*2010*

What a full year 2010 has been! Here are a few highlights.

Going to my new favorite beach on a cruise with my husband.

Moving into our first house.

We also loved meeting this little.

I can't post one picture without showing off the other four sweet ones. They loved Zoo Boo. :)

I feel so blessed and I know there were many more wonderful things this year, but I have got to show you my last project of the year! (The idea came from here where they are doing a giveaway)

Now I just need to get some curtains and new furniture to come in 2011.

***Happy New Year!***

Christmas Time is Near

This is what I want to be doing...

** Baking cookies**

** Watching Christmas movies by a fire**

**Staying in my layers of pajamas, robe, hat and blankets all day**

**Sing Christmas Songs all day**

Instead I am doing laundry, cleaning out the fridge, and getting ready for work tomorrow. (I did sing songs to wake Alex up Sunday. After about 20 minutes we were almost late and I didn't realize I'd been singing so long and he was still pretending to be asleep.) I would say I wanted this week to hurry up and end so I could get to a few of those things, but time has been FLYING by and I can't believe this will be my second Christmas with my husband. I really just want time to slow down a bit so I can enjoy this season and all the blessing from this year.

Boys vs. Girls

My class decided to adopt an "angel" this year. The angels are needy kids that our PTA gathers information and wish lists from around Christmas so they can have some gifts to unwrap. They are all given a code names. Our angel is Harvest. She is a little girl and just asked for a few things on on her little list.

I asked each student to bring $5 if they could or more. A whole week went by and I had a total of $6.00. Yep, only two people brought anything....... yikes. Then I got this idea from another teacher to make it a compitition between boys and girls. WOW the kids were pulling money out of desks and lockers! Boys- $20 Girls - $6.25 They boys were really into winning although I NEVER said there would be any kind of prize for the winner. :) Today the girls stepped it up and we were tied at $22.25. The change started coming out and people are saying they are bringing more money in tomorrow. Looks like Harvest will be getting the coat, shoes, underwear, pillow pet, and almost everything on her list!

December is Busy!!

Alex said this was me. Enjoy and happy December!

Forecast

I loved Thanksgiving and all the food, family, relaxing, and shopping!! I hope you did too. Today it was super cold out and Alex saw snow. :) Just a few more weeks of this..

Until Christmas!!! Yay!!

Thankful Thursday/ Friday

Did you think I forgot? I didn't I just ran out of hours in the day yesterday. So, after a fun filled week I am so thankful for the weekend this week!!! Also, thankful that I will see this friend next week and be able to spend time with lots of family!

I. Love. Thanksgiving.

This is why I will wait to put my Christmas decorations until Friday because I like seeing my Fall decorations a little longer. :)

Thankful Thursday 2

What a wonderful Thursday! Really, it was one of the best days of school with my 4th grade class. Amazing what having three out until 10:00 am will do and two out for the day. (Not because they are bad or anything but because 21 and 22 students are just easier to manage than 24) Then I had toutoring and I really love the small group setting.

Now on to "Thankful Thursday" Stuff!! I'm thankful for...

1. Sweet sweet family - I could go on and on here, but really I just love them all.

2. Student, sir hates to read, reading this week! Thank you book fair and a new book! What a difference a good book will do.

3. Sunday nap.

4. Songs - music can really lift my spirit when I need it most

5. Saving money - how nice to not have to run heat or air much around here with nice weather

6. Shoes- silly I know, but I am thankful for some comfortable ones on work days and the cute ones for fun!

Have a great Friday everyone!!!

Practical or Playful

At my house we have been talking about and shopping for Christmas gifts. Yay! I love it because it feels almost like cheating on the "no Christmas before Thanksgiving" rule a little bit. My husband is the lead gift giver because he is really good at it and knows how to find things online. Sometimes I give him an idea and then he finds it for half the price I can find it and much faster too. Yes, I know he is amazing. :)

So, this whole shopping for gifts thing brings out the question of what to get all these people!? In thinking and brainstorming about a few people I realized a huge difference and Alex and my thinking on the matter. One of us tends to think of more practical gifts and the other thinks that the gifts should be fun or playful. Points if you know who is the practical and playful one. :) I really don't think there is a right or wrong answer on this one because I can see how they can both be good for different people or occasions. (Unless it's for a kid and then, in the words of my nephew... "Clothes are not Christmas gifts!")

