Sneak Peek...

Here's what I'm workin' on.....well, this AND ..... yearbook.....

these are "hugs"

these are "kisses".....
and these are the gift tags for McKenna's teachers' Valentine's Day gifts ......
:O)

The week in review....

What a delightful ending to one of those really long weeks.....
This Saturday, the last Saturday in January, the weather was beautiful; perfect for The International Music Expo in The Villages. Our Kindergartners sang, McKenna sang w/ the 4th graders and daddy played pipes with The Sounds of Scotland.

This week wasn't "bad", it just was long...
-Monday started with a head cold
- it was the 99th day on Tuesday
-which meant hanging the 100th day banner at 6pm
-it was the 100th day on Wednesday
-which meant 100th day Hat Parade
-which concluded with a fire drill.....in smocks....need I say more?

The week, however, did include McKenna winning a bookmark contest.

And at work the week included both kinder and 1st grade painting projects and I am pretty pleased with both so far. Inspired by our study of Walt Disney I wanted to the students to create their own "Hidden Mickey".
Also inspired by these Primary color circles I found while searching through my latest favorite social website, Pinterest

my students have "stamped" these,

and finished painting them with watercolor this week.

Many have turned out so pretty.

Any spare time these past few weeks (which has been little), I've worked on the yearbook....
so when Saturday evening got here, I just had to play. I just had to get paint, ink and glue on my fingers....just to relieve the stress....

Valentines....trying to think of what to make for teacher gifts....so I played.....

also on Pinterest, I've noticed art projects for kids with cool color backgrounds and warm color foregrounds, so I thought I'd try my own....

And finally, so inspired by mixed media artist, Christy Tomlinson's She Girls, I wanted to try my own....I still need to practice some more, but it was fun....
So easy and so fun, McKenna couldn't wait to try it too!
This one she did about two weeks ago....

but then she practiced again, and finished with this one today.....

So cute!

And well, Sunday.
Sunday meant several more hours on yearbook, but not as productive as I should have been.
I did sort many photos though (just so many here, there and everywhere I had to do something)
and while sorting I found this photo....forgot I had copied it.....
(Barb, was it from you? Made me think of you!)

So friends,
here are words to live by,

Love,
Melle

Coming back in baby steps....I hope.

I know.
I know.
It's been awhile....


Hello, hello....tap, tap, anybody still out there??


It's baby steps today, but I am making my way back to my blog.
A new blog banner above and an updated movie list for 2012 is in the side column.



Top Ten Reasons Why I haven't Blogged

1. the holidays
It was busy, it was wonderful, it was hectic, it was simply fun and when I had moments to relax I did.

2. BLOGGER!
I like blogger. I like that it is easy to use. I like that it is free.
I don't like that the photos are difficult to move around. It was enough of a dislike that I tried TypePad....which wasn't free. Photos are much easier to manage there, but the rest of the features aren't.....and did I mention, it cost moola! So here we are, back to Blogger and I'm afraid there will be no photos with this post. Boring.

3. tired
4. cold

5. PINTEREST!
Because I needed another addictive site to visit on the interent, this fun site filled with "note boards" has been created. Of course its perfectly justifiable because it is so inspirational, both creatively and educationally! And it isn't just me. Why, I even have a friend who has dedicated a new blog to her Pinterest interest; click here on Polly to check it out! So cool.

6. yearbook yearbook yearbook
7. tired
8. cold

9. I got a NOOK for Christmas
again, cuz I have so much free time on my hands that I can read books, peruse magazines, play games and listen to music on my new ereader.

10. and finally, it's a story you've read before, but even after several returns and finally settling on a new camera this summer, I am still unhappy with the results of this Canon. The photos continue to be blurry, improperly exposed and just flat. A friend at work took some great pictures for her yearbook pages, I believe I will research her camera next and admit there just might be another new camera in my future.....


.....giving blogger some time to work out their photo uploading and manipulating issues.


Night, night ya'll.
Love Melle

I am ADD....

I started to sort thru and purge scrapbook stuff....
found this piece of paper.....
and it inspired.....

....this!

I get off task easily.
Love Melle

Just a little somthin'....

Postscript....

I can't go back to work tomorrow after Fall Break without documenting The Seminole win over the Gators last night 21 - 7!! woopwoop

Just wanted to share what I made this week....

This is the only "note" card I finished, but I have 7 more almost done :o)

I finished this angel, but I think it looks more like a fairy....not sure what to do w/ it yet, but I liked it :o)

and played with this too; not sure if I'll go w/ the butterflies or

if I'll go with the flower....time will tell :o)

Night Night

Melle

Blogging is similar to scrapbooking....

Similar to scrapbooking, I'm so far behind I'm not sure where to start and discouraged 'cuz there is so much to share.

Excuses, I mean explainations?
Why yes!
-I've been laptop-less off and on for a few weeks. Not that I can't blog from what I call, our family PC, but cuddled up in the covers just before bedtime is by far my favorite time to work on the computer.
-And, when I have worked on the blog, I'm sad to share, but Blogger (the website I create my blog on) has not been cooperating, especially while wanting to include photos.

Anyway, all that out of the way, let's get started!

How about this photo? It's festive!

1. If Facebook has done anything good for our society today, it has provided thousands of people with chances to re-connect with old friends. A few weeks ago, thankfully, I reconnected with yet another good friend from my past....I mean way in my past, but she had proof I did use to work at Disney - it's my only proof! See, take picuters now, we can sort them out later! Yep, that's me on the left, my friend Barb is in the middle and our friend Gina is on the right.

2. Embarking on the traditional 4th grade field trip to St. Augustine, McKenna says she had a wonderful time! Here she is pictured with some friends Savannah and Kylee. It's about 5 in the morning....yep, which means we left our house about 4:15, and yep, that means I was up about 3:30....not our first time having to do this and probably not our last.....

3. Getting ready for Halloween around here includes Book-o-ween costumes for school. Actually, this is McKenna's last one, so I wanted to make sure I helped "make" it extra special. One of her favorite book characters is Felicity who is an American Girl from 1776 and I actually made her dress....I couldn't believe it!

4. I also love that Book-o-ween has evolved into each team of teachers at work chosing a book to do together. So tickled that I could influence their decision! A cute book called Mouse Paint about three mice who find 3 jars of paint (and what happens to the colors when they are mixed together...one my students know very well!).

5. I love that we spent the first weekend of our Fall break putting up the Christmas tree together complete with Disney's monorail.

6. Thanksgiving Day was exactly the way I love it, time with family and lots of yummy food.

Learning the recipe secrets, McKenna helped Grandma with the sweet pototo casserole.

What a feast! So glad my mom and Bruce could share it with us all.

Black Friday has long been a tradition before it was called "Black Friday". We meet my friend Pam and her family (something we've done since we were 14) at the Avenues Mall this year just outside of Jacksonville for an entire day of shopping. The girls and I hit our favorite stores as fast as we could which included The Disney Store and Build-a-Bear!

Okay, well, thanks still to Blogger giving me a hard time while trying to move photos around ( and all the extra spaces, sorry!), this post has taken hours to complete, but these little beauties are waiting for some "note" cards out in the studio....let's hope I get to go work on them, the weather is PERFECT for it.

(I'm also working on invitations for McKenna's 10th birthday party - let's hope I can get those done too!!)

Thanks for not giving up on me!

Best wishes,

Melle