Welcome to the Waltons

Game Face

2012-01-17T19:38:00.000-05:00

She looks the part, eh? Amazing how we just got this picture on Saturday and that very same day, we signed her up for Spring/Summer Softball! We think she'll do very well at that...and probably have more fun as well. Looks like we will be coaching again...maybe two teams this year - HA! No sign of Joel's pics yet...supposedly they were "misplaced". Will post when that mystery is solved!

OUT!

2011-12-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

The second day after Christmas,
after tugging and whining and such;
that stubborn old tooth finally came loose-
the one that mom wanted out so much!

I had wiggled and twisted and turned it,
I said, "Yes! Pull it out! and then "NO!"
The family got frustrated with me-- saying,
"Ya gotta let that new one grow!"

So finally the day came when mother
grabbed a kleenex and moved in quite cunning,
she popped it right out with no trouble and
to my tooth pillow I went a-running!

Signed,

Gap-Toothed Hanna

Christmas Morning Greetings!

2011-12-25T11:09:00.000-05:00

The gifts are unwrapped, Christmas Braid consumed, pajamas still on, and comatose family sitting around enjoying their special treats...it's been a fun morning. I hope everyone is enjoying their mornings too! Well wishes to friends and family we are unable to see right now. Thanks to those that sent gifts to the kids; they are spoiled rotten!! They are also excited to go shopping and pick out things later during winter break! Did I mention that I was blogging this from my new laptop Andy got me? Awesome!
Merry Christmas everyone--may you enjoy time with family and friends this season.

Hanna's First Bball Game

2011-12-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

Well, she's had her first taste of the hardwood! This morning at 9am, Hanna donned her uniform and took some hesitant steps into basketball season. It was fun to watch but, bless our coach's heart, he's got some work cut out. Hanna runs down the court? Ummm, no....more like sashaying. Hanna goes after the ball? No....more like putting her hands up and cringing when it's loose. Hanna dribbles the ball on her foot, loses it, and comes running over to mom and dad for consoling (in the middle of the game)? Yep! The neat thing was that she played her "boyfriend's" team! Devon--who stays at his Grandma's house across the street from us every day during the summer--got paired up with Hanna right off the bat. There they are together in the pic. Too funny!

She was awesome! We're in for a fun season :-)

News...

2011-11-17T17:48:00.000-05:00

Last night at the end of Hanna's final class for the current section of gymnastics, I was asking about the policy for conflicts and make-ups...the instructor replied with, "Actually, I want her to move up into the intermediate class." Boy, do we have one excited little girl! Added to that excitement is the fact that she's now in basketball. She had her first practice the other night and loved it. We thought it might be touch-and-go when we found out she was the only girl on her team. Apparently, only 8 girls signed up for the age bracket, so they were divided up. Nervous at first, but she warmed up quickly. It's all she talks about! Joel is at his first practice as I write this. He's excited to get back into it. With these things on the calendar, we are now officially "Mom and Pop's Taxi Service"!

No Snow for Us!

2011-11-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

In lieu of the fact that we just dropped a small fortune on a fancy new snow blower, let it be known that we will not have accumulating snow this winter. Andy says, "You're welcome."

A Family Greeting for the Waltons

2011-11-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

Birthdays last night...Joel and Hanna thought Trevor might like another "hello". Not everyone was around, but most got a chance to send their love. Sorry if Trev and Shane get a little cross-eyed keeping up with the camera. Tim and MaryAnn: apparently you are chopped liver! :0)

Busy Halloween

2011-11-02T19:59:00.000-04:00

They look pretty happy to be eating that cold pizza! The goobers had to pull out in a rush in order to get to Grandma's house and back home before the trick-or-treating ended. The pizza was in the oven when they left and mom was the only one who got a warm supper. Not the most wholesome dinner, but it ends up being stuff like that when you get home close to five and the fun begins at six... Don't get me started on the outrageous amounts of sweets inhabiting our home right now. I have a dentist check-up tomorrow! The biggest chocoholic in the house and I have a stinkin' dentist appointment the week of Halloween...it's just not right. Happy day all................ and to my mom: yes, you got me this time! I've just chosen to ignore it :0)

School Pictures

2011-10-18T17:40:00.000-04:00

There's not a whole lot to say here. Everyone who knows these two is thinking the same thing: Where did the time go? 3rd Grader and Kindergartener extraordinaire... <3

A Shout-Out to Trevor

2011-10-17T20:07:00.000-04:00

Hey Trevor! We heard you need to get your Joel fix, so here's a greeting from your buddy!

And Hanna sends her love, too!!

Lady Victory-A Field Trip

2011-09-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, we took a trip downtown to see a little bit of history at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the circle. Lady Victory has recently been restored and strengthened...her first time down since she was first perched atop the monument in the 1800s. People were able to get up close and personal for about a week before they hoist her back up. Due to the high winds and icky weather this week, she didn't get put back yet, but I expect it to happen soon. It was kind of neat to see the details up close. Hanna was fair game for a picture, but Joel wasn't interested!

Good Speller

2011-08-25T17:17:00.002-04:00

Joel brought home his second spelling test the other day. Spelling is not his strongest suit, but we work at it and we make him write the words often. So, I had to post this because it made me smile...see it? Look closely...hee hee :0)

Fall Ball and A New School Year

2011-08-23T21:25:00.002-04:00

...and we're off! A week and a half into the new school year and boy am I whooped! Middle Schoolers are most definitely a far cry from elementary kiddos. In all honesty, I just haven't found my school year joy yet. It's not the kids at all (okay, maybe it's those sometimes snarky 8th graders a little), but rather the whole building atmosphere. Secondary schools are run QUITE differently from elementaries, we'll just say that. I still struggle with the daily walk over to the HS building for my 8th grade choir. Every day from afar, I can see and hear the elementary kids at recess---MY kids---and it saddens me greatly. But...this too shall pass and somewhere along the way, I will find my joy again.

The kids are off to a great start at school. Hanna loves kindergarten, and Joel is thrilled that he has some of his best buds in his 3rd grade class. I cannot believe where the time went, in terms of my babies. Joel is learning cursive (yes, our teacher will forever teach it, despite the recent "optional" label it has received from the state) and Hanna is coming home singing letter and shape songs almost every day. Whatever occasional thoughts I may have had about her teacher when I was her colleague, I AM impressed and grateful that she makes music a regular part of her instruction. Joel's teacher used to be my choir accompanist and always had a piano in her room, making her classes sing the SSB every morning. But the move to the new building left her no room for it...argh...

Joel has started fall baseball and loves it. He's moved up into a new league in which the first 3 innings are pitching machine and the final 3 innings are kid pitch. He's been learning pitching mechanics from dad since spring ball ended and it is paying off. On Sunday, he did a SUPER job! It was the first game, and he was thrilled to have the grandparents there for it. His first time pitching ever, and he really brought the team out of a slump. We are very proud. On Sunday night, we received a phone call from our coach concerning the opposing team's coach, who also does travel team for the neighboring town. It seems that he wanted permission to contact us to discuss getting Joel on the travel team. We politely declined. We feel very strongly that rec. league is the perfect place for Joel, and that travel teams run the risk of causing burn-out (and empty checkbooks!) among other things. We want Joel to enjoy ball and always be able to get sheer happiness from participating in it...no pressure involved. We also think playing different positions is valuable. His skills are coming along just fine in rec. ball in our opinion. But, for the record, the "scouting" phone call left us beaming!

CORPORATION!! (Darn typos)

2011-08-07T18:18:00.001-04:00

My New Classroom

2011-08-06T22:00:00.002-04:00

In one of the oldest dungeons in the oldest corperation building, I have made my new home. Here's the middle school choir room. Yes, I must paint every room in which I take up residence! The HS room is not mine; I'm just visiting for an hour each day, so I didn't snap any pics.

Ran out of paint, so only 2 walls are cool. (the ones I get to look at while teaching...ha!)

My "office"!

Daddy's Day Off

2011-08-06T21:50:00.004-04:00

With Andy's new schedule, he's been getting a day off each week to do something fun with the fam. A cool walk in the creek at Fall's Park...

A visit to the Children's Museum...

Hanna's digging for remains of Terra Cotta Warriors...

Down in the Dinosphere, ready to be devoured by a T-Rex...

July Catch-Up

2011-07-28T09:47:00.002-04:00

When I said, "Here let me take your picture Joel", I expected some sparkler movement and magic! Ummm... Well this face cracks me up anyhow.

Hanna's still loving gymnastics...

Went to a scorching hot Indians game last week. We had a great time and the kids even lasted about an hour before getting their souvenir bats taken away! LOL

Hanna Goings-On

2011-07-02T12:46:00.002-04:00

The other morning, just after I had started some kitchen laundry, Hanna awoke and came out to the kitchen sans nightgown. She loudly proclaimed, "I would like to do my school work right away this morning, and I want to do it in my underwear!" And so she proceeded to whip through 12 pages (!) of her workbook. She eventually got dressed and went outside to play...

Before I proceed, please don't judge us for what we allow our children to do. We keep a close eye on them and take safety precautions as needed. Okay, so Joel is getting to the age where he wants to help mow the yard. Andy has actually been letting him. His cut pattern has a little to be desired, of course, but he does a pretty good job. Obviously Hanna cannot be left out, so she gets the cleanup round. When the entire yard is done, the blade is turned off, deck raised, and she gets to drive circles in the backyard to her heart's content. Miss Independent...

Stayin' Alive

2011-06-23T09:54:00.003-04:00

Long night last night! After Monday's rain-out, the Cubs played a 6:00 tourney game last night. It was the 2nd of our tourney games--double elimination. The boys were not into it at all. Half the team was dragging due to many daytime activities and family affairs, we were missing 2 players, and all they really wanted was to get it over with and head to DQ. (Lesson learned by this coaching family: NEVER pre-plan the DQ visit with "when our season ends, we'll take the team to Dairy Queen".) With us already down in the 6th inning, the Phillies got 4 runs...apparently that lit a fire under our boys because we answered with 6 runs and tied the game. In the tie-breaker inning, we pulled it out, sending us on to a doubleheader game 15 minutes afterwards.

