Inside a Book

The Sunday Edition

2012-01-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Outside my window... it is a beautiful January morning!! Sun is shining, wispy clouds in the distance and the high should be 77 AGAIN! Yep, it's typical January weather. You know, the days that really make living in Arizona fantastic. It makes up for the summer and as we say, "you can't shovel sunshine!"

I am listening to .... the office clock and the silence. It's peaceful this Sunday morning as the neighborhood awakens. It took me years to appreciate silence. I am glad that we have become friends. I think it takes a modicum of peace within oneself and a confidence to appreciate the silence (the non-cluttering noises.)

Favorite things from this week ... The Invention Convention in class! 33 wacky and wild inventions hand-crafted from a bag of junk and with the specific purpose to alleviate fears!! Hmm. It was a risk worth taking with my students and they really blew me away!! It was fantastic. We invited neighboring 4th grade and 5th grade classes and presented a SmartBoard presentation with it. It was a crowded classroom - 90+ kids but it was all worth it!

for those who are worried about the Safe Play for their siblings

for those who are afraid of the sun

for those who are afraid of Vampires

for those who are afraid of spiders

I also had a blast at "Girl's Night" where we all went to One for the Money (Stephanie Plum - fun! We even ate 'Tasty Cakes' while watching, in true Stephanie Plum-fashion) followed by dinner and still more frivolities at Buca de Beppo ( yum - fun!)

I am thinking ... I need a mental-health day AND a car like this....

L.O.V.E. the license plate AND the hubcaps!

I am grateful for ... a random phone call from # 1 son, a random text from # 3 son, a drive-by afternoon visit from favorite daughter, a cleaning morning with #4 grandkiddo, diet Dr. Pepper, library books, jackets, and custodians who find lost favorite earrings on the floor in messy classrooms!!

I am reading ... My Side of the Mountain with my Walk2Read kids, two Rafe Esquith books (for teaching motivation), One for the Money (to compare and contrast), To Have and to Hold (for kicks), Focus (for work), and Midnight for Charlie Bone (for Literature Circles) ....yep, all at the same time!

I am listing ...
1. work "to-do" lists
A. Social Studies (it is Arizona's 100th birthday in 2 weeks!)
B. Science
C. math
D. writing
E. walk2math ideas
F. word derivatives for walk2read kids
G. MORE...
2. new living room ideas
3. upcoming trek dates, supplies and reasons why I "should" do it (but I DONT want to)
4. Valentine ideas....
5. I think I need to make a list so I don't forget to follow the lists!

I am creating ... lesson plans, Powerpoint presentations, SmartBoard lessons...it feels like the only 'creating' I do is for school. Last week I 'created' Genius Kit bags for the Invention Convention - it took ALL day to sort, label and bag up 33 kits of the same junk...but it was well worth it. Tuesday I cut 100's of straws for making triangles to sort by angles and lines, I created math games for Family Math Night, and that, ladies and gentlemen is the extent of my 'creating'! I don't really even create dinner anymore - I would rather 'create' dinner reservations!

Plans for the week ... Clean my classroom and desk (Houston, we have a problem!!!!!!), Hair appointment (yippee - I love an afternoon with Nikki), dinner with J & K, Saturday workshop and hopefully an author presentation (wahoo!)

And that, dear friends, is the Sunday Edition from my corner of the world! WHEW!

29 Years Young!!

2012-01-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

Well, although it seems like it, I have not fallen off the face of the earth...

not quite yet anyway.
I spent the long weekend playing - in Las Vegas!
What a fun way to ring in a birthday.
We ate from one end of the strip to the next, went to see The Blue Man Group show and tried our hand at CSI Investigations. It was a blast.

Now I need another weekend ....

Love the Bellagio.....
After Sunday brunch we may appear just a LITTLE wider.
No. It's probably just the wide angle lens!
Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
It's only an illusion if you think I ate those chocolate eclairs....

The Bellagio Gardens were bedecked in Chinese New Year decor.
Incredible.

It will be the Year of the Dragon this Chinese New Year
and many of the fancy Casinos were celebrating.
I think this one wins for the most creative use of CHOCOLATE!!
Yep, every flower, petal, tree, scale, tooth and claw was pure chocolate.....
Oh my golly gosh!

They DO read in Las Vegas...even on the Strip.
What an interesting store for sincere collectors.
Can you spell, "cha-ching"??

My students would have loved this - a first edition, signed copy of
Matilda by Roald Dahl that sold for $4500.
It looks just like the old library copy I have in my classroom!!
(Okay, without the fancy signature and the clear plastic around it.)
I also loved the Beatrix Potter book.
I adored her books as a child and my own children were entranced as well.

My CSI - crime fighting companion!!
I love a man in uniform!!

How I love those mystery stories....
Here is the Crime Scene we got to research.
Think...
dry desert....old bones....fibers, seeds, hair....and a wedding ring still intact.
Hmmm.....I wonder who did it???

Gosh, How did Charlie's Angels get in here???
(I'm the short YOUNG one. Jenn's the gorgeous one who looks great in hats!)

The Venetian Italian Renaissance INSISTED on wishing me a Happy Day!!
Ha!!
Gosh, I wish I looked as good as these guys do in tights!

"Forever Young" with a 'Rod Stewart' in Vegas!!

Lest you think I was a total party-animal and not getting anything else done, please be aware that I have finished 2 book group books (Savvy and Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters) as well as attended Book Group and conducted a week of Parent-Teacher conferences!!

I also finished The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

A kick-butt character that frankly scared me with her edginess.
I enjoyed the book, don't get me wrong, but I always felt like it was with a wariness that I typically hold for people I am leery of.
Yes, leery.
Vanessa Michael Munroe scared me.
She was Mission Impossible, girl-style. She's Angelina Jolie-feminine and
Angelina Jolie-take-no-prisoners-tough.
The story was fast-paced; set in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, places I have little knowledge or experience with. I was caught up with the characters and the story in a few pages but I always felt a little off-balance. The plot was not only tight, it was taut. Yet sometimes so convoluted that I felt I needed a tour guide to keep places, directions and political/cultural ties straight!! All in all this book was a great introduction to a character I would pay to defend me but not invite to lunch.
Hmmm.
I saw that book #2 is out and #3 is on it's way. Do I smell movie rights???
Angelina, dust off your action-boots!
( Disclaimer: The language and violence may be more than a few want to deal with, but it all felt appropriate for the plot and characters.)

Random Sunday Thoughts

2012-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Outside my Windows..... "Fall" has come. Finally! While the leaves fall from the trees during October and November elsewhere, it takes til after Christmas for our tree to finally get with the program! It's a tree of GOLD!
(Update...now the golden leaves are all gone!)

Around the house...Santa brought me a chair! Not really. Over Christmas break I found this gorgeous gal on Craigslist and brought her home to become a part of our "in-progress" library. Step 1 - accomplished!

I am thinking..... That I need to remember how to set up all my equipment tomorrow at work. It is a whole new set up that we came back to after the Christmas break. To make sure that I don't forget how to plug everything in I took about 6 photos...you never know what I'm bound to forget. Just to make myself feel better I am sharing the EASY ones with you!

I am listening to...silence. After the NFL playoff game the silence is almost palpable. WOW!

Family Matters...Rich jumped out of a perfectly good airplane on Saturday. It was on his bucket list. (I don't think I even HAVE a bucket list. If I did it would NOT have jumping out of an airplane on it.) J and I worked on organizing her craft room/office. It was awesome. It was fun to see a project be completed from beginning to end. Now we have a great place to create when I visit.

What I am grateful for...safety! A tragedy occurred in our very safe neighborhood this week that shook a lot of us up. A planned home invasion took place about a half a block away and it resulted in the injury of one and the death of another. This was NOT a random occurrence and somehow that made us all feel better. I still ache for the family and those involved. So many are grieving, so many mistakes we can't take back. Today is also the year anniversary of the tragic shooting of Senator Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others in Tucson as well. My mind hearkens back to my feelings that day, when I called my Tucson-based kiddos, my mom and my brother...I checked where they all were and if they were safe. I am so grateful for safety.

Reading Report... I am currently caught up in a story...I am "in" Equatorial Guinea with Vanessa "Michael" Munroe from The Informationist by Tyler Stevens. Wow. If I'm ever in a 'MacGyver- kind- of- jam' I am inviting her along. On the other hand, I never want her mad at me! My library stack is awesome as well. Lots of books all came in on my reserve list. I am making it a priority to set aside report cards and grading every night so I can have more reading time. Here's what I got this week:

Tennyson by Lesley MM Blume
Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber
Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
To Have or To Hold by Josi Kilpack
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson
Arizona; 100 Years Grand by Lisa Schnebly Heidinger

All of these books are either Book Group reads or they are from lists of recommendations I spotted in my tour of the blogosphere. (Thanks to Shannon Hale for a list of books that will hopefully entice some of my students and me at the same time!! I will be in a Young Adult/Middle grade reading phase for a few weeks I think.) I also stumbled onto a few 25 cent books on the Library Cart - yeah for a Jenn McKinley mystery with my name on it!!

NO PICTURE OF THE LOVELY NOSE AVAILABLE!!

What I learned this week...advice to "Look up". Spiritually and physically. I wish I would have remembered it yesterday! I was putting the Christmas stuff away when I walked right into the low hanging ceiling of my downstairs closet and smashed my nose!! Can you spell ouch?!?! My nose is about 3 times as wide as usual and every part of my face hurts. There's a pretty girl. I will do my best to remember such good advice in the future.
"Now remember, it's better to look up!"
(Thomas S. Monson)

Favorite things of the week...football games...overtime (there's something so cool about a game that is so well played that it keeps on going!)...diet sodas for breakfast....safety pins....a short school week....emails from new blogging friends....laughing...Bananagrams....great work colleagues....texting....dates with my sweetie....Mexican food...the list goes on....

Hope to accomplish this week....Parent teacher Conferences. Laundry. Planning. Packing. Yes, boys and girls, we leave for my Birthday-Bash in Las Vegas on Saturday morning!! Wahoo!! What books shall I take?!?! (Grins ;))

Leaving 2011 and On to 2012

2011-12-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

The Best of?

A Look Back?
A Year of "New"?

Whatever I call it, it's how I'm spending New Year's Eve. Everyone else is off at parties and I am lucky enough to be able to spend the night here at the computer, remembering/recounting, listening to my Pandora greats, and simultaneously babysitting a sleeping little guy. This has all the makings of a great New Year's Eve!!!! Seriously.
In no particular order I give you 2011 in a nutshell.

Books -- I decided to record those books that I've really thought about, brought great discussion at Book Groups, or just came to mind tonight. It was fun to look back through posts this year and read some reviews. Lots of good reading memories, that's for sure.
Favorites/memorable for this year were...
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
One of Ours by Willa Cather
The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton
Once a Spy by Keith Thomson
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Anne BarrowsArizona;100 Years Grand by Lisa Schnebly Heidinger
(The OneBook, One Arizona title of the year as we celebrate our centennial. Better yet, this is my High School BFF and our daughter and her husband are on page 34!! No wonder it made it to the top of the list!! Truly it is a gorgeous book! Well done, Lis!)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
I was quite surprised that with all of the YA books I read that only Uglies made it onto my favorites/memorable books of the year list. I added it because it has swept through our family and it brings up lots of great discussion. What more could a book want?!?!

I'm so glad for Book Groups that prompted me to read and discuss some of these lovelies. Thank you, Jenn, for leading me to a few more and tempting me with still more.

Favorite NEW Authors - - Lisa Genova and Helen Simonson were so much fun to hear at the Tucson Book Festival. Hearing them read and discuss their books was a treasure. As a matter of fact, it totally changed my opinion of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, I realized I had been reading it all wrong. Shame on me. I love meeting and hearing author's speak. I really enjoyed going to The Poisoned Pen several times to hear new-to-me authors. I also LOVE the Tucson Book Festival. It is a highlight every year. FAVORITE.

Favorite NEW Drink - - I call it 'Black Gold My style'. 1/2 Diet Dr. Pepper and 1/2 Diet Coke. Of course it is best at 7 am fresh from QT on my way to school. YUM!

NEW Book Group - - Classical Chicks, I love ya! What a fun group of women. I love meeting with them. I love the conversation, stretching, and the stimulation. Thanks for letting me crash the group and join in. My 'other' neighborhood book group has been meeting for about 12 years now. I am blessed to be able to be involved with these 2 groups!! Wahoo!

NEW Cities Discovered - - San Antonio, Denver and Biloxi, Mississippi! Each trip was a highlight and we loved seeing new places. What an amazing country we live in. Great foods, terrific people, gorgeous sites to see and history to share. Wow!~
NEW Job - - New grade, new school, new friends, new love of teaching!! Awesomeness.

NEW Clothes - - I exceeded my goal weight and now have lost 45 pounds and have NEW CLOTHES!! I love shopping. I can hardly believe I am writing this, but it feels like such an accomplishment that I wanted to see it in writing. I love buying small things!

NEW Favorite Blogs - - Kittlingbooks and Pinterest. Do you know you can find anything there?!?!

NEW TVs $$$$ - - TWO!! Not my favorite way to spend my $$ but I do love my sports on the BIG 55" screen!

So I guess this was the year of NEW....

It was actually my goal last year to "Be Happy"; to find happiness in all the small things. It was a resounding success! When the year started I was still reeling from the death of my dad, hard things at work and personal feelings. I had my doubts about the goal I was setting, but "Happy" found me. It wasn't 'over the rainbow" but right where I was!!I just needed to become the child to find it.

"The mind of a child is fascinating, for it looks on old things with new eyes."

