the rookie's view

A sweet conversation

2011-11-07T19:41:00.004-05:00

Today, I finally was able to catch up with a dear sweet woman that has walked with me for over 10 years. We were able to share our hearts from the past year, and I am so thankful for her sweet trusting spirit in the Lord. She spoke such encouraging words. I hope I can learn to speak like her.

She has taught me so much about hoping in the Lord through extremely difficult hardship, and has that kind of faith that you find in people who have truly been refined by fire.

I think the best part of our conversation was rejoicing in what the Lord has taught us through suffering: that joy is not being joyful about the situation, but it is about being joyful in the growth of sweet relationship with the Lord. I would not wish to go through certain trials in my life again, but I am so grateful for what Christ has taught me through those things. He has loosed so many chains in my life, to where I am more free today than I was 2 years ago.

We spoke about redemption and anticipation of our future hope...the sweet peace of redemption in the present, but the unspeakable joy when all things are made new.

It was such a good reminder, on a Monday in North Raleigh after a normal day of school, to look to the eternal.

Organization

2011-11-01T16:08:00.006-04:00

This is my fourth year of teaching, and I've learned a few tricks along the way. I have always valued other teachers' willingness to share ideas and post the routine things they do in their classrooms to make the day smoother.

So I have decided to post pictures and ideas from my classroom, some borrowed from others or worked out after months of frustration in terrible routines. I hope they are helpful!

This post is dedicated to some simple organizational techniques that keep me sane. I am not naturally inclined to organization, but have become better by sheer necessity.

First: I label everything now. I downloaded a cute font to make me more likely to use the labels (it's truly the little things), and I bought these magazine files from the Target One Spot. In the important basket, I've placed my grade book, contact information, plan book, and observation notebook. Done. These baskets are lined up on top of a bookshelf that contains all of my files. I don't really use my file cabinet. It's not easily accessible, so I have all of the objectives that I teach labeled on cardboard magazine files. I then placed folders of each set of activities within that file. For example, I have a box for "Measurement," and file folders for elapsed time, length, capacity, and mass within that box. It's right behind my desk for easy access. It's not the cutest looking thing in the world, so I made a polka-dot curtain to cover it all up!
I make anchor charts for EVERYTHING. If we learn it, I write it down.

It's really easy to lose these anchor charts on the walls. It's only the second quarter, and I've already run out of wall space. So a couple of years ago, I covered my cubbies with homemade curtains. Behind the curtains is, well, a mess. But it's out of sight! I laminated circles with numbers on them. I only put the most important anchor charts here.

That way, I can refer to a specific chart when conferencing or doing a mini lesson. One year, I had students who really had a hard time responding to text. I ended up having them choose a number and focus on that skill when they were asked to respond in their journals. It wasn't my favorite thing to do, but it worked for those kids.When we're finished with that skill, I have the hardest time throwing away anchor charts. They just contain so much learning! So this year, I have started taking pictures of the charts and printing them off. I have one notebook labeled "Reading Anchor Charts" and another for "Math Anchor Charts." I keep them in the area of my room that contains extra practice activities.

Lastly, a stolen idea for managing Writer's Workshop. I give each student a number at the beginning of the year. It corresponds to their cubby, mailbox, job chart, etc. I despise remaking things year after year, so this helps cut down on wasted time and resources. During writing, students move through the writing process by moving down a clothespin. I used to use magnets, so the clothespins are attached to a magnetic strip. The magnets drove me insane, so I threw those away this year.
What are your techniques for keeping your classroom organized?

Biscuits

2011-10-30T20:25:00.002-04:00

So many years ago, through a long and somehow unrelated story, our friends began calling blessings biscuits.

(If you've ever had a bo'berry biscuit, I think you'll understand the connection.)

This fall has been a season of biscuits...or maybe growing in gratefulness. The Lord has been teaching me to be more thankful. It is not my natural disposition. So this post is a short update of biscuits.

We have moved! About a month ago, we purchased our first home. We are more or less moved in. Joel and I have a habit of forgetting about the little things. So if you visit and still see a mirror leaning against a wall, or a headboard unattached, get used to it. It may stay like that for a while. Seriously though, we are thoroughly enjoying our home.

My dear brother is staying with us now! He has returned safe and sound (praise the Lord!) from his second deployment.

I have joined a new community group at a new church that I love. I am so thankful for wonderful communities of believers.

My classroom is amazing! Entering into my fourth year, I feel so much more confident as a teacher. I really enjoy my job.

A year and a half ago, I truly felt like I was hanging on by a thread. Looking back, I am thankful for that time. The Lord is so faithful, and He is the God of all comfort. This verse from Joel 2:25 has been so true in my life: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten." He IS the Great Redeemer.

On sleep

2011-06-15T19:34:00.002-04:00

"Sleep is a parable that God is God and we are mere men. God handles the world quite nicely while a hemisphere sleeps.

Sleep is like a broken record that comes around with the same message every day:

Man is not sovereign.

Man is not sovereign.

Man is not sovereign.

Don’t let the lesson be lost on you. God wants to be trusted as the great worker who never tires and never sleeps.

He is not nearly so impressed with our late nights and early mornings as he is with the peaceful trust that casts all anxieties on him and sleeps."

-John Piper

Thankful for rest as summer officially started for me yesterday. I will be leaving for Haiti in about a week and a half. I'll only be gone for a few days. Please pray for our trip to be a blessing to the people we'll meet, for safety, and for change.

Fear

2011-04-16T14:57:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am not the most courageous person in the world. I get anxious about making a sandwich. The Lord has been dealing with me in the area.
Most recently...

We got a new car a couple of weeks ago. It's a super cute Kia Soul. Well rated by Consumer Reports. Affordable.

Oh, and I did I mention it's a stick shift?

I don't know how to drive a stick shift.

But this is my car.

So far, I haven't been able to drive it, and I've been practicing a bit everyday. I'm totally nervous about it. I'm not the quickest learner.

Prayers are welcome. This has been less terrifying each day. And I really want to know how to do this.

On an interesting note, it has made me very aware of how my struggling students feel about learning. They are coming to a difficult environment each day, and they feel like they're failing regularly. I get it now in a very real way. With testing approaching soon, I feel the pressure for them. This is my car. This is their learning. It's not like we have a fall-back here. Joel has been amazingly patient in teaching me to drive, and I'm reminded of how much repetition and patience is required for my students.

Grace Upon Grace

2011-04-02T22:36:00.002-04:00

I am struck this week at the freedom of God's grace.

It comes in really surprising ways, this unmerited favor. As a person who admittedly has this terrible idol of human approval, the freedom that grace provides is immeasurable. I did nothing for this. I don't have to do anything for this. It is a free gift.

I am thankful for the blessing of marriage this week. But that thankfulness has come out of an unexpected weekend.

In 24 hours, we realized that Joel's car needed engine work and that my car died.
(The short story of my car dying involves me having driven to and from Chapel Hill without a hitch, but when starting up my car later, hearing a terrifying screeching noise and an extremely loud clunking. It involved me having to take a quick, not crash!, course on driving a stick shift at 9pm.)

I felt like every time we made a plan this weekend, something happened to change it. The cars were just the beginning. It even got to the point tonight where I ordered a salad for dinner (at nine o'clock, because that's how our day went), not knowing that it had bleu cheese. I tried to scrape it off but gagged just from the smell, so loving husband drove me to McDonald's in the middle of the Final Four. And we get up to the pick up window only to find out that they are out of the fruit and walnut salad I had already paid for. At that point, it was comical. But now I have a tummy ache from my dinner, and I am praying praying praying is not weird food poisoning.

We each had our breaking points today. Joel's happened not when the cars died or the vacuum had to be completely taken apart this morning, but when one of our microwave safe plates (we only have, like, 4) broke in three pieces in the microwave, thus rendering his meal inedible. Mine was when I realized a store I needed to go to closed an hour earlier.

But we went for a run and discussed the crapiness of the day. And we tried our hardest to remind ourselves of the providence: the cars died on a weekend. My dad is now able to drive me to work until we get a new car. We had paid off our debt literally this month. But it was still a weird day.

Except for the fist bump when we remembered: we're ok. We've had a season when we weren't ok. And nobody wants to go back there. Compared to that, two broken cars seems like a sitcom joke. This we can handle.

I am thankful for the grace that brought us here this weekend.

Why I love Eve Bunting

2011-03-11T21:37:00.002-05:00

She's absolutely my favorite author to teach.
This year, we have read:
Fly Away Home, Smoky Night, Gleam and Glow, Going Home, A Day's Work, and One Green Apple. I was given Cheyenne Again and The Wall from classroom parents.

She writes about real-world issues, like homelessness, war, racial discrimination, different cultures, tolerance, and home. But because she writes picture books for children, these themes are so accessible to them.

This year, I've read these books to them to teach things like making inferences, deep connections and predictions. This quarter, we are learning about author's point of view and purpose. Really, I love teaching days like the ones we had this week. After reading One Green Apple, my kids started to realize that her books contain common themes. We charted our ideas and then one student asked, "I wonder if Eve Bunting wrote books like these because she came from a different country." Sure enough, we looked it up, and she was born in Northern Ireland. After reading her biography, we were able to chart some facts about her life that carry over into the themes she includes in her books. What a perfect way for them to learn author's point of view!

But my favorite lesson this week happened as I divided the class into three groups. I asked them to think about three books: Fly Away Home, Gleam and Glow, and One Green Apple and to talk about what symbol she uses in each book to teach us something. Admittedly, I was a little nervous. I mean, these are 8 year olds we're talking about here. But I realized I was wrong to doubt once I started listening to their conversations. "The bird in Fly Away Home means hope and freedom that the little boy and dad will find a home."
"The fish that stay alive in Gleam and Glow show the family that there is hope, even when their home was destroyed in the war."
"The apple in One Green Apple is like the girl blending in with the other kids in her class."

They made posters to show what they had discussed in groups, but then we came back together to talk about it. And then, I realized I had forgotten about Smoky Night, the story of racial tension against the backdrop of the L.A. riots. I asked them to think about the symbol that Eve Bunting used to teach readers.

At this point, I should pause and tell you about one of my little buds. He really struggles with reading fluency and word work. Grade level and standardized tests seem impossible at times. He has a hard time with class discussions and is extremely quiet.

But I just about saw a real-life light bulb go off above his head when I asked that question. He shot up off the carpet and yelled out, "THE CATS!"

Goodness gracious, I could have cried right there. He got it. And I realize it was just two words, but it's one of the few times he's been openly successful at something that the whole class is doing. Thanks, Ms. Bunting. That made my week.

A sweet blessing

2011-03-11T21:09:00.004-05:00

It's Friday. I have suffered through a humiliating step class in an effort to try new things. (I am truly the most uncoordinated person on the planet.) Joel had a rough afternoon at the gym as well (praying that he didn't re-injure his knee!).

We decide it's time for cupcakes.

First, however, we must get gas. Nobody wants to run out of gas on the way to delicious dessert.

At the gas station, Joel pumps the gas and, when the pump abruptly stops at $20, realizes someone has prepaid at the pump and didn't ever get their gas. He goes inside to tell the attendant, and I am so proud, because it would have been incredibly easy to drive away with free gas. He gets it all sorted out and the attendant thanks him for his "truthfulness."

Fantastic! Onward to cupcakes!

I have been looking forward to this new cupcake shop for weeks.

But as we drive up to the too-empty parking lot, we slowly realize that Gigi's is closed. Our hearts sink as we start to walk up to the door to check the hours.

Don't lose hope, though, friends. This story gets better.

The owner of the shop happens to be driving away just as we are approaching the shop. He sees our visible heartbreak (more accurately, my foot stomping) and hails us toward his car. He reaches behind his passenger seat and pulls out a box of cupcakes.

No joke. For free. We do not have cash. Just immense gratitude.

I think I clapped my hands in excitement the whole way home.

Tonight, I am acutely aware of how much I have to be thankful for. And tonight, I will thank the Lord for cupcakes.

I guess I'm a once a month blogger...

2011-01-24T19:19:00.002-05:00

I'm currently sitting in our newly redone guest room while the hubs plays a video game and I work on my report cards (ahem...I'll get to them). My brother is deployed and graciously sold us his couches at a discount :) We really didn't have room for three new couches, but I have had my heard set on new couches since we got married, so I couldn't pass these up! To acquiesce, Joel completely disassembled the guest bed and stored it in the attic, moved our old couch into its place, and organized the living room in a way that is most pleasing. This spurred on a two-day cleaning marathon, when we finally gutted our closets, guest room closets, and the guest room itself. It is ridiculous how much junk we had accumulated in the past 2.5 years. Friends who know us well can testify that our guest room was more of a storage room, housing Christmas decorations, old lamps, disorganized papers and school supplies. It feels completely refreshing to have simplified our house, and finally we're able to utilize this space well. The guest room is no longer a storage dump with a bed; it's now a den that is perfect for girls night conversations, relaxing on a Sunday, and reading all by myself.

Report cards are due Friday, and if you've read long enough you know that report card season tends to take over my life. I'm much more organized this quarter than I've ever been, but I'm still so anxious to get them finished. Bleh. I actually went in to school on a SATURDAY in order to work on things, and I spend 4 hours of my day of rest typing up comments for my students. When all is said and done, I'll have written 5 paragraphs for each of my 23 kids. Needless to say, I'm incredibly thankful for having all seasons of 30 Rock on my Netflix Instant Queue and cookies and cream ice cream to ensure that I stay seated long enough to get anything accomplished.

On Friday night, I spent an hour looking back through my pictures, all the way to sophomore year of college. I realized that since then, I've been to Mississippi and England with people I had never met, Spain for a summer, Turkey with Joel, and Belize with my wonderful third grade team. I remember feeling very anxious before many of those trips: fearing the unknown and worried about the relationships I would make when there. But the Lord reminded me that He had planned each one, brought me through them, and grew me as a result. I am so thankful for each of those experiences, but I mention my anxiety in relation to them only because I need to be reminded that I've been and will be taken care of!

Often, I fear that I will be inadequate to complete responsibilities in front of me, especially when it comes to teaching. Ultimately, I am inadequate. But I need to be reminded that anything He has called me to, He has equipped me for.

Lately, I've been feeling really overwhelmed with my to-do list. Anything added to it seems to send me into a panic. I'm learning to say no to extraneous things that aren't top priority, as well as to rely on Joel for more help. So often he asks, "What can I do to help?" and I don't let him help! (Today, I realized that with my crazy day I wouldn't be able to make dinner. I sent him some simple instructions and he put together a delicious chicken and veggie soup that will last us FOUR meals. The best part is that it cost a total of $13!) "Resting in God's grace" is a phrase that has been running through my mind since yesterday. Too often I try (unsuccessfully) to rely on myself, and that is shamefully proud. How wonderful to have a personal and loving Father who knows our faults and assures us that He is enough!

Whatever comes...

2010-12-23T18:39:00.002-05:00

This week, I had the stomach bug on Monday. I am so thankful for the teachers who helped me out so I could do a whole lot of sitting during the day. A wonderful room parent basically ran my afternoon party...such a blessing! That afternoon, I went to bed at 3:45 pm, watched a few episodes of the Office, and didn't really get out of bed till 6am the next morning. I couldn't get a sub for Tuesday, but thankfully my fever broke and the day went relatively well. Just a scuffle between two of my kids at the Nutcracker and complaints that my homework passes I gave out weren't unlimited, but we had so many candy canes, it didn't make a difference.

Tuesday afternoon brought with it the realization that both of our cars needed hundreds of dollars worth of repairs, and Wednesday brought a busted dryer.

But today brought the peace of the Lord that whatever comes, we shall endure.

This year, I have learned that His purposes for me are so very good. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Nothing. The peace that brings is immeasurable, and this Christmas, I'm so thankful.

Contentment

2010-12-10T22:14:00.002-05:00

This week has been a whirlwind of change. We had a dance teacher use my room for three days out of the week, so my class was nomadic (shoulda taught them that word) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, we would spend time clearing a space for the dance teacher and then putting our desks back together.

I am not a person who is crazy about routine. I like a bit of change. But I also know, as a person who cannot focus on anything, that changes in routine make my head a jumbled mess of to-do list items that I can't quite seem to remember. Little things just did not get accomplished this week, and I am going to have to be ok with that.

All in all, I'm very proud of my kids. They never complained about moving around this week. The change in routine for them, however, made them...rambunctious, to say the least. I felt like I spent a lot of the week herding cattle. Do any other teachers feel that way?

But I'm thankful for this class. They are a bunch of very funny, very friendly kids. I had this moment this evening with Joel. We decided to watch Psych in the bedroom and make a dinner of salt and vinegar chips and ginger molasses cookies, and I realized that things are okay. We live in an extremely comfortable house, especially now that we have heat for the first time in 2 years :). We really like each other. We're sending out a super cute Christmas card. I have some extra money to replace my Target jeans that have a hole in them. I get to sleep in tomorrow. Seriously, can it get any better? I am blessed.

A first time for everything

2010-12-07T21:03:00.002-05:00

I am normally not a greeting card kind of person, but when I found out that Shutterfly is doing this promo of 50 free Christmas cards, I couldn't pass it up! I think this is a pretty sweet deal, and I wanted to pass this promotion to y'all.

