So Happy Together

The Sky is Falling!!! The Sky is Falling!!!

2011-09-23T23:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while but the following article has forced me to speak again! ;o)

Huge Defunct Satellite Falling to Earth Faster Than Expected, NASA Says

Normally these types of things of which I will speak are muttered under my breath or spoken in incredulous tones to my husband (bless his heart) ..... but this article ..... this article alone has risen to a new level that has caused me to go public with my impatience and abject incredulity of the state of today's something or other. (I'm not sure what - but whatever it is .... it highly rankles me!)

I know....I know.....there are far bigger things to worry about - but let me just cite a few observations.

First the title: Huge Defunct Satellite Falling to Earth Faster Than Expected, NASA Says.

Hmmmmm - so they built a satellite but can't calculate it's fall. Ok. That would be hard. I can't remember how to calculate fractions into percentages or percentages into fractions - so it's ok. I give them that.

Ok. Next, I quote: "NASA space junk experts have refined the forecast for the anticipated death plunge of a giant satellite, with the U.S. space agency now predicting the 6 1/2-ton climate probe will plummet to Earth around Sept. 23, a day earlier than previously reported."

Ummmmm...DEATH PLUNGE!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Is it just me or does that sound disturbing. Impressive description coupled with the words 6 1/2 tons and then a casual "day earlier". I was kinda thinking they'd be calculating milliseconds - not days or so. I mean I can predict I'll have a baby on say a Wednesday give or take a day or two!

Next: "But exactly where the UARS spacecraft will fall is still unknown.

NASA expects at least 26 large pieces of the massive satellite to survive the scorching temperatures of re-entry and reach Earth's surface. Titanium pieces and onboard tanks could be among that debris....."

Waaaaiiiiittttttttt.............WHUUUUUUUUUUUUH????????????? 26 LARGE PIECES?!?!?!? Don't know where? Aren't those tanks pretty big? This doesn't sound so good guys.

"The debris is expected to fall over a swath of Earth about 500 miles." Ok - so we're not talkin it's gonna fall in a lake or field or something. Roughly a "swath" from Sherman, TX to Clarinda, Iowa. Mmmmhmmmm.

"There is a 1-in-3,200 chance of satellite debris hitting a person on the ground, odds that NASA says are extremely remote. Outside experts agree." 1 in 3,200!?!?!?!? How many people live between Sherman and Clarinda?!?!?!? I would feel so much better if they'd say one in 50 million! SO much better!!!! Ugh.

And my favorite: ""Look at how much of Earth is covered with water," Victoria Samson, the Washington Office Director of the Secure World Foundation, an organization dedicated to the peaceful use of outer space, told SPACE.com this week. "There's a really good chance it's going to go straight into the ocean." And .............. a REALLY good chance it's not!!!!!!!

"NASA officials expect the UARS satellite to fall over a region somewhere between the latitudes of northern Canada and southern South America" Ohhhhhh! That narrows it down! ;o)

"NASA.......[is] keeping a close watch on the falling satellite, but will only be able to pinpoint its actual crash zone to within about 6,000 miles (10,000 km) about two hours before re-entry." Ok - I don't even know what to say at this point. Give or take 6000 miles with roughly two hours warning w a 500 mile swath give or take a day or two? I'm beginning to wonder if my son's 5th grade class could make a better prediction or calculation than that. I mean there are some smart cookies in there and they even have to show their work to prove their problems!!!

And finally: "NASA has advised the public not to touch any debris that may reach the surface, should it be discovered. Instead, the space agency says that anyone who finds satellite debris should contact their local law enforcement agency." How about NASA advises the debris not to touch any of the public!?!?!? I'd prefer that. And I'm guessing if any of it does touch us we will likely pretty much be unable to call our local law enforcement agency.

So on the off chance I'm in the 500 mile swath of the 6 1/2 ton climate probe with two hours warning give or take 6000 miles - just know I'm happy, peaceful, content, no regrets and I have spoken my piece......." :o)

I feel so much better now that I have that off my chest!

Sweet dreams to all ...... of twinkling stars .....(not flaming satellite pieces!) HAHAHA! Goodnight!

Arlington ISD Asks For Help With Budget Cuts « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

2011-02-20T09:35:00.000-06:00

Arlington ISD Asks For Help With Budget Cuts « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

2010-08-09T16:51:00.000-05:00

“Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves”

Teilhard de Chardin -

Would You Wear One Of These????

2010-08-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

Yes . . . it's a shower ring. And I'm guessing your answer is probably 'NO!' But after you visit here: Bracelets . . . you may just change your mind! :o)

If I had any craft-ability in me I'd try it (hahaha! I'm already picturing masses of melted plastic stuck to my fingers, hair, clothes, counters, etc. It's not a pretty visual!) :o)

But for those of you that are - I just had to pass this along!

Happy Crafting!

Cowboy T's Random Question of the Day . . .

2010-08-02T00:53:00.000-05:00

Quiet moment during the day. Everyone quietly doing their own things.

Then - the silence is broken by the following conversation:

T: Hey Mom?
Me: Yeah T?
T: Do they make acid proof buckets?
Me: . . . . . ?????? . . . . . ?????????????????? . . . . . . ummmmmmm . . .

(should I be concerned . . . ?) ;o) But seriously - I mean he has a good point! What DO they keep acid in???? Hmmm. But where in the world did that random thought come from?!?!?! Ahhhhh . . . we've moved WAY past 'why is the sky blue'!

For all Moms and anyone who influences the lives of our children!

2010-07-31T11:05:00.001-05:00

Why Oh Why Oh Why?!?!?!?!?!?

2010-07-31T02:16:00.000-05:00

WHY is this what I see at the foot of my bed at one in the morning?!?!?!?!

(please refrain from answering that question as I am quite sure it will link back to my stunning parenting skills! HA!)

And THIS my friends . . . is the glory of summer!

LOVE THEM!!!!!!! (the crazy nuts!) :o)

MoMatron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-30T21:03:00.001-05:00

So . . . a little background. Because we both work - our children have cell phones. They are mainly to contact us before and after school as needed. Of course - the oldest two LOVE this concept!! Cowboy T isn't really phased by it either way. He rarely uses it or cares where it is for that matter!

Yesterday I noticed his phone was dead so I plugged it in to charge it. Imagine my surprise when I see a large amount of texts rolling in. Even more odd was that they were all under the name of MoMatron. My brain began rapidly flipping through the rolodex storage files of all knowledge I have - and after a few seconds (hahaha!) I realized I was unable to associate the name with anything.

So I somewhat irritatedly questioned out loud to my sweet children . . . "Who is this Mo Matron person on Travis' phone!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!" It wasn't even a half a second when they all burst out into laughter. I didn't get it. So I threw in my best "I-don't-know-what-you're-laughing-at-but-I-see-no-reason-for-any-laughter-until-my-question-is-answered" look. It did nothing to quell the laughter but it did speed up a response. Hrmph.

Did I feel silly or what when they lovingly told me that this strange person sending my sweet son a plethora of texts was . . . . . . ME!!!!! I. AM. MOM-A-TRON!!!!!!!!!!

I am beyond honored and flattered! A super hero of sorts! Perhaps a Transformer! I am Momatron! (I guess it was the other capital M that threw me off! :o)

I wasn't irritated any more - just to clear up that little silly tiny matter I mentioned!

Wow! I had no idea my children felt so Super-ish about me! Life is good!

Ok kids . . . BRING IT!!!!!!!

2010-07-29T23:40:00.000-05:00

I find myself trying rather unsuccessfully to claw my way out of this deep bewildering pit of "natural bickering of childhood" (as my own children claimed it to be while cheerily defending themselves). In sheer desperation tonight I found myself constructing a way to manage this self-consuming issue with the least possible amount of parental involvement on my part that I can think of. (I'm SO going to win mother-of-the year!!!) ;o)

So here is my newest strategy which will be unveiled tomorrow. I printed 20 copies after which my printer proudly proclaimed (and then snickered) (I swear! I heard it! I'm not kidding! It's also part of this maddening unnerving plot against me! I'm ok. Really. I am.) that it was out of ink. With 20 copies we just might make it to about 10 AM. (Hello sweet Office Depot! See YOU in the morning!)

You know . . . the more I think about it . . . I do recall bickering with my own sisters. Maybe it is a natural part of childhood. Maybe the madness part of it is just me!!!! Aggghhhh!!!! And as such . . . I may be seeking professional help!!! Or maybe I just need a nice relaxing massage. (not likely!) Or a trip to the store by myself? (Ugh!) Or a walk to the mailbox. (Too hot!) Ok maybe just a walk upstairs. (All the way up there?) A trip to the bathroom? (well I'd have to get up to do that) . . . Maybe there's some chocolate in the house. Hmmm . . . Oh look!!!! I guess this semi-melted, sticky, fuzzy m&m between the couch cushions will do. Mmmm Yummy! Ahhh . . . yep . . . that did the trick. Now I can go on - I've had my "me" moment. I'm good for . . . oh . . .say another 10-15 minutes. HA!!! :o)

Conflict Resolution Request

Circle one: Is this URGENT or a NON-ISSUE ?

Is there fire or blood involved? YES NO

Can this matter be worked out between the disputing parties without outside mediation?

YES NO

Circle one: Is this a TATTLE or a TELLING ?

If it is a non-issue, blood or fire is not involved, the matter can be worked out independently between the two parties or the matter is classified as a tattle please place this paper in the closest waste receptacle.

If further intervention is still necessary – please briefly describe below:

Names of parties involved: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Issue of dispute: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like it? ____ Why not? ________________________________________________________________________________

What would you like to happen instead? __________________________________________________________________________

Please communicate your above comments to the other party involved.

