Day 25 and bone-tired! LOL

Im soooooo tired today! First day's back are always so hard! I am taking the whole 7th grade to the park tomorrow as they won the competition for bringing in the most change for the pennies for cancer drive.
So... I'm going to leave you with a picture I took to replace the "Update to Day 9"... these flowers were so gorgeous blooming wild all over every lot here in the valley!
I'm going to go to bed! :)

Adding to Day 24

Weather is beautiful again today, and a nice breeze coming though...so we worked out in the back yard all this morning. It was sorely needed as it is a deserted wasteland of weeds and sand...
We will fix it up and make it beautiful, but everything takes time...
So as we were pulling weeds, Cope asked to go swimming. Now mind you the pool is huge and has not been heated since last season. It is freezing cold water! He persisted and finally I said, "If you really want to go in, grab a towel first so you can jump out and wrap it around yourself." So he did and the silly boy actually went in!
Once T got off time out (another story) she was allowed to go in the pool too- and the silly kids played and played in that freezing cold pool for 2 hours!
Now we are relaxing after a yummy lunch of hamburgers on the grill, steamed corn nibblets, and fresh strawberries!
What a perfect ending to a great spring break!
More later!


Updating: it is now 7:25 and this wind has grown with some wild winds blowing...
The kind of wind that makes the house creak and you wonder if your tree will come crashing through your window... Here is a video of our front yard taken 2 minutes ago.

Great News for Day 24!!!!!

Guess what?





I heard from Erin and Robb...









And they are "stopping by" for a quick visit before moving on! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!

Day 24 and up early....well, 9:00am is early for me!

What a great vacation this has been! We have been spoiled and had pancakes for breakfast everyday this week!
The kids have taken turns making them and putting them in the skillet. T actually tried to 'turn' the pancakes today, but ended up folding it in half on its wet side....but she tried hard!
She likes to add things to food she makes, so she has been putting in sprinkles into the batter...Easter sprinkles, Christmas sprinkles....it was very pretty in the bowl!
They both gobbled them down and were satisfied. The past couple of days they both had asked for seconds on pancakes!
Jeff and I both think they are going through growing spurts!
Well, our vacation is over and now it is crunch time until the end of school. At the bottom of this blog I have a countdown bar until June 16th comes! The kids and I leave for Couer d'Alene, ID on the 17th! I cant wait! I'm hoping my weight is way down by then! :)
By the way, I ate 2 blueberry muffins topped with a mound of blackberries, a peach yogurt and a homemade iced coffee! YUM! (yes, all on the program!)
Cope wanted to be in the blog too!

Foaming at the mouth on Day 23

Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh.... we had a company come over to discuss "remodeling" our bathroom.
Our poor bathroom has never been updated since 1988 and it is a bathroom for four, yes four.
For some reason Cope and Tierney think that our bathroom is the only one in the house! LOL
So..... I was foaming at the mouth describing all my ideas, desires, wishes...for our bathroom, as well as going through the stack of magazines I had marked with cute little colorful flags and notes, and could hardly speak fast enough!

Greg, the guy, and the designer, Janelle, were very patient with me and let me foam away...
2 hours later... (giggle)
So as they walked out the door, Jeff turned to me and said, "Babe, you didn't let them speak".
(Then I felt so bad, but I was so excited!) We have been waiting to remodel FOREVER... and I felt a good connection with these people and I got really excited and you know I have a tendency to blab...
Anywho...it was VERY exciting talking about everything! Now we need to wait about a week until we meet up again and then talk to "Mr & Mrs. Smith, our accountants.
It won't be for awhile, I'm sure, but Ill keep you posted!


No- this is NOT our bathroom, but I thought it was hysterical!

Confessions on Day 22

I wasn't sure when I would come out and tell you all...but no reason why I shouldn't today.

I am excited to say I have joined Nutrisystem.

Yes, the ones Larry the Cable Guy, Marie Osmond, Tony Orlando and other celebrities have joined.
Reasons why I joined were numerous:

• get my body back in shape
• back problems getting worse with so much weight on me
• want to have more energy
• help my knee out
  
• want to be active for Cope and Tierney
• want to feel sexy, alive, energized, young...again
• want to wear the cute clothes I have, not the 'fat shorts' and oversized t-shirts that cover up my fat
• be able to go to any store and buy any clothes and have them fit
  
• want to be able to wear a bathing suit and feel good, not embarrassed
• want to fit into a M/L shirt, not L/XL
  
• want to try skiing, water sports and hiking again
• so I won't have to wear sweats again because nothing else fits! <--you all know this is true!
  

