7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #308: Featuring
a Moment with Susan Sorrell Hill
December 2nd, 2012 by jules
The first Sunday of the month is upon us once again (the last 2012 one, at that — GASP), which means I normally feature the work of a student or debut illustrator. I had the latter lined up for today, but it didn’t quite work out in time. This author/illustrator will, most likely, visit next week instead, which is all good and a-okay and all that. I’m easy like Sunday morning (as I told her — and you’re welcome for that Commodores song now on your brain radio).
Know what I have for you today? I’ll be ever-so brief:
Remember when Susan Sorrell Hill visited back in September? Soon after that visit, she created a Mad Tea Party image, which I’ll be posting some time soon in one of the headers of a 7-Imp page. (It’s here at her Etsy shop, if anyone is interested, by chance.)
And look, Little Willow, it’s another brunette Alice!
And that’s it. See? I can actually be pithy sometimes.
Image here reproduced with permission of Susan Sorrell Hill.
Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.
1) Pith.
2) As I’m typing, I’m listening to this, which includes Chris Thile’s wonderful voice and Andrew Bird and The Shins and Rufus and Paul McCartney and a really gorgeous rendition of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by The Civil Wars and much, much more. Between this CD and this little guy, which I ordered from Alkelda Dolls …
…I’m warming up to the holidays.
3) The girls and I just now—between kicks 2 and 3—had to stop and dance around to “Sleigh Ride.” The seven-year-old seems to come naturally to jazz hands. It’s slightly alarming her abundant use of them. Also, I just did a somersault and re-discovered the fact that I’m 40. The girls found this HYSTERICAL.
4) I haven’t yet watched all of this interview by Ann Patchett with J.K. Rowling, but I did catch the moment right around minute 5:15, where Ann gets a bit verklempt and thanks Rowling for what her series has done for children and books and reading and bookstores and such.
5) Really good food and drinks and actual Nashville honky tonk in the company of good friends on Friday night.
6) Thoughtful surprises in the mail from my thoughtful friends.
7) Did you all take in all the goodness from Picture Book Month? The Horn Book surely delivered, too.
TWO NOTES:
Did you all see the New York Times’ Notable Children’s Books of 2012? (There’s a certain book about dragons and tacos on that list, which makes me happy to see. Hear! Hear! to funny books getting such, er, notable attention!)
It’s time this year for Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Joe and Shirl Scholarships, which “connects kids in unique familial situations and with limited means to art education at the Worcester Art Museum” in Massachusetts. Here’s all the info you need, if you’re interested in bidding.
What are YOUR kicks this week? Are you still in shock that this post is so short (for me)?
Shocking Pith!
I’m going to take your post about the cd as an endorsement. I’m going to get the cd so I can listen in the car.
kicks
1. Daughter and I stayed local for our anual Nutcracker outing this year. We saw “The Sea Captain’s Nutcracker”. Edward Gorey would have loved the costume designs.
2. Finished the Christmas card illo. for a local business. I’m going to wait until they go out in the mail before I post any pics online.
3. Used the power of positive thinking to get over a rejection, and it worked!
4. Haven’t done much to prepare for the coming holidays, yet feeling no stress.
5. Bossy Pants by Tina Fey on an audio book in the art studio. Win Win
6. The magic of hugs
7. Sold a few things from my online shops, including the shower curtain! I hope whoever bought it will send me pic.
Happy December everyone!
Jules: I love the visual of you and the girls dancing to Sleigh Ride. I agree; Picture Book Month has been the best. And thanks so much for the link to the J, K. Rowling interview.
Moira: Hugs really are magical.
My kicks(last week and this)
1. Decorating the house for Christmas; last but not least tree is going up today.
2. Finding out your property is larger than you thought after surveying
3. Getting artwork from Matthew Cordell
4. Books arriving from winning giveaways: autographed Creepy Carrots and The Christmas Tugboat
5. Hauling my 125+ Christmas books from the shelves to stacks around the house for decoration
6. Nestle Abuelita Authentic Mexican Style Hot Chocolate
7. Lots of walking; walks with my sweet Xena
Moira: YES. Meant to tell you I like the CD. I buy CDs anymore, but just went ahead and got this on iTunes, and I put the songs in the wrong order when I burnt them to CD, but it’s still all wonderful … I like your kick #3. A lot. And #4, too. I tell myself I won’t get behind this year, but if we’re putting the tree up today, I guess that’s progress. … I’m intrigued by the notion of Gorey-esque costume designs for The Nutcracker.
Margie: Good luck with the tree. Ours goes up, too, as I said — today, that is — and it’s a bit weird that it’s not even very chilly outside, but it’ll go up anyway. MATT CORDELL ART! Speaking of Creepy Carrots, as you did, see my honky tonk kick up there? Peter Brown was in town, and we kidnapped him and took him with us — to hear actual Nashville honky tonk (with a Latin flair). He’s super fun. … I did not know about the very existence of kick #6 and must do something about that.
