Day 1 down, 176 to go!

Seriously, it was great to be back and to see the kids! I am excited to start the week with them tomorrow! I think overall it is a nice bunch of second graders!

It was also Haliey's first day of Third Grade. Wentworth is such a big school and she will grow up fast over the next three years I am sure. She was all dressed up in her snazzy white capris with her black sparkly tshirt that said, "Daddy's Expensive Princess" in wild glittery letters. I stood with her, her dad, her mom, and her brother this morning at the end of the driveway waiting for the bus and thought back to the first time I did this when she went to Kindergarten! She is growing up way too quickly! Everything went very well today and she loved her teacher and her class. Tomorrow she will meet her 4th grade classmates. She will also take the bus from Wentworth to Eight Corners. I will feel quite relieved when I walk down at the end of the day and see her sitting on the bench waiting for me.

Jordan begins preschool next week and will go to his open house on Wednesday morning. I hope he likes it and does well. He does not do too well with strangers or strange kids so this will be a learning curve for him.

More later....

One week left

It just is not fair that summer arrives in all it's hotness right before school begins. It is really difficult to concentrate on what needs to be done while my head is still on vacation. Today is a good example. I woke up full of good intentions and by the time I was ready to go to school, I was no longer interested! I did make myself go over and forgot to bring my welcome letter with me so that it can be mailed out on Friday. I have a meeting all morning tomorrow so will 'try' to remember it this time!

This afternoon Courtney and Charlie came over to swim at the pool with Haliey and Jordan. We had a nice visit. I sat on the edge and dangled my feet, but Courtney got in and went for a swim. Charlie and the kids are part fish I think and really enjoyed swimming, playing ball, and just generally enjoyed the nice afternoon. These summer days are the ones that I will think about as I trudge through the snow and ice in December.

Counting down

I saw the Staples commercial this morning that shows the dad shopping for school supplies kicking up his heels and singing and the two kids scowling and dragging behind him slowly. What was missing from the commercial was me in the middle. As much as I love what I do, I am sad that vacation is just about over. I am even more sad because finally the nice weather has arrived and my thoughts and work are now towards preparing the classroom and myself for the upcoming 2009-2010 school year. When I left at the end of June, my class list was at 18. It was evenly 9 boys and 9 girls...thankfully since the past few years my 'girl' component has been much less than that. It is amazing what a difference it makes! Usually by this time in August, I am ready to go back, but this June we went until almost the end of the month so the time off seems shorter. I think back to my trucking days of 2 weeks vacation and no holidays or breaks and wonder how I ever stood it!

Update on the home projects.....garage--insulation is done! The insulating team of Mutt and Jeff finished the upstairs and part of the downstairs in record time. I think it was about 3-4 hours and they cleaned up afterward too. Then came the big decision...what to do about the floor upstairs. We decided to just paint and poly it. I went to Home Depot, Lowes, and Classic Flooring only to decide that I really just want a braided rug. With the walls and ceiling in knotty pine, I did not think that I wanted a wood floor. I went to LL Bean and looked at the rugs there and picked out a nice denim blue varigated to green and yellow braided rug. That helped me decide on the color of the floor...blue. I think it will look nice when it is finished. At this point, Greg just wants me to decide...I have a white wicker ceiling fan going in above so will probably go with blue/white color schemes. I had been leaning red/black but am thinking blue is a better choice. We went to Home Depot this morning and purchased paint, paint sticks, and rollers. Haliey was with us and felt we needed a painter's hat but Grandpa assured her that we could paint without one!

From Home Depot, Haliey and I went to Eight Corners to take a look! While I moved tables, Haliey supervised. I lost interest after about an hour so we decided to head home and return later. I can't do that too many times or I will not be ready!

We are heading to FLorida for Labor Day weekend. We got reward tickets on Southwest Airlines but ended up replacing them with tickets on Jet Blue from Portland. THe price was the same, both were nonstop flights, and we did not have the 2 hr drive each way. Our plans are to leave on Friday noon and return back Monday afternoon. This is an 'adults' only trip. We have taken advantage of some of the inexpensive resort specials, the free dining plan, and reward tickets so feel this is an inexpensive way to end the summer. This will be my last break until February school vacation week.

