Indulge Your Shelf

If you're looking for my Where Bloggers Create post, please click here. I've been enjoying visiting all the wonderful studios where fellow bloggers make their magic, have you? Here are some cheery Birdsong tags I made.  I guess I just can't stop creating them!  The lacy leaf in the background of a few of them is part of stash of embellishments that I bought at the last auction I went to. I love the color of this wired green ribbon with the leaf print; it is part of a stash that I bought years ago from a ribbon store in Sedona, AZ and have been hoarding ever since!  Use your best! I think this one is my favorite. Or maybe this one. For this tag, I had to re-build the bling, whose center stone had fallen out.  That was fun!  I used a pearl and a rhinestone-covered bead that was the "setting" for it. My son is working on some summer homework for his AP English class right now.  School starts in two weeks here!  (I know....

Etsy Bloggers Street Team is reminiscing about Kindergarten.  I'm from the generation that attended at the end of the 1960's.  For me, Kindergarten meant a half day of stories, finger painting, ABC's, then graham crackers and milk.  Afterwards, a nap on a flat mat, then playing outside until mom came to pick us up. "Outside" was a small yard, separate from the Big Kids.  The yard was carpeted with tan bark, and shaded by huge Eucalyptus trees.  Beyond its fence, a golf course.  We had swings, and monkey bars to play with.  And boys! On the first day of Kindergarten, I was excited to be going.  I'd spent the whole year before adjusting to my brother's absence at home, and was ready to move up in the world. My mother walked with me to the class entrance, where my kindly older teacher smiled her welcome and waved me towards her.  My mother let go of my hand and I walked happily to the door.  Just then, a little girl named Bronwyn scr...

Okay: this will be my last graduation post - I promise! I couldn't put the subject to bed, though, without talking about SMWC 's Ring Day tradition. My mother-in-law commented upon how it was very apparent that the college put a lot of stock in their traditions, especially their history of service to the community. I think that's only natural for a college that was founded by a convent, and it's the kind of thing you don't see so much anymore with higher education. The SMWC ring is very distinctive; it was designed by students in the class of 1922 and first bestowed upon Seniors that year. You can't just buy the ring anytime you want, but must be enrolled in at least your 90th credit hour on Ring Day, and earn a minimum grade point average, to be able to order one. It's frowned upon to order the ring without participating in Ring Day. In April of 2008, I planned a trip to visit my in-laws and then traveled to Ring Day as well. The ceremony took place...

I promised more details about our weekend in Indiana: I have to begin by saying how much I appreciate my family, and how willing they were to go on this whirlwind weekend to Indiana in my honor. I know I have the best husband in the whole world, and endeavor to deserve him. My son was such a good traveler, despite having to get up at o'dark thirty to head up to Denver airport, and freeze on the long, cold walk through the parking lot to the terminal! He kept himself busy during all the sitting around by playing with his handheld games, listening to his Walkman, and snacking. Ultimately, I think he was driven by his eagerness to see his grandparents; it has been a year since our last, short visit with them. They were kind enough to drive from St. Louis to meet us in Terre Haute and spend the weekend at the same hotel as we did. It meant a lot to me because both of my own parents have passed away. We flew Southwest and it was a pleasure -- really! We didn't check bags so i...

We had a lovely weekend in Indiana, especially on Graduation Day when the rain stopped and the sun made its first appearance all week, enabling us to enjoy the lush green beauty of the campus sans umbrella. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, the 168th commencement exercises were underway! My degree was bestowed upon me, and diploma was in hand, but it didn't feel real until the moment of switching my tassel from the right side to the left; then, I had goosebumps, and for the rest of the day I couldn't wipe the smile from my face! Doesn't my son look dashing in his blue blazer? He was a sponge, soaking up all the pomp and circumstance, and dreaming of his own day to come (in 10 years or so, if all goes well.) I was so pleased that he could be a part of the journey! Thank you everyone for your kindness and all of your well-wishes! I'll publish more stories and photos of the rest of our weekend, shortly.

I'm counting down the days to Friday, when my husband, son and I drive to Denver and get on a plane to Indiana to attend my college graduation. I'm beginning to get very excited! Last weekend my husband surprised me with a cake, some decorations, and a large brown box from Louis Vuitton. It was exactly what I had wanted, dreamed about getting, but never expected: the last briefcase/laptop case I'll ever need, built to last a lifetime. If I look a little strange in the photo, it's because I was, truly, dazed. Speechless. This doesn't happen to me very often! I'm hoping that the briefcase will get a lot of use during my budding writing career. A couple of days later a dear friend surprised me when I pulled up to her house and saw a banner, "Happy Graduation!" Inside, she'd prepared this lovely table: She made the cake, with the basket weave icing, from scratch. She is a very talented, creative lady, and I was extremely touched. Tomorrow I...

Graduation is just a couple of weeks away now and I'm thinking about the road I've traveled to get here. Many have asked about my external degree program, so if you're interested, read on. I first starting hearing about online learning around 2003, and the idea of not having to physically attend college appealed to me. I've always wanted to complete my Bachelor's degree, and due to three prior attempts to do so I had accumulated about 1-1/2 years of old credits towards the 4 year degree -- all from attending traditional college classes. (I was first a college freshman in 1982 when I attended San Francisco State University with a declared major of Journalism...so long ago...) I was discouraged to find that there were very few online programs in any of the liberal arts, and particularly in the field of writing. I found a few MFA programs, but no undergraduate ones, until I stumbled upon the Woods External Degree program (WED) of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College n...

Graduating from college in mid life makes me feel sort of out-of-place; I'm not just starting out, and though I have dreams and goals for the next, post-graduation part of my life, they're not the same as those of someone half my age. I don't relate to most of the graduation-speak, but today I found a commencement quote I can relate to: Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these. - Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) I remember the day I stood in front of a convenience store clerk in Germany, dripping water onto the floor and sputtering incoherently. It was one of my "stray dog" moments -- an unexpected milestone. On that day, I was 23 and...