As part of my holiday shopping, I had the pleasure one frosty morning of visiting the home of a local artisan who makes handcrafted soaps. Ellen lives at the end of a long, winding driveway at the top of what seems like a small mountain, surrounded by natural beauty. As I stepped into her home, I was immediately rewarded with a mixture of the spicy, sweet, and calming scents that I have come to love in her soaps. Ellen spent time with me, getting to know me on a more personal level to figure out what I might like, as she introduced me to new scents and products. She talked about the herbs and spices she uses – avocado oil, peppermint, clove bud, cinnamon leaf, lavender, rosemary – to create the special scents. As I wandered through the display I noticed so much attention to detail. There were silver wrappings with special bows, packages of soaps whose scents paired well together, small testing pots, and new products I had never seen before, all aimed at making people feel good.

            As I shopped I asked Ellen about her business, how she got started, and where she purchased her ingredients. Ellen rewarded my curiosity by inviting me into her workshop for a special tour where she explained the whole process.  She showed me her the large mixing bowls, trays, storage vats for ingredients, and special cutting machine. When I asked about how she learned to make soap, she replied that she had done a lot of reading, talked with other soap makers, and belonged to an online community where ideas were shared. She had perfected many of her products through trial and error, revising ingredients as ideas came to her for creating special scents. As she talked, I could sense the pride she felt in what she created and the love that went into every step of the process.

            The hour I spent with Ellen was so rewarding, and I couldn’t help but make comparisons to writing workshop and how we hope students view what they craft as well as the importance of the process – purpose, a sense of audience, revision when things don’t come out quite right, hard work, collaboration.  In writing workshop, our students are our Ellens, the artisans who create with love and pride. 

Last week I received notification through Twitter from Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan that I had been nominated by them for the Sunshine Award, a way for bloggers to give encouragement and recognition to other bloggers. I must say I was surprised since I am rather new to blogging and don't post as much as I probably could or should. But as I thought more about it I realized Clare and Tammy have been nudging and giving me encouragement for some time. I have been adding their thinking to my thinking first through their work on Choice Literacy, then through their book and blog. At first I thought this sounded a lot like a chain letter. And in a sense it is, except no one was asking me to send a dollar, a recipe, or a dish towel to the name at the top of the list. I was simply being offered the opportunity to acknowledge others who have influenced my thinking, tell a little bit more about myself, and maybe in the process learn more about myself as well. I'm not sure how it started or what might be significant about the number 11, but these are the rules: 

·         Acknowledge the nominating blogger.

·         Share 11 random facts about yourself.

·         Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

·         List 11 bloggers. They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!

·         Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer.

·         Let all the bloggers know they have been nominated (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

 

11 random facts about me:

1.    I have a son and a daughter, both grown and living in other cities.
2.    I’ve been married to my wonderful husband and best friend, Allan, for 36 years. We met in college but were just friends until several years after we graduated.
3.    We have lived in the same house for 35 years.
4.    When I was 6 I began playing the violin and continued to play into adulthood. I still play with the students in the holiday concert at my school.
5.    I have a passion for bluebirds (My family calls me “Mother of Bluebirds”)
6.    I love flowers, especially peonies and tulips.
7.    The moon fascinates me. I look for it almost every night.
8.    I love to burn scented candles, especially in the winter.
9.    I’m known for my lasagna and chili (Clare, I’d love for you to teach me how to make soup).
10.  I like to walk, play golf, and Zumba.
11.  I’m a die-hard Phillies fan.

Here are my answers to Tammy’s questions:

1.    What are you reading right now
The Circle by Dave Eggers. I just finished The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and The Water Castle by Megan Blakemore.

2.    What is one special tradition that you have with your family?
A few years ago we started taking family vacations at an away Phillies game. So far we’ve been to Chicago, Denver, Miami, and San Diego.

3.    Why did you decide to settle in the town you’re living in now?
My first job was in Philadelphia, then I made my way to the suburbs. Allan grew up close by.

4.    If you weren’t in education, what would you be doing?
Not sure, but I would not be a professional golfer!

5.    What do you like to do in your free time?
Read, watch movies, hang out with friends.

6.    What do you enjoy most about the winter?
The moon. It just seems so much bigger and brighter in the winter.

7.    Why blogging?
Writing helps me to think and reflect. I have met and learned from so many teachers in the blogging community, so I just wanted to be a part of it. Everyone is always so encouraging.

8.    How do you find time to write?
Now that I’m retired (or rather, work from home) I have a little more time, but I need to do a better job of scheduling it in. When Lynne and I were writing our books, we wrote together on the weekends – all day Sat. and Sun. and for week-long blocks in the summer.

9.    How do you revise your writing?
I reread it as I go, but sometimes that slows me down. I’m trying to do a better job of putting down all my thoughts - just write – then go back and reread. I sometimes read out loud so I can hear how it sounds.

10.  Where do you love to vacation?
When I was little we vacationed at my uncle’s house at the Jersey shore. I still love the beach.

11.  What should I have asked you?
Hey- is this a trick question?

Now to the 11 bloggers that I am nominating. Some of you that I would have nominated, like Stacey Shubitz, Katherine Sokolowski, Ruth Ayres, and Pat Johnson, I know have already been nominated, so I won’t nominate you again, but thank you for all you have shared with me. For those of you who I am nominating, please forgive me if you have already received the Sunshine Award, and please don’t feel obliged to participate. Just think of this nomination as a thank you from me for encouraging, supporting, pushing my thinking, or sharing a book idea.

