My first typography envelope

     I saw a really cool template for an envelope over at The Postman's Knock and decided that I would like to try it. I used a pen that was far too thick for what I did with it, but 1) for a first try and 2) for someone with carpal tunnel syndrome that was bugging me that day, I'm okay with the results. I look forward to trying it again and getting better. Hopefully Mary doesn't see this here before she sees it in her mailbox :)  Here's the link to the template if you want to try it too.

    Saturday brought some fun mail. This homemade postcard comes from Danielle in Chicago. I love the image on the front, though I'm slightly confused by it.. lol, and I love the sewn edges.

     While sloshing over to my snowy mailbox, I was delighted to find this sunny postcard from Heleen in the Netherlands. We're getting 20-30 more inches of snow Monday-Wednesday so I'll keep this visible to brighten up the day.

 This is my first card from Singapore. It is from Suriani. I didn't know there was a Universal Studios in Singapore.

The 366 Project:

Sent:27

Received: 12

Finally some snow

We finally have a little snow (5 inches according to David's snowman measuring tool in the picture above). The boys bundled up and went out to play a bit.
     Looks like it will be a nice relaxing day just hanging out at home. I started my day by having breakfast with 4 of my friends at a local cafe. 2 friends were from church, 1 is a former colleague and 1 is a new friend I met through Timmy. It was really a blessing to start my day with these ladies.  Matt is working today so I look forward to playing some board games, getting some organizing done and just relaxing. This week was kind of emotionally taxing so I'm excited for the weekend.

Another Goodreads win

  Have I ever mentioned that I love Goodreads giveaways? Yes, I have. Well, I won a few more books this month. This one was my only good piece of incoming mail on Friday. Monday's Lie is a book that will be released February 2015. It's a thriller. I'll let you know what I think of it. In the meantime, yay for new books!

   I also received a really nice letter from a student yesterday, but it was just put in my school mailbox rather than mailed so I'm not counting it. (I'm not a rule breaker. Ha ha.) It was the nicest thing that happened amid a kind of cruddy day. She's a super sweet young woman and her words really made my day a lot better.

Outgoing mail today went to my Chemobuddy in IA and to a student who has been out sick for a long time.
The 366 Project:
Sent: 25
Received: 9

Jamberry update

I mentioned that as a pianist, percussionist, mom, teacher and nail-biter, my nails don't usually look "cute."  I showed the sample of Jamberry nail wraps earlier in the week. Here they are a few days later. Notice that my nail polish is kind of demolished.

 I like the design, even though I'm usually a bit more conservative. Looking at the website, they have lots of interesting designs. My only issue is justifying $15 for 1 set of strips (which should last 2-3 manicures)  I know that some woman really care about the appearance of their nails or treat themselves to manicures very often. I'm just not that girl. In fact, I'm rarely the girls who will even splurge for the more expensive nail polish that I can apply at home. I may order something just this once, but I doubt it will be something that happens often simply because saving for a house is way more important to me than having people look at my nails. If YOU are a person who likes to have your nails done professionally, check Jamberry out. It might save you money and give you some cool ideas.

INCOMING Mail today:
Postcard of the Stryiskyi Park in Lviv, Belarus. Isn't it peaceful? It looks like a relaxing place to write. No other incoming mail.

The 366 Project:
Sent: 23
Received: 8

Which celebrity would you write to?

   I am toying with the idea of sending a letter to a celebrity. I thought it might be fun to write to 1 celebrity a month for my little letter project. If you know me well, you know that I don't really care much about "fame and fortune."  I do however, think it would be cool to learn about some of them. I don't know who I would write to really. I honestly cannot think of 12 off the top of my head. Just for fun. Who would you write to in these categories:

- World leader?
- Actor/actress?
- Musician?
- Someone you respect?
- Famous person from the past, even if they're not alive anymore?
- Authors?
- Philanthropist?
- Someone in another country?

    Wow, I'm really bad at this. I can't even think of categories! Ha ha!!! So, who are some of your choices- even if they are really silly?

Jamberry opinions?

    This has been a pretty slow mail week. There were 2 days I had NOTHING in the mailbox at all- not even bills or junk mail. I sent out a letter to Mary in Md., and a few cards. Here are some of the cards I sent.

 Is this card creepy to anyone else? It was a picture taken at "TOZ Summer camp" in 1920. I have had it for a while but feared sending out. The user in Germany said he likes kind of odd/ugly cards so I thought this one would be perfect. I looked up more pictures of this camp and most of the pictures are equally eerie.

 I sent this card to a woman in Turkey who is trying to collect cards from every city in the world. Here is a link to her blog if you'd like to send her a card too.

    It was super cold and gross the other day so this card popped out at me. It's going to Mexico.

     I got 2 pieces of incoming "good mail."  After seeing Jamberry nail strips everywhere I started to wonder "What's the big deal?" So, let me preface this by giving you some information about myself:
1) I have had 1 manicure in my life.
2) I'm "frugal" when it comes to spending money on things like cosmetics. (Unfortunately, you can probably tell that by looking at me on your first glance.)
3) Being a music teacher/pianist/percussionist, I do not have nice nails. I am frequently chipping, tearing and scratching nail polish, never mind if I bit my nails when I'm stressed out.

