Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

I always love that Ruth Ayres Writes provides a place to share about the goodness of the week.

ONE

Letting Go.  I am letting go of my hope for a snowfall and embracing our springlike weather.  We had the warmest February in the history of weather. How can you not celebrate spring with these in the yard?

TWO

Time with Husband

My days are long at school.  I am tired when I get home during the week. So yesterday, it was lovely to have a day with DH and go to lunch at a little ma and pa place, drive out to Estacade, OR to a fabulous second hand store, Mikes.

THREE

Poetry Rocks: Performance Poetry is my after school activity this year.  We are planning to perform at the local Barnes and Noble in April. This will be the kick off to a five day book faire.  I hope it goes well.

FOUR

Reading Shel Silverstein out loud.

FIVE

Hopefully located a long lost friend.

What are you celebrating?

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Celebrate: Five Star Things About This Week

Thanks to Ruth Ayres Writes for providing a place to share all the goodness in our lives. And we need to celebrate the goodness.

ONE
Middle and youngest Grandgirls were here for last weekend. So good to see them. As you can see they love to put on shows.

TWO
Receiving these New Year postcards from everywhere. I also sent them out to the group who expressed interest in sharing.

THREE
Having lunch with the top readers for November.

FOUR
Time for research in the library. Learning that sometimes we need to shift our topics if the materials aren’t available.

FIVE
Selecting my One Little Word for this year: OPEN.

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?

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

Saturday is a day to reflect on all the good in past week. Read more at Ruth Ayres Writes.

ONE
Remember how I shared about the donation of muffins from a local church last week. Well, on Monday, they treated he staff to cookies and coffee when we arrived. And hand made cards thanking us for all we do for your students. It was such a great way to begin a week.

TWO

Some one had her first birthday in the double digits. We ate at this fabulous Italian restaurant.

THREE
Gathering with other teacher librarians to talk about technology. Each of our schools are getting Chrome Books on the journey toward 1:1 devices for all students. There’s so many changes a foot in our district and it’s happening so fast.

FOUR
Getting poetry books for review in the mail. Being on the CYBILS means that books not available from the library arrive for some publishers. It’s so exciting receiving the books and reading them. So many good choices!

FIVE

This in the library today. Fifth graders enjoying a magazine. I am working to create more reading spaces in the library.

What are you celebrating?

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

It’s Saturday. Time to celebrate the week at Ruth Ayres Writes. I love this ritual of each week reflecting on the good in my world.

ONE

Watching oldest grandgirl each week. She’s developing confidence and skills. Today she made three great serves.

TWO
The generosity of a neighboring church to donate eleven dozen muffins for our “Muffins and Moms” event at the book fair on Monday. It’s so wonderful that there’s more outreach between church’s, the police departments and other community agencies with schools. This church has given us lunch buddies, supplies, and time.

THREE
We had a two hour late start due to a little snow and freezing cold weather. This is what the kindergartners said: “Elsa did it because it was ice not snow and it’s not winter yet.” Gotta love them!

FOUR
Weather! We finally had our first frost on Tuesday morning. After a horribly warm October, I am loving the cold temps of this month. Plus the sun! And the anticipation of snow Wednesday night was the best (even though there wasn’t really any where I live but it did snow during Thursday).

FIVE
Writing Group. We met Monday evening. What I love is their honesty and suggestions. The bonus was having Tuesday to write.

What are you celebrating?

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

Each Saturday people take the time to reflect on the week and then share at Ruth Ayres Writes. Here I am, once again a day late.  It’s been that kind of week with school and the home front and the need to sleep commanding my attention.  I missed my Tuesday post on Deowriter for SOLSC14. I missed Poetry Friday here as well.

But as I went to Ruth’s blog today and read her post on Personal Landmarks, I read words that reassured me that I am not alone.  There are times we all struggle. This statement reminds me of my capabilities: “I’m a writer who writes –15 minutes each day on her current story.”

So now to my celebrations of the week.

ONE

Family. They are there when you need them.  We had a week that the support and love of family was critical.

TWO

The CYBILS nominations of the Poetry books.  I think we have a great selection of Children and YA books to review and select finalists for January.  As the organizer, this has been one of the time commitments this week.

THREE

A co-worker and I engaged in a banter of Picasso quotes:

“If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes.”

—Pablo Picasso

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

—Pablo Picasso

“Nothing can be done without solitude.”

—Pablo Picasso

FOUR

Humor.  Thank goodness that my mother and father gifted me with a sense of humor.  Sometimes it’s gallows humor but it gets me through challenges.

