I need more of me!

When you walk into my house you will see a mess!  I have had my nieces the past 2 nights and again tonight!  There needs to be more of me!  The same goes with my classroom-all teachers feel this way at times, not just me!  Especially now with budget cuts and maxed out classrooms!  In the past we have tried to keep my numbers at a manageable size- I do alot of one on one teaching- but the powers that be want my room maxed so I can pick up more art classes!  I am so glad I have great numbers, but I am exhausted when I come home and my house suffers.......oh well, summer is almost here and spring cleaning- I guess summer cleaning- will begin! 

Its National Teacher Day!

Upon reading my colleagues blogs I thought I would post a little teaching post!  Some posted questions, some posted thank yous to their teachers they remember.  What am I going to post.......just some thoughts......I love teaching, I used to play it with my siblings and cousins when I was little.  I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in high school.  My art teacher was FABULOUS!!!!  I still talk to her all the time and I still see my elementary art teacher who is an amazing artist also!!!  Both need a website so I can reference it!  What I love about teaching is the kids and getting through to them, showing them how to love art when they didn't think they would.  I love seeing them grow as artists, love, love, love it!
What I don't love is when you are passionate about something and you see that taken away.  We are going through a strange time, teachers are getting pink slipped, good teachers, great teachers, WONDERFUL teachers and I hate it!  I hate, hate, hate it!  I hate that I don't know if my neighbor will be back next year or if she will be my neighbor!  I hate the fact that I am all upset because I might not be able to teach my baby, the photoshop class I developed, and she doesn't know if she has a job!  AHHHHH!  I hate I might loose my mentor because her husband was cut.  Who will I go talk to when I need to bounce project ideas off of or when I want an opinion on the painting I am doing.  Teachers are getting spread out a former students blogs asked why teachers can't grade paper quickly- when you teach 7 different classes with 25+ students in them..........well teachers are being spread thin..........
But, I love the kids, the friends, the laughs we share at lunch.........I love to see that hater of art turn into a lover of art who I can't keep out of the art room!!!!

So now that I am done babbling........Happy National Teachers Day.......thank you to all the wonderful teachers that I had in school and that I talk to EVERYDAY!!!

How Other's See Me......Mrs. Riehle

MRS.  RIEHLE- I hear that name more than I hear my first name!  MCP Project 52, Week 15,  How other's see me.......  it was an interesting theme.  I thought about it all weekend, Saturday on the way to the cities, Sunday while playing outside with Monkey, Monday during class and finally last night after Monkey went to bed I figured out I needed to do it in the classroom.  That is where I am truly myself......I love teaching........even when times are really messed up in education, I still love teaching!  I love being a mom and a wife, but I have been a teacher longer than both.  I always told my students that I didn't need kids because I had 120 of them each semester and 75 more during volleyball.  I am not a teacher hides the way I am, the kids now I'm crazy and silly and serious all at the same time!!!  They also know I am passoniate about my art, my marriage and my daughter!!!!  Now that I have a daughter that adds the the definition of my life.....mommy.......it makes me a better teacher....how would I want a teacher to treat my daughter?

I spend so much time being a teacher.  Not just from 8-4 everyday.  I can't wait until May when I can be a teacher for monkey 24/7 for 2.5 months.

So I hope others see me as a mom, a wife, a daugher, a sister, loving, fun, crazy, an artist, an art teacher, caring, funny and a friend.

Grandma's Necklace

I have been wanting to blog all day long, but getting ready for the Digital Scrapbooking Class that I taught tonight at the community college kept me busy all day.  This weekend I took my SOOC, Now to Wow photos as well as my MCP Project 52 photos all before 9 am Saturday morning.  What great light!  I processed the From the Jewelry Box photos all Saturday afternoon while Monkey slept.  It was fun!  I love processing photos.  I use both Coffeeshop Blog actions as well as All in the Details Actions from MCP.  They work so well.  Of course it did create a bit of banding which I didn't realize until today when I was look at them large, but than again, I was looking at 5x7 photos HUGE!  

So lets get to the story behind these photos, because I love photos that have stories!  Now I could tell you tons of stories about my Great Grandma and Grandpa Grady (see why we always had corned beef and cabbage). How they came to Iowa, how my Great Grandpa was so proud to have sold moonshine to Boonie and Clyde.  But this story is about my memories.  