What do you think? What kinds of gifts do you like to receive or give?

Thankful Thursday

It's November!! I love love Thanksgiving and know we should be thankful all year, but why not really set some time aside this month to think about all the reasons I have to be thankful. You can join me this month and share some things of your own.

Here is this Thursday's Thankful Three

* Warm Coffee

* Warm blankets

* Winter covering for my car this year in the ice

What are you thankful for? Are you as ready to eat turkey and pie as I am?

Skates

This commercial makes me smile and then I have this song in my head all night. I think Alex is tired of hearing me start to sing this song and then bust out laughing. I can't help myself. I had no idea what she was saying at first so now I at least know it has something about skates in there. :)

p.s. I'm excited that the Memphis Zoo will have ice skating this year!!!

I'll need a new pair of skates too.

Colin!!!

My fifth nephew was born today!!!

Yes, fifth! I just love, love all those handsome boys. I did not want to put this tiny little one down!! So Happy to introduce you to Colin Matthew.

Look what I made

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!!

My Fall break is/was short and sweet but oh so welcome. We went to Blanchard springs and got to relax in a hammock, eat lots of s'mores, see the leaves changing, stare at the stars, explore beautiful caves, walk on the trails, sitting around the fire, and enjoying time with Alex and others. I have never been in a cave like the one we went into this weekend. I have no idea what to expect and really didn't know why we needed a tour to just walk in a cave. I was wrong. We had to take an elevator down to where it is and we walked in and I was just saying "wow" for a while. I also felt like I was in a Disney ride or something and was waiting for singing animals to appear. I didn't have my camera and pictures don't really do it justice, but here are some so you can get an idea from the web.

If you have a chance to go visit a cave I think you should go. So much this weekend just points to the handiwork of God. It is so wonderful to take time to get away from the rush of the day to day and the piles of laundry and enjoy creation. I should go every weekend. :)

Ok, just an hour and a half before it is back to work. I will be there until 7 for conferences and then I have my last planned evaluation tomorrow.

Once upon an October

Once upon an October there lived a young princess who owned a beautiful studio piano.

[She is a princess because it's my story and because her brother named her the princess poky. I think it sounds much better than the poky little puppy and sometimes just the princess part works just fine.]

This old piano is beautiful because it was free and because it sounds like the one that she once played at her Granny's house. The piano was in desperate need of some love, tuning and a bench. That way the princess could sit and play the three songs she knows and scales until her heart's content. The hunt began and nothing was to be found in all the land that would be tall enough or grand enough for this great find. Also, when the piano is free it feels wrong to be looking at paying $$$ for the bench. I mean really.

One day this new piece of free furniture was discovered in the shed of misfit furniture of the Threlkeld house. A bench could be made from this with a little work!!

In true princess poky fashion, the soon to be bench was nothing but another dusty piece of furniture until the hunt for fabric led to this.

Yes!! That could work! So it was ordered and then still more waiting....for the mail.

Next step was to add some padding for the many hours of sitting and playing that would soon be coming. Then the padding was covered with the new fabric.

The last step was to add wheels so it could slide out is a hurry if you feel the need for a song. It is really heavy so this is better for the floors too.

It's all done and fit for a queen.. or princess. :) So they lived happily ever after.

Does anyone know how to tune a piano?

Fall!!!

It is starting to feel like Fall!! I have lovely scarecrow writings hanging in my classroom and acorns and pumpkins in my house. I like fall and the change it brings.

It feels like the dust is settling a little bit in my classroom. Open house was tonight and I made it through. I also got a really sweet, encouraging note from a parent today. Do I have graded papers ready to go home tomorrow? NO. Is that something I'm going to stress about? Nope.