If this matter still requires further intercession please sign below, deposit on your progenitor’s pillow.

Your Signature _________________________________________________________________

All requests will be responded to within a three day period.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Dad & Mom

My Silly Silly Boys

2010-05-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

An Open Letter to the CEO of ECMC

2010-04-18T22:12:00.001-05:00

After receiving a letter from ECMC (student loan company) regarding the theft of my personal info I wrote this in a much needed attempt to vent . . . not so much on the actual topic below . . . but it sure provided a great avenue to release a whole lot of pent up emotion! ;o)

April 13, 2010

Dear Janice,

Thanks for your letter dated 3/31/2010. It’s good to hear from you. I received your letter on 04/12/2010. This letter notified me that my personal information has been stolen – including my social security number, birthday, loan information, address, etc “resulting in the potential loss of your personal information.” (my own emphasis included) I appreciate your assurance that no savings, checking or credit card account numbers were included in the theft. Phewph! That’s a relief!

In the nearly two weeks time it has taken for me to receive this information it is possible that my credit has already been completely destroyed and while no credit card or other account information was included – it’s ok. I’m sure that didn’t stop anyone from opening up new accounts, running up all kinds of charges that I will be held responsible for in the years to come. It’s fine really. I’ll find out about them as I try and purchase a car (trust me – my crappy Daewoo (they don’t even make those anymore) that’s pushing 120,000 miles won’t last through the end of the year), a home (not in today’s market!), run a credit check for my children’s braces (can you believe all three of them need braces?!?! Just our luck!) – oh – and of course, as I try to secure student loans for my own children’s college education which is now only a few years away.

I am impressed that you have now chosen to enhance your electronic and physical security protocol. What a relief that my information won’t be stolen yet again. But wait . . . there’s more! I’m the lucky winner of 12 months free triple alert coverage monitoring membership! Woohoo! You know now I’m really comforted. Because now instead of being at the counter of the orthodontist when I’m declined – or on the verge of signing house papers when I’m denied financing – I’ll know ahead of time which will spare me the horrific embarrassment of other people witnessing my disbelief. (That usually involves my mouth hanging open, stammering, wide-etc. Not very pretty to be witnessed. So I’m relieved about that.) What’s that you say? We can always rely on my husband’s credit? Funny thing you should mention that . . . he got a letter from you today too! Since your name is signed to each one I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what his said too!

Here’s the funny thing . . . when I activate or enroll in the triple protection I’ve won since my info was stolen - I’m sure I get to give them all my information (ha! Ironic don’t you think?!?!?) – which will no doubt be protected (hopefully) by the same methods of your new security protocol. I’m a tad confused at the wording at the end of page one. “When you call, blah blah blah place a fraud alert at no charge.” Wait! What? At no charge? See to me that kind of wording indicates that at some point there will be a charge. So now I’m suspicious. Not that I was before or anything – but is this a commercial to get me to sign up for something? You know – like those diet pills on tv where they say 90 day free trial – and in fine print it says if you don’t cancel on the 3^rd Thursday that has a barometric pressure of .257 when allergies are high you will be charged $500 every month automatically for the rest of your life. Thankfully, I’ve never needed to buy any of those – but I do often wonder about the ethical marketing practices of those companies. However, I digress. Surely in the midst of this theft which has affected 3.3 million people (did I mention how much better that makes me feel. Oh! Well 3.2999999999999 other people had their info stolen too. No big deal. I’m part of the masses – don’t complain – trudge on like the rest!) no one would be trying to make gain further down the line from this - making a profit off of me from this crime which has been committed.

See I guess part of my thinking is that my husband and I are raising three children. Since my personal information isn’t personal any more – I’ll go ahead and tell you they are 13, 11, and 9. These three children are what we feel will be our greatest contribution to society. Why you may ask? Well I will tell you. Thanks for asking. See our kids are being raised to be honest, have a moral compass and understand that actions have consequences. Not just “I’m sorry” and it’s all ok – but seriously – actions have consequences. So for instance hmmmm. . . let’s say that my son’s teacher has entrusted him with the trophies for field day for the entire class. They are in his backpack and his teacher says, “Tyler, keep these safe. I’m depending on you.” “You bet I will!” he replies and they head off to the playground. Well, after a while he is tired maybe a bit complacent and thirsty too. So he takes that backpack off and sets it down right beside him at the water fountain to take a drink. In that split second that he takes that drink and stands back up – it’s gone. Rather than drawing this out – you can fill in what happens between him and the teacher and the note that comes home. The teary face that gets in the car after school . . . Here’s where the story picks back up. When he gets home there are a lot of ways this could go. We could say: A. That teacher never should have given him that responsibility B. Oh well. C. It’s not your fault baby. D. Here’s a letter to your teacher saying sorry and good luck with that or E. You were given a responsibility. Sometimes these things happen and people might be dishonest and do wrong things that affect you. But when we have been entrusted it is our responsibility to make sure things are cared for. Let’s make a plan on how you can earn the money back to make sure your class has new trophies in time. –Now clearly that might require us to help him in order to reach that goal – but that would be the right thing to do. Not say – “Sorry Teach – too bad about those trophies! Guess what – I’ll take a picture of some trophies and maybe you can pass those out and that’ll make everyone happy for a while. It’s no big deal.

I feel comforted by your statement on page two Janice - that you “regret any difficulties this incident may have caused you.” Regret for 3.3 million must weigh heavy late at night. Just think of all those individual headaches that must cause – not just once – but all the headaches over the YEARS it takes to clean up identity theft.

My favorite part of your whole letter was this:

No police report available at the time – but if you want it – you’re on your own. It’s your problem. Don’t contact us about it – call the police department (are they prepared for 3.3 million calls? – oh wait – most of us are masses that just keep trudging on – opening the mail – reading this same form letter shaking our head – and then dealing with the realities of our days without time to meticulously plan and follow up on our impending identity theft) – and by the way – here’s the police department number which is long distance on your own dime. I guess mailing the report out to us when it becomes available isn’t a responsible option? It’s only OUR information that was stolen. It just seems a little odd that wouldn’t be a natural response or expectation for something that we had entrusted and yet has been stolen.

What I love the most (I guess I keep saying that – your letter just really tickled me) is that this is not the first letter I’ve received like this. Actually, this is probably my sixth letter from a company I was supposed to trust warning me that my identity has been thefted by someone. (And yes – I know that’s not a word. It just seemed to fit.) Don’t worry – not all six were from your company of course. Banks, student loans, car loans, etc. - they all send a very similar letter – opps lost your stuff – sorry about that – try your free trial for this tracking company – have a great day! But at this point I’m guessing my identity is non-existent. In fact, I’m looking into renting a billboard and putting all my info – you know – social, bday, name, age, favorite color, checking account balance (oh wait – that might deter someone), hobbies, etc and then have at it. Go for it world!!!! Here’s my info! Keep it safe!!!!!! And so – now that you know the multitude of letters I’ve received regarding the same topic – and that your company is not the first – I just want to thank you for your time. Hopefully you have a sense of humor and understand it’s been a long day. Your letter allowed me the opportunity to vent a million other things that just culminated into your letter – because you know what? I admit. I am one of the masses. How do we even begin to fight back against this? I’m mad but I will trudge along as usual. I’m too tired. I work hard all day. I teach special needs kids – 3 and 4 years old (some with significant behaviors that cause me to come home black and blue). With that in mind - I LOVE my job because I love my students and I love teaching them. The rewards are immeasurable - but it makes me tired. But I don’t stop then. I come home and try to raise our kids to be the best citizens they can possibly be. But when the day is over – I’m done. Tracking down my credit doesn’t cross my mind. My husband works extremely hard too. We are exhausted at the end of each day. Between the two of us we make enough to break even. We’re not big spenders. You know our type . . . we shop at Walmart (even the thrift store here and there – but shhh – don’t tell). Sometimes we don’t go to birthday parties because the cost of a gift just isn’t in our budget that month. Shopping at Target is upscale to us – at least until we get through this whole braces and college thing. So this finally brings me to a close.

I appreciate your time. Perhaps this letter put a smile on someone’s face as they do their job of reading mail all day long. Perhaps it will even reach your desk. You have to admit it’s better than Dear blah blah blah. Your account is yadda yadda yadda. Besides your name – Janice - sounded like a nice person’s name with a hint of a sense of humor, understanding and optimism. I know your letter to us had to pass all kinds of lawyer tests and stuff – but just between you and me Janice – it came off a little form letterish. I’m sure that wasn’t your intent. Sometimes all those stuffy CEO, President, CFO, COO, C3P0, titles get in the way of just a real person – who may actually - quite possibly be understanding and maybe a little tired at the end of a long day too.

Sincerely and with respect,

Mary E.

(whose favorite color happens to be yellow)

HUGE blessings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

So my Buddy plays the cello. So far he's played a 3/4 size cello and loves it. Problem is he keeps growing! :o) And soon he will need a full size cello. This has weighed on us greatly. A few days ago we were at the local music store picking up a new string and of course - we went and looked at the used cellos just to see. They were $3100+ This is why it's been weighing on us. I was worried Bobby would be this big 17 year old hunched over a miniature looking cello. On our way home my bro-in-law called and told me this obscure little music store I'd never heard of was going out of business. It just so happened that when he told me that I was sitting at a red light - DIRECTLY in front of where the store was! Coincidence? I think not.

