Classroom Pics

I survived an entire week back to work with my coworkers. I think it's going to be a good year. The kids start on Tuesday and here's what my classroom looks like now:

(entrance to my room)

(looking at the entrance from the room)

(word wall board & reading area)

(computer center and listening center...the plastic on the NONWORKING ac units has to remain until the new sc units arrive, sometime around NEVER)

(windows looking onto playground, love all the plants?)

(carpet & board & calendar area)

(my desk area)

(closeup of my desk...thrilling, I know!)

(the whole front of the room)

(wall on the hallway side of the room)

I moved things all around this year because I needed a change. I like it so much better this way now! I am not really looking forward to starting work again, but I am looking forward to seeing my kiddos and getting back into the routine of teaching. I LOVE all the freedom of summertime, but I do like routine too. So once the first week is gone, I'll feel back into routine. It's funny how now that I'm back at work, Kenny is doubling his work time too. I think when I'm home, he wants to be too:) He denies it, but I know I'm right. Hehehe.

You Won't Believe What I Did

I'm still here. Just tired. Yesterday I worked in my classroom and sat through the usual boring meetings at our back-to-school week. And today I was working in my classroom from 715am to 115pm......I took exactly one break to get a diet coke from the pop machine and visit Niki in her classroom. That's it! Then it was more meetings and such. I tell ya, just two days of going through my teaching stuff, organizing, labeling, filing, THROWING THINGS OUT (my favorite thing to do), stapling, taping, searching, talking, yawning, and constantly moving around, and I am whooped! Last night I was so tired, I came home and decided to sit down and finish up a book that we are required to read for work. I had about 100 pages to go, and about two hours before I knew I would fall asleep. So I took my book to the patio and put my feet up in a chair, it was very comfy and cool outside, PERFECT reading weather. Then I realized that my feet were tired and sore (I wore flipflops for about 5 days in a row, some while working, NOT a smart thing to do). Then the best idea I've ever had dawned on me.....

Notice the whirlpool foot spa happening under my feet, the cord running in through the slider, and my reading material, and the crazy setup, but it was awesome! It was my own personal spa in my backyard. What a great idea! My feet felt SO good this morning. It was worth it. I will be doing that again.

The rest of this week will be crazy. Two more days of work without kiddos, then Friday I will working with Kenny all day. This weekend it might be the lake or just staying home, we'll decide when we get there. The weather here is starting to get a little cooler, especially in the mornings, and it is turning into my favorite time of year...FALL! Knowing typical Michigan weather, it will get hot again, but fall is on its way when it starts to get that cool in thr morning! There is evidence of leaves on the ground too.

Lindsay over at Splat Designs is having a contest...click on the link to see the details!

Back to Work is officially ON!

I woke up this morning feeling hung over, but not from drinking. The last two days have been blurs, going through so much of the initial-back-to-work-before-the-kids-get-there-stuff and trying to squeeze in time to get my classroom put together. It's coming along pretty well. I didn't take too much stuff down in June and mostly just boxed some things up, so setting up hasn't been too bad. What took me several hours was reorganizing the furniture, figuring out what would go where. I finally got it the way I want it now, and everyone who comes in my room compliments me on how much better the setup is now, so it must have needed it!! Yesterday my coworkers and I met in a rural area far away from our school for an all-day team building workshop, outside, with an obstacle course and in our workout clothes. Most of the activities were fun, a few were not, and I was pooped at the end of the day. I came home and slept for about two hours, then stayed up late with Kenny, which accounts for the groggy feeling today! I'm working on school and classroom stuff today, nothing exciting, but I have to say I'm still in a daze from the summer ending. Oh well, it ALWAYS goes too fast!

I wanted to recap my favorite moments from the Olympics. I wish I could have watched more of them in the last two weeks, but I've just been on the go so much. But I did make sure I saw the American gymnasts and hurdlers, my favorite Olympic competitions to watch. And you can bet there were tears too. Nastia Luikin and Shawn Johnson were AMAZING in all their performances....I cried every single time they competed, and they both ended up with several medals.

