Share Your World – Week 14

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Mama Cormier

If you had to describe your day as a traffic sign, what would it be?

I would be yield or proceed with caution. As much as I love teaching I always have to be careful about what I say, how I say it and to whom I say it. I think it is much worse for male teachers. Young children love to hug their teachers and I always hug them back but I know that my male colleagues feel that they would put themselves at risk if they did that.

Is your hair short (total neck and ear showing), medium (covering ears and neck), long (below shoulders), extra long (at least halfway down your back) or bald?

My hair medium in length. When I was younger I had very long hair and in my 30s and 40s I wore it shorter but not really short. For some reason in my 50s my hairdressers convinced me to wear my hair very short. When I look back at those photos I feel that I look older than I am now. The hairdresser that I go to now convinced me a few years ago to start wearing it longer again. I’m much happier with medium length hair.

When you are with your friends, do your interactions include much touching—for example, hugging, kissing, rough housing, rubbing backs? Would you like to have more of this? (Note: the answers may vary depending on where you live on this wonderful planet.)

I greet my friends with hugs but we’re not really into kissing. My daughter’s partner and her family are Italian and they always greet me with kisses on both cheeks. I like it but I find it awkward and I invariably I lean in with the wrong cheek and if the other person wears glasses I’m always smashing my lenses into theirs. It can actually be painful.

What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $100?

I think the best way to spend $100 is with my husband or good friend over a nice meal and a decent bottle of wine.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that the weather is finally starting to warm up. Today I noticed that the grass on my front lawn is actually starting to turn green. This week I’m looking forward to more warm weather, a concert in the afternoon, and reading some of the new books that I picked up for the library at the book fair today.

For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s Photography.

Daily Prompt: Express Yourself

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Mama Cormier

Do you love to dance, sing, write, sculpt, paint, or debate? What’s your favourite way to express yourself, creatively?

People who have been following me for awhile know that I love to paint and experiment with new art forms. I loved drawing when I was in elementary school, especially when one of my teachers took the time to teach us about perspective and shading. It opened a whole new world for me.

The unfortunate part is that once I went to high school I no longer took art classes. There was no room in my timetable for it. I knew at an very early age that I wanted to be a Family Studies teacher. That meant taking a lot of science classes in high school and of course my one and only elective I had went to Family Studies classes.

Once I started teaching I spent the next 17 years working side by side with the art teachers because we shared an open concept space or were only separated by a door. At the time all middle school students took Unified Arts, which included visual art, shop and family studies. I loved watching the creative process that happened in all three disciplines but I didn’t venture outside my own comfort zone and try my hand at woodworking or painting.

Once my own children approached adulthood the yearning to paint grew stronger and in my late 40s I took my first art class. I loved it. I started with folk art and then moved on to watercolour. In recent years I’ve experimented with acrylics and just recently tried oil painting. This year past I also took a pottery class and loved that as well and last week I attended a 6 hour workshop on dyeing fabrics with indigo dye and of course I’m crazy about that too.

As you can see I need to try new things all the time. Recently I took on the job of teaching art to grades 2 to 5 along side my library duties. I have the best job, books and art. What a perfect combination.

Here is a small sampling of some of the art forms I’ve played with:

An earlier attempt at collage.

Thank Goodness for the Weekend

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….it couldn’t come soon enough

Have you ever had one of those days that felt like it would never end?

Today was one of those days. It rained most of the day. All recesses were cancelled. The kids were indoors all day. By the afternoon they were more squirrelly than normal and it didn’t matter what you did or said they just couldn’t work without bickering at each other.

I knew I was in trouble when my last art class arrived at my door and their teacher apologized in advance for their behaviour. I sat them down and explained that I understood how their pent up energy had no avenue to be spent on this rainy day but we needed to try and focus on the lesson ahead if we were going to have a fun and productive double period of art. I said I was willing to let them go in pairs for a walk from one end of the school to the other if it would make a difference to their productivity. Most of the students were excited to be able to do that so I organized them into groups and one group at a time ‘went for a walk’.

