Christmas Day Slide Show

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009 Christmas card - (going green this year)

Make a Smilebox greeting

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

Chicken Soup for My Soul

Chicken soup for my soul turns out to be big messy projects! Ah - I'm never so happy as when I'm throwing everything else on hold for tie-dying. This is why I loved being a girl scout leader. But, guess what. It was WAY easier to do without 12 brownies.

Sleepy Friday Morning

I feel like I'm living in Seattle or Lancaster again! A vampire population may crop up around here if it doesn't quit raining. I was watching Twilight and thinking as the characters were lounging in the grass, - nope - it could never happen, they'd be soaking wet. . .

Oh, but it's lovely and green. Of course this year I didn't plant a darn thing. (Hen's and chicks donation from a friend, and a hanging basket. I'm not kidding, that was it!)

Sleepy, loveliness aside, I think I might head out for a brisk walk.

PENGUINS SWIM MEET

When you think you've seen it all - here comes DAD

Kindergarten graduation today (not mine, but the kiddo I work with) - lots of crazy parents taking a bazillion pictures, and one fella made me do a double take.

He's got one of these gizmo's on his head, has another video camera in his hand, the digital camera is around his neck and a fanny pack with additional gear in it. It was funny, and I'm sure he'll still be doing it to the poor kid at every major event including prom night 10 years from now.

Then, I was going to blog about my parking lot incident. (Dove tailing nicely with the crazy dad-cam I thought.) Knowing full well that she's probably normally a perfectly nice gal, with a blog too, and she's probably ranting about me right now. So, instead I'm embracing my new "Let It Go!" philosophy.

There were Park Benches FLYING EVERYWHERE!

REALLY! Well, that park benches thing was the most interesting thing I said, so that is what made the news. And sorry, I can't find it on channel 31, so my 5 seconds of fame is fading fast.

OK – so here’s my tornado story! Ready? Wait for it. . . . GO!

I was going to get a perm at JCpennies/Southlands at 2:00.
I saw the funnel cloud as I left the neighborhood, and thought it looked pretty far north and east, and so it would be fine (and Hey, isn’t that cool. )
As I kept driving up Smokey hill the funnel seemed to pull back up off the ground and again I thought oh good, it went away – (but still, isn’t that cool!)
Then as I got into Southlands, I saw either the same one, or a second funnel sort of pointing at me from up in the sky, ready to come down – and I thought that's silly, but it was hailing now, and I could see the hail swirling around sideways with a bunch of other debris – which I thought means that it is pretty near the ground – isn’t that cool!
So then I thought I’m not going to make it inside JCPennies during this hail storm, so I’d better park, and stay safe in the car and watch it pass by - Kinda cool, but I’m alittle scared now that I shouldn’t be this close.
So now, IT’S A TORNADO! I can see that.
I parked in one of the front spots at JCP’s and the hail is coming down like mad now, the tree next to the car is slapping around on the top of the car, and the tornado is passing me in the parking lot, and I can’t believe how close it is.
So now I’m actively NOT PANICING – and thinking the cars are on the ground, it’s safe in the car, it will be passed soon – (thinking, wow that’s cool, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to die.)
Then as it came up to the building, the swirling part literally started to back up toward me, and came right over the top of the car. Now, I'm "gettin right with Jesus"! Thinking “If it’s my time, it’s my time. This might be it. “

The car rocked around and I felt like the minivan might get thrown to the side, and that the windshields would surely shatter, but they didn’t – and it started to be really cool again as I realized that the cars were staying on the ground. And then it went over/around the building. I waited a few minutes; noticed the park benches where thrown all around, and I hadn’t even seen that happening, and lots of the cars had window that were shattered; and went inside.
Before I know it, everyone was being sent outside because of a natural gas smell.
People were freaking out trying to get outside, and I was still wanting to be inside, so I waited under the overhang of the roof for awhile.
Then I hoped in my car, thought maybe I could get a perm at cost cutters, and so drove over there – were I met the channel 31 news lady and was interviewed!
CRAZY - and now seeing how much worse it was 100 yards away at Lowes, I’m quite thankful to be unharmed! (And I feel alittle stupid for parking in front of the tornado.) That’s my story!

It's another Saturday night, and I ain't got nobody...

The cousins/in-laws are gone, girls are asleep, Kevin is still at work... and I should be sleeping, but I can't - feeling weird. So, I'll stay up until I hear the hub get home, (and then suddenly I'll be overcome with exhaustion and go right to sleep before he gets up the stairs, not fair.)

Busy week. Too much to tell. That's why you should blog frequently. (Note to self.)