This evening (on the anniversary of our engagement:) we got all dressed up AFTER the gym. The hubs was so helpful in posing for cheesy pictures, and I loved it. We even wore matchy outfits. We are not so photogenic but we came out with some cute pictures, and Shutterfly has some templates that will hopefully make our pictures better! I'm really excited to send out Christmas cards that show us in all our coordinated outfit flory. I am so hoping these cards end up sticking to a fridge near you. When you go to sneak some leftover pumpkin pie this holiday season, our smiling faces will be greeting you warmly.

Here are some of my favorite choices:

How cute are these?

If I were you, I'd head on over to Shutterfly and take advantage of these cute cards.
You can browse photo card templates here, regular Christmas cards here, or New Year's invitations here.
There are hundreds of choices, so make sure you set aside some time for browsing.

A pay-off

2010-11-24T09:28:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, our IRT told us in a meeting that kids need to see things 5-7 times before they actually retain the information. While I know repetition is so important, this number has stuck with me since then.

Enter my most recent "AHA" moment in teaching.

The problem: The majority of my students could not figure out, from a word problem, how to divide. For example, I would give them this word problem: Maria has 36 pieces of candy. She wants to give them to 9 friends. If she gives each friend the same amount, how many pieces of candy will each friend receive?

They had a lot of trouble figuring out the operation, and then writing the division number sentence correctly. Mostly, they would just quit when they saw a word problem.

The solution: For 5 straight days, I gave my whole class a division word problem for morning work. They couldn't go on to the next assignment until they had correctly solved the word problem. That means that I had a conference with each individual kid every single day on their problem solving skills. Morning work has been taking forever!

The pay-off: All but TWO of my kids passed the multiplication/division test last week!
Bonus: This was a two-day week, so it was not worth anything to begin a new math objective. Therefore, we gave our classes 4 pretty difficult word problems that reviewed all of the math objectives we've been learning this quarter (not just division). They were all Thanksgiving themed, so it wasn't all boring :) I had an intervention teacher in my room on Monday during math, and at the end, she commented how my students were really attacking the word problems. NONE of my kids got visibly frustrated, even when they had to spend the whole period on one problem.

The lesson: Morning work should be taking about 30 minutes, and up until this point, I've been pretty strict about this schedule. But since I decided to spend as much time as it took until they "got it", my kids were able to apply problem solving strategies to really difficult word problems, which is something they weren't willing to do before.

Sick day

2010-11-05T12:21:00.002-04:00

There's been a fatigue-inducing cold swirling around our house this week, so I'm home sick for the day. My plans for today at school were to make landforms with play-doh, use Google Earth, have a good family meeting...but colds always settle in my throat, and yesterday I just lost my voice. It's pretty tough to manage kids without a voice. That and a tummy ache were enough for me to take the day off. I'm so glad I did, although I always feel a twinge of guilt when I take the day off. But... I got to sleep for a whole 10 hours. What an amazing feeling!

I'm just really hoping I can go out for a couple of hours tonight for Cornhuskin'! Tomorrow is a big day: the magnet fair, a friend in town for the weekend, and Meredith's birthday! Praying that I can shake this dumb cold and get back to busy-ness :)

A very lazy weekend

2010-10-31T15:05:00.002-04:00

I am terrible about taking pictures. Sorry guys. Maybe when I have kids, I'll have something cute to photograph. But my adventures are rarely worthy of a picture. So you just get the written synopsis.

A recap of life lately:

We went to the fair...twice.
This is THE LIST of food that we ate (together). We also always include bites of food, regardless of whether or not we bought the food ourselves. Thankful for friends that share :)

Day 1:
-Hand dipped corn dogs
-Fried pecan pie
-Fried honey bun
-Pizza
-Farmer's Market biscuit
-Ribbon fries
-Red velvet candy apple
-Funnel cake
-The Krispy Kreme burger (no regrets)

Day 2:
-Roasted corn
-Fried oreos
-Bloomin' onion
-Fried cookie dough
-Apple pie candy apple
-Kettle corn
-NC State ice cream

Needless to say, we do not ride the rides. Not only are we a bit scared of things assembled in a week that hurtle you into the air, but our tummies hurt enough after all that food.

In school, the quarter just ended. Sorry for all the assessments, kids. I'm pretty proud of myself this year-half of my conferences are already scheduled and all my grades are finished! Unfortunately, I couldn't log in to type my report cards this weekend, so I'll have to work extra hard at work this week to finish them. I also started a word work program I've been meaning to start for 2 years! FINALLY :)

This weekend, we started off by watching Hocus Pocus with some friends (thanks, Kornegays!) Scary movies and I do not get along. I used to try to watch them with friends, but in the past couple of years I've realized that it's just not worth it for me. I am generally disturbed by trying to be entertained by evil things, not to mention the fact that I'm jumpy for days after watching a scary movie. So I'm thankful for friends that are willing to watch a old kids movie on Halloween!

Yesterday we visited the farmer's market, ate a delicious meal from Whole Foods (and then regretted how ridiculously expensive it was) and I baked some lemon-pistachio cookies. We spent the rest of the day sleeping or lounging. Man, was it nice.

Today, I returned to helping out in the nursery! It's been a few months since I've been in the nursery, and of course it made me have some baby fever. Thankfully, I can satisfy that with holding some super cute babies a couple of times a month :)

I'm excited about:
1) my favorite unit to teach starting this week!
2) the holidays are right around the corner
3) I can wear my boots consistently.

Hitting a Wall

2010-10-08T20:30:00.002-04:00

Well, it's October 8. I started school on August 17. I genuinely enjoy this class. Really, I do. But today, I hit a wall. Lack of sleep + tummyache this afternoon may have contributed a bit to this. Regardless, I'm thankful for a relaxing evening with the hubs. I am also so thankful that I don't have to go through these days alone. I need to be reminded that the Lord knows the day I'll have before I have it, and He's in control of even the little things. When I'm tired and weak, He is so strong.

Today, my class made compost bags. (I drove 25 minutes to Bayleaf U.S.A., a live bait shop, to but 132 night crawlers. I met the nicest store owner in the world. He's the kind of person that would make me want to take up fishing, just so I could frequent the store.) Anyway, I took my class outside in this beautiful weather to make compost bags with huge, wiggly worms. It took my whole morning, a bust because I ran out of time for writing, and I had an awesome lesson prepared. Eek.

I am no longer a rookie teacher. I'm a couple of years in, and I actually have files for each unit. I have gotten to the point where I'm reflecting and changing things. That part is really exciting. I like making my own decisions in the classroom as to what I want to do.
I've also realized I'm a big picture kind of teacher. I know where I want my students to go and what I want them to understand, but I have trouble figuring out how to get them there. So this year I've tried to make each mini-lesson extremely explicit and to informally assess more often along the way.
Today, this was why I hit the wall. I assessed on a couple of objectives in the past couple of days. I had my students predict what would happen to the grass in the compost bags. Half couldn't do it. We took a quiz. Most bombed. I went through an EOG prep about poetry. Near-disaster. Maybe the problem was that it was Friday, or that it was 85 degrees in my classroom, or that I assessed too early or too much. But I almost cried. We ended the day with a family meeting where I discussed:
1) Which problems can be solved on our own (My pencil broke. Where do I put this pushpin? Do we have homework on Friday? I found a piece of paper on the floor.)
2) Is what I'm saying helpful or important? (It's hot in here. Why is it so hot in here? The window's open and now it's loud.)
3) Hygiene. (We don't pick our noses in third grade. We wash our hands everytime we use the bathroom.)

I read one of my favorite picture books, Smoky Night by Eve Bunting. I love Eve Bunting. She writes these amazing picture books that I literally would read to a high school class if I could. They delve into very deep issues, like the L.A. riots, war, immigration, and homelessness. The books always end in hope, and for some of my kids, that's a big deal. The issues raised in her books are not all foreign to my students, and for some hit much closer to home that a book about a birthday party. I wish you could listen in on the discussions I have with kids. I love how it clicks when they find the symbol for hope in each book, like the bird in Fly Away Home or the fish in Gleam and Glow.

I also read Dreams by Langston Hughes. It was pretty tough for my low-readers, but the higher readers ate it up. They really understand, as well as a third grader can, the metaphors for dreams. It was awesome to hear them talk about their goals in life.

Again, sometimes I get too "big picture." I have to remember that they're only 8. But hearing them get really excited about something that isn't Diary of a Wimpy Kid is too wonderful to pass up.

On the home front, things are wonderful. We've been through some things recently and especially in the past couple of weeks that I thought could have driven us apart. But instead, praise the Lord, they have united us. We discovered how on the same page we were about a lot of things, and I am exceedingly grateful for that.

Sadly, tonight we couldn't go to see my beloved Avett Brothers. Way too expensive. So we consoled ourselves with a trip to Target for some necessary odds and ends and a dinner at Wendy's. Oh, domesticity. The best part is that neither of us are upset about this. On a Friday, there's nothing better than a carefree evening of no responsibility and complete lounging.

(And now, I am unbelievably thankful to Christie, who was fortunate enough to attend the Avett Brothers, and who just called me during one of my favorite songs ever.)

Please listen. I hope your heart melts like mine does. It makes me want to go back in time and change the month of my wedding.

Recent outings and readings and and and.

2010-09-18T08:22:00.005-04:00

Our date to the Rose Garden on Labor Day. Sometimes when I take pictures, I cut off the top of Joel's head.

Somebody's been working out.

Cheesin'.

Date night at Caribou. My stack of professional literature is growing exponentially.

Deep in thought...maybe about NC State football?

I am aware that it has been 1 million years since I have updated. I actually don't use a computer at home during the week at all, and when I take my computer home on the weekend, I only use it on Saturday mornings.

School is going really well. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with this class. I am finding myself a little overwhelmed with the stack of books I have chosen to read...Writer's Workshop books, Reader's Workshop books, assessment guides. Sometimes I forget that there are only 24 hours in the day. I've decided to save my novels for the beach.

Currently, I'm really excited for fall. Apples, pumpkins, boots, fall leaves, ....be still my beating heart. To celebrate, last week my class worked with a super cute poem about fall, and we're all wearing plaid on Tuesday. I figured that was a weird/fun way to celebrate autumn's arrival. Friday, we're going to have our first writing celebration as we publish How-Tos, and I'm pretty excited about the scrabble edition Cheez-its for snack. So cute.

I think it's time to go shopping for fall today. I'll let you know.

weekend notes

2010-08-29T20:30:00.002-04:00

Nothing special, just a restful weekend.

I made pizza for my parents yesterday. Thanks, Martha Stewart. Lately, my dinners have been so-so. I have realized that I am not a good cook. I can bake, but I'm really not a great cook. The hubs has lovingly started cooking, taking some work off of my hands. His food is a-ma-zing. His secret: fat. He is willing to deep fry things and smother them in butter, and he chooses thinks like pork chops and steak rather than lean turkey and chicken. I close my eyes to pretend that the food is healthy. I refuse to believe the calories count when your husband makes dinner.

Thankfully, my husband is also a fabulous personal trainer, so we headed off to the gym after lunch. I am never excited about going to the gym, but since we've been working out fairly consistently for the past few months, I can see some great changes. I feel a lot healthier, and it's helping our marriage because we're interested in this together.

Today, I think my body realized the Lord set aside this day to be a day of rest. I am completely exhausted. I barely woke up for church, and have had zero energy all day.

Our pastor included a story of a teacher who specially touched a student's life, a boy who had lost his mother to cancer. I realize the story was one often included in email forwards, but I could not help the waterworks. I love a good teacher story. I've seen all the movies. It doesn't matter how cheesy the plot is, how terrible the acting, how predictable the ending: if it's an inspirational tale of a teacher reaching out to her students, I will cry. Every. Single. Time.

It's 8:42. I'm going to bed.

Happy first week of school!

2010-08-27T18:54:00.005-04:00

I have never been pregnant, but I am comparing the first week of school to preparing for the baby and then taking care of him. I spent so much of August working on school stuff, and when August 25 rolled around, I realized the work had just begun.

The difficult part about the first day of school is the fact that my third graders come in, for all intents and purposes, as second graders. And second graders who have had two months off. I just forget, is all. I forget that they need to be taught how to sharpen a pencil, and where to keep their markers, and to wash their hands each time they go to the bathroom. I forget that they don't know me, they don't think I'm funny, they are terrified of third grade, and they are definitely not independent students.

I also really miss my kids from last year. I knew them so well, and when they come back to hug me before they head on to the big fourth grade, my heart just melts.

I'll be honest, it's hard to like this new group of kids on the first day.

Day two is a little easier. I've introduced all of my procedures, but they don't remember a single one. I spend a lot of our morning repeating instructions. Over and over. "Please remember to raise your hand." "Remember, your homework folder goes in your bookbag at the end of each day." "We're quiet in the hallway, don't forget!"

Of course, I forgot to turn in those forms to the office...again.

But today, today was different.

Today, I started teaching. I got into some actual content. I set up my reader's and writer's workshop. They worked on some real math. I did running records. I finally got my head above water, and during my planning period, I read through the surveys I had parents fill out during Open House.

I loved their answers. Reading through the responses, I was reminded how special these little guys are to their moms and dads. I loved hearing what they're interested in, and how parents ask me to deal with discipline issues ("no dessert works!"). "We're big goofs at home." "He's very close to his family."

Yesterday, we drafted a "Promise to Each Other." It's a little cheesy, but straight out of Debbie Miller's Reading with Meaning, and she's pretty much amazing.This morning, I woke up early to get vanilla wafers and animal crackers. I got to school early, cut some butcher paper and taped a border around the paper. Before lunch, we had a "signing ceremony." I played Jack Johnson's "With My Own Two Hands" and we snacked while the kids went up, one at a time. Later, I almost fell on my face, standing on a table to tack the promise on the wall.

At the end of the day, we had our first family meeting. They complimented each other, wrestled when I turned my back, and danced to our pack- up song at the end of the day.

All in all, a great first week.

Need grocery help!

2010-08-15T10:23:00.002-04:00

I know so many of you are coupon masters! I talked with a good friend yesterday (Thanks Mary Kate) and am so inspired again to figure out this grocery thing. The thought of being able to save hundreds is so exciting...but I'm really unsure with how to get started.
Here are my concerns:
1) Does anyone have a coupon for the Sunday paper? Or do you know how I can find one?
2) Do you shop at one grocery store a week? I doubt I have time to shop at more than Target and one other store...I definitely don't want to store hop!
3) Do you still eat healthy foods?
4) How long did it take you to really start saving money?
5) How did you organize all your coupons? And where do you get them?

Please help!!

Here are things from tonight:

2010-08-11T21:32:00.003-04:00

1) I made a terrible dinner. Really and truly, it was awful. It was good to start with but then I had to let it sit for an hour until the hubs came home, and in that time it turned to mushy yuckiness and not delicious stir fry. But do not fear! I made triple chocolate cookies and Joel ate no less that FIVE donuts. He works out a lot.

2) I've been going to the gym with him a few times a week. Because of these ridiculous things called dead lifts, my back is desperate for pillows. I am not injured. Just lacking in muscle tone.

3) I am starting to get a little bored. This is wonderful news because it means I am ready for school! I made curtains for my classroom that have super cute polka dots.

4) I am enjoying the following qualities in my husband from the past week:
-He killed bugs even when I was much closer or he was very tired. I never had to go near them. I could stand on the couch and point and it was just fine with him.
-He did not make me feel bad about my crappy dinner. In fact, he ate it all. That's love.
-He helped me with so many classroom things and even let me talk to him about boring classroom curtains.
-He always makes time to go to the lake with me to "run," even though most of the time we end up talking and walking instead (per my request).
-He has turned out to be a much better cook than I am. Great, 'cause I'm not an Iron Chef.
-He is a great hugger.
-He will always discuss things like our school system and NPR programs and he'll listen to Radiolab with me, but also, we've watched a ton of Simpsons episodes.
-He always reaches for my hand in public.

5) Back to other random things. I love Radiolab. Have I mentioned that? It's a science program on NPR that makes me extremely happy. You should look it up right now. Also, I love the Big Bang Theory. I don't understand half of what they talk about, but it is about the nerdiest, most hilarious sitcom on right now. Netflix it now.

6) I got to spend the day with Laura and her babies and Erin. And Laura, you are such a good mommy. I am floored. And I am just in love with those girls.

end.

Classroom ideas

2010-08-09T09:03:00.003-04:00

Because I googled "classroom door decor" ideas for days, I thought I'd add my classroom ideas here in case anyone else wants a little inspiration.

Last year, I did an explorer theme. For my door decoration, I found clip art of an old map and typed their names in old-timey font over the maps. I stretched it a bit by including rainforest graphics on the board, and an island getaway theme in the reading corner. We did things like using Time for Kids to read about different countries, using Google Earth, naming each table after a country that we then "explored", mapping out news stories we had heard for an entire semester, and at the end of the year we mapped out all of the countries we had learned about that year. It was really exciting for them to see so many dots all over the globe!

