'Tis the Season

I'm a firm believer in not getting ready for Christmas until Thanksgiving has its day.  The day after Thanksgiving, let the holiday season festivities begin.  We always get our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, and this year was no different.  We cut our own, drink a cup of hot cider and sit by the bonfire.  We start listening to Christmas music, our stockings are hung by the mantle, and the garland adorns the stair rail.  We go to see The Nutcracker (an annual family tradition - I highly recommend seeing the Boulder Ballet/Boulder Symphony's production - always the first weekend after Thanksgiving).

And now, we sit back and enjoy: the lights in the neighborhood, the excitement of buying presents for loved ones, the Choir and Orchestra concerts, Irish Dance Recitals, Music Recitals, and Holiday Programs.   This is such a fun time of year.  I hope all of you have a chance to slow down and enjoy every moment of this wonderful time of the year.

The Unofficial Gallery of the Tomie dePaola Award is UP!!

It's that time of year again when illustrators all over the world are getting their pencils sharpened for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Tomie dePaola contest.

This year we have to choose a passage from Tom Sawyer, Little Women, or The Yearling to illustrate.  And it has to be .... Black & White!

Entries need to be submitted by December 14th.  The winning entry is be chosen January 9th.  (For more info, visit the SCBWI site. )

Thanks to wonderfully talented and sweet as can be Diandra Mae , you can view all the amazing entries in one spot:  The Unofficial Gallery of the Tomie dePaola Award.  Seriously, you'll want to bookmark this page.... the talent is amazing!

And yes, I'm up there too...

Orca-stra

The other day, my youngest was talking about Orchestra, but she misspoke and said "Orca-stra."  That gave me an idea for a little present for our school's music teacher.  Hopefully, she'll like it!

Happy Election Day!

The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.

~Lyndon B. Johnson

(You can see the original sketch at Smells Like Crayons.)