We spent three days in Atlanta, eating one wonderful meal after another with Sarah and Adam, and enjoying the spring weather. Flowers are in bloom and it was warm enough to eat outside on Thursday afternoon. We came back to the same piles of snow we left and bitter cold wind chill temperatures. More snow on its way tonight. It was great while it lasted, but it will be a long time before we see it here.
We had a real SNOW day today–not a cold day. Tracy was inspired to take a few pictures.
A look up our street Our patio
To my #1 Valentine:
Love you.
Well over a year ago, these little lunch boxes were the rage on 2Peas and I bought a couple of them. I had some ideas for them, but they all seemed a bit time consuming so nothing ever happened. Sunday I realized having one to collect all my valentines from my fifth graders could be a good thing. It was a quick and easy project, and I like how it came out. Much better than the construction paper folder I’ve used in the past.
I’ve joined my first ever Circle Journal. I happened to respond to a post on 2Peas about a circle journal based on Ali Edwards’ challenge to choose a word for the year. There are nine of us and based on what little I know about us, we have very different styles so this should be a lot of fun. I ended up making mine since I couldn’t find one the size I wanted. You can see it on the side bar. I’m happy with how it turned out. It gets sent to Ohio this week and will return in nine months. When the first journal arrives here, I’ll be creating a two-page layout for that person’s word of the year.
On my list of things to do was to make a new banner for the blog. The Christmas presents needed to go. Lucky me, my son-in-law does graphic design work and offered to make me a banner. We didn’t even discuss design possibilities–somehow he knew what I’d like. Love the design, the colors and the tagline. Check out his work by clicking on the button for cleave design on the sidebar. Thanks, Adam!
This just in from A Fancy Word for Simple:
According to the nerdy meteorologist’s best estimates, the temperature here will not be above zero at all today. And probably not tomorrow either. I’m not even going to mention how cold it is supposed to be with the wind chill. It will frighten even the toughest person.
I didn’t even consider the fact that cold temperatures make for a really unsafe environment for kiddos to attend school. Not until this very morning when my phone rang at 5:45 a.m. In a teacher’s house, a 5:45 a.m. phone call can only mean one thing. . . . SNOW DAY!
You learn at a very young age that, besides the obvious Christmas break, summer, chicken pox epidemic, and the time when you realize the smelly kid who picks his boogers and eats them is sick, Snow Days are the best damn thing to happen to your school year.
-Chad Stevenson
Seriously. There is nothing better than a snow day, not even summer vacation. I so wasn’t expecting to have off work today, but guess what?!? I do. I imagine this is what it would be like to have a surprise eighth day in the week. I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t have anything planned. It’s just an entire day to do exactly what I want to. I just won’t think about the fact that this means there’s an extra day tacked on to the end of the year. . .
What would you do with an entire unexpected day off? What is your favorite childhood snow day memory? What’s the weather like where you are?
Freezing Cold!!! The worst thing that can happen in a teachers’ house is when one gets a snow (cold) day and the other doesn’t. Tracy works for an urban district where almost everyone walks. I work for a suburban district where almost everyone rides a bus. Still this morning (a big 5 degrees—no wind chill figured in) was too cold even to wait for a bus, but nonetheless my school district was open. Imagine my surprise, however, when I open the door to my classroom and it’s a big 48 degrees! Effectively no heat—not anywhere on my side of the hall. I have, however, the only regular classroom on that side. The rest are special areas, special ed offices, etc. So my 21 fifth graders and I shlepped around trying to find empty spaces that were big enough to accommodate us. We spent most of the day doing our work in the library. We actually got a lot done, but by the end of the day I was truly exhausted. The kids were great. I hope there’s heat tomorrow as there’s not supposed to be much relief in the cold weather.
Updated: Just got a phone call from a colleague. They’ve already canceled school in my district for tomorrow!! Amazing–the first snow (cold) day we’ve had in 2 1/2 years. So what will I do with my day? Read, scrap, grade some papers, and go to the gym at a decent hour instead of 5 am.
Gave up all school work today except for typing up a class list for the Valentine’s Day party. In exchange, I made my journal for my first ever Circle Journal about to begin on the 15th. It’s my first experience with a circle journal and I’m anxious to see how it all works out. I still need to do the introduction, directions, sign-in pages and my layout. There are nine women in the group–none of whom I know–the internet is so cool that way. Two are in Canada and the rest of us make a big circle around the U.S. When mine leaves in 10 days it won’t be back until November. The journal is based on the Ali Edwards challenge to choose a word for the year. Each of us will do a layout based on the journal owner’s word. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be too overwhelming. Also finished a two page layout for Sarah’s birthday album–started it months ago and couldn’t get it to come together. I’m pleased with the result today. Sometimes it pays to let things rest a while. Finished another layout for the DW 2007 Challenge and a thank you card for a friend. I would love to have this kind of time more often!
