Country Livin'

27 Weeks!

2012-02-08T17:41:00.003-05:00

So here is the baby update...
I had a doctor's appointment on Monday to do my glucose test and meet another doctor. My appointment was supposed to be Friday afternoon, but that doctor was in surgery. Anyhoo... so I drink my lovely, Sprite flavored sugar drink and head to the doctor's office. I was a little nervous about one nurse who has trouble drawing my blood. Plus she talks to the needle and makes me more nervous/feel like I'm gonna pass out.
Luckily, I was assigned a nurse whom I have not seen since my last "regular" visit. She was excited for me, and she kindly informed me that she would be sticking me which went well. Yay!

While I wait for the sugar to kick in, I get to see the doctor which helps some of the time go by. She was very nice. She got out her little microphone to listen to the heartbeat, but baby girl was being a wiggle worm (I think the sugar hit her, too!). The doctor put her hand on the side of my belly to try and get baby to be still. Instead, baby girl kicked the doctor! Oh dear... we are going to have our hands full! Haha! After recounting this story to Matthew, he said, "That's my girl!"

My appointment went great, and I have not heard about my blood work so all must have been normal! So, yay! Here is a web cam pic soon. Apparently the shirt I wore today makes my belly look pretty large. Yeah... it's the shirt. :)

(By calendar) 13 weeks to go.....

Half Way There

2011-12-20T05:51:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that I am half way through my pregnancy. The last 20 weeks have been a complete blur! I have been so busy, but luckily all the craziness is finished (for now). I had something going on every weekend since the beginning of October. Some of it fun, and some of it for school.

After 18 weeks of no nausea, baby decides that my stomach is a punching bag. Hello heartburn! It isn't a constant, thank goodness! It seems to be more when I have only water on my stomach (I think). Weird? If I eat a little snack or drink something that isn't water, that usually helps.

And another thing... that whole "pregnancy brain"... yeah, my brain didn't work so well to begin with much less add extra hormones, etc. Oy!

My mom posted a Facebook pic of me at 18 weeks. Here I am two weeks later. I know it isn't a complete side shot (Matthew will learn), but I think I can see that my belly has grown.

Honestly, I have no real complaints. I think the excitement (and fear) of this little one's arrival trumps it all.

It's a...

2011-12-10T09:27:00.003-05:00

Girl! Here she is sucking her thumb. I got to watch her stick her thumb in her mouth. :)

Big News

2011-11-23T07:22:00.002-05:00

After Labor Day, I took a pregnancy test which was positive! I took another one the next day, and it was positive. I didn't know what to think. Yes, we are excited, but reality told me our world would be turning upside down in 9 short months (in a good way, of course).

I called the doctor and made my first appointment. Matthew went with me. It was the first time we got to see the baby and the little heartbeat. It's amazing. The baby measured to be 8 weeks and 4 days, and my due date is May 9th.

At my next appointment, I was 12 weeks and heard the heartbeat for the first time. Matthew was no able to come with me.

A couple of weeks later, I saw my niece and nephew at a King dinner. My sister-in-law called me a few days later to let me know little Tyler went to the doctor and was diagnosed with 5ths Disease. I called the doc and had to go in to have blood drawn. My sister (nurse) let me know Stephen had it when she was pregnant with Josh. So I didn't worry too much. I went in for the blood work and asked if I could hear the heartbeat while I was there. The first nurse had trouble finding it. "Don't panic yet" she said. She got another nurse who found it, and I was able to record it on my phone. When I got home, I played it for Matthew. He didn't say anything but I could tell he thought it was pretty cool. Oh, I tested negative for the disease but am not immune, so I have to get another test.

Two weeks later brings us to today. I am going today for my 16 week check-up. In the last couple of weeks my belly has popped! I have been very fortunate because I have had no sickness. I had the major fatigue during the 1st trimester, but I am over that hump. I definitely have more energy now but still get tired easily. I have to remind myself to not push it. Last night I wanted so badly to make dinner but had no energy whatsoever. Matthew didn't mind. He had some soup and pimento cheese crackers. Don't tell him I said this, but he has been so awesome. He has especially been a good sport about cleaning 3 litter boxes. Those little boys can fill a couple of litter boxes!

Matthew and I are pleased to announce that we are due to have a baby in May!

Camping & Catching Up

2011-09-18T07:35:00.004-04:00

Matthew and I are in Hollywood, SC, again. It's the weekend after Labor Day, and since the mountains decided to feel like fall we decided to go for one more beach trip. We both had an exhausting week of work and thought it would be better to drive down Saturday. We were able to take our time. We had a lovely breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Company then hit the highway.

It was quite cool at the beach but Matthew surfed anyway. I sat on the beach reading which is what I do best. I decided to play hooky on Monday, so we made the most out of Sunday and Monday morning. Matthew bought a long sleeve wet shirt. He said it really kept him warm. He managed to catch one really good wave while we were there.

OK. So I started this post while we were actually at the beach, and I am now realizing that I had not finished it! All in all, it was a very nice get away just after school had started. Now it's a week until November begins! Tomorrow and Tuesday is our All-County Orchestra Festival, and November has 3 short weeks for me. I have a trip to Winston-Salem, Thanksgiving, and my sister's 40th birthday! It's going to be a good month. :)

Writing Spider

2011-09-05T08:47:00.004-04:00

I am not a spider person. My mother, however, can look up picture after picture of spiders on the internet. I... I can't do it. As a child, I did read "Charlotte's Web" and have always been fascinated by writing spiders. About three weeks ago, this Charlotte showed up next to our basement door. I have been careful when I call the kittens inside, so they don't mangle her web. I make them go around.

When I decided to get some photos of our friend, I noticed that she had a friend, too. Can you see "him"? He was moving ALL around her. She was not moving, and I thought she was dead. He was pulling her legs, and it looked like he was attaching her to the web. It was weird.
I went back inside for a minute, and when I came back out she moved! The next thing I knew, her little "friend" was wrapped tighter than a burrito at Moe's.

Yes, he is that white dot at her mouth. This all happened August 20, and she is still out there. Sometimes when I'm out there calling in the kittens, I picture the last scene of "Charlotte's Web" when the babies release, and I get some major heebie jeebies. I haven't seen any egg sacks yet... I guess I'll find out how that works.

Busy Summer

2011-08-11T09:33:00.003-04:00

Hey kids! It has been a busy summer for me. I finished my 5th Summer Strings Camp last Friday, and then went camping at the beach. Matthew had a good time surfing, and I enjoyed fighting my new beach umbrella. Half of it broke, but half shade was better than no shade! When I got over being embarrassed by my flapping umbrella, I enjoyed the pounding waves and reading a book.

