1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple Activities With Me
The 3 main characters in Dr. Seuss’s story “Ten Apples Up On Top” are a dog, lion & tiger, so I thought it would be fun for children to practice number recognition and counting to 10 with an animal "slider".
After reading the story, have students transition to this whole-group craftivity.
There are 6 BW pattern choices.
Two of each animal, plus I’ve included full-color templates so you can quickly & easily make a sample to share, helping explain what you want your students to do.
Simply run the patterns off on white construction paper or card stock and give children a choice.
They color their animal, then trim around the edges.
There are 4 apple slider strip options.
Two are in BW the others in color.
The apples are numbered as well as blank, so that students can write them in.
So that the "slider" is not pulled out, have children fold and glue the end. Wahla! Instant stop guard.
To play this whole-group game, call out a number.
“I see 6 apples up on top!”
Children gently pull on their slider, counting out 6 apples, then hold their animal pet in the air.
You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
* Save the number 10 for last, then count all of the apples together one more time.
* Children lay their animal down, and point to each number as you count the apples to ten.
* Students exclaim: “Hooray! Ten apples up on top!”
* If you’re also learning how to count backwards from 10, do that next, by having children pull the apple slider back down, pausing at each number, looking at it and saying it.
* When you get to the end, have children crouch down with their critter and repeat the backwards sequence exclaiming:
“No apples up on top. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0. Blast off!”
* As they yell “Blast Off!” they jump in the air, and can quietly file out to their backpacks to put their animal slider away.
Have older students glue two apple strips together to count to 20 and work on those tricky teen numbers.
This is also a great activity and story to read for a substitute teacher. (Instant lesson. Just tuck in your sub tub).
Today's featured FREEBIE also has an apple theme.
It's an inexpensive little gift you can give your kiddos on that first day of school, or during your apple unit.
Click on the link to pick up your free packet today: Back To School Apple Puzzle Gift Baggies.
Well that's it for today. Hope you are enjoying your summer. Mine is going way too fast.
My mom's coming for a visit next week, so It's time to get some marathon cleaning and shopping done.
Wishing you a carefree day.
"Summer: Rest, Relax, Repeat!"
1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple Activities With Me
My newest apple packet practices colors, color words and counting, in quick, easy and super-fun ways, with lots of variety & options.
The activities are great for independent centers or done as a whole group; and can also be used for a sub tub, and early finishers.
There are over 20, different sets of (12-on-a-page) apple cards, which your students will enjoy playing with, as they learn and reinforce a variety of standards.
There are apples of all colors, apples with faces, patterned apples with polka dots, chevrons, plaids & stripes, as well as animal prints & other crazy kinds of apples.
Students can use these cards for sorting, sequencing, graphing, counting, making groups/sets, showing equations, and playing games.
What a time saver! Choose your favorites; make your activities and use them throughout the year every year. Woo Hoo!
* “What’s Missing?” White board game
* “What’s Missing?” On the floor “flip” game.
* “Not All Rotten Apples Are Bad” board game.
* “Stack 'em Up” dice patterning game
* “Roll, Color & Graph” dice game
* “Kaboom!” and a ...
* 1-to-1 correspondence counting game
Plus you can use any of the apple cards to play:
* Memory Match
* "I Have; Who Has?” and
* "Who’s Got The Rotten Apple?" (Played like Old Maid) or other card games like Crazy Eights and Go Fish.
I’ve designed the games so that you can mix & match and interchange pieces & posters, so that you can make up more of your own games.
Some of the games can be played with the Johnny Appleseed spinners or using dice.
The packet also includes:
* 12 sets of colorful mini apple tiles (with 70 on a page): red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black, brown, and gray, plus a wormy apple template too.
Use for the games, as well as counting, sorting, patterning, & making equations.
* Colorful, apple pocket chart cards. Make an extra set and cut them in half to make puzzles.
* A "Crazy Colors!” apple emergent reader flip booklet, chock full of Dolch sight words.
