An unexpected lesson

First, I'll start by saying I forgot my camera last night. BOOOOO!!

Last night we worked our first shift, ever, at the CCT Gift Wrapping Station. I cannot express to how much both girls enjoyed themselves. They could not get over being in a space full of wrapping paper, bags, bows, and tissue paper of all sorts.

Then Ms. Betsy gave us a lesson on bows. We learned how to wrap the ribbon around the package, add premade bows and semi-made bows. I think Chloe's favorite package wrapped was a pink paper with black polka dots, then topped with a black ribbon and bow. Jesse's favorite was a puple paper, with a darker purple ribbon, then a lavender bow. They were both very pretty!

Today, I needed to go to that "box store" (as John is now referring to it) to get some things the commissary didn't have. On the way, we stopped off at Lowe's. Last night we were using some awesome scissors, so I asked where they were bought. Lowe's. But they were bought a couple of years ago. Guess what?! They were still selling them!! Yeah!!!! At the "box store", we found some ribbon and bows.

I don't think we bought enough ribbon.

Not only are they adorable, but they work GREAT!



Jesse HAD to have her picture made; Chloe refused.



Eager to get started

I know I haven't caught you up on everything since mid-November, but I just have to let you know what is going on here.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, John decided to start painting our living/dining room and the kitchen. He was going to start painting during his up coming week off, but then he decided to start last week. Last Monday and Tuesday, he painted the living room. Last night he started working on the dining room. Today, he finished painting the bay window walls. He said he was going to stop, but now he is painting around the door of the stairs.

Of course, this has not been easy considering we had already decorated for Christmas. What were we thinking?! But we are all in love with the color, think sky blue...simply stunning. I'll post pictures in a couple of days when everything is put back where it belongs.

Right now I'm fighting off the urge to start my list of things to do while we are out of school. I have quite a few things to do inside, mostly the kitchen, but because of the painting I'm unable to start. It is giving me an itchy kind of feeling, which is why I'm posting (something is getting done at least).

Okay, I have to start getting ready to leave the house. The girls and I are going to CCT's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" this afternoon. One of our favorite people, Anthony, is Charlie Brown and I cannot wait to see him. He was awesome as Clogsworth and the Mayor; this one should be awesome!

Mrs. Trish!!!!!!!

We need your email address. We did get your note, and we'd love to respond. LOL And we MISS you so much; it seems like such a different place there with so many new people. Jesse is still loving it though and Chloe is looking forward to starting next fall!

Hopefully, we'll hear from you soon!!!

November 18th...

will live in infamy. LOL  I had some great friends in high school. However, life goes on after high school. You say you are going to stay in touch, but some move on, some move then return, and some just stay. And somewhere along the way you lose track of each other. Then Facebook arrives!!!

Oh, how wonderful FB can be in aiding to find lost friends...that you actually want to reconnect with. lol  That is exactly what happened on November 18th. After twenty {cough, cough} years, four of us found ourselves in an unexpecting restaurant for three hours! Oh, I did feel bad for the other patrons, well, a little bit. We had such a great time and I really hope we can do again, much sooner!!

I cannot begin to tell you how many hugs there were or quantify the laughter, but we had the BEST afternoon!! And I really appreciate John letting me spend an ENTIRE day taking this trip. Thanks, Babe!

Mom's Birthday

We celebrated my Mom's birthday a month ago. I will not say how old she turned. ;)

Pictures from Halloween...

yes, I do know it is December 8th! lol  I've had a lot going on lately. I'll try to catch you up, but don't expect much until Tuesday.

Here are the girls just before going out to trick-or-treat. This was the first year we stayed on and went around our own block. There were only a handful of homes giving out treats, but they were really GIVING out treats! Their buckets were full after just, maybe seven houses. Insane!! They had such a great time and they immediately started planning for next year.

Our vampire bunny and a dead Cleopatra!