Matthew went down Friday afternoon, and I drove down Saturday. I met Matthew in Edisto and made a new friend.

The campsite had these adorable geese. These boys were pursuing a pretty little female.

I made dinner Sunday night. Matthew packed a few leftovers from our fridge at home which included some rice, and I brought a red pepper and some tomatoes which we added to the rice. I went to Piggly Wiggly and bought some andouille sausage and a red onion. This is everything before I piled it all together on a plate! (I also poured a little bit of my beer into the pan with the sausage! Yum!)

It was delicious! I love camper cooking! I am looking forward to more camping weekends!

Making Dinner

2011-07-28T19:47:00.003-04:00

I knew I wanted to make a quiche since I have a lot of eggs and tomatoes. I bought some Gruyere cheese, an onion, and a pie crust (sorry, Jen, I just haven't quite tackled making my own).

Time to make dinner! Mmmm... I have chorizo sausage in the fridge. I start cooking the chorizo and chop up an onion. As I add the onion to the chorizo, I realize... Gruyere cheese doesn't pair so well with that flavor. I had already defrosted my chopped spinach. What to do?

Make two quiches, of course! I made a crustless quiche with spinach, tomato, and Gruyere. Yum!

The second was with a crust. I put the chorizo and onion on the bottom, poured the egg, spinach, and cheddar mixture on top and then topped it with sliced tomatoes (just for looks).

We'll see how it turns out!

Tree Climbing

2011-07-23T08:12:00.003-04:00

Today was just a typical morning drinking coffee and looking at Facebook. Dizzy and Miles have been staying out all night playing. Dizzy came to the door ready for breakfast. I go down to the basement door to call in Miles. He was mewing but there was no sign of him. I race back upstairs to get my shoes and go find him. Sure enough he had treed himself. I wonder if something scared him or if he was playing and raced up a tree only to realize he could not get back down. Silly kitty...

I try to coax him down but he didn't want to do it. It was only about 10-12 feet. I know Miles can climb down a ladder, so I found one and took it out to him. It wasn't tall enough to reach him, so I had to hold it up. He climbed down and was safe.

Moldy needs to teach her brothers how to climb back down trees. She's a pro.

Camping

2011-07-05T07:40:00.006-04:00

Last week Matthew and I bought a camper! So what do we do? We went to the beach, of course. Since it was a HUGE holiday weekend, a lot of places were full, but I managed to find a place in Hardeeville, SC. It was a sleepy little RV park. It was pretty late when we pulled in (already dark), but we plugged up the power and the water and were good to go! I don't know why we haven't done this sooner.
The camper is a 5th wheel which means there is a hitch that goes in the bed of Matthew truck. The camper is 23 feet long (which is not huge for a 5th wheel). It can sleep 4 comfortably. It could sleep 6 if 4 people are willing to share a large bed. It has a couch, a table with bench seats which all turn into the big bed. There is a sink, stove, oven, and microwave. It has a fridge and freezer, too. And never fear! There is a complete bathroom! But I think the most important feature, since we are doing beach trips, is the air conditioning. It's super cold! We had to turn it off a few times.
OK. So we arrived Friday night and got it all hooked up. The next morning we were on the beach. Matthew caught a few waves, and I read a few pages of Harry Potter. We took a trip to Wal-Mart to stock the camper.

We had a blast! After our shopping trip we just hung out at the picnic table at our campsite. We found FRESH shrimp for $4.50 lb. I had to cut their heads off but I got to cook in our new camper! It was all I could talk about before we actually bought it. They were the best shrimp I've ever had.

The next morning I made coffee! It's a percolator.

After sleeping in, doing more reading, we spent Sunday in Savannah just walking around. There are some really neat buildings. We tried to go check out Tybee Island. I think they were having fireworks because 5,000 people were all traveling down one lane of road onto the island. It was OK though because we found a bar. LOL!

Monday morning we off to Hilton Head. We did some walking/jogging. I went ahead and wore my swimsuit so I could jump directly into the water. We had a wonderful morning, but it was time to head home. Matthew emptied the holding tanks (yes, there is a tank for grey water and a tank for you-know-what). I packed up everything.

I can't wait to go again!

Redneck Tendancies?

2011-06-29T07:38:00.005-04:00

Last night I was dreaming that I was in Wal-Mart looking for a special hook to crochet with or something. So I found the section with the string, yarn, and lace. They had samples of different things you could make. One item was lingerie. It had silk straps and cups and the body of it was camo.

Needless to say, I woke up laughing.

Rainbow Falls

2011-06-26T09:40:00.004-04:00

Last week I traveled a few mountains over to hang out with my family. As soon as I arrived, we were loading up and heading to Gorges State Park. We were all armed with a camera, and my sister carried the pack with waters.

The hike to the falls is a 1.5 mile strenuous trail. It is mostly down hill until you get close to the falls, and then you climb up and up.

I am very proud of my mom and Josh for making that 3 mile round trip hike! It was not easy! We had a great time. As you see, Josh was worn out.

This is the next day. Dad kept the boys entertained with golf and such while the girls (mom, Michelle, and I) went shopping! It was great fun. The last day was a bust because of rain. We had hoped to go paddle around the lake but instead we played games.

Friday we all went home. I arrived back in town just before lunch time. I met Matthew at Habitat Home Store where we found a bed frame for the spare bedroom! Yay! Then we got to have lunch together. He had some errands, and I decided to return home. Instead of unpacking, I finished my book, "True Detectives" by Jonathan Kellerman. A good read.

When Matthew came home, we hung out on the porch. The sunset was a beautiful end to the week!

Moldy

2011-06-25T13:55:00.003-04:00

Starting Monday, Moldy had a little cough and sneezing episode. I went out of town for the week, and when I returned Friday she was about the same. She would cough so bad that she gagged (sorry, gross, I know). I took her to the vet today, and after waiting an hour (our vet is worth it), Dr. Beverly said Moldy has allergies. Moldy has been to the vet off and on for the last 3 years for the same thing. So she was given a steroid shot and an antibiotic which I get to give her twice a day. It is a liquid so that makes things a little easier.

Meanwhile, Miles and Dizzy are doing great! As far as I can tell they are done growing, but they might have another growth spurt since they are just barely a year old. Later today, everyone gets their Advantage treatment! Yay!