* Several color and color word assessment activities
* An “Itty Bitty” (color, trace & write) apple-color booklet, plus a blank template.
* 4 graphing activities
* 3 worksheets
* A set of color word cards in matching colors as well as BW.
* 21, "Johnny Appleseed-bushel basket" sorting mats
* 9, “Bob For Apples” bucket sorting mats, for practicing colors and counting to 20.
* A set of math symbol cards for making & solving equations (addition +, subtraction -, equal to =, plus greater > and less than <) with a recording worksheet for more practice.
* 15, “Complete the Pattern”, strip cards, with a blank template so that children can create their own pattern strips. And finally …
* 2 certificates of praise (4-on-a-page for easy printing).
To accommodate other countries, alternate grEy and coloUr spellings are also included.
I have 2 featured FREEBIES today. Both are from this whopping, 162-page packet.
The first one is the "Stack 'Em Up" patterning dice game, which reinforces the 3 colors of apples, colors, color words, as well as an ABC-ABC pattern.
The next one is the 1-to-1 apple correspondence cards.
Well that's it for today. I hope you're enjoying your summer and looking forward to getting things decorated and ready for back to school.
Time to get some fresh air as the sunshine is calling me. Wishing you a relaxing and fun-filled day.
"A word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold in settings of silver." -Proverbs: 29:11
1-2-3 Come Make a Venn Friend With Me
Venn diagrams are a quick, easy & fun way to introduce the concept of comparison-contrast writing.
Years ago, I came up with the concept of students choosing a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with, as an interesting way for students to get to know each other.
I designed the fall "Venn Friends" packet, which feature apples, pumpkins, leaves, turkeys, Pilgrims & Native Americans.
Introduce the lesson with the "What's a Venn diagram?" poster.
To help them do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.
Each student does their own "different" portion of the "circle", and then, once they glue their "circles" together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn Friend, using the middle "same" section.
I used a "pumpkin seed" for the middle of the Pumpkin Venn Friends, and an acorn for the leaf ones.
You can see little boy & girl "toppers" in the pumpkin photo.
These are black & white so kiddos can color them. Use them on the pumpkins, leaves or apples.
I encourage students to do a boy/girl Venn friend, not only so they have an extra "difference" but so they can see how much they truly have in common with eachother.
Doing a Name Venn with a classmate, is another option, and practices upper & lowercase letters, along with name recognition & counting.
I also incorporate the concept of “greater & less than” with this activity, as students decide who has the most or least number of letters in their name.
I’ve made a sample using an apple, as I do this in September, for a “Getting to Know You” activity for “Back to School”. There are 3 sets of letter tiles for your kiddos to choose from.
My Y5s enjoy this activity so much, I repeat it in October with pumpkins, and see quite a bit of improvement.
As you can see by the photograph, colorful paper plates (smaller 8” size) provide a nice 3D effect.
I pre-cut these to expedite the activity. Besides yellow & red, I also buy lime green plates, giving my students an option.
Besides using paper plates, I've also included a wormy apple pattern.
There’s also more than one option for November. Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.
You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.
I designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast historical information as well.
Each seasonal Venn, comes with a graphing extension, so you can get some math practice in as well.
For that finishing touch, add a school photograph. Students could also make a green hand print "leaf" for their pumpkin.
Completed projects make awesome fall bulletin boards. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to check out the super-fun, 51 page, Fall Venn Friend packet.
Since Halloween is just a week away, I thought a "Halloween Boo Boos" worksheet would be a fun FREEBIE. Students make corrections to the sentences that have mistakes in them.
Click on the link to grab a copy. It's certainly a little something fun, yet educational for party day.
That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
The winds have knocked a lot of leaves off the trees, so this afternoon the hubby, pup & I are going for a relaxing drive to see what's left of the gorgeous fall colors, before they become a distant memory, as barren trees dot the landscape.
I am so not ready for winter. Wishing you a pretty and peaceful day.
"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." - John Burroughs
1-2-3 Come Make Some Number Puzzles With Me
Learning to count can be tedious and a bit overwhelming for little ones. If that isn't a big enough job, learning to count backwards, as well as skip count are also standards.
