{{oh sweetheart, i love you}}

We've had tradition in our family since like ever, that we make and give each other valentines on Valentine's Day. :) Every year around this time all the kids are in their own corners with scatterings of paper, glue, and glitter, creating little cards with much love and care. This year I was quite pleased with how the majority of mine have come out, and I only have a few left to make for friends! Here's some of the inspiration I collected from Pinterest:

I did this design on the front of a card. :) 

I tried and succeeded in many of those ideas, and they were very awesome! And then, of course, you have to make a few heart-shaped desserts......

My Children's Garden.....?

kin·der·gar·ten
German, from Kinder children + Garten garden

 noun \ˈkin-də(r)-ˌgär-t^ən, -d^ən\

In January Mom and I were discussing what my post-graduation school days would consist of, and she asked me if I'd consider doing some sort of class with the kids a couple times as week. Whether that would be "Science Experiments with Sarah", "Technology with the Sis", or "Unit Study ala Me", it would be good for me to participate in some sort of schooling for the younger ones. 

At the same time, Aunt Christy (Matthew's mom) was saying she thought it would be neat for Bekah and Grace to do some school together. So it worked out very nicely that I would be teaching a Kindergarten class for two! 

Our first class was last Tuesday and we started with the letter "G". 

(not really any system, but I started with the letters of their names.)

We made g's out of sculpy in this pic

my lesson planning. 

And this week we worked on R's. I always have a little treat for them (grapes for g, ringpops for r,etc)
after the class, and we made Rice Krispie Treats together! They both really enjoyed it. :)

Oh yes. I've got some special pupils...

And we finished with RAINBOW WRITING!!!!!!!!! 

Haha, the personalities really show up in this sort of thing. ;)

They're such a fun couple of 6 year olds, and they make me laugh a lot during our classes. 

Feeling Teacherly,

Sarahs 

Wanderlust: The Travel Journal

Travel.

The very word gives me a thrill up one side and down the other.

It's no secret that Sarah and I are {pretty nearly} always battling a case of Wanderlust. In the past year I've gone on quite a few trips, and it seems that this year I'm looking at going on several more. What does this mean?

This means I need a travel journal.

I don't mean a "Today I did this, yesterday I did that, and here's my ticket stub to prove it."

I mean a good solid travel journal. The kind you could sit and flip through and relive the whole experience. I mean anecdotes and scribbles of description and conversation all spattered with ink and sketches, like this artist's notebook from The Weald.

I mean watercolor of a corner of a street in Italy (if I ever get there) or a sketch of a bookstore front in London.  I mean little obscure memories and noticings scrawled into the journal for keeps:

(source)

(source)

I think this one is awesome. Look at the care someone took!

Or this one!

I haven't found a journal yet in which to do all this. I would love a leather-bound journal with many pages of thick creamy paper...unfortunately those are the most expensive kind. :P But whatever kind of journal I do end up owning, I can just imagine sitting in some cafe sketching the people walking by, or the man playing a saxophone in the corner of the Subway in NYC. When traveling, you're always waiting for one thing or another--flights, tickets, food, transportation, entry, etc. So why not spend some of that time writing in your travel journal?

I'm not going to wait for NYC or Europe to do this. I'll start with road trips to places nearby. I'll start with anywhere and everywhere I go, because to prepare for this grand new idea of travel-journaling (and to hone and pick back up my art skills) I am doing a sketch a day for a year. Yes, yes, I know this is a challenge. But I will try my best and give it a go. :) I've done two so far....

Wow. It's been a long time. Obviously there is room for improvement. Neither the book or the teapot is is anyway symmetrical, and yet I love getting back to my drawing. I did miss it. :)

By the time I go anywhere of real importance, I hope to have my artistic skills sharp and clever to record all those wonderful adventures! Any of you keep/have kept a travel journal?

Clue me in.

Hey ya'll. Just wanted to raise your awareness of the poll directly above ↑. Rach and I are brainstorming the blog's plan for this year, so help get us some feedback by voting in the poll! Audience participation and involvement is very important, and we want to know what sort of things you enjoy reading about! :) Thanks so much!

Do you tube?

Youtubing today.....................