BulgingButtons

November 15, 2015
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

No Words for Paris

I want to write about the Paris attacks, but I don’t have the words.

When I was a child we watched the news every night on TV. There were terrorists in England and Ireland. There were terrorists in Israel.

Time has passed but there is still terror.

A night on the town turned into a last night alive. Dinner. A concert. A football match.

I’ve thought about these types of attacks since I was a child. I still don’t understand them. I never will.

November 14, 2015
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but this has been on my mind, so I need to get it out. I have this thing about Christmas cards. I really love them. I have since I was a child, even though I was raised in a Jewish household. Our family always received dozens of them, and they were proudly displayed on the fireplace mantle and, once that was full, around the living room.

I used to do something like this back when I had stairs.

When I had my own home, I continued to send and display Christmas cards. I still do, however each year there seem to be fewer and fewer as we rely more on electronic communication. This makes me terribly sad. I can’t display emails on my fireplace mantles. Facebook messages don’t add to my festive holiday decor. And tweets? Well, those are gone in an instant.

I propose that we bring back the Christmas card, in all its glory. Ones with a cute or lovely or funky image on the front and a greeting inside and an actual handwritten signature. Bonus points for a real handwritten message, and double bonus points if you include an adorable photo of your child, grandchild, or pet. Decorated envelopes get bonus points too. And handmade cards? Those are worth triple bonus points.

Oh! Now my little wheels are turning! I know that all you crafters out there have cards you’ve made that you didn’t know what to do with. I know that MANY of you have the leftover cards from years past and didn’t know where to send them. How about sending one to ME! We’ll make a game of it.

For each card I receive before December 15, I will send you back a real, actual Christmas card, and it may even include one or more of the following:

a handwritten signature
a handwritten greeting
a decorated envelope
a photo of my adorable dog

I will photograph your card and envelope (if decorated) and post it to the blog for all the world to see, unless you include a note asking me not to (don’t worry, I won’t show your address). Let’s spread some holiday cheer!

I would also love to share the results with my fourth grade students, so they can have an example of how social media can connect people in positive ways.

Another fun display idea.

Please send your card to:

3116 S Mill Ave.

Box 434

Tempe, AZ 85281

Be sure that your return address is legible so that I may send you a card in return. Side note to potential stalkers, this is a mailbox, don’t bother stopping by unless you have some mailing that you need to take care of.

It would be so much fun to connect with you on a more personal level than our quick comments. I can already imagine a blog post including cards from all over the world! Yes, I’ll mail internationally, I hope you will as well. In fact, bonus points will be awarded for all cards received from outside the U.S. Oh, and double bonus points for being the first to send your card!

November 13, 2015
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Five Favorite Books From My Childhood

I was lucky, my parents read to me. It was mostly my mother, but my father did too, occasionally.

I grew up in a house full of books, and trips to the library were a regular part of my childhood. The Scholastic book order was another cherished source of books, and my mom was generous with my orders.

My love of books hasn’t diminished. My home library is bursting, and my classroom library is full of terrific titles. I still get excited about the Scholastic book order, only now I’m the teacher.

Here are a few titles from my childhood that stand out, in no particular order.