The Friday before Halloween we had a Halloween party with a couple of homeschool families we know. (Mom you'll want to see some of these pictures!)

We had so much fun that day. The kids voted on who had the best costume (of course the baby won!), a relay race (okay, several of them), then the kids created their own stage show at the stage in the park. And the food! So good!! We cannot wait to do it again for Christmas. :)

My friends

Whew! (And yes I know I still need to post Halloween.)

We were at Wal-mart yesterday, picking up a few groceries. Now, I will explain this...we have a lot going on this week; therefore, some of our meals (that I was purchasing) were...well...boxed. Ugh!!! We were almost done when I ran into an old friend from taekwondo.

We haven't seen Victoria in a couple of years, so running into her great. But I noticed she was looking at my cart, probably because Chloe was in it, but I felt I had to say something about the food. She said, what are you talking about that is good food! Well, I felt better...for a couple of minutes.

We said our goodbyes then went to another aisle to look for one more item. At the end of the aisle we ran into Galina, from taekwondo, go figure! We were talking and I noticed she was checking out my cart. So, how did Galina respond? She said, "just go cook!"

I love my friends. LOL

Vices

I believe I am like most people, in that, on the days when I accomplish many tasks before I feel great. On the days, when nothing really gets done, I feel like a failure. I don't recall if I have mentioned here or not that in June I was put on some meds for my head. In May, I was very close to a complete mental breakdown. While I cry at commercials and songs, and so many things, I don't usually breakdown when someone ask me how I'm doing. That was how my May ended.

We've been adjusting to many things around here the last year and I think May just kind of topped things off for me. My Dad's health, of course, has been on my mind. I think he is doing better. His numbers are doing well and he hasn't had a blood transfusion in a few months. He was getting one every month at the beginning of the year, so I think he is doing better.

We have also had some family issues we've been working on that kind of managed to attach themselves to explosives at the beginning of the year. We are currently still working on things. And while some have improved, I feel others have worsened. No, John and I are great. No worries there!

The one big thing that is bothering me now is I'm now out of meds. No refills. I could probably call the office and get a new prescription, but I'm thinking I don't want to do that. I really want is to find a way to deal with all the stress we are going through without medication. Risky I know but further down the road would be so much better.

Yesterday the girls and I spent the day working on some things that have been stressing me around the house. It hasn't been "Hoarders" bad, but bad for me. In fact, the other day when I mentioned I'm a neat freak John laughed. I think he has forgotten my normal tendencies. Since we had children I've had to do a great deal of adjusting to the new "norm". Eleven years later, I still don't like it. So, yesterday the girls and I worked on a few of the major issues.

First, we rearranged the classroom just a bit. You see our classroom is also the gym, John's office, and the craft room. I stay away from the office and the gym part as much as I can, but the craft part was bugging me. Since we put in the girls new desks, I have wanted to move their school bookcase. We switched the school bookcase and the craft pantry. Now the crafts are closer to my desk and the girls books are in front of their desks. Somehow in my head it just makes more sense that way.

We also did a lot of general cleaning. Jesse still does not sleep through the night most nights, so having a clean floor all over the house is essential to me not hurting myself at night when she calls me. It also just looks better. I keep reminding the girls our neighborhood is filling up and one day we'll be at the point (hopefully) that friends will just drop by to chat or play. I don't want us to be embarrassed by our home. Somehow I think this just bothers John and myself and the girls could careless, but I'm still hopefully one day they will see it our way.

My friend, April, pointed out last week that while stress can be dealt with by medications it helps to find a way to relax. She is so right! I am really hoping to start yoga soon. I've been saying that for quite sometime now, but I finally have a place downstairs where I can actually do it and not be in the living room. Since we rearranged furniture a few weeks ago, there is plenty of room in our bedroom to stretch out. I even talked to John the other day about me having fifteen minutes everyday with no interruptions so I can meditate. I'm working on getting things together for all this, but I'm hoping by the end of this week I'll start with everything. Yeah!