So, I started last Thursday (yes, before Easter) and just finished up my first week on the program. I will say the food is great, filling, and already made for me! The program comes with a food log and you include fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein and of course dessert! I haven't eaten anything I don't like yet, and that is the truth!
The Nutrisystem website is literally chock full of great recipes, ideas, helpful hints and most importantly- people going through the same things I am. (I sound like a commercial!)
So....I will also be posting my progress on here every now and then, as well as our family news.
Wish me good luck!
Here is a 'starting' picture of me-UGH.

Still more on Day 21! (can you tell I'm on vacation?)

Pictures are from the National Geographic site of http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/gallery/newzealand_kaikoura-peninsula.html
Well, just got an update from Erin and Robb, (as most of you have) and I thought I'd show you on MapQuest, where they are... lucky kids! LOL
Mom and Dad are back to Sydney Australia as of the 26th. They can see the Sydney Opera House from their hotel room and have tickets for not only the Opera, but also the Symphony! They are both very excited at going! Next they will be at the Great Barrier Reef on the 5th, and be back into LA around April 16th.
Check it out! Click on anything purple and it will take you there! :)

Continuing Day 21 with PIRATES!!!!!

Hi all!

Over at Uncle Don's house for Easter weekend, Uncle Ted told a story about going to Canton, PA. and learning about an Emmanual Wynne- supposedly a pirate!!!!! Well, here is one account where you can read about him. ARE WE RELATED?? I hope so! How cool would that be?
Legend has it he was the first pirate to fly the skull and crossbones on his ship, added with an hourglass, which symbolized his captors had better surrender quickly, or else..
Here is another account. And one more from a fun site...
Enjoy!
...And feed that inner pirate when it surfaces!

Day 21 in Paradise.... (Day 20 was a bust)

Good Morning!

Yes, I could get used to this. Waking up at 9:30 each morning, relaxing and just updating my blog...but really, after a week I would be soooo bored! So wishful thinking is no longer a wish.

Yesterday was a bust as I couldn't get on my computer. Problem is fixed and now I know what to do for the next time! :)

Yesterday Tierney had to go to the dentist to get 2 cavities filled and a scraping of her teeth in the very back, as she hasn't been brushing well there. She was very nervous and I tried to be very strong for her. As the dentist laid her chair back, the tears welled up in her eyes and I started to do the same! I held her hand the whole time and tried to be very brave. (yeah right!)
I had to laugh as she was so curious about what instrument the doctor had, what it was used for and where it was going....(just like her mom)
The doctor and technician tried to be very sly using their fingers to block the site of the long needle, but Tierney kept moving their hands out of the way and finally said, "I want to see you do it." I had to chuckle because I am the exact same way! She did some crying, and refusing to open her mouth, but overall did very well. I was very proud of her, and sure hope this scared her into brushing much better.
The bad news? The second cavity was not in the same area, and she needed another shot on the bottom to get that one done. There was no way she was going to open up again, so we will have to go back. Ugh. All in all, a successful day. Especially since I had to take Cope too, and he behaved perfectly while I was in there with T, and then they were both out in the lobby while I had my teeth done! (I was exhausted by the time we left) We went to the park to let off some energy, hit the grocery store, came home and crashed.
*Reminder to sign my GUEST MAP! It is located at the very tippy-top of my blog. I moved it so it is easier to see!

Day 19- and this deserves it's own entry...

Saw this and HAD to photograph it. Anyone know whose it is?

Day 18- I didn't miss a day! (Yippee!)

Hi!

