On Thinking Warm Thoughts

"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money."

~Thomas Jefferson

 

 

I'm surrounded by candles and covered in handmade afghans and being incubated by two warm fur children and a laptop.  Bone chilling hardly seems an accurate description for this type of freezing. 

 

Winds whip, causing doors to slightly open as powerful gusts find their way through tiny cracks and crevices.  The furnace chugs away, sprinting through this Antarctic marathon without stopping for rest or refueling.  My tea kettle constantly whistles, signaling another warm cup, another attempt at these 'staying toasty' antics. 

 

 

Unbeknownst to them, my fuzzy socks and fingerless gloves have intense responsibilities placed upon them today.  I hope they are prepared for such lofty, albeit unreachable expectations.

 

Dare I say that I am in heaven?  Is it alright to completely revel in this feeling of cozy and snugly and calm?  Because, you see dear friends... I'm loving it.  I'm completely thrilled.  I can't smile brighter.  I live for days like this.  Days when I can enjoy our home, bake bread, light candles, knit and create....

 

 

 Upon emerging from my protective blanket cocoon, I shuffled into the real world, only to find cold, cold, and more cold.  Without hesitating, I prepared  myself a perfect cuppa and quickly gathered this-and-that to add to the simmer pot. (I promise that a nifty simmer pot makes staying in and being chilly a lovely little adventure.)

 

"What's that?  You want to make one, too?"

 

Good.  I hoped so.

 

  Here's how.

 

 

Simmer Pot Instructions

 

First, boil water in a kettle or pan.

While the water heats,  slice one orange (or lemon or lime....let your imagination run wild) and gather any other ingredients that suit your fancy.

(I also added cloves, vanilla essential oil, and dried rosemary from my summer herb garden.)

Cinnamon, allspice, lemon, cranberries and pine tree sprigs are all delightful additions and options- I promise.

Add all ingredients to the simmer pot of your choice. 

(I found my copper one at a thrift store for $2.00-score!)

Gently pour the hot/boiling water over the chosen ingredients.

Lastly, turn the stove on to a low setting (I usually set mine at 2 or 3) and wait for the yummy scent to waft through the air.

 

*Note: I typically use the same simmer pot for a few days, adding this and that as time passes.  Also, be sure to add more warm water every few hours to keep the potion from becoming 'sludgy' or burned.

 

 

With that, I'm lighting a few more candles, heading to my craft nook, and setting off to work on some paper crafting projects that I have up my sleeve.

 

Stay warm, my friends.  Stay warm and enjoy this day.

It Was Beyond Great

"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life."

~Pablo Picasso

We got crafty the other day, Megan and I.  Having a crafting partner was a nice change, as usually I'm left to my own with anything in the creative realm.  

She made some string art for her college house and I made a crayon canvas for my classroom.

Let's not kid ourselves.  I mean, I'm not the least bit jealous that she gets to jet off to college to live with her sorority sisters while I get to move into a very dusty, asbestos filled classroom.  

No, not one hint of hostility or jealousy here.

I looked forward to our day for a full week, continually thinking and planning how it would be, what would happen, and how the projects would turn out.

I'm pretty sure that we impressed the heck out of ourselves.  It's not everyday that two Duquesne grads are seen lugging planks of wood and wielding hammers.

Or, for that matter, connecting a hairdryer to an extension cord and turning the old Conair on full blast while sitting under an umbrella on the patio.

What a great day. One of my summertime favorites.

"Whoo" Would Have Thought?

“Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.”

 ~Calvin Coolidge

  Are you like me?  

Do you look for the details?  

Do you see the potential and the fun in something forgotten or left behind?

For whatever reason, I truly marvel at the lost world of others.  I love to scour thrift shops and find buried treasures- not of value- but of opportunity and potential.

Rewind to last summer.

My mom and I found ourselves in a Salvation Army looking for a few old shirts with which she was using to make the most adorable pillows.  While there, I stumbled upon these fascinating owl bookends at the amazing price of $2.99 for the set.

These once discarded and lonely friends now have a new lavender flocking and are on their way to room 004.  

Yes, please.  Instant classroom decor.

All Things Warm and Cozy

"Be a good human being, a warm-hearted affectionate person. That is my fundamental belief. Having a sense of caring, a feeling of compassion will bring happiness of peace of mind to oneself and automatically create a positive atmosphere."

~ Dalai Lama

The sun continually played tricks that day.  Out- beautiful, bright sky.  In- cloudy, gray haze.  The breeze blew gentle and calm while a hush fell over the ground.  A storm was approaching.  I could feel it in my bones.