With this in mind, I designed number "strip" puzzles. I call them that because I cut the puzzles into strips.
Number puzzles provide a quick, easy and fun way to help students practice counting & sequencing numbers from 1-10, and counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 2s & 10s, plus my Y5s absolutely LOVE them.
I usually make the puzzles on a full sheet of paper. Some are vertical, while other designs are horizontal. I decided to make an apple and pumpkin "shape" strip puzzle for those units.
Simply run the templates off on red and orange paper.
Choose the number puzzle that best fits your needs, or give students a choice.
For a cool mosaic effect, children trim and glue to another sheet of paper after they have traced the numbers.
I chose black to make the puzzle pop. Remind students to leave a small gap in-between each puzzle strip. To make it more of a keepsake, have students make a green hand print leaf.
Completed projects make an interesting fall bulletin board.
Laminate an extra set of all 8 puzzles, to use for an independent math center or for "early finishers".
Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Apple & Pumpkin Number Puzzles.
The featured FREEBIE today is a Halloween crayon resist watercolor activity. There are 5 patterns to choose from, with directions how to set things up.
Children pick a picture and color it. Remind them to press hard, and really fill it in. Afterwards, they paint over the entire picture with watercolors. The waxy build up creates an awesome effect.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and creatively crazy at the moment, as October is filled with so many super-fun themes: fire safety, spiders, bats, scarecrows and Halloween.
I have a zillion ideas buzzing in my head, and as many projects started or in the rough draft stage. Hmmmm ... What shall I work on today? Wishing you a happy and productive day doing things that you truly enjoy.
"In crafting there are no mistakes, just unique creations." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Color Activities With Me
It seems that a lot of teachers are still working on apples during October as one big harvest theme. I had a request from one of my preschool teacher friends, to make some apple-themed color activities.
While I was pulling that packet together, Yolanda, a kindergarten teacher in Washington, asked if I could do an emergent reader with the three colors of apples. Thus Apple Colors was born.
Surprisingly, quite a few of my Y5 kiddos thought that apples are simply red, which amazed me, because Michigan is a huge apple growing state.
I designed these color activities so that they would reinforce the fact that apples can be red, yellow & green, while practicing a variety of standards.
The packet includes:
* An emergent reader in color as well as black & white, with options for 6, mini-pages on a one-page template, or 12, mini-pages, so you can make Itty Bitty booklets.
* Posters: Including 9 photo posters featuring pictures of real red, yellow and green apples.
* 4 apple songs with matching posters.
The A-P-P-L-E song includes pocket chart cards.
It’s a super-fun way to practice counting, subtraction, letter recognition, & spelling, as well as listening & following directions.
* An apple color matching game. Students can match color words to pictures, or pictures to pictures.
* 2 graphing activities
* 2 worksheets
* 4, quick, easy & fun apple craftivities. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see: Apple Colors.
The FREEBIE today is a quick, easy and fun Apple Matching Game. Click on the link to grab your a copy.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. The nights have been cold, so the trees have really started changing colors.
I think fall is my favorite time of year because of the absolutely gorgeous trees.
It's time for a much-needed brain break to take a drive with my husband. Wishing you a relaxing day filled with memorable moments.
"Love doesn't grow on trees like apples in Eden. It's something you have to make. And you must use your imagination too." - Joyce Cary
1-2-3 Come Do Some Letter Aa Activities With Me
Woo Hoo for Diane's Dollar Deals! I'm featuring two, apple-themed ones, on the blog today. Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheels, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters.
I priced them at only a dollar, so that you can afford to collect all of the individual alphabet wheels.
They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black and white, as well as full-color, so that you can use them as an independent center or individual word work activity.
I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words in alphabetical order.
Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a peek at the Aa is for Apple Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheel.
The other Apple Dollar Deal is an emergent reader: Aa is for Apple. It's filled with beginning letter Aa nouns. There are 6.
It's also packed with Dolch sight words and great practice for pronouns, as well as end punctuation.