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

My kiddos are all employed and doing so well!!! (Blessings) They have new careers and addresses. New houses. Good health. New opportunities that I could have never imagined or foreseen. I am so short-sighted. It's a good thing I'm NOT an author. I couldn't have written this happy ending to this year. Thank you 2011. I will miss you.

2012
I am so excited to welcome you as well. Won't it be fun?!?!

Have a blessing-filled New Year!

Happy New Year from the Vater-staches 9/2011
(Drew & Beth in Mississippi send their 'mustachioed' greetings as well!)

Vacation or Where I Put off Any Kind of Work I Can

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

How do you spell relief??? I spell it V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N and Reading!! So in honor of this 'holy week' between Christmas and the New Year I am doing both~!~! Lest you think I am a total slug, I have limited my computer time to just under an hour and have actually unearthed the top of the side table and the island in the kitchen! I know, shocking, isn't it?? I can't spend all of my energy in one day, so I limit myself to one major chore a day. Tomorrow I might look at the floor downstairs or vacuum the stairs. Ack! I promise not to overdo it.

I did read another book and really enjoyed pretending I was a cat; curled up in the sunlight with my book in hand. I have also been exercising madly - drinking water and sodas is hard work. I know that lifting those cups is a vicious exercise workout.

A Library Lover's Mystery was the cozy answer for today: Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay. I don't know what it is about reading about reading. It pulls me in every time. Lindsey is a small town library director in Briar Creek when murder comes her way. So much for the usual library antics or overdue fees, this time someone is going to get the "book thrown at them." The book was no Proust, no though provoker, but it created a sense of place and diversion and it was an amusing way to spend the afternoon.

(Thanks to Lesa at Lesa's Book Critiques and Cathy at Kittlingbooks.com for the recommendation! You ladies rock!)

Cornelia and Christmas

2011-12-27T10:27:00.001-08:00

Eleven year old Cornelia Street considers herself a wordsmith. She'd rather curl up with a good book than socialize with her classmates. Words and books become her castle-wall to hide behind and insulate herself. At the end of the school day, she heads home to her apartment building in Greenwich Village, where members of the household staff await her - but where her mother rarely stays.

Cornelia's parents are both world-famous pianists. Most people would envy that fame and that talent, but not Cornelia. She has no desire to play piano herself and wishes that her jet-setting mother were home more often. Her father is not in the picture; Cornelia has never known him. Though she has every (material) thing she could need, Cornelia is lonely.

That is, until new neighbors move in across the hall. Who would have thought that an elderly woman would become a little girl's best friend? The dazzling Virginia Somerset shares Cornelia's love for stories and big words. The self-proclaimed Scheherazade tells Cornelia amazing tales that star Virginia and her three sisters as they travel all over the world, meeting famous artists and leaders.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume is charming. Yet I am reading it through the lens of an adult and not the middle grade reader it is marketed to. As a 4th grade teacher I tried to imagine my students falling in love with this book in a sea of high adventure, fantasy or bubble gum books....think Diary of a Wimpy Kid! That might be a hard sell, unless it was to the right child at the right time!

The stories told by Virginia beg to be read aloud to a child, cuddled up next to someone, the language and vocabulary sucked on and dribbled down the chin!! A read aloud in class or a Literature Circle with some of my students would be a better fit as some of the 'escapades' seemed aimed at adults and not children both in 'tone and topic.' But...this was a book I think I would have loved as a child. I remember loving From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.J. Konigsberg as a child, which also featured an 11 year old girl who felt misunderstood by her parents and friends. (Don't get me wrong, I wasn't that child myself, I just enjoyed reading about them.) I was a bookworm through and through and this book would have appealed to that part of me right off the bat!!

Favorite passages...

"She watched Cornelia for a second. "When I first met you, many moths ago, you were sucha closed book, Cornelia," she said. "You wove yourself into a maze of longer and longer words so nobody could find you. And now you use words as bread crumbs through that maze. When I first met you, you used dictionaries as fortresses, Now you;re beginning to understand that the words in those heavy books are also about the stories those words compose. And, like I've always told you, stories exist to be retold and shared with others."
"Not that I', not impressed that you know such long words," Virginia continued. "But sometimes I think that the simplest language is the best language. Listen to this."
She pulled an old book out from under the sheets. Cornelia could not see it's cover.
"This is a conversation that takes place between two friends," Virginia explained. "One friend has just saved the others life. And the one who saved the other one is telling him why she helped him in the first place." She began to read:
" ' Why did you do all this for me?' (the first friend asked). 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'
" ' You have been my friend.' replied (the second friend). 'That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.' " pgs. 250-251

This is our book group read for January and I feel only a tad bit smug at being finished early!!! Wahoo!

On a Christmas note - -the holiday was spectacular, as usual!! We are so very blessed. Family, friends, great food, gifts of presents and presence!! Perfect!

The Sunday Edition

2011-12-18T09:27:00.001-08:00

Outside my window: It's a gorgeous Sunday morning. Sun, clouds, and recovery from a rainy start. I hope that it clouds up again and brings us more of the wet stuff!! Gotta love a rainy Sunday. Bring it on. EDIT - It DID!! It rained all afternoon and the clouds were awesome!!!!

I am listening to: Christmas music and Jenny Oakes Baker violin. Wow!

Favorite Things of the Week: An author visit by my wonderfully talented friend. Arizona 100 Years Grand is a terrific accomplishment and a beautiful book. So proud to see my daughter and her husband on page 34 as well!!!)Book Group fun, a Christmas ballet recital to see two of the cutest ballerinas ever, when my sweetie took care of making and ordering the Christmas cards all by himself - love that man, great lessons in class - I may get this stuff down yet, clouds, clouds, and more clouds, great PD day at work - I feel inspired!

I am thinking: about how much I love my family, miss playing and just relaxing and reading, and love the possibilities of the upcoming break. CAN'T wait.

I am grateful for: Inspiration. Good friends. New friends. Commonalities. Motivation. Accomplishments. Awesome kids. Family. Dropwords. Blogging friends. I could go on and on.

I am reading: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and two or three others. Yum.

I am listing: Christmas to-do lists, grades, and errands

I am creating: A snow-globe with a grandson. Don't read this if you are his daddy.

Some of my favorite things: Football. Music. Popcorn. Eegee's fries with a side of ranch. Rain. Good books. When my grandson asked, "Does Jesus wear underwear?"

Plans for the week: Hot Cocoa with a friend, Christmas crafting with my class, cleaning the house, laundry, shopping, nesting, resting, sucking on cough drops, wrapping, Christmas-movie watching, doesn't it sound fantastic?!?!?!?

Why I'm not really ready

2011-12-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

Look what my better half is up to.
He's creating a trailer in the garage...right in front of the cupboards that house "Christmas!"
Now....I'm putting it to the test.
Does Christmas require lights and decorations or will it come anyway?

So for the meantime ...

I am grading papers, working on school projects, report cards and the busy-ness of this school year
I have read two Christmas books to substitute for my lack of ambiance and preparedness
I have made a few Christmas lists, made a few Christmas trips and shopped for a few Christmas gifts

Yep, just like in Who-ville.
Christmas will come without boxes or bags, without decorated trees or lights...
Just hope I get ready sooner rather than later!

Thankful Thoughts & Blessings

2011-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was fabulous....I love counting my blessings. So, here is what I am grateful for this week:
texts, emails and phone calls from my kiddos
an awesome class of students
hugs from my grandbugs
great friends
shopping, talking, and planning with my daughter
emails from mom
Honeycrisp apples
going out to eat
amazingly talented, gifted kids
Rosa's green salsa and salad
my Shelli-dog - how I miss you girl!
my new school
new friendships
the smell of a bookstore
new smaller jeans
my siblings and their spouses
books in the mail
Diet Coke & Diet Dr. Pepper
Book Groups
my waterbed
in-laws
football season
Eegee's fries with a side of ranch
the BIG TV
Christmas catalogs
our car
my parents
a great family
goldfish crackers
old friends
memories...
family pictures
water
back scratches
a good night's sleep
days with no responsibilities
The Poisoned Pen & Changing Hands
the warmth of the sun
the day off - heck, DAYS off!
laughter
my books
Pandora One radio
trips with Rich - anywhere!!
and, last but not least, my partner in crime, my bff, my eternal companion and total bud--Rich!!

I love November and the feeling of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

The Paper Bag Christmas
by Kevin Alan Milne

It's that time of year again...when I pull out a feel-good holiday book.
This one definitely fit that bill AND it's an upcoming Book Group read.
(Two birds with one stone - wahoo!!)
Okay, the book was a tiny bit cheesy in places but it was worth it!! It's a book you can read while cuddling up with a cup of cocoa or while waiting at school for your husband!!
Ahemmm...
I'm not upset at all...
seriously!
(It was great to have this little story tucked in amongst my papers to grade.)
The story moved quickly and added a few new twists on the traditional Christmas-feel-good.

Brothers Aaron and Molar are understandably preoccupied with the material side of Christmas, until they meet Dr. Ringle, a shopping mall Santa who is also a doctor at a local children's cancer ward. Dr. Ringle encourages them to volunteer at the ward from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and especially encourages their friendship with two children: recalcitrant and angry Katrina, whose postsurgical scarring leaves her afraid to be seen without a paper bag on her head, and effusively optimistic Madhu, who does not understand the story of Christmas. The story is unexpectedly heartwarming, and Milne mostly avoids sap while delivering his warm fuzzies and dashes of Christmas hope and magic.
(Publisher's Weekly)

Try it...you'll like it!

NOW....to make it through tomorrow at school and then we're off...
to spend Thanksgiving with the whole family!!

I LOVE IT!!

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

2011-11-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire:
The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56
by Rafe Esquith

When one of my colleagues at the district shared this book recently I headed off to the library to check it out. I thought the author stole my title, I've been telling people that I feel like I'm "running with my hair on fire" since I moved to a new school and a new grade, but this author really DOES teach WITH his hair on fire!!

Rafe Esquith teaches in Los Angeles in an inner city school where poverty affects 95% of his school and class (me too!) He teaches immigrant children in 5th grade and has them performing Shakespeare, Vivaldi, and algebra - around the world! Mr Esquith has been the recipient of numerous awards and has been awarded the President's National Medal of Arts. Wow!!

Mr. Esquith pours himself into his job with passion. School instruction starts for him at 6:30 am when students arrive for extra-curricular work and help. The day doesn't end until late afternoon - Shakespeare class, history and civics account for after-school hours. Yet it's this passion for teaching that engaged me from the start. Every moment was a teaching moment and I was able to spark new ideas for my classroom as I read about his. Rafe Esquith seemed to be hoping for such a thing to happen as he refers to his book as "a cookbook for teaching in an urban classroom." Now that's the way I like to cook - read about it, change up the ingredients and personalize it a little!

This book is highly readable, full of practical ideas and even parenting skills, because teachers know that a good portion of teaching is parenting too!! (Or at least teaching the parents!)

I really enjoyed the preface where Mr. Esquith commented on how he came up with the title for his book...

"I was fortunate to have a ridiculous moment in the classroom that literally lit my way out of the darkness. Years ago, feeling tired and frustrated, I spent a few weeks searching my soul and did something I rarely do—I questioned whether teaching was worth it anymore. A combination of the aforementioned demons had beaten me down, and I was practically down for the count.

But for some reason, when I was guilty of feeling sorry for myself, I spent a day paying extra attention to a kid in class whom I liked very much. She was one of those kids who always seem to be the last one picked for the team, a quiet girl who appeared to have accepted the idea that she could never be special. I was determined to convince her that she was wrong.

I was teaching a chemistry lesson, and the students were excited about working with alcohol lamps. But the girl couldn't get her wick to burn. The rest of the class wanted to move on with their projects, but I told everyone to wait. I was not going to leave her behind, even after she told me to continue with the others and not worry about her.

Normally I do not interfere with science projects, because failure can be part of the learning process. Yet this was simply a matter of faulty equipment; it had nothing to do with the chemical principle we were exploring that morning. I needed to step in. The girl had tears in her eyes, and I felt ashamed of myself for ever having felt like giving up. Suddenly her sadness was all that mattered.

Athletes often refer to getting "into the zone" when they forget about the crowd and the pressure and see only the ball. It can happen in other fields too. For that one moment, the only thing that mattered to me was that this girl should have a successful experiment. She was going to go home that day with a smile on her face. I bent closely over the wick of her alcohol lamp. For some reason the wick was not as long as it should have been—I could barely see it. I leaned as close as I could, and with a long kitchen match tried to reach it. I was so close to the match that I could feel the flame as I tried to ignite the lamp. I was determined to get the lamp working. And it started working! The wick caught fire, and I looked up triumphantly to see the smile I expected on the girl's face.

Instead, she took one look at me and began screaming in fear. Other kids started yelling as well. I did not understand why they were all pointing at me, until I realized that while I was lighting the lamp, the flame had touched my hair; it was now smoldering and scaring the hell out of the children. Several of them ran to me and swiped at my head. Talk about a dream come true—they got to hit their teacher on the head and say they were trying to help him.

A few minutes later, all was well and the experiment pro-ceeded. I felt (and looked) like an idiot. And yet for the first time in weeks, I felt great about being a teacher. I had been able to ignore the crap that all teachers on the front lines face. I had done everything I could to help someone. I didn't do it particularly well, but the effort was there. I thought to myself that if I could care so much about teaching that I didn't even realize my hair was burning, I was moving in the right direction. From that moment, I resolved to always teach like my hair was on fire."

Inspiration. Ideas. Encouragement. I liked it so much I went out and bought my own copy!

New Motto .... for the weeks ahead!

2011-11-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

I started accepting the inevitable. The fact that the holidays are just around the corner. In light of them and the upcoming chaos that is school, report cards and Christmas I've decided to adopt this motto!! It shall be my mantra....

Breathe in, breathe out,
grade a little.
Breathe in, breathe out,
shop a little.
Breathe in, breathe out,
grade a little,
Breathe in, breathe out,
shop a little.

You get the picture.
Of course I left out decorate, bake, wrap, mail, etc...

Gosh, maybe I should just adopt this motto -

Thank You!

2011-11-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

Thank You!!!

To all those who served and serve still....
Thank you for your sacrifice and service.

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

How true!
So...
thank you,Mom,
thank you, Dad,
thank you, Dean,
thank you, son #2
thank you, Airman (son #3)

I firmly believe that "silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." So I'm saying a BIG thank you!

Week in Review and a little Halloween Madness

2011-10-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

My week in review........MEETINGS, classes, workshops, Book Group, Halloween parties and costume-making, Halloween Parades and LOADS of work! Yep, that's a glimpse. Of course I'm leaving out the details of the day I left my plan book at home and had to go back. Or the day I left my.... No. I'll save you the gory details. Instead I'll share a few photos. (I promise NOT to include photos of multiple meetings, workshops or me worrying!)

Twitter and her Mobile Hotspot!!
(note Darth Vader watching....)

Yep, those are feathers on her eyelashes!!

Jase is impressed that she is a BIRD!!
(I don't think he understands Twitter - neither do I!)

Halloween Parades are a tradition at my new school.
They last forever and are miles long. Parents and little
ones lined the streets to wave and take photos.
We held it first thing in the morning so
we had SOME learning time!

Trying to inspire the kiddos I am
"Totally Rad, College Grad"
Yep, I AM a SUPER-Hero!

Halloween Parade Day 2011

Favorite photo of the week....
Happy-meal size and Super-size!!

In the midst of all this madness I decided to be a bit creative for
my Boo-Buddy at work.
Stop the madness...

Outside my window: It's a gorgeous Sunday morning. The temperature is supposed to be around 90 today but it will be in the 80s the rest of the week. I think they call this Indian Summer.....we call it Arizona fall!

I am listening to: The Star Wars theme. Over. And. Over. And. Over. Darth Vader is getting his inspiration this morning.

Favorite Things of the Week: Book Group laughter.

I am thinking: about a million things!! I have a TON of planning to do for the upcoming week. I am trying not to get overwhelmed, but I can feel it approaching the back of my throat. Yikes.

I am grateful for: Reaching my goal weight!! Yippee!! It's gone - 37 pounds! Take that, Halloween candy! Now, on to the next goal.

I am reading: Still tackling A State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and tiptoeing into An American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

I am listing: Lesson plans. Observation plans. Meeting notes. Holiday Plans. Plans....

I am creating: Plans. See a trend here???

Some of my favorite things: Football. Fall. Popcorn.

Plans for the week: Too many to continue worrying about. Halloween will be celebrated on our front driveway with the burn barrel and family. Jase is more excited to dress up and stay and hand out goodies to all the other spooks and goblins. We'll have a BBQ and enjoy the cool night. After that, let the week bring what it may!

Plans for now....... a shower!

Weekend in a Blink@

2011-10-22T23:52:00.001-07:00

Outside my window: It's dark and delightful. Of course that could be because it's almost MIDNIGHT!! Go to bed already!

I am listening to: Silence. It's been a full day. It feels like a full-belly....

Favorite Things of the Week: Vacationing. Finding my own bed. Conferencing. (I know it's surprising, but I love meeting the parents of my students. I was tired but it was exciting.)

I am thinking: about organization. I was NOT in that line when we were given gifts for this life in Heaven. I wish I was the kind of person who was inherently organized. It is my goal!

I am grateful for: My job. I am falling in love with teaching all over again. I am grateful for apples. I had an apple this week that was bigger than a baby's head!!! It was incredible AND delicious!

I am reading: A State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and The Phantom Tollbooth for my 4th graders.

I am listing: Lesson plans. Projects. Costume ideas - for ME!

I am creating: A Halloween thank you gift for a friend who translated 7 of my conferences and she was great. Putting together a little something for her has satisfied that urge to create that rears it's head around this time of year.

Some of my favorite things: Bracelets. Coke Zero.

Plans for the week: Church with a few of my kiddos tomorrow. Teach Science. Prepare a Halloween Costume for ME!! At my new school it seems like Halloween is a National Holiday. I have to think of something clever for the parade on Friday. I am thinking of going as the Paper Bag Princess (Jennie did it this week and said that it was fun and clever AND key word - EASY!!

Plans for NOW : SLEEP!

A Quick Update

2011-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of a LONG week of Parent -Teacher conferences.
13 hour days ....
33 students ..... lots of parents!
It's fun to 'connect-the-dots" when I meet everyone.
It's been a hectic week, but it's sure going fast AND making me realize how great Fall Break was. So what am I doing up so late?!?!?
Ahhh, yes, I wanted to show-off a little of where we've been and what we've been doing.

Just a short glimpse back at a few photos from our trip to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama!! You can't see it well, but we had Gator on the menu at the Seafood Market a block away from our son's house! I was a "chicken" that day and opted for something a bit tamer....
(I did try Sushi later that night and loved it!!! I'm such an adventurer.)

Two tired men after paddling in the Gulf for an hour!!
They look cocky but they were worn out!!

The beach was beautiful and always uncrowded. You'd think they were all in school or at work or something! Hurricane Katrina wreaked such havoc in the coastal cities of Biloxi and Gulfport. It's apparent everywhere. All that green in the background used to be hotels and restaurants. Now there are miles of abandoned homes or vacant lots. The Air Force Base, however, was rebuilt and is beautiful. That's one real benefit for our Airman and his wife!

We ended our week-long stay in the south by returning to New Orleans. Our fun journeys took us through the French Quarter and to this bookstore, Faulkner House Books, where William Faulkner lived and wrote. We explored several old and used bookstores in the Quarter and seemed to run into the same people as we tramped from place to place. It was great fun. We drove through the Garden District and explored the Riverwalk and decided that vacations are great things.

I loved it that one of my students made ME a reading log for the break. I took great advantage of it and finally finished a book. Of course I came home with an extra suitcase full as well....oops!

And here's my book companion for the trip.

"Lauren Belfer's panoramic new novel is a love story wrapped around a spy story with a pivotal medical breakthrough at its center. ( I love that sentence!!) A Fierce Radiance begins days after the attack on Pearl Harbor propels the United States into World War II. Claire Shipley, a savvy Life magazine photographer, has been assigned a photo essay on a young father whose life might be saved by the new miracle antibiotic, penicillin. The divorced Claire has a particular interest in the case, both because she is still mourning the death of her 3-year-old daughter from blood poisoning, which the drug might have cured, and because she is drawn to James Stanton, the doctor overseeing its clinical trials." (Oprah.com)

This was a chunskter at over 500 pages, but it read like a breeze. I swear I learned something new on every page and I never wanted to put it down. I thought I was reading Historical fiction when all of the sudden, on page 250, it turned into a mystery! Wow, I didn't see that coming. The plot shifted and my take on the book had to change. I was totally invested in this book and loved most everything about it EXCEPT.... the ending!! Thanks to Jenn for passing along this addicting read.

Yep, Fall Break is over, bring on Halloween!!

Out from Under a Rock....

2011-10-09T21:32:00.001-07:00

It's hard, but I think I can say that I've finally
crawled out from under these rocks and can see the sky again!!
Life has been more than hectic...

I LOVE Fall Break.
I've been waiting, and waiting, and waiting....

Report cards are done and put to bed. Parent-Teacher conferences await.
I have officially survived the first 9 weeks at my new school, in my new grade
AND
so have the students!

NOW, it's off to New Orleans and Mississippi.
Yippee!

One of my students made a Reading Log for me so I'm taking it on the trip.
First up:

A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
(So far it's fantastic!)

Next:

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

NEXT...

Whatever takes my fancy!
I intend to visit bookstores in New Orleans and get my type of souvenir!!

In the meantime....

Outside my window: It's dark and cool. I think this is Arizona's version of Fall! We have actually worn long sleeves and sweaters in the mornings. Be still my heart.

I am listening to: Silence. The clock is ticking, but everything else is asleep. It feels peaceful tonight. Ahhh...

Favorite Things of the Week: Discovering Charming Charlies. Shopping with Jenn. Instructional Rounds at work. Differentiated class. Hearing my students whisper, "She has the nicest clothes!" "She always matches!" They made me smile all day.

I am thinking: About all of the things that need to get done tomorrow. It's not stressful, I am on vacation, yet I still want to make sure I cover all the bases before we leave. I can sleep in and take my time. Doesn't that sound wonderful?!?! I think so.

I am grateful for: Family. They are the best. I'm excited that I got to talk to #1 son in England, that #2 son got hired on with a permanent job, that I got to see #3 son at Keesler AFB this week, that #4 son is working so much and doing so well in school, that darling-daughter, otherwise known as #5, is a wonderful auntie and is a great example for me. I feel blessed to have darling grandbabes and an amazing DIL who is a kid-whisperer!! I try to be like her! How lucky I am that my kiddos are healthy, happy, and married to wonderful people that I adore. AND last but not least I just am still so in love with my handsome hubby. Our vacations together are a blast. This will be a fun week.

I am reading: A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer. Science Journals, Brain Based Research books, and Teaching Math by Marilyn Burns.

I am listing: Things to pack, do and plan....

I am creating: Organized notebooks for my classroom. I've collected lots of great ideas, now to organize them so they can be right at my fingertips. I hope it works. I organized some things in my new classroom at the first of the year and I STILL can't find them.

Some of my favorite things: Cool mornings. Thunderstorms. Sweaters. New clothes. Half-Priced Books Teacher Days! Clouds. 1/2 Days at school. Date nights. Fall Break!!!!!!!!

Plans for the week: Vacation in New Orleans and Mississippi!!!! Hug my Airman and his wife, stroll the beach, read and just have fun.

I know the rocks will pull me under a bit when I return, but my calendar looks wonderful this week. So until then.....

Labor Day Update

2011-09-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's a GREAT weekend!!

We've been furniture shopping this weekend for our Home Library...Wow, creating this little retreat looks like it will be a bit more expensive than a paperback book but it will sure be awesome!! Scottsdale has some pricey but fancy stores and it was fun to dream a little. I'm afraid I'm a little more humble in my decorating approach but whatever we decide it may not come to fruition for a bit longer. Who knew this would be so complicated?!?!

In the meantime, I've squeezed in lesson planning, movies, curriculum redirection, popcorn, yard work (that was Rich, not me), Math RTi, SmartBoard lessons, football, lunch with a friend, and the library and WalMart with Jase. Tonight we are off to the PoisonedPen to listen to a new author and then pizza for dinner. Yep, this is a packed weekend, but it is full of things on MY schedule and on MY terms. After 10 days of no recess I was ready for some weekend....

I am surrounded by my lovely books and really have only been reading school-tomes. I am actually thrilled to be doing it though. I feel the same satisfaction from doing some science prep that I usually get from a good novel. How weird. A friend says that when she follows her passion, she feels the same way. Should I admit that right now my passion is science?? Ack! Don't tell a soul. My books might get jealous.

I have started the Newbery Award winner, Moon Over Manifest, by Claire Vanderpool and it is delightful so far. What a great sense of voice and character. I'm reading slowly to enjoy it all. I also started James Rollins' new book, The Devil's Colony, and it already seems like this is his best work yet. Some of his passages are delicious. His word crafting is truly improving. I'm reading this along with my Airman in Mississippi. He is much farther along than I am, but then again he is in the midst of Tropical Storm Lee and is getting 15 inches of rain with no chance to go anywhere. Don't ya wish you had some rainy days to read in?!?!

Labor Day has always been one of my favorite holidays...time to put away the white shoes, fold up the beach towels and ready my mind for fall. After the heat of the last two weeks I am ready to feel a nip in the air and smell the crispness of fall. It may not happen for a long time yet, but I am ready! Happy Labor Day.

First Days

2011-08-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, these first days of school are killers!!
(How do I forget so quickly?)
33 kiddos
Classroom set-up
Meetings, meetings, meetings...
Piles of papers
Routines and Procedures
Classroom rules
Schedules
Sleepless nights
Folders, notebooks, pencils, glue
Bulletin Boards
Word Walls
More meetings....
Homework folders
Data on everything!!
Textbooks galore
New Team, New committees, New grade, New curriculum
Meet the Teacher Night
Open House
SmartBoard
Dibels-Next Testing
Still MORE Meetings....
33 kiddos

F.U.N.

I will read a non-teaching book, I will read a non-teaching book, I WILL...........

Where Did it Go??

2011-08-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where did the last month go?

Oh, I know....

Visiting the Sahuarita kiddos

SLiG classes (that means post-grad science courses for the Grant I'm involved in!!) - 2 weeks from 8-4 made me have sympathy for my students....

Visiting San Diego
with 36 friends

Moving into a new school

a new grade

and

a new classroom

I've got H.O.U.R.S. of work left to do to prepare for Meet the Teacher tomorrow evening but it always gets done!

My new staff is warm and friendly. My team is awesome !! And for today it feels perfect.

I have done very little reading but what I have completed has been terrific!

Such different books for such different days.

