My CK-12 update

Time to give an update on my educational journey. Today I completed my fourth CK-12 assignment. Screenshot below.

Hold off on the kudos though as it may be time consuming to watch the webinars and complete the work but it is NOT hard! Any one interested in learning more about what CK-12 has to offer should look into it. You have five required webinars to watch and five required, very easy quizzes to complete and any entire year in which to do so. It’s free (they are privately funded by a massively wealthy family) and all they ask is that you pay it forward by telling others about a free educational resource. Not onerous and you can find great resources to supplement your teaching materials. End of spiel!

One word

I have been sleeping like a baby.  Frequent wakings during the night – no tears though or dirty diapers, but yes, very unsettled with lots of tossing and turning. How about you? This pandemic has most of us on edge and out of sorts. Our routines are out of wack and there no set date for normalcy to return. The other night as I tossed and turned, I wrote some brilliant posts in my mind. But alas, with the rising sun most ideas fled from my brain.

A single thought stayed behind. One word. Just choose one word that means something important to you or is some goal you aspire to reach. The classroom teacher presented this to the kids and asked them to write about the word they selected, why it was significant and how to work towards it. I decided to join in and picked CREATE – it may seem easy but clearly I’ve struggled to keep up with this blog and I’ve spent less and less time crafting over the years.  I have my excuses, rationalizations and actual good reasons but my inability to get into my craft area and get going has had a negative effect on me.

It’s been harder to get motivated to create and the aim of my one word was to get my craft on again. The plan was simple – spend twenty minutes minimum each day in my craft area either scrapbooking, card making or tidying up my supplies so that I had the space to make something.  I’ve not been entirely successful but have days where I can spend an hour or so working my magic.

Made this in 2008 and still love it

This weekend, I really rose to the challenge thanks to Creative Memories Virtual Crop on Facebook. The challenge was that every four hours, they would post a new scrap map for you to attempt. I didn’t think I would manage to get all twelve layouts done but I did – thirteen actually as I took a wee walk and coming back, forgot that I’d already finish a particular challenge! No photos are attached to the layouts but that’s okay, I know what ones I want to use. I just need to get them printed.  Last summer at the PNE I managed to take 175 pictures of the girls and myself during our day there and loved the colours we saw throughout the day.

Such a fun day

My ice cream wings

With layouts planned by someone else and knowing what event I would be scrapping, I dove in. The hours past very quickly and I had an amazingly good time.

Initially I thought I would make digital layouts but I decided to pull out the papers, ink and stamps. As one lady said, she prefers the hands on approach as it “is like having a book in your hands to read vs a book on a nook or kindle. Something about holding/hands on.” As a library technician I appreciate her comment – but I love both paper books and my Kobo just as I love paper and digital crafting. Each has a time and place. Now I will proudly show of my efforts.

 

“Your humor is your compass and your shield. You can hone it into a weapon or you can pull its strands out to make your very own cotton-candy blanket. You can’t exist on a diet of humor alone, but you can’t exist on a diet without it, either.”

David Levithan

Time flies except in a pandemic

When I started this blog ten and a half years ago, I had such grand plans to craft frequent pretty, poetic, and pithy posts. But as the saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  It’s been over two years since my last attempt to resurrect this little beast. This time, perhaps…

Nowadays, time seems to be flowing rather differently. As the title says, time flies except in a pandemic. Normally the days are busy with rushing the kids to school and myself to work, planning dinners, activities and gatherings. Now with Covid-19’s insidious spread we are staying home to flatten the curve and March break has yet to end, a month after it started.  With the wonderful weather we’ve been having, it should feel like an early summer vacation but we’ve nowhere we can go – I’ve always hating grocery shopping so no joy in Muddville with that chore – and around the block is considered an outing right now.

Lethargy is running rampant through the household with teenage complaints of “It’s too early” at 10 am and nagging is becoming par for the course with regards to this nightmare called remote learning.  High school was quite a while ago for me so in order to help, I’m forced to learn again!  And as time is moving like molasses going uphill in January and I’m spending so much time in front of the computer anyway, I’ve decided to use that time to better myself and to create again.

At the elementary school where I work, a colleague mentioned that she was CK-12 certified when we were bandying about ideas on how best to assist our students while they are at home. Ultimately, we decided to use Readworks and Khan Academy to ease the kids into the online learning world but the idea of certification struck a chord with me.  I love to learn and research but I often need a carrot dangling at the end to keep me motivated. So I’ve jumped in and yesterday began the journey to become a CK-12 certified educator – it’s free and completely online.  I’m blabbing about it online to ensure I continue. You, people of the internet who may happen to read this, are the public I’ve chosen to announce this to in an effort to hold me accountable throughout this process. Fortunately they allow a year to complete this but with the expectation that we  are in for a bit of a wait before life returns to normal, I’m hoping to get this done before June. I’ll keep you posted…hopefully!

Okay, that’s the “better myself” part.  Next post will be about my creative stuff.

 

“No school without spectacular eccentrics and crazy hearts is worth attending.”
Saul Bellow

 

 

Wow…my site’s still alive!

Ha, holy cow, it’s been 3 1/2 yrs since I posted last and this beast is still up and running! Honestly, I’m going to try and post at least twice a year – snort!

But if you’re still out there folks, here’s one of those freebies that  I used to post more frequently back in the old days. Links are valid until January 7th.

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_1

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_2

 

Inks & Thinks isn’t the only thing I’ve been neglecting to update. My Goodreads feed shows a book I finished back in Sept and I’ve read tonnes since then…but, you guessed it, haven’t updated that either! And although things have changed since my last, long ago post, I still love quotes, so here goes.

