This Star Goes To...

Love how obscure shapes like a star really aren't all that unnatural.

In school a good paper, completed assignment, 100%, great attendance, and good choices can all earn you a star.

What about as an adult?

This week I would get a star for

• being on time
• developing a working knowledge of students and personalities at work
• sub plans
• watering the garden
• putting laundry away
• growing through professional development...and the beat goes on
• eating a healthy breakfast and fruit/veggie lunch

I would get a crumpled pumpkin bloom star for

• remaining patient when tired
• using my time efficiently to complete ...anything
• maintaining relationships when I'm busy
• thinking before I speak
• using zucchini [help]
• going to bed at 9:00 and getting up before 6
• too liberal use of Complaint Thursdays

Next week I want a bright cheery orange star because I'm going to:

• have lesson plans and materials ready EARLY
• put material I learned into practice NOW
• check in, spend time, and enjoy those friends that keep coming back
• read something non-fiction

Where do you read?

School has started. I'm supposed to be sleeping at 9 and up by 5:30. Well, 5:39, or 5:41, or 5:50, ..let's be real 5:59. Ok, it's August, it is almost by 6:17.

But for the few minutes I do read before bed it's been the "Cookbook Collector" recently.
I finished "The Help", LOVED it, and passed it onto my mom. This book is ok but didn't have much of a chance after "The Help". Easy themes to follow, fun characters, and a pretty no stress plot. Nice to read a chapter and go to bed.


Yet tonight I was home and had eaten dinner before dark. I needed some TLC time with my garden. So I found a lawn chair, a spot that had a bit of room, and plopped myself down to read in the middle of my garden.

I can breathe so much better there. Time passes in a peculiar vortex that feels like forever, yet re-energizes me and only takes up a few moments of real time.

I need my sunshine, plants, flowers, vegetables, and yes, even the weeds are a reassuring reminder that there is work, time, air, and existence OUTSIDE of my normal day.

MmmmMmmm Hungry!

Colorado Skies

Summer Blooms

Ripening Tomato's

Plenty good things to eat for dinner

Ten Cent Wonders

Cupstacking cups for indoor recess (or if our gym teacher needs another pack) for .10 cents

Pastel cardstock, mini cupcake clear stamps, oragami paper, and heart notepad for Valentine's Day Cards. 10 cents each

I got 6 pencil pouches for school for when other ones break etc. to hand out to students. for .10 cents each.

Wire basket for further storage / pantry organization.
10 cents

Can't Wait

Big Boy Tomatoes with a hint of yellow....come on September!

Cherry tomatoes picked daily. Little juicy nuggets of sweet deliciousness!

8 bucks for school

It is so easy to start spending money for a classroom and not stop! I at least try to do my spending at garage sales to keep it cheap. I've purchased a few Lincoln Logs before. They are such an EXPENSIVE toy but are high quality and very appealing...to...all ages.






Lincoln logs, roof and accessories, and train tracks in plastic storage tub. Five dollars. (I know, kind of expensive for me...)











Finally, I got these games for classroom (except maybe Cranium) after I talked them down to 5 for 3 dollars.

Woot!


Saturday I know of at least 1 church garage sale...here I come!

Crisp Mornings & Notes from Mom

It's the first day of school.

I remember as a kid somehow always being surprised that the early mornings were suddenly so cool. Obviously I never could get up at the crack of dawn during the summer. It's still tough!



I loved to see what my new teacher's classroom was like and of course what classmates I had.






And nothing could quite compare to new school supplies all neatly packed into my backpack.

Lunch was always loving packed for me. Often with a little 'love ya' note from mom. Thanks mom!









This school year I'm going to try having a school / classroom blog. Check it out and follow me at

More Than the ABC's.

Garden Update + bounty

I'm so glad I was ambitious this year and decided to just go for the larger garden without knowing how I would weed it. It's been tough to keep on top of, especially after elbow accident extraordinaire. With a lot of family help the plants are taller than the weeds. In fact, the majority of the weeds are !gasp! pulled.

Thanks!

Green Bell Peppers

Lots of jalapenos - whew! They're spicy!

oops. a very big zucchini. SO upset when I realized that I missed 'sneak zucchini onto your neighbor's porch' day August 8th.

One of many little pumpkins

Still Anxious

So...sleepy.

I've been teaching for three years and feel like I know what I am doing. *to a certain degree*

I thought that might help but I guess I will still get to play "guess what time you'll wake up" game before the first day of school.

