Am I done? I think I am actually done!

Ah - the last plain old class for my masters of ed. is finished!!
(Student teaching and the research project to go).
At least, I did everything I needed to do for the final, and now the others have shown up to compile, add to, etc. I'm waiting to turn in my assessment of the group work and log of hours.
I suppose I should review it before they post it tonight - but this class was my least favorite, and I hardly care! Usually the group stuff doesn't bother me, but this one was a pain.

I just got the grade and feedback on the first half of the final - and we have essentially a B. The instructor got very technical, ripping it apart here and there. All I feel is annoyed. We've been doing this for 8 weeks, and she hasn't made a single comment on whether it's right or wrong, although everyone has been doing it slightly different. I'm just glad it's over, and I may have my first B as a graduate student. BLECK!

Need: what do I NEED this holiday season

Well now. That is a question that will make you thankful from the second you read it. I am lucky enough to need hardly anything - however I do need to remember that more often! I am so lucky to have my 2 beautiful girls, my handsome handy hardworking husband (the only recent pictures I have of him are nostril shots the girls have taken) - and I can hope for inspiration for better time and money management - so I can enjoy them more.

School photos taken for 4th grader Caitlin and 2nd grader Abigail. 2009-10

The thrill is gone, and life goes on.

I do believe I may have Facebooked myself out. It's 4-something a.m., does the world really need to know my insomnia woes? I think not.
Maybe I put too many teenagers on my friends list, maybe too many baseball fans. . . maybe. . .maybe. . . oh who knows. On the plus side - I'm blogging! Look at me.

I'm off to work in a little bit, I feel almost caught up and yet have this nagging worry going on. Not horrible, just constantly there.
Maybe, maybe I will feel this way until I am gainfully employed and it's just a long term sub sort of feeling.
Maybe my parents are getting older and I'm worried about changes coming in their lives and mine.
Maybe I should have titled this post "Maybe, maybe".
Finally, maybe dwelling on it isn't helping.

p.s. Maybe I'll go finish my sewing project. I'm making a liner for my Vintage Girl Scout bookbag/purse. And if I'm lucky, I just might get the dinning room table completely cleared today! WOW.

It's Monday - go forth and multiply - (a little math humor for myself this morning).

My New Webkinz Holder

I went out to see my new trellis, excited that Kevin already put it up - and found the girls already had found an immediate use for it. "The Rack" to punish the webkinz.

It's been a great day!

Politics.

You know, I may have to start watching the news again. Marion Barry. Ensign. Sanford. PALIN! It's a Repbulipaloosa.



A wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not know that a gaggle of white Republican men afraid of extinction are out to trip her up.
- Maureeen Dowd


Why do they call it Fun Friday by the way, when they take tests all morning long? Until they are so burnt out they are completely out of control at the prospect of having 2 days off. I guess Test Day doesn't roll off the tongue as well.

Another school year snuck up and bit me on the ass!

Tomorrow is do-over day. We switched to A track and back to Timberline, our home school and today was the first day of 4th grade for Caitlin and 2nd grade for Abigail. As we walked to school this morning I realized I had not gotten them new outfits, or even bothered to snap a picture in front of the house. Now , I realize I've let alot of that stuff slide for the sake of going back to school but COME ON! That's reason number 1.



Reason number 2 for Do-Over day, is that my eldest decided that since I wasn't at the designated meeting spot at the exact second she hit it, that she and her sister should just walk home. (I had walked around the back to meet them at the door, and missed them by a few seconds.) So instead of a happy - cheerleading "how was your first day back girls" - I had to chew them out about listening and patients and give them a 20 minute WHAT IF lecture.



So - Do Over day. I have cute outfits, camera, bikes and bike locks and their solemn promise to wait for me at the bike racks so that I may give them my blessing to forever after walk themselves home. Please don't screw it up ladies!

And just because it still makes me giggle: a picture of the 4th of July. About when the dog caught fire. No, no, nothing happened, just a quite large ember fell on her long furry underside, and I was able to easily brush it away, with only that icky burnt hair smell left to let me know it had happened. I just want to remember the comedy of the situation. Kevin in the fire safety position, guarding the flame and pyrotechnics, the girls up front completely oblivious - and 10 things at once me has to have the dog on a leash as I take pictures and maneuver around the playing field. . . and Kevin, in a very bored monotone, "the dog's on fire".


Suburban family life just doesn't get any better than that.

An email letter from Auntie Jan

From: Janet G Hansen [mailto:jgh1167@verizon.net] Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 12:14 Subject: July 2 2009

Bumps, thumps, bangs, and howls are still sounding outside; leftover Canadian fireworks (Canada Day was July first) and anticipatory US fireworks. The city does have a law limiting them, but, to put it mildly, enforcement is lacking. People with nervous dogs routinely give them tranquilizers. Ah, well, this too shall pass.

It’s a bit late to be planting, but I did so tonight anyway; one zucchini plant installed in the back yard, where a compost heap used to be; it seemed happy enough when I checked it earlier. It has two bitsy zucchini on it now; I’m hoping for many more. The pink, orange, and white begonias that I bought last week are in matching pots on both sides of the front door. The fuchsia has lots of leaves, so far not one flower; the cherry tomato in a hanging basket has dozens of little tomatoes, all a pleasant shade of green.

I’ll be going into Bellingham tomorrow; I’ll do some shopping, then head to Western Washington University first be instructed in what the Bellingham Festival of Music wants their volunteer ushers to do, then listen to Appalachian Spring and Beethoven’s Fifth.
Next Tuesday I’ll get to do the ushering, and hear Mozart and Schubert; Saturday is Brahms German Requiem, and July 11th is Dvorak’s cello concerto, with young superstar cellist Joshua Roman; I got a front-row seat for that.

And what are you all up to?

Mom/sister/aunt/cousin/friend Jan




HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! - Good to hear from you Auntie Jan!

We had a good old fashion kid's bicycle parade in our park in the morning. Tie-Dyed some stuff for the Girl Scout troop in the afternoon. We ate a huge meal that Kevin cooked in the rain, played with fire a little bit, and had to make our campfire s’mores in the microwave because the coals were soggy. They were still tasty!

I’m up, I’ve gone for a walk with Lilly the Dog, and now I’m organizing my dining room back from office into dining room, so I can do some homework. It is a wonderfully cool and humid morning. We’ve had lots of them this year. (It makes me nostalgic for Seattle and Lancaster.)
Who’s next?


Colleen D
"If you're talking about time traveling bunnies, then yes." - Ben in LOST