today is the day

Today was the day the Bojangles opened. It took all I could do to drive past the open Bojangles this morning and not stop. I did. This evening we were meeting a fellow NC friend there for dinner. While we were there, we saw many other people we knew. It was fun being in the exiting atmosphere for the grand opening. I ate so much for dinner that I feel positively sick and happy all at the same time.
Oh- and FYI-- Mr. D. and I each ate a bo-berry biscuit for good luck!!

the up-do part two

the up-do

I watched this video to create my up-do for the party. I made mine a little more "messy" looking and not so polished- but it was a hit none the less. Pics to follow.

blog makeover

I have made over my blog a little bit and published lots of post. Enjoy. Keep reading until you get the the post on the living room. You have lots to catch up on.

up do (nots)

Tonight, I am taking the girls to the Fairy Tale Ball and decided to look on the internet to get an idea of what to do with my hair. This site cracked me up. I know they are serious about it- but ya'll check out the first few links. And, no- I swear I didn't google 80's hair styles.

tonight

Mr. D. surprised us with tickets and tonight, I am taking Alice, Eden and their mom Erica to the Fairy Tale Ball. It is going to be so much fun. It is a fancy dress up girly party for kids and grown ups with food, dancing and fairy tale like things. I am planning to take lots and lots of pictures.

baby report

Henry is 6 weeks old now and the apple of every one's eye. I haven't met him yet, but I am dying to. I am hopeful that I will get to meet him in September, if not definitely in November. I have a lot of spoiling to catch up on. He is a cute baby. I love hearing about him, reading her blog about him, seeing him on their web cam (and one day, when I can get mine, he will see me too). If there was a Henry channel on TV, I would watch it all day long.


Rylee is two months now, sweet as pie. I haven't seen her in a few weeks, but got this pic texted to me for my birthday. She has grown so much. She went to the professional photographer and I am getting the CUTEST picture of her. I can't wait. I love her so so so so so much. She looks just like her Mommy, who I love so so so so so much too! I am not sure when I will be seeing this sweetie pie again.

I don't have any recent pics of Charley Anne. We are thrilled to be getting another girl in the family. With the girls being 6 months apart I can just imagine the little matching dresses that Rylee and Charley will be wearing. It is going to be so much fun!!

luckiest teacher in the world

We are having a really good year so far. It is nice having 26 returning families. Having only 3 new children has made for a very easy start to the year. We are having so much fun and have great things planned for this school year. It is a very exciting time!!

baking up some yum

Mr. D. baking up some yum in the kitchen.

I think it had a nice presentation. And, I also applaud his efforts for me not to have to have his favorite cake for my birthday. Thanks Mr. D. for making it wonderful.
Mr. D. baking up some yum in the kitchen.

GOLD

I had a gold party at my house with Ms. Lovell. We had so much fun having our friends over and making money. I had found a broken necklace and bracelet at Granny's. I made $30 bucks towards it for Patsy and I to put towards our quilts. My Mom thought it was so funny that we would need fabric with all that is in Granny's estate. But, for the cute cute cute stuff, we are going to have to buy some.

Since the theme of the party was making money and not spending money, I tried to make food for the party based on food I had at the house. I ended up with an amazing dip that I not only recommend, but will definitely be making again. Try it!!

Mozzarella dip
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp seasoning salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp onion flakes
1 cup sour cream
1 pint of mayonnaise
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp parsley flakes

Mix and refrigerate. Even better a day or so later, so make it ahead if you want. I served it with wheat thins because that is what I had in the house, but the recipe I got it from suggested veggies, crackers or chips.

my pride and joy

When Mr. D. and I went to Ikea on our trip to Atlanta this summer, I bought this for my classroom.
I waited to patiently until it was time to put it up. We always like to take the summer work days to make the room look fresh and new.


I just love it.

percussions

My Mother donated a percussion set to my class. They look amazing and the kids L-O-V-E them. She also got us a new lap harp. Fun stuff!!

my cubby tags

These are my cubby tags that I have been designing. They are a huge hit! For anyone unfamiliar with the Montessori Philosophy, we teach children in 3 year cycles. So, I have children in my class ages 3-5. Also, the pink tower is a Montessori icon.

