Weekend Apple Picking

The trees and ground were covered with apples.

Over the weekend, Ben and I went apple picking with my parents and younger brother.  We had an excellent time.  The rain finally let up for most of the day, the sun came out, and there was a strong breeze that kept the trees rustling.  There was lots of good conversation and laughter in between the trees of  Crane's Orchard in Fennville, Michigan. We ended the day at the Saugatuk Antique Pavillion, a huge place where we could have spent all day going through the treasures and had a late lunch at the Saugatuk Brewing Company.

I am sucker when it comes to traditions.  When I was much younger, my family would go every fall to one of the local U-Pick orchards in Berrien County and pick apples.  It was a great time of apple cider, tree climbing, and hay rides.  Now that we moved back to the West side of Michigan, we are fortunate to continue that tradition.

Ben and I picked almost a bushel and a half of apples.  There were five varieties that we were allowed to pick: the very popular Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Gala, Golden Supreme, and Blondee.  We picked every variety because we're not apple snobs.  You can eat, cook, and bake with virtually every apple.  Some people are much more picky about the type of apples they use for pies versus apples they use to eat as a snack.  I worked for a fruit farm for just shy of a decade and I would use all the apples we grew for anything and everything I wanted.  It is true, some apples are softer than others and it makes the homemade applesauce smoother but I think a lot of your choice in apple is based on your own personal tastes and desires for you food.

Anyway, we've been eating apples like crazy. Sliced apples with peanut butter, apples with cinnamon in oatmeal, and Ben's favorite, apple pie.  We've even been sharing with our neighbors.

I made my dough using our food processor, my favorite kitchen appliance, and had that sit in the fridge while I hand peeled the apples.  Again, the food processor helped cut the time as I used the slicing disc to get thin and even apple slices.

Our apple pie turned out pretty tasty.  You can check out the pictures below to see for yourself.  Not the most beautiful pie I have ever seen or made, but it sure hit the spot as the cooler fall weather hit Michigan.  It was the perfect dessert to end our homemade chili. The Michigan apples tasted even better with some Michigan made ice cream from Hudsonville.

The recipe I used is from the Food Network.  I followed this recipe for the most part, I might have added a bit more cinnamon, but it is a nice, easy to follow recipe that doesn't require a bunch of stuff that I normal don't keep stocked in the house.

Happy dabbling!

Getting to Know Me: Dec the Board Lesson

We're now a few weeks in the school year and I thought I would share my favorite Get-to-Know-You lesson for middle school.  There is just so much I enjoyed while working on this lesson,  the enthusiasm of my students, the knew things I learned about each of them, and their creative

Hallway Display

designs.  I used this lesson as the first lesson of semester two last school year; at my previous school, the middle schoolers only had art for a semester, so I saw almost all new students in January.

This lesson took about three full 50 minute class periods to complete.  It extended the entire week because of going over the syllabus, classroom procedures, and general icebreakers. The students and I created a skateboard with basic shapes using the step-by-step approach with the entire classroom. I stressed the details while drawing the skateboard deck, pointing out the axle, what it did, and why it was important.  We even had a short discussion on flat head and Phillips screwdrivers when "attaching" our axle to the deck. To personalize the deck, I required the students to include three things about their self.  As they brainstormed and worked on their rough draft, we looked at images on deck designs for skateboards and how each skater tends to personalize their deck with either their own artwork, stickers, and logos.  

A basketball enthusiast deck

On my example in class, I included my name, which spurred a lot of interest with graffiti lettering. For the students who wanted to use graffiti style font, we visited Graffiti Creator, a website that allows you to type in your word or name and it turns it into a graffiti font. The cool thing is, the students can add decoration on the site to their letters such as paint splatters, drips, and they can even adjust the size of the letters.

This student used Graffiti Creator.

I think this lesson was successful because I got to learn more about my student's including their skill level they were coming into art with.  Everyone who saw the art hanging in the hallway complimented it, stating how unique the assignment was. I'm not teaching at a PK-4 elementary school and I think with some alterations, this could be a fantastic end of the year project, perhaps focusing on what they'll be "skating" into for summer fun.   

Below is the basic lesson plan outline of what we did. It is in a simplified version of what my previous district mandated us to use. I hope you enjoy this lesson I've shared in your own room.  I'd love to see results!  

Happy dabbling!

