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You know, I really enjoy teaching.  I loved it when I was able to homeschool my boys. I've always enjoyed teaching theatre and now I'm having fun with 2nd grade.  It's nice to have the time to do cool things for my students. I'm so excited about this week.  On Monday, in Bible we are learning about the Moses leading the Hebrews in the desert.  If I get it made, I plan to serve the kids "manna" while teaching.  In Social Studies, we are learning about how cloth is made and I'm in the process of making cardboard looms for each of my kids so they can learn to weave.  On Tuesday, I have a 2 very special guests coming, Srgt.  Bindseil and his K-9 partner, Ringo.  (We are studying mammals in Science.)  Also, on Tuesday, we are learning how to dye cloth so we are making tye-die t-shirts.  On Friday, I already have a quiz made up on-line for the kids to take that will be automatically graded and entered into my grade book.  I hope the kid...

I just finished this chart for classroom helpers after two weeks of school.  Hopefully this will make things run a little smoother.

I have made it through 1 1/2 weeks of school being back in session and it feels more like a lifetime.  Hopefully, the routine will kick in soon and things will be more settled.  Marshall started high school this year.  Garrett is in 7th grade.  Both aren't thrilled with school, but what kid is?  I'm teaching 2nd grade.  I've been asked to help pilot a school class blog.  The education blog site that I am suppose to use is driving me crazy.  It is soooo limited.  I didn't realize how easy blogger was until now. Ok, this is a short update cuz I need to get back to work, or go to sleep (still trying to decide that one.) 

 Just a short update.  School started this week and I wore a poodle skirt on the first day as I greeted my kiddos in front of the "Drive In" sign that I made for outside my door.  The Rocket Math bulletin board is an incentive chart.  Each child has a rocket with their name on it and when they move up a level with their math facts, they will move their rocket up. 

 I am so lucky that I get to teach at a private Christian school.  This is the front of my room.  I wanted to find a Bible verse that fit with my fifties theme so I picked, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday & today & forever."  Hebrews 13:8 My discipline chart is based on the color system.  If you are behaving you stay on green, if you get a warning you move to yellow, blue - timeout, red - you're in big trouble.  So, to fit with the 50's, I have Space Alien Invaders.  Each child picked an alien in an UFO that have magnets on the back.  This is set up on my filing cabinet.  We don't want the aliens to invade and take over their bodies and send them to red.  I have 10 students and I set up their desks in a horseshoe.   Each child has a homemade nametag on their desk in cursive since I'll be teaching it this year. At "Meet the Teacher" I dressed up each child in 50's clothes and took their picture.  They are now h...

Two weeks ago, I decided to do my 2nd grade classroom in a theme.  I decided on the 50's.  This meant no generic teacher posters from the teacher supply store.  I wanted everything to match my theme.  So, then began a bunch of work.  But first, I asked for permission to paint one wall a bright color.  I got permission and decided on a deep teal chalkboard paint.  That paint took 4 coats!!!!!  I love the color!  Tonight my son and I tested out the chalkboard part of the wall.  I went to a party store and got some decorations (the guitars and the rock & roll sign).  The music notes and records were cut out with my cricut.  These ice cream sundaes for a birthday wall each have 6 layers of paper!  Wow! The room is mostly done.  I'll try to post some more tomorrow when I'm not working on lesson plans.  I can't believe school is starting Monday!

We got rained on last night. Emily woke up and was closing up our tent and I didn't wake up until she leaned over my head to close the one right by me. Then she looked out and noticed a pool forming over where one of the boys was sleeping. She went and pulled the tent to knock of the water and woke up the boy with a little splash. I got to shoot a musket gun and hit the target in my first try. The outbound boys built boats out of cardboard & duck tape but they both sank.

Most of the boys are taking 4 merit badge classes each day except for the outbound boys who get a new adventure each day. It is hot but surprisingly, I woke up during the night because I was cold. The food hasn't been too bad. Dr. Dave, Stroh, Emily and I are making a run to the nearest Walmart to get the flat tire replaced and pick up some extra supplies. We asked the GPS for directions and it took us up to the top of a mountain over a gravel road. I have very little phone service at camp and the internet is not that great so I don't know if I'll be able to post everyday.

We all made it here at Camp Hale in Talahina, Oklahoma. Chris dropped me off at camp in the rain & quickly left (with my pillow) because he didn't want to get Fiona stuck in the mud. It took the Scouts a little longer than expected to get here. One van had a flat tire and was overheating a bit and one truck started to overheat. But the Scouts were resourceful and kept getting back on the road. The camp is beautiful with tall pine trees and hills. We have 35 boys and 10 adults.

Several of the GTO's caravanned to Kentucky to the Corvette Museum, which contained lots of interesting information & super cool cars. We came back to our hotel in Nashville to rest before the GTO dinner. About 38 GTO's came. Chris won a door prize goodie bag with some gift certificates, a computer bag, & a jacket. Two of the GTO's have broken down and 1 had a wreck after leaving Saturday night. Hopefully, everyone else will have safe trips.

I'm really tired so just a short update tonight. Did a lot of hiking today (thought thats what I was gonna do next week at scout camp.) Tennessee is really pretty. Saw Merriweather Lewis's final resting place. Fiona got to meet a bunch of other GTO's tonight in a town near Nashville.

This morning we got back on the Natchez Trace & travelled from Jackson, Mississippi to Florence, Alabama. It rained part of the day but we made the best of it. We packed a picnic lunch and stopped every few miles to read or walk at the historical stops. Three times today Chris has looked over at me and said, "You're weird!". I don't know what's up with that. The first pic is Chris checking out a beaver dam. The second is Chris & Fiona (she's pretty dirty now.) The last one is me in a Mississippi swamp.

Fiona carried us about 480 miles yesterday but we slowed down today. We woke up to barges going down the Mississippi out our hotel window. We spent most of the day in Natchez, Mississippi looking at the historical buildings and we toured the Melrose. Then we started traveling up the Natchez Trace. We only made it to Jackson but we are looking forward to getting back on the Trace tomorrow. It's really cool. It's a Fed park/highway with historical things all along the way. It's a nice smooth road with no buildings or signs. It kinda reminds us of the roads at Disney. It goes all the way to Nashville. We are trying to decide if we should take it all the way or detour off to Memphis.

Chris Fiona (the GTO) & I left this morning for a major road trip without children, the first time in about 15-16 years. We are headed to a GTO get together/car show thingy in Nashville this weekend. We left early this morning concentrating on just getting out of Texas.

I loved this cute paint job. Years ago, both boys were sharing a room and I painted it with green hills on the bottom and blue sky on the top, including the ceiling with white fluffy clouds.  I hid glow in the dark stars in the clouds and the room was magical day and night.  The boys had bunk beds and Marshall had a Buzz Lightyear comforter and Garrett had a Thomas the Tank Engine comforter.  I stenciled a Buzz Lightyear on one of the window shades and added 2 rocketships to the ceiling. Garrett's (wearing the "Young Guns" shirt) with friends. The boys got older and they switched out comforters with Marshall's being a blue pattern and Garrett's a green pattern.  Then, Marshall moved out.  We painted Marshall's room with blue stripes.  Garrett stayed in the same room but both boys got loft beds with desks underneath.   Painting the ceiling was relaxing on the loft bed. Garrett working. Well, Garrett somehow outgrew the cutesy ca...

A couple years ago, I had a girls weekend with some friends from high school.  A friend saw me putting on "mineral" makeup and recommended that I try The All Natural Face .  I was a little worried about ordering makeup sight unseen.  As a redhead, most makeup companies don't sell a foundation that matches my skin tone.  The one company that did, stop selling my shade.  Argh!  Usually, I have to "make do" and not look my best.  Anyway, I looked it up and you could order a sample pack of colors to try out at an insanely low price.  So I thought, why not? My sample pack came with tons of choices but, once again there wasn't one perfect shade.  I mixed two of the samples together and voila!  I found my perfect color.  So, I placed an order and asked if I could have half one shade and half the other.  They did it!  I've been a happy camper ever since.  It's time for me to re-order and hopefully I can remember which 2 col...

I always knew my husband was related to the Earp Brothers; Wyatt, Virgil, Morgan, and James.  But, I wasn't exactly sure how so I got clarification at a recent family funeral.  My mother-in-law's father was James Ralph Flippen. His parents were John James Flippen and Effie Lee Burch (Burch being her 2nd husbands last name.  Her maiden name was Earp.)   Effie's mother was Malinda Earp.   Malinda was a niece to the Earp Brothers.  Pretty cool!

My boys favorite Here are some of my favorite cards that I've made.  As you can tell, my style of card making is playful, fun, and a little quirky.  I'm really not that into the "pretty" or "natural" cards.  I guess that can be said about my life and house as well. This card is shaped and opens with by sliding with the brad in the left corner of the lips.  Kinda reminds me of the Dairy Queen logo.  I love it when things pop out on a card. These cards were for a challenge to add things not usually used on cards.  I loved it! For my FIL The inside of my FIL's card.