Yes, I am.

"If you are a dreamer come in 
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar 
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer 
If youre a pretender come sit by my fire 
For we have some flax golden tales to spin 
Come in! 
Come in!" 
— Shel Silverstein

I am a dreamer. This has always been one of my favorites by one of my all time most loved poets.
Let's take a moment and be childlike. It makes the world much more fun!

Crazy Girls

The things you do with your sister and daughter. I actually found my shark helmet quite comfortable. I was hesitant to remove it, but thought I probably should since I wasn't going to be purchasing said helmet.
Yes, me being the shy individual that I am, asked a total stranger to photograph my sister, my daughter, and myself in the middle of Target. She gladly took Deb's iphone and well, you see the amazing results. Amelia looks a bit wary of us. Not sure why. One day she'll look back at this and be very happy that she sported the look along with us.

Good times with some crazy girls!

Searching

I find that I am searching. Searching for something. I think it is peace, stress free days, not worrying about mundane stuff.
I sometimes wonder what I would do if we won the lottery. Would I be stress free then? No money worries, no wondering about the economy and the possiblities of jobs not being there.
I am not sure that is the answer to everything. I know that ultimately my search for peace is met by God. That is the only way I can truly experience it. I've been reading and reaffirming my faith lately. Knowing that I am not alone in this world is the most comforting thing I've ever felt.
I picked up medical records for Mike from his neurologist's office on Monday. Reading those really brought back our ordeal three years ago. I knew then that he would be O.K. I had the strength that I could only get from God. Those times are a blur when I try to think about everything that went on. It is almost surreal...like it didn't happen to us. Yet, I know it did.
I still need God. I still need His strength and love. Everyday. I need this to keep going.
I read some of my Nana's poetry recently. I love how her words are so joyous and in praising God she found her joy and peace. That is how I want to find mine as well.

Dog Days of Summer

Hot doesn't begin to describe the weather we are having here in central Texas. The only good thing, to me, is that I have an excuse to sit inside and devour books. I've visited the local bookstore, Book Pride aka Dog Eared Books and the library several times already. My wonderful husband surprised me with five new titles. My reading list is growing.

I've also been doing some jotting down of ideas. My little notebook is now secure in my purse. My pen is at ready. I've been basically people watching and looking for character inspiration for a short story I have brewing in my head. Hopefully I'll have enough to hammer out a few paragraphs soon. I'm still not sure where I want to go with it.

Until then, I will just enjoy my reading....and maybe some iced tea!

My Newest Book

My Mama just bought me the most wonderful book. It contains the notebooks of Agatha Christie. I am loving reading her notes and how she thought out her plots. To see her handwriting is such a rush. I've no idea why, but seeing a famous author's notes is like I've found a secret that no one else knows.

I am thinking of bringing a little of the great woman into my own life. My notebook is ready to go into my handbag with a favorite pen. I am going to be ready when something inspiring strikes me so that I can record it. I am looking forward to people watching and a little note taking to boot.

Inspiration Found

Inspiration was right in front of me this whole time. My wonderful husband shared a dream of his with me and I had instant ideas for a short story and possibly something a little longer. I am feeling some excitement at the beginnings that are rolling around in my mind and making their way to my paper.
Looking at the past is how I will fill the pages in the future.

Dry Spell

I sat down to work on some writing today and nothing seemed to want to come.
I just wasn't feeling it. I have all of these amazing ideas at times when I can't write and then when I can...nada! I suppose that is how it works.
I did manage to do a few brief character sketches of a few folks I may include in some future short stories.
Reading has been rich this summer though. In my last visit to the library I found two really good books. I just randomly pulled these from the shelf. One was a good old fashioned haunted house/ghost story. The book I am reading now is a mystery revolving around Shakespeare. I am loving it! If you'd like to know more check out my other selections at Good Reads.

Wonderings

I always wondered if I could have been a writer. A true author that other people would want to read as much as I do my own cherished favorite authors. I sometimes wonder if I can still be a writer.

That is something I am really going to attempt to explore this year during my summer vacation. I want my students to be writers so why shouldn't I be a writer?

I am not sure what genre I am going to attempt. I love reading mysteries and books filled with intrigue but I am not quite sure that is my writing style. I plan to experiment with some different things. I know me, I love the feel of pen and paper and most of my ideas will be put there first. Maybe if I am brave enough I'll share those here at some point.

Until then, I'll enjoy the view from my pen.

Summer Time is Near

Summer Time
Time to spend with books overflowing with words I could never write
Time to nap with abandon while the hot day passes without thought
Time to play and feel silly all the while actually enjoying every moment of it
Time to swim and splash and watch the bliss on your child's face
Time to enjoy the long days and warm evenings with family
Time to slow down and enjoy life
Time that goes so quickly

Saturday Writings

Today in my writing group we met author Margot Rabb. She is the author of a book we all shared and read together...Cures for Heartache. It was so incredibly interesting talking to an actual writer and getting to gain so much knowledge and insight from her about her craft.

I think her job is not unlike ours. We all have in the back of our minds the thoughts of the dishes needing washed, clothes to launder, meals to prepare, children to care for, and millions of the other things that could consume our day.

I desire to take more time and not worry so much about those things and concentrate more on the here and now. I sense in my daughter a desire to write and she certainly has a love of the written word even at age 5. I want to nurture her and create that time in a relaxed way for both of us.

I have found a passion for poetry that I didn't realize I possessed. I am going to embrace this and continue to write. My writing may never be published for public consumption, but for me to know that I was true and wrote will be satisfaction enough...but then again, wouldn't it be nice to see my name in print?

Teacakes for writing inspiration

In my lesson with Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I bake teacakes for my students to sample and use as inspiration as we write descriptively using our senses. This recipe is much easier to decode than the one passed down to me...a walnut size chunk of butter was confusing me in the first go round. This one makes quite a few more than the recipe I grew up with, but I trust Paula Deen with all things yummy and Southern.

Enjoy!

Southern Tea Cakes on the Food Network

I Can Write!

I have spent three wonderful weekends with fellow teachers writing and discovering all sorts of things about myself.

When I was accepted into The Write Teacher I was so excited. I had no idea what a fire it would ignite in me. I've discovered so much about my teaching and about my own personal writing. Who would have ever thought that I would enjoy writing poetry? Certainly not me!

I am embracing this new found love and am going to do my best to nurture it.

With some help from my inspiring cohorts I think it will happen.