Today is the last day for EDU743 at UNE. THis has been one of the best online courses that I have taught! I am sorry to see it end but glad for the two week break coming up. More later...

1-800-4-myhome

The title of the post is actually a phone number for Sears product repair service. Over the years Greg and I have replaced all of the appliances in our home except for the trash compactor. When we bought our house, everything was in fine working order but over the past few years one right after the other needed to be replaced. We chose to go with Sears for everything except the stove. We also chose to purchase the service agreements and pay once rather than per call since everything now is full of expensive electronic parts. The night before we left on vacation I was loading the dishwasher and thought something looked funny. I called Greg over to look and asked, "is it supposed to look like that?"...He took a peek and said, "no, it is broken". Since we were leaving, my son and his family agreed to wait for the repairman on Wednesday afternoon of the following week. We were walking through the casino in the Mirage hotel and my cellphone was 'vibrating' off the hook. After waiting all day, Sears called my home and cancelled the appointment and rescheduled for the following week. I was home by this time and sat all day until about 3pm for my (8am-12noon) appointment. The technician came in, took everything apart, told jokes, etc and as he was leaving I said, "so its all fixed, right?". "oh no maam...I just ordered your parts"..soooo this week the last piece arrived and right away I called to schedule my repair. Much to my dismay, it was not scheduled until today. So again, the 8am-12noon window is given. At 11am, I call...oh yes he is ON THE WAY...At noon I call...oh yes he is ALMOST THERE...at 1pm, I heard..."I sent a message and he will call you". At 2pm, it was....he is in Scarborough so I don't know why he is not driving into your driveway. At 3pm, "Matt" said, "so what time is it where you are...wow he must be running late"...well, I lost it and poor Matt got an earful. He did, however, transfer me to a very lovely man in Dallas TX who had spent a vacation in Bangor Maine and wanted to chat. Finally at 5:15, 'Paul" called and said he knew he had been to the house once and wanted to double check the directions. After Paul arrived and fixed the dishwasher he told us that he was on his way home when he got our call. Apparently the technician that was coming ran into a huge problem with the stop before us and had been there just about all day. Did you know that there is a washer/dryer on the market that you put the clothes in dry and take them out dry...it is one stop shopping? It is so new in residential areas that the techs have not had enough training to really know what to do. Well, 'story' or not, we ended up feeding Paul our left over pizza and while his printer was charging up enough to print our receipt, he threw the tennis ball for the dogs...

Thoughts of.....EDU743

My friend Courtney and I were given the challenge to update EDU 743. Our first real discussion took place in my classroom after school. We were talking about ways and means to experience writer's workshop in a format that would be a little different than a threaded discussion. Something she said reminded me of my blog from 2007 and I leaned over to the computer and shared what I had done for a class back awhile. Right away we thought of the possibilities and got more and more excited! We decided to begin blogging with each other while working out the finishing updates to the course work. NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think the blogs of EDU743 Summer B would be so highly creative! I am so excited with what I have seen, read, and heard from you (the reader). The other instructors in the course are equally excited!

To give you a small background, in summer of 2007 I was STRUGGLING with a technology course I was taking. I had the choice of 3 assignments and had tried hard to complete the first two and failed miserably. With my spirits at their lowest low, I attempted the 3rd and final assignment.....blogging! I never would have thought that 2 years later I would even think of guiding someone else though the maze of technology for an online writer's workshop!

As the class comes to an end, I am sure many of you will close up your blogs and move on. I think I'll leave mine open for you to come by and visit sometimes...please say hi if you stop by...

"Lester"

"He's back"....several times a day we have a little red squirrel that visits the deck, lays in the bird feeder trays, and braves the jaws of two Brittanys ready to make him their daily snack. He has gotten quite used to us and today 'posed' for several pictures. This time I was about 2 feet away and he did not seem to care!

"Home again"

This afternoon as we crossed the bridge that spans the river between Maine and New Hampshire, I paused to remember the events of the past week. WOW! Using a GPS for the second time in our lives, flying to Phoenix and arriving in 115 degree heat, driving up to Flagstaff and "enjoying" 67 degrees, visiting the breathtaking views of the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and the Grand Canyon, driving to the Hoover Dam, and arriving to the heat, glitz, noise, and excitement of Las Vegas....wow we have had quite a vacation!