Ruby in the Smoke was from the personalized recommend list my librarian did for me. It was YA mystery set in Victorian England involving the opium trade and a young Sally Lockhart. It kept me entertained but it wouldn't be a re-read for me.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield, on the other hand, was a highly entertaining ride that made some profound statements about our 'version' of beautiful. The outer cover summations are nauseating and based on them I would have never read the book, but it was a Book Group read and based on some chit-chat with others I persevered. Scott Westerfield’s Uglies is a young adult dystopian novel that pits conformity against individuality, security against freedom, and betrayal against loyalty. In Uglies, all sixteen-year-old children are required to have cosmetic surgery that will make them “pretty.” Tally Youngblood cannot wait to become pretty, but her life changes when she meets Shay, a girl who wants to remain “ugly.” I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the sequel. I found so many life lessons embedded amongst the words, ones that I need to re-remember daily.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was a transport to another time and place. I loved it! What am I saying, I love all of Shannon Hale's books! This ALA synopsis says it well...

She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm.
Anne O'Malley
Copyright © American Library Association
I will say it again, I loved this book!! Rich knew how much I was enjoying it that he asked to read it next!

One of Ours by Willa Cather has been my constant companion as I set up my classroom. Move some stuff- read a page-move some stuff-read a page.... Not really, but I have read it at lunch and taken it on every teacher-supply running errand. So much so that I LOST the book (a library book, no less!!) AND, I wasn't finished!! Argh! It was a scramble to find this book again and finish it for my Pulitzer Book Group this week. I have loved this book. How I love me some Willa Cather. It takes time but her words and sense of place are worth the wait. I end up pondering why she chose every word and wondering what she really wants me to understand. Leave it to Willa Cather to write the most peaceful book about war I have ever read. One of Ours is not my favorite story about World War I or my favorite Cather, but it is truly beautiful. Cather's description of the destruction caused by war and America's participation in global economy is fascinating. Set in the WWI era, Claude Wheeler is a disaffected young man in rural Nebraska, living the conventional life his father wants him to live, and also stuck in an unhappy and ill-conceived marriage. Eventually, his thoughts turn to the battlefields of WWI as both a way out, and a possible source of purpose and meaning. The book was written in 1922, only a few years after the end of the 'great' war and is said to be loosely based on Willa Cather's cousin's experiences. So many find this a controversial portrayal of war - too romanticized. Yet even in the day many war veterans flocked to read this book and endorse it. Compared to a few of the other Pulitzer's we've read lately this is highly deserving of the 1923 prize! I loved it.

My book stacks are still whispering to me, but I am trying to ignore them as I work on future lesson plans. I will however, have to find that perfect read-aloud for 4th graders. I wonder if it's among my book stacks. Gosh, I'll have to go get lost in the stacks and find out!!!

Yep, in Arizona I can't believe I am saying this, but ..."summer, don't go!!! I will miss you so!!"

Reunion!

2011-07-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

Where the Roads Come Together!
Craig Plotner and me
July 2011

Gosh it seems like only yesterday that this man was leading music and I was singing with him for 2+ hours everyday. How he helped mold my life. I know that I sit up straighter and enunciate more clearly because of him. HaHa!! Ahh, but that's just the little stuff. Yep, I was THAT choir geek and I loved this man more than words can express. He came to our choir as a still-wet-behind-the-ears 24 year old and led us to National championships! He was and is wonderful. At graduation he proposed that we sing a song he hoped would mean a lot to us in future years. It became the song that classes would sing for the next 19 years. Once again, he would never know the influence he had....

It was a joy to sit in a corner of a restaurant this week and join close friends in a reunion with Mr. Plotner. Craig strummed his guitar and we sang again. We've still got it!!

Where the Roads Come Together
by Paul Colwell

None of us
is born the same.
We don't know why
it's the way we came.
Every heart
beats a little differently.
Each soul is free
to find it's way
Like a river that winds
it's way to the sea.

For life
is a journey
And there are many roads
beneath the sky
and there are many
good people
who don't see eye to eye

Everyone is different from our brother
Could that be why we need each other as we go along
None of us is partly right
And none of us is partly wrong
Not every man, can stay the same
I don't know why, it's the way we came
With every turn, we're learning more
And perhaps we'll find, that the walls we build
Are only, are only in the mind

There are many roads, to go
And they go, by many names
They don't all go the same way,
But they get there all the same
And I, have a feeling, that we'll meet someday
Where the roads come together
Mmmm, up the way

And I, I have a feeling, that we'll meet someday
Where the roads come together
Up the way.

Vacation!!

2011-06-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Colorado Rocky Mountain High~

Can I say how much fun we had?? Nope.
Can I say how cool and green it was?? If you must.
Can I say how hard it is to come back to reality?? Never!

Denver is trendy...they're fit and under 40!
I swear!
Everyone rides bikes and walks dogs.
I felt like I was missing out by not having either one with me.
We loved it - the city is awesome!

We were so impressed by the kindness of everyone we met in Colorado.
We adventured daily and ended up on spur of the moment side trips.
I feel bad that there are no photos of our Segway tour.
I was camera-less.
It was my favorite event.

We visited The Tattered Cover Bookstore in downtown Denver
and spent 2 hours there searching the aisles.
In their honor I leave you with two short reviews on books I finished on vacation.

Savvy
by Ingrid Law

I don't think I can put into words how poetic this book is.
What a sense of voice!!
I was bowled over.
The book description does no justice to this book.
You just have to dive right in and get ready for some great writing.

Mibs is turning 13. That's the age when folks in her family get their "savvy" - their special powers. Mibs is waiting for hers. Will it be electrical, like her brother, Rocket's? Will it be a hurricane like her other brother? Will it be to always be perfect, like her mom? When Mibs gets hers she finds that it is not an easy one to live with, but like life, she learns to listen to the right voices at the right times.

This book was quirky and delicious - all at the same time!

I loved what the author had to say when she talked about sitting down to write the book -

" Well, when I started writing Savvy, I sat down one day and decided -- I knew I was going to write a new book. I didn’t know what I was going to write and I simply decided I was going to write the craziest sentence that came into my mind without editing it or judging it or anything. And so I wrote, “When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he'd caused it.” And it turned out to stay the very first sentence of the book. From that one line, the story sort of grew. That one line was the seed for the entire story.

However, I did have some other thoughts that went along with it after I came up with that line. I have been reading a lot of tall tales and I liked the idea of creating a story about magical children that never used the word “magic” and relied much more on a sense of big fish stories, tall tales, this sense of Americana magic, really, which is based more in the individual finding strength within them to overcome whatever their challenges are."

I recommend this one to teachers, writers, 4th grade and above students and those willing to read some delicious writing!

(PS - The author is from Colorado - what a great way to start the vacation!)

The Violets of March
by Sarah Jio

A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

Pleasant and engaging. I enjoyed this companion of a book as we traveled. I really enjoyed how the book evoked my feelings and memories of growing up on Mercer Island in the Puget Sound. Predictable? Yes, but I was ready for that.

Welcome back to the surface of the sun!!!

(And on to paint at J&K's new house!! I guess that means the vacation is over....)

Happy Birthday!

2011-06-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Honey!!

Good men are like diamonds. Real valuable. They must never be taken for granted, because they make the world a much stronger, safer, happier, easier place for e.v.e.r.y.b.o.d.y. AND, they need to be told how valuable they are. Rich you are a diamond and you are valuable to me!

You're my best friend, confidant and support.

You're a great provider. Rich can work on three computers at once too!! He's worked and labored over the years, sometimes working 2 and 3 jobs to provide for us and make sure that we are taken care of. He never complained about it either. What joy to see a man work so hard for us. A true diamond.

You are a great teacher. Rich can explain almost anything. What a gift.

I love how you relate to the grandkiddos. Rich enjoys his family. I cherish that quality in a person. Rich enjoys folks who want to 'play' with him....and his version of 'play' can vary from race cars to gardening. He enjoys sitting around and talking and sharing and time with the family is high on his priority list. I love that about him!

Thanks for being flexible. Rich can roll with the punches and say, okay, what's next. Like, green paint, no wait, yellow paint, no wait, grey!! He's flexible.

You like to make your own paths!! Rich is not a good follower when he is in a car OR on a trail OR following instructions to assemble something BUT when it comes to following in the footsteps of a good leader, Rich is a champ. He has followed his father in righteousness . He follows his church leaders. He follows the prophet and that makes my little heart about pound out of my chest. What an honorable man.

You are a WORKER - hardest one around. When Rich works he works hard and when he plays he doesn't work at all!! He pushes himself to the limit and enjoys being busy. I am in awe of what he can do when he sets his mind to it! Now that's a diamond in the rough!

Anyone need some help? See the car, packed to the limit? This was about the 5th moving trip to Tucson that you made for our daughter-in-law. Rich gets right in and takes care of what needs to be done! He's focused and generous and pretty amazing.

You are an adventurer! We've gone on many 'adventures', much to my chagrin, but in the end I typically like the journey and the fun with you! Thanks for being the Indiana to my Jones!

Yep, you're competitive and like to win. Rich loves to race and drive fast. I figure it's good training for winning the race in life against yourself! You're fun to play with.

You are always prepared...you see, you even have your towel on Towel-Day! Rich never wants to be caught without something...bungee cords, toilet paper, light bulbs, projects, garden stuff, PVC pipe. The guy can never buy just one of something... But I love a guy who thinks ahead. He's prepared for most anything.

I love how you want to celebrate a birthday. Rich doesn't want special attention on his birthday or special presents. He just wants your 'presence'!! The birthday celebrations he loves best are the ones where the kids come and give of their time and muscle!! We prepare a big breakfast and he loves to go racing. What an easy dad he is to buy for. He doesn't want to burden any of the kids with having to get him something. He just loves having them around to help him.
Smart man.

I am definitely your 'ball and chain'!! Rich will take me anywhere, help me with any project and supports me 150%. I sometimes I feel like I hold him back from his progress. I'm just glad that he holds on tight to me.

Rich, you are my forever-diamond. I'm glad I got a high quality one like you!!
I love you!
Happy Birthday!!

Library Luck

2011-06-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

See those babies?
Nope, not the ones in the picture frame...
the other irresistibles!!
That's my "Library Luck" from this week.

To the right we have the books I checked out:

The Violets of March
&
Scumble

To the left, in the carefully crafted pile, are the books I found for the grand total of $4!!
Yep, I am a bargain shopper.
I only had to trample over 1 little white haired lady, 1 small child (who got in the way)
AND
1 large man, but I won him over with my wit and my wallet!

Oops...
State of Wonder was not a "Library Luck"...
it was a clean-out-my-purse-luck.
I found a Border's gift card from 2 years ago.
I figured I'd better run right out and spend it before another store closes down.

I guess I was just all kinds of lucky this week!

So what's in the pile, you ask?

The Devil in the White City
Gilead
The Night Before
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
These is My Words ( I love this one - I like to keep a spare to share!)
A Countess Below the Stairs
The Space Between Us
Nineteen Minutes

What kind of lucky were you?

Left Neglected

2011-06-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah's life is on track—the fast track. She and her husband both work 80 hour weeks at high-powered jobs in Boston, while spending as much time as possible with their three small children. Sarah is a juggler extraordinaire, keeping her demanding job and her family as balanced as she can. But when a car accident leaves her recovering from Left Neglect, a neurological impairment that robs her of her ability to control the left side of her body, she can barely get out of bed on her own. As Sarah struggles to resume her over-scheduled life, she must juggle new things—her son's ADHD diagnosis, the return of her estranged mother, and her own limitations. Given a traumatic opportunity to reassess what is really important in life, Sarah must decide where her priorities lie. (Simon & Schuster Reading Guide)

This book was due back at the library so avoid those library fines I shuffled it to the top of the list!! I'm glad I did.

Left Neglect was so readable and I was immediately pulled right into Sarah's story. I had heard the author, Lisa Genova, speak at the Tucson Festival of the Book back in March so I was familiar with the premise of this book. Lisa Genova is a nueroscientist in addition to being a 2nd time author. This well crafted story felt so personal. The author was so informative but never too technical - I felt myself getting more informed and smarter with every chapter. I felt that I was learning along with Sarah, her main character.

I must admit that I was nervous and anxious about how fast paced Sarah's life was before Neglect. She just couldn't see the 'forest for the trees.' But, isn't that most of us? We don't recognize the blessings and gifts we have right in front of us. For that reason alone I knew that the title was going to have double meaning. Amazing how those words worked so perfectly both to describe the condition physically and emotionally.

Reading about someone's new 'normal' is intriguing but also hard for me. (Like watching Biggest Loser I guess.) I cheer them on and worry that they can make it. I wonder what their new life will be like and many times worry that they will really find happiness in their new situation. But it's also so easy to sit in a chair and read, to watch from the sidelines. There's no loss or effort on my part. (Believe me those workouts hurt more when I'm doing them than when they do it on the TV.) Creating that new 'normal' is painful and pain-filled. Although this book wraps things up in a nicer package and bow, I recognize that it is not always so. Sarah, the main character, hones her more positive attitude and uses it to help herself get better and adjust. Some pretty good advice!!

Sarah's first grade son is also struggling with focus at home and at school. As parents, Sarah and her husband, Bob, feel resentful and child-like when they are called into the classroom to speak about their little boy. Their son may have some problems, but he's their perfect little boy and hearing any bad news is just that; bad news. This whole scene was so real for me. The author could have been monitoring conferences in my classroom!! (I really liked the part where the parents had to sit in the first grade-little chairs~ hey, it's only fair I have to sit in them too!) The characters in this book though are progressive, willing to help their son at any cost or effort. Too often parents aren't willing to admit that there is any problem at all!! With a teacher's and a parent's support as well as proper diet, medication or therapy ADD and ADHD students can be successful. Without even one of these supports it's like climbing Mt. Everest! It was so great to have a son and a mom coping with a brain issue in this book. It made understanding Left Neglect even easier for me.

Lisa Genova has become a spokesman for Alzheimer's after her book, Still Alice, and now has become a spokeswoman for TBI (traumatic brain injury) with this book. In Tucson Lisa Genova stated that using her nueroscience background in her writing is a gift to her grandma and a payback for her education. She stated that she always wanted to feel like she contributed something positive. Getting these stories out to the public really is a positive! Thanks, Lisa!

