Sunday Reruns - Pressure's On!

.

It's Sunday again, and you know what THAT means!?! It's time for Sunday reruns!!! Thanks so much to Chari over at Happy to Design for hosting this meme, "Sunday Favorites".

Oh The Pressure!!!
(First posted 2/06/08)

To keep coming up with new, fresh, material with which to satiate your bloggy appetites and keep you returning so my site meter will have something to count!!!

Sometimes a tiny creative juice kicks in and that makes it all so much easier.

Other times it's just pot luck.

Here's tuna casserole.


Hubby's been at it again. This time his paint brush held a lush verdant green. The next phase of this project will be cream chair rail and crown moulding. (Editor's update: crown moulding and chair rail have yet to appear - - - but hey, it's only been two and a half years!)


The shimmering ghosts aren't really there - - - I think it's just brush strokes catching the flash. (Unless you'd prefer it to be something more mysterious - - - then away with your imagination.)


Toys wait patiently in their designated corner for the return of the grans.

.

More of What's Grand about Grans

.


Mackinley experiencing an inch worm. Do you remember your first inch worm encounter?

Mackinley, Piper, and Kaeleigh soakin' up some rays.

Here is a precious Kaeleigh story - - - you may want to grab a tissue, this is an "awwwww with a tear" kinda story sent to me by our daughter Keri.

Last night, during bedtime prayers, Kaeleigh told me this story:

"My sister (that is her sister that is unrelated to us.) climbed high up in a tree and while she was up there, she hurt her foot. She came down from the tree and was sad about her foot hurting so I prayed to Jesus."

"Oh, Kaeleigh! That's wonderful!" I said. "What did your sister say about that?"

Kaeleigh answered, "She said 'You don't have to do that.'"

So I asked, "And what did you say to that?"

Kaeleigh's answer warmed my heart and made me smile. She said, "I told her I wanted to do it because I love her."

.

End of School Activities - Part Three - Sophomore Antics

.

About two weeks before the end of school, I took my sophomores on a "mini" field trip/lab.


We started out by eating lunch together at Culvers, as you can see it was a very popular choice!

Around the table from left to right are Brandon, Jessica, Seth, Baili, Audrey, Rebekah, and Zach.


After lunch we spent time at Meijer's where, clip boards in hand, they searched food labels for examples of the organic compounds and minerals we'd been studying in class.

I told these girls they looked like "Charlie's Angels."


Seth chillin' as he waits for the others to get finished.


The next day, this is how they THANKED me.

Oh how great it is when student love is expressed so freely!!

:-)


I drove around town sporting their calligraphy for days until the rain removed it.

You may or may not remember the significance of the "ditching" epitaph. If you are curious, you can read about it here.and here.


On the last day of school, this was delivered to me.


On the back, another reference to their abandonment issues.


But inside?

Pure sweetness.

Thank you, Jessie!

And now, to close this last of my many Sophomore posts, here are a few examples of the wittiness with which they regaled me about my age on a daily basis in class:

Brandon: It's hard to picture you as anything young.

Baili: Compared to you, Mrs. Broyles, he's a little kid!!!
Brandon: Are you kidding me??? Compared to HER Abe Lincoln is a little kid!!!!

Seth: Everyone's time comes sometime.
Brandon: And you've had a REALLY LONG time, Mrs. B.

Mrs. B: I'm in Mackinley's Hall of Fame
Baili: For living the longest!

.

Color Me Unemployed - - -

.


And old!

That terror in my eyes? Not sure if it's more for the unemployed or the old part.


They both make me sad.

It's official. I have taught my last class, given my last test, said good-bye to my last student.

I still have some "end of school activities" posts to make and then I'll be back to dreaming up blog fodder all on my own - - - Maybe Brunhilda and Borris will help me.

I have to go back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday for teacher work days - - - then that is all she wrote.

I have no idea what I will be doing next, except I KNOW I won't be hired to - - -

(photo from hannacarwash.com)

Drive cars onto these things at car washes.

What WERE they thinkin' when they invented THIS system?????? I stopped at the car wash today on my way home from school. They call this a "guided" system - - - well, their "guide" can't be seen over the front hood, and suffice it to say, if THAT was a test for employment - - - I failed.

Speaking of a test for employment, I dreamed the other night that I was having an interview to be a waitress and "he" told me - - - "You are too STUPID to be a waitress." I was shocked (in my dream of course) and told him I hadn't been too stupid for the past eleven years to teach SCIENCE to middle and high schoolers, six different preps a day, and I really thought I COULD handle slapping plates down on a table - - -

Suffice it to say, I didn't get THAT job of my dreams - - -

To be honest, since my salary is spread out over 12 months (note - - - teachers don't get 8 weeks of paid vacation in the summer - - - some of us just spread the pay of our 180+ teaching days for which we DO get paid (a little) over 12 months) I don't plan to seriously HUNT for a new job until after we get back from Wisconsin in late July.