Regis, school, catching up, almost done. Work/school - 5 more days, almost done. Yadda yadda.
Vacation! Coming, steamboat springs, so do your homework woman, so you can enjoy it.
Girls, healthy, happy, giggling more each day. When does that stop? When did it start?
Grandparents now have skype - it's fun. Everyone should have it!, Computer world is a GO!
I now have delicious! (Social Bookmarking). It's fun. Everyone should have it!

I'm trying to begin the serious keeping separate - private life and public servant life, and I am suddenly very annoyed at the opinion restricting I'm going to have to do. I never really thought about it as problematic before, but I've had the opportunity to be . . . mis-judged recently, and I am more aware than usual that I'd be better off not thinking everyone is my best friend - better zip it better lock it better put it in your pocket!

2 reasons I didn't teach in my pre-kids, pre-body snatched life: 1.) Rules, rules, rules - (I'm more of a creative, outside the box, march to your own beat type.) I still don't get why you can't talk in the hallway. and 2.) Them - they - They are out there, and I don't always see eye to eye with them.

And in the larger the pros/cons scheme of things, it's about the kids, and the incidentals have to be put up with.

As a wise old PARA once said, "He thinks he's one this one, and that's OK. Eventually, I will win."

Brownies Fly Up

I feel alittle guilty about how happy I am that it's over!

Thank you Marcie, for being an excellent fearless leader, and the best part of this experience has been becoming friends with you and your family. Thank you Brownies, for being the fun, inspirational, little spirits that you are. Thank you to all the parents for making it easy. Thank you Judy and Kim, for braving taking them into Junior Girl Scouts!

Hurray Troop 349!

WARNING - negativity burst

Hold on, it's wordless wednesday. Why not save my pissing and moaning for another time.

So do over.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

What a relaxing weekend

By the way, that count down should read . . . 18 - but ssshhhh! Don't tell my kids.

So today the girls went to the pool, Caitlin got her Sticker of Freedom, her Official License to Tweendom, her blue daisy "I can go to the pool by myself" pass! I'm just thinking - leverage. I love it when they want stuff really bad. I can make them do all sorts of horrible things and tell them they can't even whine about it!

But honestly, Parkview may be ready for her to go to the pool by herself, but I don't think I am.

Today continued;
And, she won 3rd place in the floaty race (she got 3 nerd ropes for that!) They played wizard 101, rode their bikes, cleaned rooms, had the grandparents over, played the piano, played wii, pulled some weeds with mom, raced the old folks to the corner on their bikes, . . . lets just say it was a good day if you were a kid. Heck, sleep over, swimming, dinner group, playdate, barbecue, turned down sleepover (Cat knows when to say when better than I do), swimming, bike riding, etc.
Good weekend if your a kid.
Actually, it was pretty good from the parent angle too.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

"We ain't brothers, we ain't partners, and we aint' friends"

So I got a little "you are not my colleague, you are a PARA" -type slapdown 2 times from this woman! Fortunately for me someone witnessed it, and confirmed for me - we all think she's Bi-polar, and so and so is throwing a Margaretta party at the end of the year celebrating her leaving. And then I worked in the room down the hall with another veteran lady, and by the end of the day I was able to remember that it doesn't have to be negative. It can be positive.

But, the larger lesson here I think is that I'm going to continue to have to work with all sorts of adimantly sure of themselves poopoo-heads, and I'd better hang on for the ride.




"We ain't brothers, we ain't partners, and we aint' friends!" - Reggie, 48hours

Bee Project

"Mom, remember, it's MY project, so you have to back off." - Abi D.

And Dodi - you're right! I didn't realize what a serious drought the blog business is experiencing!

They'll be back, surely they'll be back.

Kindergarten Observation

So the last 4 WOW's of the year (wonder of the week) are:
slow boy #1, activeboy #1, activeboy#2, and special boy #1.
Mrs. Shnackenberg reincarnated? (She was my kindergarten teacher and apparently recommended almost all of the boys have psychiatric evaluations, not to mention several other horror stories should you ask the right person.)

WW

There ought to be a law

There ought to be a law! Say you are Dairy Queen, and you sell ice cream. You only have 2 flavors. Chocolate and vanilla. If the chocolate machine is down, there should be some kind of customer alert system that would prevent moms who have promised their child with her brand new mouth full of metal fresh from the orthodontists office, an ice cream cone. Because that mom has probably 3 or 4 appointments to keep on any given Tuesday afternoon, and only has the one shot at getting the ice cream cone without making someone late to something. It's not like you can get dutch chocolate, or rocky road, or chocolate chocolate chip instead at dairy queen. Oh no. So I'd missed my chance to get home for the usual semi-nutritious snack, and we were stuck with syrupy coke, still owing them an ice cream cone. Thanks alot Dairy Queen.