This year, I'm going with a spy/detective theme. I think it'll be fun, because I have many more boys than girls, but what kid doesn't love a mystery? I totally stole this idea from Proteacher.com, but my slogan on the door will be "It's no mystery... third grade is great!"
Their names are written on sunglasses, magnifying glasses, and footprints. For their desks, I made my own nameplates in publisher with the same clip art. The bulletin board will display some "top secret" information and be surrounded with caution tape. Thanks to my good friend Meredith, the caution tape includes the words in English and Spanish, perfect for our Spanish magnet school.

At Meet the Teacher night, I'll have the information for parents in a "Top Secret" manila folder. For the kids, I'll have a cryptogram for them to solve while their parents fill out paperwork.

I'm about to head to my classroom to brainstorm some other ideas. I'm also excited to hang up the curtains I made yesterday! :) To be continued...

The End is Near...

2010-08-05T10:09:00.003-04:00

Summer is wrapping up folks. I know, I have a little over a week left of No Responsibilities, but I figure I should start getting myself in the back- to- school mindset.

My birthday was last week, two days after our anniversary. Joel got me this necklace that I have been wanting forever:
It's from www.hollylanedesigns.com, and I love everything she sells! We had a great day of relaxing by the pool, going to see Inception, and eating homemade potato chips and chocolate cake for dinner.

Joel was also very helpful in getting my classroom set up this week! Walking into that room after 2 months is OVERWHELMING, mostly because I have a hard time visualizing where I want everything to go. Boxes are stacked up and books are everywhere...it's no fun. But Joel came in and helped me figure out how to best set up my desks, reading area, bookshelves, etc. I decided to get rid of my desk finally. I've been wanting to do that for a while, so I was very thankful to have a big strong man to carry it outside! I think I'll have to work in my room a bit to make sure I like everything before I post pictures of it on the blog. The biggest change is that now I have rows of desks instead of groups of six desks. This change hurt my heart a little bit. I am a big fan of partner work and cooperative learning; however, the Promethean board in my classroom is in a place that many kids weren't able to see it when they sat at grouped desks. Last year, this was a hassle. It led to many kids having to work extra just to pay attention to the board, or getting up and moving away from their groups (thus defeating the purpose of the group). Joel helped me set the desks up in theater style rows, making sure every student had at least one partner.
I hope this will work, but I'm a little unsure.

We went to Target last night and picked up lots of cheap school supplies: Crayola markers for $1, a step stool for $2.50 and a mirror so I can see the "blind spots" in my classroom for $5. Not too bad.

This summer, I haven't gotten as much done as I had originally anticipated. But I am thankful for so many things. I have loved every minute of this break...I feel refreshed and renewed. I have had time for the things I've neglected, especially going to the gym. I haven't really lost weight, but I feel a lot healthier having gone most days to work out. I've been able to read a couple of books. I thought I'd feel bored midway through the summer, and Joel and I both thought we'd get sick of each other after a while. Neither of those things have happened, to my delight. We are very, very thankful for our time together and haven't taken a second of it for granted. Who knows the next opportunity we'll have for 2 months of quality time? I apologize to those of you who have gagged during this paragraph :)

Keep checking for classroom pictures!

Happy Anniversary to us :)

2010-07-26T15:40:00.005-04:00

Today marks 2 years.

Today is kind of a big deal.

Joel went out for a couple of hours this morning to "run some errands."

He came back with these:

And an idea:

We had a picnic at the arboretum, where we had our reception.

Let me tell you what was in that picnic basket:
A NoFo lunch consisting of a grilled pimento cheese sandwich for him (sans one bite), a shrimp BLT for me, sweet potato fries, fresh fruit, and the pièce de résistance: an Oreo cupcake from Whole Foods.

Oh baby, you sure do get me.

Sadly, the mosquitoes ate us alive. I kept trying to get "just one more picture" and quit when we were so squinty from the sun that our pictures looked like this:Joel looks a bit pained. But he's not because he got new Under Armor from me.

Happy day.

Redemption

2010-07-26T10:13:00.002-04:00

I recently finished Timothy Keller's The Reason for God. This morning, I'm reflecting on this passage:

"The Biblical view of things is resurrection-not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater...

Jesus insisted that His return will be with such power that the very material world and universe will be purged of all decay and brokenness. All will be healed and all might-have-beens will be."

I am so thankful for the God of redemption.

I'm not an expert on religions, but from what I've read I understand that most major religions try to tackle this concept of sin. We call it very, very different things, and understand it's origin in different ways. But there is no denying that there is something wrong with us. Man has a problem.

It's always tempting for me to ascribe to the idea that desire is what causes suffering.

Paula Rinhart, one of my very favorite authors/speakers, writes in Strong Women Soft Hearts:

"Disowning desire saves us from having to wade through some really difficult places in our lives. When we deaden desire,
-We don't have to fave the disappointment of a lost dream;
-We save ourselves from doing the slow and tedious work of repairing a broken relationship;
-We don't have to sweat through trusting God with the things we don't understand; and
-We can avoid, a little longer, our fear of what others will think."

I just love this:
"God made our spirit to respond to Him-to hunger and desire beyond ourselves that which is wholly other, Holy Other. He made us incomplete-with gaps, holes, yearnings, desires that woo us to our real home. We make a big mistake if we toss our longings away lightly...Christianity begins with an invitation to desire."

"Given that we live on the far side of Eden and that this world will always fall short, desire will lead to pain as often as pleasure... How we see pain determines, in large part, the life of our hearts."

I totally get her. I get this.

And living in the memory of Eden is what makes me so very thankful for redemption. Jesus died to redeem all that was broken, and not only to fix it but to make it better. That is something to be joyful about, even during trials.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

Roadtrip!

2010-07-24T15:17:00.006-04:00

The hubs and I spent the last week in Murray, KY and Olive Branch, Ms.

Now we are exhausted.

Memaw and Pepaw, Joel's grandparents, were kind enough to host us in their beautiful house for 5 days. We did super exciting things like play cards and go to Dairy Queen. But really, I love them. They may be the most amiable people on the planet.
We mostly loved "small town life" for a week. It was pretty special to drive on country roads, surrounded by barns and various farm animals/crops, listening to Allison Krauss and Emmy Lou Harris.

Days 6, 7, and 8 of our trip were spent in the Memphis suburb of Olive Branch with Tyler. We are ribs at Rendezvous. That was a huge deal.

Thanks Tyler :)

Now we are back in our slightly messy house, and rumor on the street is that Target has a grocery store now, so that's a big deal in my life.

Upcoming events in my very eventful life:
1) Our anniversary is Monday.
2) By birthday is Wednesday.
[I am extremely excited about both of these things.]
School starts back in less than a month. I'm actually warming up to the idea!

[stop laughing. I know, the second my alarm goes off at 5:45 I will eat my words.]

Super boring

2010-07-24T15:16:00.001-04:00

I think my background on the blog broke. So I deleted it. And now nothing will work. So for now, I have an extremely boring background.

Washington, D.C.

2010-07-05T22:21:00.002-04:00

This weekend, I went to D.C. with my mom and brother. I got to see lots of museums, but took few pictures. We did watch the fireworks last night, which was awesome.
(My awesome brother and half of me.)

When I returned, Joel had a surprise for me! He had bought an awesome red bookshelf at the fairgrounds and filled it perfectly. He even organized the rest of the kitchen and cleaned the house.
(We kind of love Coke products...)

The Cutie Robinson girls

2010-07-05T22:16:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got to hang out with my favorite Nugget and her new baby sister. This girl is hilarious. She looks like such a big girl here!
And little Eleanor (peach fuzz), you are just as sweet as your sister!

Laura and Caleb, you sure do have some pretty babies!
Thanks for letting me play :)

Don't hate...

2010-06-29T22:38:00.003-04:00

....but both of us having 2 whole months off is awesome. Honestly, this is the very first summer since 7th grade that I haven't worked in some way, and while I realize I am quite young...it feels like a much deserved break. Joel and I have learned some things about how we spend time off, and it's pretty different. He's the type to work out at the gym for three straight hours and then veg for the rest of the day. I, on the other hand, maintain a constant state of low-intensity activity (tidying up the house, running errands, starting projects, etc) while managing to not find enough time for a workout that lasts longer than an hour :) We're pretty glad, though, that we talked through this different early on this vacation. It's one of those conversations you never have to have until you're in the same house together for weeks on end.
Our current summer hobbies include:
-DVDs of Psych
-Watching the World Cup
-Hanging out by the pool and going to the gym
-Perusing Hunt and Gather, our favorite antique store
-Shopping at the Farmer's Market
-Laughing a lot.

I've been trying to plan ahead for the school year, especially by thinking through some ideas I had about how to improve writing instruction in my classroom. Do any other teachers just get dragged down by writing? I am a HUGE fan of teaching science and social studies-the kids' questions seem to guide most of our lessons and I have a high interest in the material. Math is hands-on, for the most part, and can move at a quicker pace. Even reading is enjoyable, because students can choose their own books, and I love modeling with my favorite read-alouds. But so many of my students last year hated writing, and I found myself 1) baffled by their writing dilemmas and 2) bored out of my mind with the constant conferences. So I'm trying something new this year, hoping to integrate the writing instruction in more of the other subjects that are high interest. I'll keep you posted.

So in summary, I am super thankful for our vacation together. I'm thankful for this time that the Lord has given to rest and relax, but also to gear up for another year of teaching and to strengthen our marriage. His timing really is perfect, isn't it?

Psalms

2010-06-22T19:43:00.004-04:00

I started reading through Psalms 4 months ago. Daily, I'm astounded at the Psalmist's...normalcy. Those emotions, wonders, and trials can apply to so much of everyday life, and it is so true that "There is nothing new under the sun." In February, I heard someone mention that the Psalms never say IF trials come but instead talk about WHEN trials come.

I once had this deal, of sorts, with God. It went something like this:

"Ok, God, if you will just make sure <> works out and <> is always here, I know I will be ok."

It's like I created my own bubble that I thought I had control over, forgetting completely that I'm actually in control of very little.

What I've learned is just how fearful I was of that very worst thing. Paula Rinehart spoke about this idea of "IFs." She says that we so often live in the If onlys and What ifs, but God is telling us to live in the Even ifs. And I heard the Lord very clearly say to me, "Even if your 'worst thing' happens, you will be ok." Because it turns out, the real worst thing to me is that I would be separated from the Lord. And it turns out that there are worse things than those trials. And to me, the real tragedy is living in the "If onlys" and "what ifs." I am terrified of bitterness. Maybe I'm prone to more cynicism that your average person, but I have come to realize that forgiveness and letting go (although a daily process) is necessary to me having a free heart.

And I've learned that the Bible makes no promises that certain people will always be here or certain events won't take place. What the Psalms repeat over and over again is that the Lord is our shield, our stronghold, our Comforter and Protector. He is the sustainer of life. EVEN IF, the Lord is present. EVEN IF, you are not alone.

It's really tempting to build up walls of protection to guard against those "biggest fears." But the Lord created us for relationship, and to give of ourselves to others. And doing that inevitably involves incredible risk. Love is the riskiest of businesses. On good days, I know this. But not everyday is a good day.

One of my all-time favorite songs is by Caedmon's Call. It's called "Table for Two" and it's and oldie but a goodie.

Cause You knew how You'd save me
before I fell dead in the garden,

And You knew this day long before You made me out of dirt.

And You know the plans that You have for me
And You can't plan the end and not plan the means

I highly suggest and immediate iTunes download.

So I'm on Psalm 140, which means that I have only a few days left. I'd love to do a Beth Moore study...any recommendations?

2010-06-22T19:30:00.005-04:00

The first official days of summer have proved insanely productive for us. We went to the beach with Joel’s family last week, but these past couple of days were the first we’ve spent with no real timetable at home.

Yesterday, we literally woke up at 7am to go to the gym. While I was incredibly cranky, it ended up being really fun, and my arms are very sore today. Somehow, even doing the minimal amount of weight on the machines can still rip them muscles up.

After running several errands, including buying some super cute leaf green paint for some bookshelves, we relaxed by the pool and ate Pasta Puttanesca leftovers (delish).

Today, our schedules didn’t match up so much, but I got all of this done:

Got a haircut at Lather Salon

Made homemade pizza dough and individual pizzas for dinner

My pizza (half eaten and blurry): pesto shrimp

Lemon cranberry pecan muffins

While listening to my favorite podcast: Radiolab

Watered my pretty tomato plant

Before picture of one of the bookshelves (Laura, I think these used to be Caleb’s!)

Primer on one of the bookshelves. I decided to finish the job later this week, because it looked like it was going to rain. The skies are clear now, but I sure will enjoy The Office marathon instead!

No way to sum it up, but I'm back!

2010-06-19T19:38:00.004-04:00

It has been a while, I know. Life has been hectic these past few months, and blogging has seemed the silliest way to document all of life's changes. But since I religiously read the blogs of close friends, I figure it must not be so narcissistic. Or maybe it is, but we're all ok with it.

I finished this second year of teaching and was actually sad to see my kiddos go. I feel like I really improved and became a much more professional educator. I wish I could post pictures of the cuties but with weirdos on the internet, I'd rather not. Suffice it to say I had the most precious class of 8 and 9 year olds.

The team I had the privilege of working with was AMAZING. Together, we went to Belize over spring break to work in a school. Our students had been collecting books and school supplies all year, and in lieu of shipping the items, we decided to go! I'm so very thankful for a group of teachers that stepped out of the boat together and decided to make a very meaningful impact. Needless to say, the experience was priceless for us and incredibly important for our kids. It helped them realize that taking action was possible, and didn't just mean donating money. We had really supportive parents and administration, and are even partnering with the school in Belize to continue this relationship.
(We got to read to some of the students during their break, a cutie was completely willing to oblige to our paparazzi-style of photography, we climbed some incredibly Mayan ruins, we met a new friend, Dubsy, who is literally carrying 6 iguanas. No lie.)

*********

Like I said, life has been hectic and the Lord is so faithful. These verses can really sum up the past few months for me:
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD|
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:13, 14

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

Psalm 116:1-2

and

For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.

Psalm 116:8-9

I am astounded by the works He has done and hopeful for what He will do. One of the most meaningful books I've read recently is Better Than My Dreams by Paula Rinehart. I highly recommend it...but have a highlighter handy. It's a quotable book.

********

Joel and I are looking forward to a couple of months off. We love our jobs, sometimes specifically because of our vacation! So here's to a much-needed rest and reconnection.

I did it!

2010-02-02T16:51:00.002-05:00

This year, I set a goal to finally make edible homemade bread.

As you may recall, I tried to make bread last Thanksgiving, and it was so terrible I threw all three loaves away. Joel was not sad to see them go.

With much trepidation this snow holiday, I decided to try again. I took Martha Stewart's recipe from this month's issue (which also has lovely ideas for Valentine's Day-be still my beating heart!)

I didn't take pictures because my hands were completely covered in bread dough most of the time, but I'm not cheating you out of anything spectacular. My goal was to make edible bread. And it is, in fact, safe for consumption, while beautiful and delicious it is not. Part of the issue is that I made it with yucky brown whole wheat flour, instead of fluffy, white, nutrient-lacking all purpose flour. (My other goal was to maintain my weight, you know.) But I made two successful loaves that were quite tasty when paired with eggs this morning and homemade chicken salad for lunch.

I've also made granola bars, biscuits, Joel's birthday cake, and now some delish chili.

Other things I've done over this break: Continued reading Roxanna Slade and In Defense of Food, working on a talk I'm giving at youth group in a couple of weeks (gulp), and bought the EA Sports Active for the Wii. I've done two days of it, and suffice it to say that (as long as I do it everyday) I'll be reaching my health goal. But I doubt I'll be walking. That game has 'bout to' up my legs.

I also made a superbly cute and interactive flipchart for my math class. So I haven't totally forgotten my chosen profession the last few days.

It's exhausting to do this, but I must document it here if nowhere else. I am making a couple of other goals. I want to start running again. I'll run here and there (you know, once every other month), but I want to be able to say again without white-lying that I am a runner. I ran cross country and track in high school. I always came in last. But run everyday, I did. I know I can do it again, I just need some cute new running shoes....right?

The next goal makes me a little embarrassed, but considering I have already confessed to liking Party in the U.S.A. and Twilight, I'm sure you've already lost all respect for me. I want to start reading Harry Potter. Half of my students read it. My husband has read it through a few times. And I'm completely out of the loop. So once I'm finished with this post, I'm going to open the book. I've set this goal a few times, on long trips mostly, but have always deferred to some Clyde Edgerton book instead. Sorcerer's Stone has remained tattered from my travel bag but not dog-eared from actually reading it. I'm not sure I'll really understand what the big fuss is about. But I've said that before (haven't I, Edward Cullen?).

And lastly, everyone should go buy the Avett Brother's newest album, I and Love and You. There are songs on that album that are as a good as a kiss. I sincerely hope the hubs and I can go to Merlefest on May 2nd to see our new favorite band play.

Any predictions on school tomorrow? My guess is a 2-hour delay...the roads seem to be a lot clearer. And I wouldn't complain about sleeping in one last time :)

Happy birthday!

2010-01-31T14:57:00.002-05:00

My wonderful hubs turned 29 yesterday, and we spent the day snowed in. I have several pictures, but I've misplaced my camera cord. I'll add them when I find it.