Before the accident, Sarah muses about all the things that she wishes she and her husband could do, but don't make time for. I've never been a bucket list kind of person, but I think I could create a short list like this....oh, I do!! It's called my 'summer vacation' from teaching!!

The Yearling

2011-06-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Yearling
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Oh what language! It was dense and thick and like poetry to me.

The story, The Yearling, is of a young boy named Jody and his life in the hardscrabble backwoods of northern Florida in the late 1800's. Jody and his parents live a solitary life and one where frivolous things don't belong. Yet all Jody wants is something that belongs just to him; a pet. When his father is struck by a rattlesnake in the deep woods, a doe is shot and killed for her healing organs, leaving behind a tiny fawn. This fawn now becomes Jody's pet.

I loved this story. It was the recipient of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize and was written for children or young adults. I would be hard pressed to put this into the hands of a child today, though middle school patient kids who love long and carefully crafted deep stories might be candidates. The pacing is slower than most of today's novels and the author infuses so many details about hunting and farming that one would think she lived the same lifestyle herself (she did not!)The dialect was also thick and I found myself having to read some phrases over and over to 'figger' them out in my mind!! I loved the phrase, "don't go gittin' faintified on me!" The descriptions of the woods were full of words like loblolly pine, saw grass, red bay, sweet gum, and palmetto. I still don't know what a ti-ti or a blackjack pine looks like but they sure are fun to say. I read words that I knew but they just didn't make sense in the sentences - like milch, sorties, feist, crony, brogans, boles, and cooter. I was surprised when I looked them up and found they meant nothing like what they mean now! Oh,I remember - I was supposed to be speaking "southern"!

Lots of homeschool kids read this book and there are lots of study guides on the internet, yet I also saw reviews by many teenagers who just didn't like this book because they were forced to read it. Once again it supports my thoughts (what I tried to tell so many parents at Barnes and Noble) just because your child CAN read at that level doesn't mean that they SHOULD. Having some life experience behind us gives us a frame of reference, more meaning. This book requires some patience to uncover the gem that it is. I'm glad that I didn't slog through this in junior high, but that I uncovered this later. I was a real reader when I was growing up, but I don't think I was ready for this story of a yearling boy and his yearling fawn.

This book had me reading and enjoying it for a day or too after book group and I keep looking for a chance to say, "He's sure got a low eye for a high fence."

Sunday Salon - Week 6

2011-06-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Outside my window: A quiet and clear Sunday eve. I can hardly believe that the fires rage a few hours north. It's cool and breezy here.

I am listening to: the rustling of the blinds as the air from the fan moves them. Combine it with some soft guitar music and you've got the perfect sound in the office.

I am watching: Not much. We did go see the Pirates movie but beyond that I am reading more and nothing really seems to strike my fancy. Any suggestions?

I am thinking: that summer goes far too fast. Slow down days!!

I am grateful for: fire fighters, water, air conditioners, dishwashers and ice cream. How's that for random?

I am reading: The Yearling is finally finished. I loved it as did everyone else at Book Group. Daughter of Fortune got relegated to be the travel book as Left Neglected is coming due at the library. I also started Demolition Angel when I had a minute or two and fell right into a great story. It's a good thing that these three books are ever so different.

I am photographing: the completed office!! It's "beeutiful"!! I went with yellow accents after the perfect vase was re-purposed up here. It looks smashing. More to come....

I am listing: Denver plans. Our little trip will be cram-packed with fun things at this rate.

I am creating: repainting the downstairs bathroom for the 3rd time in a week!! Argh! All of the bathroom amenities are new and shiny and waiting to be put in once this darn painting project is done. Painted vanity, painted walls, new toilet, faucet, mirror and lights. All for a little powder room hardly big enough to turn around in. Hmmm.

On my Pandora: Kenneth Cope this week. Good jazz comes on our NPR station each night at 8 o'clock and I wait for that each night too.

I am hoping and praying: for no middle of the night phone calls!! I hate those kind of calls - too scary. Last night some random person called our house at 3 am wanting a taxi. He called 4 times from 3-4:30 am and then again at 10 am this morning. Changing my phone number seemed like a good idea in the middle of the night.

Around the house : getting ready to move files into the new drawers in the office. Cleaning out a 4 drawer file cabinet is a lot like moving a house - sort, toss, re-file, sort, toss, re-file,....

From the kitchen: cool salads to use up the garden produce. Yumm. But seriously the cherry tomatoes are so numerous that we just eat them like candy off the vine.

One of my favorite things: visiting my hairdresser!! She's a doll! She's a whiz with color, fun to talk with and has the biggest caring heart around. (Plus her head massages are worth every penny!!! I love it!) She's moving to West Virginia in a month but will come back for visits. I will miss her more than I can say. She is a true friend.

The children this week: will be busy and enjoying summer too! Airman son starts his official duty as an Air Traffic Controller in Mississippi. They are partly settled in their cute house in Biloxi. The rest of the AZ. kids will all be together this Saturday for the June Birthday Bash and BBQ. I can't wait to see everyone together.

Plans for the week: Read, paint, read, paint, read, paint.....repeat!

On this date: In 2008 I was finishing up the Once Upon A Time Challenge, my first online challenge. I am enjoying going back and looking at the titles. Funny how just seeing the title can bring back a flood of memories about those books. Thanks Carl.

Ahoy Matey, there's pirates ahead!

2011-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Date night

Favorite lines -

Jack Sparrow - "You know that feeling you get when you are standing in a high place...a sudden urge to jump? I don't have it."

Jack Sparrow - "Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing that again."

Jack Sparrow - "It's even more annoying in miniature."
"I hate monkeys!"

Jack Sparrow - "You walk like a girl."
Angelica - "You should know!"

I like repartee.
I like chemistry.
I like Johnny Depp.
I really like popcorn.
The movie wasn't Oscar worthy but...
it was a fun date night movie on a warm summer night.

In honor of pirates (& date night!)
I'm listing all the sea worthy titles
I've read ....

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The Tenth Gift - Jane Johnson
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon
Tough Boris by Mem Fox
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Pirates by Celia Rees
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Wow, all these titles that I've read about traveling on the high seas and
I'm the gal who gets seasick standing on dry land!

What are your favorites??

Books Just For Me!

2011-06-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Books Just for You

Insideabook

Thank you for submitting a Mesa Public Library Reader Request Form

and with this great email came a 5 page print-out of custom book recommendations just for me!! How good does this get? I love the personalization of the list. I had to fill out a 3-4 page questionnaire that was really quite detailed, but it was all insightful and gave me a great opportunity to figure out how I could use this idea in the classroom. ( FYI - I told the students I was doing this as a guinea pig! I make so many sacrifices for my students...)

Here's some of what they recommended...

I haven't listed all the stand-alones they suggested OR new authors OR the books they recommended that I had already read - - BUT it was enough to intrigue me and I added 8 new books to my stuffed bookshelves. I am ready for vacation AND any reading emergency.
What a great service! I am truly going to try this in some format in our classroom this next year.

These kids love

to share their favorites...

We post photos and recommended titles.

Next year we can customize it.

Cool, huh???

What books would you recommend?

Sunday salon - Week 5

2011-06-05T09:21:00.001-07:00

Outside my window: another warm June morning. It should top out at 106 degrees today, but who's watching the temperature?? The mornings are cool, the garden is in full production, the grass is green, and the porch swing is calling.

I am listening to: the white noise of the ceiling fan. I love white noise. As a matter of fact, I find it hard to sleep without it.

I am watching: This week we are planning a Covert Affairs marathon. We're getting ready for the new season to start this week. How summer-nerdy are we?!?!

I am thinking: summer projects: finishing the office, the bathroom, changing up the living room and mixing up the family room. Ahh, this is the time of year when the brain can really percolate. I just wish my energy level matched my brain level!

I am grateful for: healing powers - - a friend's son is healing (thank you wise doctors and nurses and heaven above,) the healing power of a smoothie (thank you J,) the healing power of words (thank you Isabel Allende and Marjorie Rawlings,) the healing power of a letter/email (thank you sister-dear,) the healing power of a pet (thanks Delta-dog,) the healing power of a little one's kiss (thank you Jase-boy,) the healing power of a phone call (thanks to all of you - J, Benny-boy, and Drew-boy.) This week was full of healing powers.

I am reading: A Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (still - I am taking it slow and leisurely - it's delicious so far) and The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings for Book Group this week. It is a transportation machine back in time to rural-backwoods Florida. The language is thick and dense.

I am photographing: a week of Concept Maps - 20+ hours of classwork for teachers...ahh our aching backs!! But the pictures will at least help me remember!!

I am listing: Projects and ideas!! (Refer back to "What I'm thinking..." it should fit together at some point in time!~!!)

I am creating: Wall art for the new office. All supplies have been gathered. Let the creating begin.....

On my Pandora: Hilary Weeks. This has been my traveling station this week as I needed to create a peaceful place for my mind. It really filled the bill and I arrived at each destination ready and focused.

I am hoping and praying: for a friend's son who is ever so sick. Machines control his breathing, wires monitor every function of his body. Why do I dread hospitals so in June??? It has become a trend over the last 6 years. I do not like it, but I am grateful for them. I am also hoping for an answer for myself. Ring, phone, ring.

Around the house : we are still finishing up the office. Rich has done the yeoman's job and I come along to clean up, vacuum and annoy. I am very good at it. The computers should all get moved in tomorrow and I can finally have my bedroom back. Yippee!!

From the kitchen: Chicken enchiladas, taco salad, burritos, quesadillas. I am thinking mexican, ya think!?!

One of my favorite things: spending time with my family. This week while Rich was at Scout camp the kids went out to dinner with me, shopped with me, talked with me daily, and we planned projects. I loved it. (J and I even snuck in a trip to Bookman's and Demolition Angel by Robert Crais and The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz followed me home. Now my library "personal- recommends list" is complete. My summer reading project is to finish all the books they recommended to me.)

The children this week:will be busy on their own. Airman and his wife are in their new little house in Mississippi, Son number 2 and his family have two new puppies, Number 1 and his family are the perfect people to throw a life-line to. They are busy but never too busy to help someone else. I love that. J&K are busy planning and J has a decorating book that is the envy of every design student. Her little brain is percolating. Q is breathing after a busy semester and Little Jase will be staying with us for the whole week. He says it is his vacation!

Plans for the week: Paint, move furniture, shuffle, shake....

On this date: it was a girl-trip to Salt Lake City!! It was great!! We visited all the good haunts, found a delectable bakery and wandered almost to our heart's content. Can we do it again (minus the long car-ride?? OK, the car-ride was totally cool with you guys.)

(Remember? YUMMMM... and totally calorie free if eaten in a park by a stream in the middle of downtown!)

Mini Reviews

2011-05-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mini Reviews

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

"I wonder how the books got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers."

What a perfectly delightful book, written in letter format, that had me on page one! WW II and the German occupation of Guernsey, an island off the coast between England and France. Quirky characters. Books united people across the channel. Gosh, this was the perfect recipe for success in my eyes.

There's loads written and reviewed about this book so I will skip to the chase and say that our whole book group loved it! For once. Potato Peel Pie tastes similar to dirt, which I think it kind of is if you think about it. We tried to doll it up but we wanted to mimic what they might have used on Guernsey during the occupation.

Fatal Error

by JA Jance

I enjoy JA Jance's books. They are ones I fell into and enjoy almost immediatly, but this character, Ali Reynolds, is not one of my favorites. I heard Judy Jance discuss this book a bit at the Tucson Book Festival so I had some background coming into it - cyber stalking, Arizona/California as a backdrop. The book was very readable but I just wasn't won over by any of the characters. Still it was a fun Saturday read. As a matter of fact, a few days later, I can't remember more than that.

Isn't it Romantic?

by Ron Hansen

Light, laughable, full of misunderstandings and quirky characters. This was one of the books from my personalized recommendation from the local library and it was a success. A French couple is 'marooned' in Seldom, Nebraska, pop. 395 where they get more than they are bargaining for in a taste of American life. It was definitely a light afternoon read, but I was sick and it was a fun pick-me-up. The author is a former National Honor Book Honoree and he definitely took some criticism for this one, but I thought it was like watching a Nora Ephron movie. I kept picturing Owen Wilson as one of the supporting characters!!

Gosh all of these books AND report cards, Writing folders and end of year paperwork. I guess I didn't do too bad for finishing up the month.

Sunday Salon - School's Out Edition

2011-05-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Outside my window: it's bright and sunny - but it's windy! I am not a fan! Wind makes me cranky, it tests my hairspray and adds to my already disheveled look. Oh well, at least it is not 100 degrees. Okay, I change my mind, it's a perfectly lovely day outside.

I am listening to: Chanticleer and other renaissance vocal music today. Don't worry, I am not always so high falutin'. I was jamming the Journey and Daughtry earlier this week in the classroom as I packed up the shelves for another summer.

I am watching: nothing yet. I intend to rectify that this week though. Rich is leaving town so I have a date with Netflix. Anything I should put on my queue? I did get a new DVD called Saints and Soldiers last week, mybe I'll start with that.

I am thinking: of the AIMS results that we got back at school. I have dissected my results over and over. I am SO pleased with the results of my class. I am thinking that I need to celebrate the good and polish up the skills in the lower areas, focusing more on math. But more than anything I am trying to remember that these results don't define the students or me. The kiddos worked so hard. I'm glad that as a new 3rd grade teacher I didn't hold them back... I made it. Lots of hard work paid off for all of us! (All those years of teaching 1st grade really were good preparation...Mrs. Price, you were right!)

