Sep 07 2010
Our public pool opened its door this evening to its 4-legged friends. Olivia and her friend, Chester had a blast!
Oh and while I’m here… We had a FANTASTIC first day of school. My students are so, so sweet and enthusiastic. So looking forward to this year!
Aug 23 2010
So I did a little more work in my classroom on Friday. I’m not finished yet but am getting closer. 3 of my days this week are consumed with all day meetings, but hopefully the other two days I can get into my classroom and wrap up the loose ends on the decorating and organizing. I am ready to hit the ground running with planning and back to school paper work.
I realize the yellow bulletin board paper combined with the yellow shelf is a little overkill. I’ll change the paper in October, so surely we can live with it for a few weeks!
I’m excited about the computer table set up. I thought that turned out nicely. The table cloth has owls on it–our school mascot.
Please ignore the clutter around the sink (I’m working on it) and focus on the cute little rug. I found it at Target for $1! Its lifespan may be 2 weeks, but I thought it was too cute to pass up.
I posted all of my calendar math materials on the whiteboard but am thinking that I am going to do calendar on our SMART board this year. If I decide to do that, I’ll try to post the SMART board lesson here so others can use it.
I really love the arrangement of my classroom this year. I think it’s my favorite of all my years of teaching.
I’m hoping my class size is 20 because that’s how many students I have room for at the tables. I know I’ll have more than 20, so I need to quit hoping and just make room for another table. Not sure how that’s going to work but I’ll make it happen.
I’m putting myself and Olivia through back to work boot camp. I’m back into my house cleaning and menu planning/cooking routine. Luckily, I kept a workout schedule throughout the summer that I can maintain during the school year, so nothing new there. However, Olivia is adjusting to evening instead of morning walks. I’ve gotten a few dirty looks from her in the mornings, but otherwise she’s been adjusting beautifully.
I have a meeting tomorrow, but look forward to working in my classroom Wednesday!
Aug 09 2010
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Hello! I’m still here. I’ve just not been a very good blogger. So the last time you heard from me, I was at the beach with my mom in Florida. Our trip was fantastic. I’m having some technical difficulties right now accessing those pictures, but my in-house technology coordinator person is working on it. I’ll post pictures from that beach trip soon! So, Richard and I were out of town for 10 days. We were on separate trips, but our trip ended together at my parents house. We got to spend a couple of days with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. It was a fun time together and an unexpected treat for us all to be together. Olivia got to be there for the fun, too. When we left town, we left the house clean (clean sheets and all!), but for some reason I have not felt “caught up” since we’ve been back. The week has been a busy one somehow. On Thursday a storm hit in our neighborhood and damaged several of our trees. Over the course of the past few days crews have been coming to work on the trees, removing several. It’s unfortunate, but two of the trees were Bradford Pears and were not strong enough to support their quick growth anymore. |
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Neither Richard or I had ever seen winds as strong as they were when the storm hit (73 mph). I have more pictures on my “regular” camera (these were taken from my phone, but quite honestly I’m too lazy to go get them. In the back yard, there were tons of limbs and branches on the ground, lots of leaves and several of our flower pots were blown over. No real damage though. On Thursday, I started getting sick and went to the doctor Friday morning. She thought I just had a cold and sent me home with instructions to take Robitussin. I was frustrated and knew that wouldn’t cut it and I was right. I called her back this morning and got a I have tons of yard work I want to do and will get on that as soon as I feel better. Hopefully the meds will kick in and do their thing SOON! I have been taking Olivia for a walk or to the dog park each morning. The last couple of mornings it’s been to the dog park because I’ve been too lazy to walk her!! Here are some recent pictures of our girl: |
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(Please ignore the state of the flower bed…we had just gotten back into town and I had not yet cleaned up the yard.) Olivia has a route that she runs every time we let her out. Unfortunately, her route is straight through the back flower bed. The plants that are in her path are not too happy. One side of one of my Boston Ferns is nearly completely gone from her running past it. While we were all away for 10 days, some of the plants took the opportunity to recuperate from the usual beating. |
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3 hostas I had that were about 2 feet tall when I bought them have been mowed down to nothing thanks to Olivia. At least she’s not intentionally destroying anything. I will give her that much credit! At least the plants in containers are happy! Earlier in the week Richard was out of town on a business trip, so I decided to take myself for a walk on the national mall. The Lincoln Memorial is my favorite of all the memorials. I specifically love the view of it from the World War II Memorial. The World War II Memorial is most impressive at night, I think. I sat at the WWII Memorial for awhile and then walked down to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a really nice evening. We got a break in the heat this week. It was a nice walk and I enjoyed having some quiet time to myself (dog free even!). I couldn’t get a picture of it because it was so dark, but the baby ducks were huddled together sleeping on the side of the reflecting pool. Their parents protectively stood beside them. |
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So, Thursday afternoon when the storm came, our electricity went out. Our power came back on Saturday morning around 10:00. We were very thankful the temperatures were only in the upper 80s/low 90s outside since we had no air conditioning. Luckily this happened in the summer because the cold water isn’t too terribly cold in the summer for showers. We have a gas stove and a grill, so we cooked that way and played Skip-Bo by candlelight. It wasn’t so bad. I was certainly glad the electricity came back on Saturday because I needed to be able to blow my hair out for a wedding we attended Saturday night! We had a great time at the wedding. 8 hours in 3.5 inch heels reminded me of what I have ahead of me with school starting! |
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So I guess this bring us fairly up-to-date. I’ll post Panama City Beach pictures as soon as I can. My summer is winding down already somehow (our last day of school was June 25). I have several meetings for school to attend over the next few weeks (a week and a half’s worth actually) and then I’m “officially” back on the 30th. The students return the Tuesday after Labor Day. |
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Jul 22 2010
Last summer I got the bright idea to make a new bed for Olivia. The bed I made last summer was to go in her crate. At first, she didn’t like it and actually the first few nights after I made it, we had to take her new bed out and replace it with her old, chewed up beach towels so she’d quite crying and go to sleep. Eventually, she came to love her new bed.
