School Pictures, or Records of Terrible Hair

Another of my Memory Box finds was some sheet of paper with school pictures from every grade except fourth. I am AOK with that picture missing because that was by far my worst hair year. I distinctly remember being told on the playground that it looked like I had stuck my finger in a light socket.

Let's review:

• Grade 1: Cute
• Grade 2: This hairdo combined with the frilly dress is passable
• Grade 3: What is with the top? My bangs are iffy but overall this is fine
• Grade 4: Missing, thank goodness
• Grade 5: Side mini-ponytail with a scrunchy and a top featuring the world's largest safety pins
• Grade 6: Another side min-ponytail ... but I remember that vest and I thought it was awesome
• Grade 7: There is nothing to say except Wow
• Grade 8: My bangs are fierce but at least I've almost grown out the awful perm from grade 7

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What I've Been Clicking On This Week

This week has gone by in a blur, but I still found some time to distract myself online.

• While I do have a storage container for my gift wrap supplies, my wrapping paper won't all fit in it so I have it all propped up inside my bedroom closet. It works fine when the paper is still shrink-wrapped, but once it's open... what a mess. Until now. Joy Astle shares a wonderful idea for keeping your wrapping paper organized and doing a little recycling at the same time.
• My mom has a total green thumb and always has stuff growing at home. After seeing her work wonders with so many plants, I don't think this concept should have been new to me. Homemade Serenity shares tips on how to make food last. The tips are good in general, but the one for making your supply of green onions never run out is genius.
• Valentine's Day is right around the corner. While major greetings card companies make a huge  profit over the next few weeks, I'm more intrigued by what smaller card designers are producing. I wish this Awesome! card wasn't sold out or it would be mine. (It reminds me of How I Met Your Mother.) Totally not a Valentine's Day Card but I saw a birthday card interspersed with the holiday ones. I wish they didn't come in sets of 10 because I know my mom would get a kick out of this card. I didn't buy it, but I really like this I Freakin' Love You card because it's stitched and I just think that is awesome.
• Infographics are getting a lot of attention online lately. There have been some great tongue-in-cheek ones created. I especially like these infographs that Book Riot posted featuring young adult heroines.
• Last but not least, I want to point everyone to my friend Steve's new blog Citizen Pork. The blog is a photo journal of positive things and people in Cincinnati. His photography is really beautiful and I've loved seeing him tackle new subjects. His most recent post on the Save the Animals Foundation here in Cincinnati has some adorable pictures of animals and helps champion a cause I care deeply about.

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Failing Religiously

While I was digging through the Memory Box my parents recently gave me, I found all of my grade school report cards and copies of my standardized test results. I learned a few things about myself:

• My grades weren’t nearly as good as I remembered.
• I scored really well on standardized tests, which makes sense because I loved taking them.
• Based on my test scores, I should have done much better in school.
• A Catholic education might have been wasted on me.

The reason for that last point is my deplorable track record in religion classes. From second to eight grade (I went to public school for first grade), here are my grades in religion class:

In either grade I have a 6 by my grade. That indicates that I am not applying myself.

I still remember getting the D in the sixth grade. One of the primary ways my mom tried to get through to me wad “What would your grandma think?” Obviously, based on my grades, she would have thought I was a heathen.

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Ronald the Turkey

My parents recently gave me a memory box that had been left behind at their house. A memory box, for me and my siblings, is just a cardboard box filled with artifacts of our youth. There is no order to the things in each box and you never know what you’ll find.

I had lots of piece of art and writing in my memory box, which makes sense. All throughout growing up I was encouraged to pursue creative endeavors. After reading some of my old assignments and essays, I’m thinking I should have been encouraged to be a little happier. Check out this morbid piece of writing from when I eight.

Transcript:

Hi. I’m Ronald the turkey. I’m six. My sister Jenny’s three. Oh no Mr. Baker is coming with a hatchet. He’s coming for me. I wish I could fly! Oh no! Slice!

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