I’m not sure it made any difference. Not two minutes after I demonstrated the lesson and gave precise instructions students started coming to me and asked what they had to do even though there were students already engaged in the activity. I couldn’t believe it. I looked at the kids that were working and asked them, “Didn’t I just explain what to do?” They nodded in the affirmative.

Day 2 is hard enough as is because I teach art back to back to grades 2 and 3. We have three or four projects on the go and I’m trying to get students to catch up so that we only have one common project that we’re working on at the same time. We didn’t quite reach that goal today. Next week we should only have two projects on the go and hopefully by the end of that class everyone will be on the same project. Of course that means some of the students will be finishing their big weaving project while others will have barely started.

At the end of the day I took some time to put up more art projects around the school. I must have been pretty tired because as I was leaving for the day I realized that I hadn’t taken any pictures of their work. I didn’t have the energy to turn around and go back to take a few shots. I apologize for the lack of photographs today. I’ll make it up to you next week.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I hope to get some rest, read and get out for a walk, weather permitting.

Cheers!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Smooth objects

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….had to go back into the vault to find these photos

For more fun photos of ‘smooth’ objects go to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.

Share Your World 2014 – Week 13

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Mama Cormier

……crayon colours, aliens, transportation and pets I wouldn’t fancy

Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?

The simple answer is yes. How can one believe that only the planet Earth would have living beings when the universe is so incredibly enormous? I definitely believe that there is a parallel universe somewhere out there with intelligent life.

What type of pet or pets do not want to have?

I’m not a big fan of reptiles of any kind. Lizards and snakes do nothing for me.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

I would definitely be red. Such a vibrant and warm colour. I love it.

What type of transportation would you be? Why?

I think I would be a luxury train. What a great way to travel. Comfy seats, great views and if you’re travelling business class very good food. Safe and relatively quick without the worries of traffic. Very relaxing.

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 a week of artistic expression. I finished my on-line abstract art class and I participated in a 6 hour workshop on Saturday learning how to use indigo dye to create beautiful fabrics.

I’m looking forward to a week of quiet and catching up on my reading. Maybe I’ll sew something with my new fabric. I’m not looking forward to going to the dentist tomorrow. Last night my molar decided to break apart. Luckily it doesn’t hurt.

Feeling the Indigo Blues?

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….only if it’s a feeling of joy and accomplishment

Yesterday I attended a 6 hour workshop on dyeing fabric with indigo at Articulations in the Junction. It was a Christmas gift from my youngest daughter. It was a small class with 8 students ranging in age from their 20s to 60s. We even had one man in the class who came with his partner.

Our instructor, Jane Jacobs, was truly inspirational. She had a multitude of samples for us to look at and an infinite number of objects to experiment with. Everyone brought their own fabric and articles of clothing to play with. There were also white silk scarves and infinity scarves that you could buy for the purpose of dyeing.

I experimented with a technique that involved stitching designs and pulling them tightly. I wish I had more time to make more of these but I think I may try more of these at home. The technique is called shibori and comes from Japan. The secret is to pull the thread really tightly. It will work with any kind of dye. I loved the indigo but it has a few more steps and requires more time to get it to the stage where it’s ready to use. Here is a website that demonstrates how to stitch on the fabric. Shibori from Japan.

The dyeing techniques also included folding and clamping the fabric. I wrapped string around small stones that were buried into the fabric and I pulled fabric from the middle and put elastic bands around it. This created a real retro 60s look that was reminiscent of tie dye. I also clamped buttons and metal squares between folds of fabric. Some of the students wrapped their fabric around large plastic cylinders, then wrapped string around the fabric and kept pushing the wrapped fabric up the cylinder. That was hard work but the finished product was beautiful. If I go back for another class I will try that technique with silk.

I brought a variety of fabrics to play with. I had two 100% cotton samples, one in white and one in taupe. I had a piece of linen and rayon that was also a taupe but with a tinge of green in it and my last piece that I played with was a white 100% cotton knit.

We weren’t sure how the coloured fabrics would take the dye but another student brought a grey fabric and all of them turned out well. The contrast wasn’t as dramatic as the white but the patterns showed up nicely against the blue.