The GPS is an amazing invention. We nicknamed her "Sally" and she took on a life and personality of her own. My dad, who is 80 and does not want anything to do with computers and anything modern, loved "Sally". He actually named her and helped to create her "persona". I saw a "set" in the Harley Davidson showroom in Las Vegas of some skeletons dressed in Harley gear holding a sign saying, "but its a dry heat". Well, yes...but it is a hot heat too! It was a huge relief to leave the heat of Phoenix for the more pleasant weather in the mountains. Las Vegas heat did not seem quite so oppressive but perhaps it is the "killer air conditioning" everywhere or the fact that you are so caught up in the glitz that you forget how hot you are..I don't know. Coming back home today and dealing with the damp, clammy, humid weather at home made me wish for a little of that dry heat.

The final day/night in Las Vegas was busy. It was time to buy some last minute gifts, see all you could see, and the night we had been waiting for....the show by Terry Fator. If you did not see him on the show, "America's got Talent", let me just say...he is one very talented man! His show was unique, entertaining, amazing, and all the other adjectives you would use to describe a great show. He engaged and embraced his audience. My seat was center stage, 5 rows back...true VIP seats as we were told by the usher. Sadly, the meet/greet after the show was cancelled, but the pictures and memories will last for a long time. After the show, it was time for one last visit to the casino...yep...the penny slots...I won and lost my $3.00 again and again. My luck changed, however, and my winnings reached $7.13 before tumbling to $3.30. So...I cashed out, and dragged Greg to the walk way to enjoy the volcano eruption one last time.

"Sally" directed us to the airport, we made it through security, had lunch, and waited for our Southwest flight back to Manchester. Sitting in the waiting area, we visited with fellow New Englanders and shared stories about the hotels, casinos, shows, we had all enjoyed over the past week. One little guy told me David Copperfield made his mom disappear on stage and a honeymoon couple told me about having dinner at the top of the Stratosphere...

We are home safe and sound...I just finished reading everyone's latest blog postings, graded a few of the final writing workshop pieces that have been submitted. It is time for a little tv, a good book, and bed...

Viva Las Vegas

Greetings from the city that never sleeps! We have enjoyed our time here..Greg and I have gone to some of the other hotel/casinos at night to see as much as we can before leaving tomorrow. Today we drove out to Red Rock Canyon and the scenery is so different from the east coast green. Today we are going over to the Venetian to take a gondola ride and then to a show here at the Mirage tonight. Tomorrow is a travel day back to NH and then on Sunday morning back to Maine. I am just about ready to do the online checkin for the airline so more from Maine next week.

Arizona

Greetings from Flagstaff Arizona! We arrived in Phoenix yesterday, Sunday, and were greeting with 115 degree heat. Dry heat or not...it is hot! We spent the night and this morning headed up the road to Flagstaff. This was our first trip using a GPS to find where we were going. We did pretty well...only got turned around a couple of times. We checked into our hotel here in Flagstaff and then headed out to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. As we drove through the National Park and ahhed at the sight, we realized it was getting chilly....It is about 67 degrees outside and rainy! What a difference a few hours makes. Tomorrow we are heading to the Grand Canyon. Greg wants to take a helicopter tour...I still need convincing!

Blue

Before going to Florida in April, I decided that my "summer attire" needed a face lift. Armed with my JC Penney and Dress Barn coupons, I went in search of some much needed summer wear. I am not a shopper by nature..rather I am a looker. I will look and look, carry it around, think it over, put it back, etc. In Dress Barn I found some capris that I liked so after much soul searching and urging by my husband to "just buy them pleeeeease" I bought a white pair and a navy blue pair. At JC Penny, I found some pale pink, tan, and off white shorts. I came home and filled the Good Will bag with my old worn out summer clothes. Upon our return from Florida, in an attempt to help me, Greg put a load of "colored" clothes in the washing machine. Somehow mixed in with that load was my granddaughter's favorite horse tshirt and my navy blue capris....Needless to say, the color from the navy capris bled all over the horse tshirt and it went from being a favorite to a playshirt. Picture the look of horror on an 8-year old's face when Grandpa tried to explain what happened to her favorite horse tshirt! From that day, we have always washed the navy capris with the towels or by themselves.