Students read the simple sentences using the pictures as clues, and then add the appropriate end punctuation. (period, question mark, exclamation point).
They trace and write the Pp word, then color the picture. There are 5, mini-strip pages, to a one-page template.
Students trim, collate and staple to the front of their "Aa is for apple" cover to make a flip booklet.
I've also included matching picture and word cards to play games like Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?".
They come in color as well as black & white, so that you can use them as an independent center for Daily 5 Word Work, or children can make their own game to practice at home.
Students can match picture to picture, or picture to word. They can also alphabetize the word cards and use them to write their own sentences.
As with the individual alphabet wheels, I've priced these emergent readers at only a dollar, to make them affordable, so that you can collect all of the flip booklets in this series.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Aa is for Apple Emergent Reader.
The FREEBIE today also has an apple theme. It's called Apple Adjectives. On the worksheet, students describe the outside and inside of an apple. You can do the same with a pumpkin.
It's a quick, easy & fun way for students to practice descriptive writing and the use of adjectives. For your convenience, I've included a completed sample.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. It's a bit chilly, but the sun is shining through the lovely fall-colored trees.
A perfect day for a walk in the woods with my poodle pup Chloe. Wishing you a fun-filled day.
"Happiness is a warm puppy." -Charles Shultz
1-2-3 Come Do A Super-Fun Writing Prompt With Me
There's never enough time to get in all of the wonderful "Getting to know you" activities we do for back to school, so I do at least one each month.
My kiddos LOVE sharing about themselves, so they really enjoy this type of writing. Plus, it's fun to continue to learn more about our classmates.
With this in mind, I designed "Me!" A Fall-Themed Writing Prompt packet.
All you have to do to get excited about this "craftivity", is make a sample of your own, to see how much fun this is!
An added bonus is that completed projects make an easy bulletin board you can keep up for months! Woo hoo. Caption: "Fall Into Writing!"
Plus, this activity is so versatile, it can be done by PK kiddos with one-word answers, all the way up through 5th grade!
Have older students write 3-4 things in each section.
You can also encourage the use of adjectives too.
There are 7, autumn-shapes to choose from: an apple, 2 pumpkins, 3 leaves and an acorn.
Because they are all fall pictures, you can give students a choice for an eclectic bulletin board display.
Just pumpkins in a patch, leaves and acorns blowing in the wind, or apples on a tree or in a big basket look terrific too.
If you choose the pumpkin pattern without a leaf, have children trace their hand on green construction paper, trim and add to the top for a "keepsake" leaf.
I've also included blank templates, so you can dream up your own writing prompts.
Do in class, or send home as a homework assignment that your kiddos will really want to do!
For that finishing touch, add a school photo. I also have my students choose 2 or 3 colors, so we can practice an AB-AB or ABC-ABC pattern, which really makes their completed writing prompt stand out.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 20-pager: "Me!" Fall Writing Promt Craftivity packet.
While there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd follow me. That way you'll know when I post FREEBIES, Diane's Dollar Deals, new stuff or have a sale.
I know it sounds silly, but I really get excited seeing that number grow. I'm anxious to reach 700 followers. Whenever I achieve a milestone, I create a special freebie that will hopefully knock-your-socks off!
Speaking of FREEBIES, today's featured free item is a 15-page leaf-themed math worksheet packet. Reinforce numbers, sequencing, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s. Plus, there are "What's Missing?" worksheets, and some for counting to 120. Click on the link to grab a copy.
Well that's it for today. It's a chilly morning, but no frost on the pumpkins yet (PTL).
I am so not ready for winter-weather during fall. Wishing you a warm and snuggly kind of day.
"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of life and color are their last days." -John Burroughs
1-2-3 Come Sing and Learn With Me
Do you sing “5 Little Apples In an Apple Tree” during fall? It’s one of my kiddos favorites, and a great way to practice all sorts of math skills!
They especially enjoy the fingerplays I've added, and like it so much, we continue to sing 5 Little Apples through November, as we add other songs to our autumn repertoire.
