CC's Stuff and Things

Since I'm going to become a teacher, and it's somewhat up in the air what grade I will teach, I'm always interested in new crafts that would be fairly simple to do with kids.  I also just plain like to craft, let's be honest here.  The place I work offers a craft for employees as well as patients, parents and visitors for almost every holiday, and since yesterday was Valentine's Day, they had this paper heart craft.  I didn't get to actually GO to do the craft because I work evening shift, but a couple of my coworkers went and they showed me how to do it as well as gave me the "pattern" for it.   Here's what you need:  two colors of construction paper, tape, a pattern (can be found on bing images pretty easily), scissors. I have two pair of scissors in the picture, because I used a pair of fun edged scissors for the lines in the center of the heart.  When you first do this craft, I recommend as practice to do it with straight edge

Let me first say, I am not a big fan of poetry or "poe" as my friend Mark often refers to it.  As a favor for Mark, and also to make some extra cash, occasionally, I would go to a University on a weekend and judge a "forensics tournament."  This was not a bunch of criminal investigators lined up at microscopes solving crimes, it was public speaking.  One of the categories was Poetry or "Poe" as I'm used to calling it now.  One of my least favorite things to judge was Poe because hearing it aloud, I don't really "Get" it.  I was always just winging it when I chose a winner of that event. Anyway, for my Intro to Education class, one of the assigned books for the semester is this (so far) great book called "Letters to a New Teacher."  It is comprised literally of letters a very experienced teacher wrote in response to questions posed by a brand new teacher, and it is a really good read if you want a glimpse into the mind of a gre

 So, I feel like doing a "favorite things" post, a la Oprah without the free giveaways (sorry). First off:  Chocolate.  I have become a chocolate snob.  I am no longer a fan of Hershey's or any of those common chocolate bars you can get anywhere.  I want Ghirardelli.  In fact, I have figured out that I'm not a fan of Nestle products either.  I've been baking a lot of the chocolate chip cookie recipe I posted awhile back, and I've found that the cookies made with Ghirardelli Semi sweet chocolate chips are just plain better. I have actually been to Ghirardelli square, though I've never taken the tour.  They do have a fabulous ice cream shop, and it's a favorite of my family to visit when we're there together. I do, however, have a close 2nd favorite, which I generally buy because it's cheaper, and you get more in a bag for the price... and that is....  A friend of mine back in the 00's turned me onto Dove Promises, and those prom