I am finally taking the time to write to all of you. I know by the e-mails that I have received from some of you that you are wondering where I have been.
Many of you know that I lost my job about 2.5 years ago when the store I had worked at for 13 years suddenly closed. I started my blog a short time later and had more than enough time to create and post each day.
For the past 2.5 years I have presented early childhood trainings and done consulting work which kept food on our table and papercrafting supplies in my craft corner, but I needed something steadier to do.
Happily early this September I was hired to teach preschool. I hit the ground running and haven't stopped yet. I have 17 students who range in age from 2.9 to 5+ years old. Some of them do not speak or understand English. All of them are adorable and a lot of fun. They burst into the classroom each morning with huge smiles on their faces and eagerly look to see what I have for them to do.
Throughout September and October all of my creative time and energy has been invested in my classroom. My papercrafting tools and supplies now serve a new purpose. I use my Crop-a-dile to punch holes in my vocabulary cards: my Xyron machine to make magnetic puzzles, to laminate, and to apply adhesive; my punches, dies, and patterned papers to create manipulatives and props.
Instead of creating cards I have become a scrapbooker of sorts. I take lots of pictures of my students and display them in photo sleeves or in an album for them to "read". I use my patterned paper, borders, dies, punches, markers, adhesives, and stickers when I create my pages. The children love seeing their pictures and spotting the "spider" stickers, the "pumpkin" cutouts, and the "apple" borders.
I am still planning to create holiday cards and gifts so I hope you'll continue to stop by to see if anything is new.
Hope to talk with you soon.
Carol
Sooooooo good to hear your voice, even if by blog. Thinking of you!
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