I also hear that the word on the hall is that I'm the mean 4th grade teacher. How does that happen so fast?!?! It was really just this girl who was in my friend's class last year and the little girl told her that I was the mean teacher. The girl could not support her argument with any evidence so I don't think the police/ child services will be called any time soon. :) Tomorrow I don't have a break so we are going to make an art project during the support class time. How is that for being a mean teacher?! :)

Have a happy Wednesday everyone!!!!!

Spinning through September

September has been dumb. I have had no words to say that have been worth sharing. I was teaching third grade like crazy Friday and today I started teaching 4th grade. Yes, I had to move rooms. No, I was not allowed to come any time during the weekend. Yes, I did have students in my room Monday and today while I was trying to get things moved and together. I did have a sub but the poor lady had to keep calling me and every time I walked in the room to get something or move anything someone would cry or come over to me. Today I did not have a sub until almost 10:00 and then had 4th graders coming into my new room with their desks a few at a time at 12:30. They did not bring chairs...it was awesome. More kids crying...awesome. No planning time tomorrow...awesome. District walk through tomorrow... not caring what they say at this point.

* deep breath*

It is a new adventure. I can do this. Third grade is said to be way harder to teach than 4th and it is still a good team of teachers. God will not give me more than I can take. I didn't know I could take all of this. :) Oh, but my husband is sweet and went to the store and got things for a nice dinner tonight. Also, Glee is back and it is hard not to relax when you have people singing beautifully at you. I really like that show.

Tomorrow is a new day and will be my first full day as a forth grade teacher. Bring it.

The choice is yours

Sometimes when I have too many little nagging things going on it can ruin my spirit and really get me stressed. I have to make the choice to focus on something positive. Here are some positives for this negative Monday.

* Baby shower was a big success this weekend (I hope pictures will come when I can)

* My husband is really sweet

* D. is not rolling down the hallways anymore

* S. only had 1 major melt down and one that I nipped before it got out of control

* A. did 2 subtraction problems without guessing or me telling her what to do

* I figured out that monster fingers work really well to help A.W. with his math

** I still like to teach**

Teaching Taking Over

After I wrote that title it made me think of Pinky asking what they were going to do for the day ha! (I should have said Teaching is taking over, but it made me laugh so I kept it)

No, I'm not teaching how to take over the world, but teaching is taking mine! My principle told us we need to teach like our hair is on fire. This just about describes my week. Lots of hours after school, working through lunch and staying up late.

On a more positive note. A student who has been acting..... like a verbal 1 year old? Had a wonderful day!! Lets hope he keeps it up. Oh and I really do have a great class!!

Curtain shopping will just have to wait until Thanksgiving break :)

Curtains and Cash

The day is almost here!! "What day" you ask? The day when I will be getting my pay checks regularly again!!! Hip hip hooray!

So I got to thinking...

It is about time to hang some curtains in the master bedroom. The blinds are fine but I need

some fabric hanging and Alex would like to block a little more light. But where to begin and what to pick? I'll show you what it looks like now and a few things I have come across so far.

before:

(I would also love a little chair or bench there and new bedroom furniture but that's another post)

I love that these are so romantic and girly, but they don't come in a color that would work for the room. Oh yeah and the price tag is a little much.

I saw this a while back and think it is a cool idea, but I just don't know if it fits with the rest of the room. I love how it looks on the dark walls.

Any ideas? Where do you like to shop or get inspired for window treatments?

Kindergarten

My oldest nephew is not a baby any more.This little sweetheart had his first day of Kindergarten today and he said he had a good day.
He is just so grown up!!