We had big plans for the day-a trip to Chapel Hill and a evening full of friends and birthday cake. I was so very disappointed when I found out that snow was in the forecast. I really wanted his day to be special, and we were looking forward to seeing our friends.

But we went for a walk Friday night as the snow began to fall, which was just lovely and peaceful. It was really nice to be able to relax yesterday as I just finished report cards this week. I was thoroughly exhausted, and Joel probably slept a total of 20 hours the entire week. I can't even describe how wonderful the hot cocoa was after our hour long walk in the morning, and my afternoon nap on the couch was pure bliss.

I baked him a birthday cake with homemade buttercream icing. It fell apart when I took it out of the pan, but he didn't mind. We had beef stew and biscuits and watched lots of TV. I gave him a video game earlier in the week, but yesterday I gave him some HOT running shoes, and some new legal pads (he does not enjoy writing in a journal) and his favorite pens. He went for a long walk at night while I had some time to journal and read my new book:

While yesterday was relaxing, today has the makings of extreme productivity. Joel was really upset yesterday about not being able to go to the gym, so today he walked partway there until a friend could pick him up on a road that's been cleared. I tried to give him some advice on dealing with not going to the gym daily, but he wasn't really interested. I mean, once you have a couple of days without the gym, it's easy to go entire weeks without seeing a treadmill! It just takes practice.

Anyway, his dedication to the health has given me lots of free time to get little things done that otherwise would have been neglected. It's amazing how "quality time" (read: Lilly's Pizza dinners and DVDs of The Closer,) always wins out over cleaning out the fridge, reorganizing the cabinets, and dusting.

Schools are closed tomorrow, and I have dreams of making curtains like this for my classroom:

Maybe I'll go for another snowy walk. Or start a novel. Or try to make edible bread (so far, I've been unsuccessful).

I love days off.

Report Cards

2010-01-25T19:50:00.004-05:00

While I had an entire day to work on report cards, I have somehow come home without having completed a single one. I've done my comments a different way this quarter, however. I'm typing all my comments in a Word document, and I've completed all of the reading and half of the writing comments. I spent my day actually organizing my grades. My high school teaching husband was a bit taken aback with my grading system.

Here are my reading and some writing notes: And this is my math chart:

I'm so distracted right now with Anthony Bourdain, who is currently in beloved Istanbul. When they showed the Bosphorus and the bridge Joel and I trekked over on an afternoon when we had nothing to do. I do miss it.

Done with daydreaming...need to get back to these darn report cards!

Friday is such a beautiful day

2010-01-22T21:21:00.003-05:00

It's the end of the quarter. That fact brings with it : stress, exhaustion, and a definite readiness to start next week with new objectives. This happens every quarter...I bury myself in piles of grading and have high, high hopes to have all of my report cards finished early. This has not happened yet. I have, however, done half of my reading comments, which is a big deal. I'm planning on spending an afternoon this weekend in a corner of some cute coffee shop, being productive, while the hubs does his amazing writing across the table. While I drink a skinny latte, he'll have a water. He's not a fan of coffee, a fact I find baffling. How he gets up in the moring, I'll never know.

Speaking of the sweet, I've heard it said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. With my man, it involves a circuitous path around an XBox, sports highlights, Greg Laswell songs, and novels by Jose Saramago. But I tried nonetheless to make a yummy dinner, serving it on my wedding china. The favorite: cinnamon cupcakes for dessert. I realize that there are only 2 of us, but the batch makes 18. Not my fault at all.

It's 9:30 on a Friday. I've been in my pajamas for 5 hours. I plan on going to bed ridiculously early. I love the weekend.

I do realize it's 3 weeks away....

2010-01-21T18:44:00.002-05:00

...but I am so excited for Valentine's Day.

And while I realize that my current position on Love Day is odd, considering my distaste for Christmas music and my apathy towards Thanksgiving turkey, I have fully developed my thesis for why I am obsessed.

Here goes:

1) Chocolate . Nuf said.

2) Baking cupcakes (I hope some will turn out like this!)

3) Being a teacher on Valentine's Day! Although I am a bit nervous, on account of the drama going on in my room with ... gag me with a spoon... crushes, I absolutely love making the little paper bags, decorating our names, making a Valentine for everyone (that's the rule) and delivering them "in secret".

4) The entire holiday is so cheesy, there's no guilt in the consumerism of the day, unlike Christmas and Easter. It's just silliness, and I love it.

5) Feeling like I'm 8 years old, too, when I get to make sweets and cards for the hubs and friends. You don't have to confess your undying love or tell your best friend how much she means to you, all you have to do is find a friend, draw a heart, and sent a pink cookie. Love it!

Some of you, at this point, may be feeling very sorry for the hubs. It's true, my love for this holiday does not exactly fall in line with his sentiments. When the display of red, heart-shaped muffin tins, pink serving bowls, and adorable sprinkle sets hit the aisles of Target, my sigh communicated contentment. His sigh, on the other hand, might as well have been complete and utter exasperation. He is, however, tied to me till the end, so he is completely supporting my desire to bake and send cards and generally be a goofball. That's why I love him.

What about you? Are you as in love with this day as I am?

A long weekend musing

2010-01-18T08:33:00.002-05:00

Our "staycation" has ended and here is my report:

We headed over to the Renaissance around 5:30 and felt superbly fancy when we turned on the T.V. that is in the bathroom mirror, but promptly turned it off when a basketball game came up. No sports on a staycay.

After running an errand at Target (come on, it had to happen), we started looking for dinner places. And something about a $30 entree that I couldn't pronounce made me feel nervous, so we walked to the Hot Point Cafe and enjoyed: lasanga (his), a Thai curry salad (hers), and a fabulous server who we chatted with for a while (with whom we chatted-the hubs is an English teacher.) I highly recommend this place. 'Tis delish.

We saw Sherlock Holmes, but I fell asleep in the middle of it, on account of me feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. I'd seen it before, so I awoke happily to find I had missed my least favorite part of the movie. I'm not a big fan of fight scenes.

We had a great date night, but then the hubs forgot his sleeping meds and I had a cold, so I wouldn't say we were well rested at morning light. Exhausted and a bit cranky, we headed home early in the morn, forgoing our planned breakfast in favor of a 4 hour couch-sitting marathon.

Our mutual agreement: we enjoyed the dinner and a movie, but we'll do this again in the summer (when I'm not around sick children) and when he brings a sleeping pill.

But I felt better around 5, so after washing my hands several times I made:

-roasted tomato pasta with sausage

-carrot, raisin, and banana whole wheat muffins

-cheddar and sage biscuits

Thanks, Martha Stewart, for these fab recipes.

On an unrelated note, JACK BAUER IS BACK!

I stayed up too late for the 2-hour season premiere. I am currently welcoming back another few months of feeling paranoid everytime a helicopter flies overhead, but I have made this decision: I will DVR each episode and watch it during the afternoon. Otherwise I will start off the week having stayed up late for Jack and not be able to sleep because some mole in the government will assasinate the prime minister of a fictional country. 24 makes it hard to separate reality from awesomeness.

OK everyone: go enjoy 60 degree weather!

Africa and the Renaissance

2010-01-16T16:13:00.003-05:00

I'm sure that title made you think I was going to post something extremely academic.

I'm not.

This morning, I went with some wonderful Meredith College girls to greet Meredith, a good friend who has spent the last few months in Uganda and has just returned! You can read about her adventures here. (I donned a puff-painted/glittered tshirt with the words, "U-gand-an done it! Welcome home!" I wish I could take the credit for the wit, but 'twas the brilliant idea of a fellow teacher. This is what we discuss at recess.)

After her warm, and loud, welcome at the airport, I went home to make myself some lunch. I am not lying to you: my chicken breast was in the shape of Africa. I'm just sayin'...

This afternoon, Joel and I are heading out for a little staycay at the Renaissance at North Hills. I'm extremely excited. The plan: a cute outfit, dinner where my salad makes me feel like I have a Roth IRA, and a movie. Can't wait!

On a random note, has anyone noticed how funny it is when someone from Eastern North Carolina says the word "Cheetos"? It's the over-enunciated "t" that makes me giggle.

I've been thinking about them anyway...

2010-01-07T15:13:00.003-05:00

I've made lots of goals lately and really don't want to call them resolutions, but Kelsi did it so I must too.

I will learn to sew a sundress.

I will cook more vegetables in a way that I'll actually enjoy them.

I will let my students be kids more often.

I will maintain my weight, and I'll be ok with where I am.

I will go to BELIZE and take lots of pictures!

I will not commit to anything and everything because somebody asks me, and I won't feel guilty for saying "no."

I will support the hubs more in his love of writing, even if that means more time with him mentally "checked out."

I will try really hard to understand football.

I will read more fiction, and allow myself to be swept up in a novel. I will think it's ok to read and not learn a new fact all the time.

I will not force myself to like sushi, indie music, or Sundance films. I will accept the fact that I like Miley Cyrus, and you will too.

Why I Love Vacation

2010-01-03T12:41:00.002-05:00

-Sleeping in. How is it that we function so much better on a 1am-10am sleep schedule?
-Reading. Being able to check out books from the library and actually read them, in addition to having time to casually flip through magazines is just priceless.
-Quality time and alone time. Having the whole day free means being able to spend time with Joel and do my "solitary" hobbies: cooking, reading, and, most recently, sewing.
-Not preparing for anything. Normally, weekends revolve around catch-up cleaning, sleeping, and friend time, as well as preparing meals, laundry and plans for the upcoming week. So vacation is nice because I don't have to prepare for anything.
-Renewal. I love that I can spend lots of time walking around the lake, starting a new Bible study, and napping. Oh, napping.

But...I am ready for school to start tomorrow. I'm comfortable in a routine, and I'm looking forward to seeing my class and getting started on some new ideas.

I have a bunch of new books to dig through with my class during reader's workshop. I also have some new writing/reading interventions to implement that I think will be helpful. And math...I'd love to have a math center that students can use during free time. I have a classroom library and a writing center that my students use a lot, so I'd like to give them another option.

I think if the only thing I'm really not looking forward to is waking up early, life is pretty good :)

Streams in the wasteland

2009-12-31T09:30:00.002-05:00

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”-Isaigh 43:16, 18-19

This is one of my very favorite verses, and it's taped to my desk at school. The Lord is so good; He promises deliverance and grace for those who put their trust in Him. And as the new decade begins, I am filled with such hope. I haven't been around that long on this earth, but I rejoice in the things that God has delivered me from, and I know change in so many things is possible through He who gives me strength.

Happy New Year!

Christmas break thus far

2009-12-28T19:51:00.005-05:00

Joel and I had a great Christmas together, celebrating with both of our families. Joel got me a new camera, so now my posts will contain pictures! I'm very excited about this.

With some gift cards, I decided to buy a sewing machine. I've been wanting to learn how to sew for a while, and I'm really hoping I don't stink at this...

It took me a whole afternoon to figure out how to thread it. I'm not claiming to be great at following directions. How-to manuals often make me want to rip my hair out. Especially when you have to thread this medieval looking contraption which, by the way, I completely disassembled without realizing how unnecessary that was.

So after a couple of hours of fiddling, I was finally able to practice some stitching.

And I made some totally useless... napkins?

The rest of the break has been really relaxing. I've only got one day left on the Beth Moore Esther study, which makes me extremely sad.

Joel and I have been continuing our tradition of watching Lord of the Rings, a very dorky but very fun annual event at Christmas.

I've been working my tail off on the Wii Fit. Joel likes to laugh at me on the skiing game because my affinity for overcompensating is, apparently, hilarious.

I picked up a couple of new books from the library, including some interesting books about autism, and I've been catching on my Discovery Health shows.

We saw Invictus and The Blind Side and I ran out of tissues.

I've tried some new recipes: cornbread stuffing, green bean and cheddar casserole, and caramel apple pie. Mmmm... thank goodness for the Wii Fit!

I'm finally in the Christmas spirit!

2009-12-19T19:21:00.002-05:00

I know I seem like the Grinch, but I always take a long time to get into the "Christmas spirit." I like to celebrate Christmas at, well, Christmastime! But last night as Joel and I were walking through the flurries to see Invictus (one of the best movies I've seen), James Taylor Christmas songs starting playing at North Hills, and it hit.

So today, we put up our tree (a fake, but I love it), wrapped lights around our banister, set out a snow globe and small nativity scene, and even listened to two whole Christmas songs!

Joel is out tonight, but he built me a warm fire before he left. A couple of days ago, he bought me a bottle of wine, and I got yummy chocolate from my students yesterday. So this evening, I've enjoyed a new Bible study that set my head spinning for a while. I poured a glass of merlot and have been enjoying real-life chocolate bon-bons. There are fresh tulips on our table, a cookie-smelling candle burning, and I'm watching The Wizard of Oz. Soon, Meredith is coming over and we'll watch Elf!

Really, it's the little things.

Basking in happiness

2009-12-18T16:27:00.002-05:00

This morning, I enjoyed my peppermint mocha while reading Beth Moore's Esther study. She wrote about enjoying the little moments of happiness, grabbing on to them and basking in "lightness."

This afternoon, our schools were dismissed 1 hour early because of a few flurries (a fact that made the Northerners laugh, but I was genuinely concerned about my last of frozen pizzas at home should the flurries stick for more than an hour). Our Hanukkah party and book exchange party, which were scheduled to be back to back, were now smooshed together as parents flooded in early to join the party but also pick up their kids early.

Needless to say, I was expecting chaos. I hadn't made a backup plan for a 2 hour party being squeezed into a 45 minute period.

As the party unfolded, there were smashed goldfish in the carpet, stickers all over the desks, and oil from the latkes covering the reading table.

But my kids did beautifully, saying "Thank you" and enjoying each other and their parent's company. And then, the most wonderful thing happened.

The snow flurries began! Outside our second story window, big fat flakes were falling from the sky, and a dozen kids ran to the window to see. Truly, in North Carolina, December snow is a big deal! I hated to be "that teacher" and calm them down, but with lots of running over my computer cords, it had to happen!

All "classroom management" aside, it was such a special afternoon, and I'm so thankful for my wonderful class, room parents, and the sweet hugs I got today!

I feel so blessed by the Lord to have experienced this great day with these cutie patootie kids.

Young and the Restless Update

2009-12-13T09:21:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention, the day after the note passing and the "break-up", Alan came to school in an oxford and a bowtie. No lie. Too bad Kelly was out sick that day...

Thoughts on grading

2009-12-12T09:23:00.002-05:00

Does grading make anyone else cranky?

Because interims just went out yesterday, this frustration is still fresh on my mind.

Giving paper/pencil quizzes is a really easy way to get a grade, but a few of my kids are
a) space cadets and b) terrible writers, so those assessments end up being inaccurate pictures of what they really know. However, the EOGs are formal assessments, so paper/pencil quizzes are a good picture of how they'll do on the EOGs.

Projects and other formative assessments are helpful for students with different skill sets, but I find it really subjective as to whether or not they students have nailed down the important concepts.

Our school uses Activexpressions and an interactive whiteboard to "text" in answers to assessments, which I love, because it's really black and white. Because these questions are given one at a time to the whole class, and the entire class must answer at the same time, you know the kid that takes 28.6 minutes to answer a multiple choice question just doesn't know the answer. Also, the program grades the questions for you, so there's no stack of papers or answer key.

Our grade uses all three of these forms of assessment to get a picture of how a student is doing. My frustration comes when there's a kid that you KNOW knows it, and is lazy as molasses for 9 weeks, and his mom is furious when he doesn't make a level 4. OK, I'm exaggerating, but those "on the border" kids stress me out. It's the inconsistency that makes me nervous. Maybe they have it for the interim, but by the time the report card comes out, they've lost it.

Any thoughts on this?

I teach 8 year olds...

2009-12-07T15:14:00.002-05:00

...who pass love notes during an entire writing period.

This is today's installment of The Young and the Restless.

Alan has been flirting with Cara all year long. It's ridiculous. But ever since I've moved their seats to the OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM, Alan has been turning his attention to Kelly.

Well, today, I found this little morsel written on a scrap of paper:

Alan: Why are you braking up with me?
Kelly: (in purple ink) Were not gana work out.

Hilarious.

No wonder Alan hasn't written anything substantial in a solid week.

Some Early New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start my New Year's goals pronto. Why wait a few weeks when there are things I can do now?

Goal the first: Many of you know I was on Weight Watchers for a while. I did reach my goal, but Thanksgiving calories do count, contrary to popular belief. So my goal is to be back on track, taking care of myself. I guarantee you Milk Duds are not organic, nor do they contain antioxidants, protein, or fiber.

Goal the second: Over the Thanksgiving break, I made three loaves of homemade bread that made their way straight into my trash can. Here's the thing about homemade bread I don't understand. People all over the world have been making bread by hand for an extremely long time. It cannot be rocket science. But somehow, I managed to make three of the most disgusting loaves of bread the world has ever known.

I'd like a bread tutor.

Goal the third: I'd like to learn how to sew. I can decently sew on a button, if you like that "threads hanging off" look. It'd be great to be able to sew simple things, like a formal dress or something. Really though, I'm tired of shopping for tablecloths and curtains and not being able to find one I love.

