This is really cool!!!

September 25, 2007

reading rocketsCheck out these podcasts from some of our favorite authors! I can’t wait to hear Avi. If you are lucky enough to have a video iPod, you can get it in video too. WAY COOL! I can’t wait to share this with my literary club on Thursday.

Leave a Comment » | Learning, Reading, Thinking, authors, podcasts | Permalink
Posted by Angela

Felted Phone Holder

September 19, 2007

I made a felted purse as a graduation gift for a former student and daughter of a dear friend. She had seen my felted purse and liked it, so I decided if I made one and stuffed it with a few goodies it would be a perfect graduation gift. I thought I would make a few accessories to go with the purse too. Time ran out and I barely finished the purse itself before graduation night. So, when her mom e-mailed me the other day and asked if I would like to add anything to the care package she was getting together, I knew exactly what to do. I pulled out my needles and got to work. I started with the Cell Phone Holder pattern on page 60 of the book Pursenality Plus by Eva Wiechmann but I skipped the trimming and left off the handle. It only took a few hours to get this little cell phone case done and ready to felt. I tucked a little cash inside and the next day it was ready to be sent on its way to college. Of course this was just enough to get my hands itching for the needles so I dug through my stash and found this Peaches and Cream yarn just begging to be made into a dishcloth. I love the way the ballband cloth actually looks like T’s when done in UT orange and white. The color doesn’t show very well in this picture, but it looks great. I know a Vol fan who is going to love it.

1 Comment | felting, knitting | Permalink
Posted by Angela

Soccer

September 16, 2007


I got an e-mail from Andi the other day. She said she was getting a little worried because I hadn’t updated my blog. I don’t have much to say, but for Andi I figured I’d write somethin. The most exciting thing about our weekend was getting the kids into soccer. We missed the signups and I assumed we would not be able to play this year. One of Tobi’s new friends told me I should call. I called on Tuesday and on Wednesday they called me back and told me to bring the kids to practice Friday night. They both had games Saturday morning and loved it. The only problem was that they both played at the same time which made it impossible to really watch them both.

1 Comment | Family, Reflections | Permalink
Posted by Angela

To Forward or Not to Forward…

September 4, 2007

raining
I got an e-mail from one of my college roommates today. I was one of the twenty people on the list of people who would receive this forwarded message. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to be one of the chosen twenty. It is always nice to know that she thought of as she scrolled through the names in her list of contacts. I have to be honest though, I have gotten into the habit of deleting the things that she forwards to me. Today I decided to read. Maybe you all have seen this same story. I think I have gotten it before.

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.
Suddenly my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. “Dad, I’m thinking of something.”
This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“The rain!” she began, “is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away.”
After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. “That’s really good, Aspen.”
Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked…
“Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?”
Aspen didn’t hesitate one moment with her answer: “We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us.”
I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

I like it. It is a nice analogy. I agree with it. God does keep forgiving us and wiping away our sins. I was reminded of my distate for this e-mail and so many like it when I read the rest of the message.

Isn’t it distressing to know that when you forward this message you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Whoever wrote the original e-mail couldn’t just send it and allow the reader to enjoy its message, they felt the need to add a little dose of guilt. I don’t like that they assume that the reason I don’t forward this message is because I am afraid of what people will think of me. I don’t forward this message because I don’t feel it is my place to judge anyone for deciding whether to delete or forward this message. I believe that God thinks that I should love my neighbor. I believe that if you truly love someone, you won’t judge them and place guilt on them. I won’t be forwarding this message, but it isn’t because I am afraid of what you all think of me. It is because I trust you to share God the way you want to share him.

5 Comments | Thinking, artist, religion | Permalink
Posted by Angela

September 4, 2007


I have been working with a high school welding teacher. I’ve been going once a week to help with reading in the content area. Each week I have been starting with a reading minute. For my writing project buddies, this is the same thing as literary storehouse. Kelly Gallagher calls it reading minute in her book Reading Matters, and I thought that would appeal to the welding students a little better than “literary storehouse” does. So, my question for you guys is this. What do I read to high school welding students?

2 Comments | Learning, Reading, Teaching, Thinking | Permalink
Posted by Angela