Look mom!

Owen, wanted to show off his "cool trick on the stairs"... So, here you go!

Silly boy.

Tooth fairy's first visit

Look who finally lost his first tooth! And on Christmas Day! The tooth fairy left him four singles, two half dollar coins, and a big dollar coin. He was sooooooo excited! Bonus: his second loose tooth is the first's next door neighbor...and will probably be making it's way out soon, too. :oP

Crafty Christmas Gifts

Here are the personalized gifts we made for our new teachers and for the kids teachers as well. I think they turned out quite nice. :)

Technique:

I'm so happy you liked what I made! I wasn't sure anyone was reading my blog anymore... hahaha!

I was google-ing some crayon ideas for a different project I wanted to make for my new teachers, and my kid's teachers when I came across this idea. So, I can't claim originality, but I LOVE it!!!

Here's how:

• I used a 64 pack of crayons, taking out all the black and brown shades. I want to do the same thing with only blacks and pinks for a friend of mine...but, that's a bunch of crayon packages...Think I'll have to raid some old crayons I have. I also want to do the same thing, but in the end, I want to NOT have the original crayon wrappers on top. I'm going to have to figure that technique out on my own. :) Make sure you leave the wrappers on the crayons - or it will be a hot (literally) mess. ;)
• Hot glue crayons to canvas.
• Use hair dryer (yes, normal hair dryer) on high heat to melt crayons. This process took me a bit over an hour. Go slowly, melting small sections of crayons at a time. Use close, without touching, circular pattern on about five crayons at a time. This time, after most of the crayons were melted out of the wrappers, I used the hair dryer to un-clump the clumps and to make the streaks drip down the remainder of the canvas. I think I'll go back and do that with the first one, too. :)

This is definitely something you could easily do with kids...supervised, of course. That hot wax is HOT. Be sure to use some type of splatter protector for the ground, and for your pants/legs. *from experience* :) I have two more canvas' in the craft area...just begging to be used...

Another one...

Here is the second crayon rainbow project. I used a slightly different technique...I think I like it even more than the first one.

After

I love the way this turned out! Now, I have to decide which direction to hang it...

Before

Art project I started today...while home with a sick Owen...after pic coming later today. so fun!

Breakfast for dinner!

Homemade, from scratch, pancakes
Fruit cocktail
Bacon on the grill
Eggs with cheese and pico de gallo

Yum!

Homework with a twist

Killed some trees today...

Holy copies Batman! These came in 18 overstuffed boxes today. Math mixed with science-sixth mixed with kinder... A mess for sure. But, now it's sorted & ready to go to the teachers. :)

Bobcat pin!

Lookie who just earned his first (tiger) boy scout pin! It's called the bobcat pin & he earned it by reciting the boy scout promise, motto, law of the pack, learning the boy scout handshake and sign & the meaning behind all of that. :) We are so proud of him!

Counting

Owen: Mom, help me count my balls!
...sorry! My inner 7th grade boy escaped... ;-) Lol!

Heartbroken

My sister wrote this beautiful poem.

She and her husband have been trying to have a baby (with assistance from the doctor's office). They were pregnant (twice now), but has since lost both babies. This second time, she even got to see a heartbeat ... and then, a week later... the baby was called home to Jesus. She goes in tomorrow for a d & c. By the way - her husband has been in Afghanistan this entire time... She's in Las Vegas... ALONE, dealing with this.  Please have your tissues ready while you read...

Not Yet Time (third/first person because that is how it feels)
by Rachel Karr (9-26-2011)

 Little Hope, Little Dream,
First Little One in my heart.
A little sorrow, a little pain,
Baby is a work of art.*
**
"Too soon," said the Painter.
"Too soon," said the Muse.
There's a time for receiving,
And a time to lose.*
**
"Come back to the fold!
Open the pearly gates!"
She's broken, She's torn;
She cries and she waits.*
**
An Angel in heaven
Thanks her daughter below,
The joy of Baby
Is for Grandma to know.*
**
"We'll hold this one for now;
We'll laugh and we'll play!
When baby is perfect
We'll send him your way."
**
Keep growing, keep laughing
My Dreams and my Hope.
I am waiting, I am grieving;
I'm learning to cope.*
**
"It's time!" will say Grandma
"It's time!" will say God.
Someday I'll meet Baby,
I'll be blessed, I'll be awed.*
**
"So dream little sleeper,"
She prays, she sings...
My Baby is in heaven
Growing his wings.*

Waiting on sleep and stuff from space

I had already been asleep for several hours when I suddenly woke up at 12:13. My first thought was, "really, body?! not going to stay asleep all night, AGAIN?!"

Then, I thought, "Hey! isn't that one satellite thing supposed to be visible about now, reentering the atmosphere?"

So, I got up and moseyed over to the computer and started doing research.

