Miscellaneous Monday

Landon must be having a growth spurt!

Whitney had to contribute 100 items to sell at the 6th grade Renaissance Fair and she decided to work on them right in the middle of everything...aargh!

I've been loving the sunshine on our tulips and they way they strain to soak it all up.

We got new Secret Pal assignments at school and so far my new pal has given me some pretty random items. We get an info sheet about each other so there is no way she should have given me a diet, caffeine-free coke! I thought it was funny. I gave it to Whitney and she said it was flat and disgusting. 

They started construction on 16 more classrooms to add to our school so we can feel a rumble all day long, I'm just glad our office isn't right next to this otherwise I'd be a shaky wreck.

One of the teachers makes these full-size (huge) cartoons and hangs them in the teacher's lounge. They're always good, but this one really gave me pause because it feels like I may be making Whitney's back hurt with all my advice these days.

There was a live chicken on my desk for about 30 minutes the other day! A student's mother brought it for her to use in a skit for student council elections. At first the chicken was asleep and quiet, but then it woke up and started clucking and walking in circles and then actively trying to fit through the hole in the box! It was bizarre for sure.

What Am I?

Yesterday was "Administrative Professionals" day (aka Secretary's Day) which apparently I am (I tend to think of myself as a grossly underpaid office do-all but they don't have a day for that.

I was surprised to receive this cute ceramic pitcher of flower from the counselors.

This bowl of goodies from the FACS department.

This from the ballroom dance teacher.

Yummy cinnamon bread from one of the PTA moms.

This candy bar and card from the English department.

The English teachers all wrote something specific in the card and I think I appreciated this most of all.

The administrators bought us Cafe Rio for lunch and let us eat together in the conference room (rather than my usual peanut butter sandwich at my desk).

Today Landon's Spanish teacher (who is also my friend) said, "I'm sorry I forgot to appreciate you yesterday!"

Mystery Wrapped in a Riddle

I don't know what she's trying to say!

Growing Up!

Landon had high school orientation this week! Technically he's already in high school because he is in 9th grade, but it's like baby stepping into high school because 9th grade is still part of the junior high in Utah (I hate that, I think kids should get the full 4 year high school experience). 

Oh my goodness, driver's ed! We have another 3 months until Landon turns 15 so we've got a little while before he can learn to drive and start practicing. I am excited for him (because I remember how excited I was for me to reach this milestone) but nervous as his mother of course.

We wandered the halls for awhile to check the place out (we're clueless), and I really liked reading all the quotes they had on the walls. I love inspirational quotes and wish we had more of them on the walls at the junior high.

Symbolic photo no?

I love this guy so much and am so excited for him to have a great high school experience. I am one of the lucky ones who loved high school, so I have nothing but excitement for him. Of course, his high school is about 3 times larger than the one I went to, so his experience will be totally his own.

All Kinds of Creative

Whitney is completely enamored by this You Tube channel called My Froggy Stuff. It shows how to make all kinds of cute, tiny accessories for Barbies and other toys.

She has taken over the kitchen counter a bunch of times, but it is really something to see her work.

This is 2 hospital rooms made from a 3 ring binder.

I love it that the ring is used to make the curtain divider. Notice her medical charts on the walls.

Tiny clipboard anyone?

She made the blankets for the beds from an old slip, 

and has been using old t-shirts to make clothes (like the blue dress).

I absolutely love the tiny pencils and books she made. She likes the tiny books best of everything she has made so far.

She made this outfit from scratch. I think the ribbon belt with the flower button is darling.

She took a couple of our crocheted wash cloths to use as blankets. Notice the hat hanging on the 4 poster bed (those are pencils).

How cute is this lamp?

She made the cutest box of tissues ever and the trash can with wads of tissues, so cute.

Sewing something.

Check out the remote control and coaster on the side table.

This is the flat screen tv and fire place (complete with illumination from batteried votives).

Miscellaneous Monday

 Lori and I got together for lunch on the Friday of Spring Break, just like old times.

 Snow on our tulips, sad so sad.

I have Whitney doing a typing program as part of her job chart every week so she can get good enough to test out of Keyboarding in jr. high. She keeps looking at her hands though!! I am so grateful I had the scariest typing teacher ever way back in the day because I learned how to type without glancing at my hands ever.