We went in and I asked about strings, a banjo . . . (they didn't have any - but someday!!!!! I will find one!) :o), and a few other musical-ish things. Then on a whim I asked if they had any used full size cellos. He said he had one but it was pretty beat up and didn't have a bow. I asked to see it anyway. When he unzipped the case . . . we were both speechless. It was beautiful!!!!!!!! The neck had been repaired at one point - but didn't affect the quality of the instrument. I later looked online to see if it was a huge deal and several luthier's websites said it didn't matter. So anyway - I took a deep breath and asked how much. We both heard him start with a 7 and our hearts sunk thinking he was about to say $700 . . . and then he finished w a 5. Seriously! He did! $75!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then he went in the back and found a really nice bow he just threw in too. I can't believe how blessed we were!!!! We got it home and it has the most beautiful tone too it. It is amazing! I looked up the maker and it's not factory made - but luthier made. A couple days later we went back and my Mom found a hard cello case for $50 (which online used for the same kind is $350). Now it will be protected in a better case too! I just wanted to cry I was so relieved and felt so blessed! Bubba is so happy he has been playing and playing - which we love! He is really really good! He doesn't play like a 6th grader that's for sure! So proud of how hard he works!

Fun Old Summer Pictures . . .

2010-03-20T00:45:00.000-05:00

OUCH!!!!!!!!! Seriously!!! OUCH!!!!

2010-03-19T23:55:00.004-05:00

So Bubba was so excited when his friends from church called to go play laser tag at the local pizza/bowling place. They were there about 30 minutes when he fell and hit his head on one of those metal railings like they use when you're lined up for a roller coaster or something. It happened so quickly that he didn't have time to put his hands out to break his fall. They immediately brought him home and we went straight to the ER. They did a CAT scan and everything is a-ok. The doctor said: "We checked his brain and nothing was there!" That was the comedic relief we needed - although the doctor was so embarrassed when he realized what he'd said. We all thought it was pretty funny though - even Bobby!

But bless his heart - he does have a concussion and he's still in quite a bit of pain - but he was so brave and such a trooper about the hospital. It's not his favorite place at all. I am so incredibly grateful everything was ok. There aren't words that seem appropriate enough to actually express how deeply I mean that. A lot of worries go through your mind as a parent - and Bobby had a lot of questions on the way there about what might happen that I honestly didn't know what to tell him. Thankfully we didn't have to worry about any of that. He said the CAT scan was a little scary. They wouldn't let me go in with him and it seemed like an eternity for both me and him - but I guess it was only about 10 min. One of his school teachers had recently told the class all kinds of horror stories about when MRI and CAT scans go bad! (Thanks a lot!!) But he made it through just fine! Phewph!

The picture below is while we were on the way to the ER. It's the biggest bump I've ever seen - so if it might make you queasy don't look. I think my Bubba was most upset because he was doing a great job at laser tag and they were going to play a second round and then go to the park and he had to miss all of that. Poor guy! It looks like he'll probably end up with double black eyes as it drains and heals. He looks a lot better today. The area is swollen and tender - but nothing like yesterday - thank goodness!

Who is that masked mammal?!?!?!?

2010-03-18T21:43:00.002-05:00

So rumor has it that our school attic houses a little family of raccoons. While I've never seen them personally there is strong evidence they exist. Coming back after summer vacation we noticed considerably less fish in the fish tank and a dead one on the floor with bite marks on it. A quick review of the security cameras showed a mama raccoon sneaking out at night - climbing on top of the fish tank - lifting the lid - scooping up fish and flinging them down to the floor for her babies to eat! All mama's have to feed their babies!!!

New Blog

2010-01-05T18:55:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't been great about posting lately - and I promise I'll get better. I have so much to share!

But check this out! My new blog: http://mrsmarysclass.blogspot.com/

I designed it with my student's parents in mind. There is so much information out there and many of them are at the beginning of this journey in need of a little direction and support.

Anyway - I thought some of y'all might enjoy it too. :o)

If you come across anything that would be good to share - send it on!

Much Better

2010-01-05T18:47:00.003-06:00

So I went and I'm fine. :o) Some things occurred that mean I will need to go back and testify on Friday. I will get served another subpoena. Just going today and seeing the place and the people made my nerves settle and I don't think I'll have any problem on Friday. The unknown always makes me nervous until I can at least visualize it in my head.

The Family Courts building has got to be one of the saddest places. If you ever need to feel grateful or blessed go there. I've never seen such excruciating pain and anguish written on people's faces. It was really humbling. Thanks for all the prayers and support! I really really appreciate it!

Headed to Court

2010-01-04T23:52:00.002-06:00

I've been subpoenaed to testify in a court case in the morning in relation to a student of mine.

I have no problem with doing it - but without any frame of reference for something like this I'm a little nervous not knowing what to expect. I just keep praying I won't get flustered and that my mind will be clear. Sometimes the thoughts in my head get all jumbled under pressure - but hopefully as they come out of my mouth they will be just fine! :o) Should be interesting!

Time for a New Mary Moment . . .

2009-12-24T10:47:00.002-06:00

Bob was reading the news and ran across a bizarre article that he decided to tell me about.

Here was our exchange:

Bob: "Oh my heavens! This says an Argentinian model died from a butt implant!"

Me (across the room): "What?!?!?!?! A model died in a Funyun plant?!?!?!?!?" "How in the world do you die in a Funyun plant? Did she fall in a vat of batter? How awful to die in a Funyun plant!!!!"

It may be time for a hearing/brain check! ;o) Heh heh heh!

Update

2009-12-24T10:33:00.002-06:00

We LOVE our new home. It is beautiful and so quiet! The neighborhood is normal and small and gated. The town house is beautiful and easy to keep clean. It's big enough for all of us and it just feels so nice.

Yesterday the kids did their chores - the laundry was clean - and the house was all tidy. Bob and I looked at each other in amazement. There was nothing to fix - no house projects to work on - no never-ending list of broken things. LOVE IT!!!! We actually have time to do other things. We will save money too by not having to fix so much!

Anyway - we're happy! Everything just fell into place for us. It's nice to be free of the old house and all the heavy weight that came with it.

Yea! What an amazing answer to prayer! So many times we'd try to move and it just never ever fell into place. Finally we stopped trying to force it to happen. We knew when the Lord was ready and everything was right it would just happen and there would be no doubt it was time. And it did. It was one of those things that was so complicated and every single piece of the puzzle lined up all by itself that there was no way to deny that the Lord's hand was in every step. Sometimes our plan and our timing - for whatever reason - is not what is supposed to happen. Down the road maybe we'll be able to look back and see all the reasons why - but for now we are just so incredibly grateful to be where we are. It is such a comfort to Bob when he travels to know we are here and happy. It's truly one of those massive blessings we couldn't have even imagined 6 months ago.

It's Honey Doll!!!!

2009-12-24T10:20:00.003-06:00

Look what I found! This is Honey Doll! I got her when I was 2. She knows all my deepest darkest secrets! ;o) hahaha! My sisters always tried to squeeze her head and torture her. I often found her bungee jumping from the ceiling fan, rappelling the kitchen cupboards, and ransom notes left in her place. She went to Germany and Jerusalem with me - just for a picture to prove she was there of course . . . !

Can you believe she's being sold for $185!?!?!?!? Not MY Honey Doll of course - she's a little more worn - a little more loved - and a whole lot more tired than this one. But it was really fun to see her like this. I always wondered why I named her Honey Doll . . . and now I know! :o)

We're moving

2009-10-18T18:03:00.007-05:00

So yep! We are! With a massive amount of travel coming for Bob - it just made sense. We'll be at the new place for a year or so. The list of reasons why it is perfect was enormous. The list of reasons to leave the house was just as long. We're hoping to quickly sell the house as is - or find an investor/ugly house place to buy it. It just is in need of things bigger than we are able to manage right now. So it will put us in a different ward - but not too far. We'll still see everyone often I'm sure. It will be a relief to all of us to open this new chapter. Hooray!

Smart aleck = Smart aleck

2009-10-07T22:14:00.003-05:00

We were cleaning up tonight and there were three pairs of Travis' shoes in the family room. I told him to go pick them up and put them away because the family room was NOT his closet.

His reply? "Ohhhh! That would explain the TV!"

(I don't know where he gets it!)

Mourn with those who mourn

2009-10-04T08:26:00.005-05:00

My husband's cousin posted this on her blog and I had to share it.

We had the opportunity to do just this last night. Well-meaning words don't often ease the pain in moments of grief or despair. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say or do. But last night I knew. We just sat. The kids understood and I knew a precious life lesson was being embedded. We stayed and were just there. There were moments of quiet and stories and memories were told. After several hours everyone's eyes grew heavy and I knew we should go - but when we readied to leave it was obvious we were still needed and so we stayed until it was finally ok. Even then - it was difficult to leave. We sat outside in the car for a bit - all of us wanting to leave our hearts inside. I hope it's something my children always remember. Our hearts felt so full while we were there. I'm so grateful Crystal posted this video. I really appreciated its beautiful illustration.

2009-09-19T13:36:00.003-05:00

I'm so glad it's the weekend! I got an extra day added to mine since I stayed home with Travis yesterday. He's really sick. So it's not like it was for fun. But I'm so glad I did. He needed his momma! Our weekend was packed with various activities but we've cancelled everything. It's turned into a nice slow day for our family and I'm actually really grateful for that and for our time at home together instead of all the scheduled activities. I'm sure at this point I am covered in his germs after sitting with him and holding him all day and night - and I totally don't want to get anyone else sick so it's ok that we just stay in.

