It's a Wrap

I can't believe it's the last day of 2010. What a great year it has been! It seems that every year of Skirt Project is a year of major change. I'm trying to keep up, but I have my work cut out for me in 2011...

A few weeks ago, I changed the masthead of my blog using these super awesome stamps that my mom has had since the 1950's.

It's a complete set! A total find in my own house, and so much fun to use! I am finding new uses for the stamps everyday, and every holiday. It's so exciting. I used these stamps to make my tags for my Christmas gifts. 

I traced a tag from my collection: stamped one side for the recipient of the gift and spray glued gorgeous paper on the other side.  

I loved this detail to my gifts. 

A close up:

One night, Jon and I made snow flakes, just because... They turned out lovely, so we decided to use them on our gifts.

P.S. Please notice the gorgeous glitter paper and ribbon that decorate these packages. Paper is from here.

Here are some photos of Jon's gifts. I made a little game out of it... I used my number stamps for five gifts. If I had thought about it more, there would have been a theme. Instead, I gave him stuff I knew he would enjoy having in no random order. 

#1.

A set of Micron pens - .005

#2

A candle for the man cave. 

#3

A calendar for the man cave.

#4

Wool argyle socks, for colder climates to come. 

#5

I know, it's a bag. Gift bags are kind of lame, but it's a bag that I knew he would like, and a bag that would hold this book. 

I think Jon had a WONDERFUL Christmas, after all he is Mr. Wonderful. 

Here's a peek for my next post...

Jon's Christmas to me! 

Yay!

Ladybug

Look! There's a ladybug on my windshield... on my way to find out about...

The future ?

In some cultures, Ladybugs are a symbol/sign of good luck.

I'm down with that, so I made one out of paper.

Merry Monday

Last Monday we hosted a little get together at our place.

It was 75°F (24°C), so the windows are up. I decorated with snowflakes from Paper Source and red and green paper chains. Jon made the Christmas tree, similar to the one we had last year. It's bigger this year, because everything is bigger in Texas. We used the same ornaments... that makes me smile. 

Did you see the Chesterfield Couch? 

Jon scored that a week earlier at an estate sale. It's awesome. 

Here's a photo of the spread that we served... I'm not so into cooking since we moved back.

 

Maybe it has something to do with the 650 students I see every week...

Merry Monday, as we called it, was an excuse to serve mulled wine and have our friends over.

It was delicious! We liked this recipe best. Many of our friends had never had it before, and it was fun to share and make. It reminded me so much of the Christmas Markets last year. I think I am finally coming to terms with this simple fact - I miss Belgium. 

Later that night, we cleaned up a bit, watched Singles and waited for the Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse. 

Save for the Lunar Eclipse, I think we started a tradition this year.

Here Comes Santa Claus

We did a directive drawing in 1st grade today...

My favorite:

And on the back:

Shark Week!

So little time...

Sick

Snowflakes

Choir Concert Decorations

Meetings

Saying "NO" to candy

Saying "No".

House guests

Chesterfield couches

Family

Secret Santa

Traffic

Observations

Is this week over yet?

Friday

Shining Bright

That is how my heart feels. It wasn't a perfect day, but it was good. I've moved classrooms and after an unfortunate incident with a student yesterday, I was finally able to teach a lesson. I'll save the details for my post tomorrow, but I am inspired in many ways.

Most of all, I am inspired to start another blog - a private blog. A blog about teaching and all of the lessons that I am learning everyday. I try to keep Skirt Project light and positive... but I need a yin to my yang. I need a place where I can write about my day and my experiences in the classroom. I teach 650 students every week. Some would think that this would be horrible, but I actually love it. I see every single child in the school. I think that's pretty cool, 'cause kids are awesome. Anyway... I digressed... Where was I?

Oh yeah...

Shining Bright....

My heart...

I have the best boyfriend ever. He is really such an amazing, caring, sweet and supportive man.

I came home to flowers... Just because!

Flowers from here...

And a delicious dinner.

Jean-George's Fried Rice.... Mmmmm... My favorite.

Beauty Lies Within

At the Beauty Bar with Taylor...

Taylor Time is wonderful!
She is so positive and tiny, and she is back in school to become a teacher.

Finally, after a stressful couple of days, I felt a little, "normal." 

Thanks Taylor!

P.S. There is glitter on the walls! Glitter!

A Child's Game

When I was a kid, I used to play with the electric meter. I would run around the house, turn all of the lights on and watch the meter whir by. Then, I would go back inside, turn all of the lights off and check out the circular disk cruising round and round and round at a slow and steady pace.

An electric swing would have been awesome!

Do you think kids actually swing under the lights?

Either way, I think the cost might be the same. 

St. Nicholas Day

I guess Sinterklaas didn't make it to Dallas this year.

Otherwise I am pretty sure he would have left these...  in black...  size 7.5.

Just sayin'.

Sunday...

Was sunny.

And cold - a perfect day to bake banana bread.

And catch up with friends.

Lanie and Lydia, circa 1992

Highgate Cemetery, London, England

Lakewood Nights

Lakewood Lights

Christmas Tights

Do you love 'em?

I love 'em!

I got 'em at Ross!

Couch Surfing

Presents from our very first Couch Surfer!

Swiss chocolate and fondue. Can you guess where she might be from?

CouchSurfing.org

The First

The first of December = the first of the Advent Boxes.

I love the light in my apartment. I just wish I were home to enjoy it more. 

My Chicken!

I was going to post a picture of a 3rd grade project today, which is great - but this is WAY better!

