new blog layout?

I was ready for a change. What do you think? Kinda fun to be able to put a photo up there...

B & K

I made this last weekend at the Reminisce Birthday crop. The wedding scrapbook is ALMOST done. The last layout is literally laying on my table as we speak. Then, just a little journalling and detail work to do, and it will be finished. Yippee! It's fun to flip through, since I've been working on in for so long. Hopefully we will enjoy looking through it for many years to come.

The paper, rub-ons, and stickers are from the Love, Elsie line - a current fav - it is romantic and fun at the same time!

Thanks Josh for suggesting the Canon stitch program - between scanning the 12x12 in sections, rotating, resizing and stitching, it is a long process, but I think it works well - and I didn't have to pay for it! Bonus! Happy Friday!

Immersed in the preschool world

I'm really enjoying my new job so far... the kids, my coworkers, the schedule, and being able to *play*. This is a little "jungle" I set up on one of our tables this week to try and encourage some creative play when the kids arrived. Of course, they don't need too much help with that.

Tomorrow, I'm unveiling a big surprise for my class- Hermit Crabs! I picked up all the necessities at the pet store tonight and they are ready to crawl anywhere. I'm anticipating a heated debate for naming, and hopefully some in depth study of their eating and behavior habits.

Black cow and Poison Ivy updates

Black Cow story #2, originally uploaded by Kirsten W.

I know you were all excited for the second installment of the black cow saga. I used the same pictures as a story starter for my other class on Thursday. It is so funny how it can go such a different direction from the same beginning.

After a week of poison ivy, I am finally starting to feel better. I went in to the doctor on Thursday afternoon to have it looked at because my face was so covered, and it was still spreading on my arms and back. She ended up putting me on an oral steroid, which I guess dries it up. My face is 90% better, and in general I am much less itchy... on the road to recovery. Yuck - hope I don't have to experience that again anytime soon!

Mom and Bethany came over for a crop at Reminisce on Friday and Saturday and we got lots accomplished! The wedding scrapbook is SO close to being finished! Also scrapped some graduation and pictures from Easter. Bethany made a couple mini-books with photos from the hilarious photobooth program on the MacBook and mom almost finished a book about our trip to Chicago last summer. I'm planning to scan some of the pages - and post them soon!

Helloooo big black cow...

This morning I walked out of our garage to the sound of loud mooing. I looked over and was surprised to see a group of cows by our fence. Our property borders a farm, but we haven't had too many cow sightings yet. I couldn't resist creeping up to the fence for a closer look.



I told my little preschoolers about it this morning and showed them the pictures. After I told my version of the story, then we decided to write an imaginary story together about the big black cow!

Ben Folds + John Mayer = a good night

Last night I made a trip to Des Moines to see John Mayer and Ben Folds with mom and Bethany and her boyfriend Frankie. We went out for sushi before and had a great time at the concert.

Ben Folds opened... he has a fantastic energy on stage and plays a mean piano. When Bethany took this picture, he was up on the piano directing the crowd to sing in three-part harmony.


One of the highlights of his set was his cover of "Such Great Heights". Found this clip on YouTube - he has lots of fun with the synthesizer.

John Mayer played all the hits, of course, but he also did lots of jammin' on the guitar. He is really a great musician, and it is feel good music. We thoroughly enjoyed the concerts - with the exception of the irritating teeny-boppers in the row in front of us.


Unfortunately, I also came down with my first case of poison ivy yesterday. Apparently the more you are exposed to it, the more likely you are to develop an allergic reaction. It is really miserable, especially because it is mainly on my face! I picked up some cream to treat the rash today, so hopefully it will be short-lived!

Weekend Scrapping

I've been working this weekend on some layouts for my upcoming classes at Reminisce. The layout above is for my July 17th class called "Love, Elsie" using the new line of products by Elsie Flannigan. Her stuff is so delicious. I'm looking forward to this one! We're going to make a mini-book, too - and alter a pen with some fake flowers and her adhesive fabric paper.

These two are for my "Another Day in Paradise" class this month, on Tuesday the 26th. Part of the class is using the new Beach Party line from Designs by Reminisce. I love the colors and shimmer of this line.

Oh, and the "Double Take" at the bottom of my layouts is because I downloaded a trial of a program to try stitching the two pages together. It costs around $30 to purchase any of the programs I have found that will do that. I keep feeling like I will be able to find a free program or a program I already have on my laptop that can do it. sigh...

New earrings as promised!

It has been a great week at Preucil so far. I'm getting to know my two classes of students (one class comes on M,W,F and one on Tues,Thurs) and enjoying guiding their play and listening to their ideas and discussions. My assistant, Julie is wonderful. Sweet and caring with the kids and ready to do anything I need her help with. Also having fun getting to know my other colleagues. Today my class went to a Creative Dramatics session with Helen, the art teacher that works with both my classes and the other 5 day classroom. I tagged along and had lots of fun moving with the music and listening to the kids invent stories. The school is a relaxed atmosphere, but still very focused on teaching the whole child and encouraging independence and creativity. This picture is from the end of the morning today... Julie snapped a photo of me reading with a few of the boys before it was time to go home.


Bill gets home from his "boys" fishing trip tomorrow. I'm so excited - it has been lonely in this big house without him!

Lovely Saturday

Today was a much needed relaxing Saturday. I had coffee and breakfast at the Java House, then on to an earring making class at Dawn's Hide & Bead Away. Then I headed over to the library to pick out some picture books to read to the little ones at Preucil next week. I also finally picked up some plants to make a summer garden. I decided on tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, and an assortment of flowers. Maybe tomorrow I'll pick up some peppers to add. It is my first "real" garden so we'll see how it goes.


These are the earrings I made during class and of course I had to bring home a few more beads to play around with. Working on more earrings tonight and mentally preparing for the open house tomorrow when I get to meet my new students and their families.

Closing out the school year

Today we finished painting a big dinosaur sculpture that stays on display in our school library. And the gyotaku fish quilts/wall hangings are done and on display. Phew - one day left of school, just in time!


Yesterday a parent brought me these gorgeous orange roses (orange is one of our school colors) just to say thanks for teaching her kids art. It was so sweet.

Weekend in photos

my new classroom - more photos on flickr


layout about me for Reminisce teacher & employee display


STILL sewing the fish quilts!

Check it out

... I sent my layout (see below) to the Bam Pop peeps and they posted it in their website's gallery. Neat-o!

Pigs!

I went up to Mt. Vernon for dinner with Wendy and Mary last night. Wendy told me to drive by Nest, the shop where we got our metal roosters. Check it out - they have PIGS! I think I'm in trouble... aren't they great? TGIF - only 4 1/2 more days of school!