A Little Paint

When I walked into my "new" classroom for the year, over the summer, for the first time, I just stopped in disbelief. It was hideous. The walls were a depressing shade of "prison blue", the ceiling looked like it could cave in at any moment, and there were stacks of this and that everywhere.

How could I teach here? And honestly, how could my students learn in an environment where even their teacher was unwilling and uninspired?!

(BEFORE: July 25)


So, armed with a bucket of paint and a few purchases, my team of intrepid young people helped me attack the room. Now, it makes me happy to be there! (And it only took a few dollars and a week out of my summer to make such an improvement in the room -- and in my attitude!)

My gorgeous classroom, Aug 2:

Please especially note the tree crafted by my daughter and her friends. It makes me so full of joy every time I see it! And it's right across from my teacher desk. :)

My Father is Coming!

There's a little chant repeating in my head: "My father is coming, my father is coming!"

I'm so excited! My father is coming for a long weekend. He and his wife will be here in just a few hours. I am having trouble containing myself.

We cleaned the house yesterday in anticipation of their visit. The kids were great help, even helping clean the bathroom!

We also baked cookies, and shopped for groceries (including an early Thanksgiving of sorts with ham as the main dish).

Now all that's left is the waiting. Hope I can make it until 6:00 tonight!

My father is coming!!

Here are the kiddos raking leaves! They had a great time getting ready for Grandpa's visit!!








A great book about holidays and what it means to be a family: Family Dinner by Jane Cutler.

House Work

We have been working hard at our "new" house to get it move-in ready.

We had an extra-long weekend last weekend, so we spent nearly all of our time working on the house. (Note: when I say "we", I do indeed mean myself, my husband, and both kids.)

Here's a list of tasks we have accomplished:

*Sacking up all (bags and bags and bags) of Grandma's clothes and delivering them to Goodwill
*Sacking up trash (cleaned out from drawers, shelves, and closets) and taking to the dump
*Removing old, broken, and unwanted appliances, dishes, pots, and pans from the kitchen
*Moving and removing Grandma's furniture to make room for some of our own, while utilizing the furniture already in the house
*Washing load after load of laundry, including but not limited to towels, sheets, curtains, furniture covers, and blankets
*Eliminating decor (knickknacks, bric-a-brac, odds and ends) left over from the 1980's (all in gold and dusty rose, if anyone is interested)

Okay, so not everything on the above list has been completed. But we have certainly made a dent in the daunting task.

Every afternoon this week, we will be working more. Tired, yes. But it's all worth it.

For some "light" reading about making a house a home, try Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon. Actually, anything by Jan Karon will make a reader feel right at home! Or pick up any of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Cleaning House

This week is all about cleaning house. Not actually my own house. I'm cleaning the libraries.

You see, school is out, and I'm using this week to clean, straighten, dust, and organize at the school libraries. These are all the tasks that just didn't get done during the school year. The final month of school is a bit like a foot race -- a mad dash to the finish!

So, today I'm dusting. It's not that I haven't dusted all year. But you'd be surprised how much dust accumulates during a busy month of school! I believe the elementary computers were attacked by monster dust bunnies!

It's a time-consuming process, to be sure. Sometimes, I will finish an area, move on to the next, only to discover the first area looks dusty already! (Insert huge sigh here.)

I think I know how Cinderella felt. Or Snow White. I may be a princess inside, but today I'm just the library maid.

Covered in dust.

Please pardon my sneezing.

For a fun read about a princess doing manual labor, try Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl. A neat take on the "goose girl" fairy tale!