Recently, I've started to get my crafty and creative tools together after living away from them for one year. I noticed something was missing the other day - I didn't have a tape dispenser. Instead of buying a regular old tape dispenser from a boring office supply store, I decided to buy a fun and unique one that I first saw on this blog. I put it on my Amazon wish list while I was living in Belgium, but it had since sold out. (Insert sad face here.) Lucky for me, I spotted it on eBay and Mr. Wonderful bought it for me. (Yay!)

Imagine my surprise when I came home tonight to find this lovely sitting on my dining table!

It totally made my very long day.

 I LOVE it!

(Insert happy face here.)

Pinch Pots

Just in time for the holidays.

It felt good to get my hands dirty with 3rd and 5th grade today. It's been a while. 

Inspired by this blog and this book, I am trying to take a picture and post everyday. 

The Leaves Are Changing

I can't believe November has practically come and gone.

I love this tree outside of our apartment. It's so big and the colors of the leaves are gorgeous! I took this picture this past weekend, and it reminded me of so many things that I have been wanting to blog about.

Where to begin?

I'll begin with a book that I am reading, and whose cover happens to look like the photo above.

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. Have you read it? I am almost done with it and will write more when I finish it.

Another big part of my life is school - which for the most part is going great! I teach 650 students once a week. I still don't know how I am managing to do it all, but we're doing it! My students are lovely, spunky and good.  They are all good, even though there are a few who push my buttons and test my patience, they are just kids. 

These photos are from a project that I did with the Pre-K class last week before the break. I had cut the leaf shape out of several pieces of tissue paper and had the children glue the pieces on a piece of paper with an old paint brush. 

Some students were very precise about where they placed their leaves. About 10 minutes into the project, I heard, "Teacher, ya acabé." (I'm finished.) When I looked at the clock, I had about another 10 minutes before it was time to clean up, so I encouraged them to keep adding more. 

Some students worked in a radial pattern, which was pretty advanced.

But I liked the pictures that looked like the leaves had fallen onto their paper, and the students had let the leaves lie where they lay.

It's my Brother's Birthday...

He's a teacher, like me.

Martin High School Lip Dub 2010 from Tricia Regalado on Vimeo.

I guess crazy, creative educators run in the family.

Happy Birthday Dan!

Life in East Dallas

New Projects...

My goodness, it's been so long since I've posted anything. I almost forgot how to log in!

PreK's mess from earlier today. I went to graduate school to wash dishes...
Of course, this thought totally makes me smile. 

I've been busy working, of course. I teach art at an elementary school here in Dallas. This is my fourth week on the job, and I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it. I'm almost afraid to say that, because as soon as I do, something is bound to happen. But life's like that, eh?

It's been quite a bit of work - getting the room sorted, organized, all the while teaching 650 students every week. It's challenging trying to keep up with everything. This afternoon I left work early (4 p.m., as opposed to 6:30 p.m.) and I am extremely proud of myself. However, I can't quite shake this feeling that I am forgetting something?

Which brings me to Project #1.
I joined a gym, and it's amazing. It has a pool, and I have been drawing such inspiration from swimming. I am swimming in a pool with lanes! This is the first time in my life that I have ever done this! I am thrilled beyond words and love the calming effect of the water. I wish I could take a picture of the pool, but I don't think that's allowed. It's decorated in a monochromatic color scheme of blue with lots of triangles overhead. I hope to share it on my blog in someway, but that way has not yet come to me... Swimming is pure joy. By the way, I have already lost 8 lbs. When I came back to the US, I noticed that my clothes were a bit snug around the waist line. Way too uncomfortable for my taste.

Project #2
I started running with some girlfriends, and I am loving the exercise and the camaraderie.

Couch to 5K(C25K) is a great app, along with many others that I am quite fond of...
I'm not sure which 5K I will run, but the good news here is that I AM RUNNING! REGULARLY! It's kind of nice.

Project #3
We have been in our new home for about two and a half weeks now. We still have things in boxes and rooms with no furniture, but creating a home is a fun project. To help get things going, I am taking part in the 20/20 Home Cure from ApartmentTherapy.com

If you haven't checked out this book, do it. It's a great resource for managing and creating a home. It's a very easy read and makes a lot of sense. I think it's the ease with which Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan writes and his holistic point of view... and he used to be a teacher. A teacher, folks! Gotta love that, I know I do!

And finally, Project #4...

This is something that I've been wanting to blog about for a while. I thought I would blog it on September 1, then October 1, then October 10 for 10.10.10. But today is just as good as any of those days. And it's big... HUGE!

Read: 101, and not 10. 1. 

This past August while we were in Belgium, I became quite depressed about the prospect of moving back to Texas. It's great to be home, but it's been quite an adjustment.

Home.

It's the same, but different.

I'm different. 

I'm different in a myriad of ways. Living in Belgium was such a wonderful experience. It opened my eyes in an incredible way and I learned and grew so much as a person.  I don't feel like I can really relay this to many people without coming off as a Europhile. I know my friends won't think that, but it's something that I am still trying to process, especially as I find myself back in my "home" context. I am totally experiencing culture shock, but I'm getting through it. New projects and goals are an excellent way to continue personal growth, and I love, love, LOVE projects.

That's why I wrote 101 goals to achieve in 1001 days, which was done with the help of a wonderful website and idea:  

DayZeroProject.com

I love the subtitle:

Plan. Create. Motivate. Achieve.

It's similar to my personal mantra...

I will share my 101 goals, and personal mantra, here on this blog, and I will update and post on a more regular basis as I work through to accomplish them. But, I am human, and because I am human, I feel I must write that I will fail, just so you know...  I am not starting these projects with the intent of failing, but failure is inevitable and part of life.

In any case, I can't tell you how excited I am! I will accomplish quite a bit, and I'm excited to see what these next 1001 days will bring me.

~xoxo

My Favorite

Photo from this past weekend.