You Learn

You Learn

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts,
And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of an adult
Not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while, you learn that
Even the sunshine burns if you get too much.

So plant your own garden
Decorate you own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure…
That you are really strong
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn.
With every good-bye you learn.

~By Veronica Shoffstall~
Submitted by: Harry Updegraff, Jr.

A family member sent me this poem...she said that it made her think of me. I wanted to share it with you. Pass it on to someone if it reminds you of anyone special in your family.

Here are some lovely images from We Heart it that I HEART <3











Happy Saturday!!

Happy Weekend!!

Tonight I am going to spend the evening scrapbooking (and again tomorrow!) with some of my favorite friends. I haven't had a chance to do anything creative in so long, I am really looking forward it!!

I have high hopes for going to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend.

The weather right now is gorgeous--60's!!!!!! and suuuuuuuuuunnnnnnyyyyyyyyy!

Today was an absolutely wonderful day at school--we spent the day making clay cupcakes! YAY!

I feel ready for Monday--my last productive week until my vacation! I need to start making my packing list and getting my jewelery and shoes organized so that I don't pack too much!

This candy!! I love cadburry mini eggs---so delicious!

This necklace It is just so beautiful!! I don't know what it is...I just love the vintage jewelery combined in such a unique composition. It is just lovely!!

Hope you have a special weekend planned!!

Chicken nuggets make me happy.

And this little piggie went waaaaa-waaa-waaaa all the way home!

I did today anyway.

I have been so sick this week. I HATE being sick. My immune system is weakened from a bout of strep throat a couple of weeks ago and this week on top of sinus stuff, I have had a sour-yucky-stomach. I will spare you the details.

And whenever I am sick, I have to have a backup plan. In writing. On my desk. Or ELSE!

So even if I am so sick that I want to die, I must drag myself to school, (and in my case two schools)--usually between the hours of 4 and 6 a.m., make half a dozen phone calls, and prepare a game plan so that I can sit the bench while someone else teaches my lessons. Or at the very least, prepare some form of a substitute lesson, because only I can deliver the kind of organization, experience, and unique understanding that is required for my curriculum. Maintaining two art rooms and the artwork of over 400 students cannot be left in the hands of a rookie. Usually it is not even worth all the hours of work that go in to planning for a sub. I would rather puke in between classes, use a swig of mouthwash, put on a fake smile, and make it through. (I haven't ever done that...but it is tempting....Actually if the nurse's office bed wasn't so repulsive, I would probably spend more time there when I am feeling sick)

Yesterday I had the misfortune of needing a substitute. So I had to drag myself to school, scrawl out a note with instructions, locate both principals and someone to fill in for me at one of my before-school-bus duties, and only then could I return to the comfort of my bed and the security of my own toilet.

Luckily, for the sub, things went smoothly, but I lost several hours of work time that I desperately need in order to get stuff done before my big trip over spring break.

Oh and since I was gone--practically on my deathbed, I might add--I missed a very important after-school meeting. This meeting had been postponed one week because the person in charge of the meeting had been sick the week before. Realizing that I had a responsibility at the meeting, I sent out emails and made phone calls--while juggling a puke bowl, tissue box and cold cloth. It may have been too little too late. And it is all my fault. I missed the meeting.

Sometimes the pressure is just overwhelming! And I try to stay positive as often as I can, but life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. As much as I desperately try to fill my life with beauty and good stuff---sometimes all the crap gets me down.

I hate being sick. It makes me feel weak and frustrated. Today I wasn't feeling 100% or even 80% but I just had to put on a fake smile and make it through. As a result, I wasn't nearly as patient as I should have been and at the end of the day, I didn't even have the energy to put the classroom chairs up on the tables or unload a dozen boxes of clay projects, at the kiln, by myself. Well, I got the clay loaded into my car...but not at the school where the kiln is...I had to call in reinforcements to help me get it all unloaded.

Without giving away too many details that really have no relevance to this blog, I just need to say that I cried all the way home today. And lately, I just feel like I have more reasons to cry than smile. And I have less and less energy and enthusiasm for my favorite things in life. It isn't the cold dreary weather--today it was 60 and sunny...its just a bunch of other stuff and writing this has helped me to let go of some of the frustration and pain. So thanks for reading.

Ugh, I don't want to end on a sour note so here are 3 things that make me truly happy:

Chicken nuggets.

Scrabble. Words with friends. Things spelled out with scrabble tiles...and pretty much everything beautiful this picture represents.

Hugs.

{Owl} Parade

Ohmygoodness! I just realized that I haven't done an owl parade!!

I have many owl images on my computer and I have a growing owl collection in my home but I haven't put together a post of sweet owl pictures for a parade from we heart it.
Here goes!



I love this clock--Awesome!

