a gallery walk.

we had a pretty icky dust day at school. this pic is taken mid-day. not fun!

 

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WISH.

a wish.  a hope or desire for something.  that many people believe should be kept a secret or else it won’t come true.  whether or not you believe in wishes, you have to admit that the idea of a wish is so beautiful.  to have such hope and such a desire for something that you will take a chance on any number of random things, with HOPE that it might come true.

i recently read this super-cute book called ‘WISH‘ and in the story, the little girl made a wish every day for the last two years.  EVERYDAY.  she wished for the same thing and never told anyone.  and i don’t want to ruin it but i’m here to tell you it was heart-wrenching.  but she was always so HOPEFUL!  throughout the book, she described many of the ways that she used to make a wish and it got me thinking about all of the things that people might wish upon…and i just think it’s such a lovely idea.  to believe and to dream and to never lose hope.

so then i started marking all the pages where she described her wishes.  some i had heard of and some not-so-much.  but i thought i would share them with YOU.  maybe you have heard of some of them?  and maybe some are made up.  but i just love the idea of having so many things to believe in.  so many things to look out for.  so many things to be hopeful about…

♥ when it’s 11:11

♥ when you see a white horse

♥ when you blow on a dandelion

♥ when you find a penny and throw it

♥ when you see the first star of the night

♥ when you cut off the pointed part of a piece of pie and save it for the last bite

♥ when you see a truck full of hay and count to thirteen

♥ when you see a black horse and shake your fist at it three times

♥ when an acorn falls from a tree, hold the acorn in your hand and turn in a circle three times

♥ when you see a falling star

♥ when you see a cardinal (or red bird?) and spit three times

♥ when you find an eyelash and blow it away

♥ when a ladybug lands on you, you say ‘ladybug, ladybug, fly away home’ as it flies away

♥ when you hear a bird singing in the rain

♥ when you find a four-leaf clover but leave it in the grass

♥ when you see three birds perched on a wire

♥ when two people say the same thing at the same time they should hook pinkies and make a wish

♥ when you find a blackbird feather and stick it in the ground

♥ when you get the bigger part of the wishbone

♥ when you find exactly fourteen rows on a cob of corn

♥ when you spot a yellow railroad cars

♥ when a butterfly lands on you

♥ when you see a camel-shaped cloud

♥ when you find a cricket in the house

♥ when a lightening bug is glowing on your ring finger

♥ when you cross a state line and clap three times

my favourite one has always been 11:11 and i feel like i come across it often…and i do it.  i close my eyes. and i make a wish.  because why not?  why not be hopeful?  why not believe that this could be the one wish or the one day that it comes true?  why not?  dream.  hope.  WISH.

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WRECK IT WEDNESDAY // three.

i’m sorry to say…but this has been a SLOW week for my poor journal.  i don’t know what happened.  the week kinda just got away from me!  how?!  all of a sudden, even though the week was slllooooooooow, it was wednesday and i had hardly hung out with WTJ at all!  the good news is that i didn’t forget it entirely, so i do have a few things to report!  here’s whats up:

this page said to close the book and write on the edges.  along with my name and the date, i included a little reminded for myself…you know, just in case 🙂

 

there is a chance that i did this page all on my own.  and there is a chance i did it four times ’cause it was so fun!  i didn’t think i would be very good at it but i think i pretty much #killedit. HA!  look at how fancy i got on the fourth try! 

 

i finally remembered to start collecting fruit stickers this week!  WOOOO!  my favourite part of this page are the details…I SPY…kiwi fuzz, pear peels, and CAT HAIR?!

WELP.  that’s it for this week.  i promise to try and be more exciting next week!!  but the good news is that i actually did this post on WEDNESDAY!  if you’re wrecking a journal, i’d LOVE to see!!  so please share! xo

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em kat READS. jan 2018.

so.  as you know, i have made a goal for myself to read 52 books in 2018.  i totally envy people who are super fast readers and can just fly through book, however, that is NOT me.  but that’s OKAY!  i am reading way more than i used to and i am very happy with my progress so far!!  i have kept up to my goal so far and i would say that i’ve even managed to stay A BIT ahead of the game so far.  if you’re interested, here’s what i’ve been reading and a bit about what i thought of them:

 

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

this one was really interesting and not what i was expecting really.  i think it had a really interesting take on what would be different if could see into our future and how every little thing we do could possibly change what’s to come for us.  i REALLY loved how this book was written by two authors and from the perspectives of two characters.  if you’re looking for a light read, this young adult novel is well worth the time!