Feeling the need to play in the garden, I grabbed my white gathering basket and set out with the task to harvest my jalapenos.  "Why not begin preparing and storing for the autumn and winter chili-eating, football watching season?" I silently wondered.

And with that, I gently plucked a few dozen spicy little peppers and began slicing and dicing.  The aroma proved potent and had me yearning for all things warm and cozy.  

So as the jalapenos found themselves hibernating in the freezer, and the sky turned a bit more gray, my locally farmed alpaca yarn emerged from it's safe and secure home in my yarn cabinet.  "Mitten knitting time," I thought.  "Why not really kick-off these winter preparations?" 

 While the rain streamed down the windows and the puppy burrowed under the bed, I lost myself to an old afghan and the gentle rhythm of my knitting needles.  

One mitten down, one to go.

Patio Relaxation

“There is practically no activity that cannot be enhanced or replaced by knitting, if you really want to get obsessive about it.”

~Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

High above the leaves appeared to glow with an electric green phosphorescence, only to be complimented by the crystal blue of the afternoon sky.  The air had a slight nip to it, giving a beautiful sunshiny day the crisp feel of a high-school football evening in September.   

I took the opportunity to grab my knitting basket and head for the patio, where, dare I say, I spent the majority of my day.  Getting some uninterrupted time with my needles and yarn proved exceptionally cathartic.

There's something about knitting- perhaps the steady rhythm or the soft feel of the yarn or the promise of something special created from a single strand- that keeps me very focused, yet completely relaxed.

Like I mentioned, I had perched myself outside, under the shade of the umbrella and steeped a fresh mug of  amazingly wonderful and beautifully colored blackberry mojito green tea.  

Sip and stitch. Sip and stitch.

  As if my world couldn't get any more perfect, I decided to snip some of my lavender.

Wow.  Heavenly delight.

Between the warm tea and the relaxing scent of lavender and the gentle click of needles this day earns a spot near the top.

Important Blessings

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."  

~Jewish Proverb

Without a doubt, one of the biggest blessings that Chad-o and I have are our mothers.

They are, simply put, quite wonderful.

I truly believe that God chose the women he did to be mothers for us, because, to be honest, it's the perfect match-up. 

These amazing women continue to serve as examples of strength and wisdom, beauty and grace.

And because we are so blessed by them, I wanted to honor them with a handmade treat on Mother's Day.  

Jossie and Linda, we are so very thankful for you.

Setting the Stage for Spring

"Blossom by blossom the spring begins."

~Algernon Charles Swinburne

I first spotted this idea in a crafting magazine.  It was cute enough, but the suggested iridescent Easter grass and mega-gigantic pastel bow proved just a little too "Easter-y" for me.  However, the more I studied the idea, the more I found myself liking it.  

 I had to be careful, though.  Many moons ago, when I first became a teacher, I promised myself that I wouldn't, under any circumstances, submit to the typical overly-festive teacher stereotype.  Never would I show up on the first day of school sporting a wooden school bus necklace.  I swore that I'd never wear earrings that hinted at the upcoming holiday or season.  

And then there was this wreath...the wreath just seemed to push the ticky-tacky, festive limit.  

 Gulp. I couldn't help myself.  I had to make it.  Really.  I swear.  

But the good thing is this: where there's a will, there's a way.  

Thankfully, I visualized the original wreath with some slight major changes.  Goodbye bright, primary Easter eggs~ Hello pastel hues.  Adios clingy, shiny Easter grass~ Hola natural-looking Spanish moss.  See-ya later enormous puffy pastel bow with ten zillion loops and puffs~ hi-ya simple burlap knot.

Overall this was insanely simple.  Plus- huge perk- I managed to use the glue-gun without acquiring a medley of third degree burns.  Success on so many levels, right?  

He's a Little Shy

"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.” 

~Elizabeth Zimmerman

Meet Freddie.

He's hiding because he knows that most people believe dinosaurs are extinct.  

There's no need to cause a stir, right?

It's simple, really.  He's not looking for riches and fame.

He's not in the mood for interviews and paparazzi and magazine covers.

All that Freddie wants is to meet his new friend, Liam and tell him bedtime stories and hang-out well into the nighttime hours.

Freddie and Liam.

Sounds like a crazy duo.

wink

...

I approached this task with a bit of unease, as I had never knitted a "toy" before.  Well, well, well...

Let's just say that I ended up writing my very own pattern, as the internet turned up zilch in the line of stegosaurus finger puppets.

I present, Freddie, a unique, one-of-a-kind, total Cathy creation.

