Why I Marched in 2017 and will continue to do so...

Please read this excellent article that captures how I feel... especially in response to those who don't seem to "get it"... regardless of their gender. It begins: 

"Say thank you. Say thank you to the women who gave you a voice. Say thank you to the women who were arrested and imprisoned and beaten and gassed for you to have a voice. Say thank you to the women who refused to back down, to the women who fought tirelessly to give you a voice. Say thank you to the women who put their lives on hold, who –lucky for you — did not have “better things to do” than to march and protest and rally for your voice. So you don’t feel like a “second class citizen.” So you get to feel “equal.”"


--"You are Not Equal. I'm Sorry." by Dina Leygerman

Oh yeah. And a little bit of it is about this dumbass.

Wordless Wednesday -- Sushi Style

Miss Capricho

Merry Christmas

Happy Art for Happy Walls

I just framed my new North Dakota print today and wanted to give a shout out to this Etsy shop --  Happy Art for Happy Walls by Uplifting Prints  The next ones I buy might have to be this Julia Child collection -- though I think I like it best with the red background!

Wordless Wednesday -- Puns are Fun

Alice in Wonderland

A few of my Alice in Wonderland books on display

And my new discovery -- Emily Martin does it again!

Inside the Black Apple is Miss Martin's creative blog full of inspiration and artistic endeavors. We share a lot of the same passions and have a remarkably similar appreciation for the quirky. She's capable of turning those passions into works of art. I, in turn, am here to love her art.

Here's one of my favorites from the Alice in Wonderland series!
Check out her blog and her shop for a trip through her wonderland.

Creativity Abounds.

Saving for my next big road trip!

I had to have 'em.

I adore these wedding invitations.

Water, Water, Everywhere!

For the past few months I've been watching updates of flooding in the Bismarck-Mandan area and hearing about my friend's flood fight in Burlington, ND. It's been a bit eerie and has certainly sent me into a spiral of Flood of '97 flashbacks. Yesterday I saw some sweet pictures young students from Grand Forks made to send to the kids in Minot to show their support. They were a lovely gesture, but a few of them made me laugh out loud with the irony of it all.

I have to share my three faves. The whole collection can be found here!

The typed message at the bottom is the BEST. It reads: "I'm sad because of what happened to you. I don't like major flooding." .............. as opposed to minor flooding. That's okay. :)


This was just sweet and then I looked at WHO created the picture. It has Biblical allusions. Tee hee.

Yep. Move to Grand Forks. It NEVER floods here!

The 86 Days of Summer

Grand Beach, Manitoba

Some people create New Year's resolutions.

I create a list of...

68 things to do in 86 days of summer!

Here's the approximate breakdown:

10 items are food related
5 are related to exercise and wellness
17 of them are sports/leisure/hobby type activities
7 are literacy related
at least 12 of them involve travel
11 will help me build some mad skills
and 9 of the list items are purely indulgent

I'm sooooo looking forward to summer!

It's All Been Done Before

These are two parts of a four-part video series by Kirby Ferguson, a NY based filmmaker and it's a fascinating look at remixing, sampling, songwriting, films, and the like. He talks about the fine line between inspiration and original art and explores Led Zeppelin's music and later its influence in Everything is a Remix part one. Then in part two Ferguson explores the remixing of films and a closer look at Star Wars and Quentin Tarantino. It's worth the 15 minutes to watch both and worth waiting for the next 2 parts. I owe this awesome little discovery to Swiss Miss. Thanks!

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday -- Paper Moon

Love this collection of paper moon pictures.

V-Day

NPR has some amusing valentines!

Wordless Wednesday -- The Christmas Edition

Free printables here at Craftily Every After

Why Kids Are Fun

I'm suddenly cool because I can sort of draw a tree waiting to be decorated.

I feel like a commissioned artist when my "little director"
is shouting now blue, now green.
Make a yellow one for my mom!

My tea bag dish repurposed

To Judge a Book By Its Cover

In recent years I've been amassing a collection of Bond books with a particular set of covers I so love, those put out by Penguin in the early 2000's with cover art by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey. I have ten of the 15 books (if you count the short story collection Quantum of Solace). I try to pick these up "used" when I'm at Half Price Books or some other reasonably priced book joint. Still on my must-have list are these: You Only Live Twice, Quantum of Solace, The Man With the Golden Gun, Diamonds are Forever, and From Russia With Love.

Today I discovered another edition that I feel I MUST own. Despite the fact that I've seen all the films and am a huge fan, I've only actually READ two books by Ian Fleming: Goldfinger and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Still, the new Penguin cover art blows me away. Good job, Michael Gilette. Take a look.


If you're curious about the order of the books. Apparently one ought to read them in the proper order and little attention has been paid to this by book publishers in the past. Not so, this time with the new Penguin editions. Seriously. Aren't these just yummy?

Sounds Sketchy? Not at all.

Every year I contemplate NaNoWriMo and am unable to truly give it a go, especially in November. It's just not the month for me at this stage of my life... And a novel. Wow. I don't know.

