Update on Clarissa

This is long overdue--

Clarissa is a Junior in high school this year. Last year she was an extra in the school musical--Oklahoma! She was also on the softball team (that deserves a post all its own) and took photography. One of her photos took 1st place in the District Art Show.

                                                                     

This year she was again in the school musical--Singin' in the Rain. And now she is on the track team learning to do pole vault and throw the javelin. She just participated in the City-County meet and Region in pole vault and javelin which means she was in the top four for both. She likes to be involved--that is, "use up all her free time--who needs sleep?"

Most recently Clarissa went to Prom. I was highly involved this time. (I missed out on Anika's Prom when we were in India last year.)

Anatomy of a Prom Outfit:
Dress--We did a lot of looking at dresses and in the end we rented one because it was the prettiest (and most modest) one we saw. (Note to self: before renting a dress at a rental place, ask if they will sell it. This shop has dresses that are on loan from individual owners. We learned afterward that we could have bought it for just a little more than the cost of the rental and cleaning fee. Sigh.)

Shoes--To match the gold dress, she bought gold sandals with 4 1/2 inch heels. They made her taller than her dad and we kept looking for something a little shorter. Then when we picked up the dress we realized it was so long she would need those heels just to keep the hem off the floor! It helped that her date is 6'2" and had on dress shoes. Another thing we learned when she tried on the dress with the shoes: the glitter on the shoes kept catching the fabric of the skirt and we worried it would damage the dress, plus make it hard to walk.  So I spent the morning of Prom giving the shoes a couple of coats of Mod Podge with light sanding in between. It worked!
(Side Note: I helped a neighbor girl with her dress. The skirt was so long we cut several inches off and used the fabric to fill in the back. I guess it makes sense that manufacturers make them long because you can always make a dress shorter, but not longer.)

                             

Jewelry--earrings and bracelets from Walmart--matched perfectly but the bracelet did snag the skirt at one point. Should have Mod Podged it.

Makeup--I took Clarissa to consult with the beautiful redhead Heather Holliday (long time friend of my sister and sister-in-law, and so mine, too)--because I don't really do makeup. She helped a ton. Thanks, Heather!

Hair--Also, I don't really do hair. But the internet saved the day. Clarissa curled her hair and I did a headband braid using this tutorial.

Boutonniere--Because we forgot about it until it was too late to order, I used this tutorial to make one. It was easier than I hoped and looked great.

Off they go. He's carrying her coat. So cute.

My dad used to say you could tell if a boy had class if he was willing to drive to the Valley to pick up a girl for a date. That's about an hour round trip. Ethan did it four times that day. Very Classy.

She is probably the very most excited of all our kids for the cruise we have planned after school is finally out. (On the other hand is Meredith, who can't believe we are making her go.) This girl knows how to keep busy and have fun.