Weekend Adventures

2011-06-20T08:09:00.004-04:00

Matthew is working hard during the week and cannot take a week off for vacation. Since he plays in the Cafe String Quartet (Google them, take a listen, they are amazing), several of his Saturdays are spent playing weddings. This past weekend was free, and we went to the beach!

Matthew's passion for surfing has been the driving force for us going to the beach on free weekends. Despite a crummy wave forecast we went anyway. Friday afternoon we were on the beach. After about an hour, it was time for dinner.

Here is the Charleston bridge at sunset.

We ate at this great place called Vickery's next to the waterway. All the shrimp boats were already back.

We saw this huge cargo ship passing by before our meal.

Matthew had scallops and grouper which was so good he didn't want to ruin it with any sauces. I had jerk shrimp on a salad which was delish!

Saturday's waves were not looking good, so we went with Plan B - Plantation and Kayaking Tour. Our first stop was Drayton Place. It was built in 1738! This place was the Biltmore of its time. The house was incredible. The company which owns it has gone with preservation instead of restoration. Our guide said 85% of the house is original!

There is no plumbing inside so there was an outbuilding with a 6 seater. The seats are no longer there, but here is a picture. I like that there is a child's seat on the end.

There are two entrances to the house - by road or by river. The Ashley River runs along the end of the garden area.

After lunch, we headed to our kayak tour. It was fantastic! The guide put Matthew and I in our own boats (thank goodness!). Gates (our guide) is a biology major, and he was full of information. When we paddled the water way, there were dolphins that would swim close to us. (This is a picture taken when we were at dinner because I couldn't take pictures when I was paddling.)

This is the same water way in second and third pictures! It was cool that we paddled down it. We saw male Fiddler Crabs waving their big claws trying entice a female. We saw several different birds - Great American Egret, White Heron, Pelicans (and babies), sea gulls, and birds I can't remember the names. There was one that Gates said the feathers were made into big hats that were shipped back to London. I'm going to study my sea birds so next time I can tell you.

Sunday we went to the beach early to "run". I put this in quotes because I am not a runner. I would walk and then give myself a goal to jog a block. It felt really good. Matthew finally decided that we would check out of our hotel and come back with the board. I sported my new purple bikini. Matthew put me on the surfboard, and I think I might like it! I have been hesitant because I am not the best swimmer. I caught three waves, and on the last one I managed to get on my knees. Next time we go, I will try it again!

Itchy

2011-05-29T09:09:00.004-04:00

One week ago, my arm started itching like crazy! I don't know where or how, but I had a classic case of poison ivy. I am blaming transfer from one of the cats.

This is a picture of it after a week. It no longer itches (thank goodness!) but it is still healing!

May Days

2011-05-29T08:22:00.002-04:00

Oh boy, where to begin... I attended a lovely Tinkerbell birthday party for my 4-year old friend, Bronwen. It was wonderful! I also got to visit with one of my bestest friends, Jenny. We had a great afternoon of girl time. Well, her husband, T.J., was there too. Haha :) I'm so happy they are back in NC.

May is always concert month. My Spring Concert was on the 19th, and it went great! We had a movie themed concert, so the orchestra played "Alice in Wonderland", "The Chronicles of Narnia", and "Pirates: At World's End". I am very proud of them. The chorus was the second 3/4 of the concert. I had several students with solos. I learned that walking the chorus on and off the stage every other song does not work. Ooops! It made for a long concert, but they did a great job.

The following Saturday I went to a baby shower for Andrea, a great friend of ours. Brief history: Matthew grew up in Hendersonville and played in several small ensembles. He and Andrea are good friends. Andrea went to App and Matthew (and I) went to UNCG. He used to go visit her, and she used to visit him. Therefore, I met Andrea in Greensboro. OK. Andrea returns to Hendo and begins teaching orchestra at Rugby Middle and West High. Matthew and I move back to Hendo. After a couple of years, she is put full time at the middle school and calls me to apply at for the high school job. The rest is history! Small world, huh? Anyhoo, I had a great time at the shower, and I even won a prize because I had the poopy diaper. Ha! We are very excited for her and her husband (who is going to be the cutest daddy).

My National Board stuff still required an assessment test. It is a 6 part test with each part being 30 minutes. I had 9:00am on the brain and needed to show up at the testing center 30 minutes early to sign in. What do I do? I got there at 8:15am. My test was scheduled at 9:30am. No big deal. It was at Biltmore Park so I walked around. It was a beautiful morning. I found a table to sit at and study a little bit. A little before 9:00, I walked back up. I am not able to discuss the test but the first part kicked my tail! I glanced down, started typing, and before I could blink the 5-minute warning popped up. My morning and test whizzed by in no time. I will not find out the results of everything until November!!! At least it is completed.

I enjoyed the rest of the day with a pizza and beer at Brixx. B&N was across the street so I had to go. I exhibited some great self control. I only bought 3 books.

Now here we are, Memorial Day weekend. We have school Monday because of snow days, but we have an assembly which my students will play some patriotic music. Thanks to all the men and women who have served! Happy Memorial Day!

Flowers, rain, and yard work

2011-05-15T18:48:00.004-04:00

As the spring season continues, more and more flowers in our yard are beginning to bloom. Matthew has two beautiful rose bushes, and this one is full of flowers!

Miles decided he wanted to be in a photo. Actually, I was trying to get a picture to show how big he is!

The weekend was short but good. I spent Saturday with my dearest friend, Jenny, to help celebrate her oldest daughter's 4th birthday. On the way home, I stopped in Shelby to check on a tree that fell across mom and dad's driveway. Here is the storm I was about to drive into.

It's too bad I didn't document my tree moving accomplishment. I had a chain which I wrapped around the tree and wrapped the other end around the ball on my hitch. I successfully freed the tree so I could shimmy it to the side of the driveway.

Today was exciting because Matthew and I purchased a new lawn mower. In my 33 years, I have NEVER been on a riding mower. I have pushed mowed since I was 8 years old.

Matthew did a little mowing, and I cleaned up two piles of leaves which were composting themselves under our porch. Actually, they were part of our garbage can corral. The weather has been so nice, and I was thrilled to work outside today. I managed to crank the 4-wheeler, fill the trailer with leaves (twice), haul it to a compost pile (twice), unhitch the trailer, and park the 4-wheeler in the barn. I also worked on painting the downstairs spare bedroom. I will get some pictures when it is finished. Right now it is a mess. I was able to park the new mower behind the 4-wheeler in the barn. Yay!

Now I am off to finish supper. I love a Crock Pot. I have a roast which is perfectly cooked. I have left over rice, and all I need to cook is the cabbage (with some chorizo!). Happy May!

