Food Fight

Photo by Flickr

Yesterday I was subbing just for the afternoon for a 6th grade science teacher. I personally do not care for science but I don't mind subbing in that subject because teachers are usually great about leaving instructions and everything I need. Yesterday was no exception. The classes were very good-which gives me great hopes for the school year.



I also had to do lunch duty, which is not my favorite thing to do. For the first 30 minutes I had duty I was the only teacher there. Just me and about 300 students. Obviously there was more than I could handle. I was trying to admit students into the cafeteria which requires that I check to make sure that they have their ID's and that in itself is a job. I then was also supposed to be dismissing tables so that those students lined up at the door could come in for lunch. I couldn't handle everything by myself. Thank goodness the school police officer took pity on me and helped me by dismissing the tables. I couldn't have done it without her.



To make matters worse there were some students that decided to throw food. I have never understood the fun behind throwing food at someone. For one thing that means that you are having to pick up food with your fingers and in order for it to achieve any distance when it is thrown the food will probably be yucky. This food definitely fell into the goopy category-baked potato. Of course I didn't see who threw it and if I don't know who it is then I can't do anything to the student.



The other thing about throwing food is that if you are caught doing it then it is an automatic suspension. I realize that some students could care less about being suspended but why take the risk-just for a "thrill"?



Liz

Paul Newman

Paul Newman died today. He was one of the last great actors. I remember seeing him in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I was a teenager in high school and it was one of the few movies I went to the theater to see. I still remember his piercing blue eyes and thinking he had to be the most handsome older man I had ever seen. Of course when you are 14 years old anyone over the age of your parents is old. (As I get age my idea of "old" changes).

When the movie The Sting came out I was still in high school I insisted on seeing it and Paul Newman was still just as handsome as he had been a few years before. I still thought of him as being old but it didn't matter.

The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have remained two of my favorite movies. Thank you Paul Newman for providing entertainment to so many through the years. May you rest in peace.

Liz

Vacation

We just returned from a 5 day trip to Pennsylvania. We flew into Baltimore and drove to Amish Country. We stayed one night at a bed and breakfast, The Ellmaker House (www.ellmakerhouse.com). There is a wonderful innkeeper named Verna Fisher that provides the best breakfast. We were fortunate to be the only guests that night so we received a lot of individual attention. The room was lovely and perfect after a long day.

After a good night's rest we got up and drove through Amish Country to Hershey, Pennsylvania. What more could a person want but a tour of Hershey and the contributions of Mr. Hershey, plus chocolate. For those of you that don't know Mr. Hershey established a school for orphan boys that now has evolved into a school for underprivileged children. He left his wealth to the school and did the legal necessities so that the school would never have to worry about finances. What a wonderful thing for him to do.

We spent the next few days of our vacation with friends. It was so much fun to renew those friendships and enjoy their hospitality. We got to go to Gettysburg and experience that great Civil War battlefield. The highlight of our trip was a meal at the The Shady Maple (www.shady-maple.com). It is an unbelievable place to eat and a diner's delight. We spent two hours eating our way through the buffet.

After we had gained a sufficient amount of weight from our meal we were off to Strasburg and the production of In The Beginning (www.sight-sound.com). It is quite the show. This particular show tells the story of Adam and Eve complete with angels and live animals.

Unfortunately all vacations must come to an end, so off to Baltimore we drove. We had enough time to walki around the Inner Harbor of Chesapeake Bay. The weather was beautiful as was the scenery. I think that made it much harder to come back to Texas.

Baby Things

These are all things that I made for our grand baby. I had never made any of them before and they turned out well.

The lamb is a hooded towel and bath mitt. I thought that by the time I was done it might just be a rag. The terrycloth was thin and so I had to be really careful but it turned out so cute. Next time I will buy a towel to make one-if there is a next time.

The blocks were really easy-just sew them togetherand stuff. The best part is that it just uses scraps from the other projects.

The burp pads were easy and inexpensive. I could get two out of 1/2 yard of fabric. I enjoyed making those so much.

When my daughter came over the other day I showed her these things and she got so excited. She has a co-worker that is pregnant and she decided that I could make some things for her to give to her friend for a baby gift. It looks like I will be getting the sewing machine out again soon!

Liz

Cathedral Windows Quilt

Several years ago my mother decided that she would make each of us a quilt. She started with my children because they are my parent's only grandchildren. She made my daughter a quilt that was a difficult pattern. It was Grandmother's Garden or something like that. She made the entire quilt by hand-that's right, she pieced each individual piece of fabric by hand and then quilted it by hand. She told B that it was the only one that she would do like that. She had learned her lesson.