Halloween: I'll get pictures posted soon. Today, we are baking two batches of cupcakes for the CCT S.T.A.R. after party, and working the show this afternoon. So many things to do. lol

Struggles

I remember when I was much younger my Mom telling me, "as you get older time will go by faster." She wasn't wrong; however, she left something out. When you have children, you sometimes wish time would stop.

Admittedly, I have never been fashion forward. Ever! I have family who would vouch for this. My children are a totally different story, which is funny because they homeschool. I think part of it is their artistic sides. Jesse's sense of fashion is very much like those graphic artists I used to work with at the ad agency. We actually just bought her a new winter coat over the weekend. She picked it out and I have to say it fits her personality to a tee. Her new thing is scarves; I think she feels she cannot compete with Chloe's fedoras so she found her own thing. ;)

Chloe, on the other hand, definitely has her own style. She loves her new high top Converses and her fedoras. She too picked out a new coat. I really didn't think she would pick the one she did, but it too suited her. And she gets so many comments about her fedoras, just yesterday at McDonald's the lady behind the counter said, "I like your lid."  It took Chloe a minute to figure out what she was talking about. lol

The struggles comes from John and myself. We are now struggling with the reality of our girls growing up. They have their own opinions, and neither are shy about stating them. We've gone from buying them toys to buying the electronics, pocket books, and fishing rods. Some days I just want time to stop. More time to enjoy them while they are home. More time to bake and laugh. Some days I just have to pause and take it all in. There are days when I'd like to turn back time, but knowing we cannot just makes today more precious.

Group project

Okay, a family project. This weekend we finally worked on reorganizing the garage. We've talked about doing it for months, but who really wants to be working in a garage when it is 90+ degrees? Um, not us. ;) 

I have to admit I thought we were simply going to "clean"; however, that is not exactly what happened. We actually moved almost everything in the garage. My potting bench now has a new home...far, far away from John's tools. All of John's toolboxes are now together. All of his gear is now packed away, until needed.

We still have to work on the garage a bit more, but most of the big projects have been done. All this is really left is taking the trash, unpacking two boxes and finding a new home for a couple of mid-sized items. John and I are both exhausted but happy to almost be done.

Now, I'll admit I had wanted to "accomplish something" this weekend, but the garage was not it. I was really hoping to get through all the "arts/craft" drawers upstairs. I really think we have too much stuff we don't use but I won't know until I can lay my eyes on the actual stuff. Maybe I can find time soon. :)

Poof!

Seems like every year I think, "this year we are finally going to get in ninety days before Christmas." Then, Poof!, October, November hit and all of us come down with some kind of sinus stuff. We were out two weeks ago with everyone down. Last week Jesse was working on bronchitis, or walking pnemonia (the doctor couldn't hear anything in her chest, but she was coughing up stuff); therefore, this week she felt awful and was on another round of antibiotics. This weekend was my turn.

I just finished my antibiotics yesterday then this morning (3:45am) I woke up to the right side of my head hurting. I haven't felt like anything today, so nothing got done that was suppose to get done. I also didn't get to arrange the classroom, or living room, like I was hoping. There is always next weekend though.

So we are sitting here, in the classroom, on Sunday night trying to finish a couple of things that were never finished last week. I don't even want to think about how many days we've lost. We'll just have to make them up next semester.

Chloe's out of book experience

I'm sure everyone some people were wondering what Chloe was up to, while Jesse spent the day sewing. Well, here is her story:

Chloe has been wanting to carve a pumpkin for the last couple of years. Two years ago we carved real pumpkins. Such a mess!! She asked John last year if they could do another, but they never did. This year she started asking again a few weeks ago. Over the weekend, John relented. However, she had to agree to do a "craft" pumpkin, rather than a real one. She agreed.

We bought a pumpkin at Target, then John helped her get started. She spent most of a day working, ever-so-carefully, on her design. This is what she accomplished:



A kitten on a jack-o-lantern, carved into a pumpkin.