So, now I've gone and done something radical. Well, for me at least.

I signed up for The Sketchbook Project. I just couldn't help myself. It's too cool not to be a part of this.

I am not even good at art... at least not in its traditional forms, but this is a really freeing project based on what I read and I'm VERY excited to see what emerges.

Please check it out for yourself and consider joining me in The Sketchbook Project.

Sweet Eats.

I love food blogs. I've said it before--they are my "porn." I experience a lust that I imagine is how some men view the other sort. I can feel it all through me... the appreciation for the beauty of the food. The mouthwatering. The ache. :)

I have a few favorites that do the exaggerated explicit photographic instructions on how to craft their delectable recipes. Yet, another favorite foodie is Oh Joy Eats. Joy's blog features favorite restaurants, food related products, desserts, dishes, recommendations, sweets, treats and more all styled to perfection. I enjoy her other blog too.

The Look

So yesterday was Mick Jagger's 67th birthday and what do I do? I celebrate by looking at You Tube clips of Marianne Faithfull. Naturally. :) You can listen to her songs here on her site!

Though I am not over the moon in love with all her music, I love her trainwreck of a voice and how she managed to become two different singers in about 15 years due to what--smoking, drugs, wild living that left her a shell of her former self. Hmmm... that might be an exaggeration, but she IS a fascinating woman and one would be a fool to ignore her resilience and her relentless pursuit of a career in both film and music.

AND she's got "the look," to quote Roxette. I think she's quite beautiful at any age and couldn't stop myself from watching interview after interview on You Tube. Good stuff.

Set the time travel dial to 1962 Greenwich Village... or maybe 1967 Monterey... 1965 in London. I am convinced I should have grown up in the midst of the 60s music scene; I would have been a totally different person. Or maybe the same person with a totally different set of experiences. Sigh.

Make Yourself Scarce.

pics via Andy Smith who's been reading my mind!

This past week I attended a conference in Bismarck --Invest North Dakota Teacher Academy. Because it was held at University of Mary, I got to experience the college dorm room all over again. I can't say I've missed it. :)

After every session my brain felt full to bursting. Conference topics ranged from looking at economics in the elementary classroom to diversifying your own financial assets. At every turn we were offered free resources, curriculum, websites, suggestions, games, ideas, and the latest laws and good-to-know-facts about everything from the most simple wants/needs concepts to exploring the benefits of a Roth IRA versus a Traditional IRA. We learned about protecting ourselves from fraud and scams and what do to if we are exposed so suspicious activity. We learned about the stock market and about bonds and about the new credit card laws. We even had a representative from our pension plan --TFFR--Teachers Fund for Retirement--talk about some of the potential changes and its impacts. I left with more motivation to share some of this knowledge with the loved ones in my life. Even helping students to understand the power of compounding interest and creating a realistic budget would be a great start.

And one final thought that blew me away... some of the most successful people don't work for anyone. They are entrepreneurs. Are we giving students the tools they need so that entrepreneurship is an option? I heard this message again and again throughout the week. Dr. John Hail, professor Missouri State University said, "When your students ask you what is the secret to success, tell them the following. Think of yourself as a resource. Now, make yourself scarce." Be able to do something no one else can.

Susan Beacham reminded us of the importance of being able to "delay gratification" and that we need to live BELOW our means, not within it. In one of her sessions she talked about how to live like a millionaire-- as people who are disciplined, who work hard, are patient, persistent, frugal, charitable. They budget, have good social skills, supportive spouses, love what they do-- are passionate about their work. They use their resources, time, talent, energy and money to survive and really thrive. Four of five millionaires are college graduates and yet 3/4 of all millionaires are self employed--they aren't getting a degree to "get a job." But I think that statistic still speaks to hard work, education, and delaying gratification. It speaks to being passionate about what you do and not holding back.

Seth Willis of Greeley Colorado presented about using the Internet in the classroom and I loved his use of literary quotes to support his theories--hey I am an English teacher, after all.

Dr. Debra Peppers provided humor and inspiration and echoed another reminder that excellent teachers can surprise students, keep things fresh, and truly care. The right word at the right time can change a life. Who would think that at an investment conference I would be moved to tears multiple times during her session? She was a powerful presenter.

I can't recommend this workshop enough. I don't even teach personal finance in school or any family and consumer science classes or economics and I still left motivated and excited about my charge as a teacher of young people who need to be prepared for the world before them.

Oliver Jeffers -- Illustrator, Author Extraordinaire

Oliver Jeffers' work is some of my favorite among childrens book illustrators and really among any artists. There is a charm that is difficult for me to define. I will just say, whether intentional or not, he's part of the Wes Anderson, Dave Eggers, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet club that hangs out in my brain. Here's a link to his official site.
Following a parade of images is a video in which he describes who he is and where he came from (in a way that only Oliver Jeffers can!) and his creative process. It's long but fascinating.

2010/04 Oliver Jeffers from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.