What to read something really good...

...then go over to The Great Fitness Experiment.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much stuff I want to read. There is the book that another teacher recommend, the list of classics to work through, the article on alternative pay for teachers, the new Runner's World. I don't have enough time to read it all. I just keep plugging away.

But one thing I read every day is what Charlotte has to say. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry, sometimes I throw up a little in my mouth.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Check back for my book picks of 2008!

Holiday Goodies and More

I've added some fun holiday goodies over at my etsy shop. It had been a long, long time since I'd visited any of the local thrift stores and I had such a relaxing time digging around and finding treasures.





It seems that the holidays have arrived. One of my thrifty stops even had a holiday section! Oscar is so excited for Christmas...mostly the decorating aspect of it. Macys has huge evergreen garlands hanging from their ceiling with gigantic red and gold balls. Oscar took one look and decided that we should hang our tree upside down. Of course, hanging the tree upside down might not be a possibility, but we are going to go all out with decorations this year.

Hope you are finding some excitement for the fast approaching holidays.

How have you been?

I'm back and excited to be creating and sharing ideas. The last year was a tough one and it really took the wind out of my sails, creativity-wise. A summer of relaxation and a wonderful batch of students who are settled in and I am ready to return to this space to talk, share and get inspired by others.

One project that I very proud to have been part of is this. I wrote one of the forwards and I am so pleased to be part of this important conversation.



Hope you are all well!
More soon,
c

To You and Yours

Repurposed Art People

Check out this cool article over at Collectors' Quest. There are some amazing artists and crafters featured (including me!?) and some really awesome pieces. Personally, I'm in love with the bowling ball/carafe lady. She may need to come and live at my house.

summer school, green living and bubbles

It is summer school time and I've spent the last week with a group of 24 thirteen-year-olds. They are the kids who struggle to get with it during the school year and just don't quite make it. They've been working diligently on creating a documentary-style biography of a person of their choice. It has been amazing to see this group of so-called misfits turn out work that is beyond my wildest expectations. Sure, there are kids who still don't care and who simply can't care because of circumstances beyond their control. But there are always those kids who shine and who are like little beacons of light, showing me that the rocky coastline of teaching is worth traveling.

I still have six weeks of summer school left though, so check back in with me at the end of July and see if I've crashed in the rocks or the crew has organized a mutiny.

This week has also been a big week for my husband who launched his new business, live green. He has been working hard, mixing up green cleaning products, researching ways to make people's living spaces cleaner and greener, and getting in gear to save the planet, one home at a time. I'm super proud of him and I highly recommend his services. I can safely say that our bathrooms are cleaner than they've been in years.

A good majority of the last month has been spent blowing bubbles. Oscar is a master bubble blower, be we are struggling with bubble solution. Any good tips or ideas for bubble solution that works but is also non-toxic? We also want to try out new bubble making techniques, but all we've seen are bubble guns which we aren't so excited about. Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated!

The Best Kind

So many times in my life, I allow an agenda to focus me. I do this because of this. I complete this because then it will lead to this. I make this so that I can do this with it. I've been realizing more and more that lately, doing something for some predetermined outcome takes a big chunk of the joy out of the actual creating for me.

Today, while Oscar napped, I sat down and made a little stuffed for someone whose birthday it is today. It was such a pleasure to just sit and create and think of her enjoying what I had created just for her. I wasn't thinking about anything but the simplicity of creating and doing beautiful work and knowing it will belong to someone who is special to me. It was just about transferring a little piece of me into someone else's life. To me, that is the best kind of crafting/creating/art.