tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430659390870334672024-02-19T10:26:51.532-05:00A New BridgeI teach art in a North Carolina elementary school. I like to write about my experiences as a classroom teacher, artist, wife, mother, and friend. Not always in that order. I've crossed many bridges in my lifetime, and expect to cross a few more!Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-40931065252583353622013-02-24T17:33:00.000-05:002013-02-24T17:37:41.928-05:00Lenten Treasures
I'm still here... I haven't posted in several months. I joined Facebook, that's what happened. I spent so much time on Facebook, posting, commenting, reading other posts, messaging, gaming, that I forgot I even had a blog!
But it's Lent, and I've given up FB for the duration. Which allows me time to blog! Thus the title of this post. I don't plan on blogging to replace FB, otherwise I'm Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-74293691358448654362012-06-20T18:55:00.004-04:002012-06-20T18:55:52.479-04:00Where in the World Am I?
I remember, years ago, when I was an aoljournals blogger, John Scalzi was the editor, and he often traveled. When he did, he'd post a picture of the view outside his motel window. Whatever it was, that was what he showed us. So I did the same today... the view from my window, looking out on the beach. I don't think I've mentioned to anyone where I am. So where am I? There are some cluesBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-91183758202549662452012-06-19T13:40:00.000-04:002012-06-24T21:31:22.272-04:00Vote for Fascinating Art Teacher Blog of 2012OKAY... it's voting time. I looked at the other nominees for Most Fascinating Art Teacher Blog of 2012, and I am honored to be considered along with them in this category. So if you still would like to vote for my blog, click on the barrel shaped badge in the right column of this page, it's at the top. That link will take you to the voting place.
When you get there, scroll down to the Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-59126759360729594442012-06-11T18:04:00.002-04:002012-06-13T04:14:04.340-04:002012 Fascination Awards ... I've been nominated!Ahh, I hear birds, the patter of rain on my deck. And I'm thinking, I'm on summer vacation! It's a short one... we're year round, but still, there's not many jobs that have a month long summer vacation built into the year's schedule.
I'm going to post pictures of my classroom the way it looked after I spent two days cleaning it up so I could walk away with no worries. But mostly this blogpost Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-52851658041355247882012-05-20T00:57:00.002-04:002012-05-20T01:02:03.843-04:00Funny Faces and Making Watercolors from Dried-Up Markers
Today's surprise came while I was walking the trail at MacIntosh Lake with a couple of friends. There's a great vein of quartzite running through the park, some rocks as large or larger than my living room chairs.... I spotted a small quartzite rock embedded in the middle of the path, with a clump of grass spiking off the top like a head of hair. "Hey!" I said, pointingBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-39199233014953856832012-04-10T17:59:00.003-04:002012-04-10T18:17:06.169-04:00Becoming a Mother-in-LawIf you are the mother of a son, maybe you can relate to this posting today.
Last week, my only child, my son, was married to a beautiful woman. They met several years ago during their years as Grad students at the University of North Carolina, just 35 miles away from our home.
He announced his marriage plans to us over the phone fifteen months ago, and the anticipation of the wedding, and Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-28201306388643484922012-03-07T20:25:00.001-05:002012-03-09T08:29:14.581-05:00Do you wear purple with a red hat?It's been a good day. Just got back from a visit with my mother-in-law... I took her to the mall, shopping for a dress to wear to my son's wedding. She's 86 years old, white haired, and short like me (I guess I'm white haired, haven't seen my true color in a few years). She'd already shown me what she had that she could wear, but then she said, "But I kind of would like to buy a new Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-66969848656401235592012-02-13T17:06:00.001-05:002012-02-13T18:12:22.566-05:00When the Art Teacher is Absent... lessons for the sub!