Yesterday I was rushing around to finish up the last of the laundry so that I could pack for our trip to the southwest, and my last load was a load of my colored clothes. I was not paying attention and into the washer with my "new" pink shorts, and two pair of light tan shorts, went the infamous navy capris. Yup...I ruined 3 pairs of shorts and 2 tshirts. All of my shorts and tshirts are now light blue! So, this morning when JC Penney opens at 10 a.m. I will be there hoping there are still shorts and tshirts in the store! The infamous navy capris....I put them in recycling this morning~

Feathered friends and others....

This morning, like most mornings, the bird feeders were a very busy place! Our deck off the kitchen is about 10 feet or so off the ground. I have wooden planters attached to the top deck railing planted with yellow petunias. Usually my theme is red and white or pink and white, but this year I was feeling yellow. There are two large metal bird feeder poles attached to the top deck railing as well. These poles hold a feeder with sunflower and nut combination food for the larger birds, suet for my woodpeckers, a tube style feeder for my little birds, and a hummingbird feeder. There is usually a waiting line for the feeders in the morning and early evening.
We don't live in the woods but it is "country-like" here so of course we have the occasional squirrel. The dogs patrol the perimeter faithfully hunting out the rascally squirrels and they learn quickly to find somewhere else to hang out.....buuuut, there is one little red squirrel who just doesn't get it. This little red squirrel dearly loves the sunflower and nut seed and will lay in the tray of the feeder and eat until it can't hold another seed. On Sunday, the poor little thing was trapped on the lower deck support beam by two Brittany Spaniels just waiting....It was there for hours! The dogs were relentless and just sat there. Finally, we got the dogs inside and coaxed the squirrel down. Yesterday, he was trapped on the top of the deck railing and tried to climb up the side of the house, lost his grip, fell, and luckily just escaped Hanna who had turned away to get a drink. I just looked, and he is back.....

The Birthday boy!

Yesterday, Sunday, was my grandson's 4th birthday party. He does not go to daycare and does not really have any "friends" so his mom invited the cousins that live up here in Maine along with family, to come over for his party. Excitedly we began to change the kitchen into a room with a theme of SPIDERMAN. There were spiderman plates, cups, napkins, and tablecloths. There was a huge spiderman banner in front of the slider. The cupcakes were red and blue with white "webs" and spidermen sitting on them. The guests began to arrive...the cousins all carrying Spiderman gift bags...Great Grampie was next to arrive, Nana, Auntie Foo, Aunt Jan and Uncle Mickie, and lastly Great Nana and Great Grampa...I did not know they made so many different kinds of spiderman bags... Let the festivities begin! It was a sea of red and blue tissue paper as each bag was literally dumped out by the birthday boy and the cousins. From where I sat, safely away from the action, it was hilarious! My daughter in law was trying to slow them down, take pictures, and see what gifts he was opening...she finally gave up. It was similar to shoveling water...the more she tried ...the faster they moved. My son, my father, my husband, Amy's mother, and I laughed until we cried...I think Amy just cried!

After the frenzy of gifts it was time to have cupcakes and ice cream...yes lets load them up with sugar now...then everyone changed into bathing suits and went outside for turns in the slip and slide....Imagine this....5 kids aged 4 thru 8 high on birthday gifts, cupcakes, sugar, and koolaide, running and having fun on the slip n slide! I will look for a picture to post another time but honestly it was energy in motion....

Go back to sleep...

This is a picture of our garage on March 23, 2007. At 11:03 p.m. on March 22nd, I had just hung up the telephone saying good night to my husband (he drives over-the-road from Scarborough, Maine to Harrisburg, PA) checked to be sure the alarm clock was set, turned out the bedside lamp and rolled over when I heard a faint creaking sound. Thinking nothing of it, I was just about asleep when I heard the loudest crash and bang I have ever heard...I leaped out of bed, raced down the stairs, and stared in horror at the sight of our detached garage. This picture was taken the morning after. FORTUNATELY, no one was injured, the cars were not in that garage but in the one under the house, and the dogs and cat were safely inside for the night. There was also no electricity over there so the danger of fire was slim. Not knowing what to do, I called my husband and asked him to pull over to the side of the road for a minute...that probably scared him more than anything...and when I told him what had just happened he asked all the normal questions...Is everybody okay? Are the dogs okay? ....and then as reality set in...he asked me to call the Insurance company and report the accident, and then the best advice ever....just go to bed Karen, theres nothing I can do from here and I don't want you outside and getting hurt. Okay, now who can sleep after something like this?
This morning as I was up with the dogs at 5:00 a.m. to let them out, bring them in, give them food and new water, let them out, bring them in, pass out the chew bones, I am wide awake. So....I call Greg to say hi (he is on his way home from Connecticut this morning), he says, "Is everybody okay? Are the dogs okay?" and then the best advice ever..."just go to back to bed Karen, it is way to early to be up for the day, you'll be ready for bed at 7:00 tonight" Now I ask you, who can sleep after all this?

