SOLSC #2: Revamping my Church Bag

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

Not much time to slice since I have to retool my church bag this morning. Last Sunday I sat behind a young family with two boys, a five month old and a two and a half year old.  Both parents were busy tag-teaming to keep the boys occupied and quiet.  I wondered what would happen in a few moments when this young mother would be one of our featured speakers.  The first time the two year old tried to escape from the pew, Kami jumped up and grabbed him.  She brought him back to sit on our row, but he didn't stay for long.  The next time he tried to escape, Mallory helped out.  Being thwarted twice in his efforts brought a squeal of unhappiness.  I quickly reached over the pew to take the infant so the father could handle the two year old.  A quick search of my bag revealed no reliable diversions for an infant.  The keys would be too noisy and the hand cream a bit messy, so I handed him my hairbrush - fairly clean, with soft bristles, and a soft handle.  Of course, he immediately put it into his mouth.  And within moments, the two year old joined us because his baby brother was sitting with us.  The only thing I could find for him was paper and a pencil.  It took great vigilance to be sure that he kept the pencil on the paper, and then he discovered a highlighter.  That worried me even more.  However, the only mishap ended up being highlighter on his finger which caused him a great amount of dismay.  Needless to say, I refuse to be ill-prepared today.  I'm off to put some appropriate items in my church bag and hoping that I'll have some young friends join me again to explore the contents of my Sunday bag.

Now I'm ready for my young friends!

Gifts in the mail, writing, and blossoms!

                                 So excited to join Saturday Celebrations with Ruth Ayres! 
                       It is fun to live my week thinking about what I will celebrate on Saturday.

                                    A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!

One:  The arrival of a Vera Bradley lanyard from Stefi, my daughter-in-law.  I've been clipping my ID to my clothing since I'm very allergic to jewelry.  What a fun gift to receive in the mail!

Two:  Two posts in one day?  That's something to celebrate. I kicked off the March SOLSC today with my Wonder of Words post celebrating the words of fellow bloggers who inspire my writing journey.  

Three:  A new writer's notebook.  I chose it for the swirled, meandering design and the green cover.  Green for St. Patrick's Day, the arrival of spring, and the continuation of my journey as a writer.  





Four:  Blossoms.  I spied these blossoms on the way to meet two dear friends for a walk.  I wondered if I had been staying at work too late and missing these harbingers of spring.  Since the only other blooms I spotted on our walk were a few crocuses,  I'm celebrating the early arrival of this splash of color to spring's party. 

When I returned to photograph the purple blooms, I discovered this first blush of spring!

SOLSC #1: WOW - The Wonder of Words!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers.

It's March 1st!  Time to begin a month of slicing.  My students ask, "How will we be able to write a slice of life daily?  Won't it get boring?  Can we slice about memories from the past?"  Their inquiries lead me to think about how I discover my slices, especially during March.  They come from reading the posts of my slicing friends and then allowing myself time to meander.  I love the word meander! It makes me think of meadows and flowers and time to savor life!  When I meander among your slices, I discover words to inspire my writing journey.

Today as I scan the slicers who have already posted, I stop at Reading to the Core's post, intrigued by the words, "One stamp at a time."  I stamp student slices during the month, so my immediate thought is - That's how you write all month, one slice and one stamp at a time.  My next thought is - I need to get some special stamps for our month of slicing. Those ubiquitous stamp stands have all but disappeared, but I know of one stamp store in our local mall.  I'll put it on my list to stop by there today.

I click on Catherine's post and discover that "one stamp at a time" is a journey in time to her 10-year old hobby as a philatelist.  I read the post, meander a bit through some of Catherine's recent posts, and find ideas for two more posts - all from clicking on one link.

So my answer to the query of how on earth will we find enough to write about every day is simple. Read some slices and give yourself time to meander.   Be sure to keep your writer's notebook beside you so you can jot down the paths that you'll journey as you read a few words. You'll be amazed at the words that will trigger memories and ideas as you allow yourself to meander through March!