And for the American hurdler, my favorite was LoLo Jones. Here she is when she finished first in the finals before the Olympics....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm6aLIoZpQg

And here's her performance in the Olympics, she's the third from the right (I couldn't find the English version, sorry!!)....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew0rxyS5t_4

Can you imagine? I watched this in real time when it happened and of course, I was all tears. She's still my favorite though. I hope she comes back in 2012 and gets the gold.

It's 6:30am....I've been up since 5am and I went to bed at 12:30am. OMG what did I do to myself?? Today is my first day back at work, for meetings and putting classrooms back together. Vacation is officially over. I'm sad, but also a teeny bit okay with going back, but don't tell anyone I said that. I LOVE having days with no time restrictions and being able to work on things around the house, come and go as I please, sleep in, take naps, all the enjoyable things that time off brings. But there's that one small percentage of me that is looking forward to seeing my coworkers (some of them anyway, heh) again. I'm no where near being ready for kids though. I still have some time before I am ON for 8 hours a day. Thank goodness! So off I go, on my 7th year of teaching. Wish me luck.

Thirteen Things I Will Miss About Summer Vacation

1. Sleeping in (I didn't get to do that much, but I loved it when I did!)

2. Seeing my hubs

3. Playing with the dog anytime

4. Not feeling overwhelmed or stressed out

5. A CLEAN house all the time!

6. The laundry ALWAYS being folded/hung up

7. Laying in the sun (hello-honeymoon!!)

8. Watching the Olympics

9. Seeing my family so easily

10. Weekends at the lake

11. Time to myself

12. WARM weather!!

13. No burnout feeling!

Kenny emailed this picture to me when he was supposed to be working one night last week. He may have had too much time on his hands, heh heh. The photographer LOVED us, can you just imagine?

Of course I pick the last few days I have off to start a big project in the backyard....resodding where we had a HUGE stump ground out. I laid the sod after digging forever day, my hands are so chapped and sore and now I learn that we have to remove the sod, put topsoil (I was originally told we didn't have to as long as we dug the wood chips out, which was done) down, THEN put the sod on. Ugh. Sod is heavy and I transported it IN MY OWN CAR, in the trunk, which is currently open and drying out so I can vacuum the dry dirt out in the morning. What a day. Tomorrow morning we're getting topsoil, dropping it in, re-laying the sod and watering the crap out of it for two straight weeks. End of project. Hopefully. I know I'll be happy when it's all done tomorrow, I don't mind the watering every day. That's the fun part!

Pancakes

Oh I'm so tired. I have going going going nonstop since EARLY Tuesday morning. I finally slept in and now that I'm awake, I'm wishing I was still sleeping. I have an unfinished cleaning and throwing out project happening in the basement, the laundry hasn't been touched since Monday night (I usually do it every day), since Kenny was here basically by himself every day it's a mess around here, the dishes are overflowing, and OMG I want to go back to bed. Listen to me complain. He is currently in the backyard with the puppy doing something, but any minute now, he'll come to the back door and either ask me to help him with something (I'm still in PJs) or ask me where something is and could I please get it for him. My bed is only about 25 feet from me....it's so tempting. But I'm going to do the "right" thing and get my arse moving. But before anything gets cleaned or de-messed, I'm making pancakes. With blueberries. And maple syrup. The real kind straight from the farm. Yum.

Dirty Doggy

As I was getting ready to leave on my two day adventure with my MIL, the dog did as she always does when I get ready, she laid on the bathroom floor, on the towel I strategically place on the lightly colored bathroom rug just for her. I didn't even look at what she was messing with because she's a good puppy and doesn't normally chew things she shouldn't. It wasn't until I was blowdrying my hair upside down right in front of her that I noticed what she was doing....something very dirty and naughty.....

And then I remembered that she IS in heat right now, and it all makes sense, doesn't it?