The next quilt she made for L and K. I can't remember the pattern name but she machine stitched the pieces together and hand quilted it. It is a really pretty quilt and they have it on the bed in their guest room.

The above picture is my mother and my quilt. It is a Cathedral Windows Quilt. Each piece is hand stitched and then it is attached to the other pieces by hand. It is kind of a "quilt as you go" method. Once the last piece is attached it is done. It took her a little over a year to complete it. Of course she didn't work on it continuously day in an day out. She lives on a farm...with cows. There are other things that need to be done besides quilting!

Next up-a quilt for one of my brother's.

Liz

Our Evacuees are Home

Our Hurricane Ike evacuees just arrived back home. Considering some of the damage that we have seen on TV their home came through well. They have no power so the items in the refrigerator is ruined, or well on its way. That is a job for tomorrow as well as cutting up the tree and surveying the fence. The worst part for tonight will be sleeping with no air conditioning!

Liz

Hurricane Evacuees

Our Hurricane Evacuees

Our hurricane evacuees are encouraged. A friend had drive by their house today and said that it didn't look like there was much damage. There were some shingles missing, it looked like part of the fence had blown down, and the tree in the front had blown down but onto the street. Of course this brought much concern since they really like the tree. We are thankful that it wasn't any worse than that.

Liz

Updates

Several things have been going on since Thursday. First, my son and daughter in law (the hurricane evacuees) arrived Thursday night, along with the dog. The usual 5 hour drive took 8 hours due to the traffic. They said that for 80 miles they averaged 20 mph. They do not know if their home was damaged but the information that is available indicates that any damage might be minimal. They cannot return home until Monday, at the earliest.

Second, my husband returned home safely from his trip. I had already confessed the murder of the lawnmower to him and he thought that he might be able to fix it. No such luck. Whatever happened to it did some internal engine damage so it was off to the stores to check on lawnmowers. While at Home Depot we found one that had been returned. It had been used one time to mow a yard and then returned. It had been sent off to be reconditioned and was selling for $105. We grabbed it, paid for it, loaded it up in the pickup and brought it home.

We are now experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Ike. It has rained off and on most of the day and there are wind gusts at times. We are just on the outside edge of it so the worst part of it is to the east. We are thankful for whatever rain we receive.

Last but not least we are having a family birthday party tonight. Next week is my daughter in law's birthday so since they are here we decided to make the best of it and have a party. It is also somewhat of a remembrance day for all of us. One year ago today my husband underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor. Although it was a difficult time for us we are so very grateful that the tumor was non malignant. It will be a good evening.

Liz

The Murder of a Lawn Mower

I decided that I would mow the lawn tonight. It is something that I usually do because my husband can repair and remodel so many other things and this is one way I can help him out. The yard hadn't been mowed in almost 2 weeks and since we are expecting the wind and the rain from Hurricane Ike this weekend I thought that I should go ahead and get it done.

I had just started when I accidentally murdered the mower. My husband has attached some cable to a post that he is trying to straighten and the cable is attached to a huge buckle in the ground. I didn't see the buckle and I ran the lawn mower up on it. SCREECH!!!! The mower thankfully stopped and I expected to see the underside of it in shreds. I couldn't believe that when I turned it over that it was intact but when I tried to start it again it was resistant. When I finally got it started it made the most awful noise so I just turned it off, put it in the garage, and came inside to do some housecleaning. When my husband calls tonight I will have to confess to the murder and await my sentencing.

Liz

Cheerleaders

I was never a cheerleader when I was in high school. I never had the desire to be one either. I just don't think that I had what it takes. Today I was a 7th grade language arts teacher who just happens to be the cheerleading coach. In the past when I have substituted for her sometimes the cheerleaders were very cooperative and sometimes they weren't. Today was an uncooperative day.

These girls are all 8th graders and since it is the beginning of the year they are still fine tuning the cheers and their dance. The teacher left one of the girls in charge and she got a taste of what it is like to be a leader that no one wants to listen to. She tried so hard to get them to follow directions (and I did the best I could to help her) but most of the time they ignored her, and me. At the end of the class she informed them that they would probably be running and conditioning on Monday.

The language arts classes though were great. I didn't have any problems with any of the students. So far this year my days have been really good. I haven't been called names nor have I had significant problems. I don't know if the students have just grown up over the summer or if my attitude is so much better. Whatever it is I just hope that it continues!