Silly Kitties

2011-05-14T07:40:00.000-04:00

So my kitties were being silly earlier this week. Saturday night we let all of them outside, Moldy, Miles, and Dizzy. Later that night Miles and Dizzy came back inside for bedtime, but Moldy stayed out. This is not uncommon. She will take her time sometimes scratching on our door at some wee hour or two minutes before the alarm is set.

The next morning, there was no Moldy. She stayed out for three days and two nights making me worry by late Monday. Finally at around 10:30pm she reappeared. Whew! I hugged and loved on her, and she wanted food. Don't worry, she did not go hungry while outside. She is a hunter. That is all I will say.

With Moldy back inside, it was time to let the kittens, Miles and Dizzy, out. Miles is usually a fraidy-cat, no pun intended, but he has enjoyed chasing grasshoppers. I need to catch a picture of them chasing grasshoppers. It is soooo cute. They squat in the grass, wiggle their hiney, and then pounce. The are growing up!

I called the kittens before bed and no sign of them. I called several more times and still nothing. This is not totally strange, but it was a little. At no point during the night did they come scratching on the door.

Wednesday, I still could not find them. Before I went to bed, I went out with the flashlight and called them. I was going to check the barn when I heard a galloping thump thump. I opened the door and there were their sweet little faces. I scooped them up and hugged and kissed on them. I carried them back to their basement. I checked them for dehydration, and they were fine! We can't figure out how they got stuck. The door was probably left open a crack, they finagled their way inside, and then the wind blew it shut.

We just can't let everybody out at the same time because that is when Moldy will disappear for an extra night. Matthew has accused her of taking on another family. The kittens will not be kittens for much longer. They are 11 months old, and Miles is as big as or bigger than his sister. Dizzy is getting fluffier. He is so handsome with his yellow-green eyes and white chest hair. Miles has a more sleek fur. The individual hairs are striped. It's pretty cool. I still can't believe we have three cats. Silly kitties.

Back To Cooking!

2011-04-11T18:04:00.005-04:00

For those who know me, you know I have a fondness for cooking. There is just something cool about the process of adding spices or deciding to not add a spice. I sometimes follow recipes, and I sometimes add a twist. Either way, it sure feels good to be cooking again. I have been too tired these last couple of months, and Matthew has been a trooper eating whatever sandwich or snack concoction I came up with for the evening.

Tonight's fair with be Beef & Noodle Toss from the April issue of Better Homes & Garden.

This was very easy and quite delicious. :)

Spring has Sprung

2011-04-10T08:17:00.004-04:00

I came home and spied this little fellow perched on his web built across the petal.

I'm Back!

2011-04-09T08:28:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, March 29th I mailed off my little blue National Board box. I had a good friend go with me. I checked, double checked, and triple checked that everything was in the box. Surprisingly, I was not too reluctant in handing it over to the UPS man. I was quite relieved!

We had a lovely lunch at Blue Sky Cafe, and then did some fun shopping. I returned to school for a rehearsal of "Fame" since it opened that week. Wednesday morning I went with 7 students to our local news station, WLOS, for a segment about our show. One of the anchors interviewed me briefly, and then the kids sang one the songs. I wish I could see the video, because I didn't know what to do! I sat there smiling, she talked, asked me a question, and I just stared at her for a sec.... but I got through it, and I had several kids at school say, "Hey, Mrs. King! I saw you on T.V. this morning!"

I had not realized how much that blue box had been weighing me down! Apparently I was a totally different person for 2 or 3 months, and I did not see Matthew very much for that last month. My students had noticed, too.

Working on National Boards is a rewarding process. While I was stressed and not being my usual self, I was doing a lot of reflecting on my teaching. It is very humbling, and a lot of times I thought I was a terrible teacher. I feel like I found my mojo again. It is up to the people who read my stuff to decided whether I pass. Analytical writing is not my forte because I have trouble explaining why I do something. (Haha?)

Anyhoo... I still have the assessment test to take on May 25th. This is after my Spring concert, and I will miss school that day.

Meanwhile, I have one week of school then SPRING BREAK!!! I am looking forward to that very much. Matthew did a wonderful job helping with the everyday chores, and my deep cleaning weekends were thrown by the wayside while I was busy writing and rehearsing. I will spend my break cleaning, reading, and having fun. Mom and dad are going to come up one day to see the Biltmore flowers. Matthew's birthday is that week, and his brother's girlfriend's birthday, too. There will be a big gathering at the King Ranch.

All in all, it feels good to me, again!!!!! :)

Almost Finished!

2011-03-12T19:32:00.004-05:00

So, it is half way through March, and I am almost finished with National Boards! I took a personal day (paid for by NBPTS) and worked at the public library from 10am until 5:30pm. I did get an hour lunch break with Matthew during that time. I managed to get two entries written and a third started.

I had my umbrella which I used to walk the two blocks to meet Matthew for lunch. When I returned to the library, I left my umbrella just outside the entrance with two other umbrellas. Yup... you see where this is going... I wrote an entry, gave myself a break, and worked on another entry. Around 5:25, I realized my writing was going downhill fast, so I started to pack it up. During my "break" I found two books which I wanted checked out.

I walk out and look for an umbrella. Yes... there were no umbrellas there. I told myself that one of the homeless people I saw needed it more that I do. And I am OK with that.

I have relieved much stress just by taking that day off. However, I have an orchestra & chorus concert this coming Thursday, "Fame!" opens on the 31st, and I have a lot of revision to do on my NB entries.

Friday I gave the head of our English department three entries to critique for me. I am really glad she is reading my entries, because she... well, she is good. I have final NBPTS reading session on Monday. I am so very thankful for the support system that has established itself for me. My assistant principal, who has been through the process, has been wonderful!

Blessings in disguise

2011-02-10T07:07:00.006-05:00

Monday was a long day. I didn't watch the Super Bowl, but I stayed up a little later than I should have. My morning was in slow motion while time whizzed by, and I got to school just on time. My first period is a small (8 students) Advance Choir class. Three of my students did not come (blessing in disguise). This gave me the opportunity to work with a couple of students on their Fame songs.

