speaking gratitude

1. being able to listen
2. being able to offer help or love to friends
3. chickens squawking for attention
4. greeting my flaws as if they were friends rather than enemies (they're easier to work with that way)
5. waking up next to someone you love
6. fog on the hills
7. hot coffee with real cream, rather than milk
8. making new connections with people
9. homemade potato pancakes with Greek yogurt and Siracha
10. inside jokes, like "glorified butter"

What are you grateful for?

bookish

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally, I succumbed and read this fast-paced, compelling story about Katniss, the girl on fire, and her journey into the arena for the Hunger Games, and I'm now considering pushing for this as a novel for freshmen year, with a female hero and plot and writing that, I would argue, is as sophisticated as Ender's Game (a book that I do not enjoy teaching) with its futuristic dystopia and first-person narration from the point of view of a young girl who is driven to survive and terrified to love, as she deals with the violent death of her father, the emotional breakdown of her mother, and the conflicted relationships that she encounters during the Hunger Games. A lot of interesting topics to explore in a 9th grade classroom, with students who are being taught to truly understand characterization and theme.


View all my reviews

speaking gratitude

It's Friday, and time for reflection on gratitude.

1. books, words, stories, poetry
2. friendship; friends who provide a sense of safety. they won't manipulate you. they won't tell your secrets.
3. raindrops dripping from green leaves outside the window.
4. being inside in the warmth and light during a cold rain.
5. having the freedom to make one's own choices.
6. being told that someone was saying something nice about the work i've done as a teacher.
7. pizza nights, caramelized onions, bleu cheese, pear slices, bacon, cheese, sauce, homemade crust
8. welcoming those who need a place into my home
9. sleeping in on a saturday morning
10. happy, happy hour on a friday!

2012!

Happy new year! It's now 2012, and my twelve goals have been completed successfully!

1. Blog: update and rethink blog with steps taken/initiated toward new design for the new year. Done!

2. Academics: Complete my grad. level PSU class with an A and a possible publication. Done! 

3. Painting: Finish painting the bedroom sky blue, the guest bedroom hazel green, the hallway a turquoise/teal and the downstairs a creamy latte/chocolate brown.

Done--repainted craft room in hazel green and twilight, painted dining room and upstairs hall a soft yellow, and painted downstairs hallway in Divine twilight.

4. Donate old clothes and books. Done!

5. Host a friend's Thanksgiving: Invite people over for a Thanksgiving potluck the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Done!

6. Host some thank-you dinners for friends who have been super helpful in the past month of stress and madness. Done!

7. Unpack. Done!

8. Buy a washer and dryer. Done! 

9. Buy a new phone and get set up on family plan and teacher discount. Done!

10. Take real steps for wedding planning. 

Done. And of course, not done. The wedding's in August, so the work continues, but I spent quite a few hours on this over break.

11. Start taking photographs and publishing them again. Done!

12. Go to yoga at least 7 times. Done!

Now, how do I structure my continuing goals and what are they? If I were to simply brainstorm, I would say that they are:

to continue yoga practice

to exercise regularly

to stencil my house

to make curtains and pillows for my house

to build a bedroom closet

to host an awesome wedding and reception

to take the time to meditate, read, craft, and eat well

Maybe this week, I should try for the following:

Cardio 3x

Yoga 1x

Save the date cards

Stencils

What are your goals for the year/the month/the week?

Mad About

We're still mad about our red lipstick, inspired by Mad Men and the bright berry colors the ladies wear. Here we are sporting our own Red Zin from Bare Minerals. My girl Ada and I are finding the red an inspirational color for hunting a Christmas tree.

And of course, red goes wonderfully with cocktail hour in Seattle at a dark little bar/restaurant called the ZigZag.