Let the sunshine in...

The dog next door set off the morning alarm at 5:35 a.m. Hanna quickly woke up, ran up the stairs to tell Dixie, and the morning was off! We have the Invisible Fence around our property so my sole duty this morning was to stumble down the stairs, put the collars on two very eager and excited dogs, and to throw open the front door! Knowing they would only be a minute or two, I stand at the door to wait for their return. Dixie does at least two laps of the yard and Hanna is right on her heels. The birds are lined up at the bird feeder, one holding a sign saying "you are out of seed", the red squirrel is laying in the seed tray, and the coffee pot is giving out fresh gurgles as it begins the morning routine. Yes, the dogs are at the door...I am ready for them with their bowls of food. Dixie wolfs her down while Hanna is a little daintier. Hanna needs to have several head pats before beginning...Dixie is finished and pacing at the door to go out. Finally, the coffee pot is ready and Hanna is about 1/2 finished with her breakfast. I stand at the door to let Hanna out and notice just how beautiful everything looks in the sunshine. I take my morning coffee out onto the deck to enjoy the sunshine. It is chilly...only about 50 degrees..I look out at the pool...time for another bottle of shock and a back wash I think.. Okay, the birds are really getting upset...no suet, no seed, and what are you doing on the deck while we are trying to eat...I am watching the chickadee bravely sit on the deck railing...waiting...I see the others hovering nearby on the tree limbs...waiting...okay, I get the message.

A boat?

If you are reading through my blog you may have read the horrible details of the accident that my husband had with his jeep. Finally the jeep is at the body shop for repair and the insurance company for the young lady that hit us is paying for a rental. Because we are having a SUV repaired, the rental company provided us with a SUV. It is the biggest, whitest, boat I have seen in a while. The name on said boat is "Dodge Durango". Greg has set off the panic alarm 3x, been unable to get the key out of the ignition about 3x, and had to coast into the gas station because they did not give us a full tank of gas when we picked it up! Sooooo, long story short, the "boat" is in the driveway and the Nissan is with Greg going to work. He is happy...car is full of gas, this car is a "push button" ignition so don't need to worry about getting the key stuck anywhere, and he is probably not going to accidently hit the panic button when he tries to open the door with the key.

How I spent my summer vacation...

On Saturday, my daughter-in-law, her two children, and I left Maine in search of summer! We told the kids we were travelling until we found summer. At 8 and 3 they were up for the challenge. Haliey thought we should go to Texas to find summer and Jordan thought we might find it at Nana's (here in Maine) but Amy and I KNEW summer was hiding out in Florida! We packed our sunscreen, bathing suits, and flip flops and flew from Manchester New Hampshire airport to Orlando for a brief visit to the "happiest place on earth", Disney World! Haliey figured it out as soon as we got to the airport...I did not know that second graders could read "Orlando"..actually she did not see the sign at the gate but she heard the boarding announcement. Her face was a kodak moment...unfortunately my "sony" and her mom's "fuji" were not ready for the big moment so it was not recorded anywhere but in our very fond memories of Haliey. Her brother is another story. Three year olds are so self absorbed and unaware sometimes....we posed him in front of the Magical Express sign, he shook hands with the large Mickey hand as we boarded the bus, and he watched the movie on the bus UNTIL TINKERBELL made an appearance and he asked his mom in his dear little voice, "is summer in Florida?"
It was hot hot hot in the daytime. I got up early because my body does not understand vacation mode yet and sat at the beach. I heard my name bellowed, a door slam, and the moment of peace was over...two kids and a grammy in pjs on the beach in florida at 6:30 am --wonderful! We went to Disney Marketplace, made our own tshirts, ate lunch at the TREX restaurant, played in the fountains, and enjoyed the morning. We headed back to the resort (Carribean Beach) changed and went to the big pirate pool for the rest of the afternoon. We had planned that if Jordan took a nap, we would go to the Magic Kingdom that night. It was extra magic hours and MK was open until 2am...We knew the recipe....sun + play + pool = nap...well Jordan had other ideas...he fell asleep at 7:30 and slept for 2 hrs. We decided not to go and watched the fireworks from our beach instead. The next day we did the pool all morning, went back to Disney Marketplace to ride the train and buy some pins. We took the boat over to Fort Wilderness and had dinner at Trail's End. Our server was from Bath, Maine. He had worked at BIW for 10 years before moving south.
We never did make it to the parks and you know what....nobody minded! It was a totally relaxing and fun filled 4 day adventure. We searched for summer; we found it; we came home trying to bring it with us--today tells me it got scared and went back home...

