Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

It’s Saturday.  Time to reflect on the goodness of the week. Thank you Ruth for providing a place to share.

ONE

It’s Winter Break.  I love having this time to regroup and reflect.  Time to bake, wrap presents, and enjoy family.

TWO

Receiving the best poetry package ever from Ramona as part of the Winter Poetry Swap. She included such wonderful treasures: a sparkly folder for poem collecting and two poems; “For Christmas” which I shared with my staff and then her Nativity poem.  They will be out every Christmas.  Plus the fantastic book MANGER by Lee Bennet Hopkins. It’s perfect for the holidays. And to finish it all a snowman ornament and pad for lists.

THREE

Our simple Christmas: Our Christmas was different. For the first time in 24 years we didn’t do anything on Christmas Eve with either girl. Oldest daughter worked and an oldest grand girl was at her dad’s and Youngest daughter and girls were in southern Oregon(coming up next weekend). So husband and I almost made it to Christmas Eve service but we decided to stop by friends whose daughter died of an overdose a year ago today. She was a year older than our oldest. Our friends have been raising her son for years. (these are husbands’s friends from high school). Then we went out to eat. I then baked two batches of cookies and wrapped presents. I have to admit, I rather enjoyed this Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day, we went to oldest daughter’s for the day. oldest grand girl tried to get us to open one present every hour. The adults didn’t like that idea much. Santa brought husband into the 21st century with a smart phone. Husband made pizza and oldest daughter had spaghetti so we had the “Christmas Feast” oldest grand girl wanted.

No drama. Letting go of perfection.  This POST explains more.

FOUR

Being included in this fabulous gallery of poetry, Finding Fall.  Carol does such a wonderful job of creating art with our poems.

FIVE

The CYBILS Poetry shortlist is decided BUT it will wait until January 1 for the unveiling.  Am very happy with the list.

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Poetry Friday: Saturday Edition

The final Poetry Friday for the year is hosted by Holly who’s celebrating a milestone birthday.

I’m late but I am getting the last poem for 2015 posted.  This is my postcard for the Nengajo Post Card Exchange. It’s an opportunity to share haiku for the new year with others around the world.  Similar to the Poetry Swap.

First draft but then I decided that “resolutions” worked better than “wishes.”

And here’s to Carol Varsalona who creates amazing poetry galleries to honor the seasons. Thank you for the opportunity to share my work here.

Happy Saturday.

Happy Poetry.

Celebrate: Star Things About the Past Few Weeks

Thank you, Ruth for providing a place to share our celebrations each week.

How good to be back. I have missed you all. You see, we left for Disneyland on November 23 along with Thanksgiving with my niece and family and her father, my brother. While we returned the next day, I feel like tonight (this was Friday night and then the WordPress APP on the IPad decided to be cranky) is the first time in a long time that I could take a breath. It’s so nice to be cozy and writing. So here are several celebrations of the last three weeks.

Family

On the plane to Disneyland with daughter, grandgirl, and husband.

With grand girl’s favorites, Jack Skellington and Sally.

With great-nephew and grand girl.

Nature

Bird of Paradise is one of my favorite flowers. We had several bushes of these in my childhood backyard.

The other morning.  My oldest grand girl called this cotton candy sky.

School

Students and Chromebooks.  So excited to get these into the hands of the students.

The Holiday Season

My friend hosts a really fun party every year.  Some people I only see at this time.  She has outfits and hats to wear.

 The Singing Christmas Tree, a Portland tradition for over fifty years.

No pic but buying personally autographed books for my grand girls and great nephews.  I so love doing this.

So what are you celebrating?

Poetry Friday: Haiku Books

Thank you Paul for accepting this late entry.
I am so happy to be here this Friday and share three haiku books of note. These are three nominations of the almost forty for the CYBILS poetry award.
HI, KOO! A YEAR of SEASONS Written and illustrated by Jon Muth. Published by Scholastic. What can I say about Jon Muth that hasn’t been said? He takes readers through the year with haiku that doesn’t follow the standard 5-7-5 syllable, three line form. And without overplaying the alphabet theme, this book goes through the alphabet. “Koo” is our panda guide throughout the book. I really liked the author’s note at the book’s beginning.
Book source: from the public library.

NINJA MOUSE written and illustrated by J.C.Thomas. Published by
SuperUltraGo! Press. This is a book that I feel middle graders will return too again and again. There’s something mysterious about the presentation. A mouse ninja? It’s it’s illustrations are rendered in such a way that I have read and re-read it several times. There’s a quietness to the story. At the end, the author explains more in depth about writing haiku Japanese versus American. I appreciated that but wished he would have abandoned the 5-7-5 form.Book source: a review copy was sent by the publisher.

SANTA CLAUSES by Bob Rackza. Published by Carolrhoda Books.
graders. They loved it. I think the illustrations and text are a perfect match. The students and I loved the little secret nods to other literature such as The Christmas Carol and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. And the students loved the aurora haiku. Yes, it uses the 5-7-5 form but it read aloud with ease.
Book source: from the public library.

Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.