Cookielicious

This weekend and next we are neck deep in cookie shops to help sell cookies for our girl scout troop. We started the weekend peddling cookies outside a toy store and then the next day in front of our house! The girls had a great time...and I finally got to sit down! :-)

Go Texan Day

Luckily, our school is located right on the path of some trail riders that come by every year. Luckily, Maggie's class sat right behind mine. Maggie informed me this morning this was the LAST day she could wear her boots because they were to small...not even for the rodeo! We are taking her to see ZZ Top and did I mention that my sister is taking her to see the Jonas Brothers...6th row. Good grief! They'll have fun for sure!

Bookworm

I'm so happy Maggie loves to read. It wouldn't be right if she didn't. Her teacher told me yesterday she received a sweet note from Maggie requesting to borrow a book from her. For whatever reason, we can't make it to the library lately but she's still finding ways to borrow from others...this is the 2nd book request in a week! Anyway, I recommend Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul 2. It's a collection of about 75 character building stories teaching real life lessons from real kids her age. Judging by it's success at our house, maybe I should look into getting other books like it (there seem to be a million!)...and also maybe reading them to my students!

Love Thursday

Sweet Maggie...left these hearts on my desk at school.

What's cookin?

Thank God I didn't have to put this together! Not my strong point. Even Ian admitted there were way more parts than he anticipated. Would've been certain death for me!

Rosie the GREAT

Last night I was looking for Rosie to crate her so I could go to bed. This is what I found in the dark living room! BTW, we don't allow her to get on the furniture...

That's Gross!!

I'm on the phone and I hear Maggie screaming in an odd way. Here's the conversation that followed:

me: Are you OK? What happened?
Maggie: My tooth fell out.
me: Did you have one that was loose?
Maggie: No.
me: Where you wiggling it?
Maggie: I was eating a Starburst.
me: Which tooth came out?
Maggie: I don't know.
me: Is it the one the orthodontist needed out?
Maggie: No.
me: Was it a baby tooth?
Maggie: I don't know.

Her mouth was gushing blood...even on her pants and shirt. It was a clean pull...like when you pull a weed from the ground and it slips right out! The tooth was clearly not ready to come out. Gross.

George Observatory

I had a great time on Maggie's Girl Scout campout to the George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park. They fit a lot of activities in just one night! I think the highlight of the trip was seeing Saturn REALLY close and going on a simulated space mission at the Challenger Learning Center!

school project

Click on the picture to see the details...even the brush strokes!

This is the project I created with my 1st graders for our fundraiser at school. I hate that only the highest bidder wins! Let the bidding war begin...

Love Thursday

Obedience school starts today...for 6 weeks.

Growing, growing, growing...

I don't even have words...

SFG - Step 1

Today Ian had off of work for Presidents Day. He built 1 4x3 SFG vegetable garden to get us started and even made the Mel's Mix - a mixture of 1/3 compost (5 kinds!), 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 coarse vermiculite. We plan on using this garden for planting our own pickling cucumbers, dill, onions, garlic, marigolds and jalapenos. We will be using our Earth Boxes again for cantaloupe, tomatoes, green beans, regular cucumbers and edamame. I'll keep you posted!

Puppy Love

Maggie had a lot of fun teaching Rosie how to catch a Frisbee. Sometimes she had a hard time releasing it!

Happy Valentine's Day

Ian and I went out last night for Valentine's Day while Maggie spent the night at Ben's. We went to Teale's and then on to see the movie, Taken. Good grief...not very romantic! I will have to buy this movie and save it to show Maggie when she asks me to go to Paris when she is 17! It was horribly intense but a good movie.

Tonight we went over to our good friend’s house for dinner, conversation and a simple valentine exchange! We brought a very festive dessert...chocolate covered strawberries and Oreo truffle balls. Even though I couldn't eat the dessert (I've lost 21 lbs.!) we had a great time as usual. We called it an early night because all the kids were either singing in the choir or acolyting tomorrow at church.

Love is in the air...

Valentine's Day is blissful for kids. Not because of possible love...but for the CANDY!!!!

Love Thursday

This beautiful specimen was on display at a crystal mine shop in Mount Ida, AK.

Even more...

Our tomato crop seems endless...Ian is in tomato Heaven!

Cookie Time!

The cookies have arrived! I will try my hardest to not let Thin Mints derail my dieting success! Luckily since Ian helped with the cookie pick-up, I didn't have to go pick up our share of the cookies elsewhere after work/school/volleyball today! There are 20 girls in Maggie's troop...do the math!

Greek Mythology

Maggie is studying Greek Mythology in her GT class. Her chosen subject for her project was the Pegasus. She was miffed she couldn't find any of her "My Little Pony" toys to include as a model. Instead, she wrote a fictional story to go along with a clay medallion she made.

World Trefoil pin

Today in Junior Scouts, the girls had a ceremony to receive their World Trefoil pins. The blue and gold pin shows that they are part of a worldwide movement to Girl Scouts. They also rededicated themselves to Girl Scouts and promising to follow the GS Promise and Law. It was a very sweet ceremony.

Girl Scout bike safety

Today Maggie's patrol in Junior Scouts helped recruit Jeff Shoemake to come talk to the troop about bike safety. He was great with the girls and taught them quite a bit about bike safety. They thought it was incredible that he didn't own a car!

Gardens Galore!

Today Maggie had her YMCA volleyball team pictures taken at our neighborhood middle school. Look what we stumbled upon! Ian and I may have to go back and get a closer look at their wonderful vegetable garden! I'm so impressed.

All Tied Up!

I tried to learn how to KNIT today from my friend's 80 something mother. It was not easy for me... now I know how my 1st graders feel when I teach them something completely new! Lost.

Could it be?

A sign that spring is coming! The butterfly plants are blooming in our garden.

Oops...she did it again!

Instead of hamburger grease...chicken drippings from the grill got the best of Rosie this time! It's so tempting...

Love Thursday

heart rock found in a crystal mine in Mount Ida, Arkansas - Thanksgiving 2008

What a great idea!

Maggie went to a Valentine Make and Take party after school today. Basically there were 6 different stations that each girl had to make 6 valentines. When she was finished she had 36 beautiful valentines...much better than the crappy valentines we buy every year for her school exchange! Even so, she still wants to buy valentines for her classmates...it's just tradition! She will send the pretty ones to family. Afterwards, we went home and skipped church choir/dinner...too much for a little girl to do when still weak from being sick all week!

We're Back

Against my better judgement, I went ahead and let Maggie come back to school since she was fever free. She really missed school and wanted to go on the field trip to the museum and planetarium. I worried about her all day!!! I hate field trips...pretty sad coming from a 1st grade teacher!

home sick...

I'm lucky to have Florence Nightingale watching over Maggie today while I am at work!

Sacred Sunday

Trampled grass and sticks everywhere...seems to go hand in hand with having a dog.

Germs are Everywhere!

We've got a sick girl in the house...Rosie kept an eye on her all day.