Now I have to decide what I’m going to do with my pieces of fabric. I’ve already decided to make one into a pillow, one will be a table runner and the third I will sew into an infinity scarf. I’m not sure about the fourth piece but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

The following photos are my creations after they dried.

Built Up Enough Courage to Try it Again

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….working with oil paints, that is

After my mini disaster with oil paints the first time around I was putting off trying it again. My teacher, Karine Swenson encouraged me to keep trying and continue experimenting with the medium. I was going to wait until the weekend but for some reason at 11:00 last night I was moved to paint. I got out a new 18 x 18 inch canvas and started painting squares. Two and a half hours later I was finished (well at least for now). I posted my piece on the on-line class’s Facebook page and went to bed.

This time I laid my piece flat so when I woke up in the morning there were no drips or runs of paint down the painting. This piece is quite different from the first but I think I am now ready to tackle lesson 5 which involves working really big. I have to go out and buy a canvas about 48 x 48 inches.

In the meantime though I have to get ready for another class that I am taking tomorrow which involves fabric and indigo dyes. I thought that everything I needed would be provided at the class but after reading the course description I think I need to go out and do a little shopping for cotton or linen fabric. I’m taking the class at Articulations in the Junction. Here’s a small description of the class.

Up 4, Down 4

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….an update on my weight loss journey

Before I left for Calgary I was hoping to maintain my weight and not gain weight over five days.

The optimum word here was ‘hope’. Weight loss is never about hope. It’s about ‘doing’. I didn’t go to Calgary with the plan to not eat dessert, not drink wine and not eat bread and pasta. Instead I went with the notion that I could eat everything but in moderation.

That was all fine and well but the missteps started right on the plane. I had a least 3 drinks. I passed on the bread but I ate the rice and the ice-cream. I did pass on the potato chips but I didn’t turn down the dark chocolate. When we arrived at my sister’s place the wine came out almost immediately. Her husband cooked us dinner. Pasta with seafood. My weakness.

The next day we met my friends at the local conservation area where an art exhibition was on display in the learning centre. Afterwards we stopped by their house and I picked up dessert to have with coffee. Of course they had also picked up dessert. I should have declined but no I had a bit of all the desserts.

This is pretty much how the entire 5 days went. Very little exercise, lots of wine and good food. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when I gained 4 pounds. So much for maintaining my weight.

Since I’ve been back I’ve eaten much better. I’ve had salads pretty much every day for lunch and then again with dinner. I’ve been trying to drink a lot of clear tea during the day and not eat at night. I think in the last 10 days I’ve had only a couple glasses of wine and I’ve turned down sweets at school most of the time. It’s taken 10 days but I’ve finally dropped the 4 pounds that I had gained.

The challenge now is to stay on track with the healthy eating plan and watch the weight come off. The weather is beginning to turn around and hopefully I will be able to get out and walk. I’ll report in again when I’m down another pound or two. The journey continues.

Share Your World – Week 12

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….are these questions getting harder or am I just too tired?

When I saw this week’s questions, nothing popped into my head right away. I really had to think about some of these questions.

What is your most favorite smell/scent?

This one wasn’t too difficult. I love the smell of cinnamon. I think it brings back memories of Christmas baking and mulled wine. Last week in Calgary my sisters and I went to a great spice store called The Silk Road Spice Merchant. Who knew there were so many different varieties of cinnamon? Well I didn’t and I discovered a very aromatic variety called Vietnamese “Saigon” Cinnamon. Heavenly!

How do you write: computer, longhand or other?

I do most of my writing on the computer. This would include lesson plans, e-mails, essays, blog posts, etc.. I do, however, use longhand when writing thank you cards, birthday cards and most cards in general.

Your favorite blog post that you have written? (add link)

This one is really hard. I’ve written over 600 posts in the last two years. How does one choose? I think I have to go way back when I wrote about one of my most memorable Christmases as a child. Here is the link.

What’s one of your favorite books from childhood?

Another difficult question. I don’t remember being a big reader as a child. I do remember liking non-fiction and books about random facts. I also liked children’s cookbooks. My first cookbook came from Carnation Milk and I think I made every single recipe in that book and not just once but several times.