We all need each other!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by 
Two Writing Teachers.

I pull off the freeway, glad to be out of traffic on this dreary day, chanting three phrases to remind me of the the stops I need to make so I can return home and stay there.  "Bread - Gas- Post Office."  I stop at a grocery store where I usually don't shop, trying to plot the quickest path for my three stops.  I step out, needing an umbrella, but refusing to dig mine out of the back seat since Seattleites don't use umbrellas.  There's something about real rain in Seattle (as opposed to our usual gentle mist) that brings out the hermit in me.  I just want to finish my errands and hibernate, out of the rain and the cold.   Just my luck, the bread I want to purchase is sold out!  How is that possible when 3/4 of our community is away skiing in the mountains or sunning on the beach in Hawaii?

I force myself to add a 4th stop to the list by stopping at my usual grocery store.  I grab the loaf of bread and a couple of other items before dashing back to the car.  Only two more stops and I can head home where I'll stay dry and cozy for the remainder of the day.  I pull up behind another car at the gas station.  Since no one is getting out, I hope the customer is almost finished so that I can pull in out of the rain to fill my gas tank.  After waiting a few moments, a little old lady steps out.  I sigh, back up, pull into the road and circle around so that I can easily access the gas tank out of the rain, except that this rain is blowing a bit sideways so really there is no out of the rain for anyone today.  I fill the tank even though I'm tempted to purchase just a few gallons because it might be raining again the next time I need gas.  I'm glad that I'm wearing my winter fleece.  The breeze and the rain is bone-chilling.  I can't wait to finish up, only one more stop - post office - and then home.  

I glance over my shoulder to see the same little old lady in the next lane trying to reach the opposite side of her car with the gas nozzle.  She gives up and returns the nozzle to the pump, baffled by her situation.  I walk over and encourage her to pull out, turn around, and come back in so that her tank will be next to the pump.  I vow to hang around and give her a hand when she tells me that her husband always did this for her.  He's in the front seat, but no longer able to help her.  

When she gets the car turned around, I step over to help her with the automated process and encourage her to use her Freddy QFC number because she can get 30 cents per gallon discount with it.  She inputs her phone number, but the machine doesn't recognize her number, and then we are unable to start another transaction.   After several tries, she heads inside to see the young man and get  his help.  He comes out, and is also unable to initiate the transaction.  She follows him so that he can scan the credit card inside.  All this time I'm standing beside her car in the rain worrying about her because she is only wearing a light jacket, and I'm shivering in my fleece jacket.  I keep reminding myself that this could be my grandmother, and I would hope that someone would help her out in a similar situation.  

He scans her card and motions that it's okay for me to fill the tank.  I begin the process, using the top quality gas that she insists her husband always buys.  I'm holding the handle because there isn't one of those silver thingys to keep the gas flowing.  The young man inside comes out to tell me that there is no need to keep holding it since it's automatic.  I reply that it doesn't have the silver thingy, and he shows me that it doesn't need it.  Hmmph!  Apparently the pumps on this side have a new technology that hadn't reached my side yet.  I needed the silver thingy.   By now, I'm realizing that keeping up with technology is a lost cause, and this little old lady couldn't be my grandmother, but she might be my mom, and I would want someone to help her.  

We finish the transaction, and I explain to her about the click she needs to hear when she screws the lid on the gas tank.  When you don't do that, you end up with an unneeded trip to the dealer and a promise that they will charge you the next time this happens (voice of experience speaking).  I can't resist telling her that she really should wear a heavier jacket when the weather is so inclement.  She replies that she hasn't had a cold in eight years (not a claim that I can match).  

As I pull away, I hear her car alarm going off!  I watch in my rear view mirror to make sure that she figures out how to turn it off and pull away chanting, "One more stop - post office- and then I can go home."  

