On Beauty

"She walks in beauty like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies..." ~ Lord Byron"It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart." ~ Anon.
"You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing." ~ Marie Stopes

"It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly." ~ Oscar Wilde"In every man's heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty." ~ Christopher Morley

"Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior." ~Anne Bronte

I think the third woman down is the most beautiful by far, and the second quote is the truest. What about you?

Obviously, I took none of these images, and I couldn't really tell you who did. They are all fantastic eye candy from a variety of magazines.

Doin' the Happy Dance

We've already heard the good news. It's a snow day tomorrow. All of Team Lawson will be snuggled by the fire, books in hand. Pjs and fuzzy slipper socks all day. Stew for lunch, marshmallows roasted over the fire for dessert. If we're lucky and we get more snow than ice, maybe even a snowman. Ahhhh... I can feel my knots loosening already. Happy winter!


Snow days are pretty rare around here. These pictures are from the last time we had enough snow to build a snowman, January 2005.

Inspiration Everywhere

I wrote a this some time ago to share just a little of the incredible inspiration I find in my travels around the blogiverse. Since then, I have amassed a favorites folder full of wonderful posts. Here is a sampling of my favorite blog posts ever. I hope it brings a bit of joy to your winter weekend. Rest and play, my friends, rest and play. Our souls need more of both.
~ Start here for wishes and dreams.

~ Here is where you will find beauty in the most surprising of things.

~ Discover one of my favorite pictures. Ever.

~ This is a reminder we all need from time to time.

~ Click here if you've ever wanted to keep a journal.

~ Here to find out some of the best news. Ever.

~ And, finally, here for one of my favorite images, and words to melt your heart.

What are some of your favorite posts? Your own and others, I mean.



Rest by DanielKHC. Play by jasfitz.

Getting To Know You

The best part of blogging for me is all the friendships I've made. Many days I feel far more understood and appreciated here in my little corner of the blogiverse than I do any place but in the middle of Team Lawson. Do you guys ever feel that way? Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for that and tell you that I've enjoyed getting to know you all so very much.

I've especially enjoyed the interview game that has been floating around. Answering the questions was an interesting exercise. Writing them was tougher than I thought it would be. I found out that I have a previously unacknowledged desire to grow up and become Terry Gross. I guess I'll have to start paying better attention to my voice and diction.

Two of my collaborators have posted their interviews. Won't you drop by and visit Shar and Jessica, and say hello? One more thing, (I'm stealing this idea from Jessica) I really did enjoy answering questions in my interview posts. If you have a question of your own for me, I'd be happy to answer it, too. Just leave it for me in the comments.

Tomorrow is Friday and the weatherman calls for 54 and breezy. My favorite kind of weather. Plus - outside recess!! Can it get any better than that?

Scenes From An Inauguration

Where were you when J.F.K. was shot?

Did you watch the moon landing?

Did you see the Challenger explode?

Do you remember when the Wall fell?

And a question for this generation: Do you remember when Barack Obama became President?

I did my best to be sure that my students will be able to answer that question.

Oh, I hope they remember.

I'm Still It.

Here it is, friends. My second interview, with questions from the amazing Julochka.

1. how long have you lived without a t.v. and how did you come to that decision?

It has been eight or nine years since we've lived without television. Becoming TV-free was quite an easy decision for us. Increasingly, we found ourselves watching instead of doing. For us, it is too easy to sit and watch something stupid rather than getting up and getting busy. Being, experiencing, reading, talking, playing, and walking are all pursuits we think are more valuable than watching. But. We just kept watching. We also found ourselves watching shows that portrayed morals and values we did not share, and we wanted to be more intentional with our entertainment. We do have a computer and watch DVDs through it. We have an old TV set that we drag out for big events like inaugurations. For two or three weeks this summer our living room was taken over by this odd creature with bunny ears and tin foil so we could watch the Olympics.

2. what is the best thing about your job?