Liz

Hurricane Ike

Here in Texas one of the big news stories is Hurricane Ike. We have been watching it closely because our son and pregnant daughter in law live in League City which is 30 miles from Galveston. Schools have closed and NASA is closing at noon so everyone is taking this seriously. Since they live so close to Galveston Bay they will be evacuating tomorrow. That means that the two of them plus their hyperactive dog will be visiting with us this weekend. It is an unexpected pleasure.

My Children

These pictures are from my daughter's wedding in April. The top picture is my son and daughter. It is my favorite picture of them. B just glows with happiness. I am so blessed to have both of them as my children.

The picture on the left is my son and daughter in law. They will be having their first baby in December, a time that I had told them to never have children. The baby is due December 20-27. L's birthday is December 20, Christmas of course is the 25th, and then their anniversary is December 27. I guess they just want to squeeze as many celebrations as they can into one week. The two of them really compliment each other and I know that they will make great parents. This will be the first grandchild on each side of their families and we are all so excited about it.

The picture on the right is of my daughter and son in law. They are wonderful. We are so fortunate that they live close to us and are willing to come and help when we need them. The nine months of planning their wedding was made difficult by some unforeseen family events but they were understanding and the wedding was beautiful. It made all the stressful times worth it. They just moved into a house so it is so much fun to share in their excitement.

We love both of our "children in laws". So many families deal with their child marrying someone that they do not care for. Not the case here-we are so blessed.

Liz

Language Arts

Today I substituted for a Language Arts teacher. It was an awesome day. This teacher has 3 classes of 6th graders and 2 classes of 7th grades. The great thing is that all the classes are either Pre-AP or "Gifted" students. What a difference in their behavior compared to some of the classes that I have had.

In the 6th grade classes we read a story about Alexander the Great King. I learned quite a bit and we had some great discussions about the Greek empire. These kids participated and brought out some great thoughts. The best one of the day was the girl that thought that Alexander must of been a good looking guy-strong, tanned, blue eyed, blond hair! What more could a 6th grade girl want in her dream guy.

The 7th grade classes read a story about Hurricane Andrew. It made them very aware of the damage that can be done by a hurricane, not just damage to homes but the damage that is done to nature and how important it is to realize that. Of course I do always have the have the smart alec that thinks it is all right to break into stores and get whatever is needed to survive instead of making preparations.

This year is starting off to be so much more enjoyable than last year. I just hope that it continues to be this way.

What is up for this weekend? There is a home and garden show as well as the continuation of the shower renovation.

Liz

Art Teacher

Today I substituted for an art teacher. I am almost as poor at art as I am at computer technology-almost. At least with art I am generally not required to do much except keep students busy and somewhat quiet. I did manage to accomplish that.
Of course I did have one student that I always dread having in a class. He has anger issues and last year he got into a fight that I had to break up. That is something I usually try to steer clear of but this time I had no choice since I was the only adult in the hallway. When I have this student I usually try not to make him angry about anything and today I succeeded in that.

Something that is new this year-the teacher of electives only get 1 plan time. I am not sure what the thinking is behind that but it wouldn't be so bad if the plan time came in the middle of the day but when it comes at the beginning of the day it is a marathon to the end. My only salvation today was that I had lunch duty and I am not sure that is much of a break. Students like to argue about where they are sitting, who has to clean off the table, and whether or not they should have to pick up the trash on the floor. Another new thing this year-if you have lunch duty you have it for 1 hour. Bummer! I have never minded lunch duty in the past but this year I may be changing my mind.

All in all it was a good day. I enjoyed seeing the students and hearing how their summer was. Some even were glad to see me-that's unusual!

Liz

Background

The background was provided by http://shelsscraps.blogspot.com/ and they are free! Check it out.

Liz

LABOR DAY

We took Labor Day to heart and worked all day. R replaced a french door that goes from our sunroom to our backyard. It needed to be replaced so he spent the weekend removing the old, rotten door and then prepping the area. We have had the replacement door for almost 2 years (other things in life got in the way of the installation) and it was such a great bargain. I found it at Lowe's and the door had been returned. That particular day the store was having a 90% off of their clearance items so we got the door that had originally sold for $1005 for $105. What a deal! There are still a few things that need to be finished on it but this door is so much better than the other one.
My project for the day was to start tearing out the tile around our bathtub. Everytime we took a shower or a bath we were afraid the tile would start caving in. I spent the day taking out the old tile and I started on taking out the sheetrock. There are two layers of sheetrock so I am about half way through so this weekend I will have to finish. It will definitely look better than what was there.

Liz