So, if you are 3 you have a picture in the 3rd block of you at age 3. If you are 4 you have a pic of you at 3, and you at 4. If you are 5 , then a pic at 3, 4, and 5. See how much Parker changed in just one year!

These are awesome too because we are putting the new cubby tags on the calendar and when it is your birthday, you get to change your cubby tag our to reflect your new age. Of course, technicaly the new pic has to be taken a little before the birthday, so we can put in on the calendar. The kids love them.

I have one cute little 3 year old who took me to his cubby about 3 times a day the first week of school to show me his picture. CUTE!!

my gift to myself

I bought a little gift for myself and I just love it. It is currently being custom made and I can't wait to get it. My baby's Aunt Meredith chose an inscription for the back. Check it out here.

call me in a drought

For some reason, it has rained every year that we have had a back to school picnic. This year, we picked the date in June. We reserved a pool and marketed that we were putting a new twist on getting wet at the Blue Class picnic.

Our of 29 families- we had something like 25 families RSVP yes for the party. We were planning for around a hundred people.

Imagine if you will--- effects from Hurricane-I-am-not-sure-of-the-name came through. Pool party moved to the school guy. Rain poured, thunder crashed, lightening struck, and amazingly, we all had a great time. Next year, we are going to go ahead and plan in indoor event from the start!!

blackberry user reformed

I feel as though I need to put it out there that I have never loved a phone more than my new MyTouch by T-Mobile. I thought I would have a hard time giving up the blackberry, but actually I have made a smooth transition! I am sure this phone has many things I haven't discovered yet- but from what I have figured out, I love it. I have been so busy lately that I haven't even set a ringtone or anything. I can't wait to see what else the phone does!!

are you kidding me???????

My lap top charger has decided to stop working. So, we have ordered me a new one. In the meantime, my nice neighbors are sharing with me. If not these first few weeks of school would not have gone so smoothly. Our school is going paperless, so we are working hard creating new things for the new website!! It is certainly a fun and exciting time!!

busy boys

Here are a few cute pictures from the boys next door. They have a secret to share with Dad!

Baby Lovell number 3... arriving late spring 2010.

my poor poor baby

Brady has been miserable for the last month or so. I have taken him to the cute vet up the street- who dismissed it as allergies. He gave Brady an antibiotic and a dose of steroids. Brady was so much better.... until the last day he took the meds. Then the itch itch itch scratch scratch scratch was back. We visited again.. He told me to change his (already hypoallergenic food) to a different protein source in the same line. He also suggested Benedryl. From this method we discovered that a lethargic, drugged up dog plus a bad smelling food equals a gassy lethargic dog. Trying a new (and I hoped less costly) approach, I called the vet back. They said he was out (8/10) and took a message and assured me would call me when he returned (8/12). If I wanted to talk to one of the other vets- I had to bring Brady in. I decided to wait for the call.
Mr. D. left for Canada and I still waited for the call. After I didn't hear back, I decided to take charge of the situation. I turned to the internet. I talked to the people at the pet store. I did anything I could think of. This resulted in Brady taking Omega Three fatty acids, brewers yeast, taking baths in aloe and oatmeal, and my cooking for him to help eliminate anything commercially added to foods. Here is what a week of his evening food looked like.

I love the cute (clearance) containers I found. So anyway, along with his dry food with was made of oatmeal and chicken, here we are eating lovingly prepared dinners al a his momma. The itching continued, the hair falling out, constantly biting, licking and chewing... but he was getting a little better. Or so I thought until Mr. D. came back from Canada and said he didn't see any difference. In fact, one evening he got up and left the house and came back with hydrocortizone spray. This actually caused a huge relief and is one of the only things that has seemed to make a difference.

On 8/22- I got the return call. He was friendly, like always. I explained the situation (again) and all that I am doing. He said yes, I was doing the right thing and basically that is all that can be done. He said he didn't want to do steroids again because overuse could cause a disease and could also ruin Brady's baseball career. One of the two people in that conversation thought that was so funny... the one up all night listening to the scratch, lick, bite, chew didn't. His suggestion... keep on keeping on. My suggestion-- I need something different. He told me to come get a prescription for generic zyrtec and that he was going to give me a sample of a special shampoo that he would like me to try that would help if his skin had a bacterial infection. He said if I liked the shampoo to call back and he would prescribe it. Mr. D. went to pick up the meds, and came back. Turns out the "sample" he was "giving me" cost $4. I know that isn't a lot of money, but I was under the impression that a sample is usually something free.

Anyway, bathed and zyrteced later--minimal difference. I did like the zyrtec and the fact that it lessened the scratching, but didn't give me the coma dog the Benedryl did.

Meanwhile, no one is sleeping through the night and everyone in the house is grouchy. The whole time this has been going on - in the back of my mind I kept thinking- this isn't allergies.

Fast forward, 3am (insert day of week here- take your pick) I am up, brushing Brady, inspecting his skin, trying to make him feel better. I am at my wits end and email my cousin, the vet. I said I know you are going to think I am crazy- but I just don't think it is allergies, and my vet won't do a skin scrape. I am convinced it is something else. I also told him to go ahead and roll his eyes, because I know he would think I was nuts. So anyway, long story short- I got a spray, and a fine comb and combed him over. Nothing came out on the comb (like a flea or anything) but whatever it is might be microscopic. So I just kept on keeping on. That night Brady slept like the dead- we all did.

The next day, back to the itch. I read the bottle and realized that I didn't do the treatment correctly. I was supposed to squirt 2 sprays per pound... 178 sprays. I probably did around 30. So, I am going to retreat and see if this works. If not, he is going to my cousin Shane who is going to work a miracle. Keep your fingers crossed!!

the bumper sticker snafu

In May, at Doo-Da-Day, I got this cute little static sticker. I thought it was funny and told Mr. D. I was thinking about putting in on Brady's licking window of choice in my car. Because, after all, by looking at that window, there is no question at all as to whether I have a dog or not. Mr. D. advised that I should wait until I clean my car and then put it on. Fast forward to late August......

For my Birthday, I made Mr. D. a list of things I wanted that didn't cost money. One was my car washed inside and out. We had a great day one afternoon and we both washed and cleaned both cars. He washed the outsides, I vacuumed, he cleaned the interiors. It was fun and I am thrilled to have a clean car.

Later that week, I brought home my new magnetic car bumper sticker thing from my school. Mr. D. has been saying for years that my school should get these, and now we have them.

Then the truth comes pouring out... Mr. D. doesn't like Bumper stickers. I had to laugh when he said--- "wait a minute here, don't you think going from no bumper stickers to two is a little extreme. " So I haven't decided which one I am going to use yet. The good thing is that with the static and magnetic qualities, I can mix it up whenever I want.

my living room

As you all know, this week has been a whirlwind for me. It is always like this the week before school starts. Last night was our back to school bash. It was HOT HOT HOT. We were only outside for an hour and a half in the late afternoon- but it was SO hot and humid. I was getting cracked up that all of the kids were running and super sweaty and then can you guess what they wanted to do next?? Hug me. I didn't mind though. We had a couple of jumpy things and refreshments. We had a great turnout school wide. My class alone had 17 or the 29 families in attendence. It was fun meeting the new children (3) and seeing all of our returning friends who had taken the summer off as well as the friends who spent their summer with me. After the hour and a half having the outdoor fun, we had a brief meeting in the school gym where everyone was welcomed back and such and then dismissed to the classrooms. Leah, Kate and I worked SO hard on our classroom this week and I can honestly say that it looks the best it has ever looked. It kind of cracked me up that almost all of the kids walked in and got out a lesson and started working. Some even cried when it was time to leave because they wanted to stay and work. We have 26 returning families and they are all very nice and fun famlies at that. I can already tell that it is going to be a great year.

This morning, I got out of bed and walked into my living room. This is where I have been working all week. It kind of looks like a wild party took place. Except at the party, people trimmed cubby tags, cut things out, assembles a cabinet, etc. etc. ect. There are paper cuttings all over the ottoman (and... well... floor). The weeks worth of mail is piled up on the red chair. Scissors, the paper cutter, a measuring tape, packaging from things purchases, list, list and more list are just strown about. I can have it cleaned up in a matter of minutes, but still it is funny on how until today I didn't realize what a disaster I had created. I guess I was "in the zone".

Ok- enough blogging. Time to get my life back in order. Hopefully I can catch up on my back-blogging this weekend, so keep checking back for multiple postings!

Thursday 13: Thirteen for August thirteen

I am draggin' ya'll. It is the week before school and I didn't know I was physically capable of doing everything I have accomplished so far this week and I just hope I can find the strength to finish all that needs to be done. I know I must be a mess because I stopped to pick up pictures at my mom's store tonight and she gave me money and told me I had better eat dinner. (Thanks Mom!!!!) Here are a few things I accomplished this week.

1) Created cubby tags I am actually thrilled with. I made them so wonderfully that after I made them, I decided to re-make them based on a stroke of genius I had (remember my post on my pre-cognition.) Now, the new and improved cubby tags as so so so so so so so so cute!! I have 29 kids this year. Tonight I will be cutting cubby and hook tags. And tomorrow... unveiling them!!

2) Washed all of the laundry in the house and did everything I could to help Mr. D. get ready for his explorations out of the country.

3) Sent invitation, evites, emails and more to the parents in my class... welcoming, meet the teacher/back to school bash, class picnic pool party...etc. etc. etc.

4) Created cute invitations to Pool-a-Palooza number two-za, our annual staff party. We already have a great theme for next year lined up.

5) Cleaned, organized, purged, arranged, and planned for the classroom and the new year ahead.

6) Attended a 2 hour training for the Girl Scout troop I am taking over. Obtained list of possible girls. Planned what to do with said list-- and it is still just sitting here, untouched.

7) Invited everyone I could think of to the Gold Party Julie and I are hosting on Sunday. (If you want to come let me know). I also picked up my Mom's gold today. I am excited to see how much she makes! She has lots and lots of gold in there.

8) Took care of the very itchy Brady. I even got up early to give him a shower this AM. I will be so glad when this allergy season is over. Wait! That reminds me- his vet didn't call me back this week. I am hoping to get him some new medicine. He is pretty miserable.

9) Checked in on pictures of Henry every chance I got. I (not so) secretly wish I was going to Durham with Stephanie this weekend!

10) Thought about my new phone, programming it, getting ring tones, whatever-- but never got around to it. I did think about it though- so that has to count for something!

11) Learned all about our school's new website- and how it is going to be the #1 form of communication. How exciting!!

12) Visited with my fellow teachers- those who had the summer off. It was nice seeing them again and I certainly look forward to having more help around the school.

13) Found a minute to blog- just so you all would know I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. I can tell it is going to be an exciting new school year!!

Stay-cation recap

This week was the last of my stay-cations for the summer. I had saved as many days off as possible in case we got "the call" and we didn't so I was in a use or lose situation. So, here we are. Mr. D. took days off with me to. Here are some of the high lights of our stay-cation. Wednesday after school, armed with the best cake bites in the world, I met Tiffani for an afternoon of fun. It was her last day to be off this summer, and the start of my stay-cation.
We decided to do something we had never done together before--- we went bowling. Here we are at the bowling alley.

One thing you must know about me is that I am not competitive with stuff like this. Sometimes I would go and roll the ball just so I could get back to whatever Tiffani and I were talking about.
Another thing you may find interesting is that I actually took bowling as a class in college. Mr. D. and I were in it together and we had to be partners because we were the only two left handed people in the class.
We had a buy three games for one bowler - get three games for a second bowler free.
After bowling- we walked around Home Goods for a little while before parting ways. It was a fun afternoon.