Here’s another quote and prompt from A Fancy Word for Simple that spoke to me:
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
-A. A. Milne
I heard yesterday that January is organization month. Wish someone would have told me a little closer to the beginning of the month! The report said that someone with a messy desk is 36% more productive than someone who is exceptionally tidy.
Beyond your desk, what’s your style? Messy? Organized? Organized piles of mess? (This might be a good one to document with photos.)
I make a huge mess when I scrap—probably because I have way too much stuff and not a lot of desk space. There are usually piles all over the desk and floor. But it definitely does not stay that way. I frequently put everything away in between layouts, and I definitely clean up before I leave my study. That said, I’m an organization freak! I was positively thrilled the first time I went into a Container Store. It’s a good thing there isn’t one anywhere near me. However, thanks to the Container Store (a must stop every time we travel) I am able to organize my stash in a relatively small space. I was also excited when someone somewhere referred to organizing as a hobby. That would be one of mine. Outside my study, it’s no different—my classroom, my house, my cupboards, my drawers—all organized. And I’m always on the lookout for new and better ways to do it. Looking back at the quote, I guess my exciting discoveries may be few and far between—but I’m content not to have a mess.
Perhaps some photos on the weekend.
A new quote from A Fancy Word for Simple:
Around my house, Sundays are a big food day. I love to cook and having a whole day to work on a meal is a real treat for me. I know a lot of us maybe have resolutions to trim our waistlines or watch our calories… so fess up and tell me about your relationship with food!__
The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook — Julia Child.
Actually, I prefer cheese and crackers and a glass of wine while I’m waiting for the steak to cook. Yesterday was my day in the kitchen. The cold weather makes me want to cook comfort food so I made pumpkin muffins (recipe courtesy of my daughter and filled with good things like whole wheat flour and wheat germ). They are delicious. I bought a giant muffin tin so we had six giant muffins, six regular muffins and a small loaf. Half went in the freezer. I also made a huge pot of roasted beef barbeque. So yummy and just the thing for a cold winter’s night. Some of that went in the freezer too.
Right now, I’m following some advice in Bob Greene’s new book. I’m not changing WHAT I eat, but trying not to eat after 7:30 at night, trying not to snack (except the cheese and crackers, of course), and I’ve doubled the time I’m doing aerobics at the gym. I’m waiting for results. Most likely, the cheese and crackers should go.
We had a real cold snap here this week. Low teens and single digit temperatures and slow, but steady, snow accumulation. Today was a bit warmer and as I went out to get the mail a beautiful cardinal was sitting on our bird feeder. My presence sent him off to the bush near the road and there was no way he was going to let me get very close. But I did get this shot of him.
I found these at the grocery store and couldn’t resist them. Last year the tulips lasted nearly a week so here’s to a few days of looking at spring–at least in the dining room.
From a Fancy Word for Simple:
You can observe a lot just by watching.
-Yogi Berra
Watch carefully today. What do you see?
Before I even saw the quote, I had taken this picture of the sun rising outside our bedroom window. On a normal day, I wouldn’t have been in bed to watch, let alone get up to take a photo. One of the pleasures of a winter Sunday. Not as sharp as I would like but it captures the frosty window. Winter is definitely here.
Big Picture Scrapbooking has a new website and a new feature. Each week they post some color inspiration and each day there is a new quote. I’ve saved several of them but today’s quote speaks to my "mantra" for the year "Relax, don’t worry." I think I’ll start a collection of relaxation quotes.
Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers
along the way. ― Walter Hagen
January 19: Deep Thought (for a Friday)
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.
-Andrew Jackson
I originally had a different quote picked out for today, a very serious quote about trusting in yourself to make tough choices. As appropriate as it would have been for today, I needed to be a little less serious.
I often catch myself with tons to do on Friday (the things I put off all week). It’s so difficult to get those things done when all I can think about is the end of the day.
Geez—I can’t even imagine having fun NOT doing what I need to do. There are plenty of times I don’t do what needs to be done, and some of those times I play, but there’s always a nagging sense of guilt that stays with me until the things that need to be done are done. How does someone get like this? What did my parents do that make me feel this way? Or was it my parents at all? I don’t think my younger brother has these problems. This is a quote that puzzles me. In fact, I can’t even imagine having nothing to do. What a concept!
Our holly bush is covered in ice. Fortunately, we–unlike many others–have not lost power and the roads here have not been too bad. We got out to see Dreamgirls with friends of ours this afternoon. A perfect ending to a three-day weekend.
Ali Edward’s challenge this week was to find the definition and perhaps a quotation to go with your word for 2007. I love the quotation I found on Inspiration Peak and made a card for my bulletin board. It hangs right over where I work every night.
