Five Faves Friday, Revived

I've been thinking that it's time to bring back Five Faves Friday. I used to be so good about updating each week, but somewhere along the line, it just sort of fell away.   It was always a fun way to pull together random highlights and happy bits, so I'm all for a revival!

(1) Soul Surfer.  Last weekend I had to kill three hours in town while waiting for my daughter's school banquet to end, and I whittled down my choices to shopping or a movie.  As tempting as it was to spend a small fortune on spring dresses, the movie proved to be a cheaper option.   I considered seeing Soul Surfer, since a few of my seniors had recently commented that they really enjoyed it, and a bunch of my students over the past few years have been big fans of Bethany Hamilton's autobiography.  Even with the recommendations, I was cautious, and read a few reviews first.  The critics seemed split, and while some of them hurled accusations of schmaltz and cheese at the flick, most of them seemed to agree that the film was uplifting.  None of the comments or reviews prepared me to transform into the crybaby that I would become when the lights went down in the theater.   There were so many moments that summoned involuntary tears from my eyes, counterbalanced with moments that left me with a sloppy grin on my face.  Schmaltz and cheese?  Maybe, but my, how they cast a spell.

Today I took Z to see the film, since she missed it the first time around, and even she cried.  A mother should not be happy to see her child cry, but I must confess, it was a relief to know that I'm not the only one that the film affected this way.  It really does have soul.

(2) Springtime Splurge.  For years my closet was limited to jeans and Gap tees, but somewhere along the way, I fell prey to the allure of pretty dresses.  Lately I've had a floral fixation and a vulnerability to spring sales, as evidenced by the lovelies that arrived in the mail yesterday.  Here's a peek:

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I've also been feeling GREEN a lot lately:

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Given an excuse to shop, usually I'd be all over Anthropologie, but not much there has called to me recently.  I'm not sure why.  I tend to wait for sales, but lately, Anthro doesn't seem to be having too many of those.  Bummer. 

(3) The Game of Thrones.  This month saw the beginning of three cable series, The Borgias, Camelot, and The Game of Thrones, and of the three premieres, The Game of Thrones was the best.  It also has the best opening credits, complete with embedded symbolism that nerds like me adore.

After seeing a single episode, I'm hooked.  As for The Borgias, I am always a fan of intrigue and scandal (when it doesn't involve me, that is), and while I find Camelot's Arthur to be sort of irritating at times, I just love Eva Green's Morgan.   I know I shouldn't be rooting for the villain, but she's kind of fantastic, along with her wardrobe.   A recent Salon review refers to The Borgias as "priests behaving badly" and to Camelot as "mostly...dumb", and while I suppose that it is an accurate synopsis of the former, I think the jury's still out on the latter.

(4) Hand Gestures.  I don't mean the obscene kind, which I suppose are handy when words fail, but rather, the kind that apparently define my teaching.  This week I videotaped myself teaching, and in re-watching and discussing the video with the dean, I realized just how often I use my hands when I speak.  They are my number one instructional tool.   After school on Friday, a student stopped by to see me, and I mentioned what I had observed in the video about my hands, and asked if she had noticed this as well.  She burst out laughing and said, "Oh my GOSH!  You SO do!  So-and-so does a great impression of you teaching, actually."  I must have looked mortified, because the student assured me that it was an accurate impression and quite impressive and delightful at that.  I should consider myself flattered.  "You're just so full of energy," she said.  "Sometimes I just watch you as you teach."  I suppose that's better than...not watching me as I teach?  Another student arrived, mid-conversation, and jumped right in, sharing her own mini-impersonation of me, simulating my grand-jetes across the classroom.  It is precisely this hilarious and illuminating conversation that makes this one of my five faves this week.

(5) Color Pop.  This time of year is all about color for me, and this week, I immersed myself in hues of turquoise and vermilion, care of the JBS Dime Store kit.

I even included one of my five fave scrapping products on the layout: MIST!  I can't get enough of that stuff.  I use my hands while teaching, and my mist while scrapping. :) 

Well, those are my five, though I could easily keep going!
Have a wonderful Easter weekend, all!