A little while later, as we're off to Piano, Abi tells me - I think I'll stay here, I have alot of stuff to get done. (She's 7.) Before you slap me with the permanent bad mom sticker, let me just say that they both take there personal responsibility very seriously, and they have both proven themselves to be very trustworthy and conscientious - and I'm 3 minutes away, gone for 6 total. Still later, Abi has done her homework and is busily in the kitchen cleaning the kitchen and putting the dishes away. I comment, boy you must really want that ice cream cone for desert (same ice cream cone as promised earlier by the way) . Nope, I'm doing it for the money! (A new allowance scheme I'm trying.)

Oh - and thank you Dodi for the count down widget - I stole it. In Colleen time, that clock would read - 25. (That's the number of actual school days, weekends and holidays don't count, PLUS, it makes for a much smaller number.)

Dog Loving Dobson Girls

I just found this on the camera.
Looks like my favorite "self-portrait" technique.
I'm not sure who's holding the camera - Lilly doesn't have thumbs,
but otherwise she's the most likely. TZ, do you recognize anyones nose?

Poor Neglected Blog

I'm tired. I just thought I should check in and say hi. Maybe re-organize the blog while I'm here. . . Maybe some nice polka dots. . .

Welcome Spring!

Actually I took this picture a few weeks ago (?) or was it last week. Well, it's been in the 70's so long that we've been to the park, walking the dog, flying the kite, and best of all RIDING the bikes! Most of February and March. They're starting to look like circus bears again. Time for new bikes all around.

NOW - I get to go pack up the car for the Rendezvous camping trip! It will be fun. . . It will be fun. . . . It will be fun. . . . It will be fun?

Wordless Wednesday

I got nuthin' to say - truely a Wordless Wednesday

I'm all about the videos lately. . .

This man couldn't read or write as a child, says his teachers made him "feel small" - (No! I'm not talking about Charlie.)

Needle Sized Art Very incredible story! Not only is this mans art cool but he got a ton of cash for it!

Funny that my word cloud has giant "STILL, WEEK, JUST" in it

You may have noticed the lack of a count down going on! I'm trying something new, and it actually helps the kids stay focused if I don't whip them up into my "I can't wait until schools out" fervor.

Note to self, "maybe I should be treated for ADD, and they would just automatically stop reacting to my ADDness, and no longer have ADD . . . "

check out wordle to make your own word clouds

Every Once and a While I Wonder . . .

As I was raking the leaves in some old acquaintance's facebook garden the other day - it struck me as odd. Then I saw this and was reassured, I am not the only one.

Suffering from Insufferable Perkiness?

I don't believe I've ever been this glad it's Friday!

Don't know why, I just AM!

Super duper glad it's Friday.

I still have GS cookies to deliver, still have a booth sale, and a birthday party sleep over with no real plan of what to do, still have to study for the PLACE exam next week, still behind in all 3 classes. . . maybe it's just the possibility of finally getting a few of these off of my TO DO list.

Maybe it's because today I only had a $15 co-pay with our new insurance! (Probably wasn't the news of curvy spine-itis to add to my TO WORRY ABOUT ABOUT ABI list)

In any event, TGIF!


Update on my propensity to spew things out of my nose:

The alert is still on, I must stay away from church services and avoid funerals at all costs. Although nothing was expelled across the classroom, this last Tuesday I got every one started with giggling fits. 6 grown women, paying alot of money, giving up the hours of 6-10 - just needing a laugh. The instructor was kind and tolerant, but I'm sure she thought of making 2 of us sit out in the hall until we could pull it together. (I never managed.)

So Martha, it wasn't so much about what was funny. It's just that I had a week long case of the giggles. Much preferable to the eye twitch I had the week before.

OK, I'm off to enjoy my weekend, whether it's enjoyable or not!

That was oh no - what if it's an Alien - and this is shut up and let me go

Actually, we never did get the Shut Up & Let Me Go part recorded. Oh well, I heart my new laptop! And frequently manage to arm wrestle it away from the girls.

"Shut Up and Let Me Go" - sure to be a classic

Kinda funny that yesterday while registering my new laptop, I put that it's primary purpose was education. . .

The girls giving icarly a run for the money.

Super Saturday of Cookie Season

Yep. Girl Scout cookies will be dominating my life for the next month. I'm so not into it this year, so I'm done talking about that!

I have a new favorite movie - The Fall (alittle Princess Bride, alittle Little Miss Sunshine, and alittle The Cell if you can imagine.)