Goal the fourth: Read more. In general. The back page of Joel's Sports Illustrated does not get to count.

What are your goals?

A Day in the Life of a Third Grade Teacher

2009-11-30T17:06:00.003-05:00

2:30 am: After tossing and turning all night, thinking about my plans for the week, I finally fall asleep.

6:30am: Wake up a little late, throw on a comfy sweater and jeans, and make a cup of peppermint mocha coffee. Spend a couple of minutes doing Beth Moore's Esther study and trying to give up all my lesson plans, concerns, and decisions to the Lord.

7:25am: Arrive at school. Make a cute morning work flipchart on the Promethean board that involved a math problem about Buddy, a squirrel. The kids love it. Buddy will be making a reappearance later on in the week.

8:45am: Remind kids that they've been here for about an hour and there's NO reason why morning work shouldn't be done. Sigh.

9:00am: Start a Reader's Workshop lesson about summarizing. Honestly, it's one of my least favorite things to do, much less teach. Ick. But it's necessary. And this is a reteaching lesson, and I still feel like I'm pulling teeth to get a good response out of them. I thought I had planned an engaging lesson but I realize as only three kids are even trying that I didn't. Make a mental note to figure out a better way to teach it. Probably, it should start with me being interested in it.

9:20am: Pull a small group to work on main idea. On my teacher observation notes, I write, "This lesson BOMBED. Totally boring." Part of the lesson involved writing down important words from a paragraph. I groan when one kid misspells a word he is copying.

10am: Read Beatrice's Goat, a true story about the blessings of Heifer International. I have them write down any reactions they have comparing their own lives to the life of the Ugandan girl, Beatrice, who receives a goat that eventually pays for her to go to school. We run out of time, and I'm frustrated because I love lessons like this.

10:25am: Drop my class off at art and head upstairs to solidify plans for math. I spend about 45 minutes planning a lesson I'm really excited about, involving technology and a hands on activity. Realize after all that planning that I've planned for the wrong objective. We'll start that one in a couple of days.

11:15am: Pick up my class from Art and split them up for Spanish classes. The class lists have changed and I've forgotten to tell them until this very second. I hastily try to organize them while it seems like they're asking me a million questions. Get it figured out and head back to the classroom to figure out math.

Decide to try out a CGI math (click for info) approach, which we learned at Meredith. I write out three challenging word problems and have my students work together to figure out the answers and explain their thinking.

Write out a model of a friendly letter and decide to write it to my friend, Christie, about my Thanksgiving meal. It's so cheesy I almost think I should send it to her.

12:00pm Recess and lunch. Thankful for the chocolate basket on the secretary's desk.

1:15pm Take a deep breath and begin math. I spend the next hour walking around the classroom listening to students teaching each other concepts I haven't explicitly taught. I push them to explain their thinking when I know they've just written down an answer their friend told them. The "brightest" kids in the room are frustrated because they know the answer but can't explain it. A couple of kids keep trying to explain to me that there is no answer, it's impossible to find, but I just smile and say, "Oh really?" It's so tempting to give them a hint, but when they finally figure it out they feel so accomplished. When math time ends, one girl says to me, "I never knew math could be this fun." I could have cried, right then and there.

2:15pm. Present my friendly letter to the class as a model. Ask them to think of people they can write to. Accept all responses, even requests to write to imaginary friends and pets. "JUST WRITE" I tell them. Most of them do.

They know that I love to bake, so I give them an analogy. "If I wanted to make a pie, and just sat in my kitchen staring at the oven, would the pie ever be made? So if you need to write a letter, staring into space probably won't get you very far." I get a laugh out of some of them. One kid writes a letter to himself about his day. It works for me.

4:00pm. I'm home and start working on a beef stew for dinner. I've spent the past hour enjoying another peppermint mocha and writing. This is going to be a good week.

My husband, Superhero

2009-11-30T16:39:00.004-05:00

It was 5:40pm. Small group was to start in 20 minutes. Joel calls me on the way back from the gym and says, "I'm going to be late. Really late."

If I'm being honest, I'll let you know that I silently thought that he had lost track of time working out and would miss small group. And internally, I groaned.

But the title of this post is "My husband, Superhero" and this is what really happened:

Joel was driving home (on time) from the gym, and he spotted a boy on the side of the road. He stopped the car, realizing something wasn't right, and called 911. The police let him know that a missing report had been filed on the child, and a police car came to pick the boy up. Joel followed behind to the police station to be questioned about what had happened. The parents came to pick up their son and were obviously very thankful.

The thing is, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. A couple of months ago, Joel witnessed a boy get hit by a car in a hit and run accident on his way to church. He waited with him until the ambulance came and followed all the way to the hospital to make sure he was ok.

When we first met, he lived in Greensboro. One night, he left his school bag in his unlocked car. The next day, a homeless man showed up on his doorstep with the bag in hand. You see, inside the bag were letters written to me on a notepad. The man had read them and apparently felt compelled to return them. Joel invited him in and talked to him for a long time. A few days later, he went grocery shopping for the man and left the grocery bags in his unlocked car.

A couple of years later, we were out to eat with some friends. A man we'd seen before on Hillsborough Street was asking the manager of a restaurant for food. The manager angrily turned the man away. With all of us in the car, Joel drove elsewhere and got the man a meal.

Last year, he was saving up money for an expensive game. He saw a news report that the Raleigh Rescue Mission was really low on supplies. He took all the money he was saving and drove to the store to buy the things they needed.

Joel is just a person who doesn't turn away. I'm thankful he's been at the right place at the right time to help people. He's just a wonderful person, but he doesn't ever brag about stuff like this. Ever. I could tell dozens of more stories about how generous he is. When I think about how the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing husband, I'm speechless.

So this one's for you, babe. You're my hero.

Oven Baked Tortilla

2009-11-29T09:59:00.002-05:00

Joel can testify to the fact that I love tortilla espanola. It's not like a Mexican tortilla, it's basically an omelette. It was my favorite thing that my host mother made in Spain, and when Joel and I got stuck in the Madrid airport on the way to Turkey, it was our meal as we awaited our next flight.

This has been my favorite (although inauthentic) recipe thus far. Just a note: I am terrible about measuring things. But the best thing about this recipe is that you don't have to be exact.

3 large potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled
6 eggs
3/4 of a red pepper, diced
1/2 diced onion
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/3 cup of cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the eggs and mix with the sour cream and cheese. Add the potatoes, onion, and red peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish OR a rimmed baking pan. Bake until it's lightly browned-about 20 minutes? It could be less, or more. Just keep checking it.

My favorite things to add to this are ham or chorizo, or leave out the red peppers. It's a yummy breakfast and it's really good on a baguette. Mmm...

So many leftovers... (and a recipe)

2009-11-29T09:47:00.002-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. I started the day by waking up early, enjoying coffee and Beth Moore's Esther study, and doing yoga that was on FitTV (my new favorite thing).

I was preparing for what would prove to be a whirlwind next few days!

My brother came over early and, since we are Peruvian and don't have huge family traditions related to Thanksgiving, we made Spanish tapas...13, to be exact.
My favorite was oven-baked tortilla espanola, and I'm going to post that recipe after this.

My parents came over and we stuffed ourselves silly with prosciutto wrapped asparagus, sundried tomato pizza, chorizo, melon, and artichoke salad, and olive and cheese empanadas. It was way fancier than anything I've ever made, but my brother loves to cook, so he planned the whole menu!

After cleaning up the house, Joel and I took a quiet walk in the neighborhood before going to his parents' house and enjoying a delicious and traditional Thanksgiving meal. Turkey, stuffing, corn pudding....amazing.

We came back here together and had pumpkin pie and watched Up. Of course, I cried again. It is such a good movie.

The past few days have been a whirlwind of Christmas shopping, working a little, and hosting impromptu get-togethers. Today, I'm looking forward to working in the nursery at church and going to the gym. And I'm loving the fact that I've had a good hour to watch the CBS Early Show and drink coffee all by myself.

Something I'm extremely thankful for is the fact that I have a great class to look forward to teaching tomorrow. In this time of recession, I am so thankful to have a job, and even more blessed to have a job I enjoy!

Thankful for freedom

2009-11-23T19:28:00.002-05:00

So it may be the books I've been reading, but lately, every moment I've been struck with the blessing of freedom.

I wish I was a better writer.

I finished Things Fall Apart last week, and The Handmaid's Tale last night. This one theme kept resonating with me. While both books are fiction (surprise!), I can't help but be struck with how real it is that women lack so much freedom around the world.

Have you heard of these recent news stories?

Women in Somalia

Lately, I've been researching my options going back to school. And the fact that I have options is such a blessing, especially after reading this. I'm thankful that my parents brought me here so I had the freedom to choose from so many different opportunities.

Being married to someone who supports me in everything I do, and who allows me to be crazy about baking but will clean up the kitchen after me, is a blessing. He listens to me, respects me, and treats me as an equal.

And I wish I was a better writer to communicate fully how thankful I am to the Lord for the freedom I have from the bondage of sin.

"My chains are gone, I've been set free.

My Lord, my Savior, has ransomed me."

I'm just so thankful for the freedom I enjoy. And I think that's why being a teacher is so important to me. I want my students, boys and girls alike, to be able to have all the opportunities possible for them.

Chalk Talk

2009-11-12T20:36:00.002-05:00

Chalk Talk is probably my favorite classroom thing these days. The link details it, but for my teacher friends from MC, we used this in a seminar once, but I got the idea from a wonderful fellow teacher.

I used it today to ask the question "How do people adapt to different environments?" I posted some "thinking questions" on the board, like "How do people work and travel? What do they eat? What do they wear? What do they do for fun?" Let it just be said that this was an activity done before any teaching, so I was assessing their prior knowledge.

My favorite response comes from the table that chalk talked about life in the desert. They really could not fathom people in the desert working or eating anything but scorpions. I kid you not, one kid who was serious as a heart attack wrote, "They eat camels and drink cacti juice." I think I need to spend a good bit of time on this. Most of their schema comes from Aladdin, for real.

A New Book, a New Recipe, and a Cold?

2009-11-12T20:01:00.004-05:00

A few years ago, I read The Poisonwood Bible for a college class designed almost completely around this novel. My mother-in-law, a missionary kid whose parents worked in Nigeria, really disliked this book, and suggested I read Things Fall Apart if I was truly interested in reading about this part of the world. Three years later, I finally got around to reading it. I'm halfway through, thanks to the day off yesterday.

Recently, Joel emailed me with this little tidbit:

i figured out why what we want to read is so different.

i'm a romantic. not necessarily a "romantic" in the lovey-dovey meaning of the word, but in the literary-study-of-life meaning of the word.

Romanticism: values feeling and intution over reason
- believed that imagination, emotion, spontaneity, feelings, and nature were more important than rational thought

Dom likes her facts. She's a Rationalist. Those are lame. All they think is that facts and reasoning are the only way to live through life.

Losers.

So now you can never say I'm not romantic. Cause that's all I am, baby

Truly, I love nonfiction. I'd rather teach it, read it, watch it, listen to it...most of the time. Joel loves these books by Jose Saramago and also Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I have read a total of zero of his favorite books. On a Friday night, I'd want to go see Food, Inc. and he'd want to see some silly action movie (wink;). This used to be a slight bone of contention, until we came to this realization.

That having been said, I'm proud of myself for making it halfway through Things Fall Apart, considering the last books I got through were the ones in the Twilight saga. I'm not proud of that. Just honest. Currently taking bets on whether or not I'll finish this one.

Secondly, I made pumpkin muffins for us yesterday and saved some for a fabulous Spanish teacher who assisted me in translating a conference this morning. I make this a lot...it's about the only thing I can make.

Here goes:

1 package of yellow cake mix

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

As much cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg as you can get in there! At least a tsp. each.

Mix together and spoon into muffin tin. Sometimes I add walnuts, chocolate chips or streusel:

Streusel topping:

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 c of flour

1/4 c of sugar

more cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg

(mix together and top the muffins. It makes a LOT but I sure do love streusel.)

Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. They are really moist, so check with a toothpick. They never really become brown.

Thirdly, I have a cough. So do a few kids in my class. Hand sanitizer is not a joke, kids.

Tasty Tuesday and a Big Thanks

2009-11-10T19:32:00.004-05:00

I have a confession:

I am a terrible cookie maker. Truly awful I have made cake-like chocolate chip cookies and burnt oatmeal raisin. My peanut butter cookies are too salty and my sugar cookies are too chalky.

And for this reason, I LOVE this recipe. It's the only cookie I haven't completely ruined. It's originally from allrecipes.com

And the ginger molasses cookies from Whole Foods are my absolute favorites, so I tend to make these a lot!

Ginger molasses cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

I have some leftover Halloween sprinkles, so I may spend my Veteran's Day making these!

Speaking of, I just wanted to write a short note in thankfulness for my brother.

This is our goofy picture at my rehearsal dinner. He's a captain in the army, and has served overseas in Iraq. I am so thankful for what he has done and I just wanted to say thank you, big bro! You watched out for me when I was a kid, telling me the good teachers to get at school and the ones to watch out for. You will always try to improve my fashion sense, but we both know you're the true stylish one! You even gave me your car when I wrecked mine in high school. And I know you have also given so much of yourself to others.

Remember tomorrow is Veteran's Day!

I'm so glad for Friday

2009-11-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

I'm so glad for Friday because this is the first day I've been home before 5pm in a long time. Here are some highlites of the week:

-Report cards went home (thank the Lord) with *no mistakes* (crossing fingers).
-I can get back to teaching instead of assessing, which plain old stinks.
-We have been reading a Time for Kids about Turkey during our reading mini-lessons. Sigh. I love it, and today, they just had so many awesome questions about different countries around the world. And let's be honest, I absolutely LOVE learning and teaching about other cultures so I had several Time for Kids around the room for them to choose from. It was a good teaching week.
-We danced to my favorite classroom mix. I think I posted a while ago that I was searching for songs. I decided on: Explosions in the Sky (great for writing time), Mint Royale-Show Me, Caedmon's Call-Volcanoland, Jack Johnson songs from Curious George, the I Am Sam soundtrack, and Counting Crows-Accidentally in Love.
-My classroom was chaotic this afternoon and hilarious. We made signs for our Belize social studies project, and generally enjoyed a Friday afternoon.
-Math was fabulous. It was challenging, engaging, and quick-paced. And I was really stressed beforehand because I felt like it was going to be really boring, but it ended up actually fun. And it was rounding. Whoda thunkit.

The following things, of course, would NEVER EVER happen in my classroom:
-It was 104 degrees in my classroom this afternoon and I did NOT open the emergency window so that we would not pass out. While I was dealing with a classroom conflict some kids certainly DID NOT lean their whole bodies out the window in full view of the carpool line.
-I did NOT spend my planning period writing a song for our Belize project instead of filling out profile cards.
-My room DOES NOT look like a hot mess.
-There are NOT worms from our compost project sitting in little baggies in the back our room. They most certainly do NOT smell yucky.
-I did NOT leave an important form that was due today sitting on my desk instead of turning it in.

It's been a good week. I'm going to take a nap.

I don't have time to post tomorrow...

2009-10-26T20:51:00.003-04:00

But I thought, it's time for me to join the "Tasty Tuesday" bandwagon.

Here's my favorite biscuit recipe.

Super delicious, super easy.

2 cups of flour

1 tbsp of sugar

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp baking powder

(Whisk all this together)

Then cut in 1/3 cup of shortening or butter (I find margarine straight up stinks.)

Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk until mixture pulls away from bowl.

Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch. Cut out biscuits with a flour-rimmed juice glass.

It makes about 7 large biscuits or 12 medium biscuits.

They are Joel's absolutely favorite...case in point: he's been asking for them for a week, so I finally got around to making them yesterday. There are none left. I made 7 more today. We'll see how long they last this time!

I've gotten it down to a 15 minute process to make them!

Can't wait to read other recipes!

A tribute

2009-10-15T13:30:00.003-04:00

It's 1:30pm on a Thursday, and I'm watching TV on my couch. It's not the piggy sneezes, thankfully. I just feel run down and had an awful sore throat yesterday. I decided to take the day off and not let all the germs that are festering in my classroom attack me...I'm not on guard.

So instead on blogging about my head cold, I'd rather give a quick tribute to one of the greatest television shows ever created, Freaks and Geeks.

I am not lying when I saw I have seen every episode of this one-season, 18-episodes series about 10 times. It never ever gets old.

So on a rainy day like today, I'm entering into hour 4 of my couch sitting, having had a brief intermission for chicken nuggets.

You know, I was really stressing about this week. I had something going on every night. I was teaching for the first time at youth group, which made me nervous. I'm going out of town this weekend, and I have only had time to cook one meal a week so far this semester. Tuesday, after a long day that started with a conference and ended at 8pm (after a math night of teaching permutations and combinations to parents for an hour and a half), I was exhausted. I came to home to find our dining room table spread with orange gerber daisies, merlot (because that's what Kyra Sedgwick always drinks on The Closer), a super cute card, fancy soap, ginger chocolate, and parmesan ciabatta bread. So I guess this tribute is also to my husband. He knew how tired I was and surprised me with all my favorite things.