Title: Dec the Board: All About Me                 Grade: 6-8                  Class Periods: 5

Elements of Design: Line, Shape, Color, and Value
Principles of Design: Balance, Contrast, and Emphasis

Materials & Resources:
Previous student work                         Teacher demonstration/work          
Sketchbooks/rough draft paper           Skateboard Deck Images
Drawing paper (16" x 11")                    Black Construction Paper (18" x 12")
Rulers                                                   Pencils
Colored Pencils                                    Scissors  
Glue

Objectives: 

• Knowledge:  Vocabulary-The Elements of Design, The Principles of Design, Art, Artist, Medium/Media, and Deck. Students will know how to create a visual representation of their self.  Students will use their knowledge and visual information from the decks to create a strong community bond.  Students will be able to define their vocabulary terms, as well as link terms to real examples. 

• Understanding: Students will understand how the Elements and Principles of Design can be found in everyday events.  Students will understand the different demands different art mediums have.  Students will understand that art is a universal visual language. 

• Do: Students will be able to identify Elements of Design used to create their deck. Students will be able to create a successful visual representation of their self.  Students will be able to identify similarities among peers to make community connections.   

Assessments: 

• Pre-Assessment- Students will create a list of the following information to prepare their rough draft: self portrait, what you like to do in your free time, what you would like to become, picture of your family, favorite food, favorite sport/activity.  The teacher will then create a class dialogue on how many different ways a person can represent objects.  After the demonstration, the students will begin drawing a rough draft of their chosen characteristics, and will finalize with at least three.  
• Artist Reflection-   Students will be asked to write a reflection of their work.  Students will describe the image that they created through the use of the Elements of Design and how the subject successful conveys a clear message about their joys of life.  Students will state what parts they feel were successful and which needed more attention.  The students will then provide examples of things that they learned throughout the course of the assignment.
• Final Presentation- Students will present their Decks to their groups and look for community similarities.  The project will be graded with the use of a rubric that covers the objectives and learned techniques that were taught during this lesson.  When the students finish with the projects, a written artist reflection will be required for final submission as well as a self-evaluation with the student-self evaluation form.  After their personal statement, a class critique will be held to strengthen each student’s ability in talking about their work and supporting their aesthetic decisions when making art. 
• Project Review- Students will review vocabulary with the teacher and peers during class periods as well as through the creation of their work.  The students will take written notes for individual review during the course of the assignment. 
• Exit Cards- 
• Tuesday- Why is it important to explore other options for images for your final draft? Or do a rough draft?
• Wednesday- What are the elements of design? 
• Thursday- Do you consider yourself an artist? Why or why not? 
• Friday- What is the importance of creating a community? 

Learning Activities: 5 Day Project

• Day 1- Students and teacher will go over syllabus, classroom expectations, and materials.  Students and teacher will start the process of developing a sketchbook and portfolio, outlining the semester.
• Day 2- Students will create a list of things that represent who they are and what they like to do. The teacher will then create a class dialogue on how many different ways a person can represent objects.  The teacher and students will review skateboard deck images to further ideas and discussion of demonstrating their self artistically. Students will complete their rough draft.
• Day 3-Wednesday- Students and teacher will review the vocabulary and assignment requirements.  The students will then finish their rough draft if not completed from the previous day. Once the students have finished their rough draft, the students will begin working on their final draft. Students should be able to complete the drawing portion of this assignment today.
• Day 4- Students will complete the drawing portion of their final draft if not completed from the day prior.  With teacher approval, the students will begin applying color.  The teacher will circulate among the students focusing on guiding students with their work.  

Lesson Closure:

• Day 5- Students will complete the color aspect of their final draft.  After the color has been completed, the students will then cut out their deck and glue it to a black piece of construction paper for display. Students will then fill out a student self-evaluation form and artist reflection.  Once all of the drawing has been completed the teacher will gather the students for the “building foundation” community activity.  Students will turn circulate their room, grouping themselves with peers who have created a deck with similar characteristics.  

What Could Possible Make Mondays Better?

Happy Monday!  I know, I know, who could possible say Happy Monday?  That's a phrase to that will get you just as may dirty looks in the office as "Looks like someone has a case of the Mondays".  If you're like me, I'm sure you have a list a mile long on reasons why Mondays stink more than Limburger cheese, but why should that stop us from enjoying even just the smallest amount of Monday? 

One way that I have found to make my Monday mornings a bit easier is to have a wonderful breakfast.  Now when I say breakfast I'm not talking about whole wheat toast, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a side of pancakes and I'm not talking about a bowl of cereal either. I mean, we don't need to get up any earlier than we already do to face our week of work.  I'm talking about my newly dubbed, Breakfast Biscuits.

