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8.24.2008

Ready for anything!

My room is painted, rearranged and decorated. I'm prepped and ready!

Here are some shots of what it looks like before the day to day living in it makes it look less than what it looks like now.
This is "circle time central." Weather board, calendar, class schedule, and lunch choices. The blank strips are going to be individual student schedules, after I take their pictures!






These are the ultra amazing seat sacks Hillery sewed for me. I got a great deal on the fabric, it is a denim with a silvery sheen. Very pretty! She made seven (well, eight, but our prototype did not fit), but she'll probably have to make me more soon...I am starting with six kids and another is expected to be placed within a week!
Crazy.



Here are mine and Deloris' desks. The table jutting out from my desk will be for small groups. The table you only see the corner of will be where the guinea pigs go.






This little alcove housed a file cabinet last year. This year, I am placing the time out desk and mood meter there. It's a much better location for children who are making a scene!






Bryan came from Arkansas TWICE to help with this project. Once to help tape everything off and once to paint. Is he wonderful, or what??

You can see the transformation happening here from dirty beige to light blue (it's really not as white as the picture looks. Its a pretty sky color).


Joel and Heather helped paint too...and even though the picture denies it, we were right side up that day.








My hallway display.







Over my door as you walk in. You can see the difference here in the hall color and my room color. It's still not a true depiction of my room color, but at least you can see that there is one.






Group table, with seat sacks. The pocket chart slides so I can use that part of the chalkboard, too. Way over to the right, you see my Plan, Do, Study, Act board. It's a new requirement due to CQI. I'm still not sure how it is going to work.

This is the back of my room, also. I flipped the room front to back this year to minimize distractions from students going to library and computers right outside my door.

Sage Riley

I finally got around to uploading pictures from my trip home in June. I thought I'd share some pictures of my nephew, Sage.


He loves bath time.










He sleeps really well at nap time. I was able to lay him down and shower, then blow dry my hair without it waking him up!




He always wakes up happy!














He LOVED to stare at Donald. Gabbie did, too as a baby. He's so cute, even babies notice it...



This one is my favorite.












He chews his fingers, but has little interest in his pacifier.









Mom and I bought him this super soft wooly mammoth at T-REX in K.C. He loved to chew it's head and rub it's trunk on his face.








He's a very happy baby. He smiles a lot. he looks so much like my brother it is crazy!







He fell asleep during a bottle, but his mean daddy wouldn't let him sleep and woke him up so he'd sleep at night.








8.20.2008

traditions

Well, my (school) year almost always begins with three things. This year was no exception. I start by not being able to sleep well the night before, then wake up super early with good intentions of getting to work early, only to spend over an hour in the bathroom (TMI, I know) and finishing it off by throwing up.

I don't know why my body insists on being stressed enough to vomit just because school is starting.

It's really kind of irritating!

8.19.2008

Sweethearts

I've always been a Johnny Depp fan (some of you may be aware of this), but today I found out something that further solidifies my adoration.

He, Jude Law (who is hot in a totally skanky way) and Colin Farrell (Oh, wait, that fits him, too...maybe more so) stood in to finish Heath Ledger's final film "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus." The three decided not to be paid, but to donate their salaries to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. Ledger had not updated his will after her birth and there are doubts as to what she will recieve, as his father is kind of shady and is the executor.

I think this is totally sweet and the right thing to do.

(Side note, it is way past time for me to be in bed, as tomorrow is the first official day of work. Yet, I CANNOT sleep. It's always this way.)

8.18.2008

final countdown

School starts in a week. Eek!
I still feel like I have a ton to do.

It does NOT help that tonight after taking Donald dinner, I could not go back to school because our lovely apartment complex notified us TODAY that TOMORROW the exterminaters are coming and our bathrooms and kitchens must be cleaned and clear. Oh yay. Thanks for less than 24 hours notice. Oh, well. I worked on that for 2 and a half hours and I must say the apartment looks much better. I do enjoy it being clean, I just hate that I was not getting my classroom ready tonight.

I did a lot of dishes and some laundry while cleaning. I also made a big batch of cranberry chicken salad tonight. With pita bread, that is lunch next week.

