I love... (part 4)

I love when noisy neighbors move away.
I love Ticonderoga black #2 pencils.
I love funny teachers.

Welcome to the World!

I am happy to announce my friend "C" and his wife "B" had their first baby: Lydia Charlotte! She was early (due on Halloween) but I know her parents were as sick of waiting as she was. She is such a blessed girl already! She has such wonderful people as parents (and an awesome "aunt Bailey").

I was waiting for her arrival to post pictures of the present I painted for her. I got the idea from a friend who likes to wood-burn and paint wooden items for people. She's made me a beautiful candle holder and that wonderful Math Wheel (see other post). B decorated Lydia's nursery in all things Dr. Seuss. They have blankets and sheets, they painted scenes to hang on the walls, etc. I thought that I could make a stool for the nursery that had a The Cat in the Hat theme with the hat's stripes on the legs. I love the way it turned out and I plan to make more of different themes for presents in the future. C and B said they love it. I hope Lydia loves it (eventually), too.

I really wish I could go meet her. Thousands of miles is very expensive! I hope to meet her before she turns one and I plan on seeing tons of photos!

Belle and Sebastian

Last night I dreamt that I was at a concert and when Belle and Sebastian came on everyone except for me left the concert. I got my own private show.

So right now i am listening to Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian while writing my thesis.

When I was younger I would tell Madre my dreams and she always said they were weird but entertaining and I should write them down. I never really did that- maybe I'll start. (This one really isn't that weird.)

T.H.A.T. #2

A person who thinks with lightning speed, like the needle of a sewing machine writes needle like skinny points on the tops of m’s, n’s, r’s, sometimes h’s. He or she can pierce through information and analyze it quickly. The taller the points in relation to the other letters, the quicker the thinker. Sometimes students who never study but always ace tests can be frustrating to other students and even teachers. They learn so quickly that the information seems to have gone unlearned, but really it was learned quicker than seemingly possible. These students may become lazy or bored in the classroom from lack of challenge, but some thrive and excel by challenging their rate of thought. See last line of diagram in previous T.H.A.T.

Today's Handwriting Analysis Tip (T.H.A.T #1)

I've been on a handwriting analysis kick lately. I am reading a couple of books on the subject, keeping notes in a spiral, and making observations in my handwriting, and other samples I can find.

I find this very interesting so I've decided to share tips I've learned that I've found generally true (so far). I am at the beginning of my study so I may come back and say "FALSE TIP" to some of these, but I like the tips and take them with a grain of salt. My first posts will be tips that apply to my handwriting.

I'll be calling them T.H.A.T.'s.

Here is the first one:

A person who thinks slower than average, but will build knowledge like a wall and remember all things learned writes m's, n'm, r's and sometimes s's and c's like a rounded or flat top (like a brick). These types of thinkers are usually logical and once they've mastered a subject (no matter how long it takes) they will remember and be confident in the knowledge, using it in life and to master other subjects.

Thomas Edison was thought to be a slower than average learner in school, but the way he thought helped him in his scientific experiments. He had a patient persistence and worked logically until he completed the task at hand. His signature shows this in his "m" and "n."

I love... (part 3)

I love students who are eager to learn (and bonus if the student has deep understanding with little effort).
I love my travel coffee mug (took trying 3 different styles before finding the right one).
I love my brother who is 26 today. (Happy birthday!)

*Three Year Old Stomp* I Want a Dog!

The upstairs neighbors not only annoy us with loud noises after hours but now have a howling dog (which we aren't allowed to have by the lease) to annoy us during the day. Only thing worse than not getting to have a dog till May is being constantly reminded of the fact by a sad dog.

I want a dog!

I don't know what kind yet (small lap dog that preferably has hair instead of fur). Any suggestions?

Here are some of my top picks based on cute encounters:

The Maltese
We owned a Maltese for years. Her name was Spooky because we got her on Halloween and she was white as a ghost. That dog barked at everyone but I loved her so much. She followed my mom around everywhere and slept at her feet. Spooky loved my mom best because mom fed her. Mom also was in the house the most out of all of us so Spooky never barked at her.





The Pomeranian
A friend on a softball team owned a Pomeranian. It was so little and cute and even if it was biting hard I barely felt anything!





The Shih Tzu
A friend from school had a Shih Tzu and I always thought as a puppy it looks like a mop-head running around on the floor.





The West Highland Terrier (Westie)
I don't know why I've always been drawn to Westies. My aunt had a Scottie and I like how Westies are basically white versions of Scotties.





The Yorkshire Terrier
Again, I don't have many experiences with them but I have heard good things and think they are adorable.





The Scottish Terrier
Like I said earlier, my aunt had a Scottie and I always think of Lady and the Tramp when I see one. They seem so wise!

Math Trig Wheel / Lazy Susan

Ashley was doing some of her many arts and crafts this summer while I was visiting her in Lincoln City, OR. She wood-burned and painted a Lazy Susan for her husband's relative and had an extra one. I told her that I always wanted a wheel that converts radians and degrees but that I wanted it color coordinated for when I teach trigonometry someday (color coordination makes it easy to memorize). Well we both got brainstorming and I listed exactly what to put where, which colors for the degrees/radians parts, and a bunch of other trig-related concepts like special triangles and "SOH CAH TOA." Right away Ashley jumped on my suggestions and came up with this masterful wheel that has an application problem, three major concepts, and the conversion wheel all in one. It is beautiful and functional! I cannot wait until I get to use this wheel in the classroom! Thanks Ashley!

I loathe... (part 2)

I loathe camping in a tent at night.
I loathe slow computers.
I loathe most rap music.

I love... (part 2)

I love coffee, especially on a chilly morning.
I love cold weather because of the comfy clothes, shoes, and blankets that get used.
I love pumpkin.