I am grateful for: supportive friends, hugs, tears, encouragement, unexpected gifts, and peace!! I surprised even myself this week and was braver than I thought possible. On purpose I sought out change. Be impressed. I am! We'll see what happens. But thanks go out to friends who were there for the journey.

I am reading: A Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. WOW!~ I finished Wrong Number by Racelle Christensen this week as well as Isn't it Romantic? by Ron Hansen. Book Group was a blast and we reveiwed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. There was great discussion!

I am photographing: a fabulous day in Tucson with our kiddos, grandbabes and my mom! We were running with our hair on fire but we got to see and play with them all! It was a picture perfect day. I should have photographed an empty classroom, book group where we had Potato Peel Pie (can you guess what we read?) grading writing folders til all hours of the night and when Rich drilled his thumb assembling furniture. Oh well, it was a busy week.

I am listing: NOTHING! That's why they call it summer vacation! (Not really, but for a day or so it will work.)

I am creating: peace. An inner one this time. Every summer I have a goal. That's for this summer. Won't it be a fun one? Think of all those essays you had to write when you were a kid, "How I spent my summer vacation." Well this one will be a little more complex but the pictures will be great to draw.

On my Pandora: A Glee station, Adele, and Death Cab for Cutie (well some of their stuff anyway) and a serious walking station. I want to be a dork and collect my walking/riding music into a pretty upbeat group so that I will pace myself. I am truly going techie.

I am hoping and praying: for comfort and a decision. I think I want one thing. I need to be content if I don't get it. Easy to say, hard to do. Thy will, not my will. Hmmm. See why I am praying?

Around the house : I am ready for the first day of summer cleaning to begin! Who will come and help me, asked the Little Red Hen. Oh, then I will do it myself! Actually I love the purging, the feel of clean floors and windowsills and the smell of Pinesol! Come on over and bring chocolate and a Diet Coke!

From the kitchen: Salads with garden fresh tomatoes, BLTs with garden fresh tomatoes, salsa with garden fresh tomatoes, garden fresh tomatoes. Can you tell what's producing?

One of my favorite things: Laughing with friends and family. I've missed that belly-laughing feeling. It feels good to feel my face cracking open in smiles.

The children this week: I talked to or saw everyone this week. Number 3 son graduated from Air Traffic Control school at Keesler Air Force Base this week. We had some long talks and lots of texting going on. His wife finally joined him after 6 months. I would have loved to see that happy reunion. The rest of the kiddos are smiling and enjoying life. My school kiddos said tearful farewells. I am a mushball when the boys get teary. But I was brave and sent them off with hugs and promises to always love them. They are ready to fly....4th grade, here they come, ready or not!!

Plans for the week: Professional Development classes, some serious sleeping in, reading in bed and little cooking!!

On this date: Last year we were visiting Chaco Canyon with my brother and sister and their spouses. It was great. We hiked among ancient ruins and through high walled canyons. I loved learning it all and being with amazing people. This time last year was also the last time I ever talked with my dad. I can still hear him tell me he loved me. Bittersweet memories.

Sunday Salon - Week 3

2011-05-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Outside my window: It's finally dark and cool. I love the cool of spring nights.

I am listening to: The Darth Vader theme song as hummed by a 4 year old.

I am watching: Nothing. This week I am determined to read more...oh, AND finishing report cards and writing folders. Deadlines really do something for the motivation.

I am thinking: How I hate being sick...this was NOT the way I wanted to spend my Sunday, but at least I didn't need to get a sub!! :)

I am grateful for: a cool fan, Ibuprofen, a caring husband, and time to mend.

I am reading: Wrong Number by Rachelle J. Christensen for me and The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings for Book Group.

I am photographing: the newly painted office, a retirement party, and the last days of third grade for these students.

I am listing: To-do things for an upcoming trip. Anyone have any great places to visit in Denver??

I am creating: Ikea office furniture. Well, not me exactly. The dear husband is, but he lets me help....take out all the boxes!

On my Pandora: I am listening to my Hilary Weeks station.

I am hoping and praying: that a friend's son will arrive in Sendai, Japan safely. That he will have much service to give and that he will be safe for the 2 years that he will labor there. I am praying that my sweet friend will know that he is safe and that she will find comfort.

Around the house : I am thinking of ways to decorate the office. I love the grey and white. Will the accent color be a bright cherry red, a smashing turquoise or a sunshine yellow??

From the kitchen: Dinner tomorrow night for guests. Will it be Ritz chicken or Crispy Ranch Chicken?

One of my favorite things: text messages from my kids.

The children this week: At school the students are doing their last projects as third graders. We are doing presentations on Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes! We will see a few of our own munchkins this next weekend when we journey to Tucson for a trip to the zoo, a night at the Gaslight dinner theater and a birthday lunch with my mom. Our third son graduates from Air Traffic Control school this Thursday in the Air Force!! The skies over his base will be safe (he promises not to sleep on the job!!)

Plans for the week: Complete the end of the year list at school, pack up the classroom for another year and wish my principal a sweet farewell.

On this date: in 2008 we were attending Seminary Graduation for our daughter. How I loved hearing all the graduates sing Sisters in Zion/Armies of Helaman!! It was amazing. How I love those kids - their spunk and their spirit. They truly are awesome.

The Portrait of a Man at Work

2011-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

My husband works from home.
I mean he really works from home.
Three days a week, anyway.
I can't show you how he looks most days when I leave for school because it truly is no fair that he doesn't have to comb his hair perfectly to sit at his computer.
But the other days he REALLY works at home!!

I show you this portrait of a man hard at work.....
Shall we call this "Portrait in Yellow"?

Sorry, honey, I know the paint isn't even dry,
but yellow just won't work
with the new office furniture and design.

Now to show you this.....

I'll call this portrait "Skies are Grey."

"As you wish, dear..."
We're on gallon number 3 now.

Gosh, I love this guy!

The Stone Diaries & a New Book Group

2011-05-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

I joined a new book group this week.
Actually I invited myself - SO not like me!
You see, I met the neatest person while I waited 6 hours for a plane.
We had lots in common, knew some of the same people, and she made
the big world we live in, feel small and welcoming.
I loved her!!
Wow, it was like spirit talking to spirit.
She was reading a book that I asked about, which led to talking about more book titles,
and before you know it
I was asking about her book group and I did it....
I invited myself to visit her book group!!
She was so welcoming and said, "of course."
(She's nice that way;))

Well the big day came.
I read the whole book,
underlined important parts,
and looked up about a bajillion new words!!

The whole evening was fantastic.
This group really talks books.
Consensus: We are confused.
Did we like it? Love it? Hate it? Tolerate it?
I finally think we came up with the idea that we "wondered" about it.

Here are some of our thoughts:

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields presents itself as a mix of autobiography, biography, and historical memoir and contains as well a compilation of papers and family photos which claim to belong to or be relevant to the protagonist. The Stone Diaries tells the story of Daisy Goodwill Flett, her birth, childhood, courtship, marriage, motherhood and finally death. It is the story of an ordinary woman's life, told in an unusual combination of shifting first- and third-person points of view. Daisy Goodwill Flett is both the narrator and the subject of her life's story. (This was an interesting device as even Daisy says she can't always tell the truth.) Daisy, is " a middle-class woman, a woman of moderate intelligence and medium-sized ego and average good luck." In other words, she is an every-woman "so much like all other women that her story would seem barely worth remarking about except perhaps for her determination to tell it." (Penguin Putnam Reading Guide)

The pacing was all over the place – or maybe I was all over the place. I was at times eager to read on and at others wishing the book would just end already. Several of us thought there were weird side notes and blatant talk about sex that seemed to come out of nowhere. It was typically so random and odd. Yet, all of my complaints aside, I felt riveted by the prose and the thoughts. Twists of phrases twirled in my mind long after I had read them.

"He has entered his baroque period."

"When we think of the past we tend to assume that people were simpler in their functions....We take for granted that our fore bearers were imbued with a deeper purity of purpose than we possess nowadays, and a more singular set of mind...But none of this is true. Those who went before us were every bit as wayward and unaccountable and unsteady in their longings as people are today"

"it was as though she had veered accidentally into her own life"

Sometimes life is like..." a thousand little disappointments raining down on top of each other."

"...why wouldn't she love it, this exquisite wounding, the salt of perfect pain?"

In old age "...we are always dampening down our inner weather, permitting ourselves the comforts of postponement, of rehearsals."

I learned lots of new words... dithyrambic (my personal favorite)
solipsistic
exegesis
probity
surfeit
comity
censoriousness
bruit
naif

and a great phrase..."full of ginger and fizz"!!

Our discussion was interesting as well when we approached how we see our own lives. Others experience it as well and may hold an entirely different version. (Yes, my own sister and I - same parents and only 18 months apart in age - see much of our growing up very differently!)
As we also have different people who intersect our lives
(spouses, siblings, parents, friends)
does our "life" really belong to us alone?
Are the stories our own? Are they shared?
The discussion was fabulous!

But we still wondered.
We wondered what the criteria to become a Pulitzer Prize consists of.
We wondered what the other contenders were like.
We wondered if we liked the book.

I loved the learning and the sense of belonging with some new friends.
How fantastic to bond - even better to bond over books!

The Sunday Salon - Week 2

2011-05-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Outside my window: A sunny Sunday morning. It's slated to be 90 degrees today. Hey, it feels like a cool breeze after 100 degree days!

I am listening to: Sunday Baroque on KBAQ radio. awesome.

I am watching: Rich and I love to sit down on Saturday evening and watch all the DVR shows from the week - NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, Hawaii 5-o, The Mentalist. We hunker down with a few snacks and consider ourselves big partiers!! Haha! Actually, we have a great time together and it's cheaper than renting a movie. How I love the DVR!

I am thinking: how much fun my new book group was this week. The women there felt like immediate friends. I was welcomed with open arms and smiles. It was great - I felt like I fit right in!! We read The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields, which was a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1995. (Opinions varied and that was so fun. We really wondered who does the voting and what the criteria is for winning :) .) We had terrific discussion and I can't wait til June, when we meet again.

I am grateful for: getting to talk to all of my kiddos last Sunday. All of them checked in in one way or another and it felt peaceful and right!!

I am reading: Fatal Error by J.A. Jance. I enjoyed it at the Tucson Book Festival when she talked about the background for this book. Her books read like candy for me so I am flying through it.

I am photographing: ordinary events in my life. This week's top event - Jennie and I went out to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the buying of their new house. I swear the size of the portions caught on camera are as big as a new house!!

I am listing: End of the year action items. Thank heavens for lists.

I am creating: new office space. After we painted the new office a soft yellow we realized that the new office furniture will not match so... back to Home Depot! Don't you think a soft grey will work perfectly? "As you wish, dear." Gosh, I love that man!

On my Pandora: I am loathe to admit that I have fallen into the Disney soundtracks channel. On my behalf, they are wonderful for my students to listen to, we know all the words, AND I can say, " we will be cleaning up at the end of this selection boys and girls" and they all recognize when the end is coming!! :)

I am hoping and praying: that our new principal is approachable, pliable, humble, honest, fair, full of integrity and more than a little moxie. I am hoping that she is a laugh-er, a smiler, a guide, a gentle, calm, and comforting influence amidst the chaos that comes with a school. Please!

Around the house : The bedroom is still in a state of flux and chaos until the office is done. Yuck! BUT, it gives me motivation. I am getting ready to start my summer-time cleaning.

From the kitchen: Not a darn thing!! I have successfully avoided cooking all week and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Take that stove.

One of my favorite things: Shopping time with my daughter.

The children this week: At school we are still on a regular schedule for one more week. Don't tell though, we have a surprise retirement assembly planned for our principal that involves singing, flowers, dancing and projects!! Shhhh...

Plans for the week: Paint, grade, ride, paint, grade, ride, paint, grade, ride

On this date: last year I was packing boxes in my classroom to move to third grade. Wow, I am so grateful that this year I can stay right where I am doing right what I am doing. Sigh of relief!!

The Sunday Salon - a first

2011-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a first for me - recording my life in prompts!! (NOTE - somehow this got delayed...can I call this the Monday Salon?!?!)

Outside my window: it's dark...it's Mother's Day evening and I've spent the afternoon reading in the backyard and I've now heard from all my "chickens" and even talked with MY mom. It's actually cooler outside than it's been all week so I am loving it!

I am listening to: Prairie Home Companion, and Vocal Point - acappella!! I heard them at Women's Conference and they were awesome! This week I've been playing my Pandora station and reveling in my stations there - Les Miserables to Glee. I love the assortment that Pandora gives me!

I am watching: DVR recordings of the Royal Wedding. Rich was great to record it for me while I was away.

I am thinking: that I really have a lot to do to end this school year. My list is growing exponentially and even knowing that I still can't get motivated. A lot hinges on an announcement of our new principal this Tuesday afternoon. Yikes.

I am grateful for: Mother's Day greetings from all my kiddos. I loved a drop-by visit from Jennie and Kyle, phone calls from the boys, and a little grandson who is finally recovering from a virus. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't share it.

I am reading: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields for my new book group this week.

I am photographing: students, their work, and my classroom.

I am listing: loads of work to finish by the end of the school year. The list is amazingly long!

I am creating: new friends. I can't wait to go to a new book group on Wednesday. It's all a result of a 6 hour wait at the airport and a new friend I made while waiting!! I love talking books and I am so excited to visit with my new friend again.

On my iPod: I have got to get back to using mine. Sorry, iPod, Pandora is my new best friend. But I will return. Someday.

I am hoping and praying: for a friend who is grieving.

Around the house: I swept, dusted, and mopped yesterday. I know I did. Doesn't seem like it today. Argh!

From the kitchen: Dinner here tomorrow night - I wish it could be potluck. The way my waistline is after this weekend of dinners out and ice cream I should probably think about serving yogurt or salad for every meal!

One of my favorite things: spending time with Rich. We went out for a drive last night and ended up at Culvers. Yum. How I love those drives we used to take when kiddos were tiny and gas was NOT $4 a gallon!

Plans for the week: an observation by NAU professors of me teaching science!! Yikes. No pressure. The assistant superintendent is coming to tell us who our new principal will be!! A whole night is set aside for grading writing assessments, a staff meeting and Book group!! Gosh that only takes me to Wednesday!! I want to squeeze in a few bike rides as well. Can it be Friday already???

On this date: last year I was finishing my last Spanish class for my ESL endorsement and it was killing me!! Wow, am I glad that is over. I guess I'll just count my blessings! Have a terrific week!

Thanks Suey for some great inspiration.

Please Mr. Postman

2011-05-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

"Please Mr Postman, look and see
If there's a letter in your bag for me...."

What a creative literary device. To write a whole novel in letters. I wasn't sure I would like it; if the author could pull me in AND pull it off.

Wow, to coin another tune..."I'm a Believer!"

Reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows was like waiting for a special letter each day. How excited Juliet must have been each time the Postman arrived with new letters, how thrilled she must have been to give him new ones in return to continue her story to Sophie and Sidney. I was!

Set in England and the channel islands of Guernsey in the aftermath of WWII, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society brings characters and their stories to life, one letter at a time. After living with email and the "to the minute" world of tweets and texts I wondered how the authors could pull off the plot without dragging things out. (How clever of them to intersperse telegrams!) But I turned the page to get an answer immediately. Although some have called this book plodding and slow, I disagree. This was perfect for me. (I do miss good-mail!)

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” Juliet Ashton

" I love seeing the bookshops and meeting the booksellers- booksellers really are a special breed. No one in their right mind would take up clerking in a bookstore for the salary, and no one in his right mind would want to own one - the margin of profit is too small. So , it has to be a love of readers and reading that makes them do it - along with first dibs on the new books." p. 15

"It was amazing to me the, and still is, that so many people who wander into bookshops don't really know what they're after - they only want to look around and hope to see a book that will strike their fancy. And then, being bright enough not to trust the publisher's blurb, they will ask the book clerk the three questions: (1) What is it about? (2) Have you read it? (3) Was it any good?
"Real dyed in the wool booksellers - like Sophie and me - can't lie. Our faces are always a dead giveaway. A lifted brow or a curled lip reveals that it's a poor excuse for a book, and the clever customers ask for a recommendation instead, whereupon we frog-march them over to a particular volume and command them to read it. If they read it and despise it, they'll never come back. But if they like it, they're customers for life." p. 16

Now this book may appear on the surface that it is only a tribute to book-lovers everywhere. Well it does light the fire of many a reader, but no, that is only half the story. It is a poignant story that needs to be told, of those who suffered on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation. These stolid citizens endured the hardship of war and occupation. Their very lives invaded by not an unseen enemy, but one very present, in their faces. They sent their babies away to England to be protected from the Germans. For five long years.

"Of all the things that happened during the war, this one - making your children go away to try to keep them safe - was truly the most terrible. I don't know how they endured it. It defies the animal instinct to protect your young.....How did the mothers of Guernsey live, not knowing where their children were?" p. 229

I loved Juliet and her writing skill and style. Her friendships were deep and caring. How hard to have us care for these characters after only a few letters and/or pages. What a task. How I admire those who can write letters like that. My SIL can - I smile on every page of her letters and miss the days when corresponded via paper and pen.

A favorite book of mine, A Town Called Alice by Neville Shute, has much the same feel. A tug, a pull, and you're IN the book. You're in the lives of the characters before you know what hits you. This was a great book group read.

Mr. Postman ( aka Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows,) you delivered!!

Growing Readers

2011-05-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

I hold Reader's Workshop in my classroom each day.
My goal has been to grow some readers by giving my students some solid, protected reading time. I then conference with each student about 1-2 times a week and talk about what they're reading. We discuss new titles and they tell me about the plot of their book, the characters, and they make some predictions. With some students we discuss literary devices and narration formats.
These are third graders!!
Yippee!

I want to stand and say that Reader's Workshop has been a huge success in my class this year!

The conferences (and going to our in- class library) are their favorite things.
The students love getting "in the zone" everyday. They protect their reading time and nothing gets in their way!!
I'm happy to report that many of them have jumped
on the Book Group bandwagon.

I held Book Group every Wednesday in the classroom at lunchtime starting in November.
The kids loved it but I was the "driver."
I wanted them to get an idea of how to "talk" about and to books.
Well, guess what?
Now they "drive!"
Students have started asking if they can come in each week to meet in the classroom during lunch for various reading groups that they start with each other.
They even sign up for days several weeks in advance.
Of course I say, "YES!"
and the students come in small groups,
sitting at various tables around the room.
They laugh and talk books.
The other day one boy exclaimed, "Victoria chose the best book, Mrs. V. Isn't it amazing how she knew what I'd like? Isn't reading great?!?!"
Can you hear my heart pounding?!?! It happened. I'm growing some readers!!

Today I had the best conference of all.
One small red-haired bug had scheduled a conference with me wanting to discuss
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.
She said that she also had another surprise that I would love too.
We had a raucous time discussing all the little details about
Harry and the Dark Lord.
We just lost track of time and fell into living and breathing books.
We went from one topic to another and before you knew it
we were on to other books.
Her surprise for me...
when she showed me her current read and then the goal that she had set to learn to write a book blog, "just like real readers do!"
When she got up after our conference was over she looked at me and said, "that was the best conference yet. Don't you just love talking books, Mrs. V?"

Yes, Alexis, I do!!!

( Okay, after a tough end of the school year week I just didn't want to forget how these comments made me feel... :) )

I'm Still in a Daze

2011-05-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

(Saturday morning!! Can you believe it?)

I think I'm in a mental fog.

Not in a bad way.
I'm in a processing phase, I think.
The fog is a protection for those precious memories.
I had a great trip and now I am processing how to incorporate
everything I learned and remembered.
I am trying to place the memories into their proper new places.
I am trying to remember the sweetness of reunions and the joy of newly-hatched friendships.
I am trying NOT to think of school/work and the things I have to do.
That causes the fog to thicken.
I am in denial that I have things I M.U.S.T. do.

(Book Group Read this month!)

What a great book!
It was my traveling companion but only got opened when
my eyes could barely remain open each night.
Yet each time I opened it I fell right in.
I love it.
There are sticky notes marking each bookish-phrase.
Just holding it led to great conversations with fellow book lovers
AND
an invitation to join another in-person book group!!
Wow, the power of a book!

Waiting in airports...
Hmmm.
Painful? Boring? Frustrating?
I have a different take on it now.
We waited over 6 hours for our flight this last week...
BUT
the results were fantastic!

We were protected from equipment/mechanical malfunctions.
Received a $$ travel voucher to sweeten the bad taste of the medicine.
Made a 100 new best friends.
Talked books with loads of people.
Found new sisters - not of birth but of heart.
Although I didn't think so at first...
it was a pretty good trade
for 6 hours of my time!

I want to process my trip and thoughts a bit more before I record them here.
Until then I will sit in this fog.
Some might call it avoiding what needs to be done.
I will call it processing!!
GRINS ;)

This Chick is Flying the Coop...

2011-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am flying this coop....
flappin' my wings to Women's Conference in Provo.
Of course it takes a bunch of work to get myself off the ground...

sub plans - check!
Career Ladder finished - check!
Spring Fling assignments completed - check!
IEP/RED meetings - check!
shopping for birthdays - check!
house cleaned - check!
meals made for my dear hubster - check!
checking the weather in Utah - check!
packing (how many books will I need?!) - check!

Wow, I'm tired already and I haven't even left the ground.
I hope this is worth it!!

Back this weekend :)

Battle of the Books - for next year!

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of National Library week and Battle of the Books I read two new stories....

Four short stories of how a small blue library card changes the lives of kids who discover it. That's what Newbery winner, Jerry Spinelli crafts in his book, The Library Card.

There's Mongoose, a school-skippin', graffitti artist who's destined for more trouble until he discovers the small blue library card and the secrets it holds.

Brenda, the TV addict (think Mike-Teavee of Willy Wonka fame) has to endure the Great TV Turn-Off for a week. The library card turns up next for her.

Sonseray, a homeless, angry teenager knows he can find peace and quiet and air conditioning in the library. The blue library card is his ticket in.

April is lost without her connection to her old library. In her new rural home she feels lost. To soothe her heart and mind she carries her old New York library card with her everywhere, that is until she discovers a new blue card and a bookmobile.

Libraries provide access to books and the myriad of worlds contained in books. Spinelli explores the theme that with knowledge and imagination anything is possible — books can change lives in mysterious and powerful ways. Each character faces a different challenge in his or her life and the library card played a role of acceptance for each character in each story. There seems to be a strong element of magic in each of these stories. Does Spinelli intend us to take these stories at face value, or is their meaning as much symbolic as literal?

When I read the frontpiece of the book I was taken in, but this was not my favorite Spinelli book. Each story had snippets that I was taken with, and each held such possibilities. Oh well, it was the idea that counted!!

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg . Now this one was a winner! What a unique book. The story of 4 sixth graders, chosen by their teacher to compete in the Academic Bowl as a team. The story weaves together the path of each of these kids and how their paths cross with each other and that of the development of the Academic Bowl Team. So how did Mrs. Olinsky know which students to choose for the team? Read it to find out!!

The Battle of the Book kids will love this book this next year, but it is the most difficult of the books chosen based on the intricate plot device. There's depth here. It's great!! BUT...they may need some patience and help.

One of my favorite books as a kid was From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, also by Konigsburg. What fun to try her again!! Although it is not really for my third graders, the Battle of the Books kids will love it with the right guidance and adept coaching!! I'm think I'm ready to sign up for coaching right now!!

One of the Seven Cities of Gold

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found it!!
I found one of the Seven Cities of Gold!!!

(Taken Friday at a nearby store that was glowing in "gold"!!)

It's that time of year when the whole city is bathed in"gold" - the "gold" of the Palo Verde trees and their blossoms. Sometimes it just takes my breath away and I wonder what our pioneer ancestors thought. I love to see the blossoms scattered on sidewalks, across the streets and floating on the breeze. It truly looks like a city of gold!

Where does all of this talk about a City of Gold come from?
I found this in a school textbook:

There were many rumors or stories about treasure in the land north of Mexico. When the Spaniards heard these stories, they sent expeditions to search for the gold. One famous story told about the Seven Cities of Gold.

The story begins when four men survived a shipwreck off the coast of what is today known as Texas. They were three Spaniards, and a North African named Esteban. After the shipwreck, the four men walked across Mexico until they arrived in Mexico City in 1536. During their journey, they heard stories along the way about seven cities rich in gold, silver and jewels.

When the four men arrived in Mexico City, they told the story of the Seven Cities of Gold to the Spanish leaders. In 1539, the leaders of the city sent Esteban and a priest named Marcos de Niza to investigate the rumor. Esteban was killed by Indians during the expedition. But Marcos de Niza returned to Mexico City. He lied and reported he had seen the golden city.

In 1540, Francisco Coronado and more than 1,000 soldiers set out to find the Seven Cities of Gold. They traveled north out of Mexico into the present-day states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Kansas. They never saw any traces of the Seven Cities of Gold. Coronado then took the long trip home. The route he took back toward Mexico would later become known as the Santa Fe Trail. In 1542, Coronado returned to Mexico with only 100 of his soldiers. Coronado never found the Seven Cities of Gold. However, he did claim the lands he had traveled through for Spain.

We are so enmeshed in the history of this area. Many of our local High Schools are named after these discoverers, several of the cities in southern Arizona house statues to several of these men, and local legends still abound.

But I found it this week.
Who knew it was at WalMart?!?!.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!

Wide Awake Princess (both of them!)

2011-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Wide Awake Princess
by E.D.Baker

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwendolyn, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie is blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic. Only Annie can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.
But who is Gwen's true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own. (summary from GoodReads)

E.D. Baker throws in some of almost every fairy tale out there as she concocts this story, but somehow it worked. I enjoyed reading this 'fractured' fairy tale with the hopes that I could share it with some of my advanced reading 3rd graders. By the time I was done there were 4 girls lined up and waiting to read the book that had me so engrossed and giggling. The main character, Annie, was ordinary and that's what makes her endearing!! No fairy tale beauty for her. No Prince Charming coming to rescue her. Yet so many princess books today have overblown and over-the-top heroines - not this one. She was just ordinary and celebrating that was a joy. It was a light, fun book that was perfect for reading during testing week.

Just a note - The cover is adorable but looks more cartoon-ish than the book is. The reading interest level would probably be middle reader, but my little gals in class are dying to try it.

(downloaded off my phone)

Tonight MY princess is staying wide-awake as well.

Our daughter,Jennie, and her husband, Kyle, are more than heroes as they chaperone a team at the Relay for Life Cancer walk. They have been there since early this afternoon and will be there through the night until 6:00 am. This is the luminaria that Jennie made in honor of her grandpa (my dad), who passed away from the results of lung cancer this last summer.

We are sure proud of them and all that they do!!

On a school note -

We survived the AIMS test in our 3rd grade classroom!!
These standardized tests are killers!
The kiddos get so nervous, but at least they took them seriously.
The tests are not timed so the students all made sure that they had plenty of books to read when they finished. (I adored seeing them all with their noses in books and really in the 'reading zone!')
It was three days of intensive testing, no recess, and even
the 'testing-police' came to make sure we were following standards and protocol!!