I just love coming home and knowing that although I have to fight for the attention of 24 kids, my best friend is always going to listen to me. And while this year is going so well in the classroom, it's somehow a lot busier. So we've had to be more intentional about planning our time together, even if it's just sitting down to frozen pizza at the table.

Somehow this ended up more rambly than I had intended.

Here's to you, Paul Feig, for the best TV show ever, and to Joel Orr, the best husband ever.

Sunday Sweets

2009-10-11T15:02:00.003-04:00

With so much yuckiness going on recently to divide us and make life difficult (including State's awful loss last night), I was really convicted about the bigger things in life.

Bigger things like what a dear friend, Meredith, is doing in Uganda. I think she's the greatest and love what she's doing. You can read about it at the light straight ahead.

Things like my friends Christie and James getting engaged. I couldn't be happier for a couple! I just love the two of them and am so excited for what God has done and is doing in their lives together.

She took this picture, by the way, and you can find more of her stuff at her blog here.

Bigger things like the great morning Joel and I had in the church nursery with the 3 and 4 year old cutie patooties , and watching him read five of them a story about Noah's Ark, with some embellishments about pachyderms and such, and he has all of their attention, except for one little one who is crying and has orange on her mouth, and I realize she's chewed a crayon (a crayon!) and says "yucky" and I want to tell her, well, that's why we don't chew crayons, but she's 3 so I don't. But it was a great morning with no child getting hurt, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, praise the Lord.

Things like a great evening celebrating a 50th birthday last night, and us sitting around telling horror stories of our first kisses and and hilarious knock knock jokes (we were all YMCA counselors, after all) and then snuggling in to watch one of the cheesiest movies in cinematic history.

And these are the bigger things because they connect us, and I need to spend my energy in things like this, not in those things that divide us.

Firestorm

2009-10-09T16:13:00.003-04:00

Well, I've received some interesting comments on my last post. It was posted on the Wake Ed blog. I made it private during the day to make sure that my principal was okay with it being online.
You've given me lots of great things to think about. I'm not a board member. I have lots of research to do (which is how I'll spend my Friday night!), but I stand behind my original concerns. I want us to think about the implications of neighborhood schools, and what could happen to the fabulous classroom environment I have right now.
By the way, our Family Meetings do not include parents, they are just meetings our my students. We encourage each other, give compliments, and talk about good things from the week. They even said last week, "You have 24 kids!!" Sometimes, I feel like I do. And I can't imagine my room without a single one of them.

As a classroom teacher...

2009-10-07T20:39:00.003-04:00

The results of the election this week have me...concerned. Wake County voters have elected new Board of Education members that favor neighborhood schools, a policy which is in opposition to the bussing and diversity policies currently in place in Wake County.

What I have heard about proponents of neighborhood schools is an almost "back to a simpler time" argument, back to a time where you could count on your school always being the same and not having to face constant reassignment. While it may seem like a majority of students are being shuffled around, it's actually only about 3% of the student population. Most students attend schools very close to their neighborhood.

To me, this seems like the true motives are slightly more sinister. It seems more like parents are trying to control the populations of the schools their children will attend, and don't agree with Wake County's policy of assigning students based on economic diversity.

It's not a perfect system.

But Wake County is a model for counties around the country, and I don't think it's an accident. Charlotte-Mecklenburg abandoned their diversity policy, and Wake County has them beat in test scores and teacher turnover rates. I doubt this is a coincidence.

I'm really concerned about the implications:

-Schools who draw from a poorer base population will have less PTA funding (which, let's be honest, helps more than you know).

-There may be higher teacher turnover in those poorer schools.

-EVERYBODY benefits from a diverse classroom. I have seen my poor kids learn a lot from the experiences that students who have had more resources can share. But ALL of my students are learning how to relate to people from very different walks of life. This isn't fluff. I've seen it happen firsthand. And it's a wonderful thing that could very well be lost. There aren't boundaries in my room. Why are there boundaries being formed in the county? This seems more like a euphemism for segregation, maybe not in the intentions of all who voted for this policy, but in the consequences of such a change.

I am terrified about the change that may occur in my classroom. I think about the diversity I have in my room, and how students from completely different socioeconomic backgrounds are extremely close friends. I think about the community that is forming during our Friday Family Meetings and what it would be like without those students that are being bussed in from other parts of the county. I know they won't be reassigned this year, but I can't imagine what my class would have been like without them.

What do you think?

There's an election today!

2009-10-06T06:37:00.000-04:00

It's a big day for the Board of Education...so be informed and go vote!

Fear of Man

2009-10-03T08:46:00.002-04:00

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. -Proverbs 29:25

I had three parent-teacher conferences this week that went great. But of course, before they occurred, I was extremely nervous because of how I thought they could go. I was worried about the information I had to tell the parents and how it would be received, what the parents would think of me as a 23-year-old teacher, and even if my clothes that day would say "professional" or "slacker." I wish I could say that this is a rare state of mind for me, but it's not.

And the ironic thing is, in posting today, I'm worried about how crazy people will think about all my weird insecurities. But I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one. I doubt I'm the only one that hopes no one will comment about how every pair of pants I own is from Target, or how although I've lost 20 pounds, I'm still 20 pounds heavier than anyone I teach with, or that the new idea I want to try out with my kids is really going to bomb. It's this obsession with wanting to seem "normal" in the eyes of people around me. And the only way I can describe it is as a trap.

Enter Proverbs 29:25 that showed up as the daily verse on biblegateway.com Thursday, right before a conference. It seems like I'm not so odd if it's a proverb in the Bible...that author hit the nail on the head. Being fearful of what man thinks or can do is a straight up snare. And not only that, the "antidote" isn't to "be yourself" or "make yourself happy."

Did anyone watch the pilot episode of Community? The "jock" in the study group, Troy, wears a high school letter jacket all the way to college, which earns him a fair amount of slack. He asks Jeff Winger if he should stop wearing the jacket so that people will stop making fun of him, or keep wearing it to not look weak. And Jeff tells him, "Either way, it's for them." The world tells us to do things for ourselves, not for other people.

But that's not what Proverbs 29:25 says. It says to trust in the Lord, to take the focus off of me and concern myself with Him.

This message has been said to me about three ways in the past couple of weeks, from various people, and I think that means that I need to listen. A very insightful friend said to me the other day, "The way you're looking at all of this is very egocentric." Ouch, but so true. When I'm so concerned about what everyone thinks of me, it's not really about making them happy, it's about making sure I look ok. It's not about insecurities. It's about being selfish, when I really get down to it. And being confident in myself will create a whole new slew of problems.

This friend challenged me to stop worrying about myself and focus that energy on the Lord and on other people. That's how I stop this crazy cycle. Remember, "If nothing changes, nothing changes," and this is one thing that has to change.

Spent up is right

2009-09-25T18:03:00.003-04:00

The past two days have been incredibly busy! I still love my class, but my goodness, if they don't learn our routines (that we practice DAILY and reinforce positively and negatively DAILY) I might go crazy. It's a serious possibility. It's a good thing they are cute as buttons and crack me up.

Anyway, behavior isn't the problem, it's my desire for a T.A. :) I would love a personal secretary, but alas, I can't hire one. My frustration this week has come from every else's immediate deadlines and the fact that I feel so pressed for time anyway, even 5 minutes to fill out a form is hard to find. Well, maybe 5 minutes to fill out one form is ok, but after dozens of such requests, I just can't find the time. My planning period is spent, well, PLANNING and I rarely have time to turn in field trip money right away or fill out class ranking forms before they are due. I'm not sure how teachers who always "have it together" do it. I wonder if I'll ever get there!

I find myself, on this cloudy, rainy Friday afternoon very sleepy and a little sick. Joel is feeling the same way. I came home and ate french fries. And I don't feel a lick of guilt.

This is our date night and this is our schedule:

Catching up on the Office, Community, and Glee.
Eating lots of comfort food.
Falling asleep when most people are heading out on Friday night.

Roxanna Slade

2009-09-23T20:48:00.002-04:00

Joel and I went on a mini-date to Quail Ridge Books the other day. We totally splurged, but who can resist with the GREAT sale they had going?

I bought In Defense of Food, which I heard in an interview on NPR but we've both been wanting to read the book. I also bought a super cute, super organized planner which makes my life so much calmer. And then, I bought a book by Reynolds Price. If you've ever seen the Quail Ridge bathroom, you know it's awesome. Its walls are covered with framed autographed photos of authors who have visited the bookstore. Every time I go in there, I always see Reynolds Price's photo, so I decided to buy Roxanna Slade. It's set in rural NC, which always catches my interest. So far, it's really interesting. But here's this paragraph that I just love. I've reread it so many times, I couldn't resist posting it:

" Life, in the world I occupy, is an adequate blessing-whatever pain may bear down on me from the skies or elsewhere...I would be a person who worked at proving, to however few doubters through the hardest times or easy days, that the actual world is worth all your strength. Never hold back a cent of all you own and bear inside you, spend it all, die empty-handed. Any trace of stinginess is worse than dying young."

I haven't posted in a while because I've been so darn busy, and in my mind I've been turning this notion of being poured out to those around me. I feel like the Lord has put this burden on my heart: don't waste time. Don't waste a second. Don't miss a single opportunity. I've been thinking a lot about my biggest fears lately.

A while ago, Joel and I had a conversation about them, and while I'm sure I mentioned something trivial, I wasn't being honest. I'm most scared of having anything left when I die. I realize it's a morbid thought, but those who make an impact aren't those who have anything left at the end. They have nothing, because they gave it all away. And while it terrifies me to think of the implications of that, it scares me even more to think of the alternative: that I will squirrel away silly things I can't take with me.

When I was a runner, I always hated how I had this tendency to finish a race with energy. I was completely unwilling to push myself to the utter brink during a race, worried that I might puke, cramp up, or pass out. But at the end of the race, I knew I could have done better. I just feel like it's so easy to do that...and I'm still there most of the time. Wading in the baby pool when I need to be diving deep.

So after all this mulling, I read that quote, and it was so artfully written, it took my breath away. I read it three times and then made Joel sit through my little read-aloud with full explanation (he's such a good sport).

Happy reading everyone :)

If Nothing Changes, NOTHING CHANGES!

2009-09-14T21:33:00.003-04:00

This simple phrase has been playing over and over in my mind today, at least 100 times.

Last night, at small group, we discussed this passage:

Luke 5:33-39
33They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking."
34Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast."
36He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' "

I will be the first to tell you I have never understood this passage. It's one of those that I make a mental note to return to and never get back to. But I am so very thankful that the Lord equipped our small group leader to make this passage oh so clear. And this is basically what I understood:

Jesus calls us to a new relationship. Fasting was a spiritual discipline that was used typically in times that were not celebratory, but Jesus was calling His disciples to celebrate with Him, the bridegroom, while He was on earth. That part was always easy to understand...it's the wineskins and garments deal that was like a different language.

So I apologize if my explanation is poor, but here goes: Taking a piece from an new garment and using it to mend an old garment ruins both garments, because the new is left with a hole, and new piece will shrink when washed, thus tearing away from the "mended" garment. They're both ruined.

A wineskin stretches as the new wine ferments. Putting new wine into a well-stretched wineskin will burst the skin. So it ruins the wineskin and the new wine.

Okay, got it. But how does that apply to me?

I think this passage is about leaving that old life and Jesus bringing new life to restore our relationship with God.

But also, He's concerned with the day to day.

There are old systems in my life that need changing. Just like the Pharisees had a very rigid, legalistic way of doing things, I have a set way of going about life. But I desire a new, full way of life. The things is, I go about it by just wishing that my life would change and that it would change while I maintain the status quo. And I don't want to say, "The old is better," like the Pharisees would say. I can't do the old things and have the new life.

There are so many areas in my life where this applies:
I can't continue speaking to my students the same way and expect their behavior to change.
I can't continue to leave my clothes out and expect an organized closet.
I can't continue my old ways of interacting with my husband and expect our relationship to be different.
I can't continue to skim over Bible passages and spend 5 minutes in prayer and expect my relationship with the Lord to grow.

I know this list could go on and on...and believe me, this day has been full of those areas. But it's also been a full day. My relationship with my students today was wonderful. My teaching was engaging. Joel and I had great conversation while walking at the lake.

Change is possible...but I know that I need to make room for the new thing that the Holy Spirit is doing.

For Erin

2009-09-05T18:48:00.001-04:00

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"
-Anne of Green Gables

2nd week update

2009-09-02T18:52:00.002-04:00

It's the second week of school, and I'll bet you can tell that I've been so very busy.

I really love my new class...they are extremely chatty, but very cute. I think I'm remembering why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place! It's embarrassing to say, but after last year, I really thought I had made a mistake. But I knew that the Lord had called me to this. But this year, a few things have changed. Here goes a list:
-We have a new member of our team, and she's awesome, and I feel like I'm learning so much from her!
-I have been taking time each morning before the day starts to pray and journal about a short verse. And starting the day off like this has really set my heart at peace. I am so prone to running into my room anxiously and trying to do everything at once. But now, knowing that I've tried to carve out 10 minutes to sit quietly with the Lord, I've found myself planning ahead more. I make those extra copies or write out that morning work the day before, so that I don't have to do anything when I come in in the morning.
-We are changing the way we do so many things this year. As a team, we're collaborating A LOT. It's exciting to be brainstorming like crazy, trying to find the strategies that will help us become better teachers and our students to become better learners.
-Although I have 24 students (4 more than last year) my classroom set up seems more open. This is VERY important to my general sense of peace when I walk in my door in the morning. Things seem so much calmer.
-The students I have are diverse in backgrounds.
-They are all very social. This is good because we have great conversations, but it's also a tad bit annoying because they LOVE to talk...all the time....without stopping....eek! While I can tell chattiness and off-task behavior will be an issue this year, that's not really that different from any other third grade classroom! And I'm thankful that my students aren't hugely defiant like last year. That is a breath of fresh air.

Currently, I'm trying to think of songs to use during transition times so that my kids are at least all singing the same thing rather than talking about a million things at once. I just don't want to have songs that drive me crazy because while my kids are young, they're not preschoolers! I was thinking of using some earlier Beatles songs, like Penny Lane maybe, and a James Taylor song or two. Any ideas?

My feet hurt.

2009-08-20T20:25:00.002-04:00

I've been setting up my classroom for the past 4 days. I'm REALLY happy about it. I love the set-up, the flow, and the decorations I have up. I have more confidence this year, and I know it's weird, but my attitude this year is "Bring It!" I'm ready.

Today, I spent all day getting it clean and shiny for Open House. It went really well (my class seems awesome) but I haven't sat down in quite a while. Plus, I didn't wear my normal Rainbows, opting for more professional kicks. Thus, my post title. Ouch.

I took lots of pictures of my class, but my computer is currently on the fritz. I'm on Joel's mac (thanks, babe) but I don't know how to put pictures on here.

I need a new book to read...I just finished Twilight, which I'm embarrassed to say I LOVED...any suggestions?

Inspired.

2009-08-07T22:36:00.005-04:00

I am not a morning person. I enjoy summer because I have the freedom to wake up at 10, have a muffin and some soy milk (and take 45 minutes to finish my breakfast) and lounge around on the couch until noon. (Don't hate.)

Around 7pm, I get really energized and want to go work out. I might take a 20 minute nap around 9pm, and wake up ready to conquer the (sleeping) world. Joel and I have become fond of walking in our neighborhood around the time most people are turning in for the night, talking about our ideas for our classrooms this year. Currently, I'm in our fabulously neat, clean, and organized guest room (and it only took us a year to fix it up!), working on lesson plans for the year, and listening to Ben Folds. Joel has, of course, planned a whole month in 15 minutes and is making an awesome unit that includes Batman (high school teachers totally have it easier).

I went into my classroom for the first time since I closed the doors in June. I'll have to admit, just driving to school gave me that slight panicky feeling again. But I had to remind myself that my class is different this year, I have a lot more experience, and for goodness sakes, they're only 8 year olds!

I ended up spending a good 4 hours setting up pretty much all of my furniture, organizing all my worksheets from last year (no small feat), and cleaning the incredibly thick layer of grime that accumulated in the past two couple of months. Yuck. But I got all the tedious work out of the way so when I go back in a few days, I'll be able to do the fun stuff-decorating, putting up my bulletin board, and making nametags :)

In other news, Joel and I bought a cabinet for the rest of our china that didn't have a home. It was a steal, and when I came home from working at school, Joel had installed the shelves and
put in all our china! He did such a great job :)
Before (note the broken glass...oops...)

The final product.

Note to Erin: I enjoyed my birthday tea in the beautiful tea cup while working today!

Just some randoms

2009-08-03T11:44:00.003-04:00

This is my brother and I at my wedding. Really, I don't have a lot of pictures of my brother and I've rarely written about him, but here he is. He's a great older brother who really looked out for me as a kid. He also gave me the car I have now! I'm so thankful for him, especially because he lives in Fayetteville now, so he's super close to me!

In related news (to the wolfies in the picture) Joel and I bought some State football tickets. Basically, he's pretty excited about football season, and I'm looking forward to a new t-shirt and hot dogs at the games.