Welcome back! I thought I wouldn't be on until tomorrow, but here I am! Of course all weekend I have thinking about everything I was going to put on my blog when I got back from our Easter weekend- so grab a drink, sit down, relax and enjoy!
We woke up very early Sat. morning to drive down to Legoland. We were all very excited and couldn't wait to see "the cousins" (we were meeting Jimmy, Lauren, Abby and Jimmy T).
We spent the entire day going back and forth to everything imaginable, and the kids had a blast! We really squeezed everything we could into that day, and it went by surprisingly fast!
I know it turned out great when we got back into the car and both Cope and T said, "Mom- this was our best day EVER!" We spent the night in a shady hotel (another story) and woke up bright and early (again) to drive over to Jimmy and Lauren's house. Oh my gosh- I LOVE THEIR HOUSE! I took a bunch of pics that I will show you later. I want to redesign my house to have the same cabinets, fireplaces, kitchen, roof deck...YES! I said ROOF DECK! Wait till you see the pic! It is a FABULOUS HOUSE! We had an Easter egg hunt there, relaxed and then caravaned over to the Easter Brunch hotel.
I could kick myself for not taking my camera in....it is a hoot how big we are getting when we all get together. People just stare at all of us and wonder if we are a 'clan', or 'compound' out for the day...its pretty funny!
We had a great brunch and then went back to Uncle Don's for more talking and visiting. The kids had another Easter egg hunt (thank you Lindy and Brian!) and then played well while the "adults" talked and relaxed! Left P.V. around 5:00pm and got back here around 8:30. Kids fell asleep right after we ate dinner, and went right to bed. It will feel good to not have to wake up early tomorrow! :)
Hang onto your hats because I have a true "miracle' story to tell you. Are you ready? No, seriously!
When the twins were 2 or 3, we took them to Legoland for the first time. Jeff and I were arguing over something (ha) and Jeff threw our backpack into the locker, not realizing my camera was in there. Yes, it broke and I was even more upset at him. I was now very angry at having to purchase an outrageously expensive disposable camera at Legoland...but did anyway.
We stopped to let the kids play at this little outside play area where they could build things with Lego's, and slide down a slide. After awhile we went to move on when I realized I had left the disposable camera back at the slide. I went back to get it and it was gone. I asked everyone around and even went to Lost and Found. No luck. When I got home I even called Legoland and re-explained the situation but no one had turned in a disposable camera. Dang! Our first experience and no pictures! I was very upset.
Sooooooooo..... today, Aunt Katie comes up to me and hands me this package. She said she went to get some pictures developed, and didn't know how mine got in with hers. 1 guess as to what they were pictures of.... YES!!!! (Oh my gosh- you guessed it!) LEGOLAND PICTURES!!!!!
Now how in the world did she get those pictures? I have no idea, EXCEPT that it was DIVINE INTERVENTION!
Now here is where it gets REALLY weird....on that roll of Legoland pictures, was a picture of Uncle Ted, and Lucas! Lucas is only a couple months old, and we went to Legoland over 3 years ago! (can you hear the Twilight Zone music playing?) I KNOW! I KNOW!!!! I'm telling ya- it was HIM! :)
Okay- onto the pics... (click on pic to see full view)
Kylee, Abby, Tierney, Jimmy T, Cope
Waiting patiently in line for a ride
(Kylee is another story)




Jimmy and Jimmy T in red boat, Lauren and Abby in blue boat






Kylee and Abby going on rollercoaster. (Notice Cope in back)


Tierney, Jimmy T and Cope checking out a water ride and how wet it gets you!

Jimmy pouting because I didn't have to go on the "wet ride" like he did! (giggle)








Both had really great rooms to show us!





And the Piece d' Resistance.......
THE ROOF TOP DECK WITH A GORGEOUS BEACH VIEW!!!

I will put all the rest of the photos into Costco, so if you would like to see the whole slide show, leave me "a comment" after this where the pencil is and let me know!
I hope you had a great Easter weekend and remember to love, love, love....

Hugs!

Day 17- I've added a GUEST MAP- please mark yourself!

VERY early in the day...it is 19 minutes into Saturday...

I wanted to at least post something here today even though I am going on vacation.
Check out VIEW MY GUESTMAP . I've moved it to the top of my blog page, to make it easier to see.
Click on it and add yourself to the map! It is so cute!
Have fun and Ill talk to you on Monday!
PS- "HI AUNT MARY!!!!!"

Day 16 and seems like a year already...

I cant believe it was a short 16 days ago that I learned about and started my own blog! Seems like a year ago... Geez! Of course I am still learning and cultivating my own voice and personality in this world, but that also comes with time.
For at least this very minute, I have found the perfect balance in our lives. This day started off with my eyes closed but ears open as the kids were talking (not even whispering) at the doorway to my room. I didn't hear what Cope said, but T said she was going to tell on him and as I could hear her walking into my room, I could hear him say, "T, I'm sorry. I'm not gonna be your friend!" My eyes were still closed when she said, "Mom, (and there was a long hesitation)...Mom, can I watch TV?"
Ah...two things happened here.
Either she knew she had really nothing to tell on Cope with, or she knew I would get upset with her for tattling. I smiled inwardly and said "Yes". Oh, a few more moments of quiet until the next argument.
Then I remembered the 'bug guy' was supposed to be here at 10:00, and I wanted to shower beforehand. As I lay there enjoying the peace and quiet, the phone rang... and as I hung up, I contemplated whether or not I should even get back in bed. I laid back down, closed my eyes and my brain started thinking of things. Darn brain! So I got up and started off the day. BUT WITH ONE DIFFERENCE...no rushing and yelling down the hall to make the bed, get dressed, pick up room, etc. AHHHHHH...how nice it was!
It was so great that I had time to fix myself a huge glass of ice water, sit in the toy room and delegate who puts what where, take a shower, and pick up the kitchen. Cope offered to help me make breakfast, which I jumped at. He made "C" and "T" pancakes from start to finish! I made mine and we all enjoyed the most wonderful breakfast ever! Fresh strawberries, real maple syrup, orange juice...yes, a breakfast of champions!
Bug guy has come and gone, and we need to get to Walmart for egg coloring stuff since we are celebrating Easter tonight. Weird, I know, but fits us.
Tomorrow morning we will get up early and go to LegoLand! Spend the night in a hotel, get up early Easter morning and go see Jimmy's place (which we haven't seen yet) and then head off to the Wynne Easter Brunch. I think we might go back to Uncle Don's afterwards, but we'll see.
Ahhhh...spring break is wonderful! I really wasn't sure if I would make it to this point.
Well, got to get these 'lazies' to put their shoes on so we can go to Walmart! More later!

