Blue Jeans Week 44

Giving thanks this past week and coming week for all our many blessings.

Sunday:  I am thankful for my mom and that she lives close so she can teach and share with my kids her joy and love of reading.  She is my kids' librarian at their elementary school.  Mr J is reading to her after Sunday dinner.

Monday:  I am thankful for my kids' schools and their teachers.  What does a popcorn machine have to do with that?  This popcorn machine is at the kids' school, and I got to make popcorn for Mr J's class at school today (and I got a bag for myself--yum!)

Tuesday:  I am thankful for laundry and my mountains of mis-matched socks because it means I have people I love in my house that get clothes and socks dirty.    

Wednesday:  I am thankful for good food!  Today Miss E and I made some pumpkin whoopie pies (Thanks for the recipe Patty H!)  I am thankful for kids that like to help.  I am thankful to be able to teach my kids how to cook and the joy of good food!

Thursday:  I am thankful for good kids.  Today I went and had lunch with Miss O at the middle school.  It was fun to be able to eat outside with her and her friends.  She is a good girl.

Friday:  I am thankful I have a home, a roof over my head, A/C in the summer, heat in the winter, indoor plumbing, a warm bed, and a kitchen so when I want to cook and make a mess I can. 

Saturday:  I am thankful for friends.  I went to a craft fair about an hour way with friends today and had a wonderful time.  I am thankful I live in a country where I can go wherever I want whenever I want with whomever I choose.  I am thankful for my free country, my liberties, and I am especially grateful for the men and women (and their families) who serve each day in harm's way to keep it that way for me and my family. 

May we realize how blessed we are and be more grateful!  Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Another week in pictures

I think the easiest way to tell what we have been up to this past week is to show you my pictures from each day.  Hope you enjoy!

I had 2 design projects due this morning.  One was to show flat space (no depth) and formal design.  I was working on that one here last week.  The other was to show deep space and informal design.  I got them critiqued this morning and got an A- on both. Yeah!  Thanks Dad :)

What do we do after school here?  Eat popcorn.  I always try to have a bowl of popcorn ready to go when the kids come in the door.  I buy it in bulk from Costco because we go through lots of popcorn at our house.  Our fave?  Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop 94% fat free butter. 

This made me laugh.  Mr J had to run errands with me one day after school.  We were taxing his sisters all over the place, and we have this lap harp thing.  It was actually mine and my siblings growing up (lucky me ended up with it--benefits of being the oldest and living by mom and dad).  Anyway, Mr J really likes to play it, so when I told him we had to go he asked if he could bring the lap harp in the car.  I said fine as long as it stayed in the car.  He just played and played song after song as we drove around.  I actually was driving while I took this picture.  I didn't look in the camera, I just sort of angled my camera back toward him and took several shots.  I got several of the floor and head rest, but luckily got one pretty good one of him.  I would not recommend this to others--please don't shoot and drive :)  And now my friends will be extra careful when they see me driving around town. . .

Evidence of a little boy. . .this is what I found at the bottom of my stairs one morning this week. 

Saturday we had a family reading festival in our town.  We had 16 different authors visiting.  It was an amazing thing.  I was on the planning committee, and believe me it took a lot of planning!  Here I am with one of the authors I got to introduce.  Laura Manivong.  She has written Escaping the Tiger. 

This was Sunday's picture.  The kids had a visiting storyteller come to school 2 weeks ago.  I visited with her at the library, and then I assumed she had gone home.  She is from back east, but then I saw her at the reading festival Saturday, and I said, "You are still here?"  Yes, she was spending 3 1/2 weeks at the local motel visiting all the schools in the area.  I said, please come and have a home cooked meal, so we had a wonderful dinner with her, and the kids had to show her everything--all their toys, rooms, books they are reading, and, of course, our chickens.  I am sure she will have some more good stories to tell after her dinner here.  It was a delight to have her.

Breakfast time, hurry, hurry!!  This was my picture from today.  I got a snapshot of all the kids at the breakfast table before school eating their cereal--I think it was cheerios and frosted shredded wheat this morning. Yum!