slice #31

31 days of slicing.
31 days of blogging.
31 days of commenting.
31 days of noticing.
31 days of writing.

I can't believe it's over!  There were several days that I thought I wouldn't make it through the entire month.  It was harder than I thought it would be, but I've learned so much.  I've learned that I can consistently maintain a blog, if I just put my mind to it.  I've discovered several new blogs that I enjoy reading & can't wait to check back in on them.  I'm also looking forward to continue slicing, linking up, reading, & commenting on Tuesdays.  I'm also looking forward to taking some time to look back through all 31 of my slices.

To my fellow slicers, thank you!  Thank you for reading & commenting on my posts.  Sometimes it is hard to write & publish for all to see... you made it easier!

slice #30

Today finally felt like spring outside!  My husband & I took the opportunity of a rare Saturday free (he plays in a band & is booked most Saturdays) to head over the mountains & visit Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  My grandparents give us season passes every year for Christmas, so we  love to go & explore different aspects of the property.  Today we didn't make it in time to visit the house & the gardens weren't in bloom.  We did get to visit The Biltmore Legacy & see the exhibit highlighting the Vanderbilt's travel & collections for the first time.  I'm always amazed at the artifacts on exhibit about their lives.  Today we saw the prayer book Edith Vanderbilt is believed to have carried in their wedding, the rickshaw Cornelia Vanderbilt was carried into her debut party in, the massive Louis Vuitton trunk Edith used for traveling, one of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles used on the estate, & one of George Vanderbilt's travel journals.  Talk about objects that tell stories!!  I even learned that the Vanderbilts were originally booked to sail on the Titanic!  I'm so grateful that we are given this gift every year that allows us to spend time at such a beautiful place!
http://www.biltmore.com/
And, wow, it's hard to believe tomorrow is the last day of the challenge!

slice #29

Another acrostic poem for my daily slice:

Crafterdays are days spent
Relaxing & creating with my kindred friend.
As defined, kindred is similar, in kind, related,
Family.
The friend one can tell anything & have an
Entire conversation with without speaking a single word. A
Rarity for those who find them.  One you
Dawdle days
Away with & be perfectly content with the nothingness.  One
You don't remember not being your friend.  She seems to have always been.

I spent my day with my kindred friend & it was the perfect way to start spring break!

slice #28

First of all, thanks for all the prayers & well-wishes for my grandmother!  She is doing "absolutely great" according to her doctors!

I am officially on SPRING BREAK!!!  There was a definite buzz running through school today.  Anticipation, excitement, chaos.  I am a travel bug & usually have a trip lined up for break, but this year I decided to stay home.  I hope to get several projects accopmlished & just take it easy.

It's hard to believe the month-long slice challenge is almost over!  It's been hard, but I'm glad I stuck with it!

slice #27

As I was walking to my car after school I started thinking about what I could slice today. I turned my phone on & saw several texts waiting for me. That always makes me nervous. Today there was cause to be nervous. My dad's mom, my Nannie, was in surgery, an unexpected surgery. So, now I'm sitting in the ICU waiting room with my dad & uncle.  She is out of surgery & we are just waiting. The nurses say she is doing well, but she has a long road ahead of her. So, please remember her in your prayers!!

slice #26

Today called for an after-school nap.  I love naps & always have.  In fact, I refer to one of the extra bedrooms at my grandparents' house as my napping room.  They keep the vent & door closed, so the room is always a little chillier than the rest of the house.  The bed is extra cozy & the quilts extra thick.  Chilly room plus cozy blankets plus squishy mattress equals perfect combo for a perfect nap.  I, unfortunately, wasn't at their house today & had to make due with my own bed.  Sometimes the urge for a nap hits me in the afternoon, but sometimes (like today) I can tell as soon as the day begins that a nap is in my future.  I was home by 4:00, which is very unusual & probably asleep by 4:15.  I didn't stir until my husband came home & woke me up about 7:00!  I feel recharged & refreshed!  Hopefully that will carry over into tomorrow & I'll be ready to power through the last 3 days before spring break!!!