I'll be honest, I never thought we'd make it this far, but the boys have been scratching and clawing their way through this loser's bracket. So we played the second game and it was looking much like the first. Some of out parents were unhappy that the Marlins were playing 6 outfielders compared to our 2. (Andy being the educational coach had agreed to let them do it - "just let the kids play" is his philosophy.) Now the boys were REALLY tired! (The pitcher was losing steam fast as well!) Down 6-4 entering the 5th inning...somebody must have brought out the rally monkey again because the kids squeaked it out 7-6. Whew! Getting home at 10:00 after 2 long games is new to us... We play again tonight; if we win, another doubleheader! Needless to say, the kids have all been commanded to rest a bit today. Go Cubs Go!

Baseball Love

2011-06-21T09:27:00.003-04:00

A busy season of Optimist Baseball is winding down. Tournament games all this week... Joel has had a blast with it. I was wondering how he'd take the season with dad as head coach and mom in the dugout running the book (and occasional discipline). He's been great! His skills have developed and he's already expressed interest in doing fall ball the next town over. He's made a new batch of friends and we all have enjoyed working with this year's families. Andy has been a great coach and pitcher (I not-so-secretly hope he coaches again next summer)! The one thing we've had to adjust to is the schedule. For those with slightly older kids, this is nothing, I'm sure. For us, Joel and Hanna are wanting to participate in everything they can, so we're out doing something almost every evening. Between ball a few times a week (EVERY Saturday!) and gymnastics, we are starting to get a taste of the family taxi service everyone talks about. And of course, everything takes moolah, so some of our summer projects will have to wait. Between activities, Alabama wedding trip, paying off remodel credit, and the looming school year with book rentals, 1/2 day babysitting, and YMCA after-care for the kids--whew--we are tapped out. The bedroom makeover, landscaping, and shocks/struts for the car...gonna have to wait. We know that at this age, it's all about the kids. It's not about us and our schedules and desires. Let them be kids, let them try their hand at all manner of things, and when plans don't cooperate....we are learning to go with the flow.

Feeling Guilty!

2011-06-19T10:45:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy week here (by summer standards), full of baseball tournament games and playdates. As a result, I was a bad daughter and did not get my family called. I promise, I'm doing it today when I think they are all up and going! In case they browse this first...Happy Birthday Mom! Happy Father's Day Dad! (she's gonna kill me for this pic!)

Kismet

2011-06-19T10:27:00.002-04:00

For weeks now, I've been extremely bothered by the two typos from my last post. After publishing it, I went back and tried to edit the passage in Blogger to no avail. I had just about gotten to the "let it go" stage, thinking that the people who read my blog know me well, and have surely since forgiven the mistakes (even though it would pop up in my thoughts as recently as yesterday). Now, I surely cannot! Moments ago, Andy and I sat watching CBS Sunday Morning and Bill Geist did a spot on these two traveling "Typo Hunters"; fellas who go around fixing the many typos and grammatical errors they encounter. (Plenty of 'em, I say!) Typos drive me crazy, especially when they are mine. After that rather funny and spot-on story which, no doubt, was meant to speak to me, I have returned to clear my conscience.

I spoke of leaving my classroom, but used the contraction for it is. Correction: its. Then, my "s" failed me, so instead of it' awesome....correction: it's awesome. There, now I feel better. Call me what you will, but I am not a flagrant misspeller or grammar/mechanics abuser.

Goodbye to FES

2011-06-06T21:11:00.004-04:00

Nothing but a shell now... I'm going to really miss this room. They say 2 years, but none of us really believe that. I honestly don't think I'll ever be back to this room/building, at least not in it's current form.

My new/old room is actually smaller than this one. But I guess I won't need quite as much room to move around and drag out instruments and all that fun general music stuff.

I've been busy painting the large wall in my middle school classroom. (anyone shocked?) It's the same drab white cinder block I started with here. It' amazing what a little color can do for the feel of the room. Teal, lime, and blue...I'll take pics when it's done.

Take care, little stick musicians...

More Wedding Pics and Misc...

2011-05-30T18:36:00.004-04:00

Here are some more pics of the wedding in Alabama...in none of which Joel is cracking a smile!

Andy holding Ryder (Wendy's youngest). He's the chunky monkey of the cousins! So cute...!

Tim and his youngest Shane, the most content baby we know!

Before the ceremony...

At rehearsal the day before... The story of the weekend was Hanna + Rylee and Joel + Trevor.

Weekend Wedding in 'Bama

2011-05-30T18:13:00.003-04:00

Andy's sister, Abby, got married this weekend down in southern Alabama. It was a nice event (getting down and back--not so much...) and the bride was lovely! Of course, so was our little flower girl! The ceremony was outdoors in a nice wooded park by the riverfront. It was short and sweet (upper 90's) and everyone wore a smile except sourpuss Joel. He only agreed to walk down as the ring bearer if cousin Trevor was with him. Trevor had a "want Daddy" meltdown at the onset, so Joel wasn't too happy. He was pretty much asked to be in "responsible, caregiver, watch-the-youngers" mode all weekend, so I suppose I can't blame him. Hanna and Rylee had their hair all dolled up and looked so sweet together!

A-Ha! He cracked a smile!

Fuzzy, dance-floor lighting, but a sweet pic of Andy dancing with his baby sister.

The stars of the reception (meaning they hogged the dance floor all night)!

Awwwwwwwww.....

Things That Have Flown By...

2011-05-19T20:38:00.003-04:00

Easter at Uncle Mark's house...a chilly, rainy, but fun affair!

Mother's Day Tea at preschool. This is Olivia, Hanna's buddy. Olivia ended up getting the "Most Fashionable Award Ribbon" at graduation.

Hanna's preschool graduation! The church sanctuary is a horrible place for pictures...they all came out dark, even on the right settings. So this is the fellowship following the ceremony. Hanna received the (wait, I'll give you one guess...............)

"Storyteller Award" ribbon. I know, we were TOTALLY shocked too! (yuk, yuk...) BTW, she lost her second tooth (finally!) the night before so was sporting her stick-my-tongue-in-gap grin the whole time.

Joel made it into the school-wide T-Race competition. He was the speediest from his class on addition, so he competed against the other speedies in the all-school assembly this morning. He did awesome and I'm so proud of him...only 8 kids come from each grade for this. He won one round, but his buddy Ben won the overall addition competition with 3 wins.

This afternoon was also the ISO Instrument Petting Zoo for Joel's class. I've been doing it all week with the 2nd graders as part of their study of orchestral instruments. They (and I) love this! It's joyful noise, that's for sure... One week left folks!

Knee-Deep in Packing Tape

2011-05-14T20:27:00.002-04:00

Sorry I'm off the map! I am splitting my time between baseball games, Preschool end-of-year events, planning a wedding trip to Alabama, and packing 12 years worth of general music teaching. Purging, packing, passing on...all those boxes with someone else's name and location on them. *sigh* I will say, I am starting to look at next year as a new adventure of sorts. New people, new room (actually, it's more of an outdated old cave than my current room!), new students (okay, some of those are old too!), and new teaching strategies. There are times I find it hard to shake the feeling that I'll never be back to elementary music, but I am trying. I really shouldn't complain...I will still have a job and it's in music. That's the meat and potatoes that should matter in terms of my career. My good friend (and other half of "The Dream Team") is struggling this week as she prepares to say goodbye altogether. I cannot blame her. The whole building consists of rooms burgeoning with boxes of entire careers in them. I am really praying that she gets the job she interviewed for last week. So...we keep going. May in all it's chaotic glory plus some. I am really looking forward to this summer! Give me 2 1/2 more weeks and I'll be golden!

Go Cubs, Go!

2011-05-01T13:45:00.004-04:00

Andy just returned with the team uniforms...the Cubs this year! Of course, Joel had to try it on right away. So, we're being sponsored by a local mortuary - Erlewein Mortuary. Moments ago, Andy proudly declares, "...cause we're gonna knock 'em dead!" Hardy har har.....

My New Job

2011-04-30T19:43:00.007-04:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Crazy being defined here as frustrating, depressing, challenging, and any other words you can assign to the fact that administrators pluck you out of your strengths and passions just because it "works" on paper. Here's the skinny on school...

Monday, I received an email from the Supt. stating that I was being involuntarily transferred to the upper grades and (because of my seniority) had until Wednesday to decide if I wanted Middle School Choir or High School Choir next year. This supposed seniority I have is strong enough to appeal the transfer so that I may stay in Elementary General Music. One catch: if I play hardball and stay in the area of my dreams and greatest strengths, I put my colleague and friend out of a job because she is strictly licensed to do General Music. How's that for guilt? No thanks, I'd like to eventually be able to sleep at night. I told my principal that it would be a MUCH easier pill to swallow if I knew I was the first person back in the door when/if things got better. She could not guarantee that. Some of my colleagues think things will get even worse and elementary specials will, in fact, be eradicated from the curriculum. They encourage me to look at this transfer as a possible saving of my job. So...next year, I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade choir, as well as jumping over to the high school for 8th grade choir. Choir...all day, every day. Did I mention that my piano skills "drink through a straw" and, though they be totally adequate for K-4, the middle schoolers will see right through my meager chord-reading-boom-chucking? I know there are up-side to all this, but as my good friend said, I'm just not ready to embrace them all yet. Hey, at least I know how to pack for the evacuation of our building now.

I Am/Was (who am I kidding?)-Will Still Be... a Worry-Wart

2011-04-15T21:03:00.004-04:00

I found my new quote du jour.... "Worrying doesn't take away tomorrow's troubles, it only takes away today's peace." Think I can remember that one? The latest developments with school include them possibly forcing me to move to secondary choir or band because I'm one of the few that has all 3 endorsements on my license. Well, I was put on this earth to teach general music to primary youngsters; this possible change could be tough...BUT I will stick it out. This week was rough for many of my colleagues; a very large number of them received phone calls concerning RIFs. We also found out the tentative amount of class sections. Less and less sections, which means larger and larger classes. My children are at risk of becoming a cubby number. See that? All those "future" words like possibly and tentative and at risk... I need to knock that off. I'm trying to embody my new quote.

