LOL!

     Yesterday we were invited to go to a puppet show with some of our friends :)
     The show rocked! I was totally impressed, and all the kids and their reactions were hysterical!!
     I really loved how there was some adult humor, which truly if you looked around the crowded room, I think the grown-ups had just as much fun!
     One of my favorite lines said by the sheep about the big bad wolves, "They were scared sheepless!" LOL
     My favorite puppet...this is a tough one. I would have to say the mouse. I just loved his attitude!
     I forgot my camera, dang it! I won't next time!!

Father's Day

      I am a Daddy's girl, AND PROUD OF IT!!
      I only wish my Daddy lived a little closer!! We had a great coversation today, though :)
      I know we will see him soon enough, if not this summer then definitely in November!
      I am also proud of the father who Ricky is :) He makes me want to be the best mom ever!
      One of his many Father's Day gifts were purchased this year at Sue's Antiques and Treasures on Elmway.
      Let me tell you...THAT PLACE IS AMAZING! It's far bigger than I ever expected! I love antiques, especially old farm stuff.
      I saw so many things that remind me of my Grandpa Stinson. I miss him so much.
      Well, this bowl was especially chosen because Ricky LOVES vanilla ice cream, so now he has his own special bowl. And, ya know...they don't make bowls like they used to!! I wish they had an entire set :)

Dad's Ice Cream...just in case someone else might eat it!

WHAT a fun, fun dAy :)

3 AMIGOS


Today for Father's Day we headed out to go for a long horseride! This was so much fun!!! We went up to Buck Mountain, and we rode up to the lookout! The weather was amazing! We were in our own little world!

We saw turkeys, a coyote, a bear cub, deer (and a baby Bambi!!!), Blue Grouse, and even a frog! LOL



YOU CAN SEE ADDITIONAL FAMILY PICS AT OUR PRIVATE BLOG, JUST CLICK HERE!


I ended up riding Jack today :) He's such a beautiful horse!!!


Ricky on Jake


We live in some of THE most beautiful country. I always tell Rick when we ride on Sundays, that I am at church.





I just loved this rock ahead of us...next pic is the view once you rode up to the rock!

Random Ramblings

     Another reason why I love summer? I get to make my man his lunch every day. I am so proud of how hard he works, and I just love that I can be a little sunshine in his day :)
     I try to make some creative lunch, sometimes using leftovers, but I like to surprise him!
     Today I made a sandwich my daddy used to make when I was little...hotdog sandwich!
     I cut the hot dogs in half lengthwise, and then grilled them and put them on the bread.

     So, completely switching channels...I live on a small farm as most of you already know. How do I know that I live on a small farm? Is it the plethora of animals? The poop that is everywhere? NOPE...today I was reminded in an entirely different way.
     I went to move the load of wash into the dryer, and I noticed something awry. SIGH.
     It seems that a couple of cubes of alfalfa were washed. Trust me when I say this makes a mess! LOL
     And, to add insult to injury...guess who left them in her pocket??? LOL! That's right, me!
     Yes, I check EVERYONE'S pockets all the time...not sure how I missed mine. Oh well, made me chuckle!

     Speaking of laughing, last night Rick and I watched a show we had on DVR - It was a Man vs. Wild episode, but with Will Ferrell along for the experience. OH MY GAWSH, did we laugh ourselves silly last night!!!
     I love the show anyhow, and I like Will, so it was a perfect match.

     Well, I have lots more to blog, but I am going to go exercise :) The recumbent bike is calling my name! LOL

Hey scrappers and craft-a-holics!

     I just stumbled upon a blog I really like, and I wanted to share it with all of my crafty mamas out there!!!
     We made some super cute Father's Day stuff last week, and then I have been making a few things this week, too :)
     It's almost here, 2 days and counting!!

Love cubed

      That's right, I love, love, love going out to ride each night!!! It's great exercise, but even more, it's just so relaxing and peaceful.
      People who know me well know that I have this obsession of taking pics of shadows. I got a FUN one tonight :)

Cool story.