(yes, that is a beanie baby, and yes, she took his pants off)

Mumbo Jumbo

The weather yesterday and today in Michigan has been so awesome. Yesterday it rained a little, but it was cool, no humidity, perfect fall-like weather. I'm sure I'll miss the hot temperature when it's snowing in about 3 months, but I love the "cool" warner temps, not so much the stuffy hot stuff. Today is even better because it's sunny with no rain, but still on the cooler side. I've been working in the basement cleaning out bins and throwing stuff away, and I keep coming up for air and walking outside and playing with the dog in this gorgeous weather. If it was like this all year round, you'd get no complaints from me!

I am going on an overnight trip with my MIL tomorrow to visit her sister and family about 2 hours away. We are going to do some shopping and lots of visiting, and I'm sure I'll have pics when I get back. This will probably be my last trip anywhere before school starts. Ugh:( Still not excited about it yet. I'm waiting, any day now I'm going to wake up excited, I just keep telling myself that. Maybe new clothes for school will help. You think??

These pictures are completely unrelated to anything, but I had to post them. The first one was taken the day we got home from our honeymoon, we hadn't even been home yet, we drove straight to the inlaws to get the dog and have cake and ice cream for Kenny's birthday. I think it's my new favorite picture of the three of us. And then there's the dog, who's just precious.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

I tried to call him ALL DAY LONG to wish him a happy birthday but he must have been so busy because he still wasn't home at 9pm. My dad has a cell phone, but refuses to turn it on, so I didn't even bother calling it. He's still a little old fashioned when it comes to that kind of thing. I think I called his house about 6 times throughout the day! He was probably out celebrating somewhere with my stepmom. I will be seeing him today at my cousin's birthday party and I'll be able to give him his present and chat. Thank you for all that you do for me and for Kenny, and thank you for being the best dad ever! Love you!

I spent the day being a kid again....Chuck E. Cheese, ice cream, two parks, a walk in a lovely city. It was so entertaining! I was with Nik and her niece and nephew, who have become my niece and nephew now by default. I know those kiddos will sleep well tonight, and that's all the better for Nik, because she has them for four days now. Whew! Here is a pic of them....I know their Grandma reads my blog every once in a while so she will appreciate it!

Summer is for sure winding down for me. The next two weeks are just about booked solid with a few last fun summer activities and lots of work with Kenny. And then back to teaching....I literally blinked and two months of vacation was gone. It breaks my heart! Off to watch the Tigers' game and hope they win.

(not so) Wordless Wednesday

This is my very favorite picture of my grandparents (both are gone now). Both of them are smiling, usually my grandpa forgot his smile, and they just look so happy! I miss them every day. This month would be their 68th wedding anniversary if they were still here, and my Grandpa's 93rd birthday. I know they are watching me from above and still part of my life everyday. Love you both.

We are pooped. After spending the weekend at the lake house, Kenny and I, and even the dog, are just plain tired! Sunday we spent the whole day playing on the pontoon boat in the middle of the lake, watching the dog swim, floating on the floaties tied up to the boat, and enjoying family. We came home late last night and crashed, the dog was the first one to bed! Today proved to be no better in the tiredness department. I finally dragged myself out of the house around 6pm. Talk about lazy! But I can still do that, because in a few SHORT weeks I'll be back at work. That's how I justify being lazy:) I only managed to get one picture this weekend, can you believe that??? But seriously, after 6 summers at the lakehouse (and a lifetime for Kenny), all the pics start looking the same. Here is the one I got, after I played around with the editing tools a bit....

And since I've started scrapbooking again, I'll share some finished pages. I ordered some awesome foam stamps (thanks Lori!!) and got them last week, I love them!! I already want more fonts, I can tell I'm going to end up with a bunch of them. I still have a L O N G way to go until I'm finished....I'm working on catching up on pictures for the last two years, including ALL the wedding stuff, which is A LOT!! But here's a peak at a couple pages I've finished so far:

I will have many more pages to come as I finish them!!