Well, I'm winding down my day and it was wonderful for my first day of vacation! We celebrated Easter tonight and they had 2 baskets each to open up- one from us and one from Fred and Trudy, our awesome neighbors next door. They had a great time decorating their eggs too- each one got to pick out their decorating kit and we had great colors with glittering them too! :)
We've packed and now just relaxing! I'm going to add pictures of our evening.

Happy Easter!
(will be on again Monday!)

Day 15 and SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!!!

Okay, picture this....

A huge boulder sitting squat on the ground that represents all the stuff that we have to do in our life. Now picture a beautiful wide wooden plank that teeters on that huge boulder. My job is to balance myself on that beautiful plank without teetering down to the ground. Teeter it to the ground-and that means disaster.
So far I have been teetering millimeters away from the ground, or actually touching the ground. I need to learn to slowly back myself up that beautiful plank and get to the point on it where it is perfectly balanced on that huge boulder. *How do I do that?*
That is the trick, figuring out how to balance the things in your life, so it is harmonious. I try hard, but it seems like I am either doing nothing and being lazy, or working my petunia off. I need to work more on figuring out that perfect balance.
So far I am praying for Lauren, hoping T will survive today (so far so good) and wishing my hair appointment will go smoothly. (I forgot about looking good for Easter, and no mom, havent bought an outfit for me yet) I will have everyone looking good though. :)
So budget cuts next year mean no arts and other classes. Not sure where that leaves me as of right now. We'll see. No use worrying about it right now.
We have begun the "remodel" process for our bathroom. We will have our first company come out and look, talk, design and show us ideas. We then decide if we want to go with them. They seem very flexible with our schedule, which is important to me. Ill keep you posted as to what is happening with that. (Dont worry Mrs. Smith, no proceeding until you come back and we talk)
Later!

Day 13 and not much time to write!

Well, as you can tell by me not getting back to my blog entry last night, that I was too tired. At 8:15, when I sat down to rest and get on the computer, I just couldn't keep my eyes open again to update the entry....
Now, I have very little time to even write this period....and yes, Studio Works is down again. Hopefully they will return to working today, but we'll see.
So far I got everything done yesterday and then some. No wonder I am so pooped all the time.
I found out a teacher passed away at the kids' school (God Bless) and I don't think they knew her, but grief counselors are there today to help the situation.
Today is also Spring Picture day, and yes Mom, I dressed them nicely! teehee.
Jeff has not been working nights like his boss asked him too, which is a mixed blessing. We were mentally and physically prepared for it, and it has messed the week up, but on the positive side, he is working full days and not having to go back to work at night. (Boss hired another crew to work it) Oh well.
Kids didn't have a good day yesterday at school, and will have some consequences. Not sure what they will be yet, but something. They seem to have the 'hate' part of their relationship in full force and I am soooo not in the mood for that. It starts once I pick them up from school.
Yikes, I have 1 minute before the bell rings. Gotta go for now.
Okay, back for just a few minutes...
Got off work early to go to chiropractor- thank goodness because I was in pain! All better and picked up kids. I could tell something was wrong with T as she walked up to me and put her head on my side. She ended up falling asleep in the car on the way home, as did Cope.
When we got home, I had them kick their shoes off and relax. T put herself to bed. Cope played for awhile. T slept until 8:45, where she got up, tried to eat dinner and complained of her ear hurting. UGH. She felt like she had a fever, so I held her for awhile, gave her Tylenol, and put her back in bed. Poor thing! She has been the sickest one of all lately.
Meanwhile, I was trying to help Cope with his homework, and couldn't keep my eyes open again. I ended up sleeping until T woke me up at 9:00...its like we are so dead, we cant function once our day is done. The scary part is I'm not sure how to fix the situation. Any suggestions would be most welcome!
I'm hoping we can all get through tomorrow- then we are home free with spring break!
We are supposed to go to Legoland on Saturday, and then the Wynne brunch for Easter. Something fun and much needed.
Lauren is all on our prayers and we wish her a speedy recovery! Goodnight till tomorrow!

Day 12 and that much closer to Spring Break!

Hello!

Good Morning!

