happy Monday, vol. 12

3 things that are making me happy lately ...

1. Homemade Chinese food, a gift from a student's mother on Thursday. I unwrapped the leaf bundle hesitantly -- while beans and rice are a classic combination in other cuisines, it was the first time I'd seen the Chinese spin on it. No need to hesitate -- the sticky rice mixed with pork, two types of beans, and mushrooms was delicious.
2. Making newspaper hats with kids for a few hours on Saturday, at a children's literature conference. It is amazing what you can do with a large bucket, a few sheets of newspaper, masking tape, and some crepe streamers. It was a great opportunity to see some fellow grad students who were also volunteering and talk to them outside of the classroom/library setting.
3. It's the last week of summer school! I learned a lot about working with kindergartners and first-graders, and it was a great way to road-test some new picture books and add to my list of great read-alouds.