Grandparents (and Kenny singing)

Having my grandparents at my house yesterday was AWESOME! My grandpa suffered a stroke 3 years ago and even though he was 90 at the time, his only setback is his speech. He has trouble pronouncing words, but believe me, he gets his point across. Don't let the walker fool ya, he's had arthritis since he was in his 40s, that's not because of the stroke. My grandma has a hard time with memory and she fell a few years back injuring her neck. Despite physical rehab on it, her neck is very weak and it's hard for her to straighten it out. But in all seriousness, my grandparents are amazing considering their ages. I love 'em. They live in assisted living, a small corner apartment that is cozy for the two of them. They go down to the cafeteria for 3 meals a day and have caregivers drop off meds each day. They are so lucky to be where they are together, after 62 years of marriage! Again, I just love them. They are so cute. That's why I loved having them here in my house. They have heard me talk about our house for a year and a half now, so they were very excited to see it. My aunt and I also took them to a house they lived in when they were first married, which isn't far from my house. My grandpa remembered every detail, my grandma did as we were leaving. It was very cool.

And finally, here is the video of Kenny singing again as promised. He didn't know I was taping him at first, not until I tripped on the dog and he turned around. He couldn't hear me narrating the video at first either, even though it seems like I'm yelling. Oh yeah, forgive the evil laugh when he discovers I'm taping him, I have a habit of laughing like that, not very attractive, I know. Note how Kenny slips into Elvis mode with the lip when he says FAITHFULLY at the very end. And also, just before that, notice the air guitar. Those are both staples in his performances. The dude thinks he's a modern Elvis. And I married him. Heh.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catchup

It can't really be Friday already, can it?? My week has been hazy. Monday morning I woke up with some horrid stomach issue, which turned into the 24 (possibly 36) hour flu. It was nasty. Tuesday I woke up feeling about 75% better, and as the day progressed and I washed every comforter, blanket, towel, rug, countertop, doorknob, and surface, I felt better. By Wednesday I was good as new. Talk about a crazy sickness. Yesterday I spent many long, sun-filled hours with Niki at her pool. VERY relaxing! I have also been working on scrapbooking our albums....for the last 2 years. I am THAT behind in it. Lori gave me a great idea on working backwards, starting with current pics and working back until it was all finished. I have pretty much done that, except for little events here and there that I was really excited about putting together and couldn't wait. It's been so long since I scrapbooked, and getting back into it has been so much fun. Not sure Kenny appreciates the messes I make in the livingroom every evening, but I do clean them up when I'm done, unlike SOME people. I'm sure it's especially annoying to him though because I do have a craft table and area downstairs complete with a TV and DVD player for when I'm working down there, but it's got my sewing stuff all over it right now, so the livingroom seems like the best place! My aunt is visiting from out of state and is bringing my grandparents to visit at my house today. They are both in their 90s and obviously don't drive anymore, and have not seen our house yet. So I am really looking forward to them being here in my house, and to see my aunt too! We are going to drive my grandparents to one of the first houses they lived in as a married couple, which is ironically only about 7 miles from my house. I've driven past it several times, and from what I'm told by my dad and his siblings, it looks almost the same as it did in the 1950s. I know my grandparents will enjoy seeing it! Sorry for the short post, I'll post again with pics tonight or tomorrow!!

PS-I do have some more footage of Kenny singing, in case you haven't had enough yet....I'll get it on here ASAP. Be ready to laugh!

Guitar

Watch this video of Kenny singing. I promise you won't be disappointed. I know I've posted him singing before, so bear with it, you WILL laugh. Remember, every song he sings, even non-Garth and non-Elvis songs, he always has a Garth voice with the Elvis lip. And he thinks he's good. Here you go.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

P.S. Tasha had her baby!!!! Benjamin Christopher was born on July 25th, weighing 7lb3oz. Welcome little guy!! I have to take a minute to brag that I've known for months what his name would be.....hehehe!