Check out this story!


Pretty amazing. It has the possibility to touch our lives because Cody could end up on this ship when he goes on his second deployment late next year.

Father's Day is coming!

     I can't believe that June is already half over! Geez!
      I am excited for this upcoming Sunday...Father's Day. I have lots of fun things planned for Ricky :)
      As well, I can't wait to wish my own Daddy HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I even more wish I could visit him in Vegas! That's coming soon enough.
      Well, in my quest for the perfect ideas and gifts, I have come across some things I wanted to share!
     Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE CUPCAKES!!!
     I love these little lawnmower cupcakes! TOO CUTE! Although we have a riding mower, so it's not exact! You can go to this link to find out how to make them.



I found these super cute hamburger cupcakes, but I really loved all the ideas at this link. If nothing else, this place INSPIRES ya!


I also really liked these super cute hamburger and fries cupcakes! You can go to this link for directions to make these, too!



Some other fun cupcakes ideas:
No pictures, but good directions.

A fun blog!


HAPPY BAKING!!!

Good news :)

     One of my goals this summer is to write more! I want to work on my book, and I want to do some freelance work.
     So, last night I came up with a whole bunch of ideas to pitch my ideas, and I even wrote up a few query letters and emailed them, with many more in process.
     Normally this takes a bit to hear something in return, and this morning, I did get a reply back and acceptance of my idea, and so now I have been hired to write an article! WOO hoo!! Good "extra" money :)
      It was just such a surprise for it to happen so quickly,and I have so many more I want to get out there!!! It's so validating!
      Stay tuned!!

P.S.

      To the summer list!
I love that I don't have to wear pants (unless I am riding my horse!)

One of my favorite things to do...

Today I finished my three care packages and sent them off. I love creating these boxes for Cody, one of his fellow soldiers (who doesn't get any mail), and also a son of my best friend who is deployed in the Navy (somewhere entirely different than Cody).

I always include random crazy stuff, and tons of food and drinks. I also like to include movies, newspapers, magazines, special letters, and all sorts of goodies!

I send enough extra stuff that it's always shared with the other guys!

I love heading into the post office to send the packages! And, it's so cool because they have flat rate boxes, and they allow people to mail the large one for the small box price, if you are sending it to someone in the military!

I am so proud of those boys, and I just love to send them a little something from home :)

Summer Lovin'

     Had me a blaa-aast!!! LOL (love that movie!)
     I do love summer! Why? Let me count the ways!!!

1) Catch up on movies - Blockbuster is our new best friend!
2) Watch some tv series - We are in the middle of the first season of Dexter!
3) Be outside until after 9 p.m. - If the mosquitoes cooperate, which we don't have them bad at our house, thank goodness!!
4) Sleep in - enough said
5) Stay up late! - TOO LATE, LOL, I always get a bit of summer insomnia.
6) Play dates - We get to make all sorts of fun play times with our friends ;)
7) Summer food - Bring on the BBQ, yeah for Farmers Market!! I love to cook, but I especially love to during summer with all the fresh food!
8) Obliterate my "Books I WANNA Read" list - I actually checked out 20 books from our school library. I started one book on Sunday, almost done!
9) Fun in the sun- Swimming, horseback riding, jumping on the trampoline, picnicking, hiking, bbqing, all of it!!!
10) Freedom - I can do whatever...whenever.

I AM SO PROUD OF HER!!!!

     I am so proud of her!!!!
     My good friend Missy graduated this past Saturday from WVC! So, now she is officially half-way towards her goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.
     I have forever told her she should be a teacher! She is amazing with kids, especially the little ones ;)
      I also remember when she was first talking about going, and all of her fears, especially of returning to school when she had been out for so long.
     I am just so proud of her for holding on to her dreams, and making them a reality!!
     I know how hard it is for a busy mom, wife, and woman who works full-time to go back to school!!
     I have known many women who have been too afraid to try, and others who have started but not finished, so I have MAJOR respect for my good friend Missy for accomplishing this first part of her journey!!