Michelle sent me this cute thank you for  her birthday outing and gifts.

 I found Landon asleep on my bed again this week, he slept for two hours!



Friday's weather was gorgeous and our yellow tulips tried to soak it up.

Soccer started this week and man oh man am I glad I'm not coaching! It was so frustrating to watch the girls make the same crazy mistakes again. Randy and I sat in our chairs and yelled from the sidelines, but at least I didn't have wrangle everyone. Whitney scored our only goal (left footed shot even) and played goalie and saved lots of shots too.

12 on the 12th--April Edition

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1. I was running late so we didn't have time to read scriptures, so we had an early-morning self-portrait instead.
2. I love seeing glimpses of Landon at school (which isn't very often actually) so I grabbed my camera when I saw his English class walking down to the auditorium for a high school registration assembly.
3. I made a run to 5 Guys for lunch...delicious.
4. Is it just me or do 20mph school zones feel insanely slow? I realize that's the point of them but when I go that slow I practically hold my breath.
5. Each day as I pick Whitney up from school she walks over to the car and I keep driving (slowly of course) so that she has to jog along side the car before getting in, it's always funny.
6. Woohoo, some of our tulips bloomed this week!
7. Whitney has been creating an amazing Barbie world full of super creative elements (a full post about this is coming soon) that have dominated our kitchen table for 2 weeks.
8. Within five minutes of being home from work I had a load of laundry going. (I can bring home the bacon...fry it up in a pan...)
9. Landon had to finish a book for school so we read in the cozy together.
10. Amy brought a delightful spread of panini fixins for our bookclub dinner.
11. We had a great discussion about The Shoemaker's Wife.
12. I ordered our next two books (Beautiful Ruins and The Midwife of Hope River) and a series (Warriors) for Whitney in 2 minutes from my phone.

Spring Break Hangover

 

Is it wrong that when I get a break from work I immediately forget my hard-fought sleep schedule and adopt a slovenly schedule of late to bed late to rise with some reading/napping thrown in to the mix? I kind of think it is. At first I let myself revel in the luxury of it all and give myself full permission to lounge as needed. But after the first couple days of that a pattern emerges and lethargy ensues. It seems that sleep begets more sleep yet I never feel rested. Oh cruel irony. By the end of Spring Break I was officially sick of myself and slacker ways, though I was delighted that I finished a 500 page book. Then it was General Conference weekend, which I love, except that it meant 8 hours of TV watching in very close proximity to my family, who frankly I was sick of by that point. I was actually feeling ready to go back to work today except that I couldn't fall asleep last night (due to an afternoon nap) and then had anxiety-filled sleep/wakefulness for the last 2 hours of the night. Hence I woke up with a headache and felt exhausted all day. I'll have to pack it in early tonight in order to get back into my early to bed early to rise mode...when will I ever learn?

Creative Friday--Spring Break Edition

My mom was kind enough to take Whitney out for the day, they went shopping, to lunch and to the movies.

Rather than me bringing lunch this time, Michelle and I went to La Dolce Vida for a super tasty Italian lunch. I have been craving it all week as I've been reading The Shoemaker's Wife.

My mom was so grateful for the hour and 22 minute phone call of computer help that I gave her the day before that she made caramel popcorn for us.

The screen shot I took upon hanging up with my mom after our tech-help phone call.

 I couldn't find my address list but then found 2 old ones from many Creative Friday's gone by.

Eva had a melt down because of the strange, flying beatle type bug flying too near her while she tried to do sidewalk chalk...it took awhile to bounce back but fortunately some neighbor kids invited her to play and all was well.

 I bought these super cute cards at T.J. Maxx while out with Lori last week. She doesn't understand my stationery addiction, Michelle understands it though (hooray) and had stationery envy.

Michelle wrote birthday thank yous on these cute, flocked cards from the dollar spot at Michael's.

She also used some of her adorable cards from Stefanie with Stationery With Style, I had some envy going on this time.

This self-portrait of Eva was hanging on the fridge and delighted me all day, I think it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Lucas and Landon walked to Harmon's and bought 3 packages of Peeps for .85 cents each.

Our creative "mess".

I wrote 8 cards and put a small good mail package together.

As I was packing up my stuff Eva returned and needed some mothering, Michelle is always happy to oblige.