School starts up in a couple of weeks. I've got a bigger class than last year, but I'm thankful for some new organizational tools, a year of experience under my belt, and awesome new software that makes engaging lesson planning a bit easier.

I'm trying to have a good attitude about this year. I am more confident, but I'm still nervous about not being the kind of teacher I want to be. Goals for this year include:
-sucking it up and actually having good parent-teacher communication
-staying on top of all the papers that come in
-being more organized in matching my lessons to the curriculum
-being more consistent in discipline
-rewarding students more
-having morning meetings

The last goal is something I saw in classrooms as I was student teaching, but never really worked in my room this year. Being in a magnet school means a lot less instructional time in the classroom, and that makes a 15 minute meeting somewhat of a burden when you have SO many other things to fit in. However, looking back at all my issues this year, I think a lot had to do with a lack of social skills with some students I had. A regular morning meeting to have "devotions" of some sort, going over our routine, and checking in with each student would have been really helpful. I started teaching about bullying behavior and what to do about it late in the year, after my other (not so healthy) routines were established. Last year, that bullying became such a huge problem that it totally interfered with teaching and learning. There were days when we didn't really accomplish much of anything...we were surviving. That was a huge problem...this year I've made a really cool, interactive presentation on bullying to introduce the topic, and I plan on reinforcing these points during morning meetings.

Any other tips for this year? How will you do things differently?

A year ago today:

2009-07-26T23:04:00.002-04:00

We were on our way to Charleston for our honeymoon!

Yesterday was our anniversary, and it was wonderful!
We went to church with my whole family and later went to lunch at Doc Green's (my choice-healthy and low key.) They were wonderful and bought us a new vacuum which we are SO thankful for!
Joel and I spent the afternoon at the pool working on our tans and listening to side conversations going on around us. I love neighborhood pools :)

We came home and watched the final two episodes of Gilmore Girls (don't hate-you know you love it too). After that, we went to Whole Foods to buy our fabulous food for the evening:

We watched the first three episodes of my favorite, Pride and Prejudice. Joel bought me a book: The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles, a storypeople card, and lilies. My favorite.
Joel's mom brought me hydrangeas from her garden a few days ago, and you can see the wooden bowls Joel picked up for me and the cookies I bought him at IKEA on Saturday. His gift is a new pair of Pumas, but I couldn't find them in the store so I told him to find them online.

It ended up being a perfect day. I'm so thankful for my husband and the wonderful year we've had!

Candyland Battle

2009-07-23T22:07:00.002-04:00

I play Candyland with my client now, to practice taking turns and whatnot. I had never played the game before, so you know, the first session I had to actually read the instructions.

I'm usually one to let a kid win, but not this time. My three-year-old client beat me twice in a row. Honestly, if I had just not given my client any assistance on the counting part of it, I would have won.

Well, today, the tables turned. I actually won at Candyland, and yes, I will gloat. Unashamedly.

I love my job.

Dessert success!

2009-07-22T14:02:00.002-04:00

We had Joel's parents over for dinner last night, and per Joel's request, we had our typical summer menu: burgers (which fell apart and became sloppy joes), corn, and fried green tomatoes. I made biscuits for Joel's dad that were made with all organic ingredients. It ended up being a really monochromatic meal, oops!

But my favorite part of the meal: peach ginger sorbet.

It's a WW recipe, only 2 points per serving!

Here it goes:
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. light corn syrup
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 lb. peaches (peeled, pitted, quartered)
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. table salt

1) Combine water, sugar, corn syrup and ginger in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Let it boil for 1 minute and then set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2) Pour sugar mixture into a blender or food processor, blend with peaches, lemon juice, and salt until pureed.
3) Pour into a bowl and freeze for about 8 hours.
4) This step confused me-I put it into my ice cream maker but I think I used it wrong. To serve it, I just defrosted the sorbet a bit and shaved it off into a teacup :)

It's really refreshing, but because of the ginger, it's spicy at the end. It's really yummy!

I think I'm going to try make a green grape sorbet later. Mmm...

At the risk of now being overly scrutinized...

2009-07-19T20:51:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share some things that I've been thinking about over the past few months.

I joined Weight Watchers to lose weight, yes, but also to just be healthier in general. I realize that I eat cheeseburgers every now and then, and somehow factor in ice cream almost 3 times a week, but I know that I'm learning how to just control my portion sizes.

I've also started thinking a lot about where our food comes from and how it's processed. I've mentioned that Joel and I shop at the farmers' market, more for the cost than for the environmental/social benefits. It helps us stay on budget to buy locally.

However, a few months ago I learned about a study about workers in chicken processing plants in NC and the health problems they suffer. You can find the abstract here.

Joel and I started talking about where our food comes from and the social costs we really don't think about. As Christians, we know the Lord has called us to be loving to our neighbors. One way we feel we can do this is to consider how the least of these in our state are treated, often in indentured servitude-like positions.

We tried buying our groceries at Whole Foods but it got really expensive (of course). But, step by step, we're trying to move towards different ways of buying our food and different meals. I mean, I still need to buy regular chicken and veggies sometimes, but we're trying to slowly introduce organic and locally grown foods. So I realize that if you look at my fridge it won't look like the picture of sustainability, so don't judge me! I just wanted to know if other people out there are also thinking about these things/changing their lifestyles.

Last night, I saw Food, Inc. and it brought up a lot of issues that we've been thinking about for a while. Namely:
-Farmers and plant workers rights
-buying locally to support NC farmers and reduce how much "oil" goes into our food.
-foodborne illness
-obesity
-chemicals and additives in food that our body isn't used to
-sustainability and the global food crisis

Joel is totally supportive of me looking into this, and today we spend forever looking at the ingredients lists on the food we bought. It was good to just be aware of what we're eating.

It is really challenging to revamp how we do things, though, and balance natural food, health, and a budget. . Here are some examples of the challenges:
-I love to bake, but I want to include ingredients that are low fat, low sugar. So I bought a "buttery spread" on sale that was, calorie-wise, really healthy. But the additives list was ridiculously long. Buying our butter from the farmers' market like we used to do means I compromise health. What to do??
-I wish we could buy meat from grass-fed animals, for the above stated reasons, but it's so expensive. EEK!

Anyway, I'm just on the beginning of my research-journey, and I'm not trying to be all granola-hippy-wacko. But if anyone else is thinking about these things, let me know! I'd love recipes, suggestions, and information!

Summary, new beginnings

2009-07-18T12:47:00.002-04:00

Our trip:

Was awesome. We got to connect with some old and new friends, and I was absolutely floored by how hospitable our Turkish friends were.

I'll give some highlights of the trip:
-On Tuesday, before we left, I woke up and Joel had a horrible toothache. He hadn't slept all night! He went to a dentist who told him to go get his tooth pulled at an oral surgeon! That morning, I was frantically trying to pick up some last minute trip items, finish packing, and then sorting out meds for Joel. He got home at noon with a chipmunk cheek, and his dad came to pick us up at 1 to go to the airport. CRAZY.

We got to the airport and checked our bags, went through security, etc...with 3 hours to spare. Oops. Then our flight was delayed, so we ended up spending about 6 hours in Raleigh...I just wanted to get on the plane and go, so that was a little frustrating. When we got to JFK, we had planned to change some money, but our flight out of JFK was leaving 20 minutes after we landed, due to the delay. Joel had to wait to get our checked-carry on bag, so he sent me ahead to find the flight (in a different terminal) and tell them to wait! I sprinted through the airport, all the while calling Joel on the phone to tell him how to follow me. We ended up getting lost and we couldn't figure out how to get to each other, but I found some friendly travelers who were also flying to Madrid, so I followed them. I was pretty stressed, but thank the Lord that we met up! It turned out that after we had boarded, the flight didn't take off for another hour, but I had passed out by that time. Our flight to Madrid was really long, but as it was throughout the night, I was able to sleep for most of the trip.

We got to Madrid with 15 minutes to board our flight, and didn't make it. To make a long story short, we did end up getting to Istanbul with some complications that I've already written about.

I'll fast forward to my favorite parts of the trip I haven't yet documented:

-On Friday, we met with my friend Julie who teaches there. She took us to Ortakoy to eat stuffed potatoes and waffles (AMAZING). I am so thankful for that time to see her!

-On Saturday, Olgun and Mustafa took Joel, me, and a guy named Steven out around all the touristy parts of Istanbul. We visited the Blue Mosque, took pictures outside the Hagia Sofia, and went to Topkapi Palace. It was absolutely wonderful!

-That night, Joel and I went out to dinner, just the two of us. We had a couple lunches from sidewalk cafes together, but this was the only thing we did out, just the two of us. We got to eat upstairs in this super cute restaurant, next to an open window looking out on to Istiklal. We got some yummy ice cream and then sat down for chai down a side street near our hotel. It was a perfect evening :)

-On Sunday, we shopped for lots of souvenirs, and then spent the evening with a family with whom Joel spent lots of time last time he was there. They're from the States but have lived in Istanbul with their two kids for about 5 years. They're both amazing artists, and he showed us a mural he had painted in Istanbul- I wish I had gotten a picture. They took us to a very cute park for dinner, and after dinner we spent a lot of time sharing music and they gave us some great marriage advice :)

-On Monday, we finished shopping and the guys took us out for one last meal in Istanbul-and baklava! It was delicious. I never actually went to sleep that night, and our taxi came at 4am to take us to the airport.

Our trip home was really long, more because Joel picked up a stomach bug and was sick the whole way home. Although none of our flights were delayed (praise the Lord!) it felt like we'd never be home. I slept very little on the plane because I was so worried about Joel. My parents picked us up at the airport, Pepto in hand, and graciously dropped us off at home to go to bed. This may sound really silly, but every other trip I've been on, I've always had to wait to see Joel because we didn't live together. I had this giddy moment when I realized I wasn't going to have say goodbye to him, and that was really nice.

That night, my head hit the pillow at 9am and I woke up 12 hours later. Needless to say, we were exhausted.

The trip was amazing, and I'm SO thankful we were able to go on this trip. I cannot wait to go back!

___________________________________

In other news, I'm back on Weight Watchers after a 2 week hiatus and a couple pounds more to show for it. I really hope to reach my goal weight by the end of the summer!

We are home!

2009-07-15T15:04:00.003-04:00

I will post more later...but here's a link to our pictures! Enjoy!

Istanbul photo album

Ahlo!

2009-07-10T03:04:00.002-04:00

I am not going to spend my whole morning typing up our travels thus far...but since we have wi-fi in our room, I thought I'd update a little on our trip so far!

We had a very LONG trip to Istanabul...about 28 hours total. Our two flights before Madrid were delayed significantly, so when we got to Madrid we had missed our flight by literally 10 minutes. Thankfully, there was a later flight and we got a voucher for food. We weren't too upset, just exhausted, but I was happy that I got to spend even just a couple hours among the familiar. We ate tortilla espanola and I had zuma de naranja (just fresh squeezed orange juice, but it sounds fancier when I type it in spanish). I know it was just airport food, but it reminded me of the last time I was in that airport, coming back from my beloved Santiago de Compostela, trying to spend as many minutes as I could in the country I fell in love with.

Anyway, we arrived in Istanbul around 11pm (4pm NC time) and the things got crazy. We weren't able to get many Turkish Lira because 1) The bank in Raleigh had none, 2) RDU and Madrid didn't have any and 3) We literally sprinted from through JFK to make our flight to Madrid, and had no time to stop to find money. When we got to Turkey, we realized our cards didn't work, even though 1) We already have talked to our bank about our trip and 2) They worked fine in Madrid. We panicked a little because we had only about 20 euros and 15 TL, and we needed to buy visas to get into Istanbul. I think the man selling Visas gypped us a little, but we didn't care. We made it through, only to find that our one checked bag did not wait for us at the airport. They sent it back to Madrid...we should get it sometime today.

We arranged for Joel's friend, Olgun, to pick us up at the airport. He arrived with a friend, Mustafa. When we got through the baggage claim, there was a HUGE crowd of people waiting, and all of a sudden, I see a Turkish man, about Joel's age, running in front of the crowd. He jumped on Joel and gave him a big hug. He was so patient to wait for us, and he understood that we had NO money, and offered to help us in whatever we needed. This culture is so hospitable.

He drove us through the insane streets of Istanbul..I was holding Joel's hand for dear life as Olgun sped through the highway, dodging cars left and right. As we neared Taksim, Olgun and Mustafa started yelling out the window to pedestrians to point the way to our hotel. Every 100 yards they'd ask someone and the man would point down the road, or point right, or tell us it was up ahead.

We finally got to our hotel, and the men waited for us to make sure everything was ok. We thanked them and although they offered to take us to get food, we had to decline. We were exhausted. I think they understood and we promised to meet up with them the following day (last night).

Joel and I woke up late yesterday and went down to the hotel's breakfast. It was AMAZING...seriously, I already know I'm going to miss it. There is a huge spread of: bread, cheese, meat, olives, 15 different kinds of sauces, jams, and Nutella :), yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, cereal, eggs, and juice. Oh my goodness, even though I just ate, my mouth is watering just talking about it!

We walked up and down the main street near our hotel room and figured out stuff with our bank, bought a memory card for my camera (of course, I forgot it), and Joel taught me how to order water from a street vendor. He took me to his old apartment and then to his favorite restaurant. He is so happy to be here, and I'm learning why. The city is really interesting and the people we've met so far have bent over backwards to be hospitable.

We took a nap at our hotel after lunch, and met up with Olgun and Mustafa for dinner. Thankfully, they let us buy them dinner, but they ordered for us. I think I had lamb and rice. Joel had some sort of tomato-y lamp with yogurt. After dinner, they walked us to another part of the city with a beautiful outdoor cafe. They taught us how to order tea, or chai, and we talked aout, of all things, Obama, Sarah Palin, and a protest I had seen earlier in Taksim Square.

After our tea, they walked us all around the city, by the Bosphorus, several Mosques, into a bazaar when half a dozen men came up Mustafa trying to get us to sit down and smoke a hookah type thing. I know it's not called a hookah, but I forgot the name. Mustafa bought us Magnum bars...if you've never had one, you've never lived. Quite possibly the most delicious ice cream bar on earth. We talked about education, their businesses, and how to get around the city. I am still floored at their hospitality. Saturday, we're going to meet up again and they will take us to the Grand Bazaar. I can't wait!

This ended up being longer than I had planned, but I don't want to forget a single detail of this trip. I'm already sad about leaving in a few days! Thank the Lord that we were able to go on this trip...last night we were daydreaming about our next adventure-Spain? Germany? Who knows!

I will try take more pictures today. I need to get over the fact that I am a tourist and there are no two ways about it-I'm going to look touristy no matter what I do!

Ok, time to get ready. Gule Gule!

Merhaba!

2009-07-06T20:22:00.002-04:00

Phew: We are almost all packed, planned, and the house is cleaned (enough). We have a great contact in Istanbul who is so hospitable and will serve as a guide of sorts.

We are leaving tomorrow! Please pray for safe travels!

Beach baking!

2009-07-02T23:43:00.006-04:00

Yet again, I'm headed to the beach this weekend...and this time I'm responsible for breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

Breakfast:
Blueberry muffins and biscuits (can't help myself)

Fruit
Eggs/sausage?

Lunch:
Turkey burgers (the picture looks gross-but look at all that veggie goodness in there!)

Pasta salad

A little carb heavy...but who wants to eat broccoli at the beach?
Tyler and Joel served as my taste-testers and approved it all.

My kitchen was a wreck halfway through, but it's all cleaned up now.

I would have started this whole cooking shindig earlier in the week..but life got in the way!
oel and I got home at 9 from helping Meredith move, and I realized-uh oh! I haven't made anything for the weekend.

I spend two and a half hours cooking and then cleaning up the kitchen, but it was actually fun. I was able to recover all my songs that I thought I had lost when my computer died-bonus! I had lots of catching up to do on all my old iTunes songs. I found all the songs Yolanda had sent me from Spain...so I spent a good hour reminiscing about Santiago. Among the other artists I rediscovered: K's Choice, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Jump, Jon Foreman, Mindy Smith, Regina Spektor...could I be any happier?

2 random notes:

I'm not sure if I ever posted this picture of Grace Elizabeth in my hater blockers, but even if I have, it's a good repeat. She's so big now, I'm sure these sunglasses would fit her ;)

Tonight, I love these three songs:

Lists lists lists

2009-07-01T13:10:00.003-04:00

We are leaving for Turkey in less than a week! I am a little nervous because:
1) I don't know the language.
2) We only have an hour layover in Madrid. That includes going through customs. We are trying to get a later flight out but we're not sure if we can.
3) When we get back, I'll only have about a month left of summer. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to school!

I am super thankful because:
1) We actually have the opportunity to do this!
2) We will meet up with lots of friends while there.
3) We have had the blessing of some odd jobs this summer for spending money.
4) We're both over our horrible colds and feeling great.
5) We're going to eat some awesome food :)

Please pray for:
1) Smooth and safe travel-our layover in Madrid, luggage issues, etc.
2) Our ability to communicate with people.
3) That we would be a blessing to the missionaries there and help them with what they need.
4) That Joel and I would grow closer!

I am working with a small child with autism this summer-love the family and I love my job! I am also continuing to tutor this summer. It's really nice to have part time work; I still feel like it's summer but I'm not wasting my time.