FIVE

Kinders getting to check out their first book.  I just love their excitement when this day arrives for them.  They are so serious to choose the correct book.

What are you celebrating?

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

It’s Saturday. Time to celebrate and share at Ruth Ayres Writes.

ONE
Getting some organizing task completed. I saw an orthopedic surgeon this week. He wants to do surgery this coming week (hopefully) or by July 23. There’s not much I will be able to do once surgery happens. I feel this great need to clean and organize the house. So today I spent time in the garage and guest room. Some of it is on my “summer to do” list.

TWO
Green plants!

As I have stated to friends recently “Our house will end up like Briar Roses’ castle”, this is proof that it’s actually happening. And with my shoulder, pruning is not a task I should do.

THREE

Watching grandgirl in her pool. This picture just cracks me up. I celebrate her joyous nature.

FOUR
I finished the book Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams. It’s a powerful book written in verse. An editor suggested I read it as a mentor text.
Also recently read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

FIVE
Time to have breakfast and catch up with friends this week. It’s what I love about summer.

What are you celebrating?

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

There’s always so much to celebrate each Saturday. More celebrations can be found at Ruth Ayres Writes.

ONE
I love summer. Love the easier, slower pace of life. We left to visit our Idaho friends on Wedneday. One of the best parts f the trip is the ever changing sky.

TWO
While not the news I had hoped for, I found the source of my shoulder pain plaguing me for the past five months. Had an MRI on Monday. It revealed a complete muscle tear with a partial tear. I see the ortho surgeon on Tuesday. So I celebrate knowing what’s wrong and how to proceed.

THREE
Small town parades. We love the Buhl, ID Independence Day parade. This year we had oldest grand girl with us. She loved the throwing of the candy in to the crowds. One of the highlights for me is the gigantic farm machines.

FOUR
Found poetry at Hagerman Park. Our tradition includes the annual picnic in the park. Yesterday, it was quite warm. This was found painted on the sidewalk.

FIVE
And the evening f the fourth is always filled with fireworks. What is it about sparklers that are so magical? And why do kids love smoke bombs so much?

What are you celebrating?

Poetry Friday: Threads

The month long celebration of the life and legacy of William Stafford continues. Last Sunday I attended the book launch for Ritual to Read to Each Other: Poems in Conversation with William Stafford. A Ritual to Read to Each Other: Poems in Conversation with William Stafford, published by Woodley Press. The collection doesn’t just offer poems in tribute but invites readers to write poems. This is a poem that I have worked on for several years based on a quote from Stafford.

“Only the golden string knows where it is going, the role for the writer or reader is one of following not imposing.”
 ~William Stafford

Threads

Discovered while cleaning out
at the remains of mother’s library.
One tucked in her yellowed yearbook pages.
A message jumped out-
describing a scene I did not know:
Mom-
roller-skating 
on the third floor of the dorm
Mom-
telling ghost stories
until the wee morning hours.

Graduated as a nurse.
Ready to serve her country,
she married instead.
Dusky blue threads, remnants of her bridal gown
slipped in the pages of her Catholic Bible.
Six months later, Mom and Dad
climbed aboard the Greyhound bus
and traveled west.

Settled into the place of sunshine,
orange groves,
and opportunity.
Together, they worked out 
the ups and downs
of married life 
beyond the whispers of family.
She tucked 
a baptismal dress thread into my first Bible,
Easter Sunday, 1953.
The air perfumed by orange blossoms.

These threads and others
tucked away-
her life – a puzzle.
I sort them
wondering how to weave them together.

~Jone Rush MacCulloch, copyright, 2014

Poetry Friday is hosted by Tara at A Teaching Life.

 

Happy Friday.
Happy Poetry.

Celebrate: Five Star Things About the Week

Oh it’s been a grand week.  One year ends and new one begins.

1. My New Year’s Eve was filled with a wild rumpus of grand girls, five, eight, and nine.

Playing Uno,Hunting Zombies, Banging Pots and Pans

Precious time together.

.

2. The CYBILS Finalists announced.

3. Finished reading The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner.  Onto The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin.

4. The sun and blue skies appeared in-between dense fog this week.

                                                                                                        This pic is of the Fremont Bridge as the fog is lifting.

5. Tea with a friend at Steven Smith Tea.  This is a little tucked away secret. Don’t you just love the packaging?

Head over to Ruth Ayre Writes to see what others are celebrating.