All day, every day, what I do matters. Someone once asked me how I could take such a big pay cut to become a teacher. I told them that I had spent several years making money. Now I was ready to make a difference. I don't mean to say that you have to teach to make a difference, just that this is my way. In teaching, I've found my calling, my passion, my commitment, and my conviction. Teaching allows me to bring every part of who I am and what I've experienced into the classroom. I don't live two separate lives; one me for work and one for weekends. I try to distill all that I've learned and experienced, all my training and education, each of my interests and passions into creating an environment that nurtures children's minds and spirits. The best thing about my job is that I am doing exactly what I was created to do. What a powerful joy that is.

3. what is the worst thing about your job?

The worst thing about my job is the nation-wide epidemic of vigorously criticizing public education while doing nothing to help. This is a hard job; a really, really hard job. Where else will you find over-educated, under-paid, highly-skilled employees willing to work 70 hour work weeks so they can go home, open the paper, and read about what a terrible job they are doing? If things are so awful in the schools in your area, how about showing up? Lend a hand. To paraphrase Gandhi a bit: Be the change you want to see in your school. And, please, please understand that educators can only do so much. We can not change the home environment, take the test, or raise IQs. Most teachers I know show up every day with a heart full of love, a head full of knowledge, and a willingness to do everything it takes to kindle a spark. The criticism may sometimes be deserved, even needed, but please. Be gentle. And be involved.

4. in a busy, hectic everyday, how and when do you make time for blogginess?

I guess I just take the time. This is what I need. Blogging feeds my soul in ways that are difficult to name. Mostly I blog late at night while the world sleeps. I try to include my daughter, Sloane, in things I do. So, I often do the visual and technical aspects of blogging with her after school. She loves it, and even has a blog of her own. She hasn't updated in a while, but has been asking me to help her on a new post.

5. are you a morning person or a night owl?

Well, it is exactly 1:49 AM as I write this. I guess that answers that question. I love the night.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain --and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
~ Robert Frost

Good night, dear ones.

The image above is by SF buckaroo. I'm still willing to interview you, if you are interested.

If One Is Good, Two Must Be Better...

When I was preparing my Best Reads of 2008 post, I actually ended up with two lists. Each of the books on this list is a book I read for the second (or even 10th) time in 2008. If you want to read my review of any of these books, click on the goodreads icon in the sidebar.

Relyn's Best Rereads of 2008

10 Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
9 Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle
8 Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
7 Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
6 Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
5 Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
4 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3 Secret Scribbled Notebooks by Joanne Hornimann
2 Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

and the winner is....

1 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

What books do you reread again and again?


Incredible image by Marco Welt.

Tag! I'm It.

Willow of Willow Manor has started a fun blog game. The idea is that she will interview those who choose to participate. Participants, in turn, will offer to interview their readers. I took both Willow and Julochka up on the offer. So, here's my two-fer interview. The first section is questions from Willow. The next five are from Julochka. Update: Jeffrey just returned home from an out of town trip. Julochka's interview will be posted soon. I've gotta run now.

1. I love your beautiful family New Year photos. Who did the excellent photography?

Oh, thank you. When I read other blogs, I really appreciate the glimpses into the family behind the blogger, so I thought my blogger friends might as well. It's nice to add a face to a name. Believe it or not, we had the pictures taken at Picture People at the mall as none of the local photographers were taking any bookings that close to Christmas. We were all pleased with the way they turned out, too. Still. I'm dreaming of the day when we have a photo shoot with my favorite portrait photographer.

2. Whose toes are those in your header?

I took all the photographs in my header. Why is it that only my outdoor pictures turn out well? Something with the lighting, I know. Anyway. Those are Sloane's three year old toes. She was sitting on the porch (from the washbowl photo) trying to clean her feet with a baby wipe. She always hated wearing sandals because my fweet get too durty, Mommy. We had taken my Mom on a weekend trip to Memphis for her birthday. It was the worst trip in the history of our family. Funny how we still had a wonderful time. Mostly laughing at how badly everything was going, but still. We've taken hundreds of trips where everything was perfect - except the photos. This time, yuck trip - great photos.

