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Celebrating a New Year

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged birthday, Dot Day, farm, Peter Reynolds on August 16, 2014| 10 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Happy Birthday to me!

I had a birthday this week. It was also my first school day. The secretary sang “Happy Birthday” to me over the intercom. My gifted teacher-colleagues made cupcakes for our meeting and gave me a new journal. I had a ton of Facebook messages. I love that FB tells people it’s my birthday. I even got messages from two of my favorite authors, Peter Reynolds and Sharon Creech. My friend and colleague, Sally, knows how much I love Peter Reynolds. In 2006, she won a sketch at a technology conference. She gave me this sketch. What a special gift! If you do not know Peter Reynolds’ work, you must. His books make a difference. I am planning once again to participate in International Dot Day that celebrates the publication anniversary of The Dot.

This week my daughter was house sitting for a friend’s family. She sent me this picture to invite me out to enjoy the peacefulness and all the animals.

I met her out at the barn. The largest horse, Jackson, is so sweet. I was petting him, then turned to walk away. He came out of his stall and nudged my back for more petting. I am not accustom to horses, so I wasn’t sure how to react. He didn’t care. He continued to be affectionate. Maggie took this picture of us.

Thanks for celebrating the week with me.

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Celebrating Thirty-two Years

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged anniversary, Napoleon House, New Orleans, Travel on August 9, 2014| 9 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

August 7, 1982

On August 7, 1982, I was not even 21 yet. But I made a very wise and wonderful decision to marry my best friend. We celebrated 32 years by dancing to our favorite Zydeco band, Geno Delafose and the French Rockin Boogie. They were playing in New Orleans at the Rock N Bowl. Yes, you read that right, Rock and Bowl. Only in New Orleans can you bowl and dance to Zydeco. Read about the interesting history of the place here.

I thought the band started at 7 PM. I don’t know why I thought that and having not verified it, we showed up at the Rock n Bowl at five minutes to 7. With our hands stamped, we were told that the music started at 8:30. Jeff and I walked next door to another longtime New Orleans establishment, Ye Ole College Inn. I’ve never had a bad meal there. We had a delicious meal and a drink (or two), so we were ready for dancing the night away. Geno has more stamina than we do, so we rarely see the tip of his hat and his farewell. But we made it until 11:30, dancing our last dance to “Make the Dust Fly.”

We took our time getting up on Friday morning. We had a nice lunch and visit with my cousin and his wife. They are renovating an old four-plex in Uptown making it into a single family home. My cousin is an architect. I am fascinated by his choices. The door to the back porch is an automatic garage door. He has salvaged tin from an old shed to make a tin wall. He is also using an old gurney to make a rolling island in the kitchen. Regretfully, I didn’t take any pictures. I just listened to him talk passionately about keeping the integrity of the materials he is using. I celebrate his endeavor.

One of our favorite bars is The Napoleon House, known for its Pim’s Cup, a delicious refreshing gin-based drink. When we were dating long ago at LSU, we would drive to NOLA after a game and hang out at The Napoleon House, a unique bar/restaurant with crumbling concrete walls, cheerful male waiters most of whom have a handle-bar mustache, and loud classical music.

Our celebration continues today.

Napoleon House

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Celebrating Comments

Posted in Blessen, Celebration Saturday, Teachers Write, Writing, tagged authentic voice, Avi, Gae Polisner, Teachers Write on August 2, 2014| 8 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Today I am celebrating comments. I am admitting how important comments are to me. They drive me to write more. They give me confidence. Comments are like attention from a close friend; they wrap me up in warmth.

Every Friday of Kate Messner’s Teachers Write Camp, Gae Polisner hosts a Friday Feedback on her site with a guest author each week. A week ago, the guest was Avi. Yes, the one and only. If you are steeped into the kidlit world of middle grade books, you know Avi well for books like Crispin and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and many more. I was a bit star struck when I saw this and hesitated to post anything, but I got my courage up and posted this little piece of Sunshine, the sequel to Blessen.

On the porch hidden by the screen door, I think I see a child. All I can see are eyes, big and round like white marbles, staring out at me. Still, I am startled by the voice.

“Hi, there! Whatcha’ doin? Swinging?”

A little black girl swirls off the porch and flies like a raven to my side. She wears a tattered pink dress that’s too short for her long skinny legs. Her hair is plaited in braids close to her scalp. Her skin is as dark as a moonless night. She runs around me and pushes me forward on the rope.

I swing higher and squeal. Holding tighter to the rope, I ask the girl, “Who are you? Where did you come from?”

“My name is Harmony, Harmony, Harmony.” Harmony sings her name higher and higher on the scale. “Who are you, you, you?”

Holding tightly to the thick rope, I unwrap my legs and stand.

“I’m Blessen. I live right there in that double-wide with my momma, Miss Gardenia LaFleur. Are you living here now?”