Breakfast Biscuit is really just a sneaky name for a Snickerdoodle cookie.  There is nothing that puts a big smile on my face than a warm cup of coffee and a cookie for breakfast! A sweet treat always makes my mornings that I dread, like a Monday, so much better.  Now please don't replace your healthy breakfast every day with a cookie.  Continue to eat your fruits and veggies! I'm not condoning dessert replacements for every meal, just once awhile as a treat.  Even when I have a Breakfast Biscuit or two, I still have a banana and some yogurt. 

I love cooking and baking for the same reasons I love making ceramics.  I love the repetitive order that is needed to make a creation.  The mincing of ingredients and the kneading of dough can keep me thoroughly engaged for hours.  The repetitive tasks that I have to complete put me in a mental state of constant reflection.  Depending on how I feel or where my emotions are at, I can be reflecting on my third grade experience as a student or the job interview I had the day before. No matter where my mind takes me, I always enjoy the peaceful, quietness of my kitchen, the time I get to my thoughts, and my ability to stay in the present. 

Now that I shared my little secret of my occasional Monday indulgence, you are probably continuing to read through looking for a recipe.  Well folks, I do a very poor job sticking to a recipe. In fact, that is the one thing Ben dislikes when I cook. The food might be great, but if I'm always changing it is never the same dish and Ben tends to like the tried and true. So if you're looking for a the exact recipe I started with click here, or you can continue to scroll down and check out the small modifications and changes I made to the recipe try that out.  

I hope your Monday rocks and the day goes by fast.  

Happy dabbling!

Finishing Friday: A Day to Tie Off Loose Ends

Welcome!  And thanks for reading my first blog post.  I hope you enjoy reading and trying the things I post about.  I will do my best to keep things interesting as I cover topics ranging from cooking, art, art lessons, home remodeling, decorating, and more. This is going to be the start of a wonderful journey and I hope you're here for the long haul.  

For the record, I'm a Dabbler. Merriam-Webster defines a Dabbler as one not deeply engaged in or concerned with something. Not sure if that truly describes me but I think I can be that way sometimes.  I am great at a lot of things but have struggled to find that one thing that I truly excel at.  This use to bother me, however, I recently have come to accept this and started to enjoy all the things that I love doing. Variety and challenge are something that I thrive on.  Now don't get me wrong, I am pretty damn good at many things like ceramics, cooking, and making snarky, sarcastic remarks; but I personally feel like I haven't found that one skill that I am a master at.  Now many people would disagree with me, and loudly tell me so. Perhaps it is just the perfectionist in me shouting loudly, but I'll let you decide.

Sketchbook drawings

The last few months have been a complete whirlwind.  We bought a house in early June, moved across the beautiful state of Michigan (Detroit to Grand Rapids), I taught two week long summer art courses that sandwiched our move, and then spent two weeks teaching at a fine arts camp all while job hunting.  To say that I was busy is an understatement.  

The excitement has finally started to die down and I have finally been able to start completing necessary tasks to the house, my body of work, my new teaching job, and income.  My most recent project would be the art I promised my secretary, Portia, at the school district I just left.  

Now I tried my best to get the art done before moving, but there was just so much to do and with the pressure of packing everything up, my creative juices were running dry. So now that I am 'settled' or as settled as one person could be in two months, I spent six hours of my Saturday creating a charcoal drawing for Portia to hang in the office.  I would always give Portia flowers for Secretary's Day and other random days I felt she needed a gift to put a sparkle in her eye*. What could be more fitting than a charcoal drawing of a flower? Now she has a flower that will be in constant bloom no matter how long I will be gone!

Portia's Piece Composite

This project spurred my new interest in drawing flowers.  I find the folds and overlaps in their petals to be super engaging. I love value and I have found that drawing flowers really makes me focus on how I apply value to capture form and texture. There is just something so interesting about looking at a flower and thinking about all the things nature has to do to create that one flower. I'm not sure how long I will be drawing flowers, probably until I get wrapped up in a new interest but in the mean time it's all I really want to draw, that and plants.  I included several of the flowers I drew in my sketchbook as I warmed up for working on Portia's piece. So check out the pictures below and enjoy!

Happy dabbling!

Portia's Piece Completed

                                                                                                                                             

*Now if you're a new teacher, I think this is one of the best things you can do for your secretary. Once you get your secretary to like and appreciate you they will bend over backwards to help you with everything from paperwork to student referrals. Trust me, you will never regret it.