Which led me down that infernal rabbit hole...

Which is why I'm up and blogging at 3am.

Instead of sleeping.

I like sleep.

think I'll try again...

night!

Boys: a pictorial representation.

Lol!
Here are my boys being, well...boys.
Strike a pose, and there you go...
"Guns" a' blazin'!

Yum!

Source of anger

This is a major sore point at our house. Caleb's new school is nut free. I understood this to mean that *they* did not serve nor prepare any items using nuts or nut products.
Yesterday, we found out the hard way that is not all... My first grader's teacher emailed me to say that she had to throw away his peanut butter (that accompanied his celery sticks), and that he cried. He was very upset. Well DUH!  We have been sending pbj's for the past 17 days! Now, we can't?! We have been forced to pay more money to purchase soy "peanut" butter so our child can eat his favorite sandwich. I understand peanut allergies...my husband us a nurse...
But, my husband is an intelligent nurse...he does his research. Peanut allergies are not caused by airborne particles. Direct contact reactions are rare. Consumption is the main risk. With that said, I know he's only a first grader and he might think about sharing his food...BUUUUUUT... If he was the child with a nut allergy, he would be aware of it. He would KNOW better than to eat peanut butter or would know it was safer NOT to share....
Needless to say...my husband gets so irate about this topic! He (we) have issues with people jumping on a bandwagon without knowing all of the facts. So, I'm going to have to find a way to not bring it up...while still fighting this backwards system...while not getting involved as an employee... Grrrrrrr.... Stupid soy posing as peanut butter...

Aw...hail!

hehehe!
It's not just raining and thundering in very-very-dry-Odessa...

It's hailing!

I swear (except I don't) that lightning hit just outside our apartment complex a few minutes ago... as in, no pause between the flash and sound. It was SO loud that I jumped and swore (so, maybe I do...).

Anywho.  Love that we're finally getting some much needed moisture. Hopefully it won't destroy too much in the process. :)

Numbers

Today is a day I like...because (and you may not know this about me, but) I am a numbers kinda girl.

When we were expecting Caleb, I was due on March 8th...but, I prayed he'd arrive on the fourth. WHY?

Because, his birthday would have been 03-04-05. :)  See how I did that?! By the way - he was NOT born either date...he was born just after Valentine's day.

Then, when we were expecting Owen, I was due on June 14th...But, again I prayed for a different arrival date...we didn't get that one, either...but, our very amazing friend did! 06-07-08!

So, today is another awesome date that I like.  It's September 10th, 2011...09-10-11!
 
*notice my posting time for complete nerdivity.  (it's a word..look it up...or maybe it's not.  WHATEVER!!!)

Because sometimes...

I read a fantastic book this summer that reminded me why I'm that annoyingly happy morning person... I was blessed to wake up. Therefor, I celebrate the day by  starting out trying to be happy. Today, I had one of those great feelings...even felt amazing in my clothes. So, I asked the
hubby to capture my happy mood for me. Because sometimes...we need to remember to be thankful we woke up today. :-)

Sushi!

I like sushi...but, not the raw fish kind. I like the kind with raw vegetables and maybe some imitation crab meat. So, in my quest to save money, I've watched many you tube videos about how to prepare your own sushi. This weekend, I had the time, the ingredients and the will to try my hand at this fine art. These California rolls turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. And, the husband approved. So there. :-)

Smells like home

I'm in San Angelo this beautiful Labor Day weekend. We're staying with my dad. Everything I love about being home can be easily associated with my sense of smell:
Walking into the house, a soft mixture of the floors having just been moored with pine sol combines with whatever Dad grilled last night. In the morning, the weekend arrives with the luxurious scent of bacon cooking on the outdoor grill, wafting in the patio door. For a real flash back, I walk into mom and dad's bathroom, open her closet door and inhale deeply. Her perfume still lingers in the clothes still hanging there.
Ah...smells of home: good for relaxing the mind, reminding the body to slow down, and assuring the heart that things can (and will) get better.

Missing

Missing in my life right now (amid all the stuff that comes with moving away from the hometown you've been raised in, married in, buried your mother in, had babies in, worked in, made life-long friends in, and... I digress) is my photography.

I haven't found (read:made) time to find places 'round my new hometown to take the type of pictures I like to take. Not even my children have had their pictures made in some off-the-beaten-path, or on the VERY-beaten-path location. Camera phone snapshots around the apartment complex is all I've been able to do.

My sweet, amazing camera has been resting in my bedside table...It cries to me, lonely & depressed. She begs to come out and play...but, I have many excuses why she has to stay where she is...
1: it's too hot.
2: I am too mentally exhausted by my new job each day to try to find locations.
3: homework for Caleb has a daily struggle - what with no naps and all. He's a total bear from 5 to 8 pm.
4: We're all tired. That's just it.
5: Did I mention my job stresses me out?! That my latest passion has been trying to stay positive, not cry daily, and keep the faith that IT. WILL. GET. BETTER.? Yah. I'm of the mantra: Smile 'til it's real. (see also: Fake it 'til you feel it.) Ridiculous.