“Oh, well, it’s all just temporary. We’ll see, we’ll see. Will you swing me high?”

And from Avi, “Dear Margaret,
Not much to add, because this seems to work as is. Good job!. I assume there is more, and would like to read.”

And this week from Gae herself, “Margaret, I’d offer constructive criticism if I had it. But your writing is really stellar and compelling. Just beautiful. Keep going!”

How can I not keep going with support like this from successful authors like Avi and Gae. A huge THANKS to Kate Messner and Gae Polisner and all the other amazing authors who are devoting their time and energy to nurturing struggling teacher-writers like me.

I am trying to trust my authentic voice. Comments strengthen this voice and make me feel worthy! Totally selfish and totally true!

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Celebrating Through the Pacific Northwest

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged #clmooc, #nwpianthology, #through, 5 image story, Bainbridge Island, Pacific Northwest, The Bloedel Reserve on July 26, 2014| 9 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

On Kim Douillard’s blog “Thinking Through My Lens,” she invites us to tell a story with images to the word through.

Today, on Celebration Saturday, I celebrate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. I am privileged to be here with my mother-in-law a respite from the heat of the south. My sister-in-law is our tour guide. Yesterday she led us on an informative tour of the flora of The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.

Here is my five-image story/poem from our day trip to Bainbridge Island.

Through the window of the ferry, we sail away from Seattle.

Through a forest of birches, rhododendron reflect on a passing stream.

Pacific angels send a breeze of salty healing air through my lungs to lighten my heart.

Even the root of the fallen hemlock becomes sculpture through God’s eyes.

Follow me through the Japanese Garden to discover gnomes among the moss and fairies in the trees.

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Celebrating Free Gifts from Houston

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gratitude, Writing, tagged celebration, Houston, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Museum of Fine Art, poodle rescue, Texas on July 19, 2014| 7 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston’s Herman Park

Did you miss me? I spent the week at Rice University in Houston attending a Pre-AP training. While I gained a great deal of information on teaching pre-AP, this post is about the wonderful free stuff we experienced in Houston.

On Wednesday night, my colleagues and I joined my friends at the Miller Outdoor Theatre for a free musical performance of “The Best Little W*#rehouse in Texas.” What a great performance! And Reese entertained us with stories about this true history of Texas and how his great uncle frequented the place. Picnic blankets, big dogs, wine, and musical entertainment, it doesn’t get much better than that!

Matise from the Museum of Fine Art, Houston

On Thursday evening, we visited the Museum of FIne Art for free. Every Thursday the museum is free all day and open until 9 PM. While we were eating in the cafe, my friend Sarah joined us. Sarah is an artist and gave us a wonderful tour of the museum. While we were visiting, I brought up the puppy that Sarah rescued. She and Reese found a stray puppy along the highway from Galveston. The dog was in rough shape. They cared for her for 2 weeks and decided it was all too much to handle with their older (and perfectly mannered) dog Tilly. Sarah brought her to the poodle rescue. But her heart would not let go. So on Thursday, Marigold (so named because she was beautiful yet stinky) came back home to Sarah. We all turned and looked at Candice who had just been telling us about the loss of her dog in December. Right there in the art museum, a match was made. Before returning to our hotel, Sarah took us to meet Marigold. If I’ve ever seen love at first sight, this was it. Candice has two young daughters. What a surprise for them! We traveled home yesterday with 5 women and all our stuff plus one dog. Marigold was the perfect passenger. Now she has found the perfect home. As my husband likes to say about our rescue animals, “She has found a soft place to land.”

Marigold curls up with her new mom on the long ride home.

Happy Family: Marigold is now being called Coco for her fur that looks like coconut.

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Celebrating Courage

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged celebration, courage, music, singing on July 12, 2014| 11 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Mustering up a lion’s share of courage, I volunteered to sing a solo in church this Sunday. I selected “I Shall not Want” by Audrey Assad. Well, the problem is I am not Audrey Assad or Stevie Nicks or Allison Krauss. No, I’m just little ole me.

When I ran into my friend Anne, I told her about taking a leap of faith to sing this song in church. She offered to give me some voice lessons. I want to celebrate what I have learned from her this week.

Breathe deeply, all the way to your diaphragm.
Reach beyond.
Open your mouth.
Smile!
Think of yourself as a gift.
The audience (congregation) is rooting for you.
You are who you are today. Yes, you will be better tomorrow, but today you are the best you can be.
Accept your mistakes as part of a growth process.
Putting your work out there is important to the universe.

These lessons are good lessons for any kind of artistic endeavor, painting, writing, singing, dancing. They all require courage and confidence. I want to thank Anne for not only the awesome voice lessons, but for the helpful life lessons.

And now that I’ve told the world, I will envision all you supporting me tomorrow up in the loft with the heavenly choir.

