Would You Like to See My Classroom(s)?

Up first is my Typing... errr... Keyboarding.... ummm... Touch System Data Entry classroom (the name has changed a few times, this latest new name drives me crazy!):

Disclaimer: you'll have to excuse the patches of torn paint that can be seen in some of these photos.  I've asked repeatedly in my 7 years here to have my room painted over the summer.  The torn paint appeared when the Christmas lights held up by packaging tape left by the previous teacher were taken down when I came to Hildebrandt...

looking over the left half from my desk:
(on the wall is Claude Monet's Dusk and The Seine Near Vetheuil as well as printing instructions way off to the left)

The front of my classroom -- bulletin board with school information, work turn in area, and reams and reams of printer paper! In the past I've covered that brown chalkboard on the far left with colored butcher paper. I think I'm going to find some contact paper that is subtle and cover it permanently. This year I may hang my Mary Engelbreit posters there.  I rotate between those and my patriotic poster collection randomly over the years.

looking over the right side:
(on the wall: Vincent van Gogh's Wheatfield with Crows, Cafe Terrace at Night, and Starry Night.

And this is my Exploratory Language classroom down the hall:

This year, because of the number of students we lost to a new school opening, a lot of us are teaching two or more classes.  I'm teaching Explortory Language this year -- a course that looks breifly at a wide range of languages and communication to allow the students to see the history and shaping of language/communication and to also help them decide which foreign language they would like to persue.  It should be a really fun and interesting class... As long as the kids are interested.  Unfortunately some have signed up or were dumped into the class without understanding what it is and we have some challenges to overcome...

Coming into the classroom:
across the top of the white board is a topper with all the flags from around the world. I think on the blank bulletin board, I'm going to hang a few photos from my Russia and Mexico trips OR a big poster with "Hello" or "Welcome" in various languages.

My desk area. Desk is a little bare, but that's what happens in a secondary classroom!

So excited to have a window to let in some natural light! I have two of these small guys and I found this awesome suncatcher at the dollar store!

student computer area (though, we'll just go to my computer lab down the hall when needed) :

(on the wall above the computers: The Acropolis of Athens in Greece

a closeup of the bulletin board I made from flashcards off the dollar rack at Target: famous landmarks from around the world. I have two sets so I could hang the descriptions next to each landmark photo.

from the front of the room looking back.

(on the left is school information and on the right is a poster titled The Art of Currency, showcasing with history of various types of currency from around the world.

a week of experimenting...

So, on my trips to visit my (second ;)) cousin, we have fallen into the habit of experimenting in the kitchen.  The last time I was in Omaha (in October for our 30th birthday blowout weekend!), we tackled Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon -- or as we referred to it, Beef Booya.  I'm sure Julia would not have been impressed with our nickname. haha.  And yes -- we were indeed inspired by the movie Julie and Julia.

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What I'm Loving -- Edition 2

I think it's time for another What I'm Loving post!

Up first -- got2b smooth operator smoothing lotion (click what's new, then smooth operator).  I looooove this stuff! 

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ummmm...

so, apparently it's been a year since I last wrote. wow. I seriously had trouble for a few seconds figuring out how to start a new post. haha.

Sometimes I figure Facebook does a good enough job updating my friends on my life. But, I think some of you that (used to) read my blog may be missing some stuff? Though you probably gave up on this blog a long time ago...

So a quick catch up.

~ my girls' Bible study
~ THE MOVE to Illinois
~ Lost and Found Ministries
~ a new Ford Escape!
~VBS planning and Summer planning begins

I'll try not to ramble too much about the above items, but I needed a bit of a list to hit the highlights. :) And, yes, my list is random and out of order. Much like I live my life. Does this surprise anyone? I think not. :)

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what i've been up to.

to my, ahem, roaring crowd of 2... a little update. this may be a long post about a lot of little nothings.

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what i'm loving...