As much as I worried about this little guy, he turned out to be quite the fun, challenging project.

Freddie the Stegosaurus, est. February 2012

A 'Me Day' With My Favorite Things

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” 

- Dalai Lama 

Last Saturday I had a little "Me Day" and spent most of the day doing things for myself, in my pajamas, with messy hair, and a bottomless cup of hot coffee, mind you.

  

Throw in some Mod Podge, old glass jars, and a few falling-apart books and the wonderful factor greatly increased.  happy sigh

The thing I enjoyed most about this little craft was that it required me to spend zero dollars.  Hooray for the frugal and re-purposed life. 

You see, I had been stashing away glass jars for quite awhile (with the intent that I would find a genius use for them).  I also found myself a few favorite books (Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, and Anne of Green Gables) that were beyond repair, and then raided my craft closet for the simple garden twine.  

Taa-daa! 

Candles and Books and Glass Jars and Garden Twine= My favorite things

A Lesson in "Real Learning" and "True Thinking"

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men."

~John Dewey

The days prior to Thanksgiving break always prove interesting in a school- especially in a middle school.  I've learned that 7th and 8th graders know everything.  Everything.  They are experts on every single topic in the entire world.  Just ask them; I'm quite sure they'll confirm.

Therefore, I decided to use the days prior to Thanksgiving break as a lesson of sorts, an opportunity to show them what real learning actually feels like. 

Their task?  To create a German Christmas Star using four precut strips of paper.

So, I gathered the necessary supplies:  paper strips, typed directions- complete with pictures and diagrams,  and computers- with access to the internet.  The students were permitted to work together, share, discuss and help one another- much like in a research setting.

My role was to act as a facilitator, helping the students construct their learning.  I never once told them what they needed to do or how they should approach their task.  Rather, I introduced the activity, gave them with some basic background knowledge and history, provided them with necessary tools and allowed them to explore, experiment, attempt and evaluate.  

Wow.

The whole concept of "thinking" and "learning" truly baffled them.  They had no interest in trying to figure it out.  Simply put, they wanted me to show them and/or get them started.  Keep in mind that they did indeed have access to the internet, in which they could have watched YouTube videos, accessed Google or searched for alternate directions.  Sadly, they rarely took advantage of their resources.  

At the end of the first day I had 4 students (out of 170ish) who were able to complete the paper-folding, inquiry based task.  

Watching the students struggle and quit so easily didn't really surprise me, as they so rarely have to "think".  They live in a world where they are tested by choosing from among four answer choices.  In my opinion, today's students lack creativity.  As much as I love my students, I wish you could see how poorly they draw and color and use scissors.  It's quite sad, really.

On day two of the lesson I caved in and demonstrated how to complete the activity.  However, the whole inquiry, self-learning and real thinking aspect flopped- hard.  I probably learned the biggest lesson, as I became even more aware of how impatient today's students are.  

In the end, the German Christmas Stars turned out very snazzy and jazzy and ended up in a garland that I strung around our classroom.  

With a Handmade Touch

"The defining function of the artist is to cherish consciousness."

~ Max Eastman

A few weekends ago I tip-toed away to craft land. I blocked out the word and lost myself in creativity and imagination.  

In a few more weeks, after these crazy graduate classes are over, I'll be there everyday.   

Please, Oh Please...

"Don't ask what the world needs. Rather ask: What makes you come alive?

Then go and do it

Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

~Howard Thurman

I'm struggling here. Today's my first official day of summer vacation.

But sadly, I'm not busy vacationing. Oh no...unfortunately not. I've been up studying since 7:00.

Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love to learn. But, I'm not really learning anything. I'm going through the motions- memorizing terms, creating neunomic devices, cramming to forget. I truly believe I'd be learning more by sitting down with my books or teaching myself a new stitch or even writing in my journal. I'm really conflicted- like in a serious way. We won't even talk about the thousands of dollars I'm paying to be so miserable.

As I sit at my desk and force myself to "learn" this ridiculous "stuff," my eyes constantly fall upon all the inspirational, creative outlets surrounding me. I have so much to blog about and tons of things I want to make and hundreds of projects I'm ready to embark on.

I'm trying to be positive~ honestly. I really try to find the silver lining in this rotten situation. But, I'll admit, It's a dozy. I'm not too happy, and that, in itself, just makes me sad. I mean, I'm all for sacrifice, but I'm just not seeing it today.

I keep trying to remind myself of how lucky I am to be an educated woman.

And with that final though, I'll be more grateful. I'll try a bit harder. I'll be a tad more optimistic.