"Melle, you've just submitted the yearbook and you've hung (w/ a lot of help) the student art show, what are you gonna do next?"
"Well, why not fly to Salt Lake City for the weekend!"

 You can take the girl out of the mountain; but she sure is happy when she gets to come back!

I sure like seeing my youngest in the mountains too!

We are here to celebrate my mom's (Nana's) nomination for not one but two Baum Stoker Awards!

This was just before breakfast this morning....you can see that McKenna found the Build-a-Bear Workshop in no time!

....and where I am today.....

Well,
I am still in front of a computer working on yearbook, but now I'm down to only the laptop.
And, because it's the laptop, it is portable which means, it is out in the studio, so I am in the studio! 
The weather has been PERFECT for it and the garage door has been open letting in all that glorious light and Spring air! (Yes, I have one of those screens across the front of my garage for those who didn't know, otherwise, I'd be sharing this glorious Spring weather with all of our  not so glorious  Florida bugs!)

So, while I wait for yearbook pages to load, I am cutting, and cutting....
Next to accomplish this week are 70 thank you cards for our community volunteers.
I thought of the "Our Hearts Leap for You" theme because I knew we'd already done frogs at the beginning of the school year to go w/ our Reading Rainforest theme.....

Well, the powers that be, dropped the "heart" part, which I'm just as glad because I didn't really want to figure out how to make a heart shaped lily pad, however, they have taken off w/ the frog part. The other art teachers will make other decor. I just get the cards....hmmm wonder how that happened {wink}!
And so, I picked about 6 different little froggies :O); the students will sign the lily pad part that says "thank you"; and they will lay flat for storage, but fold up and stay in place with a paperclip....this is the prototype.....only 69 more to go!


So where I am today......is in the classroom for a little while. My mom will be kidnapped this morning in order to help me begin matting the art pieces for the student art show - yippee!

Then back here for more....yearbook and cards.....

I can't believe in a week, the yearbook will be all turned in....
I can't believe in two weeks the student art show will be hung up....
I can't believe at the end of the two weeks, Nana, McKenna and I will fly to SLC for the weekend (go Nana!) (oh, did I not mention THAT yet....more to come {wink})
I can't believe in three weeks, I will get to enjoy the week long event that has grown bigger than ever this year that will include all special area departments, better known as "Arts in the Park"....
And I can't believe in four weeks, I will be on the downhill slide to summer!!!!!!!!!

OMG! I am filled w/ emotion.
crazy.

Love to all.
Melle

Where I am today....

okay, the title might be a little misleading (would I do that)...
It's not really a literal "where I am today",
it's more of a mental "where I am today",
so caution, you might not want to read; the following might only be intended for mature audiences people who are really bored and need to find something else to do! {teehee}


 I can't believe when I last posted, I left you w/ a hint of what I was working on for McKenna's teachers' Valentine gifts.....

Well, they weren't exactly how I'd like to have done them, but I was still happy enough with the end results: a mason jar filled with Hershey's "Hugs and Kisses". Certainly not an original idea. I've done the hugs and kisses for Valentine's several different ways  over the years. The stamp is from Stampin' Up (years ago).

But I saw this "hug" idea on Pinterest, and it was a twist I had never seen before.

I wish I could give credit to the original site, but it was before I knew much about Pinterest.

In an ideal world, I would have filled the jar completely with Hershey kisses, but with 10 jars to fill, I just couldn't afford it!  So, I used filler, but I had to make my own with some paper scraps I've been saving and my paper shredder - *light bulb* we should market a shredder that has adjustable widths; just sayin'.

The little bling ring, I think was my idea. :O)

Okay, STUDIO

Well, it's been clean before;

and it's been messy.

(circa Christmas 2009)

However, since returning to school in August and several birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's and 6 months of neglect, the studio was a mess again...

(circa Saturday)

Thanks to a day and a half of p&p  (putting away and purging)....

the studio is reclaimed again!

(thank you Lord for Spring Break)

Okay, I've still got that pile in the foreground and there is some "stuff" to the left of the photo, BUT, I can see the floor, sit in chairs and work at the table. {happy, happy dance}

and finally,

"where I am"

"where have I been"

HERE.

YEARBOOK.

("its not only a job, it's an adventure")

(it's not only fun, it's all consuming!)

This is exactly where I have been every Saturday or Sunday (sometimes both) for about the last 6 weeks.

That's two computers in the photo.

(Never mind the clutter in background, shish.)

I'm hoping today's 10 hour block will be just about the last one.

and so, with blog updated, here I go

send help if you don't here from me on Facebook

Melle :O)



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