When I made her new bed, I made thee bed and then made several covers to go over the bed so I could switch out the cover and wash it, etc
Olivia has gone through a few changes regarding where she sleeps since we moved out of our apartment. From the time we got her up until February, she slept in her crate. Even when Richard and I lived apart because of work, Olivia slept in her crate. At the end of January, we moved. Our box springs wouldn’t fit up our staircase, so for a few weeks our mattress was on the floor. Olivia could hop on and off the bed. This resulted in her starting off sleeping with us and most often she’d move herself into her crate during the night. After the snow cleared away, we were able to get out and buy a split box spring that would fit up our staircase. Olivia could no longer hop on and off the bed with ease. The crate was still in our bedroom, but she started sleeping with us. Eventually this led to the crate being taken apart and stored in the basement.
After awhile, I realized I wasn’t sleeping well because of the dog. We never take her collar off, so every wiggle creates a jingle and she loves to snuggle and stretch out at the same time which means she nearly takes up as much space as a third person. This resulted in me practically hanging off the bed so the DOG could have enough space to sleep!
I finally had enough and decided that she’d sleep on her bed beside our bed. I assumed we’d have to go through a few nights of crying and restlessness on her part, but that I was willing to do it so things would be better in the long run. Well, to my surprise, on night #1 of Olivia Sleeping Solo Boot Camp, she put her paws up for me to put her on our bed and I said, “Livvy girl sleeps over here” and I led her over to her bed and SHE LAID DOWN AND WENT TO SLEEP without a peep! Most nights she still tries to talk me into putting her on our bed, but then she willingly goes over and snuggles down on her own bed. Such a big girl!
This time on my bed-making adventure, I decided to use a couple of more “serious” fabrics so we can have something not too loud to leave out in our bedroom all the time. The more “fun” fabrics will be used for her beds for the back of the car and her doghouse outside.
Last time I used stitch witchery. That involved lots of time, pinning and ironing. This time I decided to try fabric glue. I LOVE the stuff. I’ll never use stitch witchery again. I whipped up the beds and covers in no time! Of course, watching Julie and Julia while I was working helped!
I actually bought the blue fabric thinking it would be cute if we do get to adopt a boy dog. We haven’t heard a word from the Westie rescue. I completed the application a couple of weeks ago and then emailed them a week or so later confirming that they had received it, but still no word. We’re disappointed, but still waiting to see what happens. The organization is run by volunteers and they get hundreds of applications, so I’m trying to be understanding and patient. Even if a little boy dog doesn’t get to use the blue fabric, I think it suits Olivia, too.
As if making beds and bed covers for my dog isn’t bad enough, I decided she needs a little luggage tag for when we need to take a bag places for her. I ordered it from here, The Monogram Marketplace on Etsy. I got her name and a doggie bone (in light pink and green) on the front and our phone numbers on the back. I can hardly wait to get it in.
It’s kind of starting to sound like it might be a good idea for school to start.
