Vol. 5, No. 085, April 29, 2020

5085 - Bleeding Butterflies.

Today was another Miller Time Art day. Middle Miller needed to make a butterfly, so everyone tested out one of my Kindergarten and First grade lessons. We colored coffee filters with washable markers and the got the filters wet, causing the colors to bleed. Then we folded the filters and attached two together. We couldn't find pipe cleaners, so we used binder clips instead.

Vol. 5, No. 084, April 27, 2020

5084 - All Grown Up.

It's hard to believe that Lil' E is no longer a baby; today she officially turns one! While I didn't get to be with her today, we did celebrate over the weekend. On Saturday, we met up for cake decorating and a One Year photo shoot. The smiles were hard to find, but it was a beautiful day, which made for some beautiful pictures. Then on Sunday, we celebrated with a Birthday Zoom call.

Today, I got to celebrate with Shawn and Ziva as they celebrate their birthday as well, turning 33 and 3. Normally I would have made them cakes, but Margo has taken over the baking at our house lately.

Vol. 5, No. 083, April 26, 2020

5083 - Cheater.

The next project for my middle school art students is to take a virtual field trip to an art museum. While there, they need to choose am artwork they would like to reproduce. Then they have to make a poster showing the original and reproduction side by side.

I decided to be a good teacher and make an example. I chose "Pies, Pies, Pies" by Wayne Thiebaud. This may look familiar, because I used a picture I had taken and shared back in September. Fortunately, my students won't know.

Vol. 5, No. 082, April 24, 2020

5082 - Belated.

Last week I made a birthday card for a friend and then forgot to post it. It may not be the best card in the world, but the pop-up cake is fun.

Vol. 5, No. 081, April 23, 2020

5081 - No Going Back.

Today Governor Walz announced that Minnesota schools would be closed for the remainder of the year. Everyone at the Miller house, parents included, was sad about the announcement. They won't get to see their friends or teachers in person again. Middle Miller asked me if I was sad, I gave him my honest answer, "no". My reasoning was that this way I got to spend more time with all of them. To help brighten their day, I added a new quote to their chalkboard. Oldest Miller added the hearts.

Vol. 5, No. 080, April 22, 2020

5080 - Artsy Millers.

I go for some Miller time once or twice a week, usually taking some of the kids outside while others are getting individual help on school work. Today was art day for the Miller Littles, so I decided to lend a hand. Littlest Miller had to draw a helicopter. Miller4Ever didn't want to be left out, so he did some coloring of his own on top of mine. Then Oldest Miller had to draw a raceway. Mine got a little squished. The last project was drawing a jaguar with Middle Miller.

Vol. 5, No. 079, April 20, 2020

5079 - Sunny Sunday.

Yesterday I took advantage of the sun and the Easter flowers that were going bad, to make some art. I used Nature Print Paper and created some cool prints. The butterfly was my dad's suggestion.

Now I just have to decide what the next step will be.

Vol. 5, No. 078, April 18, 2020

5078 - Let's Get Creative.

One of my Kindergarten classes uses Facebook as their mode of communication during this time apart. I was invited to join their class which is awesome because O get to see pictures of them and things they are doing and creating at home. On Griday their teacher posted a directed drawing, showing how to draw 5 different farm animals. I thought it was an awesome project and I wanted to get in on the action. I sat down with the Miller Littles and we drew along with the videos. The girls just free individual animals, I took it further, drawing and coloring a whole scene. I love how the picture turned out. Oldest Miller did too, she asked to keep it.

Vol. 5, No. 077, April 17, 2020

5077 - A Girl and Her Pup.

On Holy Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went outside to take Easter pictures. Lil’ E was not a fan of wearing anything on her head, so the headband came off quickly every time, but we got a few cute pics with it. Lil’ E loves to touch Ziva, so we got her in on some pics too. The only way we could get them to sit still was by having Margo hold Ziva’s favorite frisbee in the air.

On Easter, when the weather got much colder and it snowed, we got a few shots inside with Easter eggs.

Vol. 5, No. 076, April 16, 2020

5076 - Cardinal Strong.

As teachers, we are banding together to support each other and our students. At Annandale Middle School, each of the teachers were invited to send in a picture with a message of encouragement that was shared with the students. I decided to take out some paints and make this quick sign, complete with a cardinal; as the art teacher, I needed something artsy.

Vol. 5, No. 075, April 11, 2020

5075 - Rejoice.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It is low key holiday filled with lots of time spent with family and hours at church. I love attending the Easter Vigil each year. This year, I won’t get to hold a candle and smell the sweet sense of incense, but I still get to spent time with family. Together, Margo, Becca, Dad, Eleanor and I created some awesome sidewalk art. We taped of the sidewalk, creating a stained glass style drawing. With all the changes this Easter Season, it is nice that we still have things to make the season bright.

Vol. 5, No. 074, April 10, 2020

5074 - Farm Fun.

Today was National Farm Animal Day. To celebrate, I made a quick pencil sketch of a cow head.

Vol. 5, No. 073, April 7, 2020

5073 - Learning Together Apart.

As we delve into the world of Distance Learning, I have to write new lessons plans for my students. New lesson plans means new project examples. This week, my middle school students created found object color wheel. They were required to use at least three objects of each color. My 6th grade studens focused on primary and secondary colors. The 7th graders added tertiary colors.

Vol. 5, No. 072, April 6, 2020

5072 - Palm Monday.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. I had a lot of time, so I decided to try something new. I braided 6 palm fronds to create this cross. It may not be perfect, but it was a great attempt.

Vol. 5, No. 071, April 5, 2020

5071 - More Flour Please.

Today I helped Momma Miller celebrate her birthday by making a flourless chocolate cake. She had wanted a Tripple-layer Brownie Cake, but that is a large time commitment, so I chose something equally as good, but a lot easier to make. Before I started baking, I was getting supplies ready. After making scones the other day, I new the flour was low, so I asked that it be added to the grocery list. Margo looked at me and asked "Why? It's a flourless cake." Whoops!

The cake turned out beautifully, topped with chocolate ganache and Reese's.

Vol. 5, No. 070, April 4, 2020

5070 - Fridge Clean Out.

The other night, I made sweet potatoes for dinner. I had been craving some Sweet Potato Pie since Pi day in March, so I cooked extra potatoes and stuck them in the fridge. Yesterday, during my Prep Time Culinary session, I made Sweet Potato Hand Pies. I stuck the pies in the freezer so that I can have a little pick me up during these long days at home.

Vol. 5, No. 069, April 3, 2020

5069 - Beneficial Baking.

As a teacher, working from home and learning lots of new technology has been a struggle, but there are some benefits to this arrangement. One benefit is that during my "prep time" I can do other things. Yesterday I went on a walk with my sister and the day before I watched a couple episodes of a TV show with my brother. Today, I decided to bake. Culinary project number one was Candy Cane Scones. I had been planning on making these since Christmas when I crushed up the candy canes. Today I made time to actually do it.

To top the scones, I made some Candy Cane Cream.