I went shopping today and this darling little girl was with her mother shoe shopping (just what I was doing with my darling little girls) and the mom was getting exacerbated with her daughter who just couldn't seem to find the perfect pair. The final (funny) straw was a pair of shiny black flats with a gathered leather look at the toes (too cute). Mom thought they were just what they were looking for, but the daughter just wouldn't commit. Mom pressed her daughter, "why - don't you think they're pretty?" Daughter, who was walking around on the tile floor all this time says "they just don't sound pretty." Now I don't know how long they had been there before we got there . . . well, I had a good laugh with Mom, and went on to find several pairs of pretty sounding shoes for my kids.

Good night!

"You Probably Know All About Me"

Boy, facebook is really putting a dent in my blogging schedule! However, I need to record this Caitlinism for later snickering.

Today Gracie's father came over to pick her up, (she's a friend of Abi's) and we were figuring out that their son is in Caitlin's grade and they know each other.

So Caitlin pipes up with:

" You probably know all about me. He probably talks about me all the time, because I like to chase him. . . ALOT."

And Mr. Grace thought that was almost as funny as I did, and still managed to say well, yes, in fact he had heard quite a bit about her; further fueling her belief that the world revolves around her.

If you can't beat them

As SIS pointed out in her comment - time is relentlessly passing by at it's usual fast and furious pace! (High school she says - I don't even want to hear it!) I want to stomp my feet, or dig in my heels and refuse to go along. BUT, instead I'm going to take the path of least resistance and in honor of tracking back on and going back to school tomorrow. . . I say let the spring break count down begin! Now if you don't have this memorized by now you apparently aren't a B - tracker. 9 weeks, 5 days a week, take away Presidents day, and I think that's a 2 dayer and I can't think of any others . . . . =. . . . 43 days until spring break! I can do that!



Join me again tomorrow for science. "An object in motion tends to stay in motion." Only my research will be titled " An object without her shoes on tends to stay an object without her shoes on." I'm REALLY looking forward to that tomorrow morning which also promises to be icey cold but no real snow. Bummer. night night.

House

I was saving Edmund for Dodi's SMA Friday, but I always manage to miss them, so for those of you who didn't watch every episode of the various Black Adders - this is the esteemed Dr. House as Edmund. As I remember, Black Adder was HILARIOUS... but you know how when went back to your old elementary school everything was tiny? I think it may be that kind of hilarious.

"Thanks Honey"

So last night my hub came home and proclaimed "Wow, my wonderful wife must have fixed 3 meals in this kitchen today, and yet the only thing out of place is this one hot cocoa mug. She's amazing".

OK, that's not what he said.
It was something along the lines of why nobody can ever clean the chocolate out of their glass.

And yet, my response was, "thanks honey".
Now I'm patting myself on the back for having a good attitude, because the hub just gave me that blank - have you been watching Dr. Phil and Oprah all day - guy look.

3 days until back to school. It has been a great break, and I truly hate to go back this time. But I have tons to get done and I suppose alittle readin' writtin' and 'rithmatic wouldn't hurt them either. The grape vines tells me that the new witch is a good witch, and so I will enter a whole new world at work when I go back.

My Auntie Ann died. She was 85 years old.

And the sweetest person I've ever met. We miss you Auntie.

GILLIS, ANNA SARA
Anna Sara Gillis, of Denver, died January 14, 2009 at her home in Denver. She was 85. Anna (Ann) was born on June 3, 1923 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Frank
Cozza and Ella "Helen" Cozza. On May 11, 1946, Anna married Robert M. Gillis in Chicago. She was a homemaker, who was most dutifully devoted to her husband and four children. Surviving are her husband, Robert; a son, Robert B. Gillis, of Denver; three daughters, Karen Taylor (Rob), of Niwot, Leslie Clark (Gary), of Longmont, and Debbie Weitzel (Mike), of Ft. Collins; two brothers, John Cozza, of Chicago, Illinois, and Charles Cozza, of Denver; 7 granddaughters and three great-grandsons.
A visitation will be held at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Monday, January 19, 2009. Services will immediately follow at 1:00 p.m., with Reverends Joe Woodson and Mark Vickstrom officiating. Interment at Littleton Cemetery. Contributions are welcomed to: the Charles Cozza Fund (for brainrehabilitation), 2695 Northpark Drive, #101, Lafayette, CO, 80026.

No Count Down NO NO NO!!!

I do not like the tone this new year is already taking! Whizzing by so fast, Regis has already started, I haven't even gotten out the to do stuff that I generally don't finish, but at least take a stab at... and work/kid school will be starting less than 2 weeks from now. It's not right.

So, I'm officially refusing to start the count down. So there.

Winter Park in a nutshell

Make a Smilebox photobook

Happy New Year!