slice #25

Highlights of my day in 25 words for the 25 slice:

friendly chat

during my morning commute

reading the part of a book that

makes them gasp & question

CCSS study group

sharing ideas & concerns

slice #24

Last week was the first day of spring.  Today it has been cold & rainy & tonight we have snow in our forecast.  Snow!  I'm so past wanting snow.  I want sunshine, blue skies, & warm temperatures.  My husband & I had a conversation about this today & started listing some of the things we look forward to in summer.
* treats from snow shacks... snow cones/shave ice
* drive-in movies... definetely a favorite
* picnic suppers at the lake
* back road drives in our 1963 Corvair convertible
* Brown Mountain lights http://www.westernncattractions.com/brown-mountain-lights/
* Elkmont fireflies (one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in nature!!) http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/fireflies.htm

slice #23

 

I spent part of the afternoon helping my mom sort through boxes of my childhood.  There were boxes of my clothes (many made by my grandmothers or mom) from when I was little & piles upon piles of toys!  The goal of was to get rid of stuff, but it's just too hard to throw things out that are so firmly planted in my memories.  One pile was like opening a time capsule of toys from the 80s.  I loved it!  There were Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, & Strawberry Shortcake dolls.  There were dolls that my grandmother made for me for several Christmases in a row.  These aren't just dolls... they are life-size, including an Annie & Sandy - as in Little Orphan Annie... remember the movie in the 80s? - with complete wardrobe.  Needless to say, I now have 2 very large garbage bags full of memories.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with them!  I need a cute project to use the clothes with... I'm sure Pinterest can help me out with that!

 

 We moved a lot... who knows where their clothes ended up!

 

 This is Bippy.  Bippy was my favorite!!  I got her for my 2nd birthday & hardly ever put her down.

 



My grandfather bought me the doll on the left from a hospital gift shop.  I think he must've come to pick me up from my parents who were visiting someone.

 

 

If I could spend everyday sorting through boxes from my childhood I would.  I love sifting through memories... toys, photographs, school work.

slice #22

Friday!!!!!  Finally.  Today was an excellent Friday.  A Friday deserving of a top ten list.
1 - No school!  If teachers had all their professional development hours completed they had the day off.
2 - I slept until 9:30 & then stayed in bed taking my time waking up.  It was lovely.
3 - I went straight from the bed to the couch to catch up on some TV shows.
4 - I'm working on a super cute cross-stitch project & made lots of progress today.
5 - I talked to one of my dearest friends on the phone for over an hour!  I'm not a big phone talker, but I always have long conversations with this friend.  She doesn't live here so we always have lots to catch up on!
6 - I met up with 3 friends for a GNO for the first time in months!
7 - We saw Safe Haven, which we have been wanting to see since way before it came out.  I love it when plans actually come together & everyone finally has some free time.
8- After dinner we basically had the upstairs part of the restaurant to ourselves, and before we knew it over 2 hours had gone by!  
9 - When I checked the mail there was a book I'd ordered waiting for me.
10 - Tomorrow is Saturday... another day of freedom!!
Happy weekend, slicers!

post #21

I had parent-teacher conferences from 2:30 - 5:30 tonight.  I always find it interesting to see which parents will attend.  The answer tonight was not many!  I had one mom show up.  We had a nice chat, though.  My favorite part of the conversation was when she told me about how excited her son had been about the "dog race stuff"... the Iditarod.  She told me he came home every afternoon talking about it & had her checking the current standings every hour on the hour.  He would tell her which mushers had dropped dogs & how to read the chart to figure that out.  He explained about how & when they would take a rest break.  This is also the same student that told me on Monday that he "just couldn't talk about it" because it was over & he missed it.  Conversations like that make me even more thankful for what I get to do in my classroom everyday!

slice #20

I'm keeping detention kids this week after school. Today I took that time to browse through one of my old writer's notebooks. I love going back through old ones & rediscovering what I'd written.  Today I came across two poems I wrote for spring:

peeking

flowers
green
buds
sun
sky
all of nature is peeking
on the verge of a new season

blink

Spring's beauty seems the quickest
One blink & pale color peeps from the ground
Another blink brings vibrant reds & purples
The next brings strong summer greens
None of the lingering months-long madness
          of winter dreariness

Happy Spring, slicers!

slice #19

Today has been a long day.  Longer than any in recent memory. Here's what it looked like:

• Finished up assessment conferences with my sixth graders
• Attended a grade level meeting
• Administered a writing assessment to my 5th graders
• Continued reading Mr. Terupt with my 5th graders (best part of the day!!)
• Helped out with two more grade level meetings
• Got materials together for a faculty meeting
• Attended faculty meeting while also keeping an eye in detention kids
• Went to my workout (another favorite of the day)
• Had a hair appointment (that was a good part, too! I love my hair girl!)
• Came home, ate supper, sat down to write at 9:00 pm

I'm tired!