NOT Pursuing It

2011-04-11T19:12:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time, there was an over-dramatic 5 yr-old with her first "looth tooth" ever. Thinking the tooth was sufficiently hanging by a thread, and anxious to call upon the Tooth Fairy, the young princess enlisted her daddy to "finish it off". Alas, after much Orajel and tugging/twisting, the tooth would not budge. The darling child was not pleased. (see picture)

The youngster resigned herself to enjoy the sunny day with brother and neighborhood friends, forgetting about the tooth for a few hours. Late in the afternoon, though, the child burst into her home (pulling a face much like second picture) shouting, "I hafta sheck shungshing...aahhh!!!" And where once was a non-compliant baby tooth, there was only a reddish hole. Her parents were smiley excited until the young lady, looking rather panicked, disclosed that she had swallowed the tooth. "How can you leave it under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy if you swallowed it?" exclaimed her parents. (the wrong thing to say...) A renewed 5-yr old fit ensued...with one quote of the day: "I want monnneeeey!" After calming the sweet child and assuring her that a note to the Tooth Fairy would suffice, she bounced off to play some more. Thus was uttered the second quote of the day: "We are NOT pursuing that tooth..."

Her first gap-toothed smile (grimace?).

Spring Break

2011-03-31T13:41:00.003-04:00

Yesterday....the midway point of our SPRING break.....within the span of a half hour.................sheesh.....

Fresh Faces

2011-03-28T15:41:00.007-04:00

Today, the kids' first day of Spring Break, we had doctor checkups/kindergarten prep shots and hair cuts. Big change for Hanna, who lost 11 inches of mane!

Before... frizzy, frumpy, I'm-just-holding-out-'till-after-Pioneer-Program look...

Before... thick, get-in-the-way, hair ALL OVER the house look...

After... cute, bouncy, fresh! (just barely long enough for a cutesy ponytail!)

11 inches for Locks of Love

After... manageable, light, healthier, still-don't-like-my-picture-taken look!

Cousins

2011-03-28T15:30:00.004-04:00

Family is in from out of town and we managed to get the kids together for an evening of play at our house the other night. A good time was had by all...although Trevor didn't really acknowledge the difference between real stroller and doll stroller!

(L-R) Rylee, Ryder, Hanna, Shane, Joel, Trevor

(We just fed Shane a lemon!)

Happy Birthday Joel-Bean!

2011-02-25T23:02:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week around here. Lots of hustle and bustle with our little man's birthday engagements. I am absolutely floored that he is 8 years old! All I did was blink... On Joel's birthday Wednesday, Gma and Gpa visited and he got to open some presents and enjoy a DQ cake. Tonight, Joel and 2 friends (along with us and Uncle Mark) went to a Pacers basketball game. Tons of fun! The boys are nice and rowdy at this very moment --Joel's first hosted sleepover--it's WAY late and 2/3 of the boys have a bball game in the morning. Then tomorrow night, family is coming over for the official birthday gathering. Hanna is getting her own special night sleeping over at Gma's house tonight and will return with them for tomorrow's party. I think Monday may feel like a break! So happy birthday son...the day you were born is still one of my favorite memories. Love you crazy!

My Sweet Spouse

2011-02-13T16:12:00.003-05:00

On top of the immense amount of listening and support coming from my husband lately (can't really say lately considering school budget crisis "stress" has been strong for over a year now), my sweet had an Edible Arrangements bouquet sent to school the other day. (If you aren't familiar, check out the link and prepare to drool.) He's done that for a few years now and I absolutely love that fresh fruit "fix" during the sometimes bleak February. In addition, he mentioned a weekend special at his restaurant and we just up-and-decided to go last night. Gma and Gpa watched the kids and we had a romantic couples dinner including app., prime rib with all the fixins, and cheesecake/bete noir for dessert. It was wonderful! Happy Valentine's Day to my dream guy of 12 years!
http://www.ediblearrangements.com

Forget Arts Advocacy

2011-02-08T19:42:00.005-05:00

Today was discussion meeting with our superintendent. I was prepared with collated data, legislative statements, and other research in favor of preserving K-3 art and music. It was horrible and he wanted nothing to do with arts advocacy. I remained amiable, calm, and unemotional...UNTIL he interrupted one of my questions (his third such interruption, one of which spouted, "I don't care about your research and data. We don't have the money.") with these words, "There you go getting all hung up on doing what's right for the kids!" His mantra for the past 2 months (and he's got the school board saying it now) is "Let's make something very clear here. We are not doing what is in the best interest of the children. These are business decisions." I'm sorry, but since when do educators publicize that they are NOT looking out for what's best for the students they serve? A good friend joked that the statement might just be a good corporation letterhead! Bottom line: even though the board vote isn't until March 21st, our school leaders have already made the decision to shorten the school day, cut out K-3 music and art, and foolishly assume classroom teachers will adequately meet national arts standards during this shortened day. As I write this the elementary principals are in the process of recommending how many arts teachers they can do without. Folks, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Our children will suffer. The ineptitude at the federal and state level have officially trickled down and we are being asked to forget about what's best for our childrens' education. I, for one, am disgusted...and I will continue to give my students the very best music education I can give as a highly qualified arts educator. When the proverbial poo hits the fan in this town, let it be known that I stood up for for my children, as well as the other 400 I enable through music.

Rick Miller performs Bohemian Rhapsody

2011-02-06T20:58:00.001-05:00

This is hilarious! You can tell he's really a decent singer behind all those impressions...they sure are spot-on!

It's Official

2011-02-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

Joel continues to struggle with symptoms, although it's more cold-like now. Andy officially has the flu, complete with chills and body aches. Hanna seems okay for the time being...sympathy whining for the most part. School was just called off for the 4th day in a row. My sister-in-law's Alabama wedding at the end of May is gonna be quite a challenge (we're driving!) considering all the make-up days. Yuck! Lest you think my glass is half empty, I am thankful that we are all home to work on mending. Just don't breathe on me, okay my sweets? :0)

S-I-C-K

2011-02-03T09:01:00.002-05:00

My babies are sick...all of them. Joel's been fighting a slew of symptoms for a few days now, ranging from stomach cramps to fever to cough and drainage. I'm about ready to call the doctor, but I'm almost certain there's nothing she can do but treat the symptoms as we're doing. Stomach flu and strep have been running rampant through school the past few weeks. Poor guy's fever keeps jumping up to 103 and all we can do is give him rest, fluids, and the tylenol/motrin treatment. Last night, Andy started feeling "off", saying in jest, "Joel, if you pass this to me, I'm gonna clean your clock!" By this morning, Andy was poppin' the DayQuil on his way to work. Now Hanna has a mild cough... Lysol, laundry, echinacea tea, vitamins: here I come!

Snow, I mean Ice, Day!

2011-02-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

This is our second day off of school and, although I enjoy the lazy time with the family, I can't help but think of all the music instructional time we're losing. This time of year always puts us in a time crunch for the 4th grade pioneer program... Oh well, at least we're better off than Illinois! Blizzard conditions that are apparently breaking records! Bundle up out there!

Music Advocacy Blog

2011-01-30T19:50:00.002-05:00

I have created a blog on my own time, my own computer, and through my own site (not linked from any school site). It is not designed to paint our school leaders as the enemy; on the contrary, it is designed to inform and persuade those that choose to listen and watch of the benefits of elementary arts education taught by highly qualified instructors as part of a comprehensive curriculum. It is designed to unite the parents, teachers, and leaders in a quest to find dollars without cutting music and art at our school. You may find it at www.fesmusicnewsandnotes.blogspot.com
There's not much to it yet, but I intend on adding to it feverishly this week.

This is where we are at school...

2011-01-25T16:58:00.003-05:00

http://www.notonthetest.com/

Last night's board meeting produced classroom teachers and even a principal who referred to specials classes as "fluff". The union president claimed that she would take her kids on spring walks, do art projects, and perhaps play some music in the room so she could adequately meet arts standards. The proposal on the table is to close our building, move us to the intermediate school building, create K-5 elementaries, and take away music and art for grades K-3, tied with a shortened school day. "How can teachers meet all the standards during a shorter day if they struggle to do so now?", asked a parent. The answer: "It will be quite easy because all the fluff will be cut out", replied a principal. So just 4th and 5th graders getting the arts from a highly qualified specialist who travels between the 3 elementaries and a staff that is asked to meet the national standards for music and art out of the goodness of their heart for K-3rd grade. Yeah right; when pigs fly.

FINALLY, he's here!

2011-01-24T17:36:00.002-05:00

MaryAnn finally convinced that baby to come out! We have a new boy in the family and I know Tim and MA are elated! Big Brother Trevor may or may not be as such, you never know...
Shane Timothy Walton was born Monday morning at 8:41am, 7 lbs. 15 oz. Welcome to your crazy family Shane; Joel can't wait to coddle you and play with you!

More derby pics

2011-01-17T08:39:00.002-05:00

A couple taken by scout staff this weekend...

"9-1-1, What is your emergency?"

2011-01-17T08:27:00.002-05:00

It happened..........again. Last night was a typical Sunday evening at the inlaws. We were watching football while Hanna had Grandma tied up in another room demanding her undivided attention. Then the phone rang. Poor Larry was SO confused! Then I faintly heard Hanna say "911" from the other room and we figured out what happened quickly enough to let the dispatcher know. So began a stern talk that we remember having when JOEL did the same thing when he was in preschool....at the other set of grandparents!! (What is it about trying this stuff at their places?) We had tears and the constant "Are they going to come take me to jail?" in between sobs. When Joel did this, my dad told dispatch everything was okay, blamed it on the grandkid, and that was that. This time, we heard the doorbell ring about 5 minutes later. Whoo, that lit Hanna and her jail fears right up!! Sure enough, a uniformed patrolman was checking the situation...Andy spoke with him; he made Hanna apologize in person. Boy was she mortified as that nice young man gently reminded her of the proper protocol regarding 911. A lesson well-learned I hope. (Joel's never done it since 2007, so here's hoping.) So I wonder how many similar stories we'd get if we polled all the parents of preschoolers out there. I'm so glad that they teach it during those years, but I'm glad we only have 2 in the system!

This n' That

2011-01-15T20:41:00.003-05:00

Does this look comfortable to you? Me either. It must've been an especially rough day at preschool. This picture was taken at around 5:30pm one day this past week. She barely wanted to wake up enough for supper. How does she sleep like that?

Joel had his second ever Pinewood Derby for scouts today. This year, we dropped the ball a bit and started on his car a little late. So we ended up without graphite dust and the proper weights to insert into the body. He took it in good stride though...he made a "turtle shell" car. Well, at least it was aptly named... No spectacular finishes this time, but that's okay because he had to leave a half hour into the event to get to his basketball game........which they won 26-6. Next year, buddy!

Oh, My Achin' Back...

2011-01-11T17:20:00.002-05:00

This driveway masterpiece is courtesy of yours truly. (Keep in mind that snow was still coming down when I was done, so it's not spotless!) Right after we got home from school today, I suited up and started shoveling. We had a good, solid 4 inches of snow (I know, a paltry amount) and the driveway was not discernable. Andy's a great bus driver, but he at least needs a visible perimeter. The biggest bummer was, while I was out there, the neighbor across the street plowed his drive in one minute flat and the next-door neighbor had a snowblower. Yes, I might have been a little envious. Even so, I got in a good workout, some slipping and sliding in Andy's work boots, and the whole thing was knocked out 20 minutes before he got home!

Okay, okay, so it was totally powdery and the push broom did just as well as the shovel.... and we did get early dismissal from school so I had plenty of time to do it...... But still, I'm proud of myself. Now doesn't someone owe me a backrub?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:31:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas to our family and friends! It has been a relaxing holiday break so far (with the exception of the way-crowded trip to the Children's Museum). It's nearly lunch time and I'm still lounging about in my sweats and glasses while Andy and the kids play Wii Monopoly. There's a fire crackling and our bellies and hearts are full....awesome. Yesterday, the kids went around delivering Christmas Braid to the neighbors and then played in the snow while Andy did some shoveling and I baked some cookies for Santa. Andy fixed a delicious cracked pepper beef tenderloin for dinner; we sat around watching A Christmas Story afterward while sipping on wassail. This has been our first Christmas EVER by ourselves and I must say, I rather like it! I'm wishing those that I've been a little out of touch with a very happy holiday...friends with new additions to their family, friends overseas, friends whose blogs I still regularly follow-but hardly comment on, and family I hardly see any more. You are all still in my thoughts and I wish you a safe and memorable season.

Andy and I think this handmade hat is adorable on Hanna, but I'm not sure she's convinced yet... Aunt Joanne and Uncle Joe in AZ sent some fun things for the kiddos.....thanks to them! Joel is excited to assemble these neat dinosaur kits.

Thanks to Aunt Susan and Uncle Henry for the books and clothes...everything looks great and Joel's already started Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Loves it!

Grandma Mooberry keeps Hanna well-stocked with Middleton Dolls!

We went to the Children's Museum on Wednesday (just me and the kids) and it was PACKED! We made it a quick run -through of our favorites after waiting in line for 1/2 hour for the jolly days slide. I love this pic on the carousel...personality, eh?

The story behind the slide pics: in order to get a picture of the kids, I had to go down first, whip out the camera, and be ready as the kids came down side-by-side. Of course that didn't happen, as Hanna slid faster than Joel. So I waited to try and get them both in the shot...ended up with Hanna out of the frame..argh! So all I have is this lame consolation shot of her turning in the cloth!

We didn't get any fishing in this summer with the grandparents, so a little museum ice fishing will have to do!

Hanna was a wise man/king in the preschool Christmas play this year. She did great!

A new bicycle for her 5th birthday. I cannot believe how fast time flies with these kiddos...Hanna's getting so big and smart, and Joel's becoming so mature and observant!

Uncle Tim/Aunt MaryAnn and Trevor got Hanna this cute Barbie Race Car Driver outfit for her b-day....perfect for our little daredevil!

Andy and Trevor enjoy some popcorn on the hearth at the party. Trevor's becoming quite the little man too! His little brother will be here any day now! We are all thinking about Uncle Tim and wishing him the best as he celebrates Christmas in Afghanistan over a movie and some Boy Scout popcorn! :0)

Cheesin' it up at Gradma Ellis' keyboard! I think Joel always tries to take personal responsibility for Trevor's well-being when they are together...it's cute!

The famed cousins shot at this year's Thanksgiving gathering....it's getting harder to get all of them looking at once...

Joel's first basketball game of the season. The team struggles a bit, but they are having fun and learning, and Joel likes it that his PE teacher is the coach. Go MV Celtics!

40 Years Ago...

2010-12-05T15:02:00.004-05:00

Happy 40th wedding anniversary mom and dad! You're the best!

Catching Up (a.k.a. my out-of-order blog)

2010-11-13T16:06:00.004-05:00

I was recently informed by a certain family member that I was lax in my seasonal posting...meaning Halloween pics weren't ever loaded for the world to see. I was so wrapped up getting past my own Halloween monsters (referendum) and moving on to Vet's Day programs that I just plain forgot. Over fall break, we headed to Illinois for a quick visit. The kids had a good time, especially bowling with Gma and Gpa. They're actually getting the hang of it! Here's Hanna all tuckered out on the drive home from the weekend. Doesn't look too comfortable, does it?

Joel went Trick-or-Treating as Wolverine from X-Men. Where DID he get those incredible pectorals?

Hanna got to go to preschool dressed up. She's sporting the handmade Belle costume Aunt Cindy handed down to her. Lovely...

Our babysitter, Kathy, had to sell Fall Festival tickets before school on that day, so Hanna and her buddy Kylee (also in Kathy's care) came with. Karleigh (left) is Kathy's 3rd grade daughter. I couldn't resist snapping a quick picture of the three drama queens in front of our gym before school.

In other news, Andy's brother Tim left for Afghanistan today. He's going to be with the 101st Airborne until May. We're not sure if he'll be allowed to come back for the birth of his 2nd child in January or not...we can hope! We are all thinking about him, and MaryAnn and cousin Trevor as well. I believe that family posesses a golden will and resolve that I could never muster.

My World Will Change

2010-11-03T07:41:00.000-04:00

Referendum failed.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T09:16:00.002-04:00

Friday was Hanna's preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. I ended up with a Dr. appt. that morning so I went ahead and took the whole day so I could go with her. It was a bee-u-tee-ful day for the FT!

They learned about all the things the farm produced, including gourds, squash, popcorn, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. The nice thing about this place is that it's literally 2 minutes down the road from our house, so we can visit anytime.

Here's her preschool picture. I think she looks so much older! (and ladylike and mild-mannered....) Our baby is growin' up!

Busy kids, stressed mom...

2010-10-10T16:23:00.003-04:00

The fall school skating party was this week and the kids had a blast. Joel pointed out that his skating skills had improved (I must have missed him practicing this year!! :0), and Hanna was proud that she could stay on her feet most of the time. She didn't even care about the bounce house this year--they were both a'rollin'!

Joel hanging out with some friends. Looks like he and his fellow flankers were cozying up to the "cool" older kids!

Hanna even found some preschool classmates to skate with. They were pretty independent at this year's event.

I don't have pics because I forgot the camera, but Joel ended his season 2 in baseball today. They put up a good fight, but toward the end, the other team skunked them. Joel's really become better at baseball, but it's a good time for a break. Of course we wanted his team to win......Secretly, we accept the loss with chagrin because a win would mean we'd still be at the ball park now for the second game! Next up; basketball!

In other news, the schools are gearing up for the fight of a lifetime. A referendum is on the ballot and tension is most decidedly high. The community in which I live and teach is 80% no children in school. It frustrates me that my calling, my children's educational well-being, as well as my livelihood are all being decided by these people. Stomach aches and wakeful nights have become routine around here. If the public slays this referendum, more devastating personnel/program cuts are guaranteed. This time, I don't think elementary (or any level of) music will go unscathed. If I could swing from the town's water tower and shout to the masses to "vote YES" on November 2nd, I would. I don't think they truly understand what our schools will be like if they shut this down. Not even our superintendent is optimistic, but fight we will.

I have no excuse...

2010-09-27T17:29:00.004-04:00

This is my daughter on preschool. Whooped! She absolutely loves it, but every other day, she comes home as tired as can be. Today, she just quietly gathered blankets from the couches and set up camp while Joel was doing homework...it took several minutes before I realized all was quiet in the livingroom. I had to snap a few pics of this "peaceful Hanna" moment (they don't happen often 'round here!).

This weekend was busy for us. I hosted a bridal shower for Andy's sister at our house while the boys (7 in all) headed to Chicago for the Cubs-Cardinals game. During batting practice, Uncle Tim caught a foul ball and gave it to Joel! Cloud Nine, I tell ya! The only bummer was Andy getting car sick on the way up. But it was a good game for us Cub fans...sorry Uncle Jason...

Aunt Cindy made a gorgeous cake for the Pampered Chef shower. We had a fun time and, after the crowd cleared out and we had some quiet time for the youngsters in the house, us girls went out to dinner!

Clearly, blogging has not been on the priory list for awhile. I'll try to do better...

In other news, Hanna's gymnastics teacher said she can move up into the next leveled class (for 6 yr. olds +) This month, she'll be doing cartwheels and round-offs!

Preschool Sans "B"

2010-09-01T19:01:00.002-04:00

Our baby started preschool today. She was so excited! Whereas Joel was wide-eyed and shy, Hanna jumped in the car and babbled the whole time. She marched right in and found her cubby and chair. The only thing that slowed her down was the girl who cried and threw herself on the floor in a fit of "I don't wanna stay!!!" (note the look of trying to smile for Mommy's camera, but keeping tabs on said girl!)

After being tucked in to bed last night, we were discussing the fun things to look forward to. Hanna said, "But most importantly Mommy, I won't need my B." (her purple rag of a blanket) Sure enough, she left it at home this morning without so much as a comment. When I picked her up this afternoon, going without her B or sucking her fingers was the first thing she mentioned. This could be our big break!!!

As I peruse these pictures, I'm making a mental note to NOT let her wear that dress again! Must've gotten a little too stretched out this summer...we're almost showin' a little too much for the preschool crowd. :0)

She's already asking me about Friday and stamping her feet wanting to return before then! I could've sworn she was just learning to walk and talk yesterday. Time flies....

Gymnastics

2010-08-26T20:56:00.003-04:00

A busy milestone week for Hanna! Tuesday, she had a rather lengthy well-child physical for preschool (she insisted on wearing the resulting sticker on her leotard for the world to see). Then, she jetted off to her first-ever gymnastics class. She LOVED it! It's a 6-week program for motor development/preschoolers and it's perfect for what we wanted. She really needed something to call her own...Joel's activities were dragging her spirits a bit. She did great and is excited for each week. Her favorite aparatus is the high beam (my least favorite, if I recall!)

Then last night, we had teacher meet-and-greet at preschool. She's very excited to begin next week! Our baby's growing so fast!

Last Hoorah of Summer

2010-08-17T20:30:00.003-04:00

We spent the weekend cramming in fun activities while the cousins were in town. Fair on Friday, Children's Museum on Saturday morning, family birthdays on Saturday night, and then Joel had his first fall baseball game. Whew! The kids LOVE being with Trevor and Rylee; this weekend, we finally met baby Ryder. Poor kid has no idea what family mayhem he's getting into!

The carousel is always a favorite!

Trevor and Joel are born to be wild...

Rylee and Hanna work the catwalk at the Barbie exhibit. That was Rylee's forte; she twirled and bowed and worked that crowd! (didn't mean to rhyme...)

I create the morning news powerpoints at school and needed some kiddo pics for a character song...I headed out to recess and found Joel and his friends playing kickball. This turned out to be a fun shot and Joel is so handsome in his green I must say! We're off and running for the 2010-2011 school year. Hold on tight...

Stormy Day

2010-08-11T20:24:00.005-04:00

Get comfy while I relate the story of my day...
Around lunch time (first day of school), an announcement was made that recess would need to be inside due to rain. At this time, I had third graders-a class containing a student that has a history of losing control during storms and our new special needs deaf student. Another new student raised her hand and politely mentioned that it sure sounded like big thunder outside. I explained that it was not thunder, but the elephant feet of the first graders directly above my room for recess. (Specials classrooms are the interior corridor of the school with no windows to the outside and the "all-purpose" room is above us.) Right after the explanation, the power went out. My room was pitch black. I quickly did the "attention chant" and told everyone to stay put as I made my way to the desk for the flashlight. About 8 seconds later, the lights came back on and Christian was all the way across the room at the front door preparing to bolt. This amazing boy made it past me, my music stand, and his interpreter in the darkest of darks and boy was he scared! We got him calmed down and I proceeded to get out an LED crystal decoration on the shelf and turn it on for the kids to see, pledging that I would try to keep it on in the future in case it happened again. Crazy thing was, the storm anxiety student stayed calm and quiet the whole time; we think because he couldn't see it out any window to know it was bad. I obviously had no clue it was bad either. This was going on during AM kindergarten pick-up and there were parents that called from their cars claiming to have seen a funnel cloud. Were there any warnings on the office weather radio? Nope.

Jump ahead to this afternoon when the custodian (who is our friend and neighbor) visits my room to let me know that our neighborhood "is a disaster zone" but our house and his are okay. He related the specifics as he understood them from his wife so I knew going home that we were in for some heavy duty stuff. Andy was already on bus route so I didn't want to mess with contacting him through his office (I'm sure the radio traffic on the school buses was crazy today anyway!). So we left school and high-tailed it to get Hanna and try to beat Andy home.

Yep...a mess! Trees were uprooted, relief crews were around, neighbors were standing in the streets, the whole nine yards. The neighbor across the street from us had 2 trees fall on his house--major structural damage. Another neighbor in our circle had a tree fall on their car. We had a tree topped and doubled over, leaving it hanging directly above our driveway. (hard to see in the picture, but all that canopy should be erect!) It was low enough that it touched the car as we hurried past while crossing our fingers! Lord, what to do with Andy's school bus!!! We feel incredibly lucky that it wasn't much worse. As Andy slowly pulled into the neighborhood, cars and people scrambled out of the way and our neighbor was so kind to let him park the bus in his driveway. So we began moving the large branches and cleaning up the brush, wondering how long we will be without power, when another doozy of a storm moved in. Lightning and thunder that made the kids on edge and all we could do was watch. The poor guy across the street had to close up shop and his roof had all kinds of holes in it.

More flooding ensued, more branches fell, but that mangled tree top stayed put. As we were making plans to pack up and go stay with the in-laws for supper and maybe all night, the power came on. So life is somewhat back to normal for us. The trusty tree service that we've used in the past just came out to quote us on the removal. They can save the tree by taking only the top and damaged branches so that's helping the pocketbook. $375 is much better than $900!

In other news, Joel has a bball practice tomorrow and that was a surprise, but it'll all be good! His first game is Sunday--another surprise! Well, gotta get the kiddos in bed after a crazy day... We are all thankful tonight!

Baseball Update

2010-08-10T21:24:00.002-04:00

The wonderful director of the youth baseball league in our neighboring town called us tonight and said he had a spot for Joel in fall ball! Yeah! Happy are we as we settle into bedtime on this, the eve of the first day of school. Wish us luck as the hoards of kids come pouring through the doors (both bus and music classroom!) tomorrow. I've missed them and am looking forward to a fun year, DESPITE the tough times and uncertainty of employment for next year.

Heartbroken

2010-08-10T17:21:00.002-04:00

My son is heartbroken. Today I received an email from the optimist "comissioner" stating that there was not enough interest in fall baseball to have a league this fall and that we'll be getting a refund. Joel was SO excited about fall ball. He's been practicing and looking forward to it since summer league ended at the end of June. So then I researched the neighboring community's youth baseball and their fall league registration is past and now closed. So is our district's youth football league! I am so frustrated! It's a catch-22...what do they expect us to do when they inform us of these things long after all other windows are closed? UGH!

School Starts Tomorrow!

2010-08-09T20:29:00.002-04:00

The entry nook is almost done. Just a little facing to put on the shoe cubbies and then pics to hang above the "lockers".

Bad camera lighting, but this is the "so far" on the surround bookcase. I have a window seat cushion cover to sew this weekend!

This is how we found Hanna last night as we started to clean up...she looks so sweet and innocent doesn't she?

We still have little bits and pieces to address around here, but it'll have to happen in evenings and weekends now that school is starting---UGH! Hottest days of the week and we are heading back to school; it's just not right. What happened to after Labor Day? I know I'd be willing to extend into the mild weeks of June if it meant saving on utilities, something our superintendent has mentioned will increase and therefore affect the failing budget yet again next year. Well, I'm just going to try to keep my chin up this year, especially this fall as our district attempts a referendum that our community largely disagrees with. I will enter this year giving my best to these kids...it may be the last they get of general music from a qualified specialist. Let the fun begin!

Help!

2010-08-05T22:23:00.002-04:00

I just learned tonight that I'll have a third grader who has MS, is wheelchair bound, and is deaf. I've got lots of researching to do on modifications for music class...if anyone can help, I'll sure take it! Also found out today that our class sizes are jumping considerably. So far, 2 of our classes have 30+ kids. Thank you very much governor!

Weekend Mission Accomplished

2010-08-02T13:22:00.003-04:00

We tiled the backsplash this weekend and we are very happy with it! The daily assignments for me include staining building materials and replacing decor, and Andy will do woodworking while I head to school in the afternoons. This remodel sure put me behind for school year preparations! Tonight, Gma E. takes Hanna back-to-school shopping and Joel gets his turn tomorrow night. This is a tradition for them (I think a continuation from what Andy's Gma always did for him and the kids.) and we are so grateful for it. Gma/Gpa M. are visiting this weekend and I get the impression there's some clothing loot coming with them as well! The kids are so excited... Both grandmas can spoil them with the things that we tirelessly say, "No, it's too much" or "You don't need that" to. Then we just take care of the boring school supplies!

Now I have (almost) enough room for all my cookbooks!

"Daddy, Take My Training Wheels Off"

2010-07-26T21:47:00.003-04:00

We got home from Bible School tonight and, as we were cleaning up the garage from Andy's woodworking, Hanna asked to have her training wheels removed. It was like 9:15pm and so random...I thought it would be a lesson for another day when we had plenty of time. I was way off...Hanna was cruising unaided within 5 minutes! Now she needs a bigger bike! (Sorry for the low light, I know it's hard to see!)

Back on the Grid

2010-07-24T22:06:00.002-04:00

Today, a sweltering day, was spent without power. Andy cut power to the house at around 9:30/10am and proceeded to replace our old, obsolete, and small load center. I am continually amazed at the hands-on knowledge he has with this remodel. Electrical scares me. It was a long and tedious day for him, but at around 8:00pm, he got us back up and running--better than ever. (We were happy to note that the house retained it's normal temp the whole time!) So-yippy-our oven and cooktop are now ready and working. Glory be, we're having cinnamon rolls and a cup of tea for breakfast tomorrow! :0)

Countertop!

2010-07-22T14:39:00.002-04:00

Not much to say, just YEAH! Now we're getting somewhere!

Our Week So Far...

2010-07-20T21:31:00.004-04:00

Joel is attending Boy Scout Day Camp all week (wish I had pics, but he's carpooling with a friend and is being well cared for by that family) and so I promised Hanna some special things for her during the days. Today we went to the Children's Museum and she had her run of the place without worrying about what anyone else wanted to do. Her favorite is always the carousel. We spent time in Playscape with sand, water, and FingerPlay time. We saw a Planetarium show with Big Bird and Elmo, and we spent plenty of time in the Barbie exhibit.

Finishing up in the dino dig area...

Standing inside the door of the pantry, once the front of the garage. Not completely finished yet, but almost there.

After Andy did the cabinet lighting, I finally had the green light to get back out my pottery. Does this mean I have to dust on a regular basis?

Anyway, Joel is loving scout camp. He's had opportunities to swim lots, ropes/obstacle course, canoe, zip line, archery, and shoot bb guns. And he gets to be with his best buddy to boot! In fact, he's having a sleepover tomorrow night with the friend/carpool fam. That sent Hanna reeling! I think tomorrow, she and I will go see a movie; perhaps Toy Story 3. It's nice to get somewhat back into having a life unrelated to remodel... (I just got an eye-roll from Andy on that one!)

Slave Labor

2010-07-17T21:27:00.003-04:00

Okay, not really. The kids begged to help mud the outer wall of the pantry and Andy (NOT being the control freak that I am) said, "have at it". Since it's basically a garage wall and will be covered with shelving, the random piles of joint compound are no big deal. Tonight, we wait for drying and then sand/paint the entire pantry tomorrow. Flooring if we're on a roll... No true pantry pics until we are finished--sorry Mom!

Still Working...

2010-07-14T11:28:00.002-04:00

Building our pantry from scratch...it will be more room than what we had in the tiny little closet version, but it will definitely be narrow! We wish we could've afforded R-30 insulation, but woah-pricey. Anyway, this R-19 is an upgrade from the R-11 that was in there. We don't even think they make it that low anymore! I sure am learning more each day...for instance, I had no idea you needed to put special barrier under the framing anywhere it touched the concrete. I never knew what "sistering" a stud meant or what a "cripple" was. (nothing politically incorrect!) My hubby is jack-of-all-trades! Andy's picking up the cement nailer this afternoon so he can secure the joists and continue framing. Then insulate the floor, add subfloor, and more drywalling---yeah.
The countertop guy came this morning to measure for template. They say they'll come back by next Thursday for the install...amazing! We can't wait... Well, it's blazing hot and humid here, so I think the kids and I will visit the sprinkler park after lunch. We need the occasional diversion.

Eeeeeewwwwwww.....

2010-07-11T21:51:00.002-04:00

So tonight we tore out a floor-to-ceiling cabinet that took up the corner of the garage where we will be connecting the pantry. Then we tore out the drywall. I saw things I do not want to look upon again. A short bit of history: when we had the house inspected before we bought it, the inspector said there was evidence of past termites and the house was treated. He said there were no active runs. Several years back, we found out otherwise and immediately had treatment and have had wonderful ongoing service that offers peace of mind. I think we were lucky to find out about it then... The root of the problem was in the corner of the house by where the garage meets front room: exactly where we are working now. Long story-short: we are looking at much additional expense and time to deal with what those nasty things left behind. Replacing insulation, a couple of studs, and spraying lots and lots of KILZ! Wish us luck...... No pictures of this mess! :0)

Starting to Feel Like Living Space

2010-07-10T19:50:00.002-04:00

Just a few shots to catch-up to where we are. Fridge came today, dishwasher Thursday, so we now have all appliances. We installed 3 of 4 today, as the cooktop must wait until the countertop comes in. With moving some seating in, it's starting to feel more like home. At least we can take a load off on something other than a bed or a folding chair that's in the garage!

The cabinets are nice, although they did come with some minor issues. Nothing we couldn't conquer...

Don't know why the lighting went funky here...so much brighter all of the sudden! Can't wait to use that new dishwasher! Sunday will be spent moving fridge food from garage into the new fridge and getting pantry staples and microwave back into the house so it's at least one step closer. Then we'll be working hard on building out our new pantry. Andy's not looking forward to getting the estimated amount of lumber! Gotta keep on keepin' on...

The Next Leg

2010-07-06T11:51:00.002-04:00

Where once sat a large pile of flooring waiting to be installed now sits a large pile of cabinets waiting to be assembled/installed. But first, this "buffer" day of rearranging the garage to accommodate most of the stuff in the PODS which leaves tomorrow. Touching the stuff so many times has Andy frustrated; "It goes against everything I was taught", he says, but what can we do? THEN, on to the next leg!

We Did It!

2010-07-04T22:14:00.004-04:00

After 2 days of non-stop working, we have bamboo flooring! I shot this video before we finished the front room area, but now we are done and exhausted! Cabinet boxes come in tomorrow, PODS gets unloaded Wednesday...eyes on the prize...

Flooring In Progress

2010-07-03T22:19:00.004-04:00

While others spent the day gathering for barbecues and family get-togethers, we laid bamboo flooring. The time and effort will most definitely be worth it...we think it is beautiful! We pushed through the day, and then decided to stop at 10:00pm--even though we are childless tonight (thanks Gma and Gpa!)--we're just too weary to burn the midnight oil. Start fresh in the morning and finish the job!

The pictures just don't do it justice. We made it to where the hallway spills into main area. We are halfway through those 43 boxes of bamboo and celebrating our independence from grungy carpet and bad laminate!

Nothing To Do With Remodel

2010-07-02T21:22:00.002-04:00

I spent today doing tasks completely unrelated to the remodel. It felt good being "normal" for a day. Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, mowing the yard, cleaning out the van, and picking up the garage in preparation for the woodworking stage. As I was folding laundry, I chuckled when I came to these t-shirts. For years now, I've given Andy a hard time about his tendency to wear a t-shirt to the point of threadbare. I always point out that they simply must be thrown away. What you are seeing is his comfy yellow t-shirt from a gig with the Decatur Park Singers (circa 1996). Notice the light from our bedroom window shining through it...

Then I came to one of my three comfy School of Tunes t-shirts from Millikin (circa 1995). I realized I no longer have room to goad him. Although it's not see-through, it certainly has seen it's share of paint, stain, joint compound, and Great Stuff foam! I wouldn't toss it for anything! I guess I'll let him keep his...

Color!

2010-07-01T21:10:00.002-04:00

My favorite part is the wine-colored front room/kitchen area! In the daytime, it takes on a rich hue.

The livingroom is a suede brown...I had hoped it would be a touch more chocolatey, but with everything moved in, it should be fine.

More front room with the newly-installed ceiling fan. Don't laugh...getting ceiling fans and overhead lighting is a BIG deal for us!

Hallway is a touch lighter than the LR, but it's hard to tell.

Took this shot tonight with all the area lights on. That, paired with my flash, gave the color a candy-apple red look. Now on to flooring!

Institutional Grey

2010-06-29T22:26:00.003-04:00

Now it feels like we're getting somewhere! The primer went on tonight and I am bursting at the seams to take the next step and get real color on the walls. *Giggle* I just noticed that the pile of plastic near the hearth makes it look like the shop vac is spewing smoke! :0) Anyway, I just took a few "perspective" shots.

Glory be! Today the 2 barriers in the hallway came down! For almost a month, we've lived with a plastic curtain and then a sheet further down. It made cooling efficiency a real bear.

Andy particularly likes this view. Standing in the depths of the hallway and being able to see all the way to the hearth!

I really like these 2 recessed lights on dimmers that light the passage out of the hallway into the living area. It's where we think the traffic pattern will be... We're getting there! Thanks to Mom and Larry for stopping by with Jimmy Johns tonight so we could push through with the priming. The latter part of this week will be a real push to get the flooring in so we can empty the POD before pickup Monday or Tuesday!

Hello From Chaos

2010-06-27T20:43:00.002-04:00

Heat, humidity, and a bit of frustration 'round here today. The recessed lights are in, but there are some wiring issues that have Andy stumped. He spent almost the entire day in and out of the oppressive attic. I am so proud of his work ethic and drive, but sometimes I worry about him needing to take a break. The kids' behavior today had us both about to the breaking point, even with an offer to take them to the park for a picnic. Tonight, a storm moved through right as I put supper on the grill. It was a multitude of downpours, tons of lightning, and thunder galore. We ate our supper at the card table in the garage watching the light show. Back to mudding and sanding tomorrow... Maybe I'll post more pics when we get some color on the walls...

Baseball Ends on a High Note

2010-06-26T22:06:00.002-04:00

Today was the Rookie League tournament. The team really showed their stuff! We were 2 members down, but the defense was the best it's been all season! Joel got to play 1st base the entire game, and he did a super job. His quick catches and sense to stay near the bag allowed him several outs. He even caught a pop fly again today. We are so proud of him! The coach treated the team to Dairy Queen after the game and each boy received a cool trophy. We got word today about a fall league and he is definitely pumped about that. Way to go Joel-bean!

Will It End?!?

2010-06-26T21:50:00.002-04:00

Today--more of the same...joint compound and more joint compound! I'm really getting sick of this part. Tonight, we did chalk lines and mapped out the cabinet/island layout on the subfloor. We also mapped out/marked the placement of the recessed lights and ceiling fans. Getting those installed (at least the boxes and casings) is on the agenda tomorrow, as well as another round of ceiling painting with the "spew paint everywhere" sprayer. Then the parade...a fun diversion--weather permitting. Monday should be spent sanding and HOPEFULLY I can start priming the walls Tuesday. Whew!

Lengthy Stage

2010-06-25T23:17:00.003-04:00

Andy broke through to the garage today and got the pantry door installed. Our pantry will run most of the width of the garage. A little unorthodox, but it will be roomier than our old one and won't take up our newly opened kitchen space.

I feel like I've been taping/mudding drywall forever! It's definitely the longest haul in the process so far. Tape--mud--add corners--mud--dry--sand. Repeat until you have carpel tunnel! I think we'll be very happy and surprised if we can start priming by Monday, especially with a ball game Saturday and the Fishers Freedom Festival Parade Sunday.

This is going to be our "unique" corner. We have to creatively drywall this and had to add a tiny half-wall (didn't we just destroy all of those???) to allow for some electrical. It will end up being a useful entry/mudroom-type area though.

Today, I pushed myself pretty hard because a blessing from above came knocking on our door around 10:30. One of Joel's 1st grade classmates lives just down the road and we are friends with the family; 3 of the 4 kids I've had in school. Mrs. R showed up and kidnapped J and H for the day. Later, she called and said, "How about a sleepover?" Ummm......YEAH! So Andy and I had uninterrupted work time this evening. I know, it still doesn't look like much has changed, but we barely stopped for supper. Here's hoping this stage is almost over, Joel has a great bball game tomorrow, the kids are tucked in all snug and blissful, and we all get some good sleep! :0)

Almost Time for Color

2010-06-24T09:55:00.002-04:00

Just a couple more pieces of drywall, a once-over with more tape/mud, and we'll be ready to paint. We're deciding exactly how to navigate the area where the front coat closet was. It should be dealt with tonight. Yesterday, I ran out of the joint compound, so I'll have to work on it tonight after we re-supply. The fun part of tonight's excursion will be picking up the paint for the kitchen/front room, livingroom, and hallway. I guess we can start calling it the "great room"! Today, I plan to start spraying paint on the ceiling (not looking forward to it...). After we FINALLY paint, then we can get on with the flooring--yeah!

Baseball and Flooding

2010-06-22T09:48:00.002-04:00

Last night was Joel's final regular season game and he did great. Here, he just made contact for a decent hit--made it on base. He's really getting proficient at switch-hitting. The highlight of his game was a super pop fly catch at third base, which he played all night. The opposing team's coach told him, "Now that's baseball!" as he gave him a high-five. We're hoping they offer a fall baseball league. Joel's really taken to it and his skills are developing well. We should've put him on a National League Rookie team, but he didn't have experience, so we signed him up for American League. Now we know! Andy said he'll probably go ahead and coach next year. I think he'd be terrific!

After an night full of thunderstorms, we woke up to this flooding in our neighborhood. It's the worst we've seen it since we've lived here. Our lilacs are sure getting drowned! We saw a ladder and a tire floating past the kids' play fort here in our backyard ditch.

This is the front area of our neighbor's yard. Driveway is under water.

This is the view from where our street intersects with the main neighborhood access. The ladder and tire ended up out there past that mailbox and had to be rescued so it wouldn't stay in the middle of the street. Also discovered was the kids' telescope from their fort in the backyard!

This is looking the opposite way to the other cul-de-sac, which is completely flooded. I just checked outside again and the water seems to be rising as I record this!

Small detail--Big deal

2010-06-21T19:20:00.002-04:00

Much the same as the doors, this post will probably not impress most people; but the family who know our livingroom well may be a bit more inclined to celebrate with us. This house was equipped with bulky, tacky looking, dark brown beams across the livingroom ceiling that invited snags and cobwebs. They were yucky. Now, they have been reduced to the 2 x 6s that were hidden underneath (couldn't remove those). It may not look like much, but this is what I've been busting my shoulders with the past couple of days: hand-spackling these things with a 2" putty knife in order to allow them to blend in with the existing textured ceiling. Granted, the ceiling has not been painted yet, but when it is, this will look mahvelous! We are happy with it!

Him

2010-06-20T23:08:00.002-04:00

Friend...husband...brother...caregiver...hard worker...soother...massage therapist...jack-of-all-trades...chef...math guru...problem solver...partner...listener...jungle gym...coach...cheering section...tangle remover...builder...sounding board...calming
influence...disciplinarian...model...humorist...reader...thinker...theorist...tekkie.........FATHER. Happy Father's Day to my beloved. Happy Father's Day to friends and family out there as well!

Some Progress and a Hairy Situation

2010-06-20T21:28:00.003-04:00

We're making slow progress at the drywalling. Even slower at the ceiling patching/spackling. We're getting there, though. We lost some precious time tonight dealing with Hanna's little hairbrush mishap. After bathing, she apparently decided to use my brush to "curl" her wet hair while Andy and I were working. In response to some whining and shrieking...well you can see for yourself what we found. I started working on the rat's nest, then Andy took over since he has way more patience than I. Hanna ended up losing a good sized hank of hair, as Andy had to slice it off the brush! We are tired and frustrated these days, but this too shall pass.

A View Emerges

2010-06-18T22:32:00.003-04:00

The view from our future island/cooktop.

Taken from the front door...

Taken from the back door...

Tonight was a bit challenging as we worked to get the headers up. After some choice words, they are up and Andy ripped out most of "THE wall". I love being able to see from the front door to the back of the livingroom. This process taught me that a) I need to trust that engineered beams are totally capable of being load-bearers, and b) I am a weakling. Holding them up while Andy tried to secure them was a real bear. But it's done! Now we can really feel what it's going to be like! Okay, my turn in the shower and an early baseball game in the morning, so...more later.

Oh! Big news this afternoon: Baby Ronna finally made his appearance late this afternoon! Wendy dealt with a stubborn and long, slow labor...Ryder Allen is doing great! We are happy to have another cousin to spoil!

Love A.C./ Very Much Dislike Drywall

2010-06-17T22:54:00.003-04:00

Hallelujah folks, the air conditioning is running! We drywalled the ceiling where the little half-walls were and got some tape/mud up late tonight so we could finally turn the air on. Blessed relief (not over the top, mind you, but enough to take off the edge of this expected 90+ degree weekend).

Today we were busy running all over creation to pick up our flooring and cabinets. Doggone, that's a lot of flooring to install (43 boxes of bamboo!). Tomorrow, the engineered beams are delivered so we can finally move forward and "tear down that wall"! Lots to do!!!

Update

2010-06-16T22:52:00.002-04:00

I promised someone I would try to keep up on the pics, so here are the latest...
Here's the booger branch that targeted my car! Looks innocent enough, I know...

The new front door is awesome. To most folks, these doors are nothing special, but anyone who knows what we had before understands just how excited we are to have these. Andy picked the color!

Back door to the deck...we chose to leave it as is. We'll paint the inside to match/compliment the livingroom color. Our interior has always been so dark. These doors really allow great light to stream in and, with the knock-out of the main wall, we are "beginning to see the light"!

Here's a shout-out to my mom...Happy Birthday! Also to Wendy...little baby Ronna #2 is coming Thursday and we can't wait to find out all about wee one!

Remodel Wordle

2010-06-15T09:20:00.003-04:00

Here's a wordle I did as I waited my turn in the shower late last night. You know, we could really do without the ceaseless pattern of hot-humid-thunderstorm! By tonight, we'd like to get the place sealed up so we can turn on the air. 90+ degree weather coming this week... Oh, and the windshield is costing us over $200. Guess that blows our fantastic appliance deal!

Demo Day 4

2010-06-13T22:19:00.003-04:00

For those that are counting, it's technically Day 6 of the project, but we did nothing on Wednesday evening (bball game) and Friday evening (dinner and grocery shopping). What a week! I've got quite a story from tonight, but I'll ease into it with pleasant news first. Our cabinets are coming soon, our floor is waiting to be picked up this week, and we have 2 out of 4 appliances. We went with Clark's scratch & dent stock and found both the cooktop and wall oven we were looking for and saved over $400.00! The oven was still in the box; just in as a "changed our minds" item. The cooktop scratch is on the underside where it will go unseen, so we felt really good about those two steals. Still need to get the fridge and dishwasher.

So today, we worked hard to basically finish demolition, with the exception of the main wall frame we're removing. We have to wait until next weekend to bring home and install the engineered lumber beams that will replace the wall. Everything else is down to the bone and ready for reconstruction. This evening, we worked to install our new front and back doors. Here's the whammy..... The back door went in with no major issues and looks fine. It just needs finished off with some trim work. We took a short break for supper and then decided to go after the front door. Just as Andy removed the old door and threshold, a severe thunderstorm blew in from out of nowhere and slammed us for all we were worth! We scrambled to close windows and put something in the doorway (the 2 old doors propped up!), then ran to the driveway to get the oven we'd picked up this afternoon out of the truck and into the garage. By then, we were experiencing straightline winds and I came around the driveway to see Andy looking fit to be tied. A branch had just snapped off of the neighbor's tree and done a swan dive, butt end first, into our car's windshield. Down in the bottom corner, it was shattered like a golf ball had hit it. Poor Andy was beside himself; I just kept telling him, "this is something we can deal with... It was out of our control..." We waited out the very worst of the squall line and resumed the door installation in some steady rain and occasional power flickers. After a much more difficult installation, including many references to how jacked up and non-square our house is, we finally got the front door in. It looks super; just needs some paint! By the time we were cleaning up to prepare for bedtime, the windshield had gotten worse and spidered much further. We put in a request to Safelite to see about getting it replaced tomorrow. What a bummer.

So today's our anniversary...what a memorable day! Last night, we did squeeze in our annual dinner at The Melting Pot and it was fantabulous! Can you believe it's been 12 years? I love him crazy and I know that, one day, we'll look back on this remodel and all its little quandries and laugh about them! Well, it's late and I could get a wake up call from the glass repair fellas in the morning. I'll try to get some end-of-demo pictures up this week before we start on drywall.

Remodel Part I

2010-06-08T21:56:00.002-04:00

A few "before" shots of this1970's masterpiece!

Here's the nasty linoleum found under the laminate (shame on the previous owners!).

Tedious labor!

Welcome to our temporary kitchen in the garage!

We just tucked the kiddos into bed and Joel, who's been keeping abreast of the looming storms expected tonight, says, "You guys just be available tonight when the storms come, okay?" Cracked us up! Anyway, we made some decent progress this PM on demo. Andy got home around 2:30 and we ripped up the livingroom carpet down to subfloor. There are a few things they don't warn you about on DYI programs: no one ever shows the homeowners meticulously pulling staples out of the subflooring. I mean, someone went WAY overboard with those staples! Also, you rarely expect multiple floors to rip up in the kitchen. We encountered laminate (easy), followed by a vintage linoleum (a real pain in the tushy), finished off with a stubborn USB board (the devil's spawn). Andy worked VERY hard tonight to finish the kitchen. I've accepted my job as wingman (running refuse to the dumpster, pulling nails, cleaning up, and throwing my weight into some pulls as needed). Demo Day 1 and we're down to subfloor in 2 of the 3 rooms. We'll take it...

Play Ball!

2010-06-06T21:56:00.004-04:00

It's been all about baseball around here this weekend. Friday, we attended a team cookout, where the boys got a chance to play and the parents worked on the team float for the Ball Day Parade on Saturday morning. This was our first year participating in Optimist Baseball, so Ball Day was a whole new thing for us. Amid questions about looming weather, the parade Saturday morning went off without a hitch. I loved seeing so many of my music students in their floats as they wound through town. The only downer was that some of those kids had squirt guns and, when they saw me, unloaded them on me. After a few instances, Andy decided to let them know I was around by shouting, "Hey look, it's Mrs. Walton!!" Needless to say, I was soaked even before the rains came. The kids had a blast! Right after the parade, the skies opened up and it was a hot, humid, and miserable afternoon with many of the day's games cancelled. We headed home to keep packing for the remodel.

Today, we went to Victory Field to see the Indianapolis Indians play. It was a super day! Many of the family members came, as it was baby Trevor's quasi-first birthday party. We spent the afternoon on the left-field lawn and Joel enjoyed seeing "experts" play. Most of us got a touch of sunburn, but it was a most enjoyable day. When we got home, we kept working on the house. See a theme here?

Monday, the Pod arrives and this remodel will be put into high gear. We've already chucked the kitchen cabinets in the dumpster and most of our daily life has been packed. Not looking forward to meal prep and dishes without a kitchen. We'll be doing lots of grilling, crockpot, and electric skillet meals. Joel and Hanna are enjoying the fact that we moved the livingroom TV and Wii to Joel's room. The computer is in our bedroom, along with the piano. Feels weird typing while sitting on a step stool between the bed and dressers! Soooooo much to do! As soon as we get the furniture and boxes out and in the Pod, I'll snap some pictures so I can keep track of the before and after. We are SOOO looking forward to the 'after'! Better stop for now...may not blog again for awhile; chances are we'll be falling into bed each late night. Wish us luck!

Insert Sigh of Relief Here

2010-05-15T14:27:00.002-04:00

After a long school year of uncertainty, my future as elementary music teacher is finally in the books. The past several weeks, even months, have been filled with tension throughout the school, low morale, them vs. us ridiculousness, and lost sleep. We've lost some great teachers altogether; others have been forced to retire or move into other schools. Luckily, I was not one of them. Friday, the teacher's union voted on the proposed contract that would increase insurance costs, but save 8 more jobs. Last night, I got word that the 2-year contract was ratified. I am safe for at least 2 years.....let me rephrase that......our students will be receiving the imperative arts education they need for at least 2 more years. Since the dawn of time, specials teachers have bucked the perception that we are simply someone's prep period. Well, it's the contract language that states all classroom teachers are required a certain number of prep minutes a day that saved my position. So, despite the misguided notion that we are simply there to give the classroom teachers a break, it has saved the art and music in my school. For that, I am thankful.
We've spent the past 2 months in a wait-and-see pattern, so now we are late gettting started on our home improvement project! It's GO time!!!!! :0) Thanks to all who've been checking in with me and pulling for us, as well as arts advocacy in general.

Mother's Day by Joel

2010-05-07T20:45:00.002-04:00

At the end of the school day today, Joel arrived in my classroom with a decorated flowerpot containing seedlings he had started in class. He also presented me with a Mother's Day "essay" (fill-in). It read (Joel's words in blue):

My mother is the most special mom in the whole world! She's as pretty as candy. She weighs 50 pounds and she is 20 feet tall. Her favorite food is mustroos (mushrooms). In the good ole days when my mom was little, she used to watch TV. I know my mom is sad when she lays down and I know my mom is happy when she remembers her list. (my personal favorite!) I think she looks funny when she laughs but I know when she is really angry when she breaks something. (???!!!) I wouldn't trade my mother for a toy train because I love her very much!

Too funny! I foresee a very busy weekend so...
Happy Mother's Day to all those moms out there!

Catch-Up

2010-05-07T20:29:00.002-04:00

Pics are out of order!

Here are the pics of the new scrapping area that I've been meaning to post for quit some time. It's not 100% organized to my satisfaction yet, but you get the idea. I love it! Last weekend, I whipped up an "Organized Home" binder/scrapbook for a colleague's bridal shower. I love working right in front of a window and having Andy hanging out watching TV nearby while I scrap.

Before shot (don't worry, I still have the treadmill)...

Joel is loving baseball! The team he's on are truly beginners and it's comical to watch sometimes, but we are happy he's learning. He's so sweet looking in that uniform...the one that gets a heavy dosage of Zout twice a week! :0)

Enjoying the Weather!

2010-04-01T14:51:00.002-04:00

Wow, it is gorgeous 'round here! the kids are having a ball playing outside, the house is opened up, and of course we are enjoying the first few grill-outs of the season! With warm weather comes the outdoor mishaps. Tuesday, Joel came to me in a panic because Hanna fell off her scooter in the driveway. Apparently she landed on a piece of something because she had split her eyelid. This was my first "Do I go the ER for stitches or will she be ok?" incident. This family has some pretty close (and practical) relatives, so I called up Aunt Cindy for some advice while Hanna lay crying with a cold washcloth on her eye. We were lucky because Cindy was actually on her way toward us. After her second opinion, we decided it was in a bad place for stitches and they probably would be able to do nothing for her, so I modified a butterfly bandage and patched her up. Cousin Kara played the part of deathbed nursemaid as Hanna was her drama queen self. I asked Hanna if she needed us to draw up her will, and she snuffed and mewed, "yes..." She may have a little scar...I'm a touch worried about that so we're using Mederma liberally. Two days later and she's parading around telling everyone and showing her trophy wound.

In other news, Andy just finished building me a new scrapbook area...in the bedroom! My front room work space is slated for the big remodel this summer (barring job loss), so Andy whipped up another one. I think he did a fantastic job! I'll post pics later; we're almost out the door to go pick up Andy from the bus garage and be on our way to Illinois for the weekend. One of these years, I really wish our school Spring Breaks would line up so we could relax and have a few days without one of us worrying about jumping right into school the moment we return! (It's always me, hence the griping!) Yeah, spring weather...more please! Happy Easter all!

It's Spring...Time to Pull out the Blue Eyeshadow!

2010-03-20T19:29:00.004-04:00

The weather here has been spectacular over the past few days. But alas, the conversations have turned to how cold and how much rain and wet snow we're in for by tomorrow! I'm sure many in the midwest are having that conversation...I think my parents are getting a good dose of the white stuff as I write this! I saw a scrapbook embellishment that says, "Even the most fierce of winters fears the spring." I, for one, am ready to see spring fight back ASAP! The walks, the fresh air and sunshine...it does a body good after the winter doldrums.

In other news, I got some scrapbooking done today! It may be the last time before the whole scrapping area gets moved in preparation for our interior remodel (assuming I have a job come June 1). It felt good to get the heck out of school stress and the like. Joel earned his Tiger Cub Scout badge this afternoon. Later, we went for a walk in the neighborhood and met some new neighbors...they have a 3-year old and 1-year old. Joel and Hanna (mostly Hanna) are thrilled to have a new playmate. And......Monday is Andy's birthday! I can't wait to give him a present we've been hiding for awhile. I think I'll bake his favorite kind of cake and give him the night off from cooking for us! Tee Hee!

Well, someone's bugging me to come into the livingroom, so I'm off! Happy First Day of Spring! See you on the other side of this crazy weather! Oh, and I just thought I'd throw a crazy pic in here for good measure...I'm so proud of my little beauty queen! :0)

Time to Play Catch-Up

2010-02-10T11:27:00.005-05:00

Joel is enjoying Optimist Basketball...

Joel raced a cool car at his very first Pinewood Derby. He even made it into the local paper

Here are some pics from oh, say, the last 2 months!!! Pretty bad, huh? Everything's going by so fast I guess. Joel is participating in a few extra activities, school is keeping me busy, and I have found myself in the throes of planning a major Cub Scout event at the end of February. Don't expect me to stay on top of things from this point on, either. Family and friends know how busy Feb./March gets with performances.

An additional thorn in my side this year is the gut-wrenching reality that budget cuts may kick me out of a job. Schools all around us are axing their specials teachers right and left. Every single time finances get tight, they go for the fine arts jugular. It's pathetic and cowardly to assume that the related arts aren't an important backbone in the life of every child. And don't get me started on the disparity between our elementary building and all the other schools in our district. We have the lowest SES demographic in the district. Our kids need absolutely every teacher and assistant we can muster. Yet, our building is ignored by the district while everyone else is under new construction and has all the bells and whistles. While our sister school has a full-scale rock-climbing wall in their gym and the board has approved additional bleachers for the space, our kids are having school in a building bathed in darkness with little natural light (due to budget cuts), a boiler that is on the fritz, second-hand playground equipment that sits rotting, and gymnasium bleachers that have threatened to cave in for 2 years. Boy, could I go on and on....!

Thanks for reading all that miserable venting! The sad thing is, that's not even half of the surrounding problems. I am scared for my livelihood. If I get RIF'd, who in their right mind is going to hire me when EVERYONE is cutting the arts? (and a master's degree to boot!) Deep breath in.....deep breath out.... Honestly, I had not intention of unloading in this post. I was simply aiming to catch up on the blog a bit since it's been sitting idle. Guess it just comes out easier when you know there's no one out there talking back to you and telling you to relax and quit worrying, and that there are far greater problems out there than my puny little elementary school job..............................How 'bout I just focus on the beautiful and joyous things in my life through pictures, eh? (I tried uploading a cute video of Hanna, but it never fully processed...I'll try again later.)