The whole week I had a mighty fierce cold of my own. I felt so incredibly lousy I ended up going to the dr. mid-week. He declared it one of my usual colds and gave me some yummy happy cough syrup w codeine for bedtime. Luckily the worst part was over when Travis got sick.

At school one of my classes was down to one student (because one kept coming w the flu and got all the others sick).

Speaking of school, my student teacher starts Monday! I'm excited about that. I also have a conference in San Marcos coming up. I hate to have to leave home for it - but the topic will be really helpful and it's just a short trip.

Could anything be grosser?

2009-09-13T20:15:00.007-05:00

Ok - so I should have said 'more gross' instead of grosser. Anyhoo! Perhaps due to the recent heavy moisture and obvious leaks we had a few visitors last night. I'm just glad my feet didn't find them before my eyes. The ones above were not the actual slugs found during our incident and yet they looked identical in size, shape and color. Eeeewwwww!!!! Icky icky ick! The funniest part is that one of them left a lovely trail all over Katie's shoe that she'd left out! hahaha! We laughed. She didn't! I mean it's one thing for a snail to be sliming around . . . but a slug? Ewww just ugly without a cute little shell. Bleech!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2009-09-13T20:08:00.002-05:00

Actually, I like the rain a lot! The part I don't like is this:

heh heh heh! Funny picture huh! Apparently our roof has a couple of leaks. The one in our family room completely filled the bucket last night. Ahhhh! Life is just full of unexpected surprises.

Hey! In a shout out to the B-52's . . .

"Shingled Roof! . . . Leaky!" ;o)

My Names

2009-09-07T01:29:00.003-05:00

Ok - one more post while I'm thinking about it. That last post reminded me about this one. At school the kids are little and can't always say things right - so I wanted to write down some of the names I've been called so far:

Manny
Ma
Mrs. Mare
Nany
Mrs. Maredee (like a french accent)
Marwee
Mommy :o)

So cute! I love it!

Finger/Splinter Update

2009-09-07T01:24:00.003-05:00

So remember that post about my finger? The kind of gross one? Click here for a refresh.

So anyway - it just got worse and worse and more painful too. I finally went to the doctor and he gave me an antibiotic to take. He said it looked like a bacterial infection had set in. Pretty gross huh! Well - it's already doing better. He said to scrub it with a nailbrush to try and get the rest of the splinters and stuff out. It's worked so far because it's a lot better than it was. Still tender at times - but at least I don't have to bandage it all up to protect it anymore. That was kind of confusing the kids at school. One of my students at school would ask over and over "Mrs. Mary? You got an owie?" So cute.

Anyway - just in case anyone wanted an update . . . there it is! :o)

Cowboy T!

2009-09-07T01:21:00.002-05:00

My little man isn't so little anymore!

Maggie Girl!

2009-09-07T01:19:00.001-05:00

She's such a great dog. So loyal and protective. I'm so grateful for her!

Yum Yum!!!!

2009-09-07T01:15:00.002-05:00

From school - for me and my TA. We have close birthdays. The parents surprised us with flowers, balloons and this absolutely sinful and delicious cake. Mmmmmm!

Vultures

2009-08-23T08:58:00.002-05:00

So I'm driving home and as we near our house I see a big black animal in our trash that was out for pick up. Too big for a cat but not shaped like a dog. As we get closer I realize there are 3 vultures in our trash! WHAT?!?!?!?!? They were HUGE. You totally can't tell from the picture. I don't know how to zoom on my phone - plus I was trying not to crash because the truck currently has no power steering. Anyway - it's not like we had an animal carcass in our trash. Probably nothing more than paper cups and oreo wrappers! hahahaha But apparently maybe they like oreos! I pulled up really close to them and they kind of just looked at me and then sauntered down to the next house's trash. What a cocky attitude! They looked at me like "Yeah - all three of us could take you!" So we got out of the truck and as we're going in I realize there's a fourth one on the peak of the house across the street - just watching from above. That was creepy! Kind of Darth Vader-ish!

I mean seriously! Vultures? In this town? In the dead center of a busy metroplex? It's actually the second time I've seen them around. So if you're nearby . . . keep an eye out . . . and watch your small children and dogs! hahaha

Me and My Bud

2009-08-16T19:55:00.003-05:00

Watch out 6th grade! Here he comes!!!!

Yeowiee!

2009-08-08T21:12:00.003-05:00

At some point (I think maybe the last week of school) I vaguely remember scraping some mulch/dirt/twigs out of the way with my fingers as I played with some child (who in my vague recollection that I can recall - remains just out of view). Immediately after I remember thinking - that wasn't a good idea - as I felt a little pain and noticed all the gunk under my nails. I thought to myself 'I hope I didn't get any splinters' and then blowing it off by figuring they would just work themselves out if I did.

WELL I DID - AND THEY ARE - AND IT HURRRRTTTSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For weeks and months now they have been working their way out from under my nail. I have managed to pull two out - then the process started all over again and I can see three more coming. I just sincerely hope that's all there are. It's really painful. I've been putting on the pain relief neosporin and covering it with a bandaid - but ow. ow. ow.

Ok - I'm done whining. I promise more exciting things have been going on. My life has not been reduced to this. I just needed to have a quick pity party for one.

And the party is now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . over.

Thank you very much.

And . . .

Goodnight.

2009-08-04T00:53:00.002-05:00

In the space of about 20 minutes today I got calls that two families close to me had lost loved ones. My heart hurts for their losses and for the grief they bear. It's always difficult to know that as we go about our usual daily tasks - others are experiencing that kind of pain and loss. In addition - one of our students is not fairing well and it's always difficult to watch such sweet and innocent children suffer. I always wish there was a way to lighten all of their suffering and burden - but sometimes it seems like prayer is the only way to ask for the peace and comfort their hearts really need. My thoughts and prayers are with all of them tonight.

Calling All Friends With Babies!!!!

2009-08-01T10:57:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! If any of y'all are at that point in life where you are using the gerber baby food tubs like these - and might possibly not mind saving them for me with the lids - I will love you forever! :o) There is a literacy activity I'm working on for my class and these little tubs would be perfect to store the letter tiles in. Mucho Gracias Amigas!

And Yet Even More . . .

2009-07-31T20:20:00.002-05:00

And just to update to the previous post - while eating dinner a few minutes ago came another question - out of thin air.

"What would happen if you threw a ticking grenade into space?"

Ummm . . . maybe it's all the non-fiction books he checks out from the library. I'm just so curious what he's thinking in his head that doesn't actually get spoken! He's so fun! :o)

More Cowboy T

2009-07-31T19:59:00.002-05:00

So Bob bought me a nice organizer basket to hold stuff on my desk. It's made out of some type of sea grass and is really pretty. However after about a week of searching for a not-so-pretty smell (which we immediately blamed on the poor dog) we realized it was the lovely basket on my desk.

I ask Bob: Why in the world would they sell something that smells like pee?

Cowboy T jumps in: Probably because some monkey peed on it before they sent it here.

How do you even respond to that? Only Cowboy T can send me to the point where I'm at a loss for words . . .

Question of the Night (by Travis)

2009-07-23T22:48:00.002-05:00

"Hey Mom! What's the most pointless thing in the whole world?"

I'm in trouble! (an update to prove I'm still here!)

2009-07-14T20:58:00.003-05:00

My daughter has been harping on me to post for a while now. Or 'lovingly reminding me'! ;o) But I best comply or she may hijack my blog! hahaha

So here I am! We took a wonderful trip to Chattanooga, TN / Ringgold, GA which I'll definitely blog about later. It was a much needed get away and long overdue trip to visit my Dad.

When we returned I attended a two day conference for PreK teachers. It was wonderful and very recharging with lots of great fine tuned ideas. I've been slowly working all summer on building up activities and resources so it won't take as much effort during the year. I'm crossing my fingers and toes it will relieve a lot of stress during the school year and pay off.

This week I truly have off. I did three weeks of summer testing to see if children in the district who are turning 3 would qualify for speech or special education services. I love doing testing. It's fun to work one on one with the children, talk with their parents and also get a sneak peek at students who might possible end up at my school. There is one student that will be coming to my school who has captured my heart and I'm hoping I will get to have. She is the daughter of an old friend. So we'll see. I would be so thrilled!

Anyway - today I finally went to the doctor for an old injury from a year and a half ago. I was pretty certain it was muscle related - near my sternum. After that long of off and on pain I figured it was time to get it checked. There was a bit of a knot in the muscle - and long story short - it WAS muscle related - and get this! My 'prescription'???? Lifting weights! heh heh heh! OK!!!! He might as well have said 'eat chocolate'! :o) I really enjoy weights - but hadn't done them in quite a while because of the pain. He said I really need to stretch those muscles and loosen them up so they won't be so tense. So I'm good with that . . . and the chocolate idea too! (Even though that was my own idea!) hahaha!

Last but not least . . . I read a book! :o) It wasn't school related or anything! I can't remember the last time I made time to read a book for fun! It was just a silly short mystery - but it was just so fun!

Only I . . . .

2009-06-26T07:44:00.001-05:00

would get a big zit on the middle of my forehead the day before we attend an Indian wedding.

Nice.

Happy Father's Day Dad!!!! :o)

2009-06-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

Taking Chance

2009-06-20T15:29:00.004-05:00

If you could only see one more movie . . .

I don't normally recommend movies (I've learned my lesson on that! hahaha) :o) Everyone likes different things - but I wish everyone in this country could watch this movie. It is touching and true. It's out on DVD and if you have the opportunity to watch it - you should.

I'm still here . . .

2009-06-18T23:03:00.001-05:00

My laptop crashed. Serious hardware issue. Like seriously dead. Oh well. It was good and faithful. I shall return soon. I promise. :o) Have a happy Friday!