Franki Sibberson

Mary Lee Hahn

    (Franki’s and Mary Lee’s blog, A Year of Reading, was the first blog I read with any regularity)

Donalyn Miller

Katie Keier

Cathy Mere

Judy Jester

Maria Selkie

Patrick Allen

John Schu

Jill Fisch

Melanie Meehan

And here are my 11 questions for you:
1.    Who are your favorite authors?
2.    What professional books have influenced you the most?
3.    What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
4.    What is something you wish you could do better?
5.    What famous person (past or present) would you like to have dinner with?
6.    Do you have a secret passion?
7.    What is one word your friends might use to describe you?
8.    How do you stay energized as a teacher or a writer?
9.    What is one professional goal you have?
10.  What is your favorite way to relax?
11.  Who is someone who is, or was, a mentor to you?

Thank you all for inspiring me!

Last week I did some Christmas shopping. The stores weren’t crazy busy, but there were a fair amount of shoppers – mothers with toddlers in tow, grandparents searching for a special toy, couples, and singles. I remembered shopping trips with the kids, trying to navigate a toddler and a stroller, with Allan to buy all the toys because we had a babysitter for just one night, and by myself on Christmas Eve for that one last gift. I listened to Christmas music in my car – Amahl and the Night Visitors (a recording made after the first live television broadcast in 1951). I remembered first watching this wonderful opera on the small black and white Philco in the house on 5th Street, and then in the basement of the house on Parkside Road until it was no longer televised. And all the while I found myself a little weepy. For no reason and without warning my eyes would fill with tears, yet I didn’t feel sad. But I think now I have it figured out, thanks to Cynthia Rylant.

            On Saturday I was unpacking the Christmas books to place around the house. As I sat with my second cup of coffee I pulled out Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season, a 1987 publication by Rylant containing six short holiday stories. It was a gift from my mother when the kids were little, and I like to think she guided me to it that morning. I opened to “For Being Good,” sat back, and began to read. It is the story of Philip whose grandfather is coming to spend Christmas with him and his parents. The grandfather’s wife has recently died, and he is alone. Philip has not spent much time with his grandfather, so he is shy and maybe just a little scared, not knowing what to expect. The grandfather is quiet, interacts a little, but spends a lot of time alone. The explanation Philip’s parents give is that he misses his wife. But, as we soon find out, it is more than that. On Christmas Eve on his way to bed, Philip stops by his grandfather’s room with a small ball of cookie dough he wrapped in foil and saved when he and his mother were baking cookies, just in case his grandfather might like it. Philip finds his grandfather on the rocking chair hugging a picture. But it isn’t a picture of his wife as we might expect, it is a picture of Philip’s father when he was a little boy.

            And that is when it hit me. I miss the times when the kids were little, when our family traditions were just being established. I miss not just the kids who are grown and gone, or my parents who are no longer on this earth – I miss it all. That’s why traditions are important, and that’s why my daughter still insists that we hang the stockings that grandmother made, that our tree has the ornaments she and her brother made in nursery school, and that we have Christmas Eve dinner with just us. It’s why I bake the peanut blossoms and the sugar cookies with sprinkles, and why we add a new ornament to the tree each year, signifying something special from the year before. And that’s why the tears are OK – they are tears from the heart, from the warm memories I will carry with me forever.

At NCTE this year I took part in the run/walk/jog organized by Kate Messner. One of the best parts of that experience was having the opportunity to spend some time talking with Ruth Ayers. As we made our way through the Boston Commons we talked about many different things - family, celebrations, new projects, and writing. I knew I wasn't doing enough writing, so Ruth suggested scheduling writing time into my schedule at the start of every week, like making an appointment. It was a great suggestion that I knew would help me, but I just hadn't acted on it yet. Until this morning.

While waiting at the Firestone Care Car Center for my inspection to be completed (being there for three hours gave me lots of time to read, think, and write), I stumbled upon #nerdlution on Twitter. Simple - set some goals and commit to them from Dec. 2 to Jan 20. I knew the encouragement I could get from the Twitter community would be just the thing to help me get started on some writing goals and more. So I'm in.

Here’s my plan:
     1. Write every day. On Sunday I'll examine my schedule and make writiappointments for the week.
     2. Read every day for at least 30 min. As co-chair of the Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Committee,
         I have a ton of children's books to sift through and a pile of professional and pleasure reading waiting on my to- be
         - read shelf. So this will be a combination of all of that - something for the book awards and something else
         from a professional or pleasure read.
     3. Practice intentional kindness. While I consider myself a fairly kind and compassionate person, I think I could do
         more. At the end of every day I want to be able to verbalize an act of kindness - a kind word or gesture or even
         thought that I accomplished with intention. It’s probably easier to practice this sort of kindness during the holiday
         season, which is great, because hopefully by the end of January it will be a habit.

As I read through the goals others were posting, I was struck by the variety, but at the same time, the similarity among them. Many are centered around reading, writing, and living a more healthy lifestyle, but they are all about being the best people – teachers, spouses, parents, friends – that we can be. Being a part of the Twitter community never ceases to amaze me. I know I have friends out there who I may never meet in person, but who I continually learn from and celebrate with. Thank you all for your advice, encouragement, and friendship.