back to school

September 5, 2010 / 0 Comments

Tomorrow is my first full week at school. I jumped in last week and now I am just swimming around, not sticking too close to the edge, I have thrown myself into the deep end and I am just fine, for the moment anyway.

I have plans this week to do more cleaning in the cupboard, just taking it a section at a time. In going through a pile on Thursday (it cascaded down when I went to reach for something above) I discovered some treasures from China. There were little paintings, bought in a market, a box of two shadow puppets and a few packets of tissue paper wrapped intricately designed paper cut-outs including circus figures, the New Year’s animals and a selection of Oriental women.

I cleaned the other half of my “hallway”, so now there is an easy path inside, with no tripping, twisting, or contorting to get through into the main part of the cupboard. So, tomorrow I will be donning my green apron, rolling up my sleeves and getting back to work!

In celebration of going back to school I will be doing a small series this week of “Back-to-School” posts, so keep a look out for ideas and projects that I will feature here!

September 1, 2010 / 1 Comment

I Jumped

Well, I jumped! And, the water was just fine!

Today was very busy, with a major learning curve I had to quickly climb up! My day was spent in and out of meetings, I worked in my cupboard in between, unpacking supplies. I love the smell of pastels and charcoal and inks. It was a treat to open those boxes, the first person to touch the beloved Art supplies before they become a muddled rainbow of used things.

There is much more to learn, but that will come in time, I know. For it wouldn’t be an Adventure if you already knew the journey at the start! As Anne with an “E” says:

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?” -L.M. Montgomery

The best part of my day was the end. I was picked up by Mr. Michie and arm in arm he walked me to the bus stop and then home we went! I felt just like Anne of Green Gables with her Gilbert Blythe.

August 31, 2010 / 2 Comments

Jumping Right In

Tomorrow is my first day of school! I am so excited, nervous, happy, sick to my stomach! I love school and I hate school. I know I am going there in a working capacity, but I feel as if I will be walking through those doors like any other student, the new kid(s) on the block.

Believe it or not, I am a very shy person and meeting new people and being in new situations give me butterflies. Even the thought of being introduced to my peers at Assembly on Wednesday morning has my stomach churning and my cheeks flaming red, for all of the 10 seconds it will take to occur. But, you would never know it from looking at me.

My parents have always taught my sister and I how to behave, we were never allowed to hide behind them and not speak to people; making eye contact, a nice handshake, they have a gift for putting people at ease, my parents and they instilled good manners in us.

So come tomorrow morning, I am going to make eye contact, shake hands, hold my head high and no one will never know that a three ring circus is going on inside my tummy. I’m holding my nose, here I go… I’m jumping right in!

September 1, 2009 / 0 Comments

Back to School

Where has the Summer gone? It doesn’t seem like there has been much of one this year, it has all whirled by too fast! I still can’t get used to how short the English Summer Holiday is; a little more than a month off from school just does not feel long enough for me! It always seems so promising at the beginning, this vast space of time ahead of you, but it quickly disappears.

Last night in preparation for the big day, the usual routines started again: I made sure there was no specific laundry that needed to be done for today, got the Emma Bridgewater Dinosaur lunchbox out from the pantry and put in the banana, freshly made rice-krispie treat, and potato chips (the sandwich came today) along with a little love note.

When my mom made my lunch and she hid a note in there for me, well, those were special days. That was the thing that always made a difference in your day, the one thing that could turn a blue day sunny again opening your lunch box or sometimes brown bag and finding that note tucked inside. Happiness is….

The house is too quiet today, I am more than ready for 3:40 to roll around and I will have noise once more. Here’s to the First Day of School!