Saturday, June 28, 2014

Earth to Echo

I had the pleasure of seeing a preview night showing of Earth to Echo and it was awesome!  I took Meghan along, and she said she would be willing to see it again if her friends wanted to see it -- total compliment from a 14 year old girl!  Reminiscent of Goonies, ET, and many other 80s fun movies, the young teens in this movie are fighting for their friendship in a time of troubling moves in their neighborhood.  It is rated PG, but I can not figure out why!  No language, no true violence, no blood, they talk about a kiss but nothing more than puppy love!  Take your children, go yourself...it is good!  Wonderful message and a story that has some real closure at the end. 




Friday, June 13, 2014

Some More Photos

 Marshall Faulk (from the St. Louis Rams) came and spoke at my school because our school won a huge ($15,000!!) grant from Fuel Up and Play 60!
 My pal, Erica, and I at the Casting Crowns concert.
 One of the members of For King and Country who opened for Casting Crowns -- so awesome how close they came to the audience!!!
My friend, Renee, and I after the Color Run -- not too colorful this time 'round!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Photo Review

My delightfully chocolate sundae (Dark & Sinister) at The Fountain on Locust.

Medieval day for the 6th graders...knights are awesome!

At the end of my FOURTH Color Run! 


Six Flags with the 8th graders.
All were cards I made for a surprise swap (raffle style).  The person receiving does not know which item they are getting from the 20 or people in the swap.  I know who I mailed these to, but I do not know what I am receiving or who it is from until I receive it.  These were all made using scraps! :)




Saturday, June 07, 2014

Oh my!

Over the past 3 years (2012 to the present), I have only posted 19 times.  I am such a slacker!!  I just have not been inspired to post...not sure why because I have done some pretty fun things!

So let's do some catch-up...

Working: still looking for my own classroom (certified 5-12 Language Arts and 5-9 Social Studies if you know of anything!) and still working my same jobs -- teacher assistant for students with special needs and Mad Scientist after school & at summer camps (robots & secret agents).

Creating: still scrapbooking (lots of crops happening this summer!), in a card swap group of 6, in a stamp club that meets once a month to make cards and buy stamps.

Reading: anything and everything, lol!  I have completed 24 novels so far this year (average is quicker than 1 a week!) plus picture books and such.  I am currently reading 2 different books -- Defy and The Great Gatsby.

Sitting: for dogs and kids occasionally...it is a great way for me to make a little bit of money (especially in the summer) and get some time at a place other than my house!

Photographing: mainly with my iPhone (and mainly posted through instagram)...last fall I dropped my Nikon point-and-shoot (that had already had repairs that cost more than the camera when it was about 3 months old) so I am basically digital camera-less.  I have an OLD Canon to use for now, and I am slowly looking for a new one for later this year or as a Christmas gift -- it will NOT be a Nikon as their customer service was so horrible.

Watching: last movie I saw in the theater was Catching Fire...most recent movie I saw was Monuments Men (on demand)...need to see The Lego Movie, The Fault in our Stars, and so so many more!!!

Recovering: from an extra long school year that came on the heals of an extra (EXTRA) long winter break -- we ended up with 10 snow days this school year!  Most of them tacked themselves onto the rear end of our winter break...even the kids were anxious to get back to school & routine!

Loving: my life!!

I will try and get on more and post more...I need to get some current pictures on here!  Comment with what you'd like to see posts about!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Orphan Train: A Novel

I recently finished reading the book Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline.  It was so touching and magical and amazing.  I first chose this book because I saw it on the shelf at Target!  I had to wait to read it, as I had requested it at the library and there was quite a list of people waiting.  Once I started reading it, I could not stop!

Orphan Train takes place near Bar Harbor, Maine, where I have visited several times due to my dad's family living near there. The main character is a teenage girl who is in foster care and finding her own way of "dealing" with the emotions that come along with that.  This leads to her needing to do community service to right some wrongs.  Her service comes in the form of assisting an elderly woman clean and organize her attic.  While helping the woman sort through boxes, the two, so opposite at first glance (one young and poor, one old and rich), find out that their histories are more alike than different.

Things I loved about the book: its setting is a real location and is vividly detailed -- if you have not been to Bar Harbor, you will see it in your mind; its characters have real depth; there is a character near the end with my last name!  That came as a shock as it is not a common last name!