Where I live

You will come to a
place where the flat
fields begin to rise
and you can no longer
see what's ahead.

The hills become mountains -
the old gentle mountains
that are sometimes hiding
behind clouds and white mist.

In the winter, these
are snow covered and majestic -
in the summer, they
are green and graceful.

You must pass by
many grazing cows
looking for lunch
on your way to where I live.

Beyond the fields, you
will see stands of trees guarding
the acres, old as ancient warriors.

Signs will announce landmarks and
birthplaces and bridges.
You may hear a train whistle or
feel the rumble it leaves behind.

The daffodils will greet you, and
the tall grass will run beside you -
all the way to where I live.

~inspired by Wesley McNair

slice #18

 

Do you ever have those days when you wonder if anything you say is getting across to your students?  You ask them about words & concepts you've worked on for months,only to be met with blank stares.  Sometimes it seems like most days are like that.  But, then a day like today comes along & you know they are getting it.  My 5th graders made my day & here is why:

• Today they were finishing up a couple of items from our Iditarod tracking.  One of them hung his head, shaking it, & said, "Mrs. Blackburn, I just don't think I can talk about it today.  I really miss the Iditarod & wish it wasn't already over.  It was just so much fun!!" 
• I add 5 new words to our word wall every week & every 3 weeks move them above the alphabet letters.  Each batch is on a different color of paper... new color every 3 weeks.  Today we started a new batch.  One of my boys came in looked at the wall, smiled, & said "I couldn't wait to get in here today to see what color our new words were.  You pick good colors for us."
• I'm reading Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea to them after lunch.  I'm not going to give details of what they said to avoid revealing any spoilers, but their conversations about this book were unbelievable.  They're getting it.

slice #17

I'm loving all the lists I've read that other slicers have shared... I'm all about making lists!  I have a list in one of my writer's notebooks that is "100 things that make me happy."  When I share it with my students the first few weeks of school I let them each choose a number, I read that item, & then tell them a little more about it.  I wanted to share some of my happy things for today's slice, but couldn't decide which ones to write about.  But then, we had Japanese for lunch, I loved my fortune, & decided to write about that. This evening I dug my fortune slip out of my purse, sat down to write, & the "lucky" numbers were showing from the back of the fortune.  Hello, Happy List numbers!  So here are six things that make me happy:

2: Toasted marshmallow & peanut butter sandwiches - my favorite food to eat from a campfire!!  Have you ever tried them?  Better than marshmallow creme & pb!
7: The color pink - when I was little, & really loved pink, my grandmother would make up stories for me about the little girl who loved pink & everything she had or came in contact with was pink. 
9: Bracelets - I always have at least one bracelet on my arm.  To me they are just a fun accessory & I have quite a collection to prove that!  I have bracelets from my travels & that people have given me.  I have one that I made using the vintage beads from one of my great-grandmother's necklaces & one that is a Wizard of Oz storyband stamped into a silver bangle.  The more unique, the better!
13: Black & white beach photographs:  one of my hobbies is photography & there is something beautiful to me about black & white prints, especially beach scenes.
15: Angel food cake - yum.  I remember my grandmother baking them & putting the cake pan upside down on an old Coke bottle she used just for that purpose.  In fact, I bet if I looked long enough in her kitchen I could still find it!
31: Stockings on Christmas morning  - Santa still brings stockings for me, my sister, & our husbands!  He is an excellent shopper & has trained his elves very well!

So, there you have it six things that make me happy & six lucky numbers for your use! Oh, the fortune on the front is, "We must always have old memories and young hopes."  Yes, we must!

slice #16

 

Saturdays are for:

relaxing

catching up

visiting

sleeping in

 

Today my Saturday was all of those things!  I especially loved the sleeping in part.  Some weeks it seems like Saturday, the one day I actually can sleep in, is the day I wake up bright & early.  Not today!  I had a quiet morning catching up on some TV shows, reading, & working on some projects around the house.  It has been a pretty perfect day.  But, I think the best part was that more signs of spring are showing up everyday!

 

A Slice

Is our life made up of tiny slices? Moments that stand out against the daily routines? How many moments do we miss out on when we don't take the time to look or listen?