3. Who is your favorite fictional hero and why?

This is a tough, tough question. I just spent a half hour perusing my shelves waiting for my answer to jump out and grab me by the throat. It never did. I did, however, learn two very interesting things about myself. (So, thank you, dear Willow.) First, most of my favorite fictional characters are not often lovable. I really, really love the quirky, odd, and sometimes just plain means ones. I adore imperious, arrogant Bess. insane Noonan. larcenous Addie. bitter, furious Astrid. selfish Mary. I also learned that my favorite book heroes are all living, breathing people. Or, they were. I love Helene, Corrie, Sherman, Amanda, Esme, Nancy, Laurie, Mary Francis. I could go on and on. I guess I want my real life to be nice, brave, kind, creative, and funny. I like my imaginary world to be full of vim and vinegar. Interesting. I wonder what that says about me? Robin, want to weigh in?

4. Besides your loved ones, what is your most treasured possession?

Probably my old diaries. I've been keeping a journal since I was nine. By now I have huge plastic storage bins full of old ramblings, musings, lists. The teenage "angst" caught between the covers still makes me cringe. And the poetry? Need to burn that some day. But, what a marvelous time capsule. I still get a kick out of going back and reading them every few years. I always imagine that some day Sloane will treasure those glimpses of my younger self.

Other than those two enormous tubs of paper, my most precious possessions are my signed copies of Helene Hanff's books. Each one of the books are completely delightful, but you must start with 84 Charing Cross Road. One reviewer said, "Will beguile an hour of your time and put you in tune with mankind ." That is a perfect description of the book. In one of her later books, Helene talks about how fans would mail her copies of her own book and ask her to sign them. The problem was that they would never include a return envelope, postage, etc. They could find her because she had always been listed in the New York City phone book. So, I looked her up. There she still was. I wrote her a letter thanking her for the hours of pleasure she had provided me. Of course I asked her to sign my copies, too. I told her that it was her own fault since she put the idea right there in print for me. I did include the SASE. The books were returned to me quickly, signed.

(Sorry. Not sure what's up with my scanner.)

I found out a few months later that she had died. As best I can work out, my books were some of the last mail she would have received at her apartment. I may be the last person to ever write her a fan letter. I was so glad that at the very end of her life, she knew that her life, her books, were still touching others. It reminds me to always, always take the time to say thank you, send a note, make the call. In a house fire, I'd risk a burn to save those books.

5. Before blogging, what, if any, was your main mode of personal expression?

I think it would have to be my journals and the act of telling a good story. I love stories. I love words. They are my most enduring love affair. I've loved them since my mother read that very first book to me. I spend a lot of time reading, writing, and talking. Stories. I write them and tell them. All the time. Stories make me happy. Somehow, though, the words on a page just weren't quite enough.

I've always had so much... stuff... good stuff... spinning around in my head. Images, words, snippets, quotes, color combinations, lists, book reviews, dreams, recipes, recommendations, reviews, fragments of stories... Just lots and lots of stuff. The inside of my head often looks like a magazine. A myriad of topics are categorized, titled, and gorgeously illustrated. The problem has always been that my hands just don't work very well. I really do mean that. If I were in elementary school now, I would qualify for occupational therapy. I guess that's why blogging suits me so well. It's all digital. And, I can do digital. That doesn't really answer the question though. I think mostly, I was just frustrated. I so much wanted to create something beautiful.

And all I had was ink on paper. That sounds limiting and it isn't always. Words are my main passion, but I still find myself so thrilled to be able to do more with the words. To be able to play with them. To be able to add images, mosaics, links, tags. To play. To find others who do it better than I do. And then share that. Oh, I love this blogging thing.

So? Who wants to play?


The image above is by Eugene Recuenco, first spotted here.