My great grandma's name was Amy, she had 10 children so close together they would sleep in dresser drawers because they didn't have any room in cribs for them.  She was a southern belle, a homemaker, a lady, and best of all a quilter.  She and my great grandfather came to Iowa with literally no money.  They made a life in Iowa from the ground up.  Although she passed away when I was in 3rd grade I still remember her quite well.  I remember her home in Gillmore City.  I remember the light in her narrow kitchen that was so bright, it was a stark contrast from the dark cupboards.  The whole house was like that, an artist light; perfect.  That kitchen produced the best smell in the world.......homemade bread.   Whenever I smell bread I think of great grandma's house.  I remember the stained glass window at the top of the stairs we couldn't climb and the landing that we would play on and read the old school books by grandma had gotten to teach my great grandpa how to read, my mom has those books and my sisters and I played school with them for years.  I remember her smile and her wrinkled, lady-like hands.  They were so graceful even in her old age.    Even then I was a visual kid.

Now, she didn't teach me to quilt, but she did teach my grandma how to quilt. Who in return made a quilt with me every year I was in 4-H, starting at age 9, the summer after grandma passed away.  Quilting has been a part of my life for so long and I love to do it.  It is a part of my art as well, not just in the themes, but in composition as well.  

Last year I painted a portrait of Amy and Dennis's grandfather, Fred, who was 2nd generation church decorator, which Dennis now does.  We were both so connected to them that I wanted a painting that tied the two of them together.  The photo is of her and a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, all hand pieces together, which now covers my grandmother's bed and will someday cover mine.  It turned out exactly the way I wanted it to and that is the painting that is behind grandma's necklace.  

As for the necklace in the photo, don't remember if it was Grandma Amy's or Grandma Polly's necklace, but grandma gave it too me and I keep in the the night stand next to my bed.  The genuine stones cost $6 originally, the price tag was still in the box.  I don't wear it, pink isn't my color, but it ties me to my past, with out her and my grandma I don't believe I would be the artist and teacher I am today.

Colcannon Update

Colcannon- aka Irish goop.......LOVED IT!!!!  However I would change a few things with the recipe......no mashing potatoes and I would put it in the oven with swiss cheese on top and french fried onions and back until bubbly!  It really would be great today with left overs for the corned beef and cabbage.    I will have to post my version of the recipe!  No pictures, its not very colorful!

A green tradition and an Art Moment all Rolled into One!

Two posts in one day!!!  I was going to do one, but they didn't go together.

Happy St. Patty's Day!  I love St. Patty's day.........for many reasons!  It always reminds me of home....my mom's grandfather was Irish/Indian, quite a mix.  However Irish blood is pretty strong, strong enough to eat Corned Beef and Cabbage every March 17th.  Its a tradition, my mom would cook it all day and as much as I love to eat it, I hate to smell it cooking, I mean HATE.  I don't know what it is about the smell, it just doesn't sit well with me.  If the 17th was on a weekend I would find any way to get out of the house!  Once mom invited me and my soon to be husband over on a Friday night for it....during lent! H eat it!  But it was always something we would do as a family, a tradition.  I want that with my Monkey.
So, tonight I am going to make my little monkey and I a traditional Irish meal....  Colcannon (basically creamed cabbage with corned beef).  All Recipes is my source for the recipe so we will see.  I like everything in it so hopefully it will be good.  I will let you know tomorrow maybe I will even take pictures.

ART TEACHER MOMENT #1 (of this blog)

 

New Sheldon Wet/Dry Triple Decker by Jeff Koons

Photo from Des Moines Art Center

My student teacher is doing Star books in class.  Each student has to research an artist from a list that we give them.  I love this unit you get to talk about artist and why they create crazy stuff.  Every once in a while you get that kids who is really smart and can carry on a good conversation with you and 2nd hour was no exception.  He hated Jackson Pollock, his art shouldn't be art!  A monkey could do it.  My come back is a but a monkey didn't!   So we talked about different pieces that some people do for the meaning behind them.  For example the 3 shop vacs in clear boxes stacked on top of each other at the Des Moines art center.   I went there 4 times in high school and it wasn't until the last time that the docent actually made sense of these 3 vac sitting on top of one another.  Now, I don't know if it was the docent or the soon-to-be art teacher in me that made sense of it, but it was a moment I will never forget!  I still talk about our need as a country or society to have bigger and better things and how we run out and get that new shop vac when it comes out, art to make a statement, .  Maybe its a different size or color, but we need it!   Do you know how much more it is to get a colored washer and dryer????   

So ask yourself.......how many vacuums do you have in your home?????  Me........5!