Can't. Stop. Napping.

2009-06-07T20:50:00.002-05:00

School's out! I had teacher workday Friday and Saturday. It was a paperwork frenzy until the end. Teary goodbyes. And then a clearing of all types of cobwebs. I got so much done yesterday and actually feel pretty good about walking away. There are always things to do - but fun things that can be done at a relaxing pace now.

I don't know if it's a school year's worth of late nights, emotional exhaustion, failing to juggle all the things I try to, or what - but I can't stop sleeping now. I'm able to get up and make it to the few places I need to go - but the second I'm home I'm asleep. I'm not talking a quick power nap - yesterday I got home around 3:30 and promptly fell asleep until 8pm. How do you wake up from a nap at 8pm? The really sad thing? - I went to bed right after that for the night at 10pm - no problem. This has been going on for several days - so I figure I must need it. Bob and the kids have been so good about letting me rest. Hopefully I'll get it out of my system and return to the world of the awake.

We did just play a rousing game of Apples to Apples. Love that game! So at least I got a little fun in between waking up from my nap and bedtime which is coming quick!

HOORAY FOR SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

Viva la Vida/Love Story - John Schmidt

2009-05-24T09:41:00.003-05:00

Thought I posted this a while back - but I guess I didn't. I love it. He's an amazing pianist. When I was an EFY counselor he would do the concerts for each session.

All in a day's work!

2009-05-17T20:10:00.004-05:00

After I told my Mom this story and she managed to compose her uncontrollable laughter - she made me promise to blog this story. While many may find this story horrendous - it is a pretty tame one for our little world. My conscience keeps me from telling the other ones. I just couldn't tell some out of sheer human decency.

But through it all we manage to find the humor in it and get over whatever happens pretty quickly. In fact - I have wonderful TA's with a great sense of humor and we pretty much laughed our heads off on this story in disbelief and 'of-course-this-would-happen-to-us-ishness'. I am so incredibly grateful to work with such amazing women who make every day seem like a pretty good day - no matter what happens!

Ok - so on with the story. Names will not be used to protect the innocent. heh heh heh.

We had a new little guy start recently and on his very first day we went out to the playground. He was right at home and was having fun with the rest of the class going down the slide. Perplexingly enough - as he was going down the slide he managed to pee all the way down it. (perplexing - because he was wearing a diaper - but I do believe we figured that one out.) So anyway - it took a moment to realize what had happened and why he was wet. We were exclaiming as we realized what had happened - only to turn in slow motion (I swear!) and see the rest of our class lined up and rapidly sliding down the wet slide. Get the picture? Uh-huh! They all slid right down through it. Of course we were screaming, yelling, waving our arms - and they all just smiled and looked at us like the lunatics we appeared to be - as they slid down the slide and reached the bottom instantly growing a perplexed look on their face - like - wait a sec - whaaa????????

Um yeah! So the very last one reached the bottom - and quickly splashed his hands in the remaining 'puddle' as we were trying to keep all of them from touching anything. Too late! His hands went straight in his mouth. You can imagine . . . we were dying. It was unbelievable. Luckily they all always have a change of clothes in their backpack - and needless to say - they all went home in different clothes that day. It was a day that will not soon be forgotten. We now laugh ourselves silly about it. And we kind of half-laughed half-died that day too.

So hopefully you're laughing now - but if you're thoroughly grossed out . . . thank my Mom! ;o)

If You Know An Engineer . . .

2009-05-17T18:29:00.003-05:00

and you want them to cook . . . try this site:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

I love the chart at the bottom of each recipe! :o)

Genius!

Autism Spectrum Quotient Test

2009-05-17T18:01:00.004-05:00

I found this Post on this site: http://ifonlyihadsuperpowers.blogspot.com/2008/04/take-autism-spectrum-quotient-test.html

I thought it was a Great education tool on Autism and wanted to share it.

Take The Autism-Spectrum Quotient Test (Edited)

Take the AQ Test it is interesting and may help you to get a perspective of things that are more difficult or easy for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Please note that this is NOT a diagnostic test.

In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher.

There are 50 questions.

If you are willing, share your score. My new score (after glitch was discovered) is 8. The Professor scored 19.

Edited 7:37pm: The Professor figured out the glitch! Please do NOT try to score yourself on the html page that you get from the Wired website because you will ALWAYS get a 24 score. I created a table to make scoring accurate. If you check a box that has a number "1" in it, give yourself one point for that question.

Beautiful Minds

2009-05-17T17:57:00.002-05:00

Stephen Wiltshire from London is a star among savants. Stephen is autistic. He did not speak his first words "pencil" and "paper" until he was 5. Yet, when he was 11 he drew a perfect aerial view of London after only one helicopter ride. For this film we're testing the "Living camera" in Rome. (ColourField production)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAfaM_CBvP8&feature=player_embedded

I LOVE Grover!

2009-05-17T17:34:00.005-05:00

One of my students has these shoes! I LOVE them! They are in kid sizes but since my feet are so tiny I technically could actually get them in a kids size and they would fit!!! hahaha!!!

Down the Drain

2009-05-16T20:47:00.002-05:00

If you ever drop something down the drain - watch this:

http://www.familyhack.com/2007/08/29/drain-tip/

This guy is a genius!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great idea!!!!

FAO Schwartz Piano

2009-05-16T20:28:00.001-05:00

Check out You Tube for more songs on the piano. Very cool! :o)

Cowboy T AND Kbugs!!!

2009-05-14T18:37:00.003-05:00

Strep Throat! My Buddy - the King of Strep doesn't have it!!!! How does that work?!?!?! I'm glad he doesn't though. Anyway. Kbugs is disappointed. She'll be missing Cici's pizza day tomorrow for being on the honor roll - her orchestra banquet - and a Young Women's activity. She's quite upset. T is so easy going - he's like - ok whatever! Funny kid! B is mad that they 'get' to stay home tomorrow and he doesn't.

I could so use one of these!

2009-05-10T16:02:00.002-05:00

Laptop pillow

POSTED BY DAVID PESCOVITZ, MAY 8, 2009 3:29 PM | PERMALINK

Over at Boing Boing Gadgets, Lisa Katayama beckons me to this "laptop pillow for sleepy workaholics."

Fun Times

2009-05-10T15:50:00.004-05:00

It's been a while - but I still wanted to post about it.

Cowboy T had been very very diligent in earning a trip to Alley Cats. I have to say - he really earned it and had worked for quite a long time. Luckily we had a gift card - so the kids played a round of laser tag and then bowling. Since it was just the three of them - the workers let Bob and I go in and watch the laser tag game. It was utterly hysterical. I think any frustrations, unsettled disputes and pent up emotions between them were released and cleared. I'm going to remember that strategy in the future. When the contention gets too bad . . . time for laser tag! Hahahaha!

Then it was bowling. The kids did pretty good! I was impressed. We all had a fun time. It was just a relaxing out of the ordinary excursion for us to spend some time together outside of the day to day stuff. I'm proud of Cowboy T for earning it and grateful we had the chance to go. I like our family. We're a lot of fun together. At least I think so! ;o)

21 days!

2009-05-10T15:43:00.006-05:00

21 days and I will begin my return to life as I knew it. I will slowly begin to recall that there is a house I live in and hobbies I like to do. My dedication to the gym will be stronger than ever and I will start to return all the many emails I have been silent on. I may even begin to cook good meals again. (Gasp!) 21 days and I will luxuriously sleep past 4:40am. I will stay up late with no frantic dread. I will frolic and laugh with my children until they can't stand me anymore. (that may not take too long! hahaha) I will laugh in the face of school zones and crossing guards. I will shun the halls of the school. I will turn my back on the never-ending paperwork and reports.

And I will miss my students so very very much.

Kbug's Solo & Ensemble

2009-05-10T15:29:00.006-05:00

So Kbugs had her solo and ensemble contest. She had practiced her duet with her friend and they did a great job. Her solo was great too! Kbugs asked me to be her piano accompanist. I was a bit nervous about this - because I'm not always the most consistent player and I really didn't want to be the one to mess her up. She brought me the music in plenty of time. I glanced over it and it looked like something I could play. However, I waited pretty much until the night before to work on it. Poor K! I think I worried her quite a bit. We actually had a Scout's den meeting that night so I took the music with me and marked it and finger practiced it while we sat there - and then finally went home to play it for the first time. After going through it a few times we sounded pretty good! Phewph! I was so relieved. The next morning we chugged our way over there and played it. Kbugs was AMAZING!!!!! She sounded so good. I think I did a-ok accompanying her. It was just really fun to get the chance to do it with her. I love that mom daughter kind of stuff that we get to do. She is such a wonderful person and I love being with her. I wasn't surprised at all when she got her score. She got a 1. Good job Sweet Pea! Ily!

I Killed Dinner

2009-05-10T15:13:00.005-05:00

These were boiled hotdogs. Except the water is gone. Because I forgot about them. It takes a special kind of talent to ruin hotdogs. Apparently it appears it was a slow and painful death.

Don't worry. Nobody starved. We had nachos instead.

Clearly a cooking show is no longer an option.

;o)

What my husband does for fun . . .

2009-05-10T14:39:00.007-05:00

He is such a man! Hubba hubba!

Single handedly loading that huge stump. Utterly amazing!

Quote of the Day

2009-05-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

"Did you land in a capsule?"