“For a really long time, I thought being different was a negative thing. But as I grew older, I started to realize we were all born to stand out; nobody is born to blend in.”

Halima Aden

I cogitate???

Just thought I’d share one of the fabulous comments that I discovered had been left for me recently.  This is from We Buy Any Car.

“I cogitate this is a factual extraordinary article place.Thanks Again. Real Major.”

I feel honoured and wish I could adequately express my true emotions with some appropriate language…but alas, I’ve spent all day at home with three sick kids and my brain has rotted and seeped out of my ears.

I cogitate

 

“My dull brain was wrought with things forgotten.”
The Bard Himself

Calling the carnivores

Eek, my last post disappeared so all of you non-vegetarians are missing out on a great opportunity!  Yup, mounds o’ meat.  My sister and brother-in-law on behalf of their Ride to Conquer Cancer team, the Blazing Saddles are having a raffle.  You have the chance to win $300 worth of quality meat from Hopcott Meats.  They specialize in healthy, local and quality meats.  Their meat does not have added hormones or antibiotics. Draw date is May 26th.  $10 per ticket (or 3 for $20) is all it takes to help raise funds for a great cause.

If you are interested, please let me know!

Thanks for your support!

Cancer is a word, not a sentence.

– John Diamond

Playing with the camera – again

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a new camera and have spent some time playing with it.  My favourite subjects are my girls of course.  Although I haven’t yet made the digital scrapbook page I’ve been challenged to do, I thought I’d share some of the great shots that I took.  So modest, I now – but it’s amazing what a good camera can do for your ego!

Oh, yeah, and I’ve made a card or two!

The digital camera is a great invention because it allows us to reminisce. Instantly.
Demetri Martin

That’s so random!

Okay, I’m still prescheduling my blogs so who knows what I’m working on right now!  I thought I just post some random photos I’ve taken lately.  Remember when I said I’d tidied up the hallway with a shoe rack?  Well, this is what it looks like now, controlled chaos!

The grade one classes go to Chinatown every year to the Sun Yat Sen Gardens and I joined them.  H was so upset that she didn’t see the turtle for the longest time but when she did, she was the happiest creature about.  She wouldn’t let me take her picture until she was happy again.

Hmm, what else do I have to share?

My girls are crazy for picnic of any variety.  This was a cloudy day, we could hear thunder in the distance but that didn’t deter them.  The umbrellas were to shield them from the wind and they figured they could easily shelter from the rain if the storm came our way.  Fortunately it didn’t.

Here they are making a giant mess of the kitchen floor.  It’s the only room where they are allowed to get into the Play Doh as they spread it everywhere.  A change of clothes is always required after the Play Doh gets put away as their knees and sleeves get covered in it.  They are amazing – 24 colours became one after a single use.

If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.

Bruce Barton

Playing catch up!

Between being sick and dealing with sick kids, I haven’t posted in a donkey’s age.  I have found a bit of time to make some stuff though!

As I mentioned before, I went to the Stampin’ Up regionals in Vancouver and in the days before, I sat down and designed a card front to swap.  Here it is.

Can you believe these shots are of the same card front?  Pete sweetly gave me a camera for Christmas and I’ve had a bit of a hard time adjusting to it.  The first shot is with our old camera and shows the colours as they really are.  The second shot is from the new camera and although it highlights the details of the heat embossing really well, the colours are a bit off.

This third shot is with the new one.  The colours are bang on but, well, it is super fuzzy!  Clearly I need more play time with the camera.

Anyhoo, moving along… the parties never end which in terms of making cards is a wonderful thing!  It always gives me an excuse to head down to the basement and get inky.  So here’s one I made for our good friends’ daughter.

See how sparkly it is?  That’s the wonderful Champagne Mist paint from Stampin’ Up.  I’m suddenly quite addicted to it.  I’ve discovered how great it looks on my nails after I spilled it on the countertop, too.  Fortunately, it washes right off.

Today I’m providing you with two quotes as I liked them both so much!

 

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.

Emily Dickinson

 We are always the same age inside.

Gertrude Stein

Cards and coffee

Oh my, I really am lazy these days!  Here I am after noon on a Saturday posting in my pajamas.  But hey, at least I’m out of bed.  In spite of what my infrequent postings may suggest, I have been down to the basement in the last few weeks to create.  After making all the Valentine’s for the girls, I made one for my in-laws – it’s a knock off of the one I made at Carrie’s downline meeting.

The one I made for my hubby was such a poor last-minute creation that I’m not even going to show it.  I realized about an hour before he got home from work that I hadn’t yet made one for him.   But I will post the one I gave him last year.  This spinner card was designed by my good friend, Marnie.

As the mom of three girls, there is a constant need for birthday cards!  So, again, a last-minute creation (but one that I’m happy enough with that I’ll post) was needed for a sleepover birthday party.  As it wasn’t at my house, I was quite happy to send my big one off.  Can you imagine having 10 girls, ages 8 and 9 chatting until midnight?  Apparently there were even die-hards that stayed awake until 3 am!  Anyway, here’s the card I made for the birthday girl.

Here’s a card that speaks to my heart!  I love this stamp set and just had to use it as soon as I could.  After some trial and error, I came up with a card that I thought adequately expressed my love of coffee!  You can find this and a few other of my creations for sale at bookmark the library store!

That’s it for now as I can’t yet show the birthday cards that I made for the birthday folks this weekend.  Like what you see?  Let me know!

 

Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee.

 ~Stephanie Piro

No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee’s frothy goodness.

~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir