Fun Things About Carol Franks-Randall

I thought before I come to your school you might want to know a few things about me. Here goes:

1. I LOVE spending time with family. I have a large family and love spending time with my husband, my four kids, their spouses and their children. I have 6 grandchildren and they all call me “Nana”.

2. I love to READ! I bet this one is no surprise! I read fiction and non-fiction. I love picture books best! I am part of a wonderful book club and when I was a Principal, I started a Principal’s Book Club for 3rd and 4th grade students. We ate lunch together once a month and talked about books we were reading.

3. I love WRITING!  I wish I could say that I began writing for pleasure when I was young, but that isn’t so. I became captivated by writing as an adult, particularly after I retired. I do love writing children’s books!

4. I am an amateur  photographer. I am not a particularly skilled photographer, but I do like to use photos to make books, calendars, mugs, place-mats, bookmarks, notepads, bags and anything else I can think of.

5. I adore plants. I have over 100 plants in my house. I am particularly fond of growing orchids and African violets.

6. I have been bitten by the travel bug.  My husband and I love to travel and try to take at least 3 trips a year. It is great to go to different places and see famous sights, eat different food, and sometimes hear different languages.

7. I think that volunteering in my community is really important.  I enjoy volunteering in my community and hopefully can contribute to making it a better place for all of us.

8. I am addicted to baking.  I particularly like baking cookies, but I love baking bread as well.

9. I have been crocheting for over 50 years! Thanks to my sister, I learned to crochet in 1970, and I haven’t stopped. I love making baby blankets best, but I have also made full sized Afghans, scarves, coasters and stuffed animals. I love to use my yarn scraps to make granny squares.

10. I love watching tennis and NBA basketball.  I am not particularly athletic, but I do love to watch people who are. My favorite sports are tennis and NBA basketball, and I wear my Washington Wizards gear proudly. I do enjoy cycling on my recumbent quadracycle with my husband.

11. I am a newspaper columnist and a podcaster. I write a column entitled “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club” for the Bay Times/Record Observer, located in Queen Anne’s County, MD. My first article is here. I have recently produced my first podcast, also entitled “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club”. You can listen to it by clicking here.

12. I am a tea lover! I collect teapots and love nothing better than that first cup of brewed tea in the morning. I enjoy black teas best, but I also like green tea, white tea and herbal tea. I hope to blend tea someday, and perhaps take an English tea tour.

I hope when I visit your school, we can talk about things we have in common – and BOOKS!!!!