I added an extra stanza to the end. I figured if a child ate 5 apples, especially green ones, they'd probably end up with a tummy ache; thus the line: "Did I eat 5 apples without a break? Uh oh! Tummy ache."
Besides singing the song, I wanted to do some follow up activities that would also reinforce a variety of standards, so I designed the 5 Little Apples Activities packet.
I think you’ll really like the versatility, as it’s appropriate for PK-1st and especially helpful for ESL children. Simply pick & choose what’s right for your group.
The packet includes :
* An emergent reader, which includes a full-color copy for teachers, as well as a black & white one for your students.
Children read the repetitive sentences, trace & write the number & number word, then draw that many apples on their tree.
To make this a sweet keepsake, I have my kiddos press their index finger on their choice of a red, yellow or green stamp pad, to make their apples.
If you like that idea too, you'll want to include the optional last page:
* I've also included a set of Pocket chart cards. As you read the poem-chant with your kiddos, you can take an apple away.
Continue reading by simply changing the 2 cards that have a number on them.
To reinforce subtraction with my kiddos, I have them hold up a "high five" hand.
As apples fall we "fold" one of our fingers down.
I say: "5 apples were on the tree. One fell down; that left..." They say and show me 4.
* There's also a variety of Games:Memory Match, I Spy, Where's Wiggles? ( which practices ordinal numbers as well as spatial directions), plus I Have-Who Has?; Speed, Kaboom & an Apples on a Roll (dice game).
* Some posters, including photographs of real apples.
* Math-related worksheets with the 5 Little Apples theme.
Pick the level that's appropriate for your kiddos.
* My personal favorite, is an apple slider craftivity, with two options: a simple slider with numbers from 1-5 for PK kiddos, as well as one that skip counts by 5s.
* The number puzzles are also suitable for different ages and levels.
I hope your kiddos enjoy this song-poem as much as mine do. As you can see, it’s a quick, easy and fun way to cover all sorts of standards.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 57-pager that's chock full of fun, and only $3.50: 5 Little Apples Activities
The featured FREEBIE today, is a quick, easy and fun way to learn more about your students, as they practice their address, which I think is extremely important, and fits right in with our Fire Safety activities this month.
Click on the link for the "My Home" writing prompt craftivity. Completed projects make an adorable "Our Classroom Neighborhood" bulletin board too.
Well that's it for today. I'm anxious to start designing other fire safety stuff, plus pumpkin and scarecrow activities!
Be sure and pop back tomorrow to see what I got accomplished. For now, it's time for a computer break to decorate my house for fall, before Halloween has come and gone! Wishing you a weekend filled with super-fun autumn activities.
"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time, like dew on the tip of a leaf." - Rabindranath Tagore
1-2-3 Come Do Some 4 Seasons-Apple Activities With Me
My apple studies spill into October because of our big Harvest Theme going on.
With all of the rules, “getting to know” you activities, and assessing where my kiddos are at, I simply don’t have enough time in September, to get to all of the interesting apple science I have planned because we don't start school 'til after Labor Day.
So my super-fun apple activities, simply flow into October, along with my other harvest themes: pumpkins and scarecrows.
October is also the perfect time to learn about the seasons because my students can definitely see lots of changes going on outside.
With that in mind, I designed the Seasons of my Apple Tree packet.
It’s chock full of all sorts of fun activities that reinforce a variety of standards.
I introduce these lessons by reading The Season’s of Arnold’s Apple Tree, by Gail Gibbons.
The packet includes:
* An emergent reader booklet, which includes 36 Dolch sight words!
* There’s 6-mini pages on a one-page template, for a “just the right size” Itty Bitty booklet, which saves on paper & printing.
* I’ve included an emergent reader in full-color for teachers, as well as black & white for your students.
* There’s an optional last page, so you can Segway into graphing a favorite season, as well as a favorite color apple.
* My personal favorite, is an adorable keepsake 4-seasons tree.