During my planning period, I needed to get my registration for Music Performance Adjudication (a.k.a. Contest) filled out and mailed. I saw that the deadline was the previous Friday. Crap. I emailed the person in charge of organizing to ask if there were any spots available. He gave me a quick response to let me know it was filled and then some. I was kind of disappointed, but guess what.... blessing in disguise. I started my third period orchestra class, and they were asking questions about Contest. I just blew them off until there was about 10 minutes left in class. I let them pack up early. I was so stressed out with everything going on and disappointed. I told them, "I have some bad news. I did not get our registration in, so we are not going to Contest." Tears were welling up, and I took a deep breath. They don't care about Contest as much as they just wanted to get out of class! They were sweet, though. One student noticed my watery eyes and asked, "Mrs. King, are you crying?" Crap. Whoosh goes the water works. I didn't totally lose it, but I was crying. Two of my seniors ambushed hugged me.
We will travel to one or two of the elementary schools to perform for Music in Our Schools Month. Since I am working on my National Boards, the musical, and Summer Strings Camp I am happy to have one less stress. This will also give us a couple of extra weeks to work on our music, and we can add another fun piece. Blessing.

After school, I had a National Boards meeting. This is for people who have entries to be read. I have not started writing, but I had videotaped my classes three days last week. I was able to get help and guidance for writing my fourth entry. This is about my activity and connections outside the classroom. It is very difficult to answer "Why" I do anything. Because I'm a glutton for punishment? I like to keep the feeling of being overwhelmed? Haha! Anyhoo... I was getting ready to leave, and the person in charge noticed my camera. She asked if I'd like one of the certified people to watch one of my videos. Uh... well... sure, why not (blessing in disguise). First, this woman made me feel very comfortable inviting her "into my classroom". After some fumbling and changing rooms, we got my video to work. I showed her a scale lesson, and then I moved on to instruction. Her feedback was wonderful! She said the point of all this is HOW I write about my video, not the video itself. She told me there is plenty to pull from the video. Needless to say, I left that meeting feeling much better about this process.

Monday was such a strange day filled with so many blessings. I must admit, I'm glad that day is over!

Luck be a lady...

2011-01-31T18:50:00.003-05:00

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is scary. Matthew and I talked last fall about my getting a master's degree or trying for National Boards. We decided I would go for National Board certification, so I applied last October online. A few weeks later I received a blue box with lots of labels, envelopes, CD-Rom, and forms. I am very bad at self-instruction, i.e. reading comprehension. I always have been.

My first apprehension began when I read that I was supposed to have 3 years in the same district. Since I was only 50% for three years, those account for 1.5 years! I have one year of full-time last year. You can do the math, so I thought, "Maybe I'm not eligible yet." It turns out there is an employment verification form that I was to duplicate for each district. Again, that whole poor reading comprehension thing bit me.

OK. Long story short, I have procrastinated until the absolute last minute, as always. All of my forms were due to be postmarked today. So I get up this morning, ready to send in everything I have: License Verification including a copy of my license; Education Verification (which I paid to have sent to me via email); and one of two Employment Verification forms. As I am driving to the post office after school, I realize I forgot my labels! They were at home. So I raced back home and grabbed my blue box, and I raced back towards town. Now, keep in mind that I live in the boonies so it takes 30 minutes for me to get back to town.

I get stuck behind one very slow character, meanwhile I am on the phone with NBPTS to make sure I was not panicking only to find out that I have made myself ineligible. I guess I wasn't the only person freaking out, because the gentleman on the phone was very calm and talked me through the fact that it will be OK.

I finally get to the post office, walk in the doors, and am denied. They closed at 5:00, and I looked at my phone which said 5:01. No joke. The lady behind the door mouthed, "I'm sorry", and I tried not to burst into tears right then and there. After some customers came and went, the same lady asked me what I needed. I simply told her that I needed this envelope postmarked today, and I also realized they no longer had a copier. :/ She asked how many copies I needed, and I said, "Just one."

She let the last customer come and go, and she came out into the lobby locking the door. She offered to make my copies (which turned out to be 5 copies, not 1), and graciously did not pick up the outgoing mail until my envelope hit the pile. I can't express how grateful I am for this kind woman's act.

I wonder if I had not been behind the slow poke, would I have made it to the post office at 4:58 and gotten in the door? All I can say is that I am very grateful, and I don't plan to procrastinate on sending in my blue box with all my papers and video. I have 2 months to get it done. I just keep telling myself, "I can do this." I have an enormous support system of friends who have been through the process (including one administrator).

I wonder if this woman was sent to make me really appreciate and understand the commitment I need to make for this process.

New Year's Eve, Day, and Leaving

2011-01-29T21:46:00.007-05:00

Friday, New Year's Eve, I was THRILLED to be going to Isla de la Plata to see the Blue Footed Boobies. I got to drive the car (which was a stick shift!) to Puerta Lopez. Mariscal gave me very good directions to find the tour office. I arrived to speak with a gentleman who spoke no English. Luckily, my tour guide arrived, and she spoke English. I didn't realize how dependent I was on Matthew to translate everything! I know a word or two, but obviously not enough. I arrived early so I had time to kill. I walked to the pharmacia to buy bug repellent and a bottle of water. It was finally time to go when a family arrived with a puppy. Really? So we had to wait on them while they took the puppy home. They really thought they could bring a dog to a bird sanctuary. Anyway...

Everyone removed their shoes/sandals and put them in a bag. We all walked in the water to get into our boat. By this point, everyone knew I spoke virtually no Spanish. Some of them asked where I was from, and we would converse as long as their English and my Spanish would allow. They were all so nice. The boat ride lasted an hour. This is one of my favorite pics as we left Puerta Lopez.

Our boat arrived to Isla de la Plata. Our guide told everyone something about lunch being later and gave us a muffin and bottle of water. The boat pulled ashore, and we climbed out. After finding our shoes/sandals in the bag, everyone goes to the foot washing station to get the sand out of toes. Yes... this is a communal foot washing area. I'm not sure how often/if at all the water is 'freshened'.

After getting my Chaco's back on and a potty break, off we went up a long trail. We hiked for maybe 20 minutes before we spotted the first Booby. We were all so excited that we took a hundred pictures of this family feeding the baby. Super cool!

Here we are taking pics of another Booby family (which was more common than originally thought). I love this picture because of the orange cover you see in the background. There was an older, grandmother traveling with us. Her grandsons kept her covered with this wrap. The duo up front with me (if my poor Spanish served me at all) was teasing that she must be a saint. It was pretty funny.

These two were hanging out on a cliff edge.

The Booby babies get so big! They stay in the nest for three months, and then they are read to fly. They don't get the blue feet until they are sexually mature.

This is my poster Blue Footed Booby.

All in all, my two hour hike around this Island was incredible! I did not post any pictures of the Frigate bird because they are mean. Their feathers do no allow them to get wet, so they can't dip down into the water for food. Frigates can only skim the surface of the water hoping for a fish. If they have no luck, they will beat up a Booby in the air until it throws up the fish it caught. I don't like Frigates.

After our amazing hike, we get back on the boat and travel around the island. We were served watermelon, pineapple, and a couple of little sandwiches. By the time we finished, we were anchored and ready for snorkeling! I was super excited for this, too, because I had done it in Nassau, Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico.

I get my flippers and mask last, and I ease into the water. I swim out a little and can feel the currents. I am not a strong swimmer. I tried to put my face in the water, breathe normally, but I just couldn't do it. I was panicking because of the currents, so I swam back towards the boat. One of the gals was hanging onto a life saver and looking down into the water. Brilliant! I latched on, and the guy on the boat sent one out just for me! I floated for a good 20 minutes. I saw some pretty corals, clown fish, trumpet fish, and a "Dora" fish. Needless to say it was pretty awesome.

It was time to head back. The water was super rough! Everyone would scream and laugh when the boat rose up and slammed down into the water. Then one of the engines went haywire, and we stopped dead in the water. It was scary because we were at the mercy of the waves! Finally the engine worked and no one was laughing anymore. We were all worn out too. After arriving to shore, I was trying to tell people "Thanks" and "Bye" and they told me "Ciao". It was cool.

I drove myself back to Finca in time to find Matthew napped and refreshed after a hard day of surfing. One last dinner at El Paso. It was bittersweet because I really liked the couple that owned the place. They even brought us to the kitchen so we could see how they cooked our meals. They even sat us a the table that could see the T.V.

After supper, we commenced to celebrating the New Year. At about 10:00pm, I HAD to take a nap. At two minutes until midnight, Matthew woke me up in time to see the fire and kiss at midnight! But then someone said their phone time had not hit midnight yet, so we counted down for a second time. It was great! Everyone walked out to the beach because there seemed to be fireworks, but it wasn't as exciting as it had seemed. We returned to Finca and the more intense people went to the other town for an all night celebration! Matthew and I stayed at Finca with a cool couple from Columbia.

New Year's Day we slept in. It was our last day at the beach so we headed down for some reading. Matthew finally decided to get a board and do one last round of surfing. I'm so glad he did, because it went so much better than the day before. I was coming close to finishing my book. We had one last dinner at Finca with our new friends from New Zealand (who taught English in Cuenca), Switzerland, Germany, and Puerto Lopez. Since we had a car, we offered our friend from New Zealand a ride back to Guayaquil so she could catch a bus back to Cuenca. We got up at 4:15ish and left Fina Punta Ayampe by 5:00am. By 8ish am we made it GYE airport. We said good byes to our new friend. Matthew settled with the car rental while I tried to pay our taxes to leave the country. I was already stressing. It was so silly of me! We had more than enough time. We got our boarding passes (which you need to do first!), paid our taxes, and went through security. Matthew and I had plenty of time to eat a good breakfast, and I had time to finish my book.

Short story long... big plane back to Miami (I got to watch "Eat, Pray, Love"). We had a 4 hour layover, then it was back to Atlanta. We arrived at 9:45pm (remember we had been up since 4:15am). We find the truck and off we go! I had already called in for a sub for Monday, so I let Matthew sleep while I drove. We pulled up to the house around 1:30am. Almost 22 hours later! I slept in the next morning, did all the laundry, took a nap... it was a great decision.

I LOVED our trip to Ecuador. I feel like my pictures were not as good as our Mexico trip, but I think our extended beach trip was worth it! I hope we return. Finca Punta Ayampe was a wonderful place to stay, if anything, just to have Mariscal take care of you.

Ecuador is growing, and all of the roads were new. The country is growing, and I hope tourism continues to grow in this country. If you are a resort only kind of person, I don't recommend it. If you are willing to 'rough it' a little, then this will be your kind of place! The people are so very nice and the scenery is so beautiful!

Days 3 - 5, Ayampe, Ecuador

2011-01-13T07:23:00.007-05:00

After a very long ride from Cuenca, we made it to the beach! It was a very long drive back across the mountains, and the drive back through Guayaquil was intense! Three lanes became five, and we weren't 100% sure which way to go. I did manage to ask someone while we were stopped in traffic. I was quite proud of myself since I had chosen the correct road, Nueve de Octobre. I'm not sure what significance that road has in history, but it was our road.
I convinced Matthew to hang a hard right to get out of traffic, then a left so we were parallel to the awful road, and it was only a couple of blocks before we turned on our La Via de la Costa (road to the beach!).

We drove, paid our tolls, drove some more, and after about 2 more hours of navigating...

Needless to say, we made it to the beach! It was so very beautiful. It was warm, the breeze was nice, and the colors of everything was amazing. The road were not marked well, but there was one sign pointing to Ayampe. There were locals who had not even heard of it! We did not see signs for Finca Punta Ayampe (our hostel), so we asked a family. They had no idea! Long story short, we went the up the only other road and found it. We rang the bell, met our host, Mariscal, who showed us to our room. It was just enough. At least we had a mosquito net! A first for me, but Matthew kindly pointed out that it just made me feel more like a princess.

These are the signature rocks you will see in most pictures of Ayampe.

The first night (Tuesday), we ate at the restaurant and didn't do much exploring because we were exhausted.

I was instantly in love with Ayampe! Our host, Mariscal, was so wonderful. He wanted to make sure he took care of us because we were on vacation. He served a simple breakfast of toast and coffee. Mariscal told Matthew about the local surf instructor, Ryan. He and his wife, Vanessa, are from Canada and opened a surf school called Otra Ola.
Puerta Lopez was the next major town over, so we went to find flip flops and check out the town. They have phone booths which we later used to phone home. We returned to Ayampe for a little lunch and beach time. Matthew and I walked over to Otra Ola to ask about lessons. Matthew had emailed Vanessa a couple of times inquiring about lessons. Vanessa also does a yoga class in the mornings, but I never took advantage of it. Ryan returned from a lesson and talked to Matthew about the next day. Ryan was going to town to pick up some new boards and did not know if he'd be back in time for a 3:00 lesson, but "the waves will still be there the next day."

The next morning, Matthew and I had our morning coffee until the kitchen opened. We decided to drive to Puerta Lopez again and had breakfast there. It was very good and only $3 for the both of us. We headed back to Ayampe for some beach time. I sat and read my book, and after a while, Matthew went to Otra Ola to see if Ryan was back. About thirty minutes later, Matthew is walking up the beach with two boogie boards!!! It was awesome and scary! These waves are so much bigger than the ones on our coast. I caught some pretty good ones that raced me to shore. We returned the boards a couple of hours later, and Ryan still had not returned.

We decided to try something different for supper, so we walked back up the "main" road. A couple owned a restaurant called "El Paso", and the food was amazing! Matthew asked Arycele to make his food 'pica' (spicy), so Arycele picked some peppers off a bush growing right next to the deck. Matthew said it was just right! We also witnessed the most beautiful sunset that continued for at least 30 minutes.
Thursday was just a chill day. We took another morning trip to Puerto Lopez and made a couple of phone calls to the states. Matthew went to his surf lesson, and I hung out in the commons area at Finca Punta to read. I had gotten too much sun Wednesday, so I was all about the shade. I met a woman from New Zealand who was teaching English at a school in Cuenca! She was a surfer and had come to Finca just for that purpose. We talked about all kinds of stuff, including the obnoxious American that visited Finca the previous day. Let's just say, he was a loud know it all.

I spoke to Mariscal about Isla de la Plata. It is called the "poor man's Galapagos", and I wanted to go! Friday was New Year's Eve, so Mariscal called to see if they were giving tours that day. Much to my luck, they were, but they couldn't pick me up! Matthew had surfing plans, so I drove myself to Puerta Lopez. Well... NO PROBLEM! I had ridden with Matthew the past two mornings, so I felt pretty comfortable driving myself. I was going to see some Blue Footed Boobies!!!!!

Days 1 - 3 in Ecuador

2011-01-10T09:32:00.008-05:00

Mom and dad stayed at our house, and they had to drive up Christmas Eve because of the prediction of snow. Matthew and I left for Atlanta on Christmas Day in a flurry. We arrived in Atlanta with no snow! I called mom and she said there was already 5 inches at our house! We go through security with no problems. Our flight was for 1:00pm, so we had time to eat some lunch. Matthew and I were seated on the exit row, which has a lot of leg room! We make it to Miami for a four hour layover. There was nothing to do there except belly up to the bar which was conveniently located right next to our gate. :)

We were on a BIG plane to Guayaquil which arrived at 12:45pm. We got into our hotel around 1:15am and slept in a big, comfy bed. The next morning we went back to the airport to get our rental car. It was...um... special. A little Nissan with the sideview mirror that was about to fall off! Plus one or two of the tires were a little flat. We drove to a gas station with the Hertz guy and filled them up.

Off we went to Cuenca! Here is the map I had to help navigate.

It took a little more than 3 hours to drive up over the Cajas Mountains, which were beautiful despite the fog. Matthew could barely make out the road in some places because of the fog, and the roads were very curvy. We took a wrong road getting into Cuenca, so we ended up taking the long way into town. I saw a Christmas parade with people dressed as the 3 wise men, and children dressed at Santa Claus. This is the outside of our hotel.

The city had several beautiful churches.

These were the Cajas Mountains for our drive back. It wasn't as foggy, but there were some places.

Our stay in Cuenca was pretty low key. There wasn't a whole lot to do except walk around and marvel at the architecture. Since it was the day after Christmas AND a Sunday, there were no bars open. Our room was very quaint with lots of closet space. A/C and heat were not needed in this area. The temperature was upper 40's at night and in the low 70's by day. Breakfast was typical: coffee or tea, fruit, bread with butter and jam, and scrambled eggs.

Monday, we walked to an art museum called Museo del Banco. It was nice, but there weren't any descriptions or dates on anything. I spied a Bird Zoo at the bottom of the hill, so we checked it out.
We found a little restaurant for lunch. He didn't take our order but served us a typical almuerzo (lunch): Some odd hominy/corn snack, soup, then a slice of beef with rice and salad (cabbage and carrots with lemon vinaigrette).

The city of Cuenca was sleepy, but I think most people stay there to spend the day hiking in the Cajas. Monday night we met a couple visiting their daughter who was studying in Ecuador. They were pretty interesting, and we stayed up talking.

Tuesday morning, Matthew tried to crank the car, but the battery was dead! He found a taxi driver who helped him jump it. We were starting to wonder about the trustworthiness of this vehicle. I was ready for the beach!!!!!

We drove back through the Cajas and back through Guayaquil. That was interesting! There aren't really any lines on the road, and if there are, no one uses them. 3 lanes could become 5, for example. I didn't take any pictures because I was navigating us through downtown Guayaquil. Luckily it was a grid, and Matthew managed to get take a right and a left to be parallel with the crazy main road. They name roads after dates, and we were looking for Nueve de Octobre (9th of October). We found it at last, and it led us to the Coastal Highway. It was three+ hours from Cuenca to Guayaquil, and another 3.5 hours to the beach. Matthew did a great job driving. I was ready for four days of sun and relaxing!

Preparing to Travel to Ecuador

2011-01-08T14:54:00.004-05:00

I have summers off, yet that is Matthew's busiest time. Needless to say we rarely get to vacation. This year's destination was Ecuador. Everyone asks me, "Why Ecuador?" Well, Matthew picked it for surfing, and it sounded interesting.

The fun begins by researching plane tickets. We found a direct flight with Delta from Atlanta (ATL) to Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE), but tickets were going to be $1,300 EACH! Matthew kept searching Orbitz, etc... he found a flight that goes from Orlando to ATL then that same exact flight to GYE for about $750 each. What's up with that??? So we purchased those tickets thinking we would call to say we missed out first flight, but we would get to ATL.

The more we researched this idea and spoke to the girl who rents our old house, the more we realized this wasn't going to work. She works for Delta, and she tried to change our tickets. We were going to have to either buy tickets to Orlando for $80 each, or end up paying the difference in plane tickets at $800 each. OK. This is getting ridiculous. To top that off... I realized that our flight back was at 12:15AM New Year's Day. That clearly was not going to work.

New plan! We canceled those tickets for a fee, but we get to keep our credit with Delta to use within the next year. We found an American Airlines flight which was our 2nd choice anyway. The reason we did not pick it was:
1. A four hour layover in Miami
2. We got back in ATL at 9:45PM Sunday night, and I have school Monday

Well, those reasons didn't look so bad after the first ticket debacle. OK. Sweet. We are good to go to Ecuador, now we need places to stay.

I booked us for our first night at the Marriott because our arrival was for 12:45pm. After some searching, emailing, and one phone call, we had arrangements for lodging. We also arranged to rent a car for the week. We even know where our passports are located. Sweet! We are good to go!

