Today was a very good day.

Today was a very special day! I am truly honored with a special memory that I will treasure forever.

When I arrived at school, my classroom was decorated with paper chains hung from the ceiling, around my door way, and on my desk....

Each class in the school had created a chain, one link for each student, in my favorite colors: turquoise and purple. I was shocked, surprised and touched. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure today was special.

Just before my first class, I was called into the big auditorium....and I was greeted with a standing ovation. All 200+ kindergarteners were on their feet, clapping and cheering for ME!

I was presented with a very special book. Each student in the school had created a note+drawing for me. The cover reads: " Whoooo Knew we had the best teacher!', the title is surrounded by little owls holding up banners with 'you're great!' 'Art teacher of the Year!' and 'Congrats!'

My principal presented me with a GIANT cookie cake with 'World's Best Art Teacher' on it and a balloon bouquet for my desk.

Going back through all of the drawings and notes in the book, there are some really cute spellings for 'nice' 'beautiful' 'pretty' and 'artist'.

One of the most special moments of the day was during my second class. A challenging girl, probably one of my toughest students this year (because of her behavior), asked me why I was the best art teacher. I told her, 'I don't know....why do you think?'.....and she smiled up at me with the most unforgettable precious smile, 'Because you love us.'

 This was a day I won't soon forget.

(To find out what all of the hoopla is about, read here: http://nelliemaeii.blogspot.com/2011/12/missouri-art-educator-of-year.html)

Planning another Nelliepalooza

A friend of a friend emailed me to inquire more information about my Nellipalooza scrapbooking retreat and I realized that I do not have a website or a way to share information about the event beyond my Facebook event page. As I was typing out a response to her questions, I realized I was going into so much detail that it would make a great blog post.

This was from the first ever Nelliepalooza!

If you are interested in a wonderful crafting retreat, please keep reading. You can email me or leave a comment below if you would like the link to the registration form. The next event is scheduled for March 30th-April 1st. Registration is due by St. Patrick's Day (March 17th). Cost is $16 per night, you can sign up for both nights, a total of $32. The only other requirement is that you sign up to help with a meal/snack/supply for the weekend. Guests bring their own crafting supplies and stick to their own schedule.

I started Nelliepalooza about 2 years ago for my birthday. I found a local campground...and realized it was really reasonable to rent for a weekend, so I invited all of my scrapbooking buddies to join me for a retreat. I used to sell Close to My Heart so I knew a lot of people from crops and crafting events. I think we had about 13 people the first time.

Everyone had so much fun, that we decided to plan a second event in the fall (in order to include the people that couldn't attend in spring). This will be the 5th Nelliepalooza event.

It is very simple, and easy to plan. I just ask for everyone to pay the $16 per night fee that the campground requires for overnight guests and to sign up to pitch in on a meal. I call everyone who is registered about two weeks before to follow up with them about their menu selections. (If I get too many breakfast casseroles, it is easy to make changes at that point). People sign up to bring whatever they feel comfortable being in charge of.

This year, we will be planning meals for Friday dinner, saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner; as well as sunday breakfast and lunch. We will depart on Sunday around 5 pm....so people can help finish off the leftovers or snack on the other stuff until they go home. This has worked well in the past, some people prepare everything before they come, and some use the fully functioning camp-kitchen to make their meal when they get there. Some people sign up to be in charge of beverages or other supplies (like plates/cups/etc) so everyone is comfortable with what they need to provide.

The campground has a great facility for our activities. They have a big building which houses the kitchen and all of the 'scrapbooking' tables, so we don't have to go far to cook or snack. Just a few paces away is the founder's lodge, which has sleeping spots for up to like 40 people (or more!) in bunk rooms. Basically, just like going back to camp! You have the option of sharing a room with 3 other people, or if you are getting a large group together, there is a large room with more bunk beds. (OR, having a room all to yourself!) The building is air conditioned, has several showers and group-bathrooms...its a great place to stay for a couple of nights.

The camp is very scenic, out in the country so you feel like you are really 'away', but it is located just 6 miles south of the OLD Richardson's Candy House (reddings mill area)....a short drive away from the Neosho Wal-mart (and south Joplin area).

I am expecting about 20 this time around....which should work out well since we are planning lunch on Sunday (which we didn't used to do). People can come and go on their own schedule...stay for one or both nights, and they can even take a nap/craft/read/play on the internet....pretty much they do what they want, when they want....very informal...comfortable clothes, take a walk, watch movies, take a nap.