Mandy & I have traveled the world together - literally & figuratively...from Boston to Brussels and Richmond to Rome - we've had so many adventures. From the top of Eiffel to the bottom of the Coliseum, lunching in outdoor cafes and spending an afternoon at the Carle. We've seen the Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and rode the Eye. We've had pastries at the Old North Church and pasta in Naples. I wouldn't be the teacher I am if it weren't for her.

These slices together make up so much more than a whole. Often they pass so quickly, but they make me a better person...and for that...I am grateful.

slice #15

 

Slice #15.  Wow.  It's almost half over!  This has been fun, inspiring, educational, & hard!  There have been several nights when it's been a struggle to sit down & write, but I'm so glad I've stuck with it.  The challenge has forced me to take time every single day to stop, consider, & reflect on what has happened.  I've enjoyed that & want to continue it once March is over.

 

This is not the post I had in mind when I sat down (finally!) to write tonight, but it is what was on my mind.  Good night fellow slicers... see you tomorrow!

slice #14



Thursday

There was a difference outside today that boosted my

Happiness meter.  I saw flowers pushing their way

Up through the earth.  Spring break is just around the corner &
Relaxation is my only plan.  The air was still chilly, but

Sunshine ruled the afternoon.  My

Drive to work allowed me to see the sun

Arrive & meet the day.

Yes, there was a difference outside today.

slice #13

My school system is participating in writing pilot program offered by our state department this year.  The pilot focuses on exposing students to, not only a variety of genres, but also writing to a "stimulus" & responding with "evidence from the text."  One of our favorite phrases this year, right?  Today the 6th grade teachers had the "opportunity" to attend a training related to the pilot program.  The training for this pilot program consists of watching videos that explain the four-point trait dominant rubric, then reading 2 sample essays for each point within each trait, scoring sample papers, & finally scoring the writing of your own students.  That process happens for each trait.  All four of them.  It's a little tedious.  Did I mention it is an all-day training?  There are some benefits.  We get access to several prompts & sample essays that we are able to use with our students.

But, do you know what today was?  The final day of the Iditarod.  The day my 5th graders have been so anxious for.  The day all their hard work over the past two weeks has led to.  The day they got to see what the final standing of their musher will turn out to be.  And I wasn't there to share in their final day of excitement.  I have a full-time assistant, so I know they got to see how it all ended, but I wanted to be there with them.  I didn't want to listen to a video tell me how to score writing.  I wanted to be with my sweet 5th graders.  I kept checking the updated standings all afternoon & wondering what the kids were thinking about the final rankings. 

I always like to find the positive, even on days like today.  The positive of this is that my students will get to fill me in on the outcomes tomorrow morning.  I'll sit back, listen to their chatter, soak it in, & be happy.

slice #12

I started a work-out program today offered through my school system.  The group meets in one of the elementary school gyms twice a week for circuit training.  The trainer said we would probably be sore tomorrow & definitely be sore Thursday.  I'm sore now!!  I jump-roped today for the first time in, oh, I can't even remember.  But, it was fun!  I got to spend time with teachers from different schools that I don't see that often, & I'd forgotten how great a stress reliever working out can be.

Here are my hopes for this program:

• I hope I can walk without a limp tomorrow
• I hope the session on Thursday will not add to the soreness
• I hope this will lead me to a healthier lifestyle
• I hope my journey to wellness continues past the end of the program

slice #11

Let's see. I still have laundry to do, messes to put away, & a photo collage wall to finish. And yet, I've decided to start a cross-stitch project. The last time I cross-stitched was in a junior high home ec class, & other than an adorable pattern I'm not quite sure why I've decided to add a new project to my list. It has been relaxing, though!

slice #10

Today felt like spring!!  It was gorgeous. I'm ready for warm weather. I decided for today's slice to write a found poem using my first nine slices.

we are traveling
amaze me

spring-like air
huddled together
quieting the earth

enjoy each other & reconnect
catch up, precious time
settle back in

I'm enjoying my time with you, fellow slicers!

slice #9

Yesterday afternoon I knew exactly what my Saturday would involve.  I was going to sleep in, catch up on laundry, straighten up messes leftover from the week, finish Hold Fast by Blue Balliett, & finish up a project creating a photo collage wall.  But, things didn't go as planned.

I woke up bright & early.  I only did one load of laundry.  I can still see the messes.  I didn't crack the cover of my book.  I don't see a hint of a photo collage wall.