Today is Tuesday which means that we have really two more days of school until Break! Yippee!
Already today I got an iced coffee at McDonald's, (I'm wired!) had 1 class work on their mosaics, and now in Yearbook class where against he server is down. Ugh, again. The gals assured me that the book will be done in time, even if we have to extend our deadline...(small yippee, we'll see)
The Warehouse delivered more stuff for my mosaic class! I have put in for a grant for visual arts and got a buttload of money! We are planning a HUGE 8 foot Matador on the outside of the building! Do you know how hard it is to get clearance for something to be put on the outside of a school building! I feel so honored sometimes! Seriously!
Okay- bell will ring in 3 minutes- Ill have to finish this at home later tonight...
Have 5 pictures for Yearbook to take of school teams after school, taxes at 5:00pm, cook dinner and get kids in bed early since last night wasn't that early. They were grouchy this morning and T actually went back to sleep after her shower, while she was supposed to be making her bed! Can you imagine? (Mom and Dad, I KNOW you are laughing at this!) :)
Talk more later!
PS- Ill spell check this later too!

Day 11 Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

I'm a wee bit late to wish this, as it is already 9:48 am, but "Top of the Mornin' to You"!

I'm supposed to be working on our yearbook, but for the 6th day in a row it is not working properly. IBM will be fixing their end of the problem, then StudioWorks can fix its end, and we should be up and running by Thursday, just in time for spring break to start Friday! UGH.
My goal was to have this all done by Thursday, so we could all go and relax over our break, me included. Not so now. Now I'll be working on it over break, which really annoys me because I never seem to be able to enjoy my vacations the way I want to. Oh well. It's got to be done, and so it must.
The good news is there are only 4 days of school this week! Friday we have off as it is Good Friday. This makes me smile. This year is really flying by!

We finished our Pennies for Cancer Drive and ended up with over $2400.00 dollars earned! (I had forgotten some receipts to add) I am SOOO proud of our school! Next year when we do it, I'm going to ask for 'matching donations' from businesses so we can raise even more! I think of all the children, nieces, nephews and grand kids who will die because they have a cancer that has no cure. Think a moment- what would you be doing right now if you were affected by this in some way? You can help by donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society right now! Any amount helps! We need to find a cure as soon as possible!

Day 10 and all is calm...

Where is our cold, no-sun shining day? The sun is out, the wind is blowing, but gently, a little cold, but certainly not the winter day they predicted! I'm bummed because I'm not ready for all summer to come!
As I'm writing this, I'm watching news, which I don't often get a chance to do... they are talking about First Born Children...[The Birth Order Book] and how they are opinionated, a natural leader, more likely to be in a better job, more likely to be CEO's, doctors, Senators.... humm.. doesn't seem to apply in my position...(giggle) Mom, what do you think?
I will say this: Education seems to always be getting a bad wrap, BUT, without us educators, no one else would be able to do their job. Period. (think about it for a minute)

Cope finally got to go to the birthday party yesterday as T and I stayed home to recoup. So today, the two of us will go see Enchanted at the dollar cinema. Just the two of us...which we never get a chance to do either. Our family always does things together, so it is a nice change, esp. for T. I'm imagining we will do things separately more often as they both get older.

Update from Mom and Dad, who were in Fiji as of yesterday. They are now on their way to Erin and Robb in New Zealand! All will be "motor homing it" around New Zealand for the new few weeks! (I know, must be horrible, huh?!)

Okay, gotta go to the movies...will continue when we get back! Later!

We are back..."How will I know...????" Loved it! What a cute movie! I just saw a commercial at Best Buy for the movie for around $13.00...think we'll get it for the kids for Easter. It was really cute how they went from cartoon-ish to real life in the movie. We saw it at the dollar cinema, which is perfect because Walmart has the big box of candy on sale for .88 cents back near the electronics. Badda-Bing! :)
Finally got to get outside. Chilly but the sun is still out and big fluffy clouds are floating around everywhere. See ya tomorrow.

Yet another entry for Day 9

HI!

WOW! Wind has been blowing again really bad, clouds are over the mountains and covering the valley, and it is COLD. Anywho.... tonight Cope and Tierney's FAVORITE show came on...iCARLY!
We all sit and watch it and they laugh and laugh and then they "re-live" moments be retelling us what we just watched... it is so cute!
So, after it was over Cope came up to me (as I was updated my blog yet again) and said, "Hey mom, go on iCarly". I didn't think it existed because it is a TV show, but tried anyway. Sure enough, they have a really cute site! They have many places to contact them, via email, texting, making a video...and the kids jumped at that! I took my camera and took a quick video and we downloaded it onto the site! Then they wanted to write iCarly a letter. So they sat down and wrote out what they wanted on a piece of paper (20 minutes to spell everything) and then typed it themselves on the site and pushed the SEND button! They were soooooo excited and kept asking me to tell her "HI" from them.
If you want to check out the iCarly website, click here! It really is cute and I enjoy watching the show with my kids! It is a great way to share something with your kids and have "talk time" about funny things that happened.