At this very moment:

2009-05-09T00:14:00.003-05:00

72 cupcakes are baking in the oven. Yes I realize it is 12:16am Saturday morning - however - when I waited to start baking at 10:30 - this is what happens! ;o) Actually we're having a lot of fun. Kbugs has a fundraiser for camp and they will be frosting cupcakes tomorrow morning to have ready for Mother's day. So - thusly - we are currently baking. (yes - I do know thusly is not a word - but I liked it!) :o)

So while y'all are most likely sleeping - I'm enjoying the deliciously lemonish smell of moist and tasty cupcakes! Mmmmmmm! (and I'll be sleeping in tomorrow too!) Sweet dreams!

Who says musicals aren't realistic!?!?!?!

2009-05-03T23:04:00.004-05:00

This video was made in the Antwerp, Belgium Central (Train) Station on March 23, 2009, with no warning to the passengers passing through the station. At 8:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system. As the bemused passengers watch in amazement, some 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and station entrances. They created this amazing stunt with just two rehearsals! Enjoy!

Guess what my guys did yesterday?

2009-05-03T15:23:00.006-05:00

It started out as a great day to do yard work. As pretty as the tree in our front yard was - it was beginning to rot from the inside and was slowly dying. Because it hung over the cars and house we needed to take it down before it came down by itself. Don't worry - we'll plant another one.
This is us after church - looking over the aftermath. You may ask - why didn't we finish the job? Well - let me tell you - the silly little matter of a severe thunderstorm, threat of golf ball size hail and tornado watch. Being in a tree at that point is not a good idea. It was kind of funny. Bob had cut the trunk quite a bit and then had the chain wrapped around the tree. He hitched it to the truck and I drove it. Right as we started that the storm hit and it started pouring buckets. It was actually kind of fun. We couldn't just leave that last part like that - unfinished. After a bit of back and forth - and some sliding around in the truck - Bob hopped in and took it a different angle - and bam! - it came crashing down! (Along with the thunder and lightning!) Then he unhitched it and drove me all the way up to the garage so I wouldn't get wet! Such a gentleman! :o) We had fun!
This is just a fraction of the mess. I couldn't even capture it. People driving past were slowing down gawking. They thought the storm had torn our tree apart. Our neighbor came home and was really worried about us. I don't know - maybe it was the branch that hit the roof - or maybe the twisted ladder below. Thank goodness no one was on it when this happened:
Here you can see the trunk where it was starting to rot in the middle. It was a great tree. The kids had a great tire swing on it that we'll have to relocate. All in all it was a fun day - and I can't wait for clean up day! :o)

Ouch!

2009-05-03T00:01:00.002-05:00

bad picture - but that's where I got bit. on the arm. Hard. It hurt! It didn't break skin but I have a big hard raised welt that is so tender. Full blame lies on me. In the past two years I've probably avoided 50-60 bite attempts but my luck ran out this week. I had my arm where it shouldn't have been in an intense moment. Lesson learned. Hope it doesn't happen again!

True Blove!!!!

2009-04-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

I love my husband!

ABC's of Me!

2009-04-29T21:54:00.004-05:00

A - Age: 34

B - Bed size: King

C - Chore you hate: Toilets

D - Dog's name: Maggie Mae

E - Essential start your day item: Exercise and Shower

F - Favorite color: Yellow

G - Gold or Silver: Gold

H - Height: 5' 5"

I - Instruments you play(ed): piano, oboe, violin, organ, other assorted small instruments

J - Job title: PPCD Teacher (PreK for Special Needs Children)

K - Kid(s): 3 - daughter 12 and two sons 10 and 8

L - Living arrangements: Me and my hubby with our children in the home we've fixed up!

M - Mom's name: Nancy

N - Nicknames: Mare, MK

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Just birth and with my son who had meningitis at 5 weeks old.

P - Pet Peeve: listening to people chew up hard candy! Aggghhhhh!

Q - Quote from a movie: "I've never seen anyone beat their trash like that" and "I've been blown up! Take me to the hospital!" (The Burbs)

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 2 sisters - Deanne and Debbie. They rock! :o)

T - Time you wake up: 4:40am

U- Underwear: what about it?

V-Vegetable you dislike: pickled beets, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, etc.

W - Ways you run late: Laying in bed too long. :o)

X - X-rays you've had: just after pregnancy stuff - and dentist xrays.

Y - Yummy food you make: Bacon Spaghetti

Z - Zoo favorite: Orangutans - of course! We have the same color hair! :o)

All Mixed Up!

2009-04-28T22:59:00.002-05:00

Ok - so seriously! I was so looking forward to the gym this morning. Got up - dressed - got ready - headed out the door and as I'm getting in the car I notice it's a lot lighter out then usual. It's usually dark out when I go - and just barely is starting to turn light on my way back. Well - I check my watch and sure enough It's 6am instead of 5am!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what how or why. It was all so baffling. And disappointing. I just kept standing there in disbelief. How could this happen? However it did - I was too late. Not enough time to go and get back and ready for school. Bummer.

Then - we're getting ready. Cowboy T had come in our room and crawled under the covers. Bob starts talking about how today is Wednesday. I then told him how I love Wednesday's because we have music therapy and library on Wednesdays. This little head pops out from under the covers and say "Today is Tuesday Mom and Dad! Not Wednesday!" Again. Stunned.

Finally - after a full day at school - filled with parent interactions, principal discussions - and interacting with everyone in the school - I picked up the kids. Kbugs took one look at me and asked 'Have you been crying Mom?' No - why? Because you don't have any mascara on! Now being a red head means that if I don't have mascara on - I don't have any eyelashes to speak of. I have seen people's reactions when I've come to the door without makeup on. They try and hide it after the initial shock - but you know what? It's ok. I scare myself too - when I finally look in the mirror and remember. It's like a whole other Mary. Muwahahahahaha! heh heh heh

Anyway - so yeah - whole day - no mascara. Nice. Why? Because I forgot!!!!!!!! Was there some kind of Opposite day or mix-up day notification I didn't get the memo on? Seriously! The overwhelming number of Mary Moments in one morning was simply stunning! It's gotta be some kind of new record! :o)

No More Chicken

2009-04-27T20:50:00.003-05:00

Well after 14+ years of feeding my husband dinner and wondering why he always seemed to get so ill so suddenly - we have some answers. Ever since he returned from his mission to Mexico he's had all kinds of stomach/intestinal/digestive problems. In the blink of an eye he'd be incredibly ill and everything would have to be put on hold. He went to doctors - had all kinds of tests run for all kinds of things. They looked for parasites, did blood work, and ran tons of tests. After many years he'd kind of just learned to live with the waves of illness as they came and went.

And now - after all these years - dinner after dinner - we know he's allergic to chicken! As crazy as it sounds it's a rather common allergy. It's actually an allergy to the protein in the chicken meat. It's the same protein that's found in a lot of common allergy triggers. Only thing is - Bob loves chicken. We all do. That's what we mainly eat (which is why he always got so sick). So now we are rethinking our old family favorite recipes. I'm trying to figure out how to rebuild some of them and some we'll just have to let slip by. It's a strange place to be. His all time favorite is chicken broccoli casserole - but I'm sure I can make that and omit the chicken - or find a broccoli cheese and rice casserole. Ok - well I'm just thinking out loud now.

Anyhow - while it's taking some adjustment - I'm so glad we know. I feel terrible knowing how sick he got because of what we were eating - but how could we have known?!?!?! Now he can avoid it at least and not have to suffer so much! That will be very nice!

Here comes the storm!

2009-04-27T06:32:00.003-05:00

In the past 8 minutes we've had over 1000 lightning strikes just here in our area. It's a doozy of a storm. Looks like the tornado warnings are next. Maggie is scared out of her mind. We're trying to pretend that we don't see her hiding in the corner of our room - because she's not allowed in here but we all feel bad for her. :o) Looks like the tornado warnings are headed our way next.

I sure hope my little special needs students get to stay home today. They're sure to be scared - and the responsibility of keeping them all safe on a day like this weighs heavy.

Can't remember the last time I've heard this much non-stop thunder. Pretty cool.

Stand By Me

2009-04-25T22:35:00.005-05:00

You must must must watch this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So great!!!!

Below is a link to a composite of an audio/video of song whereby additional tracks were laid in by different singers and musicians from different places around the world. The finished product is tremendous! The song itself is that classic standard "Stand By Me" originally released in 1955 by The Staple Singers and released again in 1961 by the Drifters. So turn up the speaker volume!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

2009-04-22T19:44:00.001-05:00

Really tough day today.

Tomorrow will be better.

What can YOU do with paint sticks?

2009-04-18T23:00:00.003-05:00

We were doing an art project at school and I needed a paint stick for each child. I have under 20 students between both classes - so I didn't need many. (Although I'm actually getting 3 new ones this week that are turning 3!!!)

So anyway - last week we went to the local Home Depot to get some. Well the guy at the paint counter gave them to me for free when I told him what they were for. I guess he didn't feel comfortable with the small number I asked for because he kept saying "Here!!!! Take some more!!!!" I had so many I couldn't even hold them all! So generous! Now our whole school can make bird feeders! hahaha!

Now mind you - this was around 10pm and we were still out and about - squeezing the most we could into our Saturday. It is not uncommon for us to go for little drives around town just for fun too. The car is our little "get out of the house for a bit" haven. We love chatting, hanging out together as we drive - running here and there. Just taking a break for a bit. One thing that commonly happens while driving is a sudden break out of singing. Well - this night - since most of us had handfuls of paint sticks - when the song struck - so did the drumming!!!! It was unanimous, unruly, wild and hilariously entertaining.

So there we were - driving around close to 11pm singing patriotic marches and such while each beating together various complementary rhythms with paint sticks while cruising around town. It was hilariously fun! I think we baffled quite a few people at red lights. We weren't your typical late night cruising car!