The First Day of Summer Vacation

I think someone forgot to tell the dogs that my summer vacation began today! After this very busy week it would have been nice to sleep a little past 5:45 a.m.! After the initial run around the yard, I put the dogs in the basement with chew bones and went back upstairs. I don't think I went back to sleep. Today it was nice to run around the house in shorts, tshirt, and flip flops...the weather even cooperated.

I am leaving for a minivacation/long weekend with Amy and the kids. The "boys" are staying home. We are heading to Florida but shhhh the kids do not know about the Disney suprise waiting for them~we are staying at the Carribean Beach Resort in a pirate room~eating lunch on Sunday in the T-rex restaurant at Disney Village~and watching fireworks from the beach on Monday night. We may or may not visit the Magic Kingdom. The forecast is for 94 degrees and with a 3 yr old along, I highly doubt it. His sister,8, will be fine because she already knows we are going to Florida in February for a Disney experience. Interestingly, Amy and I searched for a place to go with the kids. Disney is offering reduced prices on rooms this summer and we don't need a car...to give you an idea, we are spending LESS on this trip than the trip to WDC or Philly that we had originally planned. We had free tickets on Southwest Airlines so it is just the room (less than $100 a night) and food...Not bad, huh?

Maybe not!

Okay....today was not a good day. Day 356 it seems of rain and inside recess. The kids are at each other's throats...literally...They did enjoy the tangrams during Math time though. I think tomorrow we will "forgo" Math and call it good. We have TK practice at 9:15, then back for snack and morning meeting...then I think we will clean out our reading folders and take it 1 step at a time. We will have whole room cleanup, get set up for the research exhibit and PLEASE PLEASE let the parents take their kids home with them after the TK assembly.

3 days but who's counting!

Okay...I can do this. Today was the school-wide learning fair. It was an opportunity for each and every child to showcase some of their "new learning" for parents and peers from other classes. Each class had a "presenting" time and a "visiting" time. We began our day by visiting. First we discussed as a class how to pay a compliment and how to be a good guest. Then, we visited 2 First Grade classes and 3 Kindergarten classes. My kids were so wonderful! They listened, asked questions, and paid compliments. When we got back to the classrooms they were so amazed at the work they had seen and eager for their turn this afternoon. Finally, at 2:00 the door opened and we were the hosts. It was amazing....kids that have a hard time reading, stepped up to the plate and shared their ocean animal research. One of my boys proudly announced that he had memorized his entire report! Another little guy that has a really hard time reading had an ear to ear grin when he "read" his report about starfish to a Kindergarten friend.

It is times like today that when you can step back and see how far the kids have come, that you realize anew why you are there. Why you make the effort even when it is hard and why you keep trying even when it seems impossible. Can I do this for 3 more days? YES.

5 more days!

My class has worked hard all year to manage their behavior. It is only a few but some days...Anyway, we have been using tally marks to keep track of times that we do the right thing...get compliments from other staff in the building about how we walk in the hallway, get feedback from specialists about behavior, and maintain appropriate noise level in the classroom. We set goals for ourselves and reward ourselves with earned choice time, a video, extra recess, etc. We have exceeded our goal but needed a "compliment" from the Music Teacher. Normally, I wouldn't bother but our Music teacher is a long term sub who has done some amazing things with the kids and classroom control is still a work in progress. We did not earn a compliment from Mr. Robbins, SO no reward...bummer. Well, you know the old saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade", we did that today.