Update to Day 9

Well, at 2:35 pm, I was OFFICIALLY DONE with the penny drive! YEAH!!!!
Suddenly the whole world became so clear, air smelled so fresh, a cold breeze was blowing, the sun was shining, and all the flowers were blooming... See?
Unfortunately this picture doesn't do justice and I was riding shotgun as we drove past ...so the picture is horrible! The flowers blooming on the corner of Vista Chino and Gene Autry are gorgeous...... Go drive past- there are a fields full of pretty yellow, white and purple wildflowers everywhere!
So far no working out in the yard like we had wanted. The wind is still blowing hard and would make it terrible to trim the palm trees. Oh that reminds me, I was going to take a pic of the ones we had cut last weekend...Let me go do that now, hold on...oh bursey, bursey it is COLD out there!

Our "cuttings" from last week Here are our 'queens'

We are supposed to have a very cold day tomorrow, and the wind blowing has already turned cold as the big clouds are creeping over the mountains. Took a picture of that too, but the sun is just in the right spot where it might be hard to see. Here is the pic from our back yard.
Jeff got off early today and still had time to take Cope to a birthday party, so they are at Chuck E. Cheese's. T and I are home resting, and being lazy...okay, she is lazing around. I am still doing laundry, picking up the house, working on my blog, and trying to rest too. :)
Bye for now! Don't forget to leave me a comment somewhere! That way I know you are reading this! LOL

Day 9 Ahhh, Saturday....

Good Morning!

Got plenty of rest last night and woke up still tired! I think I dreamed about money all last night....running away from pennies chasing me. (ha)
It occurred to me that I never told you how much we earned for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here are the stats... (still not 100% complete, but close)

Grade 6 highest earning class: Ms. Walters with $85.20!
Grade 7 highest earning class: Mr. Olson with $461.13!!
Grade 8 highest earning class: Ms. Winters with $438.97!!!

Grade 6 total (including spirit points): $589.30
Grade 7 total (including spirit points): $1,334.82
Grade 8 total (including spirit points): $797.01

I am so tickled pink that we raised so much money from just change in our pockets! I now need to mail all the stats off, wait for the prize package to come in, and see how we can reward these kids, in addition to going to the park! I also have to plan the park day and get everything in order for that. The job is never done in ASB :)

Day 8 and what a day! (Re-Do)

Okay, Saturday morning and I reread my blog entry from last night. Most of it didn't make sense as I could barely keep my eyes open last night! I'm going to fix it so it reads better and makes sense! LOL
I am so glad it is Friday! For one, it has been howling at about 25 mph since last night. The weather has been really weird here in Palm Springs. It sure is a comforting feeling knowing you are safe inside your own home and it really makes me appreciate everything we have!
We finished our Pennies for Cancer drive, which helps children who have leukemia and lymphoma cancers FIND A CURE.
I wasn't sure how much we would raise, and hoped we could come close to the $800.00 I happen to put down on the event poster. I have never had a money fundraiser before and really didn't even know what amount to start off with.
Each week we collected change and kept track of how much each teacher and grade level raised.
The winning grade level will be going to the park for the day, so stakes are very high. Today was the last day and I started counted the left over change not finished by the students today. I started at 2:00 and when Jeff arrived at 3:00 with Tierney, I was going strong. We counted until 5:15 and finally got everything counted except the big money jars from the student store and this huge glass jar someone brought in. We loaded everything up into the van and headed off to Stater Brothers grocery store. It really is funny how people stare at you and the grocery cart full of 3 Xerox copy boxes full of dollars and cash....everything from "Wow! How long did you save for?", to "It sounds like a slot machine in here"... by 6:45 pm we were done.
Technically not though, as the bank was closed by then and we need to go back tomorrow to turn in all the dollar bills into a money order. (Almost done...)
Jeff is already 'out' on the couch and I'm soon to follow. I can barely think and keep my eyes open. I think I will sign off now as my brain has stopped working.
Ill write more tomorrow!

Me

Day 8 (Yikes! I need to go to bed!) -I really need to mention this

I wanted to give a "shout out" to 2 people who have inspired me to create this blog in the first place:

Becca, who is studying in Italy for awhile and is a babysitter to my kids as well as a daughter of a teacher friend of mine. Becca, you inspired me by your blog and since I had already been to Italy, I could really enjoy your stories! Your blog is beautiful! Keep up the good work!
To read about her adventures, go to Becca's Blog

Clarence-Daaallliinnnnggggg....You were the one who chose me to go to CUE- I thank you from the bottom of my heart and would love to go again ANYTIME you want to volunteer me! I learned alot and would love to be more involved with the Tech advances we will be doing at our school! Thank you!