Look at the sock-monkey-esque owls! So cute!

I actually have a couple of these:

Aaaaaaaw!

How cool! I would love to make something like this!

So pretty!

Yep, my collection is getting there!

Love this artist!

Love me some Hambly!

So pretty!

Gorgeous cake!

So cool...love that wall paper too!

Cute, cute, cute!

Tee hee, i love this!

Gotta have the cupcakes in there!

Such a pretty little woodland collection. I wish I had some giant acorns...wonder if those are corks? Cool idea!

Anyone in a wolf suit is awesome!

I {heart} this calendar:

Wooden owls!

Such a pretty collection:

I NEED THESE SHEETS!

formspring.me

Bored. Created a formspring. Ask me anything anonymously and I will write a blog post with your questions!! http://formspring.me/nelliemaeii

Snot emergency

I hate it when I am sick. I hate it when other people are sick. A couple of weeks ago I had strep. Now I have something else. It makes my nose run and my head feel clogged. My ears feel like they have some sort of fluid in them. The runny nose is the worst. I am constantly sucking it all in or blowing it all out. The only remedy I have found is a tissue up one nostril, like a white flag, surrendering to the snot war.

Today, I waged a great battle against the snot war. I was helping a kindergarten student finish a project and I looked up to see another boy dashing across the room in desperate search of a tissue. I always try to have my tissues in a place that makes sense to a student in a snot emergency. This boy definitely had a snot emergency.

He had two snot lakes calmly resting in his nostrils and the dam had burst from the force of an F.8 hurricane sneeze. Two engorged rivers had been unleashed and the green snot was gushing forth, over his lips and onto his chin. Snot emergency.


I didn't want to touch him, or be anywhere near him and no one else seemed to notice him with the snot stalactites about to unhinge from the edge of his chin cliff.



It was up to me: remain calm, and direct him to the tissue box. So I started giving him commands. Back there, turn, behind you, on the table....get TWO TISSUES....BLOW, more, you need more!

Of course I was simultaneously attempting to orchestrate an entire classroom of other student emergencies 'put your glue-globed artwork on the drying wrack', 'please pick up that trash', 'not so much glue,' 'if it bothers you when he sticks out his tongue, then you need to use your words and tell him that that is not appropriate and it hurts your feelings,' 'practice using your scissors safely, because it is not safe when you attempt to cut someone's eyelashes during art' 'don't play in the water bucket, I haven't changed the water all day and you could get dyscentery if you put the sponges in your mouth because every kid in school has scrubbed the glue and cooties off of their hands using that same water, in fact, don't wash your hands unless they are glued together,' 'what is dysentery? cooties in your colon,' what is your colon? ask your mom,' 'she just got glue in her hair? okay get a baby wipe,' 'stop pushing your chair back so hard, you keep bumping the person behind you' 'sit flat or else you might fall,' 'you just fell? are you okay? okay.' 'what? you aren't invited to his birthday party because you took that book out of his hands? I am sorry' etc.

About five minutes after the snot emergency with the boy... I had my own snot emergency. I needed to blow my nose. I needed to wave my white flag against the snot war. So I went over and grabbed a tissue off the top of the box. I held it up to my face. And I felt the cold chill of that boy's snot against my cheek. Somehow two or three weren't enough, he had to slime one of the tissues and then he left it on top. And I had it on my face. So I folded the tissue over, finished blowing my nose. And I went back to work dealing with a whole slew of other classroom emergencies. Only now, that I am at home...am I able to deal with the trama of the snot shower. ewwwwwwwww!!


Images courtesy of we heart it.

Style Sunday {1}

Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer.
Hardy is an iconic figure in music, fashion and style. I gathered these photos of her for my style file file from last.fm

I am absolutely in love with her hair, outfits and poses. These photos are simply gorgeous.

My style file is filled with gorgeous photos of banged beauties just like Hardy.

I currently have bangs, something I never thought I would have in my life! I absolutely love them.

You can see even more here.

Hope your Sunday is lovely!!

Flickr Favorites Friday {2}!!

I have been looking at pretty Holga pictures on Flickr...dreaming of sunshine and fancy locations. See more of my favorites here. Soooo glad its Friday!! I need a restful weekend!





Sources:
1. Japanese allspice（Roubai）, 2. img580, 3. dtown11, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Mountains, 7. On and on, 8. Phantom of San Marco, 9. Cold wind blows, 10. Ascension, 11. small-42, 12. New York, 13. Untitled, 14. Five Megans, 15. one fish two fish, 16. Water Town, 17. Untitled, 18. The 3 pyramids at Giza, 19. Big Man at the Orange Door, 20. Untitled, 21. soaring heart, 22. Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes, 23. Mr. Mustache, 24. The view, 25. Relaxing in Hell