Jul 16 2010
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Recently I have taken a few day trips. Two day trips to have been to Assateague Island. The first I took with a girlfriend and the second I took all by myself! The third was to Williamsburg. Assateague is an absolutely beautiful beach. I love going to the beach and not looking at high rise hotels and condos. All I can see for miles and miles are sand dunes, sea grass and pristine beach. Here are some pictures from the time I went with my girlfriend. I swore I wouldn’t post any swimsuit pictures. I am posting pictures of the amazing wild horses we saw! They are certainly not afraid of people. They rooted around in several beach bags looking for snacks. Unfortunately, they uncovered a bag of goldfish crackers, but after that people started closing their bags, baskets, etc. It’s very unhealthy for the horses to eat people food, but since they are wild animals, once they have the food it is unsafe to take it from them. Anyway–my friend and I had a WONDERFUL time. We read, talked, walked and even played in the water. The waves were big and strong that day, so there was lots of laughter as we got splashed and knocked down in the water. Lots of fun and a day we’ll definitely have to repeat soon! Oh and on the way home we went to a SONIC for drinks. It was heavenly. I hadn’t seen a Sonic since I went home for Christmas. Oh and I almost forgot to mention that my friend and I also saw two horses fighting. They were both reared up on their hind legs going at each other with their mouths and front hooves. Quite interesting. She has the pictures of that on her camera, but maybe I can share those soon. |
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Richard has been gone all week on a business trip, so Olivia and I have been holding down the fort. I’ve done a little organizing and the normal cleaning, laundry and yard work. I feel like I’ve been relatively busy, but yet it doesn’t seem like a lot has gotten accomplished. Tuesday I drove to Williamsburg to see my parents. I talk to them frequently, but nothing compares to getting to spend face-to-face time with them and getting to hug their necks! I will definitely have to get Richard to take me back to Williamsburg. It’s obviously historical (which will be the draw for him), but there are also many cute little boutiques there. |
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Yesterday I got the house in order, laundry done, sheets changed, etc. I decided since all of the necessities were taken care of that I’d head to the beach today! This morning I got up and packed the car with my basket, an umbrella and a beach chair and dropped Olivia off at daycare and off I went! I enjoyed a quiet day all to myself. I walked a lot, read some, didn’t pick up a single seashell (believe it or not), got in the water some and worked a few sodoku puzzles. Otherwise I just sat and watched and listened to the ocean. If you look carefully at the picture of the sand, you can see little birdie footprints. I love to watch children and birds at the beach! |
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Jul 10 2010
I am not sure what made me do this, but a few weeks ago I started looking online for a Westie to adopt. I suppose I thought Olivia might like a 4-legged friend.
There was a dog named Bentley on one of the local rescue’s website. He was 6 years old and had Addison’s disease (easily managed with monthly shots). I was all geared up to look into adopting this dog, but when I looked this morning, his adoption is pending with another family.
So, plan B. I completed the adoption form and requested a dog named Xander (short for Alexander) or another dog they thought suitable for our home. Xander is 5 years old and was given up because his parents divorced. I have issues with his name, but I realize he is probably too old for us to totally change his name, so I think we will call him Alex.
I’ve always been anti-boy dogs, but i’ve decided it might be kind of fun. Richard says he doesn’t want another girl because he is afraid the girl would be mean to Olivia (she is submissive).
I have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. I am sure having two Westies will be quite the adventure! I am already ready to shop for cute boy collars and cute boy fabric to make a bed for him! I’m already wondering if we’ll need to buy a second dog house or sell our current dog house and upgrade to a larger one for them to share. Can’t wait!
Here is Olivia sleeping on her window bed:
Jun 29 2010
We are having a wonderful time. We’ve been in Boston since Friday night and we are leaving tomorrow mid-morning to drive to Cape Cod. We will fly home Friday.
I have lots of pictures to share! I’ll do that when we get home.
Here’s one taken from my phone (hope you can see it; I’m outside and can’t see my screen very well):
Jun 21 2010
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The original plan was to leave at 7:00 a.m. Then, we realized we couldn’t take Olivia to daycare until 8:00. Of course, we weren’t ready until 8:15 and had to come back to the house twice (once because we forgot bug spray and the second time because I forgot my sunglasses). We got Olivia dropped off and by the time we hit the road, it was about 8:45. I hadn’t made the effort to cook breakfast or really even make anything available at home, so we stopped along the way. We tried to go to Panera, As you can see from the pictures, it is absolutely beautiful. The Maryland side (where we were) is a state park and the Virginia is a national park, so the island is completely undeveloped. The sand dunes are so pretty and the beach just goes on for miles and miles and miles. There |
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When we got there, we walked down the beach a littleways to set up camp. Then, we ate a little bit and I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to go for a walk to collect seashells. Off I went while Richard attempted to read the NY Times at the windy beach. I collected a lot of seashells and even ran across a piece of drift wood I thought needed a happy home. After my walk, I came back and took a nap. Then I talked Richard into going for a walk with me. I collected more seashells then. I enlisted his help carrying them. Other than walking on the beach, I literally did nothing the whole day. I just sat in my chair and enjoyed the water, breeze and sounds. It was heavenly. As I sat in my classroom today drowning in children and paperwork, it was hard to believe I was at the beach less than 24 hours before. Around 6:00, I decided we better head back. I knew I needed to get up to run this morning and that I needed to get decent night’s sleep to be able to run and be on my toes with my first graders today. So, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Assateague Crab House (yum) and then headed home (but not before we checked out the beach shack store next door). We made it home in 2 1/2 hours without any stops. I told Richard he needs to be prepared for me to be at the beach quite a bit this summer. We had a great time and I’m already scheming how I can talk Richard into trip #2.
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Jun 19 2010
So I’m sitting outside,sipping a Diet Coke with lime (let’s get crazy!), throwing the ball for Olivia, trying to suppress the guilt I feel for intentionally not refilling the bird feeder and reading the latest issue of Real Simple magazine.
Let’s flashback quickly to 1991 when my mother made my brother tight roll my jeans for me. Now, checkout what’s in this month’s issue of Real Simple:
