Not a Good Idea

A substitute teacher wanted to show a clip of the JFK assassination to a group of 3rd graders...

Games and Apple Crisp

Finished off our 3 day weekend with homemade apple crisp and board games with Noelle and Chuck.  Such a wonderful weekend has put me in a good mood for the week.

Special Scrambled Eggs

Today we had scrambled eggs for lunch- all from our own chickens!

Twist Ties

Our cat Nobby knows which kitchen drawer the twist ties are in. He waits until you leave the kitchen, gets on the counter, opens the drawer, and swats a few out to play with. That cat is too smart for his own good.

Callaway Gardens

Meeting some friends today at Callaway Gardens to enjoy free admission and what promises to be some pretty beautiful weather.

Pretty Good Sunday

So far today I've gone grocery shopping, taken a nap, done some laundry, and went on a 2 mile walk. Next on my agenda: a bit of reading, baking (banana chocolate chip muffins and biscuits), and making this yummy looking soup for dinner.

Ikea and Flip Buger

Nate and I are headed up to Atlanta this morning to do a bit of shopping at Ikea and then enjoy Flip Burger for lunch. Should be a fun way to start this 3 day weekend!

School Play

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm staying after school until 5:30 today (and for several Fridays to come) to help with the school play.

New Title?

I've just been informed that I am my school's "Assistant Testing Coordinator."  How does someone who loathes standardized testing get such a title?

Spelling Bee

30 nervous students in the library plus their parents who are (thanks to a new smart board and our broadcasting equipment) watching in another room.

Why I'm Going to Bed at 8:00

After a full day of school: an hour and a half of helping students research, a trip to the public library and the grocery store, made lasagna soup for dinner (yummy, though I'd use different noodles next time) and did the prep work on enchiladas for tomorrow's dinner.
Oh, and the fact that I keep waking up at 5 AM unable to go back to sleep.

I Never Know What I'll Find

Check this book I found in the library.  It was made by a 7th grade class in 1968 in honor of "Negro History Week."  Included are biographies and photographs (including a signed head-shot from Bill Cosby!)

Jekyll Island!

Made our reservations for our annual spring break trip to Jekyll!

Never Ending

Took AL to the dentist today.  Have to go back twice to get cavities filled AND need to schedule a consultation to get her wisdom teeth taken out this summer.

Kimbra

I love, love, love this song and video by Kimbra.

A Few Pictures

Eggs from our chickens! (the bigger one is a large store-bought egg, just to give perspective). They've each been laying about one a day.

Nate started making his own beer this weekend using the Mr. Beer kit he got for Christmas.

My sister and me in the beards she made everyone for Christmas.

I made this Jabba the Hut body pillow as a Christmas gift for my brother-in-law Dan.

ID

Got AL her state issued ID today. Now we can officially do our FASFA and apply for in-state tuition. (sarcastic) yay!

Follett is Awesome

I love the company we purchase library books from.  I accidentally reordered my January 2011 book list instead of January 2012 and they called me to see if it was a mistake.  So thankful they saved me from that expensive slip-up!

Dinner Flop

I made Sesame Noodles for dinner tonight (a new recipe). We each only managed to eat a couple of bites- it was both a texture and a flavor issue. I thought I was past the point in my culinary career of having to make a frozen pizza in place of a terrible dinner, but the Red Baron in the oven begs to differ.

Rugs

I found 2 large rugs in my storage closet.  One is BRIGHT yellow with a black teddy bear and letters that say "We Read."  The other is a "town" rug with roads to drive toy cars on.  It has a huge stain right over the post office (looks like Coke).  Anyone want one?

Scalloped Potatoes Gratin

Made these scalloped potatoes for dinner tonight (but doubled the butter and halved the thyme) and they were really yummy.

Teenage Recluse

If it wasn't for meal-times and her occasional need to check Facebook, I don't think we'd see AL most days.

Perfect Saturday

A walk in this beautiful weather with Nate, some crocheting, dinner and board games with our next door neighbors.

Adult Book Reviews

At first it sounds like these book reviews might be a little risque, but I feel like I need to clarify because most of the books I read are for children or teens.
Anyway, the last 2 books I've read have come from the adult section of the library. Thought you might be interested to know that I do, in fact, venture out of juvenile literature once in a while.

One Thousand White Women is a historical fiction in that it takes place during a specific time in American history (post civil war, right around the time of the removal of the Native Americans to reservations). It's takes one small piece of real history (the chief of a tribe asks for 1000 white brides to ensure peace) and runs in an entirely fictional direction (what if the president had agreed). Written in a journal style, this was super interesting especially for a girl who grew up loving historical fiction from this time (I'm looking at you, Little House on the Prairie).

Room started off feeling really gimmick-y. It's written from the perspective of a 5 year old boy who was born to a kidnapped teen. His whole life has been contained in the 11 ft by 11 ft shed they are kept in. And while his voice felt contrived at first, I was soon so caught up in the story that I forgot. I also forgot to go to bed at an appropriate time because I couldn't put it down.

Chauffeur

I'm taking AL and her 3 brothers to the movies and back tonight.