 

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

i love basically ANYTHING written by kate dicamillo.  like she’s a genius or something, right?!  now, to be honest, i wasn’t super into it in the beginning, but i was in LOVE by the time it was over.  i want to know more about what happened to the trio of girls in this story, AND their cat!!  i was reading this is the library with a grade 4 class and i literally grabbed my head at one point because i just couldn’t believe what i was reading.  so, so good.  a super quick read and could be enjoyed by many ages!

 

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

this was probably my favourite book this month.  it was really funny and i could definitely relate to PARTS of it.  not all of it (if you read it you will understand why i say that! HA!).  anyway, it’s about a 30-something year old woman who travels the world and has all kinds of adventures while most of her friends are getting married, re-married and having children.  it is in no way offensive to people have chosen to start families and all that good stuff, just her view on life as a free woman!  i would definitely recommend this one for my single friends, especially those with a love for travel!

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

i must admit that i wasn’t super excited about starting another HP book, but this has FOR SURE been my fave of the series so far!  it was very exciting and i’m sure that i don’t need to tell you what it’s about because most people in the world have read this.  and the others.  multiple times by now.  anyway, this book (especially the second half) made me want to keep reading and move on to book 4!

 

Wish by Barbara O’Connor

now, i realize i just talked about how i wanted to read more HP…but i started reading the 4th book and decided i needed a break.  so i took a quick 2 day break and breezed through this ADORABLE book which will be getting a blog post all of it’s own soon.  anyway, it was a sweet story about friendship and belonging.  it was sad.  it was funny.  it was hopeful.  i really loved it and i think it would be a great class read aloud that would generate a lot of discussion.  highly recommended for young readers and for the classroom!

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WRECK IT WEDNESDAY // two.

or…wreck it SATURDAY as it seems this week…SORRY!  so here’s what’s been happening this week…lots of fun to make up for how long it took me to post:

it seems that my journal is beginning to draw a bit of a crowd!

→ masa helped me with a few more things this week — including the COVER!

→ then i asked tomas to help me one day after school because he was waiting for his sister.  so we got into the dirt, dropped the journal from the top floor of our school, and he successfully picked up the journal using his FEET.

→ but THEN, his sister wanted in on the action, so on wednesday, leonor and i collected leaves to press in the pages after sliding the journal face-down along the LONGEST hallway we could find!  we drew quite a crowd on that one and many students reminded me that this IS NOT how we should be treating our books! (i guess they really DO listen in library!! WOOOOO!!!!)

→ our last stop was to visit the art room where ms. toor let us have a bit of paint so that leonor could complete the ‘dip your hand in something and then PUNCH here’ page.  i believe that on our way out she said this was her favourite art activity ever…SORRY MS. TOOR!


 

so there you have it!  that’s what the journal got up to this week!  it’s been super fun trying to complete these activities with some of my students and friends.  i love how different people interpret the pages differently and it’s exciting to see the results every time!!  🙂

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REAL TALK.

the thing is…i think i have an addiction…TO READING.  like i don’t know if that’s a real thing…but i think it might be.  and i think i have it.

i have always loved reading and it started at a young age.  i was three when i learned (thanks, angela!!) and so i was reading before i even started school.  i loved the library in elementary school.  i spent a lot of time there.  and then worked at the public library in wawa for years as i went through school and started teaching.  books have been a huge part of my life.  basically forever.

BUT.  in the last two years as an elementary librarian, i have been reminded of my joy for reading and i feel so lucky to share that with my students every day!  i find myself thinking of my books all the time, and sometimes, even skipping out on stuff cause i really just want to read.  i L-O-V-E reading!!  so, so much!!  go for a walk?? watch a movie?? or sit at home and read?!  BRING ON THE BOOK!  HA!  i’m telling you…it might be a problem.

but then here’s the thing…here’s when i DO NOT think it’s a problem: when i have inspired SOMEONE ELSE to read!!!  GUYS!  it makes me so happy!!  i’ve been posting my finished books on instagram and i have had tons of positive feedback and people messaging me who have said that because of my reading challenge with myself, they want to start reading again too!  or start reading more in general.  or just turn off netflix and pick up a book.  and i am SO stinking happy about it!!  how cool is that?!  let’s DO THIS THING!!! – shoutout to carol-ann, cindy, laura, megan, kristen, and anyone else who has decided to pick up a book and READ.  because it’s AWESOME!  (if you’re on goodreads, look me up!!  we can be friends and encourage each other!!  WOOOO!)