My Messy, Thrilling Life. Brin at Freeman House writes a really great blog. Those of you that follow Pioneer Woman and MckMama will find that same little something over at Freeman House. But, she is closing her blog on her 30^th birthday next month. I am incredibly bummed, because I just discovered her a couple months ago! I’m busy trying to read her archives and I’m finding some really great words of wisdom and some yummy recipes buried there. I’ll be sad when I can no longer check in on her blog… She really is an inspiration on so many levels.

Greek yogurt. Yum. My favorite right now is Greek Gods Honey. Greek Gods has other flavors… but I love the honey flavor too much to stray. Plus, I have this thing against Pomegranate potpourri (it’s stinks, okay?) and it’s all I can think about when I see the carton of yogurt. I’m not a fan of figs… so, the fig flavor is lost on me, as well. But, the honey… Yum. It’s just a distinct hint of honey flavor behind the yogurt. And I love the firm, creamy texture Greek yogurt has as opposed to the thinner versions.

This Wicked Stitch Designs camera bag. I'm really in love with this bag. This bag company is pretty darn cool with some great bag designs... but the best part is that you get to pick the fabrics you want used in your custom bag! But, I would lovelovelove to have this exact bag.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I read this book quite awhile ago, but it's been on my mind lately. I think I need to pick it up again and reread it. Unfortunately, I lent it out and I'm pretty certain I'll never see it again... but that's another story. Anyway, I'm usually much more into crime and political dramas and suspense books. But this book... oh, this book. It's the retelling of the story of Hosea (yes, that Hosea, from the Bible). It takes place in the Gold Rush of 1850 where a kind farmer marries a prostitute. An unlikely relationship becomes a story of love, trust, and hope. The story is also a reminder of God's unconditional love for us. hmmmm... looks like Amazon has a few used copies for about 3 bucks. Time to order a new copy.

wild Olive tees. Very cool Christian tees! A little bit funky, a little bit classy, and an awesome message. Plus, 10% of the profit from each tee goes to non profit organizations and charities. Currently, they are spotlighting Shaohannah's Hope. I'm loving the "rooted" tee...

Crested Butte Ski Trip

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post... I went as a leader to Crested Butte with the TBC youth. What a fun time! It was great getting to know Shaun and Abby (our youth pastor and his wife) and Guy (another adult leader) better. It was a whirlwind trip, but full of memories. Of course, I'm sure the most memorable is the missing van keys. But, I'll get to that in a moment. We started out Friday night, so that we could drive straight through the night (hoping the kids would be less restless and would sleep -- in other words... leave the drivers alone. ha) We had an uneventful drive up until we got to Monarch Pass. It was a bit of a tense drive going over. But, we made it just fine. Here's a photo from my passenger seat (I drove the dead-of-night-middle-of-nowhere-Amarillo-to-Raton portion). The van/trailer in front of us is Shaun, Abby, and several kids:

Once we arrived in Crested Butte, it was time to grocery shop. Note to self -- Do not grocery shop after a 20+ hour drive with 18 teens. Talk about delirious decision making. The remainder of our time was spent skiing (well, for some!), playing Catch Phrase in a huge circle, cooking and eating, and hanging out. I did attempt to ski, but between my ineptitude and a so-so instructor, I was doomed. Someday I may try again. But, the second day of skiing of was a great day for the skiiers (lots of powder), so I chose not to weigh down any of our team with a crappy skier. :) Instead, I hung out around the lodge, drank overpriced coffee, and went down to the town to browse the cute little shopping district:

The day of our departure promised a storm in the afternoon. So, Shaun and the rest of us leaders decided leaving first thing Tuesday morning was wise (the kids were supposed to get in a half day skiing). So we start the packing up process with a departure time of 10:30. About 9 am, one of the girls asks for the van keys. Shaun can't find them. We do a little searching. Still no keys. More searching. No keys. Turn the couch cushions and Shaun's room upside down. NO KEYS. Okay, time a for leader meeting. Start looking at contingency plans which range from the ridiculous to the plausible to the most inconvenient. At one point, we think we've found them in the console of the (locked) van. Call a locksmith. Turn out to be Shaun's Xterra keys. Tear the van apart. No keys. We've moved on to just laughing at this point. What else are we going to do? The locksmith turns out to be our saving grace. He moves mountains for us to get things moving in the middle of the day, the day before Christmas Eve, in a small town. After many many phone calls with the rental company, the locksmith, the Gunnison (nearby town at the bottom of Mt. Crested Butte) Chevy dealership, and others, we find out we can indeed get a new key made. So starts the shuffling of kids down the mountain. I sit with a group at the Gunnison McDonalds, Abby sits with a group at the condo while Guy drives back and forth getting us all down. Shaun goes with the towed van to get our keys remade. After an hour or so at the McDonalds, Shaun calls me -- we have a key, he's on the way, Guy is bringing in the last of the kids, and we have a full ten minutes to get on the road before we lose daylight mid drive and therefore don't want to risk Monarch Pass. By the grace of God, we make it safely and we are officially on our way. At the time we originally planned to leave before our early departure decision was made.

We had some amazing kids on this trip. Such a fun group and also well-mannered. They were great at offering to help cook or clean up. Always remembered to say thank you to Abby and I after we cooked for them. And we also got a few compliments on a well behaved group from various locals. Including at the McDonalds where I contained half of them for over an hour during the van madness.

We pulled in to TBC right on time and I rushed home to do laundry and start the second part of my Christmas vacation... Omaha! The rest of the Ski Trip photos (nothing real exciting and all from my camera phone, but pretty nonetheless) can be found in my Facebook album.

MckMama's Rebel for a Cause

I just donated a small amount to MckMama's raffle-way, Rebel for a Cause. She has teamed up to create an AMAZING giveaway based on raffle tickets sold to donate money to three incredible ministries. MckMama has blessed me so much on her blog and in her story of her sweet baby Stellan and the miracle that God performed in her womb. And in her incredible sweet way, she has created a way for her blog readers to recieve something while supporting these awesome ministries. I would be totally blown away if I won this incredible Canon package; but more than anything, I just wanted to be a part of this in some little way. And, yes, my donation was very small. But, one thing that I have learned while raising money for missions trips... God takes a small amount and simply multiplies it. There is no other way to explain it. It just multiplies. Like the fish and the loaves of bread. So, God, multiply my donation and send it on it's way to bless many hearts.

Home for the Holidays at TBC

This past weekend our church did a huge event called Home for the Holidays. It was actually a two day event filled with all sorts of fun! We started out Saturday morning with a luncheon and tea for the ladies. We had somewhere around 25 tables set up. A different woman (or sometimes two) in the church was responsible for decorating and hosting each table. I shared a table with our music pastor's wife, Amanda. I had a lot of fun getting to know her a little bit better while we were setting up the table and then on throughout the morning. Here's a photo of our finished table with our combined decorating items, skills, and ideas. (Excuse the bad and uncreative photography, I just couldn't get a good angle and finally quit trying. ha.)

We were entertained by a thought provoking skit and had a wonderful message by one of our ladies. We also got to sing a little Christmas music. Finally, we had a wonderful lunch catered by Mel's. There were so many fun tables to look at, too. Ours was by far the most simple table, but I think it still looked classy and we did get several comments on it.

Sunday night was the BIG NIGHT. It began with a performance by our children's choir, Awaken. They did a fun little musical... It really was precious. Then we all moved outside. We had three bands come in for concerts. Lindsey Kane is just the neatest girl ever! We (the ladies' ministry at TBC) met her at our retreat this past March when she came in as our speaker and worship leader for the weekend. She just fits so well at TBC and we all wish she would move to Tomball. :) Only if she brings Jenny, her percussionist, with her, though! We love her, too.


Next up was Gatlin Elms. TBC has a strong connection to this band as well. One of the guys is one of our very own TBCers. I had never heard the guys live before and they really were fantastic!


Our headline band was the Robbie Seay Band. These Houston guys are really making a strong statement in the Christian music industry. It was quite cool to see them live, also.


Amidst all the live music we had a live nativity, Santa on Candy Cane Lane, food, hot chocolate, wassail, and lots of fun! It was a huge success, especially for a first year event. We've already started talking about "next year".

And with the end of that, I can breathe normally for a few days. Until it's time to pack and leave for the ski trip. And then on to Omaha! Stay tuned for those updates. I'm sure I'll have some good stories and photos.

i must be crazy.

Just sign me up for the insane asylum, because I just cemented my craziness. In the matter of 3 days, I booked my Christmas vacation solid. SOLID. Let me start at the beginning...

I've been keeping an eye on plane tickets to Omaha, Nebraska since about April of this year. I didn't have specific date to fly, but I knew I wanted to go see my cousin. Well, the summer went by and there were no good deals. I looked a bit for a long weekend during the school year... nothing. Until I put in a search for tickets on Christmas day. I found an awesome deal! So, in the matter of few short hours I made plans and booked my ticket for December 25th through January 1st!! So exciting!

Then... I get a phone call from our youth pastor Friday evening. He needs another chaperone / relief driver for the high school ski trip. Free ski trip? Um, yes please. So, now I'm leaving on December 19th at 5 pm (um, did I mention I get off work at 4 pm on the 19th?) and driving to Crested Butte, Colorado! We come back at 2 pm on the 24th (please God, don't let us be late!). I'm pretty excited about the trip! I've never skied in my life (please God, don't let me break anything!) and don't own a single ski item. I've got some borrowing prospects that should work out really well. My goal is to not purchase much besides socks and other personal stuff... Because remember that Omaha trip? I need a winter coat for that! I live in Texas. I use heavy sweaters and sweatshirts for a "winter coat".

By the time I get back, I'll have a whole three days before I go back to work! I think I may be sleeping those three days... ;)

prayer alarms

i'm really horrible at remembering things. i just made a commitment to pray for courtney and her family monday morning, as they face another morning of unknowns with maggie's adoption. but, like i said... i'll probably forget all about it until i read her update on her blog. so, i'm setting the calendar on my phone with an "event" at 9:30 am to pray for them. i keep my phone on silent at work, but it lights up when i get a text or an event reminder, so i usually catch the message on time. i've found this works great for praying at a specific time for a certain issue or just things that i need to make a note to myself about. sure beats writing it on the sticky note that i will inevitably lose!!

after the rant

after i've wallowed in my attitude since about 8:30 last night and posted my rant below. i read this article recommended by my pastor. it makes me feel better than i have all day. go read the whole article. but this is my favorite part:

"So this is no time for Christians to go into the bunkers. No time to wail or moan over our retirement plans. This is a time to repent, to pray more, to give more. It’s a time for Christians to lead, encourage, and minister to a faltering country in a faltering economy.

This is a time for the Church to get serious about Christian discipleship. Enough cheap grace."

oh and read my post below. it was therapeutic writing it and i'd hate for it go unread! ;)

the day after

someone asked me today how i felt about the election results. well, here's how i feel.

i was very sad, disappointed, and angry this morning. this is beyond being bummed that my party "lost" last night. i am deeply concerned for the future of this country. just as adamantly as obama supporters believe that good change is coming, some of us believe that change is indeed coming -- but it won't be good

i was not completely enthralled by mccain. i had issues with him as well. but, obama's politics are way beyond what i can support. this feeling i have has absolutely nothing to do with the color of his skin, his birthplace (wherever that is), or his lack of experience. my concern has everything to do with what he has promised to do and his voting record.

i already donate money to charities and causes that i deem appropriate for my bank account and my beliefs and my wishes. i do not appreciate the suggestion of higher taxes that will force my money to go to programs that i do not agree with or to people who do not work to their full capacity.

i believe obama has marxist tendencies and mccain should have hit hard on that.

my feelings also have everything to do with the people he may very well be placing in his cabinet, in the supreme court, and/or in other prominent positions and what their political history is. i have seen and heard the histories of the men and women that obama has surrounded himself with. many of them scare me. and i see these as being very viable prospects for obama to chose from.

i agree that america is in a hard time. our economic crisis is a huge worry. i am not discounting this problem. but, i don't believe the answer lies in electing a president that is so ill-informed and inexperienced. yes, i believe in the checks and balances of our government. but, both our house and senate are now majority democratic. it will be even harder for the republican minority to make a dent.