Chloe with her artwork.



Lessons...not book related

Recently, Jesse has been very interested in craft projects of varying types. She has crotched a pair of socks, made two duct tape pumpkins, worked on her drawing and a few other things I cannot think of right now. Anyway, after helping John sew the curtain for the Halloween decorations in the living room, she really wanted to sew a new apron for herself.

Her old apron still fit width wise; however, it was way too short. The initial plan was to add to her old apron. The old apron was a cream color with black butterflies. John and I both thought she should stay in the classic mode, to match the apron, but after fifteen minutes of her looking (and picking out fabrics) we decided she should probably just make a new one. She did finally pick a fabric and notions for a brand new apron.

The last two days she has been constantly asking if we could make the apron. Today was her lucky day (it rained all day). Now, she is in the kitchen wearing her brand new apron and making a cake with her sister...who is now asking for a new apron of her own. lol

Halloween Pictures!!!!



Our "cemetary"



Front porch (before spiders!)

Yes, she made it with duct tape! And, yes, those are mustaches.



Door reads "The witch is "in", or "out".



Scully!!



John and the girls made those wonderfully creepy spiders.



A little...decorating

Here we are the end of September. Again! It amazes me how quickly times goes. We started working on our Halloween decorations this weekend. We did a couple of things yesterday. Okay, one thing. We put Scully out on the porch. Scully is the name, John chose, for our new skeleton. He is sitting on the front porch in one of our rocking chairs. He likes to rock and wave at passersby. He is quite alarming.

Today the remaining decorations came out of the attic. Somehow I thought we had much more than what we actually have. We did a little more shopping today; John had a new idea for the living room, so we needed a couple of items.

John and the girls made a spider. We actually saw the idea in a magazine. John and I both loved it. The picture was a yard with a skeleton (standing), wearing a hat, tie and carrying a poison sprayer. The skeleton was surrounded by spiders, BIG spiders. We can't afford to do a swarm of spiders this year, but we are making seven (one a little larger than the rest, the queen I suppose).

Jesse has also been creative. She found another picture in the same magazine of decorated pumpkins. But they were not decorated like you would think. They were wrapped in fabric. Well, the picture was next to a duct tape ad, so we put the two ideas together. She found some great white duct tape with black mustaches.

Chloe has also been using duct tape. She came up with her own idea by making witch hats, with cardboard and duct tape. She even put one of them on our nutcracker. lol

Of course, John's Halloween town is back out. And again, two years in a row, it has a new home. I like where we put it this year because last year it was in the dining room. This year it is in the living room, so we get to see "live" with it. You know?

Anyway, John and the girls are working on the last project. They are sewing a curtain. Yes, John can sew. In fact, my sewing machine likes him better, everytime I try to use the tension is wonky. He won't change anything, just sit down, and it works perfectly. Of course!

I'll post pictures once everything is done.

Nothing really to say

I don't really have anything in particular I wanted to write about; however, I have a minute while the girls are working quietly. I hated to waste the time. ;)

We're doing well here. There is always something to do or somewhere to be, but life is good. This week we are attending another play at CCT, "Goodnight Moon". The girls are excited and Jesse keeps asking who all is going to go. I really don't know, so she'll have to see when she gets there. It will be nice to see Jim and Jerry again. It feels like an eternity since we've been. We'll be doing the CCT S.T.A.R. show in November. The girls are not performing, but they will be handing out playbills and I'm working the concession stand. We should have a lot fun doing it.

We are gearing up to paint the front porch. I admit I could put it off another year or so, but it is beginning to look pretty shabby. John is going to power wash it for us; the girls and I are going to paint it. I'm hoping this turns out to not be a bad idea. lol

Jesse is back at the library, but I have to admit it is just not the same. I'm still trying to figure out who is permanent and who is a temp. And don't even begin to ask me people's names...I haven't got a clue! The only good thing is school is back in session so it is much quieter than it has been. Of course, that helps Chloe to focus on getting her school work done, which makes my life easier.

