MsGillELA
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msgillela.bsky.social
MsGillELA
@msgillela.bsky.social
620 followers 270 following 1.3K posts
Teacher who loves reading, science, and helping others! 📖 she/her
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msgillela.bsky.social
Show me your gateway vehicle
Becky the Carpet Queen in a white dress and sparkling tiara stands on a rug while pretending to fly over the St. Louis Gateway Arch
November 19, 2025 at 5:04 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Heh heh heh
A screenshot of Marisa Kabas’s photo of NY with 69 on the board when her post had 69 likes.
May 17, 2025 at 1:44 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Up but still down is down.

Just look at the S&P 500 for the past month and three months:
A screenshot of the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF with 9 major companies listed. Of the nine, they are down between .11% and 24.1% for the past month (in red because of negative growth). Only Berkshire Hathaway shows positive growth for the past three months with .85%. The other companies are down between 3.03% and 25.13% showing red as negative growth (aka losses).
April 9, 2025 at 9:36 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Used some calming watercolor processes this weekend and made a surprise dinosaur.
A hand drawn cartoonish dinosaur is in the center of a page. The page has wavy lines intersecting horizontally and vertically that were created by pushing a penny with a permanent marker. The dinosaur is painted in segmented shades of green and the background is segmented and painted in rainbow order.
March 24, 2025 at 12:52 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
My favorite beach in Duluth is awash in science.
A bright yellow sun is surrounded by white clouds. A snow-covered, sandy beach curves off to the right while spiked plumes of sea smoke fog lifts above the edge of Lake Superior.
January 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Very excited about the fashion choices for myself this year.
A tight screenshot of the word “derelicht” from the dictionary gif.
January 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Time to bring back sewing new hems onto existing clothes!!!
A screenshot of toddler clothing with coordinating fabric ruffle hems added to the bottom of a sweater and a lacy fabric cuff added to toddler pants.
December 24, 2024 at 9:23 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Graduation Day! I celebrated via live stream on my prep since I participated in an online program 9 hours away by car.

I worked today instead of attending in person, and my students were totally excited and supportive when they came in later and saw me in my regalia!
MsGillELA in a black graduation gown and mortarboard cap in front of her white board. Her master’s hood is folded over her arm in preparation for her hooding. She has a big smile on her face. A zoomed in picture shows MsGillELA still in a cap and gown, this time with her light blue education hood over her shoulders and in front of her neck. You can see the projected graduation ceremony in part of the background with no identifying info of other students.
December 14, 2024 at 1:43 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Looking for some help bringing the outside world to my middle school classroom. If you have the time and capacity, I would love to feature a short (less than 1 min!) video from you explaining how reading shows up in your life and work. See my video for more details!
December 7, 2024 at 4:35 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Watercolor and coffee to start my Sunday.

Making my to do list . . . After I make some calming rainbow art.
A sketchbook with crayon lines creating waves and watercolor paint flowing between the lines
November 24, 2024 at 4:20 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
Feels like a stone soup story waiting to happen. I can grab the saffron.
Picture of a pile of saffron dried and deep orange. Words at the top of the picture say “Ok, 10 items were added to your cart. What next?” Words at the bottom of the picture say Saffron Whole, 10 times $41.35.
November 23, 2024 at 4:04 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
This collection of short stories is gently creepy and so good.
Screenshot of the book cover for The Collectors. Edited by A.S. king featuring stories by Cory McCarthy, Anna-Marie McLemore, G. Nero, Jason Reynolds, Randy Ribay, and Jenny Torres Sanchez The book cover includes curio shelves with a skull and lower mandible, an eerie green butterfly, a pocket watch and other oddities
November 17, 2024 at 4:00 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
A brunette woman wearing blue light glasses reflecting what’s on the screen dropping her jaw in shock
May 23, 2024 at 11:17 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
3s exposure from my backyard!
Light purple and pink sky with lighter starburst effect - northern lights as seen from below with two trees in the foreground.
May 11, 2024 at 3:06 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
The Minnesota River is looking nice today!
A bright blue sky soars over the flowing Minnesota River - the river reaches from bank to bank
April 14, 2024 at 9:40 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
It started as a bit of a joke, but now I am obsessed with getting an old mechanical time clock for punching in and out of work!

Just look at it! It’s so cute!
A screenshot of two search results for eBay acroprint. The acroprint time clock has an analog face, a richly green body, and a spot to put a punch card. It has squared edges and an industrial aesthetic from the middle of the 1900s
February 10, 2024 at 3:30 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
I finished my first fingerless mitten!

I made it with the Cloudburst pattern by Arienne Grey on Ravelry. I could have shortened it, but didn’t want to mess with the pattern since this is my first time with a thumb gusset.

I did shorten the thumb by two or three rows.
A variegated yarn fingerless mitten with a subtle lace pattern The palm side of variegated yarn fingerless mitten with ribbing at the cuff and fingers MsGillELA wearing the fingerless mitten and her thumb and first three fingers are out but her pinky finger is almost completely covered
January 22, 2024 at 3:34 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Working on my first set of fingerless gloves. This cold snap reminded me why I bought this yarn in the first place! Twisted knit ribbed cuff almost done, and it fits!
A variegated hand knit cuff is on my wrist while still on needles with a magic circle so I can try it on
January 18, 2024 at 4:07 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
I tracked my books with StoryGraph this year and exceeded my goal!

2023 was the year of the light Romance. I wonder what 2024 will bring . . .
Covers of books read: You Only Live Once David Bravo One Night with the CEO Getting Dirty with the CEO Klara and the Sun How to Succeed in Witchcraft The Secret, Book, and Scone Society The Last Fallen Star Better Than the Movies The Unhoneymooners Something Wilder Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating Soulmate Equation In a Holidaze Roomies My Favorite Half-Night Stand Love and Other Words Book Covers: Meant to Be Debating Darcy The Barren Grounds The Family Remains Red Scarf Girl If the Shoe Fits By the Book The Wedding Date Drunk on Love True Love Experiment The Inheritance Games The Hawthorne Legacy The Final Gambit Party of Two The Wedding Party Kiss the Girl The Proposal Royal Holiday Twice in a Blue Moon While We Were Dating Loveboat Taipei Loveboat Reunion Kiss the Girl Acting on Impulse Dating You Hating You The Spanish Love Deception The American Roommate Experiment The Honey-Don’t List Autoboyography The Whispered Word The Book of Candlelight Bundle Punk Bruja Loveboat Forever The Long Game Paper Cuts The Brothers Hawthorne Ink Shadows The Vanishing Type I’ve Got Your Number Twenties Girl Sari Not Sari The Burnout Sleeping Arrangements The Party Crasher Zero Days The Gatecrasher
January 1, 2024 at 7:02 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
It’s shrimp cocktail o’clock!

Happy New Year to all who stay home
A silver tone black and white photo of five shrimp balancing on the edge of a bowl with cocktail sauce
January 1, 2024 at 3:52 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Finished Sweater #4 - pretty pink for the 3yo nibling.

This one was tricky but I finally figured out how I was twisting stitches.

Next sweater will be an adventure in stripes!
A small, hot pink, hand knit sweater with garter stitch sleeve panels
December 30, 2023 at 4:38 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Lake of the Ozarks boat-related errand, and I’m looking over my shoulder for Ruth and Marty.
MsGillELA smiling in front of a mobile home with a paint job on the door that has seen better days.
December 28, 2023 at 9:37 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
I do not know what to wear.
A screenshot of the weather app showing the high today is 54° and the average high is 25° with a large emphasis on it being 29° above average daily high.
December 25, 2023 at 12:03 AM
msgillela.bsky.social
Further research shows that Nokomis, SK was named by an English colonizer after Longfellow’s poem.
On one occasion, while delivering mail along the route from Taylorboro, Mr. MacFarland called at the home of Thomas Halstead, on Sec. 24–20 9–22 – W-2. Mrs. Halstead asked if he thought the authorities would consider the establishment of another post office at their home, with her as postmistress. She obtained signatures and forwarded a petition from the settlers in her vicinity, and Mr. MacFarlane sent it to Ottawa with request that the name Nokomis be chosen. She had selected the name “Nokomis” from Longfellow poem “Hiawatha”, because to her, newly arrived from England, the West represented the romantic domain of the Indian. “Nokomis” farm post office was open for business on August 6, 1906, when the first money order was sold to Albert W. Bridgewater.
December 9, 2023 at 6:51 PM
msgillela.bsky.social
My very neglected Christmas cactus is blooming!

I can’t believe it’s still alive. And making flowers!!
A large potted green Christmas cactus sits on light purple tissue. Seven or eight pink flowers have opened with a handful of white buds that have the potential to open in the next month.
December 6, 2023 at 4:32 AM