What did I spend my day doing?  Since I was awake so early I was able to go eat breakfast with my husband before he went to work.  I don't know if that has ever happened on a Saturday before!  Up next was an unexpected lunch with my parents & grandmother.  Then, my sister & brother-in-law met us at my parents' house to tell us about their trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago, show us their pictures, & give us souvenirs.

So, no I didn't check anything off my to-do list, but I did spend precious time with some of the people I love most in this world.  I think I accomplished something worthwhile.

slice #8

Before I sat down to write my slice, I ate supper

Before that I spent the afternoon with a friend beyond friends (Hawaii, here we come!!!)

Before that I drove the back roads home with the sunroof wide open

Before that I stepped out of a stuffy building into spring-like air

Before that I analyzed test data (blech.)
Before that I watched the high school chorus perform a concert for our school (they rock... literally)

Before that I listened to gasps and cheers as I finished reading our after-lunch read aloud book

Before that I ate lunch with one of my nearest & dearest (a true friend I'm lucky enough to teach with!)

Before that I watched 5th graders read & write (per their request, love that!)

Before that I sat back & marveled at Iditarod tracking

Before that I gathered books for next week

Before that I had my daily chat with my other nearest & dearest (who is my co-blogger!)

Before that I wished 6th graders a good weekend (& thought "Y'all wore me out this week!")

Before that I book talked new book club choices for 6th graders

Before that I conferenced with 6th graders

Before that I hurried through the front doors (late, late, late)

Before that I had a morning commute chat with my longest-closest-grew-up-together friend

Before that I gathered the day's necessities (I should do this the night before)

Before that I couldn't decide what to wear (I should do this the night before)

Before that I got ready

Before that I drug myself out of my cozy bed

Before that I hit the snooze button

Before that I hit the snooze button

Before that I hit the snooze button (sensing a pattern?)
Before that I woke up to a Friday.

That was fun!  I just couldn't think of what to write tonight, then I remembered this exercise I did with my students last year.  Time to pull that one back out for this year's group! 

Happy Friday fellow Slicers!

slice #7

My 5th graders made me really proud today.  For the past week we've been researching the Iditarod... reading books & articles, watching videos, checking in on our favorite mushers, listing questions.  Each day I've had the current standings pulled up on the Smartboard.  The students have been coming straight in, helping each other locate their musher, updating a class chart we made, & then adding to their individual charts in their reader's notebook.  We had a snow day yesterday, so today when they came into class they couldn't wait to check in on the progress of the race.  I loved seeing them all huddled together at the front of the room calling out the standing of their mushers to each other. 

This is what research should look like!  Working together to find the answers to authentic questions & topics that interest students.  Helping students write research papers can be a real struggle for me.  When I get discouraged in the future I need to remember today. 

Do you track the Iditarod with your students?

slice #6

The "maybe we'll get one more snow day" hype was in full swing yesterday.  If you teach, you know what this kind of hype does to a classroom.  And it really leaves you no choice, but to also wish for just one more snow day.  If you can't beat them, join them.  After all it is all about the kids, isn't it? 

So this morning I woke up before my alarm.  Which is quite unusual.  Quite.  I'm instantly alert & making major decisions.  Do I check my phone for the text that lets me know how my day will go?  It might be too early to check.  What if the text hasn't been sent yet & I'm just disappointed for nothing?  Or should I just sleep for a few more minutes & then check closer to a normal hour?  Should I look out the window so I know what to expect?  Or stay burrowed under the quilt?  After much back & forth I made a decision.  I checked my phone.  Much easier than getting out of bed to check the window, right?  2 hour delay!  I'll take it!  Change the setting on the alarm clock, let the hubs know so he won't wake me up in a panic that I've overslept, & settle back in for a few more hours of much-needed sleep.  When it was finally time to get up I checked my phone one more time, just in case.  Snow day!! 

I don't think I'll ever get tired of snow days!  There is something so luxurious about them.  Especially when they are in the middle of a very hectic week.  Today has been exactly what I needed.  Nestled on the couch with my books & Netflix.  Yes, just exactly what I needed. 

slice #5

Our 6th graders were responsible for the PTO meeting tonight.  The 6th grade language arts teachers decided we would focus on poetry. We are doing a March Madness bracket with books so we talked about that, too.We asked students to choose poems to read, either ones they'd written themselves or found.  The weather is really nasty here tonight, so we really weren't sure how many would show up.  We had about a dozen!  Which we were pleased with for a middle school program. 
After the students were done sharing we shared Ralph Fletcher's "The Good Old Days" poem.  Students had passed out clipboards & paper as people were coming in & told people they would be participating in the program.  The students spread out in the bleachers with their families to work on creating their own poetry.  It was so sweet to see them sharing & encouraging their families to write poetry!

