The 2009 Caldecott award winner is . . .

ALA review: Richly detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Krommes' elegant line, illuminated with touches of golden watercolor, evoke the warmth and comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.

i can hardly wait to read it.

edited 3/31:
well, i read the book and i have to admit that i did not care for the verse or the illustrations but that's ok. different strokes for different folks.

snowfall

winter is still hanging on. it snowed last evening and this morning.

i love winter but enough is enough.

it's spring for heaven's sake!

all grown up

i feel so 'grown up' these days. my oldest daughter was home from college for the weekend with her boyfriend. we all talked about grad school and future plans . . . their future plans. we had a very nice weekend together. miss you guys already.

my youngest daughter just left for a soccer game, followed by a movie with friends. this girl is quite the socialite. she has some very nice friends and we are grateful.

and once again, my husband and i are home alone without kids.

not that i'm complaining.

i just cannot believe how quickly time has passed. where has it gone? my kids are almost grown up.

does that mean i'll have to grow up too?

please say it isn't so.

oh happy day

happy birthday lil' bro!

hope your day is great . . .

just like you!

xoxo :)

blueberries for sal

Blueberries for Sal (caldecott honor)by Robert McCloskey is one of my all-time favorite picture books. i love it for so many reasons.

i love the illustrations . . . dark blue color with block printing.

i love the time period . . . 1948 copyright.

i love the story line . . . a little girl (sal) and her mother set off in search of blueberries at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. A quiet comedy of errors ensues when the young ones wander off and absentmindedly trail the wrong mothers.

but i think the reason i love it most is because i can remember my mom reading it to me when i was younger.

kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk

the invention of hugo cabret

this week i'm reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

found this review at the official website for the book:
orphan, clock keeper, and thief: twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together...in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
This 526-page book is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double-page spread, and the story moves forward as you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you.

hope you get a chance check-out this 2008 caldecott award-winning book.

spring?

spring, where have you gone?

please come back . . . you are missed.

good morning

. . . and happy saturday! :)

i almost forgot . . .

hApPy FiRsT dAy of SpRiNg!!

there's no place like home

today is one of those occasional fridays that we are able to spend at home . . . yippee!

don't get me wrong, i love our school group and i love teaching there and i know my daughter loves being there with her friends and (hopefully) likes her classes but it is always nice to stay home. any morning that does not begin with an alarm clock, followed by a ticking clock (hurry hurry) is a good morning indeed.

last week was filled with alarm clocks, ticking clocks and rushing out the door. i think i'm still recovering from it.

maybe i'm getting older.

or wiser?

hmmmmm . . .

well, enjoy your friday . . . i plan too.

spring has sprung!

hello spring peepers!

just what are spring peepers, you ask? ;)

a spring peeper (pseudacris crucifer) is a small chorus of frogs widespread throughout the eastern usa and canada. spring peepers are known for their high piping whistle consisting of a single clear note repeated on intervals. the males sing, normally doing so in trios, the one who starts each round is usually the deepest voiced. during the daytime, peepers often call during light rains or in cloudy weather. they are usually silent at the end of summer, but call from forests during the fall. this species hibernates under logs and in treeholes.

. . . 'a small chorus of frogs' . . . doesn't that sound lovely?

makes me feel happy and hopeful.

baby love

i love babies! they are so, so precious and adorable.

my daughter and i help with childcare at a church on wednesday mornings. i usually work in the nursery and i love it. it can be demanding at times (like today) but i really enjoy spending time with the little babes. i like knowing that by helping out, we are giving young moms an opportunity to fellowship with one another and hopefully when they return for their little bundles of joy, they are feeling refreshed and revived and ready to take on whatever the rest of their day may hold.

but it sure does tucker me out. ;)

top o' the morning

tis a blessing to be irish. yes, indeed.

i feel very fortunate and blessed to have been raised in an irish catholic home; filled with love and tradition. i loved my childhood and cherish those sweet days.

thank you mom and dad. :)

from the mixed-up files of mrs. basil e. frankweiler

here's what i'm reading this week in preparation for one of the classes that i teach in our homeschool co-op.

From the Mixed-Up File of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg.

what's on your reading list this week?

edited 3/25: just finished this book and i really enjoyed it.

yay

congrats girls!

we are so proud of you katie!!

xoxo :)

just 5 more minutes . . .

it's too early! up at 5:00 am today for volleyball! go black!!

zzzzzz

i am sooo sleepy at the moment. i've been averaging about 4 hrs. of sleep a night this past week and i am ready for a nap. now. i love naps.

night. night.

happy birthday to you

to carl . . . hope your day is great . . . just like you!

xoxo,
your girl :)

buttons

i have this obsession--let's go with passion, sounds saner . . . with buttons. i love them! they're just sooo cute.

cute as a button.

each with it's own story.

i am on a thrifting quest to find a box or tin filled with buttons. that will be a glorious find indeed.

wish me luck.

under my umbrella . . .

it's raining, it's pouring;
the old man is snoring.
bumped his head
and he went to bed
and he couldn't get up in the morning.

rain, rain, go away;
come again another day;
little johnny wants to play.

this rain will not dampen my spirits . . . my daughter is coming home for spring break today!

early riser

are you an early riser? i kind of am. let me explain. i get up weekdays at 4:25 am to make my husband coffee. by 4:30 am i am back under the covers and off to dreamland once more. at 6:00 am i up again but only for 6-7 minutes to pack my husband's lunch. and then once again i am off to snoozeville until i have to officially wake for the day and that all depends on what plans/committments i/we have for the day. kind of nutty, i know.

today is saturday and i was certainly not an early riser this morning. i slept in so late that i'm embarassed to even tell you how late. i guess i needed the rest.

well, have a happy saturday and hope you're enjoying this springy weather.

tgif

fridays are usually spent away from home. we actually 'go to school' one day a week/fridays 'round here. the rest of the week, we have school at home. 12 years and counting.

it's a good life.

but this friday . . . we are home and i am grateful.

max our dog that's chocolate

katie is a genius.

kathleen has an uncomfortable lap.

max is cute and sometimes annoying,

-or-

max is annoying and sometimes cute.

oreo thinks he's a dog and eats pringles.


goodnight.

spring

spring . . . are you on your way? i see signs that you are . . . hurry, hurry . . . we're all waiting . . . just for you.
:)

happy birthday lil sis

here's your new birthday post. i could only take david hasselhoff in a speedo for so long . . . ;)

happy birthday moe!

xoxo