Fat Fairies

scherenschnitte

Most days I feel as though the fat fairies are hovering over my head at every moment, sprinkling down their sugary sweet fairy dust upon my head.  I mean, where else are all those calories coming from?????

I hate those evil doers, but I'm not fond of the wrinkle, double chin, or reading glasses fairies either.

Advice for My Teacher Tweeps

The originator of our Art Education 2.0 Ning group , Craig Roland,  is a university professor at the University of Florida and he writes a column for School Arts magazine.  When he recently asked on Twitter for words of advice for first year art teachers, I sent a couple of tweets.  I was tickled pink to see one of them included in School Arts magazine this month.

School_Marm.  That's my Twitter name.

This is one of those "do as I say, not as I do" kinds of advice.  Truth be known, I eat lunch in my classroom as I clean, grade, and prepare for the next bunch of kiddies.  When I have actually followed this advice, I have benefitted from it, but being an introvert, I am happy puttering around in my room and in my own head.

Just Like Daddy

Many days, I do not have any inspiration for snipping.  Eventually, though, an idea will come up and smack me in the head.

This one was inspired by watching the two little boys next door.  Their parents are cops.  Dad is a hulking muscle man.  Mom is minute.  I giggled several times this week watching the parents cutting grass and the boys pretending to cut grass behind them.   The boys bend down low to the ground and hold onto the sides of their big dump trucks.  Their little behinds stick way up in the air. Then the boys run that way.  How on God's green earth they can run like that, I have no clue.  But I get tickled every time I see it.  And they can do it for hours.

Fiddlin' Around

I've been back from Fall Break for four work days now.  Funny how two weeks off from work totally renders you a weakling when you return.  I'm rather pooped.

I've had little inspiration for snipping lately, so I just fiddled around a bit with this.  It's a flowery hat on the head of a boy.  Maybe the plants are like ideas sprouting from his brain.

Personally, I could use some idea sprouting as well.

Quicky Camping Trip

This was my second (and last) week of Fall Break.  M took off the week off as well.  Since we never could firm up any exotic travel plans,  we fell back on some easy choices nearby.

One of our quicky trips was a car camping trip in Shenandoah.   This was my second car camping trip during break.  Since it was mid-week, and pre-hunting season, we were the only campers around.  It was in a national forest, so it was relatively primitive camping.  (i.e. in the middle of the woods and without any amenities except for a fire ring.)

Here's a shot of where we slept.

One of the reasons that I bought this truck was so that I could use it as a tent.  That saves me the hassle of dealing with setting up the tent, dealing with wind and rain in a tent, and taking down and drying out a moist tent at the end of the trip.

No, we're not "getting our drink on" in this photo.  Some slob left this box sitting in the fire ring before we came on the scene.  M used it as a surface for getting a flame going. 

 

He finds satisfaction in building a fire without a match.  Here he is trying to ignite pine needles with dryer lint, magnesium, and a flint.

Ta da!

 

We slept fitfully that night.  The temperature was in the low 40's.  The sky was shockingly starry.  With the back of the truck open, I often woke in the middle of the night to just gawk at the stars for a few minutes before sticking my head back inside my sleeping bag.  Living in the well lit suburbs of D.C., we rarely see but a few stars at night, so seeing thousands of them is quite exciting.

There were the occassional animal noises; most of which we could identify.  Scurrying chipmunks; barred owls; whippoorwills.  There was one shreiking animal that I suspected was a fox. M woke up multiple times to the sound of a bear, which he came to realize was me....snoring.   Nice.

The morning was still chilly until the sun had a while to rise up high in the sky.  We didn't want to stir up a fire again, so warmth came from my down coat, fleece pants and my fleece hat.

We headed out of the woods before the gnats got warm enough to wake up and drive me nuts.  I guess we left around 8 am or so.  I'm guessing that this will be my last camping trip of the year.

Wee Fish House?

This business card is from a nice restaurant near where we live.

For some reason, the way I have arranged the graphics on this building, reminds me of an old seafood restaurant near the beach.

I'm guessing it is 1/2" tall.  I suppose I should go measure it, but believe it or not, I don't measure too much on these.

Making a Snake Jump Through Hoops

I haven't been on the bike much lately but have been chomping at the bit to go out and ride. We did 30 miles today and my bum is so so sore.

M, always the defender of critters trying to cross roads and trails, made us do a "U-ey" after passing this fellow.  He had to make sure no one rode over this black snake, but not before making him slither through his wheel.

Last One on the Block

I think that the house on the far left is going to be the last one on the block.  The neighborhood feels just right the size.  I may go back and add chimneys though.

Someone suggested that I put little white lights inside, which is an idea I love.  (I sure wish that last week I hadn't given  a set of battery run little white lights to the Goodwill.  Sigh......  A week ago.  I kid you not.)

And So it Grows

The Wee Neighborhood Grows