We've decided that each passenger should have their own complimentary set of paint sticks in every car. It's a great stress reducer and seriously - just a lot of fun!

Who knew paint sticks could be so entertaining!?!?!?!? :o)

Sweet Dreams

2009-04-17T23:09:00.003-05:00

I have challenged my kids to see if any of their friend's moms have ever loudly and lovingly belched "GOOD NIGHT" in one breath to them while being tucked in!!!!!

I think not.

(While I am some what embarrassed to admit this - there is a little part of me that is quite proud. I do have boys you know!) :o)

I'm walking now!!!!!

2009-04-16T21:41:00.006-05:00

Well I'm a-walkin now! Back in Dec I had bronchitis - I recovered slowly - but never fully. Always a little symptom here and there - funky cough, stuffy nose,lingering stuff blah blah blah.

So last week - weird sore throat. Last night out of no where a deep hurting cough.

Woke up today and felt awful. Enough is enough.

Called the doc. No appointments - but they said the nurse would call back. She did - told her all. She said come right now! We'll 2:30 isn't a good time to say that. Middle of class - too late in the day to get rides to pick up kids. She told me just to make it there before 4. Figured I could get the boys - go to doc - and figure something else out for Kbugs. Couldn't reach Bob - he was teaching a training.

Bell rang - ran to the car. It. was. dead. I'd left my lights on. (Mary Moment!!!) 3:30pm - not good. As I stood in the parking lot - all my co-workers (aka: friends!!!!) knew I didn't feel good and ran to my rescue. One brought cables - another teacher's car was right next to mine so she came out to start her car - another friend's boyfriend put the cables on - since we all figured we'd do it wrong and blow ourselves up. I was so grateful and thankful for such a wonderful group of friends who had me out of that parking lot in under ten minutes! Love them!

Got the boys - swung around towards doctor. Got stuck behind a funeral procession. At first I was frustrated - then I realized it was getting me through all the red lights because they were headed the same direction - and right past my doctors office. Made it with two minutes to spare and said a little prayer for the mourners.

So I waited and felt lousy like my head was going to explode. But our wonderful family doctor who knows us well gave me some heavy duty whacked out antibiotics and strict directions to follow for my very own personal walking pneumonia.

I'm just gonna walk on by . . . . . . .

Thank You Google!

2009-04-10T21:28:00.002-05:00

As of this moment there are:

259	days until Christmas
(6194 hours : 32 minutes : 49 seconds)

75063044

million gallons of water will come down the Mississippi before Christmas

0.00842

years on Uranus until Christmas

0.377

Martian years until Christmas

Your hair will grow

86.04

mm before Christmas

10.17

days on the Sun until Christmas

April Fool's Part II. The Final Conclusion

2009-04-05T19:31:00.005-05:00

Bath toys swimming in the toilet on April Fool's day!

All three screamed or let out some kind of hilarious unintelligible exclamation!

It made my day.

Part I of our April Fool's Day can be found by clicking here: Just the Beginning!

Part II

I emailed all their teachers the night before and asked them to wish them Happy Birthday for April Fool's day - which they all did and got a big kick out of. (every morning - as they leave the car - I tell them I love them - happy halloween (or some other random holiday) and happy birthday! Kbugs instantly knew when her teacher said it. She asked her teacher "Have you talked to my mom recently?" :o) Cowboy T's entire class sang to him. She said the perplexed look on his face was priceless. My Buddy's teacher is a fellow prankster and gave them a fake test they all fell for. She's my kind of teacher!

Then the final kicker was late that night. Bob was in Canada - so we set it up about a week in advance - he started dropping hints that some departments at work were relocating there. So when he called home tonight we had this whole fake discussion about moving to Canada. I acted all suspicious & went in the other room and closed the door - knowing with their curiosity they're ears would be glued to the door! It worked perfectly! When I came out they kept saying Is anything going on? I neither confirmed or denied - but they were all egging each other on and building it into something - all on their own. Buddy said he'd never leave the United States of America - Cowboy T was panickedly musing that we only have 6 license plates left to find in our license plate game & we'd never get to find them. I simply suggested that certainly there are license plates in Canada too - just different ones! Kbugs said she'd refuse to go to Girl's Camp in Canada because it would be too cold! Finally after a little bit of letting them dig themselves in deeper and deeper Buddy said - if we are moving - when would it be - and I replied on April 1st - on APRIL FOOLS!!!! Muwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They couldn't believe they'd fallen for it! We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. Then we called Bob and let him know how it went. Ahhhh the success of a parent team!!! :o) Their favorites of the day was Canada and the rubber ducks! I feel like we had a wonderfully successful day - and I've already got quite a few things in mind for next year! hahaha :o)

Uhh . . . pardon me????????

2009-04-05T19:13:00.004-05:00

Random Quote of the Year: Awarded to Cowboy T

Setting: Driving along - lovely day. Me and the kids. Typical conversation. Quiet lull - broken by this:

Cowboy T: Umm . . . Mom?

Me: Yes?

Cowboy T: (said slowly and ponderishly) Do you have a criminal record?

I mean . . . what do you even say?!?!? Clearly no - I don't - but is there some question in his mind that I might? And what would give such an impression? I don't think a parent ever really expects to hear that type of question from their child.

So I responded: No - do you? (And then - there was a disturbingly long pause) - and then to my relief he replied Nope! Then I figured maybe I'd better investigate a little further in case I'd missed something. I asked my Buddy if he did and he quickly and emphatically replied "NO!!! I DO NOT HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD!!!" So then I asked Kbugs. Much to our shock she said, "Well . . . actually . . . " :o) hahaha! I just love conversations with my kids! No wonder they never take me seriously.

But wait - back to the original question . . . is there some concern that I might have a record?!?!?

Crazy kids!!!!

New bangs and a pretty smile!

2009-04-05T17:41:00.002-05:00

Museum of Art

2009-04-05T17:05:00.005-05:00

A local budding young artist is currently featuring a masterpiece at the local Museum of Art! Woohooo! Go Cowboy T! On Monday he handed me an invitation inviting him and the family to a reception to honor the artists whose work was chosen for the exhibit. Unfortunately the invitation had been in his backpack several days and the reception was held the previous Friday. That's ok though - because we still got a chance to go see it and it looked marvelous! He was quite proud of his work. And - on top of that - the museum was really cool! We'd never been there before - but the kids were very impressed with the interior architecture and feel of the building. We had a lot of fun and we're so proud of our artist Cowboy!

Hip Hip Hooray!

2009-04-05T17:00:00.004-05:00

He got an Honors rating!!!! Hooray! My Buddy was so nervous - but he was amazing! The judge was impressed at how smooth he played and that he'd memorized so much music for a 5th grader. Little did he know - he's only been playing a little over 3 months! I'm just such a proud Mama! He was SO excited when he saw his score. When he told his teacher she just looked dumbfounded as she realized he'd memorized it all. (That's the only way you can earn an Honors rating.) Way to go Buddy! :o) You worked hard and earned that score!

Cello Man!

2009-04-04T10:02:00.003-05:00

Today my Buddy will be playing a piece by Bach in front of judges on his cello for solo and ensemble. This kid blows me away.

He started playing in January. He sat in his room and figured out how to play it - and in two days was caught up to the other cellos that had started playing in August. He practices all the time. I have NEVER had to remind him to practice. So he decided to play in solo and ensemble and his teacher gave him three pieces to choose from. She gave him 3 choices and he chose the hardest one. He said he thinks she was a little irritated by that - BUT - when she heard him play it last week flawlessly - she was a-ok with his choice. What she doesn't know - is that he has the entire song memorized - which will get him an honors rating if it goes well. I asked him why he didn't tell her and he just said he didn't want to make a big deal of it and stand out. What a kid! He's going to do great! I'm so proud of him! I absolutely LOVE listening to him play!!!!!

Hallelujah it's Friday!!!!

2009-04-03T06:57:00.002-05:00

I promise the rest of the April Fool's post is coming! It was beautiful - completely successful and profoundly hilarious! :o)

I'm so glad it's Friday! I'm completely pooped, tired and exhausted! It's been a great - but high stress week. Thank goodness it's conference weekend!

For those of you praying for Spencer and Crystal's family - they could use some more prayers. They were in a car accident yesterday. A lady pulled out in front of them. Their car is totaled. The kids and Spencer are ok - but Crystal's wrist and elbow are broken a long with some ribs and a dislocated shoulder too. Truly some jewels are being placed in their crowns for all they've been through.

Heh heh heh! My Favorite Day!!!!

2009-04-01T06:41:00.007-05:00

Already the day has been a success!!!!! :o) Before 6:30am I have proudly launched and carried out 4 April fool's jokes on my children! Muwahahahahahaha!!!!

I have been so nervous trying to think of things to top last year - but so far - it's going swimmingly! (For last year - click here: Last Year's April Fools!)

First was the rubber duckies floating in the toilet!!!! Boy were they surprised when they each opened the lid! hahahaha!!!!! Then the toilet paper roll had a little piece of scotch tape - so it just rolled and rolled as it spun around! hee hee hee Then came the green milk for breakfast! (gotta love food coloring!) and finally (for now!!!) the clocks all set two hours ahead! hahahaha!!!

And the day has just begun . . .

Muwahahahahaha!

It went great!!!

2009-03-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

I never know how quickly my class will move through an activity. I just never know. Sometimes it takes forever and other times we're done so quick I swear I didn't even blink. My biggest worry was that we'd finish what I had planned so fast that then I'd have to start tap dancing for a half hour.