     We had a good time at the BBQ, and you can see some of our pics HERE!

Trampoline Time!

     So, we love our trampoline :)
     This weekend we decided to have a Trampoline nap!! So, out came the blankets and pillows, and even the two little dogs joined us!
     And, I know Ricky fell asleep because he was snoring, LOL!

Some of our private family pics to share of hanging out on the trampoline. Just click HERE!


Turbo on the trampoline, burrowing into the blanket.



Rambo contemplating jumping off the trampoline.

I promised new!!!

     As you can see, my blog looks new :) I have made some changes.
      Something new for sure...is that I have a new blog that I will be posting some of our private pictures. So, if there is a link to pics, and you've been invited, then you can now jump over to see pics that I will no longer post on this blog.
     If you are someone I know, and I didn't send you an invite to the new pic blog...just send me an email, and I will send you an invite!
     SO, I have created a private blog for our family and friends to see pics of our ENTIRE family ;)

New

     Lots of new stuff coming :)

Busy last day of school!!!

      The last day of school = WAFFLE morning :) I always make yummy waffles for the kids at school. Everyone is invited, and it's in honor of all of those who have summer birthdays.
      This year I made over 200 waffles!!!! I love that I have kids who even come to school to just eat a waffle, and then head out for the day at the lake or whatever.
      Then we had the retirement lunch for Pat Messinger. This, of course, was bittersweet. SO, sweet that he is able to retire and do the things that he will enjoy doing (hunting, fishing, spending time with his family), but so sad to no longer have his smiling face wish me good morning every school day (along with every person in our school that he welcomes and wishes a good day!).
      It felt good to be a part of this experience! I feel so lucky and honored to have worked with Pat, albeit only five years.
      I have learned so much from him. He's such an amazing teacher and friend. I hope that I can impact students the way he did, as I continue teaching for the next twenty years.
      I owe a lot to Pat, too, on a personal level. He has been such an incredible inspiration to both of my sons.
      Back to school after the lunch (and some tears), and I spent the afternoon cleaning and readying my classroom. It feels like I am preparing for hibernation from teaching :)
      Of course, the last day of school also equals our end of the year school BBQ. I love this event because it's fun to hang out with the people we work with and also all of their families. It was fun to watch all the little girls play dress-up, run around, and plan super cute "shows" for us!! LOL It's nice to have entertainment at our BBQ!
      And, what about the food?!! Holy cow! I always say every single time that we should create an employee cookbook!!!! I love, love, love eating at the BBQ every year because I try something new that I just love to eat, LOL!
      We did end up leaving the BBQ early because we headed down to the fairgrounds to watch the famous Lipizzaner Stallions! Fun! And, there were several ever people who also left early to caravan down to see the show.
      I was so impressed with the skills of the stallions and their riders. I am not overly familiar with dressage, but it's impressive!

Ahhhh...the last week of school

     Life is busy (big shock, I know), but I THINK it's winding down.
     I love the last week of school for all sorts of reasons:
1) My birthday almost always happens near the last day of school! It's tomorrow :)
2) I always put on the big WAFFLE breakfast on the last day of school to honor all those kiddos who have summer birthdays. I have been doing this as long as I have been teaching! It's so much fun!! Last year I think I made 250 waffles!!!
3) We do lots of fun end of the year activities. Yesterday my sophomores joined their first grade buddies for their picnic at Alma Park! We had so much fun, and I swear the big kids are even bigger kids-at-heart than the first graders! I loved watching them all play!!!!
4) We pack up a year. We reflect. We celebrate.
5) We have our end of the year BBQ as a staff. I always look forward to this, as we spend time outside of school enjoying each other, and there are TONS of kids who hang out, too!!! (And, the food always rocks!)
6) We make plans to enjoy summer! Swimming, horseback riding, hiking, exercising, losing weight, camping, writing, watching baseball, catching up on movies, sleeping in, reading, cooking, going on girls only trips, vacationing (Disney Land here we come!), all of it :)
7) We re-charge!

