Just messin' around

Now that I'm on winter break, I have time to mess around with my blog formatting. I am planning something fancier, but I thought I'd try to make some basic changes right away that I've been wanting to do for a while. So if you come back this week and things look different, that's why.

On that note, if anyone knows how to size the header photo to fit the space, link me up! I am always willing to admit my current incompetence. :-)

Optimism

The other day in class, some students were expressing worry about never getting a tough concept. I told them I knew they would. They expressed surprise that I thought so, and I told them that I was an optimist. They said, "Really?" and I said that I thought you had to be if you were a teacher. They agreed.

In general, I am an optimist, maybe because of my faith. I'm not Pollyanna, but I choose to look at the better side of things. This quality has been unfortunately tested this week, with the shooting in Arizona. The representative's doctors don't know her prognosis, but they have said it's possible she'll fully recover. I've heard people express doubt in that, but I believe. Granted, I have a reason: in high school I suffered a traumatic brain injury, one like the injury that killed Natasha Richardson. I lived, and most people can't tell that I was ever so grievously injured. So I don't think it's unrealistic for me to say that she could fully recover--and may she do so.

I don't bury my head in the sand, but when I think about tough things, I try to approach them in a positive way: how are they getting better? How could they get better? What is good about this situation, even if it doesn't seem good? I find that sort of mindset infinitely more satisfying and productive.

I tried to do this with the following page:


(Design notes: I used January's Studio Calico kit, and I think I used a Pioneer Woman Action on my photo--probably Warmer--my skin is not that creamy.)

Last summer I participated in the Big Idea Festival at Big Picture Classes. There were many prompts, some of which required posting, then turning into a scrapbook page. The one that flummoxed many of us was the prompt "I loathe." We pondered whether we could turn it into a page.

Me, I couldn't. I don't like commemorating dislikes, even something as horrid as someone breathing on my face (sorry, I have issues with that). But...I am an optimist. And so I created the page above, the first line of which reads, "I resolve to avoid doing what I loathe." Here's the rest of the journaling:

I will not drive to beat and defeat other vehicles.

I will park straight and even.

I will pick up after myself.

I will do my work before I play.

I will treat others with kindness, even when it seems like they’re being unreasonable. I may not know the whole story.

I will seek to understand and get the full story before I share my two cents.

I will share my popcorn and turn off the lights.

Blatherings

I am definitely coming down with a cold, so my focus is more than a little lacking now. Hence no scrapping. Well, I did some yesterday, but since the sun now sets by 4:30, I have a smaller window of opportunity to take photos of my LOs (pun intended), so they are going to be done tomorrow.

Here's some random musings:

1. I can't tell you how excited I am that Ron Gardenhire finally won manager of the year. So deserving.
2. I'm really liking this line from Cosmo Cricket. Adoration!
3. Right now I'm kicking myself. I typed my sub plans, then hit print before I realized I'd left some Very Special Paper in the printer to do some journaling tonight. So much for being resourceful and getting some things set up the night before. Note to self: you will forget you set things up.
4. It's going to dip down into the 20s tonight. My toes are cold. Technically, it's still autumn. That's the scary part.
5. I loved Castle on Monday, especially the line where he said he spoke Chinese from another TV show. He doesn't name the show, but I love winks and nods like this.
6. I can't help but think that is the eliminated player from the Biggest Loser last night had cut her hair BEFORE she left the show, she would have lost two pounds, but from the haircut.

Forgive my typos. I'm sick. I'll correct them tomorrow.

Random thoughts

1. Rowan can now reach the cereal on top of the refrigerator. Milestone!
2. I have been LOVING watching the story of the Chilean miners. The guy who led them in cheers when he got to the top? Awesome. Every time I think about this story, I cry with happiness.
3. I love the insanely beautiful weather we've been having. A year ago, right about now, it was snowing and the leaves were falling off the trees green.
4. I just got a page picked up for Scrapbook Trends. It's maybe my favorite page I've made recently, so I hope I don't sound pathetic when I say how thrilled I was that it was picked up. It seriously made my day.
   
5. It's impossible for students to focus on other students' presentations when box elder bugs are crawling all over the room.
6. The Nobel prizes have been awarded over the last couple weeks, which sparked a thought in me that I followed to create this layout. I used the Color Room colors this week and a Sketchy Thursdays sketch: