Friday, July 30, 2010

Made the big switch

This blog post comes to you courtesy of my brand-new Mac laptop. Since I am switching schools, I was due for a new school-issued laptop thanks to bond money that went with building a new high school. Three years ago I toyed with getting a Mac, but the Gateway won out. This time I decided to take the plunge. My students use Mac's in our journalism lab, and it was a little difficult to connect to their computers.

 It's going to be different, but change is good. I imagine I will run into some problems, considering 98% of our district is PC; only the journalism and graphic design labs are Macs, following with the industry standard.

I haven't done much with this yet, other than the girls making video's and taking pictures in photo booth, their favorite thing evah. Bobby and I are going to have to steal it away from them.

Only drawback so far? It's white. That could be bad.

A little intro vide from the two lovelies...

And some pictures with effects...


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Summer Rain

What could be

better than
running, skipping, dancing
in a warm summer rain
with the sun shining brightly?

Monday, July 26, 2010

B90 Days Check-In

For those of you not interested in my weekly Bible reading check-ins, you can skip if you prefer. I know who you are. :)

I'm still up to date with my reading, starting Week 4. I've read all of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth and 1 Samuel. I'm 1/2 way through II Samuel.

Thoughts so far:
1. I need to jot down thoughts for this weekly check-in. Every week I sit down to write this post and try to remember what had made an impact, and can't remember. Then two days later I remember, but don't go back and update the post.
2. Reading all the stories I remember reading as a child is neat. Sometimes I remember just pieces of the story, but re-reading them brings them back to memory.
3. I don't know why, but in my mind some of the Old Testament events seemed like they happened SOOOO far apart from each other, but now while I'm reading it again, all together, events didn't happen as far apart as I thought.
4. After getting through the yucky stuff that was Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, I've really enjoyed Joshua, Judges, Ruth and I Samuel. More like a novel, especially when you are reading it as fast as I am.

Again, no real deep thoughts from me. Just more observations. I'm very proud of myself for reading this much so far--never thought I could do it, and now that I've started and done this much, I'm determined to finish by Oct. 2nd. (Just in time to start teaching The Crucible. Interesting...)

Friday, July 23, 2010

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

I came home last night from our newsaper camp. It's always good to get away, and always good to come home. I had a very nice hotel room with a gigantic king-sized bed (I could lay sideways across it) all to myself. But after about two nights, I get lonely and ready to come home.

One of the students who went--not going to be one of my mine this fall, thank goodness but I feel for my BFF who will have him in class--was quite different.  I won't go until details, let's just say he drove me crazy all week. He will not go down in history as one of my favorite students to take on trips.

We picked up Macy's guitar today, and she is very excited about starting her lessons. It'll be a couple more weeks, so we will have to wait anxiously. I fiddled around with it a little tonight, and I think I want to take lessons! How fun would that be!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Omaha, baby!

Two weeks ago we ventured up to Omaha with another family. It was just a short trip, one night in the hotel, but it was very fun. The zoo in Omaha, if you haven't been there, is a definate must. We hadn't been for about 3 years, so it was time to go again.

The kids in the Desert Dome--

My two beauties in front of a waterfall in the rainforest place.
Bobby in front of the bobcat--the kids called it a "bobbycat." He was very excited about this picture, let me tell you. It was torture to get this picture with him and the bobbycat.
Girls on the rope bridge in the rainforest.
Our family in the rainforest.
Kaylin loved hanging from these ropes.
Macy and her BFF Kaylee. (Yes, the Kaylee that discovered that I'd killed Macy's hermit crab) Kaylee lives around the corner and comes down almost every day this summer.
Kaylee's younger brother Joseph and Kaylin, who have become BFF's this summer as well.
At the entrance to the zoo

This funny gorilla was laying on top of one of those domes. I would put my hand on the dome, and he would put his hand on top of mine. Then he was petting a bug and playing with it. Very cute.

This old gorilla, 36 years old, was hilarous. He was deeply disturbed by a group of Mennonites. He would run up and bang on the glass right in front of them, then sit down and glare at them. When they would move, he would follow them and continue his behavior.We stayed and watched him for about an hour. It was fascinating.

Something new at the zoo is the Sky tram. Here's Kaylin (and Bobby's head) on the Sky Tram. I am not fond of these things (or Ferris Wheel)  but I did great on this one. Mainly because Bobby did not rock it and try to push me out.
Here's Amy and the other two girls. Amy and Kaylee did not care for it at all, but Macy enjoyed it.

This is me trying to re-create a picture hanging in our hallway from a trip 4 years ago. No idea why Kaylin is posing like that.
I love this picture of Kaylin and Joseph--they were sitting in one of those domes in the gorilla section, and I loved the black around the dome!

It was an awesome trip! Fun memories, fun trip to the zoo and the swimming pool, and a cheap little vacation.

Monday, July 19, 2010

B90 days Check in Week 3, and other stuff!

This is my third week attempting to read the Bible in 90 days, and even with the craziness of last week, I am up to date with the reading. (Well, I still need to read today's, but will do that tonight) I'm midway through Deuteronomy. My thoughts:

1. Leviticus was a struggle, as was Numbers a little.
2. The repetition was getting me down, and I kept thinking "why did God have to keep telling them these things?" Then I thought...how many times do I have to tell my children not to do something? Mmmm...point taken.
3. I have found myself being much more thankful for things this last week, which I think is a direct byproduct of reading over and over about God being angry with the Israelites, and Moses repeating how thankful they should be.

Other stuff:

I'm in the Little Apple this week, Manhattan KS, for a journalism camp. My partner in crime isn't here, so I have a huge hotel room and king-sized bed to myself, but I'm lonely without her! I went to class for a bit yesterday, but am hanging out in the room today and will go back tonight. I'm watching the Food Network right now. I brought 5 high school students, and they are good kids.

It was this camp, 3 years ago, that I got the wild hair to start this blog. Here was my first post ever, and it was in this hotel in 2007! The girls STILL talk about that trip to the zoo!

New blogger has spell check!! Woo-hoo!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Wow, glad this week is over!

It's over. The week I was dreading and looking forward at the same time is passed. I survived, the girls survived, and time moves on.

I had 17 4's and 5's in VBS this week, in the morning. Some things I learned:

1. I'm not volunteering to teach again. Give me another job: craft person, snack maker, whatever.
2. Regardless of how terrible it will be to have 2 teenage girls in the house, I am so thankful that I never had a 4-year-old boy. Wow is all I have to say.
3. Sharks live in rivers, did you know that?


Then at night this week we had Girl Scout Camp. I rotate years between the girls, so it was Macy's year. Her troop is easier than Kaylin's, because they are older. It was hot, hot and more hot. I wish I'd weighed myself at the beginning of the week; I think I lost 5 pounds from just sweating. Things I learned:

1. I'm not being suckered into being the unit leader again. I'll be there as a parent helper, but I won't be the leader. Too much stuff to keep track of!
2. Girls are emotional.
3. Wet shoes are pretty gross to put back on.
4. When you drink a buttload of water, and don't have to pee for 6 hours, you know you are sweating pretty hard.

That's it in a nutshell.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Day 8--Reading the Bible in 90 days

A friend mentioned to me about this reading the Bible in 90 days challenge, and I laughed at her (as I sat next to her son in the NICU; ironic after reading Genesis). But it started in couple days, and the next thing I knew, I had picked up my Bible and started the challenge. I've tried the Read the Bible in a Year thing, and failed miserably at it. But something about this seems easier--you get done in a mere 3 months instead of 12, and there are some amazing women blogging and doing the same thing, and lots of resources online to help. Plus lots of new friends on Twitter!

Today is Day 8--we've read all of Genesis and Exodus and are starting Leviticus today. Here are some of my thoughts, in no particular order and none terribly deep, after reading the first 2 books:

1. I want to know excatly how Moses' face looked "radiant" after seeing God.
2 I'd forgotten how full of sex, denial and betrayal Genesis is!
3. I can't fathom the idea of multiple wives--how would that work? I kept picturing HBO's series Big Love where the husband went back and forth between homes, and they all lived next door to each other.
4. I kept thinking, while reading Exodus, how awesome for Moses to sit with God and listen to him, and to write down instructions directly from him.
5 It's easy to get mad at the Israelites for grumbling and complaining against God--"how could they after seeing the wonderful miracles he performed?" but yet how often I do the same thing.
6. Genesis read like a novel to me.
7. I wonder what it would be like to live until 150 or 350. I wonder if they got bored?

That's it for now. Each Monday we'll do a check-in, and I hope to keep plugging along. This week will really test me--VBS in the morning and Girl Scout camp at night, and the not-so-exciting books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

To read more about this challenge, check out this link Mom's Toolbox;

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Sick Dog

Last night Gabriel, our American Eskimo, started acting strange. (I know, Dad, dogs aren't people and how do I know he was acting strange?) Well, he was. He wouldn't sit or lay down, and was pacing the living room, kitchen and dining room. He is a barker, and he wasn't making much sound at all. He kept wanting to go outside, but then would just wander around and not do anything. He wouldn't sit down next to me like he always does. He was obviously agitated about something.

