You've Got Mail

My students are starting to get really excited about the letters they wrote last week. One of our fifth grade Ohio LA Curriculum indicators is writing business letters, and my students wrote to Ohio colleges. This week they have been starting to receive replies, and they are lovin' it! Monday a girl receive a pennant from Columbus State (thanks Columbus State!). You know what she was most excited about, though? In the business letter they sent to her, they called her "Miss," and she just thought that was the best thing since sliced bread! Today, another girl received an envelope from The Ohio State University, Lima Campus. She acted just a tad disappointed because she did not get a pennant, but she did receive some very cool 6X8 color postcards promoting the university. I tried to play them up by saying she could send them to other people and write letters on them, but I don't think she was buying it. I am hanging on to the items the students get back until this spring so we can create an " I Can Go to College" wall to display everything. This will piggyback on our science and social studies teacher's unit about jobs, market society, and supply and demand.

This is when the students see the value of what they do in school; when they get something back from the "real world." This is authentic writing - it's what adults do in the course of going about their everyday lives. Now I just wish I could get them to realize that adults spend a lot of time waiting in line and that they don't push, chatter, kick, sing, whistle, or act silly while they are doing it . . . Sigh.
I am posting a picture of another dotee I made this weekend. My husband thinks it is ugly and a total waste of time, but I think it's rather attractive even if its face is lop-sided. I put a lot of work into embroidering the face and doing the beading and embellishment. Just in case you're not sure, it's a cat. Grin. I don't know what I made it for or what I'm going to do with it, but here it is.

My First Dotee Doll

I just finished my first Dotee Doll last night, and I'm not sure if I made her correctly or not. After going through and looking at all the different Dotee Dolls on other people's websites, including Dot's, the original creator's site, I am convinced that I messed up by stamping her face instead of sewing it or drawing it. I think she turned out rather, um, cute? I named her BrideZilla because she is over the top in all her finery, and as we all know, on that show Bridezilla the women are just nuts. Anyway, if anyone could weigh in with an opinion on whether I need to redo her face or not, I sure would appreciate your input. She is for a swap on Swap-Bot, and I don't want to disappoint.

The weather here in central Ohio has turned into a tropical paradise again! We are up in the 40's as of noon, and I have been out on the deck in short sleeves and barefoot. I'm tellin' ya, It's almost bikini season!

I had some help in my quest for organization yesterday. My hubby came down and made little wooden spacers for some bins I was using on my work table, and he even wire-tied them together for me so they won't come apart. I knew I married him for a reason! He can make anything! He loves to do things like that, and he makes the most detailed plans. Me, I just start and if it doesn't work the first time, just revise on the wing. I shouldn't say I never plan, I do, just not in as detailed way as he does. I usually have a mind picture to start a project, but then let the piece take its own way as it evolves. That suits me most of the time, but I do admit to not always fulfilling my "visions," and that is sometimes frustrating.

That reminds me of making my granddaughter's homecoming dress this past fall. She had a "vision" and because she sews a little and is creative, she came up with a plan for the dress and a color scheme that was SET IN STONE!!!! The only problem was, her fabric was nowhere to be found. We shopped for eight hours one Saturday until we found some Halloween costume fabric that she deemed suitable for the top, and I found drapery fabric for the skirt. It turned out so cute, but I told her the next time she has a vision, to make sure she could reach out and TOUCH her vision before she came to me with it!

Anyway, I love her and I am proud that she wants to be different and creative with what she wears. I hope to be able to sew her wedding dress someday ( not too soon, though).