I also realize that this lady could be me in ten years.  Heck, it's me every day as my students watch my feeble attempts to utilize technology in my classroom.  It makes me appreciate them even more!  

Continuous small treats!

                                 So excited to join Saturday Celebrations with Ruth Ayres! 
                       It is fun to live my week thinking about what I will celebrate on Saturday.

                                    A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!


1.  Woo Hoo!  When I copied and pasted the header for my Saturday Celebration, it came out centered without any extra work.  That's never happened before.  One of the mysteries of my life is the technology issues I face.  But any day when technology works for me is a day to celebrate.

2.  Linda's quote inspired me to share this favorite quote by Iris Murdoch:  "One of the secrets to a happy life is continuous small treats." 

3.  This was our midwinter break, and I savored many small treats:

• baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for hubby to take to friends in TX, 
• spending the day in PJs while I graded a mountain of papers into a small hill,
• reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for a google chat book club with two dear friends, walking with a friend, dining out with friends, sipping hot chocolate with a friend, and watching an afternoon matinee of "Monuments Men" with a friend!

SUNRISE WITH THE MOON'S SOFT GLOW

4.  I visited my favorite spot this week at sunrise after dropping hubby at the airport for an early flight to TX.  The twinkling lights are from Seattle.  

SUNSET WITH BILLOWING CLOUDS OF BLUE

5.  And I stopped by the park one evening to share the predominant color of our mid-winter break.  However, I celebrated each sun break during the week with a happy dance.  


Have a wonderful weekend filled with small treats!

My Cocoon of Comfort

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by 
Two Writing Teachers.

Celebrating a cold?  Certainly, when it arrives right before a break with no sub plans to write.  I survive Friday and crawl into my cocoon of comfort at 3:30 in the afternoon where I stay for the next seventeen hours.  Strange dreams trouble my sleep and confusion abounds . . . cousins, classrooms out of control, people mixed up in time. Saturday I take several naps, file a report, and then crawl back into my zone of comfort. Sunday is another day of rest, but no church for me because I don't want to share these germs.  Monday arrives, and I finally tackle the mountain of papers awaiting my attention. The sun comes out, a welcome friend from the predicted week's forecast of rain, showers, and more rain.  I venture to the grocery store, planning my trip so that I can stop by my favorite spot to savor some thinking time.  As I drive to the grocery store, I'm disappointed that there is no glorious sunset to pursue.  I purchase a few items and drive to the pocket park to capture the gloom of a February day.  Instead, I'm rewarded with ribbons of pale pink, a bit of lemon yellow as the sun sinks below the horizon, and Old Glory rippling in the breeze.

Saluting President's Day!

Poetry, snow, and colds!

                                 So excited to join Saturday Celebrations with Ruth Ayres! 
                       It is fun to live my week thinking about what I will celebrate on Saturday.

                                    A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember!


1.  Thanks to Julie Johnson's post about the Poetry Box Project, I threw my hat into the ring and received this email on Sunday from Kevin Cordi:
"Dear Story Ambassadors,
I want to inform you that you have been selected to receive the Children's Poetry StoryBox at your school and/or community. We know that you will be a great StoryBox Ambassador as kids and adults are encouraged to finish the poetry of National Children's Poets.   J. Patrick Lewis and myself are overjoyed with the response to the invitation..."
Thanks, Julie, for writing about this opportunity on Celebrate Saturday.  I'm thrilled to be a part of this project!


2.  We had snow on Saturday night and Sunday.  The kids loved a day to play in the snow, and it was sufficiently melted by Monday that we didn't even need a late start.  I know many of you are tired of the snow, but it was our first real snow this winter.  I loved enjoying the day from inside my cozy home.

3.  I picked up the cold that's been circulating at my school and in my classroom.  I'm celebrating that I have this next week off for mid-winter break, so I'll have plenty of time to rest and recuperate and no sub plans to write!