Love the post and…I’m still kickin’ 😉
Good morning, Jules. Around the campfire this past summer, my 65-year-old dad joined the kids for somersaults. I bet you still have 25 more years of good somersaults in you.
My kicks…
1. I was accepted to the University of Illinois’s MS in LIS graduate program.
2. My oldest son turns 8 today. His excitement.
3. In lieu of a present, my parents wrote a poem for my son’s birthday. It’s perfect.
4. the smell of pine
5. a few hours to myself this morning. ahhhhh.
6. my running group friends
7. I enjoyed tallying people’s submissions for 10 books I should have included on my list of 60 not-to-be-missed picture books. I’m excited to share the results tomorrow.
Have a wonderful week!
-Amy
Good to still be kickin’, Elizabeth!
Amy: CONGRATULATIONS on the grad program! WOO HOO! Good things are to come for you. (Well, even better things.) … Happy birthday to your son, and I love the idea of a poem as a present. …. I need to go check out your site for the 60/70 books.
I love the illustration from Susan today. It’s fun to see all the different interpretations of 7 Imp.
Jules, dance party with girls…love that and somersaults.
Moira, positive thinking can be magical as well as hugs.
Margie, 125 Christmas books..wow, I’d like to come to your house.
Amy, happy birthday to your son. My grandgirl turned 8 last month. A great age. And congrats on grad program.
My kicks
1. Sleeping in. I never sleep in and it was grand.
2. All three grandgirls together yesterday.
3. The Singing Christmas Tree
4. Grandgirls in the sleigh on stage for one song during the performance.
5. The house is decorated for the holidays.
6. Gratitude
7. A rainbow Friday morning on my ways to school.
Have a great week.
Jules! *knocks you down in a hug*
Kicks:
1. Movies
2. Music
3. New friends
4. Old friends
5. Tumblr and fandom
6. Family
7. Love
Have a holiday festive week, everyone. :o)
Oh, pith. That old devil.
Loving the newest addition to the 7-Imp tea-party gallery. (I especially love how every single contributor, including Susan Sorrell Hill, seems to “get” this place. By the time you’ve run out of room for further additions to that wall of the blawg, an Internet archaeologist of the future could (possibly) construct a 3D literary model (er, whatever that is, he’s from the FUTURE dammit, how should I know?!) of what this place means, just from the tea-party art.)
Until I read Amy’s comment, Jules, I’d been thinking (careful reader that I am *cough*) that you’d tried a cartwheel, not a somersault. So very glad that you haven’t gone completely off your rocker. And I agree with Amy, btw, about your future in tumbling.
Gotta be quick today, so I’ll just say congratulations to everyone on having such great kicks!
Mine:
1. Starting something new. Stopping. Thinking. Starting again, facing a slightly different direction, and knowing that this time you’ve got it right.
2. …and, of course, finishing something. (Especially something written.)
3. General Tso’s chicken. I don’t care if there ever was or wasn’t a real General Tso. Don’t bother me with facts, my mind is made up.
4. Moira mentioned Bossypants. No audiobook here, but oh, the book… The chapter on celebrating Christmas unhinged me.
5. Did you know Stephen Colbert (a major Tolkien fanatic, as if there’d be any doubt) is devoting all his shows this week to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit? (Guests: Jackson, McKellen, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis…)
6. Speaking of The Hobbit, this: a New Zealand weathercaster who did an on-air weather report dressed in LotR(ish) garb and speaking in… Elvish.
7. Jules (again): I got that same Christmas music sampler in MP3 form and spent my day yesterday writing to it. Love it!
Have a great week, everyone!
Hi Kickers!
Long time no see! I don’t quite know why I’ve let so many Sundays go by without stopping in to say hello but it is good to be back to so much exciting news! Yeah for all!
1. A dinner out with friends for tonight.
2. The book fair at my daughter’s school this week.
3. Christmas music- just downloaded Holidays Rule to add to my growing collection.
4. Where’d You Go Bernadette- my recent book club book. A light fun read.
5. Our playful puppy who finally seems to understand that humans don’t like jumping dogs.
6. Beginning to decorate
7. Exciting news from a friend- she is pregnant with her first baby! Already creating a list of books to send to her!!
Fun new Tea Party; this dark-haired Alice has a bit of Wednesday Addams in her—cool.
Jules! Pith my *ss… that Horn Book link had 15 really great articles included and the JK Rowlings interview (wonderful) is a 9 mins link then + 5 mins + 12 mins + 8 mins + 4 mins + 10 mins (and I stopped there but it wasn’t over..) Now, this is not a complaint; it’s why I love coming here—to see the ART and follow all the branching leads you (and others) share. (Yes, I visited Krosoczka’s auction and Amy’s 60 picture books.) But “pith” hardly seems the word for what has been one my LONGEST branch-following visits. Ha!
RE Kicks:
Geez. Most kickers are decorated for Christmas already, including the tree! (Me thinks it’s the trained teacher/librarian organizational, thematic advantage y’all have.) I’ll be lucky to get my house festive by the 24th! But you have inspired me to try earlier…
Jules – your 7-year-old’s jazz hands made me smile. Go jazz hands! (and somersaults.)