I worked with Kenny today. We have been spending A LOT of time together because I've been with him working often this summer. It's nice to be able to do that, it's also nice to have that quiet time. Sorry honey, I know you are reading this and pouting about it, but you know that I need that alone QUIET time!! In all seriousness though, I wouldn't trade being able to work with him for anything. When we arrived home today, the dog was especially happy to see us. She was hyper, just wanting to play and go crazy. Kenny makes this "Ahhhhh!" sound to get her going, and she really does go nuts. She tucks in her puppy butt and takes off running full speed, whether she's in the house or outside. It's hilarious. I got it on video today...

Also.....
Someone special has a birthday today...so go click on her blog and give her some birthday lovin'!

Happy Birthday Tasha!!

And just in case you didn't know, she is about to have her third baby this week, Friday to be exact!

I'm still here!!

This past week was a sad one. I was in lahlah land until my gram's funeral on Friday, and then I was in a different lahlah land this weekend. I was close to my grandma, so this is hard, but I'm better now and dealing just fine, and THANK YOU to everyone who called and left sweet messages and to all the sweet, heartwarming comments and emails. It means a lot to me.

Kenny was a HUGE support last week and took us fishing a couple times just to get out of the house and away from the sadness. Here are a couple pics....excuse the RED eyes, I think you know where they came from.

And today we went out on his brother's boat unexpectedly! It was super fun, super hot, and we was super unprepared. By that I mean that I had no sunglasses (the cheapies broke in the car), no bathingsuit/swimming stuff, and no sunblock. It was hard to be in the boat with a t-shirt and capris on while my hubs could easily swim in whatever shorts he was sporting, but it was still fun and another nice break in the routine of dealing with sadness. The puppy had a blast, I have never seen her so tired in her life. She was in the water for 2 hour stretches swimming and chasing her toy, which was a pop can because like I said, it was a spur of the moment trip and we were unprepared. The can worked well as a ball, and she chased that thing all over the place! It was gorgeous today. I am definitely started to feel normal again.

Gram

Dorothy E.

(my Gram)

1917-2008

My Grandma died on Sunday in her home, sitting in her comfy chair. She wasn't sick, no diseases or serious illnesses, she even went for half of her daily mile walk that morning. She was 91, and it was just natural causes that got her. I already miss her a lot. She taught me how to sew and we have had countless conversations through the years about quilts, patterns, and crafty things.

Among the many things she made me since I was born, more recently she made me cloth animal books from old calendars to use in my classroom in the last six years, which my students love to look at. Even though I am sad and miss her, she is with my Grandpa now, who has been gone for 6 years. They were married for 60-plus years when he passed. Even before Grandma died, every time I used my sewing machine or bought fabric or did anything sewing related, I though of her, how she would be doing what I'm doing, only better. I looked at my sewing machine this morning and tears immediatly stung my eyes. I am so happy that she was here for my wedding showers (she helped plan one of them) and my wedding day, that she enjoyed herself there, and that she was able to meet her two newest great-grandchildren just last Thursday. I'm so thankful that I had her in my life this long. I miss you Gram. Love you always.

(Easter 2007)

My kitchen in clean and I didn't clean it!!

Ever have one of those sleeps that just sucks you in, like you are so asleep NOTHING can wake you? That's how I slept last night. I worked with Kenny all day and then came home with a headache. I had every intention of cleaning the kitchen (it must have been the catch all room in Kenny's mind for about 24 hours because it was BAD) but every time I went to do it, my head hurt even worse. Like it was telling me NO WAY can you clean me tonight. So I told Kenny I was going to bed because of the headache and to please wake me up in an hour for my next dose of tylenol. He did, it was so sweet, and then, just as I was dozing off again, I hear clanking and banging in the kitchen, and before I was completely in sleep land, I thought to myself that I must already be dreaming if he's cleaning the kitchen. When I woke from the the most awesome, deep, uninterrupted sleep I've ever had this morning (yes, even the puppy left me alone!!), I saw the kitchen and just about hit my knees. Kenny had cleaned the whole thing from top to bottom. He not only PUT AWAY all his crap, but he had cleaned it with actual cleaner! I was shocked. Now that I know he'll actually do it, I might have to expect more, but I'm not holding my breath. I am still so happy about it. I keep running in there just to marvel at the sight of a clean room that wasn't made that way by me!! What a feeling!