After playing a game of "dots" to finish up our math grid work, we settled down to learn more about ocean birds. I had already done a little work with puffins and decided to talk about penguins. First we brainstormed all the things we could think of that are black and white...that was my "hook", then we took a blank sheet of paper and wrote penguins on the top and divided it into 2 columns and 4 sections for each column...Physical characteristics, Habitat, Food, and Family. The class is familiar with this after doing ocean research. Then as I read through the fact book they took notes under each section to help them remember. WOW it was so awesome to sit where I sat and see them so focused with a clipboard and pencils listening and writing. I was so impressed with their work...everyone had at least 1 fact in the right place.

So, the lemons--did not get our class reward--the lemonade--awesome lesson and 2 column notes ...5 more days

TGIF

I am very glad this week is over! Only 8 more school days! This week was so very busy at school...we have begun to share our research with each other, worked on our backgrounds for our ocean creature display, made our model magic ocean animals (they are still drying), had an "in house" field trip due to rain, and much more. I finished up report card comments and the only thing that I really need to finish is the ordering for next year. It is quick and easy to spend $200 so I should finish that right up.

On a personal note, the pool is still green. It is actually a shade of turquoise cloudy green. Did I give you a mental image? Anyway, we backwash, vac, filter, backwash, vac, filter, etc..we are almost there and it rains. So we begin again. I will do another water test and run to the pool store tomorrow to get some clarifier and ask about the shock. We have always done weekly maintenance of dry shock, clarifier, and algaeicide (sP). This year I have sent Amy and Greg both to the pool guy. Both have spent significant money and both have come home with entirely different chemicals. I think it is time for MOM to go!

More later...

Good day/Bad day

Saturday morning is usually pretty busy around here! Yesterday was no different...I was up very early with Dixie and Hanna. They do not know or care that Saturdays are mornings that I don't have to be up early. They were up at their usual 6 AM to go outside, come in to eat breakfast, go outside, come in to get a chew bone, go out...etc. I was half awake measuring food into their bowls while they were on their morning patrol of the perimeter of the yard...taking care of business and making sure we had no "invasions" during the night, when I heard the upstairs gate open and close. Sure enough...down the stairs came Jordan saying "good morning" and giving hugs and smiles. How can you not enjoy that? Shortly afterwards, came his sister, and the three of us went into "Grammy's Living Room" and watched Tom & Jerry cartoons. I quietly sipped my morning coffee, tried to wake up, and thought that I am so LUCKY to be able to spend this time with them.

The morning rush began as everyone began to wake up, hop in the shower, get ready for Karate, and get an update from Greg on when he would be home after driving all night. Jordan, his mom, Amy, and I were heading for JC Penney to take part in the big sale. Haliey and her dad, Johnny, were headed to Karate, and Greg was back in Scarborough, fueling his tractor, breaking his set apart, doing his logbook, and heading home for a nap. We made plans for a date for dinner at Longhorn SteakHouse. Things were still good....Amy, Jordan, and I got into the Vibe and found a cell phone in Jordan's car seat. Her car had been at the garage and apparently someone had left their cellphone in her car when it was at the garage. I called Greg and he offered to meet us at JC Penney and return it to the garage before coming home. We passed over the cellphone and went into the store. It was a fabulous opportunity to get lots of shorts and tshirts for summer. Amy, Jordan, and I met Haliey and her dad for lunch at the mall and that is when the day went down hill.....

Right in the middle of my very yummy slice of pizza, Amy's cellphone rang, and I heard...."yes, she is still with me..do you want to talk to her?" I NEVER hear my phone (especially when it is still turned off) so I said, "hello...I thought you were going to bed". It was then that I heard the deep breath and the words....some lady just hit my jeep".

So, we are now in the process of the police reports, insurance adjustors, and body shop visits. The damage does not look too bad but I think it may be pretty expensive. There was only a scuff mark on the pickup truck bumper that backed into the jeep but the passenger rear door of the jeep will need to be repaired or replaced, and painted. The door still works and we are glad about that but the impact created damage on the outside and inside of the door.