Okay - this was supposed to be a post about missing the photography side of my life - not about the pains of my career at this time.

So, I'm ending now, before the crying starts.

"Just keep smiling, just keep smiling..."
adapted from Dory-Finding Nemo. duh.

Countdown

10 is the time I went to bed last night.
     *but here I am wide awake and stressing at 2am.
9 is the time I kissed the boys good night.
     *and the time my school starts - okay it's 8:54...but still!!!
8 is the number of school days down.
     *Whew!
7 is the time Caleb and I leave for school in the morning.
     *Incidentally, 6:50 is when Brant and Owen leave.
6 is the number of new friends texting me during our faculty meeting yesterday. (hehehe)
     *YEAH! Found something positive to say about work.
5 is the number of meetings set for today.
     *... and there you go...
4 is the loads of laundry to be done and packed before tomorrow.
     *but, I'll happily stay up and get this done. Because...
3 is the number of days this weekend.
     *and no where near the number of people I want to see back "home."
2 is the number of places I'll need to be at one time, tonight.
     *Caleb's elementary open house & business meeting dinner.
The 1 is in whom I place all of my trust.

I need the following verse to get me through this day. Feel free to pray with me...

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-2

Why I love Saturdays

Naptime with this guy...and a good book in case I can't sleep.

Technology (or the lack thereof)

This ancient machine is in the copy room at my "new" school. Holy crow!
And "no one" knows how to order staples for the newer copy machines?! Are you kidding me?

Borrowed books

I'm a reader.
... much to my husband's dismay...
I love my nook.
It's kept me from cluttering our place with physical books.
...however, his boss's wife and
I have become fast friends...
And she shares my book addiction.
And she is happy to feed my addiction from her personal collection. (including one based on the true story of the man for which my new school was named.)
So these lovelies are on my shelf...waiting to be consumed...hehehe

Sticky situation

Oh how much fun we've had lately, accompanied by tons of evil maniacal laughter. Nerf dart guns, for the win.

Computer envy

This is the state in which I received my computer at my new school. It's a jumbled, antiquated mess. And the awesome chair it arrived upon? Yeah, that was secretly removed from my office. No words of explanation given. No sorrows passed on to me. Just walked in and "poof" it was gone. I *did* ask about it's whereabouts...and was promptly informed by the hot & cold secretary that it was in HER office. Why? Who knows. She already had one.

...and this us just a small glimpse into why I don't love my current situation... There's so much more.

What I'm Not...

What I'm not (anymore):

• a classroom teacher
• living in my hometown
• seeing my daddy every day
• eating at franco's whenever i'd like
• seeing my best girl friends at random locations
• taking my boys to the only daycare they've known
• driving past the home we've owned for over nine years
• working at the school in which i was a junior high student
• going out & staying late, because i have a longtime babysitter
• planning play dates for my boys with people i've known forever
• running into anyone i know at the target, walmart, hobby lobby ...
• having to hunt for a job in education in this crazy financial crisis
• alone in a town over two hours away from everyone i know
• worrying about finding a place to live in a new city
• uncomfortable with downsizing all our "stuff"
• forgetting to thank GOD for this opportunity
• taking our sweet boys for granted
• living apart from my husband
• living with regrets

On a -jet- (small) plane...

On my way to San Antonio today, from San Angelo. It'll be a small plane (only about 45 passengers). So far these passengers include:
a former professor of mine, an adorable baby girl, two sweet kids, the usual couples, a man in uniform, and this little passenger on her way to Alaska. Should be interesting...

Yum! Dinner!

Caprese Sausage Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1    box (7.6 oz) Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® basil pesto pasta salad mix
• 1/3       cup cold water
• 3    tablespoons olive oil
• 1    cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1    cup bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella cheese balls) (7 oz), cut into bite-size pieces
• 1    Package Eckridge smoked skinless sausage, grilled & thinly sliced
• 2    tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Fill 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of water; heat to boiling. Add Pasta. Gently boil, uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.

2. In large bowl, combine Seasoning mix from packet, cold water and oil. Stir in tomatoes, cheese and sausage. Stir in cooked pasta until well mixed.

3. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Garnish with and basil.  ENJOY!!!!

Serious gamers

Love this!
By the way-that blue eyed spiderman is mine. Hehehe!

Cilantro, Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can yellow corn, drained OR
• 1-2 ears of corn, cut corn off of cob
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained OR
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste

Directions

1. Stir the yellow corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic in a large bowl. Gently mix in the lime juice and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

ENJOY!!!