I stayed up with him until about 3, when I crashed, but I kept hearing his nails on the tile and hardwood floors. Bobby took him to the vet this morning, and the diagnosis: ear infection and a couple abcessed teeth. Ear drops for his ear, and antibotics for the teeth. Let me tell you, doggie ear drops and antibiotics are much cheaper than the human kind. Eventually those teeth are going to have to be pulled, but hopefully the antiobotics will let us put that off for a while.

The girls have babied him all day--"oh, poor Gabey" or "oh, Gabey, pretty boy".

Monday, July 5, 2010

Murderer

So many of you know what happened today, but for those of you who don't and so it is forever written down in history, here goes.

Macy came screaming in my room this afternoon, "Smiley is dead! He fell out of his shell!!" The girls had friends over, Kaylee and Joseph, so all five of us descended on the tank. Sure enough, there was Smiley. We poked at him, Kaylee tried tickling him, nada. I picked up his shell and looked inside, nothing. The shell was lighter too. Macy cried for a while, then we moved on.

I started researching what to do. There was still another hermit crab in the tank, so I didn't want it to be contiminated. We scooped up the dead carcas, and I took the empty shells downstairs to boil them.

They'd been boiling for 10 minutes or so when Kaylee, peering over the edge of the pot, says, "Miss Jennifer, I think there was something in the shell." I said, "Oh, probably a claw or some dirt or something, " but went over to check. I looked in the pot, and gasped. I clasped my hands over my mouth and stared at Kaylee in shock. "What?," she says.

Yes, Smiley was in the shell. He had just shed his old skin, and that's what we saw in the tank. Yes, I killed her hermit crab. He was alive and well in the shell until I put him in a kitchen pot and boiled him.

Macy wasn't as upset as I thought when she found out--probably because she had already mourned for Smiley. We went to Panera for the baked potato soup she loves, bought a package of the Silly Bandz she's been wanting, and then bought a new hermit crab. Her name is Miley, in memory of Smiley.

And I have to say--I'm going to have nightmares tonight about this. The dead crab is a pale pink color, and I swear to you looks like a creepy alien. I can't get the image out of my mind.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy 4th of July!

It's been a great weekend. Bobby was off all weekend, which is unheard of, although he did go mow at the vineyard on Saturday for a bit.

Saturday night we went to a friend's house to watch the $30,000 city fireworks display. The friend had 8 kittens. No, we did not come home with one, but it was asked about 900 times.

Their house is extremely close to where the fireworks are set off, and we were covered in black sot and firework debris by the time the night was over. It was a great night with friends!

Here's the girls with the kittens that DID NOT come home with us.



Today I got a lunch date with my BFF Ronna, then we went to see Eclipse. As usual, we made fun of the stupid parts, but it was the best of the 3 movie series so far.

We headed over to another friend's house for a 4th party in the evening. Luckily the rain stayed away until about 9, but we still did fireworks in the rain and all the kids were SOAKED. Rain didn't seem to bother them.



Believe it or not, the above 2 pictures were the ONLY ones I took tonight. Me, who usually takes 200 events of a very simple event, only took pictures with her phone. Something must have been wrong with me.

Happy 4th!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Summertime

I love summer. That is all.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Stream of Consciousness

Another blog I read does this stream of consciousness post everyonce in a while, so I thought I would too.

After two unproductive days at the pool, yesterday the girls and I stayed home and had a very productive productive day. Today? Back to the pool. I had a very nice run last night. I left my iphone at home, and I think I could focus better, without constantly changing the song or adjusting the volume or fixing the earpiece that fell out of my ear again. But without the phone, what if a crazed person attacked me on the trail? I would not be able to call for help. My girls just woke up, a few minutes before 10! We are going to Omaha for a couple days next week, need to get on those hotel reservations. VBS is in two weeks, and  I need to get crackin' on my stuff. I'm teaching the 4-5 year olds. The girls and I are meeting Bobby for a picnic lunch at the vineyard today, then I'm going back tonight to hopefully get some great pictures for them. Today is July 1st, unbelievable that summer is going soooo fast. Slow down!!! The girls made their own 4th of July shirts for the two parties we have this weekend. I'll do a blog post about them, maybe tomorrow, but the shirts turned out cute. If I didn't think I'd look like a huge dork, I'd make my own.