Day 7 - I forgot something else

What to hear something funny?


Today, at the beckoning of my class, I joined MySpace. (another long story as to how we were on the MySpace topic)
I had never seen it and someone offered to make me an account. I thought it was hysterical that he even offered. We did it together and amazingly I had some of the kids want to join me as a "friend". It was very cute as 98% of the time kids don't want to have anything to do with their teacher, especially when you are in 7th and 8th grade. That is just not cool. I felt like for a nano-second I had the "coolness" factor going on with my kids!
So here I sit updating my MySpace page and replying to my "friends"... (yes, Jeff is STILL snoring)
I'm not even sure I should go back to sleep as it is already 2:57am! I know Mom, I can hear you now. I know you would be calling me and telling me to get in bed if you had phone service...LOL
Well, Ill try.
Goodnight again!

Day 6 and 7

To my adoring fan,

I'm so sorry Mom I didn't write yesterday! LOL
That was so funny that I thought no one was reading these and figured since I didn't feel well, and I was dead tired, I would skip a day... thank you for the note this morning and letting me know!
For those of you who are reading this-lots has happened in TeamThornhill's life.
First, T came down with what I thought was a cold, a bad head cold. She then got a cough with it and last night she awoke with a horrible dream where she was just sobbing and sobbing. She was also dripping with sweat which meant a bad fever. We kept her home today and took her into the doctor. She has "simple strep". Medication for the next 7 days and she should be fine.
Meanwhile, Cope developed the same cough, but (knock on wood) not the cold. I have enough medicine though if he gets T's strep. Added with the fact that yesterday Jeff helped me take the 3 Xerox copy boxes of change and dollars to the grocery store to put into Coin Star. Right now at school we are having the "Pennies for Cancer" drive. All the money raised goes to the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, which benefits all the kids who have this cancer. It is a 3 week fundraising drive and all the grade levels are competing to see who can raise the most money. The grade level that does raise the most money will get rewarded by going to the local park for the day. (So stakes are high) Unfortunately, there are some who have lost sight of the reason why we are doing this and it makes me want to give up ASB and what we do. It sure feels like no matter what we do, there will always be a group that will argue. I guess that is life, huh?

Anyways, as Jeff and I were spending the hour it takes to drop all those coins into the machine, and then travel to the bank to get money orders for the dollars, (whew) I developed an itch in my eyes. I don't know if I touched with them with gross money germs on my hands, but I probably did. By the time I got to the parent teacher conference later that day, I could feel something was terribly wrong with my eyes. When I got home I already had them all bloodshot and full of yuck. I kept drops in them hoping that would fix it, but to no avail.
I went to the doctor with T today and I have conjunctivitis. Both eyes. So, since I have no more sick days (another long story) I will go to school tomorrow and wear my sunglasses all day long. Again. Ugh.

I came home after getting all three prescriptions and wanted to take a nap. Jeff woke me at 12:30 am and since now he is snoring, I couldn't go back to sleep. Here I am! :)

So, as you can tell, another not so boring day in the TeamThornhill household! Ugh.
Positive side to all this?

• Tomorrow is Friday.
• I already started my medication
• My students will continue working on their mosaic projects
• Weather is great
• I see a relaxing weekend coming up

Well, I suppose I should say goodnight. I do want to thank Mom for emailing me this morning so when I got to school, and turned on my computer, there she was! I was so bummed there was no email at home yesterday from either Erin or Mom. Both are in New Zealand and Fiji respectively. (I know, I know) I'm very much enjoying their stories they have sent and HOPE THEY BOTH BRING ME VARIOUS SANDS FROM ALL OVER THEIR TRAVELS! (HINT, HINT)
I am also (admittingly) very jealous as I so wish I was there too! Away from the stress of this job that is aging me too quickly. I would like to request a million more pictures and send them to me everyday! It would have been neat if we had discussed blogs before you left, and you each could be doing one! They really are alot of fun! I hope Jamie's birthday was a great one! I called your phone and sang to her today! (I also sent an email birthday card) Tierney has something she made for her so we will mail it when you get back. :)
Dad, no more peanuts, shrimp, etc... because if you do, and your lip swells again, Mom is going to take a picture of you and send it to me! Then I'm going to laugh my self silly!
Ill see if I can get back to sleep. If not, I can add another story for you all.

Goodnight!