* You can either have children trace their hand and arm, to make the branches and trunk of the tree, or print off my pattern.
* I live in Michigan, which is a huge apple growing state, so there are plenty of places you can see orchards.
Use the pictures as posters, a bulletin board display, or simply share with your students before or after reading apple stories.* I've also included worksheets, & pocket chart cards.
Well that's it for today. My grandchildren are coming over and we're going to decorate the house for fall.
I so enjoy doing that, especially with little ones to help energize me with their excitement.
Wishing you a love-filled day.
"Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation." -Lois Wyse
I know I'm late in posting this, as September has gone by faster than its usual speed of light for me, but I wanted to finish up with apples, before I move on to other fall-themed units.
I figure apples fit well with my harvest theme for October, so I usually throw in a few extra apple activities that I didn't have time to cover earlier. It's also great to compare and contrast apples with pumpkins too.
Any hoo, I had so much fun redesigning two of my all-time favorite life cycle of an apple crafts, and tossing in an emergent reader to round out the activities in my latest fall packet: Life Cycle of an Apple Activities.
I think you’ll love the versatility, as it’s appropriate for a variety of ages and levels, with lots of options.
The Life Cycle of an Apple emergent reader, is great non-fiction practice that reinforces plenty of sight words, as it includes 31 from the Dolch word lists!
Picture prompts help with the other words.
I’ve included a color copy for teachers, as well as a student copy in black & white.
Children trace and write the life cycle words, read the simple sentences, color the pictures, then cut & collate the pages into a “just the right size” booklet.
There’s a template with 6 on a page, as well as one with 12 mini-pages on a one-page template, so that you have the option to make Itty Bitty booklets, that are a real paper-saver.
To assist with reading, review the life cycle of an apple, with the 8 colorful pocket chart cards.
I also made a bookmark-size template for your students.
The 2 apple craftivities also reinforce the life cycle. Nothing like a hands-on artsy activity to get your kiddos excited.
I’ve included a simple 4-section life cycle, as well as a more detailed one, with 7 sections. I feature both options in the photographs.
Completed projects look awesome dangling from the ceiling, as there is a front & back for each project.
Choose either the apple with a sweet fingerprint poem, or the equally adorable apple pie. Here's the poem:
"There's a star inside my apple! It's a miracle indeed, that a sweet and yummy apple was once a little seed. This one is extra special. It's made with TLC. The seeds are from my fingerprints, as you can plainly see."
I made the leaf 3D by folding an extra one in half then gluing it to the flat one. For that finishing touch, have students glue their school photo on the leaf.
The life cycle of an apple, on a small paper plate, covered with aluminum foil, also turned out really cute. I spritzed ours with apple-cinnamon air freshener! Our room smells fabulous!
The back of the "pie" has the life cycle, and the front features the "Life Cycle of an Apple" title circle. Since the apples end up in a pie, I thought I'd dangle a slice "Oh my! Apple pie." to complete the cycle.
I hope your kiddos enjoy doing these activities as much as mine did. An added bonus, is the wonderful compliments you’ll get from appreciative parents, who’ll love this special keepsake!
Click on the link to pop on over to my little TpT shop to take a peek at this 33-pager: Life Cycle of an Apple Activities packet.
Speaking of FREEBIES, today's featured free item, is a fall-themed "Shapely Graphing" packet. Reinforce graphing, shapes and colors all in one worksheet! Can I get an Amen!?
The teacher's answer keys are in full color to save you a ton of time, while the student worksheets are in black and white.
It's the newest FREEBIE in my store; I thought it fit the blog today because it has an apple graph, then slides us into the rest of my fall themes: pumpkins, leaves and spiders. Click on the link above to grab it.
Well that's it for today. If March roars out like a lion or lamb, then September is bidding adieu like a beach ball.
It's a beautiful sunny day in the 70's, and time to take my poodle pup, Chloe, for a much-needed trot around the block. Wishing you a blessed week.
"Designers want me to dress like spring, in billowing things. I don't feel like spring. I feel like a warm red autumn." -Marilyn Monroe