Summer...here we come :)

Love livin' on a farm!

     We have quite the menagerie here at our place, and we are always adding new animals!
     I need to take some pictures of our new turtle, Slow Mo Joe! LOL (Soon I promise)
     I was able to get these pics of a Mama Robin and her babies in our tree :)

Volunteers Light the Way!

     I wasn't able to attend the Volunteer Party last week at Virginia Grainger because I was busy in a union negotiations meeting, but I did receive my Volunteer certificate and the cute little keychain flashlight that says, "Volunteers Light the Way!"
     It's so true. Whatever little time you can give, it does make a big difference.
     It's so rewarding for me to work with kids one-on-one and give them extra support! I love doing little things for the teacher, too :)
     Another added benefit is KNOWING the kids with whom your kids attend school!
     As well, I have always been of the philosophy that parents and teachers should be partners in education!
     And, actually my volunteering experience when my boys were young and in preschool and elementary school, truly is what motivated me to become a teacher!
     Parents can volunteer in all sorts of ways. I am able to go in weekly, but I know some parents cannot do that because of their schedules.
     But, you can volunteer to go on field trips, bring snacks to class, help with special parties or activities, create a bulletin board, or you can even volunteer to take on a craft project at home (preparing it, cutting it, etc.).

Here Comes Graduation!

     It’s that time of the year again…graduation! I can’t believe that it has already been two years since Cody graduated!!! It seems, at times, like only yesterday.
     Now, my youngest son will be a senior! Class of 2010!! OH DEAR, I don’t know if I am ready for that!! This time next year, I will be a mess. Graduations are so bittersweet.
     You are so proud of the kids and excited for what is to come, where they will go, who they will be. But, you are sad to see them leave, to not be around on a daily basis anymore, to have so much change so quickly. You will miss them so much.
     I will greatly miss some of our seniors this year. As a teacher, you grow close to these kids, and you watch them become adults right in front of your eyes.
     Sometimes it's hard to say good-bye, even if that's a good thing!!

Downright disgusted!

     I know that I am being judgemental. I know that I am not perfect. I know that I have made more than my share of mistakes.
     But, I am sick and tired of people making excuses for people who make mistakes that affect other people!
     I have a friend who is close to a family that lost their 9-year-old daughter due to a drunk driving accident!
     The father of this young girl was also critically injured, and he even had to have his leg amputated.
     Here's the kicker...THIS KILLER HAD 6 DUIS!!!!! (That's a link, click on the lighter colored font to read the latest.)
     Allow me to step up on my soapbox. Am I OK with even one DUI? NO, to be candid, not really. But, I could at least understand it, if a person had a DUI and then s/he changed her/his ways, NEVER, NEVER driving drunk again.
     I know people who have two or three DUIs, who have to have those machines in their cars to allow them to even drive. That's wrong. More than one DUI, and I say SHAME ON YOU, no more driving. You've proven that you don't care about the danger in which you are placing the innocent others out there on the road.
     Maybe I am bitter about it because it hits so close to home. I lost a close friend to a drunk driving accident the summer before my senior year. The pain of losing someone you love doesn't ever go away. Then to add to that a death that should've never happened, but did because one person made such a selfish decision.
     All I know is...Lisa, I am sorry that your friends have been dealt this tragedy. Thank you, though, for sharing the story with me, as it reminds me of how strongly I feel.

Donuts for Dads!

      I love the parties in elementary school!!! Such a different world, than teaching up at the high school.
      Today was a special day in first grade: Donuts for Dads!
      Rick was so excited to go in this morning, and I was fortunate to see some pics of the event, and how much fun to see all those dads with their little ones :) YEAH!
      The bulletin board is PERFECT, showcasing the Dad All-stars!!! I still think Mrs. Attridge should make a book and sell them to teachers!!