One more test to give then the school year will officially be over and I can move on to the next plan.....
Plant swap!
I have been working in my yard every chance I get just because I love to do that as anyone who reads my blog knows fully well. I have added new flowerbeds, a dry creek bed with a small bridge and mulched pathways here and there, moved in the hot tub and have begun to landscape around it in. Things are shaping up.
Now the old flowerbeds look drab and need to be spruced up and updated. I want color in my shady gardens.
The date is set (June 7th starting at 6:30 PM) for next weekend to do a plant swap and plans are now in place to encourage family involvement. A load of play sand will be delivered in a shady location for the little children. The older guys like Caleb will give trailer rides with the lawn mower (not running the blades of course) to the little children (or whomever. You're as young as you feel) and there will be some sort of yard games for the men or women if they choose to play. And last but not least...sharing plants with each other and those who don't have plants hopefully will enjoy just being there. As the evening winds down we will watch the sunset-extravaganza-show provided by God while we sit under the shady oak trees sipping lemonade and eating dirt cake or watermelon while enjoying the company of friends and family.
I've wanted to do this for several years and finally I have put it on the calendar and it IS going to happen.
Wish me luck that it will be fun.
Put it on your calendar
Bring your lawn chairs.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Just hours from the end
Here we are now with just a matter of hours before it is all over.
Two classes completed entirely and three more to go. I will be finished with two more classes tomorrow and one on Thursday. In a mere 36 hours it will all be complete for the year.
Not that I am counting!
Two classes completed entirely and three more to go. I will be finished with two more classes tomorrow and one on Thursday. In a mere 36 hours it will all be complete for the year.
Not that I am counting!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
What Will I Do For work?
She asked me as she sat in my class thinking about the upcoming summer,
"What WILL you do this summer.....like.....for work?"
How innocent!
One of the HUGE differences I see between the young and the old-in-their-eyes is that we are never bored. In fact, I do not HAVE enough time to do all I want to do.
Gardening, painting, cleaning, organizing, bonding with grandchildren, gardening again, going to workshops for art, get my hair cut on a regular basis, finishing the remodeling job like painting, crown modeling and flooring,.........
I just want to have the time to get to do some of the things I have on my list. Instead things that eat up my time are things like house keeping maintenance, laundry, cooking lunch now as well as supper (his mother spoiled him...he wants a big meal for lunch), Go-For tasks......oh, and this year, I have to move all of the furniture out of my rent house and dispose of it or store it.....for sure garage sale.
"What WILL you do this summer.....like.....for work?"
How innocent!
One of the HUGE differences I see between the young and the old-in-their-eyes is that we are never bored. In fact, I do not HAVE enough time to do all I want to do.
Gardening, painting, cleaning, organizing, bonding with grandchildren, gardening again, going to workshops for art, get my hair cut on a regular basis, finishing the remodeling job like painting, crown modeling and flooring,.........
I just want to have the time to get to do some of the things I have on my list. Instead things that eat up my time are things like house keeping maintenance, laundry, cooking lunch now as well as supper (his mother spoiled him...he wants a big meal for lunch), Go-For tasks......oh, and this year, I have to move all of the furniture out of my rent house and dispose of it or store it.....for sure garage sale.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Truthfully....
After watching a movie several months ago, I wrote a blog called Of Wars and Loves (Jan) or something. Basically I was saying that we can change a damaged relationship by our actions. Once we begin treating people kindly, in time they will respond to your kindness with a kindness and the relationship is on the road to recovery.
The whole truth is that this is one of the hardest things to do to act kindly to one you think deserves it so little....the heathen!
Remember those perpetual motion things that were on every businessman's desk in the 70's? They would just sit there and look stupid until someone reached out and pulled the ball back and began the object moving toward the other balls and then it kept up the motion until it drove you crazy and you finally grabbed it and made it stop.
Basically I am saying we must be the first ball that puts the movement in motion. THAT is the hardest step and then the others becomes easier with each step but what a difficult first step it is to make.
I find when I am hurt I want to withdraw and
lick my wounds for awhile before dealing with them.
I want to sulk awhile.
Stew in my juices.
Maybe, if I slam that door one more time....or frown a little more vigorously....
You know.....I want to own my feelings for awhile. They are mine and I deserve to feel hurt!
or angry!
Okay, I can do it! I can be the ball that starts the motion....as long as I don't have to massage any body's feet or anything.....