so, YES.

i, emily abbott, am addicted to reading. 

and i am SUPER happy about it! 🙂

 

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WRECK IT WEDNESDAY // one.

so this journal has only recently even come across my radar, but i promptly found one of my own and got started right away!!  if you’ve never heard of ‘wreck this journal‘, you NEED to!  go to the link now and read up or BUY up!!  cause i think you’ll be obsessed, like i am!!

my plan is to work on wrecking my journal with my friends or students (depending on the activity) and to document it all with photos and videos.  THEN, every wednesday, i will come here and update you on the progress — hence, WRECK IT WEDNESDAY!

and i won’t keep you waiting any longer…here’s some of what we got up to this week:


pouring drinks on a book (on purpose) is certainly a new experience!  


this student was OH-SO-HAPPY to be asked to help with this page!


as linds says, it feels rebellious.  but kinda exciting too!

it’s funny because as a librarian, i always talk to my students about taking care of their books (nory doesn’t appreciate this wrecking thing AT ALL!) and then this book encourages DESTRUCTION!  it also encourages creativity, thinking outside of the box, and being wild with your imagination.  there are no rules, no confines, no restrictions.  only an invitation to be create.  i am OBSESSED.  let’s see what next week brings!

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community is everything.

the first week back at work after a holiday is always difficult.  no matter what your job is or how long the vacation is.  it’s hard.  we have all been there.  and this week was NO exception.  it was SO hard to get out of bed in the morning this week.  and i’ve felt exhausted no matter how much sleep i get.  HOWEVER, i’ve also found myself in many situations this week where i’ve felt SO LUCKY to live and work where i do and with the people around me.  here are just SOME of the reasons that i have felt super THANKFUL this week:

  • a colleague and i are both trying to drink more water.  so every day this week we have been checking in on each other, motivating each other, and also bumping into each other in the bathroom about 300 times!  but it’s GREAT knowing that she’s there and that she will give me heck if i haven’t been keeping up! (ahem…like today!)  #accountabilitybuddies
  • when a teacher friend comes in and shares the most hopeful story about her son and his love for his teacher.  ‘mom, i just love my teacher SO much and i can’t wait to go to school tomorrow!’  how can that NOT give you goosebumps?!  as a mom, i can’t imagine the relief and gratitude that she felt, but even just as a friend, i felt so happy for her, her son, her son’s teacher, and thankful that these people are a part of the same community as i am!
  • as another part of my effort to work on my health, i have been trying to be a bit more active.  i am SO thankful for walking buddies who motivate me to get going at times when i would normally just be SITTING.  on sunday, linds and i walked laps in the courtyard, on monday linds and i walked laps around school before heading to kevin’s soccer game, and on wednesday linds, coco, and i walked laps around school before heading to two basketball games!  THANK YOU ladies, for giving me the push i need!

 

  • it’s thursday.  after the first week back (you saw the first paragraph…) and when linds and i got off the bus, we bumped into two colleagues from high school that i never, ever get to see!  anyway, we stood around for a while and chatted but the BEST part was that we were able to share some SUPER-AWESOME stories about our students from this week!!  it’s SO refreshing to hear these positive and encouraging stories, especially on a thursday afternoon!

to some they may not seem like big things, but i think it’s important to consider the little things and realize what an impact they can have.  and these are only SOME of the little things.  i am sure there are others that i am forgetting…but that’s okay.  the point is, these are the reasons that community is so important…and i’m thankful this week for mine.

 

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MORE warsaw // a gallery walk.



^^ WE FOUND KEN DOLLS!!!  you may remember…the struggle was REAL!

here’s a look at what we got up to for the rest of our time in warsaw!  it was a really great vacation with the PERFECT amount of GOING and the perfect amount of RELAXING!  for a closer look, don’t forget to click on the pictures!

and that is it!  that’s warsaw!  i am so glad we went!  i would definitely go visit other parts of poland but as i said, i’m so happy that we didn’t try to cram in a bunch of stuff and decided on a more relaxed vacation!  i hope that wherever you were for the holiday, that it was a FAB one and that everyone is transitioning smoothly back into the grind!

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