after 9/11, anne graham lotz (billy graham's daughter) was asked about how God could allow something like 9/11 to happen. she replied:

"I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it."

well, i just wonder if that's not what's happening now. however, i still believe, that ultimately God is in control. He feels our hurt and anger right now. He has a plan. and He will be vindicated.

it's now time to rebuild the republican party and take it back to the days of ronald reagan. that is what we need now.

having said all that. congratulations to those of you who are overjoyed and excited about obama's election. i truly hope and sincerely pray that the next 4 years are not as dicey as some are projecting. i don't want to see terrorism on our doorstep again or out of control taxes. what's done is done. all we can do now is hope for the best.

so, here's to drinking the kool aid america. i hope we're ready for this ride.

dear mr. obama

this is a really powerful video that has been circulating the internet and youtube for a few months. today, it made front page news on the fox news website. i have a couple friends that are posting it on their blogs as well. from my understanding (and that understanding includes men i have known directly involved in the iraqi war), the majority of the soldiers feel that the war has done good. and if we were to pull out now we would undo everything. this video is one soldier's opinion. it's a shame our mainstream liberal media can't find more of these soldiers, rather than the ones that are disgruntled. not that i am downplaying the tragedies of war. but, i am saying that our media finds the worst of the worst stories and refuse to balance it out with the good ones. anyway, i'll quit rambling (for now) and post the video.

pick a chef 2008

as many of you know (i think), i have several of my recipes posted on recipezaar. i mainly post them out there for easy access. when someone asks for a recipe, it's easy to direct them there. the ones posted are ones that i get requests for quite often. or ones that are a little different and not already on recipezaar. i do like to be the different one, you know. ;) last spring, i was "adopted" in the pick a chef event. a fellow recipezaar-ite chose three of my recipes to make, photograph, and then review. i was pleased to get such high comments from her that this year i decided to "adopt" myself. i made four recipes, but my by far favorite was the creme brulee. it's not quite as good as i've had in restuarants, but pretty darn close. and it was very easy to make. i was also "adopted" this year and once again my recipes were given high praise! pretty cool, eh? you can check out the rest of my recipes here.

vintage aprons

i just found this fun blog. i love vintage aprons! i'm just always too cheap to buy them. but this fun little contest could make me the winner of one! i guess you can go enter, too. just try not to hurt my chances too much. :) enter here.

lauren's wedding

i had the honor of attending lauren and russell's wedding this past weekend. liz and i have been friends since 5th grade. life often takes us down different paths and puts different people in our lives, but we are always in the background of each other. there are so many sweet memories of our friendship. and hilarious memories. and wild memories. and... well, you get the point. :)

i was so excited to get to see her family, as well. the boys (andy and john) are all grown up. and while i have semi kept up with them through the world of myspace and a random target run-in a couple years ago -- it was amazing to see them as young men. and so tall. i mean seriously. TALL. and lauren's mom, susan, looked incredible. she was so beautiful in her gold outfit, beaming in joy for lauren and russell.

the wedding was in dallas at arlington hall at lee park. wow. was this place ever amazing?! the chandeliers, the decor, the history -- the entire place was beautiful and exquisite. the ceremony was outside and then we all went across the path to arlington hall for dinner.

i drug amanda with me for the weekend. i needed someone to do my make up. ;) seriously, it was fun to get away for a couple days and just hang out. and besides, i needed someone to get lost with me every time we ventured out (stupid google maps and construction!). our hotel was really nice and we slept like queens in the fluffy beds. on sunday, we dropped in on the state fair on a whim. it was fun to walk around, but it was pretty hot and we were tired. so, we didn't last long, especially since the entertainment didn't start for a couple more hours and we had a long drive ahead of us. and besides, like ellie posted -- it's all about the people watching anyway! ha.

so, here is a sample of my favorite photos. go check out the rest of them here.

my mosaic

this was so fun! here's the rules:

Answer the following 12 questions about yourself:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you?
12. Your Flickr name?
Type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr’s search. Using only the images that appear on the first page, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL’s into the Mosaic Maker (3 columns, 4 rows)… Enjoy!