We are going canoeing today on a nearby lake. This is the lake where the falls are, so I will have to make sure we STAY AWAY from that end of the lake. Last summer we canoed there and I knew there was an end of the lake to avoid, buy Kenny didn't believe me, and we were almost toast in the rapids. Hopefully this time he'll remember that and listen to me when I say turn around!! heheheh. I am looking forward to canoeing. I wish I could take pictures, but I don't dare bring our camera, not with our track record of flipping canoes, which will be a whole other post!!

I can just tell today is going to be one of those lazy, awesome Sundays!!

Locked Out & Misc

What a story!!

Tuesday evening Kenny was still working in his parents' basement. So I took the puppy and we drive over (3 miles away) and hung out there for a little while. I chatted with his parents, and his dad went to bed, and then his mom and I were watching TV. I fell asleep on the floor around 11pm. I woke up at 1am and Kenny and his mom were chatting, she's a night owl too, on the couch. I was uncomfortable sleeping on the floor, but Kenny told me we would be leaving in a couple minutes. So I fell back asleep, waking up at 4am to find him passed out on the couch snoring. Ugh. I had no intentions of sleeping another couple hours on the floor, as it's not too comfortable, and since we only live a couple miles away, I decided to drive home. I got the dog, walked out to Kenny truck to get my car keys which I had left in there, and they weren't there, which meant they were in his parents house, to which I had just locked and closed the front door on my way out. I was LOCKED OUT at 4:30am with the dog!! I WAS SO MAD!! It was VERY humid and I had to pee so bad...thank goodness for bushes in the backyard is all I'll say about that....I didn't know what to do, I was SO TIRED and also achy from sleeping hours on the floor, and I didn't dare ring the doorbell or knock on the door. Kenny's family is a little dramatic and who knows what would have happened had I woken his parents up at that hour. I was screwed. The only way I was able to get into his truck was with his pin on the keyless entry. I had no keys to ANYTHING. So I took the dog and we got in his truck. I tried to sleep for a while, I really did, but it was so humid and sticky, and without the keys I couldn't roll down any windows which caused the dog to pant and drool all over me, and then she thought it was play time. I'm telling you I was MISERABLE! I finally got out of the truck around 6am and we sat on the porch swing on the front porch, but soon the sun was beating down on me so it was too hot to try to sleep there, plus the dog was running all over the place and they don't have a fenced in yard, so who knows where she would have turned up. FINALLY, at 7:30am I hear the garage door going up and here comes Kenny's dad, out to the car to go get a paper. THANK GOD!! He asks me what in the world I'm doing and I told him what happened, and he told me I should have rang the doorbell, he'd been up since 4:30am, about the time all I locked myself out. Ugh. I was so stinkin' tired. I got my keys and drove home, put the dog in our backyard because all she wanted to do at this point was play, and I went to sleep IN MY OWN COMFY BED until noon. What a morning!!

The rest of the day I spent with Niki and I hemmed some clothes for her and grilled the best burgers ever!

Today I went to Tasha's house to hang out and teach her to crochet. We only got an hour (barely) into the crochet lessons and Kenny called and left his work stuff in my car, and he needed it ASAP, so I taught Tasha as much as I could hoping she would be okay with her blanket for a couple days until I could come back and teach her more....then she texted me saying she screwed it all up......Tasha, I promise I'm not laughing AT you! But the text was cute!! I hope to get back there in a couple days to help her some more!

That's the catch-up on my week so far...and it's only Thursday! You never know what else is going to happen in this crazy house this week!!