After I got home, I confessed to Mr. D. about how much I hated my new BlackBerry. My old BlackBerry was over 3 years old and it wasn't functioning properly. Mr. D. took a lot of time and put a lot of efforts into getting me a new BlackBerry for the cheapest price he could find. And, just like I predicted in an earlier post, I felt like it was HUGE! Remember this pic of my saying what I thought the bigger Blackberry would feel like. Well, it was awful, and awkward and I didn't like it.
I didn't tell Mr. D. for 2 reasons:
1) He had worked so hard to find a great deal
2) I communicate with Keith (My Brother-in-law) via BlackBerry Messenger and I was afraid if I didn't have it- I would lose that connection.

Anyway, I did finally tell Mr. D. and he said I was still in my return period- and that he was sure Keith would still communicate with me and send me pics of Henry. So, we took it back and got a a new phone which I absolutely LOVE!! You see- for me, a phone isn't a luxury, but a necessity. We are waiting on a call about our baby and I have to be able to take that call. So, now I am happy- and even though I was worried about the extra initial cost of the new phone, Mr. D. sold my old phone on some internet cell phone site- and made more than the extra money that we spent on the new phone. Just another reason why HE ROCKS!
Oh, and double bonus, Keith and I talked for a half an hour last night and have made a new communication plan... another reason HE ROCKS as well.


Here is something I got from Granny's that I took the time to put out this weekend. I thought it was so cute and the perfect about of threads I need for hemming and mending (not that I do much of either).
And this is something else I had time to put out- and I absolutely love them.
He must be something special- because I can't stand to have anything on my refrigerator. Mr. D. bought 2 magnets in 2007 for us to use. Honestly, I can't stand anything to be cluttering up the refrigerator.... but somehow this doesn't seem like clutter.
Wondering what I made for my VIP's???? These meatballs. I got the recipe here. It has over 900 ratings, so I was sure it must be yummy. It was. I made an Italian Salad and included some herbs for the spaghetti garden.

I also made my double top secret brownie recipe.
Maggie and Shane were in town shopping for baby furniture. This is the blanket to the crib bedding. Charlie Anne will be here on the last day of 2009 (I am hoping about 2 weeks earlier).

Maggie went though some of my Granny fabric and we found some squares that matched for use in her baby blanket from me.
This is me and Mr. D. playing Wii.
And Maggie and Shane.

I have accomplished so much in the past 4 days. I have used the computer so much that my clicker finger aches. I haven't felt pain like this since Super Mario 3 came out and I couldn't function because my thumbs hurt from playing. Here is a list of some things I accomplished.

* set up new school email for myself and my class
* imported all contacting into the new school email
* created a spreadsheet of the email addresses to send to our new room mom
* created Evite to back to school class picnic
* sent email to all parents about the back to school bash this Friday
* made 25 cubby tags (honestly, it may be my best work yet- cubby tag wise)
* returned emails to a few people I needed to get back to
* created email and facebook invitation for the Sandy Julie Gold Party.
* added school calendar into my google calendar

I also:
* derfurminated and gave Brady a Bath
* cleaned house
* working in my room of constant need of organization
* shopped for the tax free weekend and bought NOTHING
* was sad I couldn't find something cheap and fun for the first day of school
* had a lot of fun with Mr. D.
* looked for things to sell on Ebay
* went to Mr. D.'s company picnic

OK- off to bed!!! 2 more days of kids- then teacher work days until Friday. School starts back on MONDAY the 17th... and A LOT of things are gonna happen between now and then!!

VIP's

I hope this isn't my usual plea for advice that falls on deaf ears... or I guess blind eyes would be more appropriate. Anyway, I have a few VIP's coming tomorrow to a late lunch/early dinner type meal. I am at a loss as to what to make. Anyone have suggestions.... anyone ever eaten anything I have made that you think was the bomb and I should totally make that... anyone have a new idea... anyone reading.... anyone .... anyone.....

salads galore

Last night, I made two salads. One was Meredith's famous Corn and Tomato salad and the other was this:
Baby Blue Salad

Salad

* 3/4 pound mixed salad greens
* Balsamic Vinaigrette
* 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
* 2 oranges, peeled and cut into thin slices
* 1 pint strawberries, quartered
* Sweet-and-Spicy Pecans

DRESSING

* 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* 2 small shallots, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 cup olive oil


Whisk together first 7 ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil.





PECANS

* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 cup warm water
* 1 cup pecan halves
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper



Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and warm water until sugar dissolves. Add pecans, and soak 10 minutes. Drain, discarding syrup.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, chili powder, and red pepper. Add pecans, tossing to coat. Place pecans on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once.

fabric organized.. CHECK!

This weekend, I started working on getting some things organized. As you may have read, my sweet Aunt Patsy is working with me to make ABC quilts for my Granny's great grandchildren. I brought home some fabric to begin cutting out the letters. I figured this is something I could do along and along and eventually it would be done. However, it is way down on the priority list at this very moment. I am still waiting on pictures of the boy's (Mike and Shane) blankets. The reason I am wanting pictures is that I found some of the fabric in my blanket- and I am planning to use that in my child(ren?)'s blanket. I think I have found some in Kim's as well. I thought it would be neat if I could put a little of the original blanket in everyone's child's blanket. So, anyway- we just found out Shane and Maggie are having a GIRL!! Whoo- Hoo. That means that I need to check out some more girly fabrics next time I am at Granny's. Here is a picture of my quilt.... and then a picture of Kim's.

Here is the fabric we have gathered so far ....



The next two are fabrics that Kate and I have been hoarding...

This fabric is actually a dress. The fabric is a fabric that my Uncle Kenny gave to my Aunt Patsy when they were dating and she made a dress out of it. We are putting it in her grandchildren's quilts.


On a side note, and a bonus to anyone still reading this long post. I found this picture of myself at Granny's. I brought it home and put it on Mr. D.'s night stand as a joke. It is still there and I laugh every time I look at it. It never stops being funny to me!!

Sunday sit down and catch up

I am taking a few moments to sit down, upload pictures from my camera and catch up with all of my dear readers. First off, look at the BEAUTIFUL present. It is for Tiffani. She has had a really crap-tacular weekend and I found the perfect gift to cheer her up. I found it in Mr. D.'s goodwill pile from where he cleaned out a closet. I gift wrapped it right on up... I wonder how long it will take Tiffani's curiosity to get the best of her and she will come and get her prize........


This is the longest lasting toy that Brady has ever had. Karen brought it to him for his birthday. It is called a Wubba- but we called it a "Wubby". He LOVED it. We could even say "go get your wubby..." and 3 out of 5 times- he would go and get it!!


And then... he got the crazy look in his eye............

After 2 hours

After 5 hours
The wubby today. ...

I was very impressed that it lasted this long!!

Look what I brought home last week......

And, now look at who had to be all up in it!


On an sad note, the entire Oceanic 6 have been wiped out. Canadian Bacon is the only fish we have left in the tank. Looks like we will be starting over again... at some point.
This is my new cup from Swoozies. I bought Mr. D. a cup from there and I love drinking out of it. When I saw this cup on sale for under $3 I just had to splurge and get it. It reads "bee happy"!
Lately I am juggling about a half a million balls in the air. It is almost time for the new school year so that alone warrants a 16 page to do list, plus family stuff, the adoption, working, girl scouts, social organizations, emails and phone calls I need to return, trying to get organized... and on and on and on. On the show Heroes, there is a power that a few characters have called Precognition. It is where their eyes glaze over into white and they paint the future. I feel like this is going on with me. Now, I do not paint the future- but I am having amazing visions between 3 and 5am. I have been coming up with incredible ideas of things to do for school, and think of a million things that I need to add to my to do list. Sometimes I even just get up and get to work. CRAZY don't you think!! So, for you Heroes fans, here is a picture of me being a precognitive.