Yeah!! Big sigh of relief!
I can't believe the school year is almost over!

We spent the morning cleaning and busy with projects. Tonight we finished our Saturday up with a bike ride. Now I'm ready to read!!
Next up for reading - some 'Battle of the Books' books to prepare for next year; The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli and A View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg.
I love Saturdays!

Bones of Faerie

2011-04-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

I was sick this week.
The flu hit hard and the teacher sent herself home and right to bed! Wow, did I sleep!!
When I finally woke up and saw that I was indeed still human I delved into a book where people weren't sure if they were 'human' or not!

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, 20 years after the WAR with faeries and humans, the world is not an overdone wasteland filled with poison gas, but a world where plants have sought revenge, fighting back.

The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so 15-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see—into the past, into the future—and she has no choice but to flee her town. Liza’s quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.

Janni Lee Simner’s first novel for young adults is a dark fairy-tale twist on apocalyptic fiction—as familiar as a nightmare, yet altogether unique.
(Amazon, product description)

Like most interesting stories, this is a personal story of life midst the chaos of the post-apocalypse. Folks have adapted. Change happens. So set with the backdrop of upheaval and global recovery, Liza's personal drama unfolds.

In the village of Franklin Falls, Liza believes all that her father tells her about magic being evil - that it must be cast out wherever and whenever it is found. She even believed it the night her father took her newborn sister out to the forest to die. Her sister, born with silver eyes, translucent hair; born with magic! Yet, she followed him and found that faeries didn't come to claim their own. Liza's mother was next - she just disappeared one day and Liza is left to sort the changes happening in her own life on her own. Now she's not so sure that magic is so terrible. Liza is confused and after a particularly brutal encounter with her vengeful father, Liza leaves her village to protect the villagers she loves. You see, Liza 's own magic is awakening within her and she doesn't exactly know what to do about it or with it. She dares not bring them pain or calamity as her magic becomes stronger.

Maybe it was my flu-induced stupor but I thought Liza was more than stubborn sometimes. I guess when you take into account the events of her life it may be natural, but it was one flaw that did not endear her to me. I did however love several of the sub-characters. The author was deft in crafting their qualities and voice. (Give me Alicia any day!)

I know that others have gushed over this book. By golly, the author herself seems truly awesome; but 4 days later I am still on the fence about this book. Was it too dark? Was I just too sick? I will admit that it read quickly, it was intriguing, but I was never totally head over heels in love with this one...

Will I try the sequel? Well, maybe, but not on a sick day.

Birthday Bash Mania - Starring KIDS!

2011-04-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

This was the weekend of the Birthday Bash!

The main players this weekend are 8, 6 and 4!!

(Cute grandkids - Ariel is 8, Jase is 4, and Gracie is 6!!)

The supporting cast are 8, 4, and 2.

(Cute grandson Noah & cutie pie granddaughter, Emma)
(Adorable granddaughter, Hero is 2 and very happy to be here!)

It was NOT supposed to rain and ruin our zoo day
and
picnic-palooza,
BUT...

Nature won!

(It rained ALL day!)

This was all even harder to finagle as we live 100 miles away. It put our creative thinking skills to the test. But... 19 emails later and we think we found the perfect combination for fun...

We visited the Children's Museum....

and dined at Little Anthony's Diner...

This weekend was the April Birthday Bash and we LOVED it!!

(I was very good and did not even suggest a trip to Bookman's or Eegee's and instead of reading in the car I watched Tangled!! I bet you're sorry you weren't at OUR party!!)

Thanks to the awesome party suggestions and emails (Jenn, Q, Jess and Paul)

and

the awesomest reservation arranger - Opa

(PS. Opa has even more cool photos on his camera!! Check his blog in the next few days for his take on the day!)

Once a Spy

2011-04-05T21:59:00.001-07:00

Once a Spy
by Keith Thomson

I was ready for a spy thriller. I was ready for a ride. I was ready for Drummond Clark and his son, Charlie, the two main protagonists of Once A Spy by Keith Thomson.
Rich and I went to go see Keith Thomson at The Poisoned Pen over Spring Break. He thrilled the whole place when he brought in a drone flying craft and then truly wowed us when he began to speak about the premise of his books. Alzheimers. Mmmm.

Drummond Clark is a legendary spy who purports to be simply an appliance salesman. A spy, however, is only as good as the secrets he can keep and with the onset of early Alzheimer's, Drummond's rapidly deteriorating mind is now a threat to national security.

Charlie, is Drummond's 31 year old son who hasn't 'found himself' yet.
He's wasting his life playing the ponies.
When Charlie becomes aware of both his father's dementia AND his secret spy-life a frenzied adventure begins. Charlie tries to keep his father alive for those rare moments when his dad can 'pull it together.' That is no small job.
But wow, when Dad is lucid, he is lucid!! Sharp as a tack and lethal.
Drummond seems to 'snap out of it' when tension is high and the peril is great.
Thomson spoke about the effects of Alzheimer's and how many patients will become lucid and clear when under the greatest stress and need. He stated that when he was writing he pictured Charlie taking the lead until, at the last minute, Drummond would 'come out of it.'

Keith Thomson certainly enjoys his two main characters.
I loved the dynamic of Drummond and Charlie.
Charlie was ambivalent about his dad, was saddened by the early death of his mom, and could be angst ridden and bitter, but Thomson crafted a different father and son duo.
Charlie just accepts what and who his dad is.
Drummond simply does not remember, and to his credit, Charlie realizes that it would be cruel to remind his dad of the missed holidays and birthdays.
Instead they begin virtually with a clean slate - almost every time that his dad 'comes to' and remembers something. Every new minute or hour is a new chance for them to begin their relationship again.
I really enjoyed their banter and how Charlie grew to appreciate his dad.

My favorite line -
Drummond realizes that he has Alzheimer's. As Drummond has to get both himself and his son out of a real sticky situation, Charlie is amazed at what his father can do, that he knows so much and that he can basically clean up on almost any bad guy. When Charlie praises his dad, Drummond responded:

"The hard part is acting like I do it all the time." (p. 144)

Boy, I love that!! (I can relate.)

Rich is happy I'm done - he's been waiting patiently for his turn at the book.
Here ya go, dear!

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

2011-04-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear me.
Helen Simonson, I owe you my utmost apologies.
You were right.
This book is a keeper.
I did have my doubts.
I wasn't sold right away.
But now I know -
Major Pettigrew is a stud, Mrs. Ali is a looker, and Edgecombe St. Mary is the new Hamptons. They are THE people to hang with.
Now they are my pals, my peeps.
Mrs. Simonson, I am so glad that you didn't want to "write about drug addicts and sex at truck stops" as you stated at the Tucson Book Festival.
I am glad that you "see the world differently" ; that you gave friendship a sense of passion.
I do believe that your first time effort is praiseworthy and delicious.
I most humbly grovel before you.
Forgive me for doubting.
I am, most humbly yours,

Inside a Book.

PS. Where can I get a Major Pettigrew action figure?

Great White Brother

2011-04-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

We buried a good friend today.
It was a total surprise.
He seemed fine.
He just didn't wake up.

It will be lonely without you.
Your brother keeps looking for you.
Who will I turn the water on for to get a drink?
Who will tell on your brother?
Who will sit on our laps when we wear black?

I'm grateful for the wonderful animal companions I've been blessed with.
They teach me lessons I never thought I would need to learn.

Thank you.

A Weekend in Spring

2011-03-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

It was a terrific Spring Saturday - wow, do I love Saturdays!The Saturdays I love the best have only a little planning and a little serendipity thrown in as well! Yesterday was that perfect Saturday.

We started by going to do some service at the church. We went down early (7 am!) and got some tasks done extra early so we could have more of the day to play with.

It was perfect spring weather so we treated ourselves to a visit to the Tempe Festival of the Arts down on Mill Avenue near ASU. It's always a great celebration of creativity. Music, art and Kettle corn!! Mmmm. (Rich is all about the chocolate covered strawberries though.)

See this booth?
INCREDIBLE fine custom jewelry!
Compassionate artist.
Mind-reader.
Judy Lazar.

I've known I wanted to re-design my wedding ring for a long time.
I just didn't know what I wanted.
(I can be like that sometimes - like ALL the time!)
I've spent lots of time looking on the computer, in stores, and wishing.
When the engagement ring broke awhile back my searching intensified. (I never knew there was a time limit to how long a wedding set would last?!?! I guess 34 years is a long time in ring years.)

Who knew I would find just what I wanted at the Tempe Festival of the Arts??

This artist had lots of designs I was already attracted to. With a few comments from me she was able to quick sketch a great design and whet my appetite.

(When we were engaged in the pre-blogging- dinosaurs-walked-the-earth-days, no one photo-documented it. Now we are doing it right! )

We returned later with my broken wedding ring and spent about an hour with Judy and the design process really took off. It was like she read my mind! I was just about in tears...Oohhh, I can't wait.

We enjoyed more of the festival - imagine where I found Rich....
He made one of these babies his!

(cute grandchild not included in the price!)

I had saved up enough money and yesterday was the perfect day. Rich had scoped out bike prices and I bought the bike I need to spend some more exercise time with him. I love to walk but Rich is a bike rider! He loves to ride his bike and has been strongly suggesting that I get a bike so we can enjoy rides together. I figure if he will willingly attend author lectures and book festivals that I can make the 'sacrifice'! Now we can cruise the canals and bike paths in style - walking OR riding!! The bike's a beauty. Now to name her. (It's an extra-small frame - the first time I've been an extra small in anything in years!!)

My basketball team had an amazing ride in the NCAA championships - I will not be greedy and want it all. Maybe I can watch the rest of the Final Four without needing heart medication.

The day was getting pricey - too much fun. I guess suggesting another trip to the bookstore was out of the question. Another good part - I avoided housework for another day!! Wahoo! Why stay inside when there's spring outside??

My book companion this weekend has been Once a Spy by Keith Thomson. I'm really enjoying it. One of the protagonists is a man who was secretly a covert operative and is now suffering from Alzheimer's. His son always thought he was an appliance salesman! This book has been out for 18 months and reminds me of a twist on the movie, Reds. It is well done and the writing is clever and crisp. Meeting the author was a fun perk.

Church and basketball, family and friends were the words for Sunday. It was almost too pretty to stay inside for long. There seems to be a magnetic attraction to the patio on days like this. It was also perfect strawberry weather. Those juicy, ripe berries dribbled down our chins - it's so much fun to eat with a four year old! It brought back lots of memories of Sunday afternoon drives when we lived in California years ago. We would drive to the fields and buy two flats of strawberries. We would strip the boys of their shirts and hand each of the four boys a basket of strawberries; munching and singing songs all the way home. It was just like that today!

The night is beautiful and I'm not ready for the weekend to end. But bring on the week, I don't want to be greedy. It's been a super weekend.

March Madness!

2011-03-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am in my basketball element at this time of year..... it's March Madness! But the more I think of it, March Madness is a great name for what tends to happen around here at this time of year anyway!!

* I LOVE the NCAA basketball tournament and round the clock basketball games and excitement! It's now or never kind of intensity and enthusiasm.

* My old college is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over 30 years (That's like 390 dog years or something - it seems like forever ago though.)

* Our hometown team is playing this afternoon - keeping my fingers crossed. Fridays game was a nailbiter! My mom was a professor there, my stepdad too. It's like a religion to watch UA basketball with my family. (Richard's family just doesn't get that, but it's okay...I forgive them!)
* Spring Break - Book Festival, chillin', Spring Cleaning - carpet cleaning and renovations while Rich attacks the yard, hot temps, grandkids visiting and just plain old fun.* Book Group Mystery Madness. We read one of two mysteries to discuss and then any other mysteries to give Book commercials on. We all come with pens and paper to write down new titles. It's great temptation.

* Author visits at the Poisoned Pen. We went to some and there are more all month! We love a trip to Grimaldi's for dinner but recently Barbara Peters (owner) recommended two new places to try. We love the date night.

* Birthday bashes. This week there are three events!! Love those days....oh yeah, throw in a wedding too!! Party on.* AIMS preparation! Yikes, It's back to school tomorrow and the countdown to the BIG standardized test begins. As well as I think we've done we can always use refreshers and reviews. It's my first time in 7 years since I've played this game. I'm trying not to get nervous or over-excite the kids, I'm just hoping that we all can "show what we know!"

* Meetings, meetings, meetings....my next two weeks are packed with them. I actually had to pencil in a time to go work out to make sure I do it! Also have a few report cards to finish up. Since the computer virus ate my grades two weeks ago, this has been a real experience!

* Wonky weather. Spring break week was 90 degree plus and we had the A/C on. Now it's cloudy, we're slated for rain tomorrow and temps in the low 60s. Gotta love the madness of March.

* Reading two great books - Once a Spy by Keith Thomson is a page turner. It's the first novel by the author. We went to hear him talk this last week and we were sold. I got to it first but Rich keeps asking how far I am. He's chomping at the bit I think! Of course it helped that the author brought a drone to fly at the bookstore. Cool gadgets and toys like that hook Rich every time!! 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done is hysterical!! Of course it helps that I live this life, but the short essay format and typical day to day events keep me in stitches. Rich has to ask what I'm laughing at now, every time I have my nose in this. I'm reading it to keep smiling when I truly would like another week of Spring Break!

I remember the 'dog-days' of March when I was a kid. Everything moved at a snail's pace and I looked out windows longingly. Those days are no longer around for me. I think that the calendar moves incrementally faster. The days are packed. The garden grows overnight. Okay, I still look out the windows a lot, but it's more to get life to slow down a bit! I do think March Madness is a great title. Now, why didn't I think of that?