Adorable And Adictive

These first three weeks of school have been pretty draining, so I've been embroidering towels to unwind.

In a way, I hate using up time on pre-made patterns, but they are so cute and will make sweet gifts. There is something soothing about these mindless projects.

I've been knitting, too, but I didn't want to feature the same project over and over!

This morning a bunch of people from the writing program I participated in this past summer got together to begin a writing group. It was amazing. We had a great turnout. We started out by writing from a prompt one participant brought, and shared. Some of us brought in pieces that we've been working on. I almost didn't share mine. But the others encouraged me, and then gave me feedback that was both useful and supportive. We're planning to meet monthly. Maybe I will actually finish this short story!

We're having company tonight, so the house is clean! Isn't that a great feeling? I was busy all day, so I hope to have a more relaxing day tomorrow.

Sad When School Ends

I have never, NEVER been sad to have a class end before, but this morning I woke and wished I was going to meet up with my pals at the Greater Madison Writing Project. If you are a teacher, see if the National Writing Project has a program in your area because this is incredible. You won't find a learning experience this profound anywhere else. And you won't find a program that is more fun! BTW, the program reaches out to teachers in every area, K-college. The diversity is part of what makes it so awesome.

So, you're probably wondering what these photos are. One of the assignments asked us to share ourselves with our colleagues in a multi-genre presention. What is multi-genre? Well, it's hard to describe, so let's just say that it includes any mode of communication you can imagine, from poetry to personal ad, from essay to poster, etc.

I wrote an essay that told my biography in the form of a bibliography. Then I altered a book as a way to present it. The essay itself is cut into section and mounted on the cards, which fit into a niche that I cut.

If you haven't cut a niche in a book, you just haven't lived. At first it feels like a sacrilege, but once you get going, it is freeing.

All the artwork and lettering is hand-done by yours truly

I will always treasure this book because it captures the inspiration and spirit of the Writing Project. It reminded me of summer camp, where you forge deep friendships while learning new things. It was an adventure right here in Madison, with teachers from around the state. The philosophy of the program is that teachers have a lot of expertise and we are the best teachers for one another. I'm sold on that idea. The 16 other teacher-participants taught me so much.