Just give me a little time to get used to the idea.
The whole truth is that this is one of the hardest things to do to act kindly to one you think deserves it so little....the heathen!
Remember those perpetual motion things that were on every businessman's desk in the 70's? They would just sit there and look stupid until someone reached out and pulled the ball back and began the object moving toward the other balls and then it kept up the motion until it drove you crazy and you finally grabbed it and made it stop.
Basically I am saying we must be the first ball that puts the movement in motion. THAT is the hardest step and then the others becomes easier with each step but what a difficult first step it is to make.
I find when I am hurt I want to withdraw and
lick my wounds for awhile before dealing with them.
I want to sulk awhile.
Stew in my juices.
Maybe, if I slam that door one more time....or frown a little more vigorously....
You know.....I want to own my feelings for awhile. They are mine and I deserve to feel hurt!
or angry!
Okay, I can do it! I can be the ball that starts the motion....as long as I don't have to massage any body's feet or anything.....
Just give me a little time to get used to the idea.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Winding Down the Year
It seems only yesterday that I was blogging about winding down the year but a year has passed since I last blogged on that one.
Now here we are with only fifteen more school days left in our year.
Of the fifteen days I have thirteen working days with my students,
three of those will be end of year testing the last week,
two days next week of online testing while a sub will keep my darlin's since I am the Help Desk Coordinator (what a joke) ,
which really only leaves ten more days of actual teaching time.
I am firing the last of the clay whistles my students made these past couple of weeks and
encouraging my students to complete projects they started that they did not finish earlier in the year.
Winding down, excitement building!
Now I am searching for fun meaningful projects to round off the year that can be finished in ten days.
The last week I ALWAYS do the M&M drawings for my test and give them three full class periods to complete it (and if they know what is good for them they should use every minute of it. It takes time to create a masterpiece).
I must post some pictures of the M&Ms that my students do. They love doing the projects because they think drawing circles is easy and actually it is not really difficult to draw the candy itself but the bag has to be included and it is crinkled and wrinkled not really a rectangle and requires a close examination for details. Those who are seniors and are completing the M&M drawing for the third or fourth year have it figured out and do a really nice job. In fact, I have seen at least one in Caleb's frame shop to be framed. That always makes me happy.
When I think back over the past year with my students I can remember a number of paintings, drawings and good artwork that I hope parents will appreciate enough to have framed, not just because my son will profit but because it is so good for our children when we value their work.
Like the majority of teachers I am ready for the break.
I think maybe teachers are more excited than the kids could ever imagine.
In fact as excited as the kids are to be out of school, teachers ARE more excited.
Now here we are with only fifteen more school days left in our year.
Of the fifteen days I have thirteen working days with my students,
three of those will be end of year testing the last week,
two days next week of online testing while a sub will keep my darlin's since I am the Help Desk Coordinator (what a joke) ,
which really only leaves ten more days of actual teaching time.
I am firing the last of the clay whistles my students made these past couple of weeks and
encouraging my students to complete projects they started that they did not finish earlier in the year.
Winding down, excitement building!
Now I am searching for fun meaningful projects to round off the year that can be finished in ten days.
The last week I ALWAYS do the M&M drawings for my test and give them three full class periods to complete it (and if they know what is good for them they should use every minute of it. It takes time to create a masterpiece).
I must post some pictures of the M&Ms that my students do. They love doing the projects because they think drawing circles is easy and actually it is not really difficult to draw the candy itself but the bag has to be included and it is crinkled and wrinkled not really a rectangle and requires a close examination for details. Those who are seniors and are completing the M&M drawing for the third or fourth year have it figured out and do a really nice job. In fact, I have seen at least one in Caleb's frame shop to be framed. That always makes me happy.
When I think back over the past year with my students I can remember a number of paintings, drawings and good artwork that I hope parents will appreciate enough to have framed, not just because my son will profit but because it is so good for our children when we value their work.
Like the majority of teachers I am ready for the break.
I think maybe teachers are more excited than the kids could ever imagine.
In fact as excited as the kids are to be out of school, teachers ARE more excited.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
WOW, what an experience
The Ladies Spring Luncheon was a HUGE success. I got out just before 11:00 to take a few pictures of decorations and then got a few of people after we all got started eating. The pictures do not do justice to how beautiful it looked. All those little details we fixated over are not even evident in the pictures. We had just under 50 in attendance.
I loved being a part of this great experience! I am PUMPED!
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