There comes a time in a teacher's career when she has to be absent for some reason, or gets sick and finally gives in, goes home, sees a doctor and finds out the best medicine is rest. We laugh when we hear that recommendation, especially the teachers who have little ones to take care of at home. What we dislike the most about getting sick is not taking the day(s) off, but havingBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-84327271979327404622012-01-18T21:23:00.000-05:002012-01-18T21:50:16.299-05:00Student Self-Portraits: Voila!!Another project our fifth graders just completed last semester was the self-portraits they painted. I found this idea on a teaching video by Peggy Flores, as shown in this YouTube video. It is the very same one I have on DVD (except I bought the DVD 2 years ago) which goes on to explain several different ways to approach the self-portrait. For the 5th grade students, I gave them a choice to Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-43884605428014945622012-01-16T10:34:00.000-05:002012-01-16T13:54:28.179-05:00
It's been too long since I last posted... not a day has gone by that I didn't think about coming back to post here on my blog. Things happen, you know? Life, and living it, sometimes... often.... most often, takes me away from doing what I love to do more than anything, and that is to write about my observations and experiences.
Facebook was another thing that happened to me, and if you are onBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-55416436052951232242010-02-21T22:08:00.000-05:002012-01-16T13:56:30.489-05:00What I am Doing in my Classroom, II
Thank you to Astaryth for sending me a copy of my entry that I lost. I was able to piece it back together. It only took me an hour to reclaim it all...THANKS, Astaryth! You rock!
Recently, in Kindergarten, I read to the students a book, A Stranger in the Woods. The beautiful photography, from wildlife photographers Carl Sams, II and Jean Stoick, tells the story of animals living in the winterBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-39982558365940235632010-02-21T18:03:00.000-05:002010-02-21T18:07:49.553-05:00Blog entry disappeared today.I don't know what happened, but I'm puzzled and dismayed. I made an entry yesterday, after being away for several months. I visited the blog today, and decided to change the template. I selected a new template. Saved it. Then went to view it and that entry was gone! "What I Am Doing in My Classroom" has disappeared. I had spent several hours working on it, getting the photos, editing and Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-29743644919167457812009-08-01T18:43:00.001-04:002012-01-16T14:01:11.227-05:00Family Thoughts and WeddingAs the summer winds down for me (school begins for teachers in less than three weeks), I am feeling rested, revived, and ready to begin my tenth year as an elementary school teacher. After the coming week I’m sure I’ll even feel rejuvenated (Vacation Bible School begins tomorrow)!
In mid-July my significant other and I headed for the northern states. For me the trip was more than going to my Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-498809290749285082009-07-16T08:51:00.000-04:002009-07-16T11:24:19.651-04:00New Bridge closureIt's time to put a closure to the story of our new bridge (not closure of this blog!). For nine months it has been a regular feature of neighborhood conversations. A typical chat would go like this: "Hi, Neighbor! How are y'all doing this week?" (answers varied: Mary is sick, Stan lost his job, I'm looking for a new job, we're doing great, etc) followed by more in depth conversation...."So how's Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-80352013772281618332009-07-11T11:22:00.000-04:002012-01-16T14:06:51.483-05:00Mid-Life Transitions, Snoring, and the Sleep StudyUh, Hi All! I am a little bit disoriented coming back like this. I feel like I owe an explanation for my absence this past year. Demands of the school year and the unpredictable, time-consuming ways of an old computer combined to interfere with my blogging routine. Despite being disgruntled about not having time to blog, nor the desire once my computer started misbehaving, I was able to turn my Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-327773579493144252009-05-11T21:29:00.000-04:002009-05-11T21:47:22.942-04:00The New Bridge is OPEN!I'm almost embarassed to write this post... but felt I needed to stop in and say I have been away from the computer, but I am well. The bridge was completed Friday, four days ago. YEAY! I'll come back with photo updates. I have lots to write about. When bridges are rebuilt, life changes are sure to follow. Good ones. My computer slowed down to the point of making any kind of internet travel Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-15681263689517602822009-01-20T08:11:00.000-05:002009-01-20T09:36:42.951-05:00New Bridge and Our First Winter