Instructions

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

The Bookworm In Me

Each year my friend Laura posts her top ten reads for the year. Since I discovered her past lists back in August, I've been eager to write a list of my own.

Relyn's Best New Reads of 2008

10 Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
9 Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Deedy
8 The Arrival by Shaun Tan
7 Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
6 Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
5 Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
4 Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
3 Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
2 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
and the winner is....

1 History of Love by Nicole Krauss
What books did you love this year?


Image: The image above is just a taste of all the goodness you'll find when you click on pinkbelt's photostream. What: 217 books recorded either in my journal or Goodreads, from a variety of genres and all age levels How: I choose my top ten based on the rating I gave each book upon completion. I sorted my top ten and placed them in order of preference based on my thoughts of the book after some time has passed. More Details: Click on the Goodreads icon in the sidebar to read my reviews of each of these books.

L is for...

* LOVE * Lawsons * libraries * Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed * lusciousness * Lewis Sachar, author * losing reluctantly and gracefully at the same time * liberty * looking glasses * logical thinking * lustrous hair * lightning bugs * loving glances across a room * lime green * locomotives * Lucite chairs * lavender: color, flower, scent * lemon bars * lacquered boxes * lion cubs * lilies * lesson plans * lips painted red * luck * ladybugs * long layovers * Laura Ingals Wilder, author * love stories * leadership skills * lakefront property * lounge chairs * laughter * lilac covered fences * Lucy Hatch * love songs * The Lord of the Rings * loquacity * luxurious baths * lightening storms * left-handedness * letters: alphabet, correspondence * lyrics * Lion King, the opening scene of the Broadway version * lemonade * licorice * Lone Star state * loud whispers * lunar eclipse * lyrical poetry * lazy summer days * Ludwig Von Beethoven * lending a hand * lying down for a nap * lily pads * lunch with girlfriends * leopard print collars and cuffs * licking a lollipop * lace curtains * lovely old images * lingering caresses * learning something new * Lewis and Clark * Louisiana Zydeco * leaves falling * letterpress stationary * luster ware * licking the spoon *

Don't you just love the alphabet?

To see more work from these excellent photographers, click the individual links. L by LeoReynolds. Lace Curtains by Masquerade Arts. Love Stories by Atilla1000. Lunar Eclipse by Ben. To find out more about the Alphabetica project, see the sidebar. To see the entire project so far, click the Alphabetica tag at the end of this post.

One Great Big YES!!

I should confess that I have been doing some serious thinking about this post for 4 days now. I've been mulling it over for at least a week. The first post of a new year seems momentous somehow. It seems as though I should have something delightful, encouraging, magical, or even a little profound to offer. I think and think.

What I really want to do is tell you about my word for 2009. The idea is to pick a word that you plan to use to guide your year. It's not about writing resolutions you're bound to break. It's not even about to do lists or hope to do lists, and you know how much I love lists. It's about creating a focus for your year. A mantra, if you will, to be defined any way you choose.

" A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be a ripple in the pond that changes everything." ~ Alli Edwards, creator of the one word concept.

2009, the Year of YES!

Yes to new adventures. Yes to travel. Yes to kindness, compassion, and giving till it hurts. Yes to students when my "no" is driven only by preference. Yes to Sloane when "no" or "later" is compelled only by convenience. Yes to the time and effort it takes to learn a new skill. Yes to taking risks publicly. Yes to investing time in people. Yes to investing time in healthier living. Yes to more play, more laughter, more dates with Jeffrey. Yes to taking risks, falling down, getting back up, and trying again. Yes to counting my blessings. Yes to self-discipline. Yes to saying thank you and sending presents - on time. Yes to parties, sleep-overs, and celebrations for no good reason. Yes to meeting blog friends. Yes to paying off school loans. Yes to working hard and smart and having a whole lot of fun doing it. Yes, yes, yes!!


The incredible art above was created by Debi of Emma Tree fame. Debi has magic and moonbeams overflowing. The blessing is that she shares them freely.