Hope this answers most of your questions. Please let me know if you have any other questions, feel free to forward the information on to other friends! The more the merrier!

To see photos from previous Nelliepalooza events click here, here, here, and here. 

Here is the flyer with additional details:

Fisheye Photo Outing

Even though I stayed in bed past 11 a.m. this morning and could've laid around in my pjs all day, I managed to force myself to join up with a little photo outing this afternoon.

One of my super special Christmas presents this year was a fish eye lens attachment for my Nikon camera. It is just a cheap little attachment, but I love using those kind of lenses because they give the digital a little bit of a lomo feel. I was also shooting with my Holga and Instagram on my iPhone 4.

I am excited to see how my Holga images turn out....I'm always nervous whenever I use 100 speed film.

Below you can see some of my favorites from today's shoot with the fish eye lens.

Machinery on the farm

 As grotesque as it looks, I could not stop filming this deer skull. I even made a little stop-motion video with it....

Robert let me bring it home. It is on the mantle now....should be a great source of inspiration. (A little O'keeffe in all of us, right?)

The hip-hop-hippy on a windy day.

How many cameras does it take???

Interior, old shed

Wasp Nest Bird Cage

Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get those peepers.

Pinteresters Anonymous

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TOOT TOOT TOOOT TOOT!! 

I'm totally tooting my own horn in support of the upcoming class I am teaching at Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin.

Ages 21+
Cost $20 includes up to 4 projects and snacks.
Saturday January 14th 7-9pm

Do you need a "Pintervention?"

Do you spend hours on your computer 'pinning' projects you would like to do?

Well this your chance!

Bring your friends and enjoy an evening of creativity.

If you are a DIY diva or want to be, this ongoing class offers the best of the projects as seen on Pinterest.com.

Mark your calendar now for Second Saturday.

It's sure to be loads of fun so sign up early to save your spot. Groups are welcome!!

These projects are tentative and subject to change: Doily Votives Tissue paper pompoms (easy and cheap and everyone should know how to do this) Glass Etching (so you can go home and etch your Pyrex!)

Instructor: ME!!
*To see what I've been pinning, check out my Pinterest page here!

Please contact Spiva at 417-623-0183 to sign up!!

 

I'm super excited!!

A Look Back at 2011 Goals.

It is important to make progress on goals. It is important to look back at what was important a year ago and see if I have made any progress. I did it last year...you can read about it here. 

Looking back at my goals for 2011, I feel like I did a pretty good job of meeting my goals.

Goals for 2011:

1. Keep volunteering. This was a strange year for volunteering. I feel like I have so much more to give but no time to actually do it...I started an after school art club a few times a month and I volunteer at Spiva. I don't have energy for more than that...especially not if I am trying to keep up with my workout schedule. There were a lot of opportunities to volunteer with the tornado, but I was so busy and overwhelmed trying to help my mom, that I didn't do as much as I should have.

2. Make and give more handmade gifts--especially sewn things for new babies. This year, I made 30 stockings and several other sewn projects. My sewing machine has been put to good use this year.

3. Get my photos organized. Well....I organized all of my photos on an external hard drive. By year. By season. By event. Every photo since I have owned a digital camera. Thousands of photos. And then my cat knocked over the hard drive and nothing is accessible. I am hoping everything is still on there...it was 360 gigs of information. The photos that I have printed at home are not very organized. This is still a goal for 2012. I need to buy a bunch of photo albums....or make some scrapbooks...Something....my photos are getting ridiculous!

4. Get a new comforter--I really want something awesome from Anthro. I got a new comforter from Funtiques and I love it!!

5. Frame more of my Holga and darkroom photos, get artwork ready for a real show in a real gallery and photo competitions. I had an exhibit for 3rd Thursday in July. While I didn't frame many of the enlarged darkroom photos, I used these foto clips from photojojo to create photo grids with many of the 5X5 prints. I put a couple of my framed photos in a competition and didn't get any awards so I felt a little silly entering more...but I know I will this year. Framing is so expensive!

6. Organize the files on my computer. Shortly after I wrote these goals, my computer got super slow. I tried cleaning it off, but I could hardly edit photos or access my files. It was ridiculously slow. That was why I had so few blog posts last spring. In May, we got new computers at school...and that really helped speed things up.

7. Work hard to create a successful and amazing summer art program at a local art center. Since I was so busy with Art Lounge, I didn't end up doing the summer art program at Spiva. I'm glad it didn't work out. One day a week was more than enough for me. I would've been crazy-stressed-out-burned-out if I had worked full time all summer. The Art Lounge class was the perfect amount of art teaching for me with everything that was going on around town and helping my mom.


8. Seriously think about what I want to do next....masters? move? teach forever? I feel like I am having an amazing school year. Seriously, I love this year. I've got some good classes and I am really happy. Since I teach Art Lounge one night a week, I am hesitant to start a Master's program, but I know I need to start thinking about it more seriously.


9. I got a membership to the gym....I hope to work out at least 10 times a month ;-) I marked each work out on the calendar this year and it was 161 times. I met my goal....Most of the workouts were in February and march. Things tapered off in Novemer and December, but I definitely want to keep up a similar schedule for next year. I have gotten lazy the last few weeks...but I love feeling good and looking good so it is important to me. If I am not careful, I will drink sodas and sugary snacks, but when I am going to spin class and zumba every day, I stay away from those things and I feel better.


10. Watch one foreign film every month (this month I watched 3 streaming on Netflix) Hmmm....Nope. Did not do this. I did watch all of the Girl With a Dragon Tatoo movies...and a couple of documentaries...but not very many foreign films. I didn't watch many movies at all. This month, I have been really addicted to Mad Men. 

 

The last few are goals that could continue into the future...they are harder to measure and harder to reflect on whether or not I've made any progress.
11. Be more spontaneous.
12. Don't schedule so much stuff to do--make more time for my family. I envy that family on parenthood, they see each other all the time...I want to do that too. I still need to make this my goal...to be more
13. Be a better friend. Have more real conversations, be more supportive, more loving....

 I'm excited for 2012!!!

A look back at 2011

While I haven't blogged as frequently as I would've liked this year (especially in October and November!), I have tried to post as many quality posts as possible for the year. Last night, I sat down and made a list of blog ideas for 2012 and now the ideas are just pouring out of me....It feels good to be inspired.

In case you are a new reader, or you don't read every post, I wanted to share some of my favorites for the year. Sometimes it is fun to look back at everything that has happened...but this year hasn't really been a fun year....a lot of serious things have happened.

I love blogging about stories. To me, blogging is a much cheaper form of scrapbooking. A place to share stories, along with photos...not just the happy fun things, but the serious, real stories.

Even if nobody reads them, the blog posts are a place for me to record my history and my feelings.

This has been a memorable year. I will never forget some of the life changing things that have happened this year.

Summer of the Storm
Before and After Photos
Ode to the iPhone
Destruction in the Heartland 
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Life
KC+Art-and the Joplin Community Mural-#1 & #2

Fall Memories (good and sad)
Charlie and Me
Sweet Special Granny
A Lifelong Journey Still can't read this without crying
Morgan's English Tea Party Parties and showers are so fun! I love planning special things like this for my friends.
The Smallest Act of Caring
Eagle Bluff

Goals for 2012

This is the time of year when people are looking ahead to the future. Here is a little wish list and goal list for 2012. I am hoping to cross a lot of things off this list! Looks like it is going to be a fun year!

Hipsta at the Marriott!

Way back in November, I got to go to the Missouri State Teacher's Association convention in St. Louis. It was the first time I have ever missed two days of school in a row, so it was a little stressful planning to be gone, but it was a very interesting experience. We stayed at the Mariott in downtown St. Louis.

Even though I was supposed to be paying attention to the meeting, it was my first time...and I didn't recognize any of the people that they were honoring or any of the bi-laws that we were voting to change...I paid attention as much as I could, but I mostly just read my book...

Thursday night I got to go to a St. Louis Blues Hockey game...it was short walk from our hotel. It was super fun. The Marriott was a historic building....it was beautiful. Here are some of my favorite hipstamatic photos of the structure!

Destruction in the Heartland: Part 8.....homage to the memorial built by volunteers

When my aunt sent me this article from the New York Times about Joplin, she suggested that I go find the house and take a few photos. I knew exactly which house the article was referring to and I really wanted to take photos.

I haven't photographed much of the destruction since June...it just hasn't felt right. But this is a really special place. And many of the destroyed places have been rebuilt or are in progress, so things are looking good in Joplin again. It looks like a scene from an art installation, and it feels a little erie wandering through the property. I felt like a trespasser, but amongst all the volunteer signatures, I felt like I was paying homage the memorial, dedicated to the people who spent hours cleaning up our city.

Please read the article above, it tells the story.

 You can see a new home going up beside this one.

With frozen fingers, I juggled my iPhone and my Nikon to snap a few additional photos.  I like some of these even more than the others....a different, edgier feel to the photos...a bit of redundancy, but still very moving.

Thanks for reading.