8.16.2008

another reason to hate the writer's strike

Harry Potter 6 has been delayed until next summer, instead of this November.

This annoys me. The movie could be ready by November, but the strike means no new movies will be ready for the summer blockbuster season, so they're holding it.

Also, they apparently do not want the movie released while Daniel Radcliffe is starring in the play Equus, where he gets nekkid.

Blah.

8.15.2008

Fall is in the air

I said in July that I was feeling ready for school. Then a couple weeks ago, that the summer felt like it was lasting forever.

Mother Nature apparently agreed with me. Since Sunday, the weather changed abruptly from summer to fall. Sunday morning was gray, chilly and drizzly. Sunday morning was October!

Between the weather and preparing for school to start, fall is definately in the air. It's a good thing. I love fall.

8.14.2008

Fabulous Week

I had a great week. Bryan came to town twice in three days to help me, because he's amazing. Joel and Heather came to help tonight. My room is now blue. (Not exactly what I would have chosen, but pleasant and comfortable.)

I saw many people I have not seen in a long time, also.

I ate an omelette at an all night restaurant after bedtime.

I got all the rest of the things I need for the beginning of school.

I felt like I was in college, with no real pressing responsibilities...but yet still got things accomplished.

8.09.2008

Ironies

My husband says on Wednesday, "I have not seen you in almost two weeks. DO NOT make any plans with friends this weekend, we are spending it ALONE. If our friends call tell them that. If they call again, I'll kill them and not be their friend anymore."

Then...the next day, Keith calls. He's in town from Boston. We've not seen him in many months and may not again for many months. So, Donald bends the rules and we have lunch with Keith.

Today, Compton calls. He's in town. I've not seen him for a year and a half, Donald for even longer. So we make plans with him.

Tonight, Keith invites us to dinner, and we are going out with him and his sister.

Because of the circumstances of them both coming from other states and not knowing when we'll see them again, he can't kill them or cut off friendship.

Somewhere, Murphy laughs out loud.

*Update* After writing this, we were on our way home from dinner and Joel called and Andrew is also in town, they are on their way over to hang out. The laughing grows louder.

*Second update* Andrew is now spending the night with us. Murphy's amusement is eternal.

8.07.2008

Home with a phone

I got home last night. I was ready to see Donald for sure, but as I waited for him to get off work at 11, i noticed my life was suddenly much quieter. I miss the babies being around. Funny how that works with kids. You get driven crazy in the car from joplin to springfield, and 2 hours later, you feel all alone because no one is there to make noise.

Today, I went to Alltel, because our contract is up this month. Verizon recently bought Alltel, but does not take over their customers until January. I wanted to be sure to reup our contract to hold our rate, and our My Circle deal. Anyone still on a contract, and not just a month to month plan, will be grandfathered in and allowed to keep all their current contract perks until their contract expires. They can then go month to month on the same plan or get a new contract with Verizon. Verizon rates are much higher for a comparable package and has no MyCircle numbers. Those, along with free nights starting at 7, have meant that we use only 300 anytime minutes a month, which is fantastic. The only problem with our plan has been that we have no free texts...and lots of our friends have unlimited free texts, but not many minutes so they text us alot rather than calling.

So, I studied the plan rates and ended up paying the same amount for our two lines as before, only we now have unlimited text to Alltel customers, unlimited text to our My Circle numbers and 1000 other texts apiece. Our nights now start at 9, however, but I think with my My Circle, that's ok. There are very few people we have really long conversations with, and those people can be our free numbers. We will still use very few actual minutes (but we have 1000, as thats the lowest you can get with two lines.) I also, for only $2, added roadside assistance to our phone. Incredible value. I am much pleased with this.

And, of course, my new phone is blue.

8.02.2008

Update

Still in New Mexico. Planning on returning sometime between tuesday and thursday.

Next week I am painting my classroom blue. Any volunteers? I am sad I did not get to choose the color, but the district will only let you get paint from them on their "approved pallette." I wanted light blue, but I have no idea if their light blue and mine will be the same.

School starts soon. That seems strange. This has felt like the never ending summer!

I bought my mom two presents today at a farmers market/craft fair. I now have to decide if I have the self control to save them for Christmas or not...