So, here's the strip I got as a sample:

 Wow, sorry you can't see that well. Here is the strip on my nail for a chance to see if it can survive me for a week- and to see how it holds up compared to my normal polish. I probably should've cut it down and used it on my pinky since this strip seemed a little small for my ring finger. Live and learn. Do any of you have experience with Jamberry? Opinions? I will probably get at least 1 set just to support my friend's party but I'm not sure how excited I will truly be about them.

The only other mail I got was this cool card of the Neuschwanstein Castle.

   David has also got into Postcrossing and just received his first Moomin card :)

The 366 Project
Sent: 23
Received: 7 (boo!)

Concert

   I'm so proud of all my students! Some of you might think that that means the concert was perfect- it wasn't. Here's why it was great though..

    I asked my students to get there by 6:15. I had kids and parents there by 5:45. (I told you they know I hate when they're late) Only 1 boy from 8th grade came after I had started warming up/last minute announcements but he was decked out in a full suit (rather than just normal black and white) and apologized on his way up. By the way, the risers and piano were all set up and ready to go.
     I was missing less than 10 students from the whole concert (out of 183). Over half of those kids were home sick from school or had talked to me ahead of time. 3 kids are in the METCO program, which means they live in Boston instead of the town I teach in. I missed them and hope that I can reach out to see what we can do for those kids next time.
     5th Grade- Had 2 announcers- They were both adorable. I asked who was brave enough to start the whole concert and talk to all those people before the concert started and one of my nicest boys in the grade volunteered. He was very charming and did a great job. Then the little girl was an incredible reader.
    The 5th grade did have some of the problems I thought they would with the words but they performed well. I was excited that most of them were there and it was great to feel their excitement. I sometimes get annoyed with the whole "Hi Mom!!!" thing with the wave on the risers, this group didn't have any of that. I did watch their faces light up as they found their parents in the audience and smiled at them. There was one boy in particular whose happiness to see his dad (His dad talked to me after the concert. His joy about his son was just as heartwarming.) gave me quite a smile.
      So 5th grade 1st song was good. 2nd song was very pretty. 3rd song was the one I was worried about. My alto section almost blew it until this angelic little voice, Zack, sang out bravely (and alone on the right words.)  I saw him after the show and said "Zack! You SAVED the alto section! Great job! I'm really proud of you." He laughed and said "Thanks! I was terrified." Ha ha.
     6th Grade is my smallest group. Not only could I hear them but they were extremely musical. I sincerely enjoyed just listening to them. There were a few girls who sang out that are usually a lot quieter than they were tonight. They worked together as a group to listen to each other and adjust accordingly. They sang with expression and their behavior was impeccable. I wanted to hug them all.
     7th/8th- My 2 speakers for this group were also very professional. I purposely chose people who would show the progression from 5th-8th grade. It was amusing to see the audience's reaction to hearing the boy with a changed voice making the announcement.
      I am most critical of this group because I expect a lot from them and because they can handle someone having realistic expectations for them.  I was disappointed that 3 kids kept pronouncing a word in Hebrew wrong, which made it sound like the whole chorus was singing the word wrong. There were also 2 girls in the alto section who were giggling or something during our pieces, which was distracting and stuck out like crazy. OTHER than that... they really sang out. 1st song the sopranos led really well and took a risk to sing way louder than normal. The 2nd song is structured strangely. I totally messed up at one point when I flipped 2 pages instead of one. We basically made up 4 measures and then got back on track without anyone noticing the mistake. The kids who really knew this stepped up as leaders here. The 3rd song starts with all the gentlemen. I cannot always hear them and I gave them of a bit of a "Trust me" "Take a risk" conversation the other day. They all did and I was really proud of them. There are boys that I have barely heard over the past 4 years that I heard tonight singing confidently for the first time. The altos kept balance and the sopranos led the piece where it was supposed to go. The last piece was clean and open. Again, baritones sung out. Altos were consistent and the sopranos were brave.
     After the concert I met many new families. One of the moms came up to me and just hugged me. I'm a hugger, but this was my first time meeting this woman. She was just so excited and I went with it. Another woman thanked me "for giving them the gift of getting to listen to these beautiful children share their music."  I had another woman sign her daughter up for chorus after she had left in October. The 8th graders all got together and took pictures. (This 8th grade is very special to me. I will actually have a difficult time when they go to high school- not because they're such great musicians that my program will be hurt but because they are such good people that their words, excitement, compassion and humor will genuinely be missed by myself and many of the other kids they sang with.)  Parents were friendly and talkative to each other. Adults were talking with the students and the students were proud and respectful. I was also really happy to see some of my colleagues. My vice principal came, 2 aides and 2 teachers. The kids were happy to see them too.
     I am looking forward to giving the kids their written evaluation of the concert to see what their thoughts were about the night. Alright... I'm going to bed. haven't stopped to relax since 6 this morning. I wish I could share some pictures with you.