On another note... I'm really tired!  I keep hoping to get started on my writing before 8 or 9 at night, but so far it hasn't happened!  But, I'm still writing, so I'm happy with that!  See you tomorrow fellow slicers :)

slice #4

I have four favorite letters today.  M-A-U-I.  We are in the process of planning a return trip to Hawaii!!  We are traveling with my dearest friend & her husband, so I spent the afternoon at their house planning & dreaming of all things aloha!  We've all four been there before, & we're having fun comparing notes about what we want to do the same, different, or not at all. 

One thing we know for sure is we will definitely go whale watching.  Now, I am not an animal person.  At all.  We went whale watching on our first trip & I was instantly hooked!  They are now my favorite animal.  My friend & I drifted away from the condo sites to the Pacific Whale Foundation site.  These creatures amaze me.  One picture showed a baby jumping & it was completely horizontal.  Several showed a rainbow mist from the whale's blow hole! 

I can't think of many better ways to unwind after a Monday... fun company, gorgeous pictures of Hawaiian beaches, & virtual whale watching.  Lookout Hawaii!!!!

Here is a picture from our last trip:

slice #3



Sundays around our house are for recharging.  We very rarely have set plans, other than church.  Our weeks, like I'm sure most others experience, are hectic, busy, & full.  We are lazy most Sunday afternoons & don't feel guilty about it! 

The sky has been spitting snow all weekend, but not much of it has stuck.  Snow that doesn't stick & weekend snow really seem useless for teachers.  Just a tease.  This afternoon at church our worship leader thanked God for the snow that was quieting the earth.  I love that!  It made me think about how our Sundays quiet our minds, lives, schedules, & all the junk from the previous week.  They give us time to enjoy each other & reconnect.  Sunday evenings we usually talk about what each of us has coming up during the week & start gearing up to hit the ground running on Monday morning.  Sometimes our weeks are too hectic & we don't take the time to enjoy the moments we have.  But Sundays?  They quiet our earth.

slice #2

I've always been a reader.  Always.  Even before I could read, I loved books & was surrounded by them.  I have all these artifacts of a reading life & have been thinking about how I would like to curate them into some sort of project.  Photographs of them with some quick blurbs about them is what I keep coming back to.  I'm big on nostalgia & photography, so the two hobbies could really combine on this (future??) project.  So, I'm thinking this month some of my slices could be a perfect place to try out some ideas for this.

My sweet dad sent me a text this morning with this picture of me reading when I was little.  He said it was in honor of Read Across America.  I love that he cares so much to send these sweet little things!  Just beyond thoughtful, really.  I think it was taken Christmas 1976 when we were visiting my grandparents.  Just me & Drowsy hanging out with The Three Bears.  Love.

good old days #1 of 31

Last February my grandfather passed away.  He fell & broke his hip on a Thursday night, wasn't strong enough for surgery, and passed away on Sunday.  One day I still had all four of my grandparents.  The next day I didn't.  This past month I've been thinking about him often.  And missing him. 

Last Saturday during the Dublin Literacy Conference, when Ralph Fletcher invited us to write using his poem "The Good Old Days" in his general session, my thoughts immediately went to my grandparents.  This is what I came up with:

Sometimes I remember
the good old days

visiting a house with
both grandparents still inside

each having their
own brand of love

struggling to find
a balance

Nannie at the window
eager to listen

PawPaw in his chair
eager to share

I still can't imagine
anything better than that.

Dublin Literacy Conference 2013

Once upon a time two teachers in Tennessee had the good fortune of hosting an award-winning author in their classrooms.  The author realized that these two teachers would enjoy meeting some other like-minded educators she knew and recommended they look into a literacy conference in a small Ohio city.  Cheryl & I were, of course, the TN teachers.  Louise Borden was the author. Dublin was the city.  How fitting that the next time we were able to visit with Louise & hear her share was this past Saturday at the Dublin Literacy Conference.  This was the third year we've traveled to Ohio for this conference & we look forward to it all year!

This year's lineup was fantastic... & way too much for one post!  We'll post a little each day to highlight our favorite parts of the conference.