Mouse Stories

I love this book about the little mouse who just didn't know when to stop. One thing just leads to another and another. I have thought many many times about this little mouse when I start something and I know it will not stop with just the one thing.
A few weekends ago I got a phone call that led to one of these little "if you give a mouse a cookie" moments. It started with my granddaddy at the farmer's market selling figs. Well, if you sell figs at the market then you will want to buy things from the market. If you buy too many things from the market you will fill up your freezer. You may want to encourage your granddaughter to get her own freezer to hold MORE wonderful peas and corn from the market. She may end up with something like this. After you have a freezer like this you may feel like you need to put up a ton of wonderful peas, corn, beans, peppers, and whatever else you can find. Be careful because it may take more than a whole Saturday to do this. But in the end you will have a happy freezer with lots of great things for the winter!!
...then you may start thinking of looking at a Costco card :)

Back to School

I start back tomorrow learning about all the new things for this year and I am excited! This is when I always have crazy dreams about not having a classroom the first day of school or other crazy things like this. One week until I meet my 2010-2011 class!!

less Words Wednesday

Waffle Cone Wednesday was missed.....again

Yumm yumm

This is for Jenny...

This recipe is oh so so yummy. I didn't get any pictures because I was a little busy with three nephews and a brother over to enjoy the meal. They all loved it! We will be making this again soon.
It's Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup ranch dressing 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional) 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1.	In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.	Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

I guess it's my thing

I love my family! We were having a great time playing volleyball yesterday and my brother-in-law was standing next to me. I was talking and missed a ball that should have been mine. I told him I was sorry I was talking and his response was, "It's ok, it's your thing" HA I laughed all night about that. It was a really really nice way to say, 'Maria, you talk too much!' I love my family.

I love my husband! When I got home I was talking to my dog in-law (we are watching him this week) Alex said he was going to get me a dog for next summer so I have someone to talk to when I'm home alone. This was a nice way of saying, 'Maybe if you talked to a dog all day you would not talk my ear off when I get home from work.' I love my husband!

I love my job! I can hardly wait to get my classroom all setup. I had a hard time not going nuts the other day buying school supplies because they were all on sale! I'm meeting with some of my team today and I can't wait to see how our team will be able to work together this year when we are all in the building and the same hall. I will also soon be preparing to share what I learned in a week long class to the whole faculty. The group I went with nominated me to do most of the talking and to share all the little songs we learned. "You have a nice speaking voice" or translation, 'You already talk so much you may as well be the one talking so we don't have too.' I love my job. ;)

Have a Fun Friday Everyone!!!

Wishful Thinking

I wish I was going to be sitting looking at this view sometime soon. It's not on the calendar yet but I'll go someday. I also wish I could go set up my classroom. Oh well, I will just keep working here. Today's task is finish the trim paint in Alex's room and make dinner.

What's up Wednesday

I get to teach third grade again!!!!!!!!! Could not be happier about this if I tried. :)

I am taking an interesting class this week and I think it is a workshop I may use for once.

I realized today I have one more week than I thought before I start school. Yay for extending the summer!

I wish I could change the light fixtures for the bathroom but I don't want to get shocked so I will wait for someone who knows what they are doing.
I found the perfect vase to finish up our bathroom. (Well, once the lights get put in) :)

I love my sisters and miss the little one this week while she is in Ukraine.

Thursday Five

Sarah had this cute post from MannLand5 so I thought I would copy it too.

The post is five things that make me...

Happy

Giddy

Joyful

Excited

Appreciative

Having my super cute nephews over to play makes me oh so happy!
Alex getting me a 42 oz. bag of peanut M&M's kind of makes me giddy. (Or maybe that is all the sugar)
Reading Psalm 121 makes me joyful no matter what else is going on with my life.
Thinking about a whole new group of third graders and a new white board makes me really excited. :)
I am so appreciative of my home and my husband.

If you want to join you can see how here or here.

Guest Bedroom

One of my nephews was over Monday and Tuesday of this week and was the first to take a nap in the guest bedroom. Because it was actually being used I thought it was time to hang the pictures that were leaning on the walls. This is the room where our bedroom furniture will go when/ if we get new stuff for us. I have not really liked this room all that much until today. Why? Because it looked like this when we got the house. The wall paper was in pieces and took some work to get off. After that the paint color was not right and then we had this old broken futon frame and that was about it for the room. *sigh*

Well we got a new futon frame and the wall color ended up matching the futon cover we already had. Today I put the pictures on the wall and I like how it turned out after all! Here are a few after pictures. Enjoy!