….first day of spring here in Toronto but you wouldn’t know it from our trees
Even though we’ve had an unusually warm winter and March, after the initial snow storm in the first week, has been very spring like, our trees are still very barren. Other than that there are other signs of springs everywhere. Thanks to Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees.
….. I didn’t do much else but I did fill up one sketch book and am pretty close to filling a second one
Please don’t think that I filled up two new sketchbooks. My goal is to go back to older books and fill in the empty pages. The first book that I filled up was a small book to begin with and had only 8 pages left in it. On three of those pages I made journal notes.
In my second sketchbook, I’ve done more doodles, line drawings and portrait sketches.
Even though I’m on holidays my mind is never far from my next lesson at school. Before the break I started teaching the children how to make a simple 3D house out of paper. After folding the paper the children were encouraged to draw windows, doors, lights, numbers and any other details they wanted on their house. The last step is to apply watercolour and add more black line detail. While home I decided to finish the front and two sides of my sample.
So that was pretty much my week. Today we’re going to see the travel agent and book our flights to Italy this summer. So exciting!!!!!!!!
….my grade two class always embraces my lessons and can’t wait to start
This is the same assignment that I gave to my grade one classes but I asked the grade 2s to add some colourful doodles around their portraits. Dali, Picasso and Warhol never looked better.
…..these birds all know their place in this dance for their supper
This week’s WPC word is dance. Is it okay that I’ve used swans two weeks in a row? If it works with the theme, why not?
…..this week’s challenge asks us to post a photo that shows One Love
Initially I thought of posting photos of my loved ones but on my walk today I came across a couple of swan pairs. Swans mate for life. Here is my contribution to this WPC.
….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World
How many siblings do you have? What’s your birth order?
I have two younger sisters. I am the oldest child in the family.
The three Winkler sisters.
In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?
I like to drive but I also like being a passenger. I guess it depends largely on who the other driver is. If I’m with my father I prefer to drive and if I’m in an unfamiliar city than my host can drive.
When you lose electricity in a storm, do you light the candles or turn on the flashlight? How many of each do you own?
We are well prepared for a blackout. We don’t have electricity at the cottage so we are well versed when it comes to using candles, oil lanterns, kerosene lamps and battery operated lights. We have flashlights that we use initially to light the candles. I couldn’t tell you how many candles we have, probably dozens because I buy the big packages of tea lights. At home we have two oil lamps and at the cottage we have at least twelve.
List at least five of your favorite types of animals? (any animal to domestic to wild to marine life)
My favourite animals are:
dogs
chipmunks
elephants
rabbits
panda bears
Our Prime Minister with the Panda cubs at the Toronto Zoo
photo courtesy of: http://www.flynewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/667.jpg
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that my cold didn’t last very long. Lots of vitamin C, liquids and cold medicine and one day off work seemed to help. I’m also grateful for the week off, March Break, and being able to spend more time with my family. I’ve seen my granddaughter twice since Friday and all my daughters were over on Sunday.
My father had another fall last week and he didn’t tell me about it until Saturday. Luckily nothing is broken and he’s just bruised and sore. At least this time he seems to be in a much better mood and isn’t depressed like he was two years ago when he fell down a ravine. He turns 90 this year and is in remarkable good health. For that I am grateful as well.
This week I’m looking forward to lots of rest and relaxation. I’m hoping to visit my father and try to meet my oldest daughter for lunch one day this week. Last week was not a good walking week, partially due to my cold, so I’m aiming to get back to my daily goal of 10 000 steps. If the weather cooperates I’m hoping to get some good photographs on my walks.
….each week Hugh has a new photo challenge
This week Hugh’s challenge asks us to find pictures of things we stand behind. I’m always taking photos of people walking in front of me.
….another Sunday and more trees to share with you
Thank you Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees. Do you like to photograph trees? Why not share your photos and join the challenge.
…..it’s Thursday and I’m home trying to get over a cold
I don’t like waiting so long to get to Cee’s challenge but it seems like I’ve taken on more than I can manage at the moment so something had to be put aside temporarily. That something just happened to be writing for my blog. I’m trying to rest today so that I’m not sick over my March Break. Plans include drawing, reading and answering the following questions.
What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?
I would ask for good health for me and my family. My second wish would be enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life and take two or three trips a year. My last wish would be for on going happiness for my children. If they’re happy and I’m healthy what more could I ask for?
What experiences are most meaningful to you?
The experiences that are most meaningful to me are those that involve my husband and my family. They would include getting married, buying a house, having my children, going on vacation, having a great job and watching my children grow up and sharing their happy moments.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was very young I wanted to be a nurse. At the age of 12 I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and not just any teacher but a family studies teacher. I held on to that dream all through school, occasionally contemplating about going into medicine but my first choice was teaching. Well I did become a family studies teacher and did that for 15 years and then switched to become a guidance counsellor for two years and then a grade 5 homeroom teacher for 14 years and for the last 4 years I’ve been the librarian and art teacher.
Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….
I can’t pick just one. My wedding day, the days my children were born, the day we bought our house, the day I got my first teaching job, the days when my daughters got married, the day my son got engaged and the day my granddaughter was born.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful for spending the day babysitting my granddaughter last Sunday. My husband had a lot of medical tests done this week and I’m grateful that everything looks good and that his cancers are still in remission. We have the green light to proceed making plans for our trip to Italy this summer. We’ve had warming temperatures all week and the rain that we were suppose to get didn’t arrive until today so we’ve experienced very pleasant days.
After tomorrow our March Break begins and I’m looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation. We haven’t made any plans other than seeing our children. Maybe we’ll take in the museum or the art gallery and I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of walking.
…..Cee is encouraging us to use our imaginations for this challenge
Surely in my photo library I must have photos with crooked or squiggly lines. Cee, however, is asking us to use our imagination and find some interesting subjects. Seeing that I am somewhat housebound today I think I will explore the nooks and crannies of my home.
Mama Cormier 