mosiac maker is a cool website that lets you take photos from a flickr account or your computer and build them into a mosaic in a variety of sizes. you don't have to sign up to use the free service, just build your mosiac then save it to your computer.

here are my answers:

1. kelly
2. chips and salsa
3. tomball high school (i cheated on this one, went to page 2 because page 1 was mostly a kid's senior pictures)
4. black
5. wentworth miller (sigh)
6. coffee
7. italy
8. creme brulee
9. world traveler
10. friends
11. ecelectic
12. mcmullen (i cheated again. i don't have a flickr account, so i just used my last name. close enough, right?)

and the photo credits... you can click on the link to see the full photo, and if you're really curious, why it showed up in the search for my answer.
1. The "R.Kelly"- Song..., 2. homemade fresh tomato salsa & guacomole, 3. the Stage, 4. Aurorus Reflectus Colosseo, 5. 299496522_fffb454ec4_b, 6. coffee & the city, 7. Venice, 8. crème brûlée, 9. World Traveler, 10. Friends silhouetted, 11. Vienna - Hundertwasser Haus, 12. McMullen County Line Sign (McMullen County, Texas)

ok, now it's YOUR turn. and leave me a comment if you accept the challenge, so that i can come see them!

autumn

yep, this is totally my post from last october. but i was reminded of it after reading queen b's (one of the blogs i unashamedly stalk) post today. and i just want to add starbucks pumpkin spice lattes to this list. it's a major oversight that it didn't make it on the list last year. what was i thinking?! i guess it's a little early to be dreaming of autumn, since the texas weather didn't get the memo on the first day of the fall solstice. but, a girl can dream. anyway, without further ado... my love affair with autumn.

i. love. autumn.

i love...

• pumpkins and gourds
• leaves turning vibrant shades of amazing colors (well, not in texas, but i can still visualize this from when i lived up north)
• indian corn
• cooler weather -- those beautiful crisp days when the sun is shining brightly and the sky is so blue without a cloud in sight
• yummy soups and sandwiches
• thanksgiving day!
• cozy fireplaces (okay, once again, notsomuch in texas...)
• the scent of wood fires burning
• hay mazes
• warm, yummy cider
• fall festivals and craft shows
• the colors -- orange, yellow, gold, brown, red all melded together to create a kaleidoscope of fantastic proportions.

getting back to "normal"

today i had to finish (okay, start) preparing for jamie's shower. so i ran around the woodlands and tomball checking with la madeleine (i'm hosting it in their back room), gathering materials and a gift. things are starting to come back to normal. though, there were several places still closed because they have no power. and there are a lot of down power lines and trees, pretty much everywhere i went.

klein isd is still closed. most campuses reopen wednesday, except for those without power. well, hildebrandt is without power still. i've heard two conditions for those buildings (seeing as how my administration hasn't contacted me yet, i'm going on rumors). some say we will return 24 hours after power is restored and some say 48 hours after. but, they do have to have time to check the buildings and restore food service after power is up.

interesting thing i overheard at target today. as i'm shopping for jamie's gift, i overhear a woman on a cell phone. the cell phone is an important observation. she's also shopping at target -- there were items in her cart. as she's doing all this, she's complaining to the person on the other end of the line about how FEMA has been removing the POD locations. really? you're talking on your cell phone and shopping at target while whining how your free food, water, and ice is disappearing?! amazing. now, believe me, we (as in my family) were not prepared the way we should have been for hurricane ike. we lost everything in 2 refridgerators and 1.5 freezers. everything. we did have plenty of water and food (maybe not what we wanted to eat, but it was food). ice is a whole other story. we needed ice badly and it was very scarce. we rationed our driving so that we didn't need fuel as much as usual. there are ways to survive without FEMA. especially in our area of houston suburbs. and that's all i'm saying. it just takes some responsiblity and maturity. and if FEMA is your only chance of survival through this... accept it graciously and get on your feet as quickly as possible. and don't whine on your cell phone while shopping about the unfairness of the POD moving on.