Moira – My car rides need a new book: I just order the audio Bossy Pants – thanks!
Margie – congrats on your survey surprise.
ER – glad you’re alive and kickin’.
Amy – I found this great vid on your blog. Thanks! Bootworks Theater:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK-BirHW9MY
Jone – Love the idea of The Singing Christmas Tree. (!) Clapping for grandgirls’ sleigh song.
Tarie – yours is THE list, isn’t it.
JES – That weatherman. ha-ha! And I’m fascinated by Colbert’s HOBBIT line-up. Will watch. (I already bought front-mezzanine-center tickets to the opening night at our local theater.)
Stacey – Book fairs and baby-book lists, yes.
Alright, in honor of “pith” (not my strong point either) here’s my single kick:
1. silver “basketbells” (the choreographer in me just adores this vid.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=isPm79xTzM4
Have a happy, well-decorated week everyone.
Thanks, Jules and Jones. Denise, I’m glad you enjoyed the video. The The Incredible Book Eating Boy puppet show looks really neat, eh?
Hey Jules! i’m back to kick tonight FINALLY. Great post and LOL at your #3. I love Sleigh Ride. Super quick here’s my kicks:
1) This time of the year finds us with chirstmas plus two kids birthdays so kick #1 is def that we go through the first birthday party of the season – 4 7 year olds + trampolines + cake = “the best day ever” in the words of my newly minted 7 year old.
2) almost done with christmas shopping, a perk of having two birthdays in December is that we are forced to shop early (it’s taken us a while to realize this is a perk)
3) recently sent revised Monster dummy off for submissions… fingers crossed again
4) beautiful weather
5) 2) finishing PiBoIdMo and signed the “pledge” tonight
6) actually had a couple of good ideas from PiBoIdMo.. can’t wait to start working on them
7) a new sketchbook to start filling up!
its been a busy month … but glad to be out of lurker mode. Hope everyone has a good week!
I’m here, but I’ll be back in the morning, you all. Writing deadlines, writing deadlines!
Jules, love the dark-haired Alice, and the sweet Santa, and the picture in my head of your somersault. Next time I see you, back handsprings! And woo-hoo to honky-tonkin’!
Moira, agree about the hugs. Yay for them!
Margie, that hot chocolate sounds fantastic, as does the Matthew Cordell artwork.
Amy, I shoved my face into a heap of wreaths a Trader Joe’s today to smell the pine! Next weekend: tree. Happy birthday to your boy, and congratulations to you!
Jone, I’m still in the midst of holiday decorating, but I hope to be done Round 2 next weekend, too.
Tarie, music, friends and family– aaahhh…
JES, yay to seeing the road not taken and knowing it was wrong. And finishing things!
Stacey, loving the Christmas music, too. Vince Guaraldi at dinner put us all in a holiday mood.
Denise, my kids will love that video.
Mary, happy birthdays! Fingers crossed for the monster sub! You are amazing.
My kicks:
1/ Music, food, friends, and celebrations!
2/ Getting out the Scandinavian folksy-looking decorations.
3/ Thinking more seriously about new bookshelves. Maybe even flirting with the idea. Maybe even going to visit the ones I want at the store tomorrow.
4/ Getting new books for aforementioned shelves.
5/ Feeling thankful.
6/ Virtual hot cocoa gatherings with friends who are really supposed to be working.
7/The last carrots and radishes of the season that surprised us as we turned over our garden today.
Jules: Brunette Alice for the win!
Hi Imps! Sorry I missed your kicks on Sunday. I wasn’t online yesterday because I was on set. I love saying that/typing that! So I will have to catch up later. 🙂 (Remember the short film I tried out for last Sunday? I booked it, and that was the shoot. DONE.)
I’m here. I’m here. I’m just really late.
Jone: Glad you had good grandgirl time.
Tarie, I knock you down in a hug, too.
John, I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel. Bummer. And now more than ever, I wish I had cable channels JUST FOR Stephen Colbert. … So glad you’re enjoying the CD, too. Today, I ordered Sufjan Stevens’ FIVE-CD box set of new Christmas songs. Congrats on your first two kicks!
Stacey, hope you enjoy the music, too. And your lucky friend, having you to send books.
Denise, good point about the pith — or lack thereof. I’m glad you enjoyed the links. The Horn Book did Picture Book Month up right. … I love that basketball video so much that I just shared it in Facebook land.
Mary: Congrats on #3, and my fingers are crossed! TWO BIRTHDAYS in December? Wow. Godspeed to you.
Jess, I’d do handsprings for you, if I could, but I’m a clutz. … VIRTUAL HOT COCOA! Yay! I know precisely what you mean. Surprise, stealth veggies sound good, too.
LW: Hi! Congrats on the done shoot. I still want to be you for just one day (or, okay, maybe a week).
[…] And lastly, see my new Alice in Wonderland painting, “Mad Tea Party”, which will soon become one of the permanent mastheads on the Seven Impossible Things blog here. […]