Soon enough then to face the music of finding a job.

I'd much rather act like an ostrich with my head in the sand and ignore the impending doom until it is well and truly upon me.

It was hard enough hearing how "stupid" I was in a DREAM - - - not really ready to face it while WIDE AWAKE.

Of course, if any of you have a job for me - - - I'm all ears.

:-)
.

End of School Activities - Part Deux - Prom

.
Prom - LCS style.

The word "Prom" is short for promenade which is a slow, leisurely walk to display finery. Traditionally, many high school proms began with a promenade of all the ball-goers onto the decorated dance floor.

At LCS, we don't have a dance, - - - but we have the promenade part anyway. Our promenade ends in a delightful formal dinner.


This year, a few of us rode to dinner together in the people mover. As you can see by Jacob's reaction in the front row - - - it was a lively ride.

Dinner was held at "The Quarry," which was a quite lovely one-of-a-kind sort of place.

Fine Dining:

Table One - - - Seniors and dates.

Table two - - - Juniors and dates.

Table Three - - - Junior - Senior mix.

After Dinner Poses:

Seniors

Seniors and dates

Juniors

These are the boys who were so heart-broken to hear
That our school was closing just before their senior year.

Juniors and dates



Random Poses:

Seniors ham it up a bit.

"Say-Say" and Heather

Ronny stylin'

Jake and Nate

.

Sunday Reruns - Blogativity

.

It's Sunday again, and you know what THAT means!?! It's time for Sunday reruns!!! Thanks so much to Chari over at Happy to Design for hosting this meme, "Sunday Favorites".

I am getting ready to repost a WINTER themed post. NO, that does NOT mean I'm pining for winter!!! Far from it.

I just have a "pattern" that I'm following when choosing what to repost - - - and it involves starting with my earliest posts and going backward to the future. (Is that an oxymoron or what!?!) I just HAPPEN to be in wintertime posts at the moment.

Hope you can enjoy it ANYWAY!!!

Blogativity
(First posted 1/26/08)

That's what we blog for - - - blogativity. We WANT people coming to our blogs, reading, chuckling, relating to our posts - blogativity.

Many of us even install site counters (check the bottom of this page for mine) to keep track of all that blogativity.

I've noticed something - - - when I make a new post, I get more blogativity. (Now if I could ONLY figure out a way to generate more commentativity - - - but I guess that's for another post.)

So - - - this FORCES one to be constantly searching for new post topics.

Today's topic: Snowmen


Yep, I really did. I went around my house taking pictures of snowmen in various shapes, sizes, and mediums. These three welcome you to my heart, my home, and my blog.


I drank my morning latte with this one.


You may notice there is a distinctly Christmas theme to most of these - - - YES, that IS because I still have my Christmas things up.


It's all OK - - -they're coming down today and even though I'm a good two weeks behind all of you in taking them down - - -


I was ALSO a good two weeks behind all of you in putting them up - - - so it all comes out in the wash.


You may be thinking to yourself: "What a silly little goose she is to make such a post."

True, true, true - - - but it got you here, didn't it?

Happy blogging.

.

End of School Activities - Part Uno - Zoo Trip

.

We pack the last couple of weeks of school full of all kinds of field trips and special activities. This is the first of several posts about these fun days.


Junior Highers at the zoo.


Waiting for the dolphin show.


Everyone wants their picture taken.


Well, everyone but CALEB - - - who keeps putting his head down so all we can see is his orange hat.


Even the big kids - - -


Love the zoo.


Smiles all around.


The dolphin show begins.


Such beautiful, graceful mammals.


What have we here???? I believe they are the greater and lesser "Big Eyes."


The monkeys are loving their habitat!!!


The teachers take a much needed rest.

.

Just in the Nick of Time - - -

.
Five short days left.

And oh what days they will be - - - final exams, honors assembly, Baccalaureate, Graduation, and open houses.

Then it will all be over but the crying.

Right now I'm way too busy to take time to cry.

On Thursday, I was sitting at my desk during my planning period grading tests when I heard, "KAMMA!!!" I looked up to see Mackinley running through my door. Right behind him came Jason, my S-I-L, carrying little Miss Piper Renae.

THAT was a first and last all rolled into one! The first time my grans ever came to visit me in my classroom, and obviously it will also be the last.

What fun!!!


Pretending to be teachers - - - AND eating the candy Kamma had for them.


Say "cheese!"

.