning of fabrics and told Shelley I would help spread the word.  I was very impressed and in admiration for all the work that's being done to help these girls.

If you want to help, leave a comment and I'll put you in touch with Shelley.  Or check out the Days for Girls site and find out how you can get involved.