But I'm happy to say it all went smoothly and timed out perfectly! Hooray! My little guys were great and I was so proud of them! They melt my heart every day. Couldn't have done it without my amazing TA's! They make up for all the weak spots I have. They keep me moving and have taught me so much! Love them! Thanks for all the prayers and kind wishes. It made all the difference!

Well - I hear the wind picking up . . . A storm is moving in with reports of baseball size hail. The kids just fell asleep - so this could get interesting. I'd better sign off now!

Batten the hatches! ;o)

Evaluation Time!

2009-03-30T06:48:00.003-05:00

My yearly evaluation is today! I feel good about it - but a prayer or two wouldn't hurt . . . :o)

I'm still not entirely sure about my lesson plans - but the day usually unfolds itself in its own way anyway!

See ya on the flip side of the day!

Balloons for Sage

2009-03-29T13:53:00.006-05:00

Sage's parents asked for balloons to be released in his honor. Since we couldn't be there with them - all the family got together here and let balloons go the same day. It was stormy - but it was beautiful to watch them rise so high. It was nice to have a way to participate and support the family - even from far away.

Thanks Stacie and Kristy for the photos! :o)

Sage Lawrence Eldredge

2009-03-25T20:02:00.005-05:00

My heart has been heavy today thinking of Crystal and Spencer and their family as they laid to rest their son Sage today. I know there are no words we can say that will bring comfort but our family prays for yours to find peace and strength through the Lord. Our hearts hurt for you. We love you very much.

Sage Lawrence Eldredge

The Eldredge Family

Interview with my Kbugs

2009-03-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

Words of Wisdom from my 12 year old:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Merry Christmas! (Seriously! I do!) :o)

2. What makes mom happy
Her family

3. What makes mom sad?
fighting

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
She just is herself.

5. What did your mom like to do when she was a child?
She traveled a lot.

6. How old is your mom?
35

7. How tall is your mom?
5 feet 4 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Laugh!

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Make up plans to torture us. (Muwahahahahaha!) :o)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
She's a comedienne

11. What is your mom really good at?
Understanding what special needs children need.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Making tuna noodle casserole. (It was a night we don't speak about often!)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
She teaches special needs children.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
McDonald's #1

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
How well she helps us.

16.If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
The Mom on Phineus and Ferb (I think I resent that remark!!!! . . . but it may be true . . . )

17. What do you and your mom do together?
We text each other.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We always make something serious into a joke.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Our fashion senses! (heh heh heh - true - I ask her for advice!)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
She cheers us on!

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
It could take too long to name it all! His sense of humor . . . this could take way too long.

A Little Angel

2009-03-20T21:46:00.002-05:00

Bob's cousin's baby passed away yesterday. He was 8 months old. The baby's Dad went to wake him up and he wasn't breathing. Our hearts are utterly broken for them. The pain is piercing. Although we know there is a wonderful plan laid out for our families and he's in a wonderful place and they will be reunited again - the agony their family is facing is difficult.

I admire the baby's mother tremendously. She's the kind of mom who was born to be a mom. She has such a wonderful perspective on her children and she savors every moment she has with them. I love listening to the things she does with her children and the delight and joy that seems to light up their home. She lets her kids play in the mud and be kids and just have fun. All those things you 'think' you'll do as a mom when you're little - but reality and becoming an adult seems to taint those plans. But not for her. She's the kind of Mom I have to work at to be. It seems to come so naturally to her.

Anyway - they will be in our prayers for the long road to come. Our hearts go out to them and pray for them to someday find a measure of peace and comfort one step at a time.

Interview with my Buddy

2009-03-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Words of Wisdom from my 10 year old:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Be good

2. What makes mom happy
Books

3. What makes mom sad?
When one of us is hurt or sick.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When you do weird things.

5. What did your mom like to do when she was a child?
Read books.

6. How old is your mom?
33

7. How tall is your mom?
5 feet something

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Get on her laptop

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Teach school

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Singing opera

11. What is your mom really good at?
Doing fun things.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Being serious

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Teaches school

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Bacon Spaghetti

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
You're kind to people

16.If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Jimmy Neutron's Mom

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Watch baseball

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both like to read.

19. How are you and your mom different?
You always like to be crazy and I'm not.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
When you give us a treat or we do something fun.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
He always fixes up the house.

Interview with Cowboy T

2009-03-20T12:43:00.000-05:00

Words of Wisdom from my 8 year old:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you!

2. What makes mom happy
When I kiss her.

3. What makes mom sad?
When someone dies.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
When she does very funny stuff.

5. What did your mom like to do when she was a child?
Play with her dolls.

6. How old is your mom?
34

7. How tall is your mom?
5 feet

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Tell jokes

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go to school

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For being a movie star

11. What is your mom really good at?
Telling jokes

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Shooting guns

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Works for special needs kids

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
That she's a good mom

16.If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
The Incredibles Mom

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Go places

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have freckles

19. How are you and your mom different?
We don't have the same color hair.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
When she kisses me.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
She thinks he's cute

Rice and Eggs happiness

2009-03-19T13:28:00.004-05:00

So a teacher at school walks over to the microwave in the cafeteria and says: I need to heat up my rice and eggs. I say: Mmmm - that sounds good! How do you make it?

The teachers then look at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears! Am I the only one that's never heard of this? After she told me what was in it I ran home to make it (not literally that very second - and no I didn't actually run home - I probably could - but I'd have to go through a pretty scary place in town - so I'd rather not.) So anyway - it was delicious!!!!!!!!! And my family loved it!!!.

Basically you cook some rice. Then you start making scrambled eggs. Just before the eggs firm up - throw in the rice - some cheese - and some crumbled up bacon (or whatever kind of meat really sounds good). Then just mix it together while it sets and then serve and eat it. It helps to get all the other ingredients ready while the rice is cooking so it's ready to throw in at just that perfect moment. Mmmmm . . . tasty and fairly cheap! My kind of meal.

How much my Buddy loves the store:

2009-03-17T22:38:00.002-05:00

A moment of pure frustration. He seriously enjoys going to the dentist more!

Snapped by Kbugs! Good catch K! ;o)

Brain-i-ac!

2009-03-15T14:56:00.004-05:00

Ok - so last fall Kbugs got a letter from Duke University's talent identification program requesting her to take the ACT test. So in December she took it. She wasn't feeling well that day - and had no clue that it was covering all portions of the test. She thought it was just the reading section - but she said it was ok anyway and it was just a good experience.

Well - in January she got her scores back and she made a 25!!!!!! Holy Cow!!!! Of course - we're really proud of her (for many reasons!) and she was very excited!

So that brings us to this week. A letter came in the mail for Kbugs. She opened it and started screaming and jumping up and down and speaking some high-pitched unintelligible language mankind has never before heard! :o)

Here is a portion of what the letter said:

Congratulations! I write to congratulate you on the recent success of your child in the Duke University 7th Grade Talent Search. The score your child received on the ACT was a remarkable achievement. Only the top 5% of academically talented students in the 7th grade are even invited to participate in the Talent Search, making this a very distinguished pool. Of the approximately 70,000 academically gifted 7th graders who took the SAT or ACT, your child's superior results demonstrate an impressive academic talent that you have encouraged and nurtured. You should take great pride in your child's accomplishment and the role that you have played.

On the basis of your child's score, I am also pleased to inform you that your child has qualified to attend the Duke University Talent Identification Program's Center for Summer Studies. This program is a unique learning environment designed to motivate and challenge academically gifted students. The 2009 Summer Studies is held at Davidson College in North Carolina and Trinity University in Texas. The Summer Studies bulletin will describe the broad spectrum of courses offered, from Architecture to Cryptography to Zoological Studies. You can review expanded course information, as well as apply online, at our website: www.tip.duke.edu/center

Way cool Kbugs!!!!!

It is the coolest thing and I told her it's an honor to even be selected and be able to put that down on future applications! Unfortunately after seeing the cost of the program - it's not an option - but it's so fun to know she was selected for such an honor! Of course we now expect her to know everything - which she takes in good natured fun.

Good job Sunshine! :o)

Word on the street is . . .

2009-03-15T11:15:00.004-05:00

Cowboy T's letter that he wrote to the mayor regarding Braums is hanging on the wall in a plaque in the manager's office at the new Braums location! :o)

Way to go Cowboy T! One of the youth from church works there and saw it! Guess they loved it as much as we did! How fun!!!

The funeral

2009-03-14T19:02:00.002-05:00

The funeral was tender and sweet. Everyone was so grateful to have experienced his sweet courage and love with no conditions. His parents grief was overwhelming but filled with hope and gratitude for the time they were given with him. Now he can walk, run, speak and sing. The casket was so small. What a wonderful blessing to have had a precious connection with him in this life. Someday I will get to blow him a little kiss again.

Tender endings and beginnings

2009-03-12T20:31:00.003-05:00

My favorite student in the class next door passed away last night. He'd gotten quite sick recently and we knew it was coming - but it's still difficult to know I won't get to blow kisses at him and watch him smile. Still it's a blessing that he is free from his fragile body that caused him so much pain.

His walker sits in the hallway between our two doors. I hope they leave it there for a while.

Today

2009-03-04T17:44:00.002-06:00

Cowboy T is sick. My car is dead again. On a bright note - it's been fun doing pick ups and drop offs all together in one car. Takes a little more planning though. Had to deliver devastating news to some parents today. It was emotional and heartbreaking. I'm still not sure I'm standing on both feet again yet. On days like today it's just nice to come home. Spring break is coming up! Woohoo! Just think how much I'll be able to blog then! :o)