Lesson plans are in progress, the classroom is just a few hours from being ready, the laundry is done, groceries purchased, lists made, emails checked.

I guess I'll just wait for my day to start.

Out with the old...

Starting a new school year means reevaluating how to most effectively use my time without spinning in circles. Often I feel just like this hamster but without any of the exciting-hamster-health benefits of running on a wheel.

Here's some generalities...




Out with collecting assignments only to wait a month, reluctantly give a mediocre grade to, and decide it isn't even worth sending home.

In with giving and collecting purposeful assignments and taking a standards
based grade for!

Out with messy student areas where I don't want to clean it but don't hold the student's responsible.

In with making sure each week a certain amount of time is spent cleaning up,
clearing out, and putting everything away.

Out with file folders or copies laying around months after I need them.

In with refiling, recycling, or storing materials correctly one afternoon a
week.

Out with messy student desks.

(Said with enormous hesitation while holding my breath) In with completely empty
student desks as they rotate to different rooms and store materials elsewhere.

Impossible to throw out the hours spent thinking about work, reviewing work, and working late....sigh.

Rocking the MST

Some youtube awesomeness!!! Someone felt like the Mountain Standard Time zone needed a bit o' music. California....psht!

Days like today make me incredibly glad to live in C-O-L-O-R-A-D-O!

Palmer Lake

#&%* Squirrel

The squirrel (or the whole family) has decided to take dead sunflowers and have a picnic.

ON THE PICNIC TABLE!!

And I had to run like a crazy lady twice to get a squirrel off of a standing, living sunflower before it snapped.

Really?!?

Book: Potato Peel Pie?

The title is really The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society but that seemed a bit long for my post.

I was returning Snow Falling on Cedars and the librarian recommended this book for me to read. It takes place on an island in the English Channel almost immediately after World War II.

The islanders had been under German occupation and in order to cover up an illegal pig roast dinner after hours concocted the literary society, and it stuck. The society members would meet during the war to discuss books and try to forget about their occupation, loss of loved ones, children that had been sent to farming communities in England for the war, and the hardships that everyone endured.

With just enough romance, drama, and historical facts I enjoyed the book as not one of war stories, but of the stories that happened when the war wasn't happening. It is written in the form of letters between characters and was refreshingly different!

100 Posts

I like milestones. So here is 100 posts in about 1/2 a year.

Why do I blog?

I liked the idea back in January and 99 posts later I seem to be liking it, but why?

• It helps me 'collect memories' in a similar way that scrapbooking does, but since I haven't scrapbooked for *cough* 3 years, sharing is hear instead
• I can easily integrate other tech. stuff like pictures or youtube into what I'm thinking about
• Blogging has forced me to learn about something new.
• Share with friends and family that might not otherwise see garage sale finds or food cooked.
• I may be able to use my new blog skills for work realated-future blog.
• It keeps me thinking

To any readers out there...if you read this...why do you read my blog?

6:42 seconds later...ahhhh

This makes me want to wake up six minutes and forty-two seconds earlier each morning to meditate, pray, and someday do a few yoga poses to.

I like that it has a strong enough beat to keep me focused but not such a predictable pattern as to lull me into a senseless stare at the wall. This is going to be a FAVORITE youtube channel!



Footnote: I miss doing yoga since I can't even lift anything with my left arm at the moment, I doubt downface dog, plank, cat and cow stretching, and a plethora of other yoga poses are in my future.

Maybe I should just work on balance. That might have helped prevent unfortunate bike/left turn accidents.

Garage Sale Delight

This weekend a neighborhood had a big garage sale and I went with my mom. We got several baby outfits for the mystery-gender baby that already has lots of clothes and some other general items.

Pictured above:

Polar Bear PJs - .50
Bunch o'magnets - .25
Pink nylon strin - .25
teal layered necklace - .25
bead layered necklace - free

Nothing that was amazing came along, but I am pretty excited about the free necklace. I asked the lady if it was supposed to be in the free box. She said, " Yah, I can't get it untangled and gave up."

4 minutes later in the car - great "purchase"

I hope the Colorado polar bear baby stay's warm!

Glorious Blooms!

As I mentioned here, the Easter Lillies bloomed!

Spiced Bread in Reverse

The finished product. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and bread.


Pre-cooked bread. Pizza style dough with cilantro, jalapeno, and sundried tomato add in's!

Cilantro and jalapeno on the cutting block.

One of six or seven jalapeno plants. Next time bread will be a bit more spicy!