What a week!!

We were out of school last week. Yeah, I know, "I thought you guys were just on vacation?" Well, that's true. But last week was the week we were going to go to Disney and John was off. We spent a couple of days at the beach. One of the best trips we've had, in my opinion anyway. We went to Donut Man, Ripley's aquarium, mini-golf (Treasure Island style), and, of course, a trip to the Disney store and Steak-n-Shake. Awesome!

We spent a few days working on the house and the yard. I admit I'm pretty happy with most of the outcome. I actually found homes for things that needed homes (well, most things) and didn't pile anything into a bag to stash anywhere. I still need to get to some grading; I'm still behind.

Today, we had a family reunion (my mom's mother's side). I admit it was a small turn out considering how large that side of the family is but it was nice to see some we have not seen in awhile. But this afternoon my Mom called to tell me we lost cousin Judy's husband this morning. We didn't know he had gone to Hospice (yesterday) until we were at the reunion today.

This week will be another busy week for us. We have our usual stuff: taekwondo, library, and schoolwork. We also have a play at the theatre and hoping to see Baby Smith, for the first time. We are all looking forward to the "extras" this week.

Lessons Learned

Today was our first homeschool zoo class. The girls finished the "homework", sent via email, and were very prepared for their individual classes.

Chloe's class was about feet. Well, it was about the prints animals leave behind. How scientist can tell if an animal is walking or running. What kind of animal (carnivore or herbivore) it is by looking at its prints. Chloe was very quiet in class today. She was surrounded by people she didn't know and her class was in the classroom (which we had never been in before). Mrs. G. realized this and picked her to answer a couple of questions. The first she didn't know. Mrs. G. was holding a hoof and wanted to know how we could tell the animal was a herbivore, something we have not covered in any of our science lately. The second, of course she knew, it was "what kind of print is this". A grizzly! That girl knows her bears! A question right up her alley. :)

Jesse's class was on conservation. And honestly it was not what I was expecting. We took a tour of certain animals around the zoo and discussed the variables that would dwindle the number of that species in the wild. Mrs. G. mentioned a few years back the lions in Africa were getting sick. I remember reading a article about it, but didn't know what had caused it. Today, she told us it was distemper. People were not vacinating their pets, the pets were spreading the disease to the wild African dogs and the lions were eating the dogs. The problem was eased by teaching people to vacinate their domestic dogs. It just shows that we really need to think of the chain of things. What we do, or don't do, really effects the world around us.

I learned that I'm going to have to figure out a plan for me to eat. There was suppose to be a thirty minute break between classes; however, we wound up with only about fifteen. We had time to eat a granola bar or a pack of crackers. But I was feeling awful by the end of Jesse's class at 1:15, fifteen minutes over. So, I before our next class I need to figure out how I can eat something before Chloe's class and before Jesse's.

Ups and downs

It seems like no matter how much you plan, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want. In July, we started planning for a Disney trip. A trip like no other. We were going to avoid all parks! I know, crazy, right? We were going to play mini-golf, cane pole fish, and all the other wonderful things we never have time for when we hit the parks. Well, to quote a commercial, "life comes at you fast!" And boy how!

In the last week, we ordered Jesse new glasses ($120 over what they were last year) and John's car need some repair ($310+). I still need glasses, Jesse needs a new wardrobe (that girl needs to not grow two inches at a time!), Chloe needs new tennis shoes, and the list goes on from there. In other words, our trip has to be cancelled. {sigh}

In order to, kind of soften, the blow, we are going to go to the beach for one night with John's points. We'll cram in as much as we can in two days to make it as fun as possible. No, it is not the same but we'll have fun anyway. lol

Our weekend in review

Seems like I was just here typing, but a couple of days have passed.

First, and most important, to our beautiful niece, Morgan, we hope you had the BEST birthday! We love you!

Now on to duller things.

I cannot believe it is Sunday night already! Well, I think we are ready to start school back tomorrow. Some of us are more ready than others, but that is the "norm" around here. I still have papers to grade. {sigh} Oh, well. I may try to get it done tonight, but more than likely I'll wait until tomorrow. ;)

I did get a chance to do the puzzle I wanted to do. In fact, I put in the last twenty pieces in just the last half-hour. I loved being able to escape into another place for awhile. It was relaxing and stressful all at once!

Yesterday, John started working our bedroom door that leads to the outside. It had some water damage on the frame, so he has been working on replacing it. He missed our reunion today, because we couldn't lock the door. He finished installing everything yesterday, but it got too late (and too many bugs) to make the holes for the locks. I'm sure tomorrow he'll want to relax and he will have definitely earned it!

Today was the Threatt Family reunion. The Threatts are my mother's father's side of the family. We got to see Lorena and Jane (the first time since Enman's funeral). It was good to see everyone. Sandy (one of my cousins) and I were talking about how it was just last year at this very reunion we saw Yana for the last time. I heard the sadness in Sandy's voice when she said it, then mentioned it was the last time she (and I) got a picture of "pop-pop" (my Uncle Larry; her step-dad). I told her I had gotten a great shot of Yana last year, while she was laughing. That really brightened up Sandy's mood; I should email her that picture. But today was about catching up and remembering those we love, and have lost. It was a good day. And, as always, the food was delicious!

"Baby cuteness day"

"Baby cuteness day" is the term Jesse came up with for our trip to the zoo today. Yep, the last day of our week out of school, we went on a short trip to the zoo. It started with the baby black-footed cats. They are too adorable! We saw the momma cat pick up one of the little ones and head down to the hiding place the zookeepers have created, just as the zookeeper came into the habitat. The zookeeper was changing out the enrichments (toys, places to hide in, or crawl on-keeps their minds working). It was cool to watch! She removed a couple of the toys completely and put out new balls (made of a grapevine looking material). She moved one thing (like a bucket, but with a hole on the side) to a new place, moved a stick to create a ramp from a hole in a log, and a new basket of cardboard, cut into small squares. The girls and I spent a few minutes watching and discussing. The girls were fascinated!

Of course, we had to see the baby Galapagos tortoises! They have grown so much since they were put on display. We constantly discuss the fact those tiny creatures will get up to almost 900 pounds and will outlive all of us (200 years). Totally amazing!! But I have to say they are the most adorable creatures to sit and watch, just fascinating!

There is also a young flamingo. He has grown now to be a between two and three feet tall, but he is still a ball of grey down feathers! We were not close enough to see if he has started to turn pink yet or not. He will, but right now he is very easy to spot!

Then there is the baby baboon. He is not so much a baby anymore, but still likes to play and investigate. We watched as he got a lesson in fighting from the head baboon. It was quite the scene. Chloe, especially, adores the baboon. We all think he is fun to watch. You just never know what he'll do.

So there you are a "baby kind of day" for the Morgan girls. We had a lot fun, even though we didn't stay long. Jesse was upset the rock wall didn't open while we were there (10:20 and still nothing); Chloe was looking for the baby penguin, but I don't think he is on display just yet. Or he was hiding in the back so we couldn't see him.

Monday we'll start back to our studies. It was a good week, even though projects were left undone. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses.

A week off!

I always have high hopes for time out of school to get things "done" around the house. {sigh} Here it is Thursday afternoon and...well, I'm saddened by the fact most of my list of things to do this week are still on the list to do.

I was hoping to do more cooking, or sewing, with the girls this week, but that didn't happen either. We did get Chloe's eyes checked (no glasses for now, but possibly next year). We did work on handing out papers, for a project Jesse is working on, at John's old office.

We also had to say goodbye to yet another librarian, Daniel. Not only is he leaving the library but he is moving to Georgia. So, sad. But now we are FB friends so I'm not as heartbroken. I can still lean on him for some wisdom when I need to.

The girls have made plans for their next romp in the theater. They have decided to do the theater in Camden next spring, because the Camden theater is dividing up their students. The spring production will be for middle/elementary students, so Jesse is hoping for a better part than what she's been getting. In fact, she has already decided what part she wants to audition for, the Mayor's wife (Music Man Jr.). Yes, they were in Music Man Jr last summer at CCT. Next spring it will be with Mrs. Candy and both girls are very excited. So is Mrs. Candy! I have not told Mr. Jerry yet. :(

So while things were not accomplished that I wanted accomplished other things did get done. I don't think the girls are looking forward to going back to school, but they have enjoyed their week off. And there is still tomorrow.

New classroom arrangement

The desks went together so easily! It took a couple of tries for us to figure out how to set them up, but this is where they are for now. We may have to tweak it next week when school starts back. We'll see.


The new desks

By having the desks angled this way, I think they will both have good light on their desks. Fingers crossed. The only thing I'm concerned about is the fact that I am behind them. We do oral drills everyday in English, spelling pre-tests and tests, and history map work may prove to be problematic with me behind them. Then again it may not be a problem; we'll know next week.

They are both facing the white board.

While both girls could see the board before, they had to turn sideways. Now, they just look up at the board. 

My desk.



Constant flux!

My mother tells me, often, that I'm constantly rearranging. I have to agree with her. I always feel like things can be improved, even if they seem to work. Today, the classroom is getting a new arrangement.

Of course, school has been going well. We've now completed six weeks and we are starting our first, one week, break. I suppose this would be the week to change the classroom; I mean we won't really be using it. Well, they won't (I still have a bit of work to do, not including the rearranging).

Are you curious yet, as to what is changing? Well. :)  The girls have new desks! Yeah, we broke down and now each one has a desk. The desk are put together, but not set-up with their stuff yet. When they get it done tomorrow, I'll post pictures. John and I had tossed around the idea of each of them having their own desk for awhile now. But tonight we went in to buy them a lamp, for the school table, and came out with two red desks! LOL  The girls have been asking for some color in the classroom and now they'll have some.

I think it will work great for them, but honestly I'm a little curious as to how this will work for me. You see this year, I decided to put my laptop on my desk, instead of the end of the classroom table. This year I used the end of the classroom table for my teacher guides as they were working. It is also where I graded their papers, since my laptop is on my desk. I was thinking of putting my laptop on the "keyboard" pullout of my desk, but I don't think it is wide enough. So, this week I'll be trying to figure out how to make what works for them, work for me.

An unusual day

I admit I am not longer used to meetings and gatherings with large groups, unless they are in taekwondo uniforms and yelling. Today, however, was an unusual day.

This morning I had a meeting with the CCT S.T.A.R. Parent Advisory Board. Yes, someone asked me to be on a board. :)  The meeting went well and, I believe, we accomplished a good bit. But this meant John had the girls. They went fishing! They caught fifteen fish, and released fourteen. They gave one to a man fishing on the pier with them. They had a great time.

This afternoon, I attended my friend's, Julia's, baby shower. We had such a great time. She received so many great gifts and we all finally had a chance to sit around a catch up with each other, after a long summer. Of course, I was sitting with my Yankee friends. Crazy ladies!! I love those two! And I finally got to meet some of the ladies I've heard of, but never had the chance to meet. So fun. And our girls got to go with John to Lowe's. lol 

Fun day, but a long one.

Jesse's birthday "party"

Jesse did not want a party this year. She only wanted the family to go bowling. John wanted to spread out her birthday too, since Chloe had a party before her birthday and a small celebration on her birthday. So, the Sunday, before Jesse's birthday, we all went bowling.

We all had fun, as you can tell by Jesse's last photo. And we each bowled a strike!