PS- our school has raised over $1200.00! I am so proud of them! :)

Day 5 for me

Well, finally home and in p.j.'s and getting a chance to relax.
I'm realizing I have way too many ideas and not enough time to do them all. I can justify having about 4-5 different blog sites for various things...sick, huh?!
I got the go-ahead today to start planning a fundraiser at my school to help raise money for the mosaic program to continue. I believe it will be June 2nd or 3rd. We will sell tickets and I'm hoping the kids now will donate their projects to be sold at the event?! Not sure about this, still very much in the planning stage. Have some kids in mind to perform for us-break dancing possibly! I LOVE break-dancing and always wanted to learn how to do it! Tee Hee!
Our next project will be to do an 8 foot "Matador" out front by the office, and we should be starting that soon! I cant wait to see it! He will be gorgeous! (Our mascot is the Matador)
Ill take pics as we go along, so you can see what we are doing.

Well, all for now!

Day 4 of blogging....

TeeHee... what was the first thing I did when I got home? BLOG! of course! (giggle)
I had to see if anyone voted or wrote a comment... and decided that I need to have 2 separate blogs- one for work and one for my home life. I really want to try the merging of work and accomplishments, and then just a silly home-body one for family and friends to enjoy. I will have to work on that second one sometime soon. This one here will be the home-body version...so WELCOME to my life at Thornhill Manor!
By the way, did you know there is a Thornhill Road here in Palm Springs? Ill have to snap a pic of it to show you! It would be a hoot to actually buy a house on that street and have that as your address! Has anyone ever done that? (if so, tell me about it)
I guess now would be a good time to explain the "TeamThornhill" name... as you can imagine, since there are four of us, we make a small team, and more often than not, you will find us together doing something. We work as a team at home too, cleaning, cooking, hot air ballooning, or whatever we do. Hence, TeamThornhill. I must give credit to my Uncle Don who really coined the phrase. He lives in SoCal and always referred to us as TeamThornhill and it stuck.

Well, besides having pennies coming out of my ears (another story) I am excited to have the weekend to be able to work in the yard. Something so simple, yet it always eludes Jeff and I and we are trying to slow down to enjoy such mundane things! LOL
Sunday we got out and tried to cut down the dead branches of the 3 Queen Palms in our back yard. Did you know you just can't pull them off the sleek trunk? Oh no! You need a darn chain attached to a backhoe in order to pull those off! We have a very short ladder and a telescoping pole with a ratcheting knife on the end...lots of cussing and little brown/black balls of who knows what in our hair and all over our clothes. Not to mention the fluff stuck behind each branch for the past 6 years at least! Yucky it was, but at the same time satisfying. Anywho, can't wait till Saturday to get back out there again!

Day 3 of blogging

Jeff has started complain that I am spending so much time on this computer...which is true. HOWEVER...I'm in the process of learning something and I am craving all the info I can get. After spending literally all day yesterday trying to get my hot air ballooning slide show to feed onto my page, I am surprised I am back on today. :)
This whole thing is addicting and fun!
I added today a cool "Daily Photo of Palm Springs" link-check it out!
I found it via a new friend-Eric, who is from Paris! Literally! He has a "Daily Photos of Paris" blog, http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/ and I thought it would be great to do one for Palm Springs! Eric informed me there is already one- oh well. So enjoy it and let me know if you have any other ideas!
Ciao bella!

Beth Ann

Still Day 2 of blogging

Gosh, where to start....

There are SO MANY things to add to your page that is totally mind-blowing! (I'm speaking of widgets)
I have added a clock, which I think is really neat! I love clocks and have found myself unknowingly collecting them in all shapes and sizes throughout my house over the years.
I also added my all-time favorite video which makes me laugh out loud no matter what kind of day I'm having. It reminds me of my brother and I when we lived in 'The Ranch'. We were just old enough to assert our power over the other when the opportunity arose. (Sorry Jimmy, for the really bad fights we used to get into)
As I play and look at other blogs, I will learn some of the lingo I still have no idea what it means. (like feeds, Html, posting a link, URL, and whatever these things mean ---> <>)
If you have a blog or something I should know, let me know! I'm ready to learn!

Day 2 of Blogging

Got up this morning ready to check out my blog page and see what else I can do...
I have had problems getting on the page itself, had problems trying to edit my profile, etc...
Sort of disappointing that it is not as easy as yesterday's creating it! Well, Ive got a lot to learn! LOL
If you can, post a comment and let me see what that looks like. If you have any suggestions, let me know too! I'm brand new at this!
Thanks!

BA

General Stuff

Hello!

I went to the CUE conference today and took a class on "blogging". Just last week I read a "blog" for the very first time. I had heard the term "blog" before, but never really knew what it was.
I have decided to try making one and seeing what kind of response I get.

My goal would be to create an educational blog where we could showcase the cool things we are doing in my classroom- like our mosaic class! I have two wonderfully talented ladies coming in and teaching my students how to mosaic and stretch their imaginations with their creations. Once done with their current projects, we plan on creating some sort of art on our campus!

Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for me, let me know!