So.....here are some tips for anyone in this predicament...
1. Always call the police immediately when you are in an accident
2. If you forget #1, make sure that you take your license with you to the police station when you go the next morning to fill out the police report
3. Always make sure that you put the NEW INSURANCE CARD in your car when you receive it, not when you are at the police station making out an accident report.

If you forget any of the above tips, you will be making multiple trips to the police station and receive a verbal warning for driving without a license and having an expired insurance card in your car.

Hanna and Dixie

"The Girls" Hanna and Dixie--They are both Brittany Spaniels. Hanna was adopted from a family here in Scarborough. The family had 3 dogs and Hanna was not getting enough attention. Dixie was part of the Brittany Rescue and came up from Tennessee to join our family. Hanna is a year older than Dixie. Dixie is a "skinny minnie" and runs like the wind! I think she passes herself when she is running...Both dogs love to chase the tennis ball. We have the Invisible Fence surrounding our property and the dogs just love to run. While they are full of energy in the daytime, but at night, Hanna is asleep on the ottoman, and Dixie is asleep as close to you as she can get!

The final project!

Haliey worked very hard on this "visual" to accompany her classroom research project on the Octopus. We converted a shoebox, added paint, glitter, foamy fish and seaweed, some sand, and a model magic octopus--Here it is....An Octopus's Garden in the Sea...

80 years young!

Tuesday was my dad's 80th birthday. Sunday, as I previously mentioned, we had a suprise birthday party for him. It was a small gathering...not a lot of fuss...but pleasant. Dad had requested a carrot cake. One of his friends, has a daughter-in-law who makes the BEST carrot cake I have ever eaten. Dad is diabetic and is not supposed to eat the cake, but he treated himself to a tiny sliver. My 3 yr old grandson tried a piece because...he loves carrots...and he was so disappointed when he did not see big carrot sticks in the cake. Anyway, it was a nice time and Dad was very touched. I think I saw a few tears...

Tuesday night.....

It is about 8:45 pm. Dixie is sound asleep on the floor and the house is silent! Today is finally slowing down...I came home from school, delivered Haliey to Karate, went through the drive thru at Tim Horton's for a Cafe' Mocha. After a few quiet minutes, I began the other part of my life...master gardener, pool girl, cook, bottle washer, and artistic advisor. We are opening up our very green pool so after a backwash, two buckets of chemicals and the chlorine pack have been added. Then, I watered all of the deck plants, front porch plants, and myriad of bushes and pots of outside flowers. My cooking consisted of "Hamburger Helper"...Cheesey Hash Browns and to make it healthy...a salad. I loaded up the dishwasher and then sat with an 8 year old to help her with her ocean diaorama (sp). We are just waiting for the model magic octopus to dry, get painted, and then we are done!

More later on.....

Sunday, May 31, 2009

This afternoon we are going to join the other "Brown" family members to suprise my Dad. He is going to be 80 years old on Tuesday, June 2nd. He may not like the fuss but I think secretly he will be pleased. It is hard to find something for someone that has everything he wants but Greg and I were CLEVER...we bought him a ticket to see Terry Fader in Las Vegas this summer.

Life with Dad has not always been so good...He and I have not seen eye to eye over the years but now that I am older I have found the ability to "rise above it" and take a deep breath when I get frustrated. I guess that is what my mother did...Sadly, my brother never learned that tactic..he and Dad are like gasoline and fire and have been like that for years. They no longer talk and both seem to prefer that to the fighting. Dad and I have had our differences over the years but right now we are getting along fairly well.

Hopefully it will be a nice party. More....it was a nice party...My Aunt Dottie, who is an energetic 92 years old, was there along with my cousin George and his wife Bessie. It was nice to visit with them. We caught up on all of the family news and made a "date" to go up to spend the day with Aunt Dottie when school gets out.

It begins again...

My granddaughter, Haliey, attends Blue Point School in Scarborough. She is in the second grade. This winter she was charged with doing a career report. She interviewed her Grandfather who is a truck driver. The whole family was involved. Her mother took all of the pictures, her dad made her "ID BADGE", her grandpa answered all of the questions, and I helped with the design and listened to the many many rehearsals of her oral report. This is Haliey during one of her "dress rehearsals".