Eleanor Roosevelt quote

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Celebrating Friends, new and old

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged celebration, friendship, Sarah Hazel on July 5, 2014| 9 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

This story of friendship begins in one of the smallest towns in Mississippi in the early 60’s. Memory is a curious thing. I don’t remember much from age 7 to 12, but I have vivid memories of this time in Centerville when I was 3-5 years old. Sarah and Larry were my brother and my best friends. We must’ve spent every day together. I can remember climbing trees and playing hide and seek. I remember Larry’s fire red hair and Sarah’s wavy black hair. I remember the scent of live oak trees. Vivid memories.

I met Sarah again a few years ago, and we became Facebook friends. We connected and found many ways we are alike. I have 3 daughters in their twenties; she has four. We both have amazing husbands we adore. But more than that, I think when you’ve known someone all your life, something special is there, always.

I am celebrating reconnecting with Sarah. My husband and I took an impromptu trip to Houston. We dropped in on Sarah and her husband Reese, enjoyed hours of wine and cheese. Amazing Reese (this is what Sarah calls him) makes an amazing homemade bread. And then before we left, they broke out the guitar and ukelele and serenaded us. A wonderful blessed evening.

Sarah is a wonderful artist, and she blogs at Finding my Glasses.

Tilly, the wonder therapy dog, comforted us with her presence.

Lifetime friends

That’s Amore!

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Celebrate Lake Life

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged celebration, home, lake, Mississippi on June 28, 2014| 4 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

I’m here at the lake
Quietly watching the day go by
Talking with Mom and Dad
Taking a walk in the morning breeze
Eating the perfect pancake
Relishing the gift of time
Lingering and loving life

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Celebrate Connecting and Creativity

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Digital Learning, Teaching, tagged #clmooc, Animoto, Creativity, Laura Purdie Salas, video, water on June 21, 2014| 9 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

This morning I have weeded the flower bed, swept the floor, and made spinach balls for tonight’s poetry reading and book signing. I am sitting down now and enjoying the rest. I wasn’t going to do a Celebration Saturday post, but why not? I’m happy in my home and should celebrate that in itself.

Because it’s summer and because I like to connect with other educators, I signed up for the Making Learning Connected Community or #clmooc.
Of course, I already feel behind. I participated in the Twitter chat on Thursday night. It moved so fast. But I got a little encouragement about my first make: a How To. I also learned about some new tech tools that I am saving for tomorrow’s DigiLit Sunday post. The best part of any PD challenge such as this is the connection you make with other teachers and makers. (Julie Johnson is a blogger who is also doing the #clmooc challenge. Check out her blog post here.)

I believe that in order to teach my students to be brave in the tech world, I must be brave. Just do it, as they say.

I waited for inspiration. It came late yesterday evening after my dinner was cooked and cooling off. I thought “How to be water,” inspired by Laura Purdie Salas’ new book Water Can Be. I downloaded the Animoto app on my phone, made a video of my cat drinking from the faucet as she wants to do almost all the time, and uploaded water images. This was quick and satisfying.

Today I celebrate connecting and creating. Have a wonderful summer solstice day!

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Chicago Celebration

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged kitten rescue, School of Social Science Administration, Thresholds, University of Chicago on June 14, 2014| 10 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago

We are celebrating in Chicago with our three lovely daughters the success of daughter number three. Last night Martha was hooded in Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago. She received her masters in social science administration (social work). With about 200 others, Martha walked the sacristy of the chapel to receive her hood. Martha made the decision to attend U of C because of the top level program. She worked hard for two years. She will continue this difficult work with a nonprofit known as Thresholds. She will work with mental health patients in the justice program. I admire her dedication to improving the lives of unfortunate people. Of course, as a mother, I worry. I must let go of this and allow her to move into what she was “meant to do.”

I cannot help but marvel at my daughters. How did I create such a force of three women set out to be the best they can be in a shaky world? These girls are not shaken. They are strong and determined. I celebrate them. My husband and I keep looking at each other with that look, “we did this!”

Jeff and I at Lake Michigan celebrating blue.

Last week Maggie and I rescued a kitten from our neighbor’s car. I heard the loud mew on Thursday and spent some time under the car coaxing and comforting this distraught kitten, but I could not get her to come out. On Friday morning I heard the cries again, from the same neighbor’s car. I enlisted Maggie’s help. She has scars to show for it. She reached in to the car’s hood and grabbed the kitty, hissing and thrashing. Maggie had put on gardening gloves, but parts of the car scraped her arms. Kitten saved! We set her up on a back screened porch away from the other animals.

Over the weekend, I fed her, talked to her, and eventually was able to hold her without her hissing. On Monday I took her to our vet and found out she was a healthy girl maybe 4-5 weeks old. I then set out to find her a home.

I had a lunch date with my friend Carolyn. When she arrived, I said, “I have something to show you.” Sold! Carolyn texted her daughter, and they decided to take her. Here is the happy new mama (or grandma) with the kitten. I celebrate new life, new homes, and happy mamas.