This weekend I'm back to the beach with some friends, so I think I'll be back to making-ahead lots of meals. Any ideas for good recipes?

Enjoying summer!

2009-06-24T16:16:00.005-04:00

So far, although I've been a sniffly wreck for a week, I have LOVED summer :) I could get used to this. For real.

I am enjoying:
-blueberry and strawberry season
-beach trips
-having time to clean my house
-sleeping a full 8 hours
-summertime walking
-reading books
-sundresses
-part-time jobs

I finally went to the doctor today, but she said it was just a bad cold. I guess I knew that, I just wanted a prescription for Tussex. Is that bad? That stuff tastes like candy, wipes away a cough, and actually lets you sleep through the night. Oh well. I just hope I am not yucky this weekend, because I'm going to the beach with the girls :) Can't wait! I made these WW friendly blueberry muffins for our trip-they are made with sour cream!

They aren't super sweet, thanks to that weird healthy eating strategy of Not Eating 4 Cups of Sugar at a time, but they are pretty good.

I love summertime :)

What a weird week...

2009-06-19T13:39:00.002-04:00

So I've been holed up in my bedroom until noon everyday, only to finally get up and plop down on the couch for hours with a Coke Zero, lozenges, and Lean Pockets. I feel like a college student again.

Yes, this most recent bout with the incurable rhinovirus has left my brain a mushy mess (blame it on the acetaminophen which we only have in the PM variety). I've seen so much TV, the lines between reality and television drama are blurred at best. Last night, I even enjoyed The Real Housewives Of New Jersey, chuckling, "Oh, those Yankees aren't that bad." Perish the thought.

The hubs has been very supportive, watching reruns of Gilmore Girls and buying lots of Lean Cuisines so I don't have to cook at all. He's driven me to Target three times, making sure to stay an arms length away from me at all times. Yes, we've slept apart the past few nights, as I am quarantined on the queen bed. Despite his best efforts, he is currently sniffling and has a weird pink eye...I feel terrible.

Today, on our most recent trip to Target (I finally bought that underwear), I looked at Joel and said, "I feel like we're in a long distance relationship." The most shocking part-we walked by the chocolate aisle, and even with the shiny "price reduced" signs, I was not in the least bit tempted. Who am I?

So I called in sick to babysitting today and have to skip a rehearsal dinner for the lovely couple-Mary Kate and Jayson who are getting hitched tomorrow. I plan on driving to the wedding tomorrow. While I feel very sad to not be able to spend the weekend with the wonderful Meredith girls, I'd be a terrible guest to cough, snore, and blow my nose through the night with a bunch of other people in the room. Sexy just left.

Let's be honest. It's just a cold, but I'll take any excuse to sit on our couch for as many hours as I would have spent last week at my full-time job.

Welcome to summer.

It never fails...

2009-06-18T14:31:00.002-04:00

...that I will see a student at the most awkward times! Last year, I was buying lingerie for a friend's shower, and I saw one of my first graders and his mom. She is also a teacher, so she thought it was hilarious, but I was so embarrassed!

Today, I saw one of my sweetest students at Target when I was walking into the lingerie section with the hubs. Come on. She is shy and quiet anyway, but since she was lingering around, I just couldn't buy the underwear I needed!

Anyway, I still feel like a wreck, and I'm thankful that I didn't have to work today. Our house is a mess as the cleaner is currently out of commission. I needed to find a sub babysitter for the family I was supposed to sit for tomorrow...anyone willing?

Summer vacay

2009-06-17T16:23:00.002-04:00

I am so like my dad in that we hardly ever get sick when working, but the second we reach a vacation, we get sick. So naturally, today (my first day of summer) I feel like I got hit by a bus.

Other than that, today has been pretty good. I woke up at 11 and watched Sweet Home Alabama, The Break-Up, and Far and Away. I have nowhere to be until 9am tomorrow! Feels pretty good.

Being murried.

2009-06-16T13:23:00.002-04:00

Last night, we had Joel's grandmother (Memaw) over for dinner. She has had this amazing life-spending most of her adult life with her husband in Nigeria. She is such a pillar to me, and I love hearing her pray and listening to her stories.

We made quite a spread for dinner: chicken, broccoli, sweet corn, homemade biscuits (my specialty) and Joel's AMAZING fried green tomatoes. She seemed to really like it. After dinner, we sat down to watch CNN (Memaw is very interested in politics, and at 89 years old, she is completely all there. She has very strong opinions and is extremely influential in her church and home.) As the conversation was wrapping up and Joel and I were getting ready to take her back to her retirement home, she said, "You know, today is my wedding anniversary. 61 years."

We stopped in our tracks. We had no idea. Lloyd Neil, her husband, passed away a few years back. It makes me so sad that I never got to meet him, because the stories Joel's family tells us of him are amazing. He was so loved by everyone, and Memaw still speaks of him as the most amazing man she ever met. She spoke of how they met (she was 14!) and the wonderful impact he had on the Nigerians he lived with and his own family.

I am so thankful for Memaw (and Pepaw) because of the rich legacy they have passed on to their family. Although I am a newcomer to Joel's family, I am so blessed by their work around the world and the loving family they raised.

I am so thankful for the gift the Lord has made of marriage. It is such a beautiful expression of the Father's love, and seeing the blessing that can be passed on through a loving relationship to multiple generations is amazing.

As we are about a month and a half short of our first anniversary, it seems like this year has flown by. We have had to face some challenges this year, but I know we will face many more in the years to come. I have fallen so much more in love with the hubs. I am able to see more now how our differences really complement each other. He's so my best friend...and I'm excited to spend a summer with him!

Summertime

2009-06-15T09:06:00.002-04:00

If you didn't notice my drastic haircut I got this weekend scroll down to see it!

The hubs was...surprised...to see my new hair. He is definitely a fan of long hair, and while 3 years ago I used to have this long, flowing hair that he loved, I think something in my hair changed because I have never been able to get it back to that. So I decided, for summer, to chop it all off. I think he's warming up to it, although he did think I looked like Hillary Clinton in a ball cap.

(I had to agree. We laughed. The State hat is going in the closet for a while...)
Last night he looked at me finally and said, "I like your haircut!"

Thanks, babe. :)

Anyway, we had a really good weekend. We met up with the young adults/singles/under 30s group downtown on Saturday night, and we had a blast. We ate great Mexican food (I stayed within my points) and I'm really glad we found a group that is in a similar stage as we are. On Sunday, I got to have great time with Sarala, who I am mentoring for confirmation. We are reading Case for Christ together, and while I've read the book before it is really helpful to strengthen my foundation.

My brother helped me go shopping for a going-to-a-wedding dress for next weekend. He is in the army, strong as an ox, and likes really attractive girls, but the boy can shop. He is always dressed in the finest, so it seemed fitting for me to call him up to help me shop. We did find a super cute safari-type dress at JCrew but it was a little (lot) out of my price range. And not really wedding appropriate. C'est la vie.

Joel and I met back up to go to small group (super fun) and it was one of those times when I could clearly see the Lord working in my life. I had just become very overwhelmed about answering some deep spiritual questions for a couple of people in my life. I felt impatient, like I wanted to spell it all out for them in one meeting. I also felt really inept, like I didn't have the most concise, clear answers for their questions.
So in small group, we talked about getting to know Jesus, and how the first disciples had just a little bit of faith and Jesus gave them just bits and pieces about Himself at a time. We realized that even towards the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, the disciples still didn't know everything about Him. They still had questions and misunderstandings. I know the Lord was speaking to me and my heart was set at ease. He'll reveal Himself to them, and my job is just to walk with them, day by day, and allow Him to speak through me. What a good word.

Currently, it's 9:20. I planned on being at work an hour ago. I still have to do ALL of my cumulative folders. But it's summer, and there's no rush. I woke up late, kissed the hubs who will still sleep until who knows when, and enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee.

Bueno, que tengas un lindo dia. (As mi papa would say!)

I got a haircut!

2009-06-14T22:08:00.001-04:00

Stick a fork in me...I'm done.

2009-06-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Last day of school...I was definitely not as sad as I thought I'd be. I gave them journals and candy and hugs, but I was really ready for the end.

This afternoon, I felt completely drained. It was like I had nothing left to give.

I sat on my couch for a while. We went to Joel's parents' house for dinner and his mom gave me an old copy of The Sun and a Target gift card for trip supplies. I ate yummy falaffel and a bite of baklava. It was a good way to end the year.

I am thankful for...

2009-06-08T22:56:00.001-04:00

Girls night, driving home at 10:15 (too late for a workday)-beautiful moonlight-coming home to my husband who is making fried green tomatoes. It spells like Spain. I think it's the olive oil and the night air. 2 more days of school. Turkey-you're a month away!

Sunday thoughts

2009-06-07T15:34:00.003-04:00

-I woke up with two thoughts in my head this morning:
1) The creepy urban legends Joel and I were trading last night. I'm WAY sensitive about scary movies, stories, etc. but for some reason we started telling them. Joel was very good and didn't try to scare me at home (which would have been extremely easy). I just have a crazy imagination. Well, we woke up and the sound was on on our TV...creeptastic. We figured the power surged but it was still really spooky.
2) Praying that I have joy next year about going to school. This one is still consuming my thoughts today, so here goes:

As I look back on the year, I can't help but end with extremely mixed emotions.
I feel like there are some things I did well. I sought a lot of advice and assistance (maybe too much). I took initiative in some aspects of teaching. I do feel like I taught my kids to look at the greater world through reading lots of books and often using GoogleEarth. We talked about misconceptions and stereotypes often. I think I did show them how to think about other cultures and desire to learn more about them. We also spent a lot of time discussing bullying and how to defend victims.
I gave choices in my class and made it clear to students that their behavior dictates the activities we do in class. Sometimes I'd even give two choices: 1) Using math manipulatives, playing games, using technology to explore different things, etc. or 2) worksheets, textbooks, etc. If a student kept messing around, I would take away whatever engaging thing we were working on and give a boring worksheet.
I had a really interesting class with some high achievers, independent thinkers, and yes, some class clowns. I do thank the Lord for the privilege of teaching them. I also had some fabulous parents in the room.

However, there are so many things I want to change about next year. I regret a lot of ways I dealt with behavior at the beginning of the year. I overreacted a lot and underestimated the behavior issues I'd have. I want to have more calm conversations with my students and less power struggles. I want to be able to prioritize issues better.
I want to be far more organized and better planned. I want to differentiate my instruction a lot more as I think it would have helped some of the behavior issues I had in my room. I want to leave more at school and take less home. I want to change my classroom set-up. I want to give many more choices and hold students more responsbible for their behavior. I feel like I wasn't as "with-it" this year as I needed to be, and I did get walked all over at times. I want to have better communication with parents and document things more. I want to amp up my reading instruction and have more assessment guided instruction.
I want to be less forgetful, more intentional, and take more initiative. I want to integrate objectives in order to give more meaningful and richer instruction. I want to use technology more but teach how to use it responsibly so it's not a pain in my neck.

But more than anything, I want to receive the Fruits of the Spirit daily, I want to show the Lord's love and mercy and kindness to everyone around me. As I look back on the year, I see so many ways in which I have fallen short of that. I doubt I really was a loving teacher and coworker this year.

I am humbled as I look back and thankful for the Lord's kindness in letting me have another year to teach these students. I know that I cannot be the perfect teacher, but I do know that I tried this year. I know that I grew as a person and professional and I am very thankful that the Lord hasn't given up on me yet.

In other news: exactly one month until we leave for Istanbul!

End of year survey

2009-06-04T17:11:00.002-04:00

I decided to take another teacher's idea and ask my kids to write some answers to these questions:
1) What was your favorite activity this year?
2) What advice or warning would you give to next year's third graders?
3) What was your least favorite activity this year?
4) What do you think you learned this year?

Here are some of the responses to the advice/warning question:

-Don't be afraid of the EOGs because if you take your time it is easy. Enjoy what you can and listen really well!!!
-I would tell the new third graders not to freak out on tests. (This was written by a student with text anxiety).
-I would say that you will learn a lot and that you are going to act like you went to Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd you can't be lazy on anything you have to work very hard and then after all that you go to EOGs but dont wory you can do it.
-Get ready to have quizzes all the time.
-There are EOGs but they are not too hard. If you listen all year you will do fine. If you do not pay attention you may not do too well. But they should be stuff you know. Do your best on them. -Try hard.
-My advice is Don't talk back to the teachers because you will go to the office if you do.
-Don't have an attitude or talk back to the teacher or you will get in trouble. Trust me. I know. (She sure does!)
-Do not act up!!!
-Have a good time while in third grade.

I am thankful for the endearing answers. They remind me that they're just a bunch of kids. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that.

Parents are coming over!

2009-05-30T12:42:00.002-04:00

So I'm making desserts and coffee.

This recipe is just one point per serving! It is a Weight Watchers recipe and absolutely delicious.

Lemon tarlets:
1 package of mini-phyllo dough tarts (15)
1/3 cup of lemon curd
2 tbsp white chocolate chips
1 large egg yolk
Dash of cream of tartar
2 tbsp sugar

1) Bake phyllo dough for about 3 min. at 350.
2) Microwave the lemon curd and white chocolate for about 45 sec.
3) Stir the mixture and spoon into the phyllo dough.
4) Beat egg and cream of tartar on high until foamy.
5) Beat in sugar one tbsp at a time and beat until stiff peaks appear.
6) Spoon mixture onto the tops of the tarts.
7) Bake until the meringue is golden brown (about 13 minutes).

I wish I could say that WW is going well...I am totally sticking to the program, but I am losing weight really slowly! I have been exercising a lot so I'm hoping that has something to do with it. Oh well..

There are only 8 more days of school left!

And...I just sent in my passport application. I had to get it renewed because, you know, I got muuurried. At this point, Joel and I are seriously planning a trip to Turkey! We are SO excited.

When you can't travel quite yet, you find other ways to satisfy the bug...

2009-05-24T21:54:00.002-04:00

For me, this means lots of trips to Whole Foods. Our meals today:

Lunch:
Panko crusted tilapia with a potato casserole (with yucca, purple potatoes, olives, a yams)-made by my awesome brother. It was his take on a Peruvian dish (papa a la huancaina). This was waaay too many points but delicious.
This isn't what our dish looked like, but you've got to try the real thing. It's amazing.

Our dinner was amazing (and only 6 points!)

Chicken and Coconut Curry

Chicken, light coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, red peppers, scallions, carrots, coriander and cumin....mmm.....delicious!

Joel is currently enjoying Manchego cheese (from Spain...I convinced him to buy it) and bread. He didn't love the curry so much.

For now, it's making me not as heartsick. I'm not trying to be dramatic but I might cry for months if we don't go somewhere soon. Kidding. I had no intentions of eating such pretentious food today, but don't worry. Tomorrow we'll be back to our normal American fare. For today, however, I'll allow myself this bit of snobbishness.

ce' magnifique

Dreaming...

2009-05-24T21:31:00.002-04:00

There are no words to describe the ache I feel when I think about Santiago de Compostela. I feel like I left part of my heart there, as cheesy as that sounds. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

Joel feels this way about Istanbul. We are making it a serious goal to travel to both of these places very soon, before kids, before being tied down to anything. We talk about traveling all the time. It's so close I can taste it. Even if Spain is not in our future, I can't wait to see this place that Joel feel in love with three years ago. I know I'm being emotional about this, and that seems ridiculous, but I will scrimp and save as long as needed so we can actually go somewhere.

Below are pictures of mi patria de alma.

Ways to waste time...

2009-05-23T12:35:00.002-04:00

Yes, Joel and I spent much of our evening plugged into our respective laptops, but we were sharing oldies but goodies from youtube.

Here are two that are fabulous. Enjoy.

Toto-"Africa"

Matthew Wilder-"Break My Stride"

In my class, I have been using these air quotation marks and, as a side bar, tried to teach my kids what they mean. Yesterday, I was teaching about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (mi patria de alma) and how not all pilgrims came on the Mayflower. One boy tried desperately to use those air quotes correctly, saying, "They're like 'pilgrims'." Maybe it's not that funny typed (I realize that now) but it was akin to this moment:

Friends, "I'm Sorry"

Things I am over:

2009-05-20T19:25:00.002-04:00

1) EOG testing. It ended yesterday, and I am glad for that.
2) This "decade" of weight. I am ready to move down now! Any second now!
3) Straight up drama in my classroom. I've really over it.

Por ejemplo:
A girl in my class has recently had a lot of trouble being respectful. She is trying her very best to call me out on anything I do that she seems to not like. It's ridiculous, but a little comical. Case in point:
Yesterday, she had a big ol' chip on her shoulder. I passed out our reading activity for the day. When she got her paper, she smacked her lips, shot her hand up, and said, "Mrs. Orr! My paper got copied upside down!" I just sort of stared at her, utterly speechless. She, still slightly defiant, didn't understand why I quietly asked her, "What?"

And then, she turned her paper around.

And it was one of those moments where I could have said, "OK NOW do you realize that you're not always right? NOW are we clear on who is in charge here?" But instead, I just laughed and winked at her.

But I'm not a better person for that, because here I am blogging about it.