Snow Wooooo-Hooo! It's been a long wait but overnight it began to snow. At five thirty a.m. I looked out the window, and there appeared to be over an inch of snow. By 7:00 a.m., there was at least two inches. It's continues to snow... our area could get as much as three or four inches... another big wooo-hooo~!It's below freezing temperatures, so I'm expecting that even by tomorrow, the snow will Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-81637863537414154292009-01-01T20:15:00.000-05:002012-01-16T14:02:05.311-05:00Koopa's Painting has been hung!Happy New Year to anyone who has stayed around and kept me on their lists despite the fact that I haven't written an entry in over a month!!! And thank you to all those who have sent emails ... I've been absent, but only regarding blogging, and I suppose if I were a true blogger, I'd be posting every day. I had time off from school, and a long list of things to do. I stayed focused and got most Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-54812001246270562482008-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:002009-01-03T01:26:05.658-05:00KaleidoscopeMy fifth grade students had been happily creating Kaleidoscope designs. Drawing the design posed a problem for some. Those who drew in only two or three lines in each section had the least difficulty transferring the design to each of the eight sections.The Kaleidoscope design is a crayon and watercolor resist. Black lines are drawn with black crayon, then watercolors are added. Since wax crayon Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-50030222743858695662008-11-22T06:59:00.000-05:002012-01-16T14:05:47.083-05:00Thirty Years Ago and TodayIt's 20 degrees at 7:00 this morning... but how good it feels to wake up on a Saturday morning with sunshine beaming through the windows... and how sweet it feels to drink a hot cup of tea while I download some photos of art projects we've been working on these past couple of weeks.
Thirty years ago, my life ... no, our lives... changed completely... a new person was born in me, from me. Our sonBeahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-63418918087854036672008-11-08T09:59:00.000-05:002008-11-08T11:28:23.495-05:00Juggling Pumpkins, hues, and ObamaIt's been a beautiful week... in many ways! On Monday I was able to attend my weekly Bible study group... something that I'd missed for several weeks. I had even been thinking that I should just drop out altogether. After all, I had missed at least three chapters of reading, all three discussions. How could I catch up with all the things I had still to finish for school? But one of the group Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-17307462647998523922008-10-23T21:04:00.000-04:002008-10-23T21:53:03.786-04:00Student Art: Overlapping Sometimes I'm at school until 6:00 or later, but I still can't help feeling like I'm the luckiest teacher alive!... fortunate... blessed. Whatever you want to call this feeling, I am happy in my classroom, with or without the students. I stay late some days because I'm hanging up the students' work. It's my gift back to the school. The above photo shows the second Fall Trees display I've hung Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-2909334502374849632008-10-21T21:24:00.000-04:002008-10-21T22:15:47.012-04:00Pond ReflectionsCarly at Ellipsis posts the Monday Photo Shoots at her blog. I decided to join in this week because I don't usually take part in these blog assignments. Usually it's because I don't have a photo ready to post that fits the topic of the week, and I don't have time to go in search of that special photo. But this time, I did have a shot. In fact, I could probably fill an album with them. Pictures Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-79431430445805051812008-10-19T17:17:00.000-04:002012-01-16T14:00:20.919-05:00I found a real Tribble today!
What is this?
Are you asking yourself that question?
I didn't know either, until I looked it up on the internet.
I love the internet! Beats any encyclopedia set, hands down!
I found this little guy crawling on my dining room table this afternoon.
He came in with a basketful of leaves I had collected earlier... an art project to be... the leaves, not this furry critter.
I Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943065939087033467.post-35976069165649725562008-10-18T21:59:00.000-04:002008-10-18T22:44:38.132-04:00Bridge Reflections on a Fall DayI was researching an author on the internet today when my friend Alyson called."Put on your shoes and let's go for a walk!" she said. The sun was shining... my other choice was to clean my refrigerator.I hung up the phone, put on my shoes and walking clothes for the cool air (60 degrees), and headed up the driveway. She met me at the stop sign up the road, and then we headed for the bridge.As we Beahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11879356290409283739noreply@blogger.com15