Birthdays

2010-12-05T07:59:00.005-05:00

This is the season of birthdays:
Michelle (my sister) ~ November 28

Josh (my sister's youngest) ~ December 5

Kathy (my mother-in-law) ~ December 5

My birthday ~ December 6

Facebook is fun because it tells everyone about your birthday, and a lot of people leave some very nice notes on your wall. It gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling without the alcohol.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fast forward... yikes! I got too busy to finish this post, plus my laptop got a virus. At least I can add two more birthdays to this list:

Adam Timothy St. Romain ~ December 7

Zachary Tyler King ~ December 23

And my friend, Suzanne, had her first baby Cameron Jason on January 4th!

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

Kittens vs. Moldy Update

2010-11-26T09:04:00.005-05:00

Moldy still does not like the kittens, but life has been getting a little easier. Moldy had started staying out all day and most of the night. She would only come in through the bedroom in the middle of the night, sleep for just few hours, and then beg to go back out 10 minutes before Matthew's alarm was to go off.

Matthew ordered doors for the basement and had them put up. We have since moved the kittens to the basement! This has been such a wonderful change. Moldy will come in the front door in the evening, sleep through the night with us, and go out in the morning. Sometimes she stays in for the day. The kittens are happy with all of their toys, and we let them up when Moldy is outside. It has been a win-win situation.

We have been trying to get the kittens accustomed to being outside, and so far Dizzy loves it but Miles begs to come back inside. Yesterday, progress was made. Check them out!

This is what they usually look like... a blur. I call Dizzy my little fatty, because all he does is eat. Miles is going to be a huge cat. His tail is as long as he is, and his paws are big. Dizzy's fur is getting longer. I love the little white patch on his chest.

I can't believe how much they have grown! Here is their very first post.

Playing Catch Up

2010-11-25T12:05:00.003-05:00

Oh, my... where to begin? The week after my last post I was busy with our Berrian All-County Orchestra Festival. My students and students from the other 3 high schools combined into one large orchestra. There was a Monday night rehearsal, and Tuesday was an all day affair with rehearsals and a concert. Our guest conductor was Dr. Rebecca MacLeod from UNCG (my alma mater), and she was fantastic!

The following weekend I drove the activity bus for my friend, Kelly, and her Honors Theatre class. They had a competition at Western Carolina. The leaves were perfect that weekend, but alas I did not get any pictures. :( Both plays received superior ratings! Kelly received an excellence in directing award, and four of her students received acting accolades.

I spent the next week sick with a head cold. I tried to tough it out, but by Wednesday I was knocked on my you-know-what. I decided to take Thursday off to recover, and I was so glad I did. I got some much needed rest.

That Sunday, I pick up my friend, Andrea, and we traveled to Winston-Salem for the NC Music Educator's Conference. We had a great time. The NC Honors Orchestra's performance was incredible! We attended several interesting sessions and caught up with some friends we only see one or twice a year at All-State events. Our hotel was amazing and took great care of us. We were on the 14 floor, which was a little strange being so far way from the earth. We checked-out around lunch on Tuesday. I did not return home but to school where my students were performing. The Fine Arts Department at West is amazing, and we showcased some of our students' hard work.

I had school on Wednesday, then I was off on Thursday for Veteran's Day. I thoroughly enjoyed my play day (aka Target shopping) with my friend, Beth. Then we were back to school on Friday... which didn't feel like Friday... it was a little strange.

Last week was a normal week, so to speak. I had some good lessons last week as we prepare for our Winter Concert.

This week rocked because it was only two days. Yesterday, I drove to Cashiers to spend the afternoon with my college roommate, Misty. We had a great afternoon! Her son, Cody, just turned 1, and he was all over the place. He is a cutie pie, too! Sadly, I had to leave around 5pm to get back to Mills River for a rehearsal. I am excited to play for Mills River UMC's Christmas Cantata. I was sight-reading last night, but I made it through. It is going to be a lot of fun, and I am thrilled to be playing. I never realize how much I miss performing... which reminds me... I really need to audition for the Hendersonville Symphony again...

OK. That gets us up to today!

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G ! ! !

I am thankful for so much in my life. I don't know where to begin. I have a wonderful family which includes Sutherlands and Kings. I have wonderful, loving husband. I have wonderful friends with whom I can share much laughter and good times. And my list could go on and on...

My potato gratin with rosemary crust is in the oven... my kitchen is almost clean... laundry is going... kitties are sleeping... I'd say life is pretty good! I am very excited to see my friend, Jenny, and her family this weekend, and I am excited to see my sister and her family. I miss my boys! So maybe next post will have some pictures! :)

May you all be blessed and have a wonderful holiday!

Making Bread Pt. 2 & 3

2010-10-18T19:09:00.005-04:00

Here is the bread after 12 hours in a warm place, and my two greased loaf pans.

After some satisfying pounding down of the dough, I separate it in half. I give each half and extra knead or two to get some of the bubbles out. These return to the microwave/warm spot for another 12 hours. (I hope you like the shot with my trashcan and Shark steamer mop.)

(Sorry there is no picture for Pt. 3.)

I pop the risen loaves into a 350 degree oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until they are a beautiful golden brown on top. They rest in the pans on a rack for 5-10 minutes, then I flip them out to sit on the rack until they are cooled completely. At this point, I am wanting to slice the loaf in half and eat it. I opt for a single slice with some butter. They need to cool completely before bagging them so they will not mold as fast. Good stuff!!!!

Making Bread Pt. 1

2010-10-16T21:30:00.003-04:00

In college, a friend gave Matthew some potato/sourdough starter. He made the most amazing bread, and I did not understand the process at the time.

Fast forward 9 years....

A friend has given us more starter! Matthew made the bread the first few times, but then I had to make the bread (I can't remember why). Matthew claimed it was better than the bread he makes. I am not a baker, and I never have been. But here is my version of making sourdough bread.

I start with 5 cups of unsifted bread flour, 1/2 C. sugar, and 1 tbs. salt. We prefer Gold Medal Brand Unbleached Flour. On the left you can see my wet ingredients (1 1/4 C. warm water, 1 C. starter, 1/3 C. vegetable oil), and I am getting ready to put the starter back in the fridge. Even if you don't make bread, you must feed the starter at least once a week!

Here I am mixing the wet into the dry ingredients.

I stir it with the wooden spoon (NOT metal) until it begins to get sticky. Then I start to mix it with my hands, and I add more flour until I get a consistency that is still a little sticky but not dry either. I usually flip it onto the counter to finish kneading it, and I wash and dry the bowl.

I add oil to the bowl, then put the dough in and flip it over to coat all sides with the oil.

I cover it, and then it sits in the microwave (it can go on top of the fridge if you have space) to rise for 12 hours. See you at 10am tomorrow!!!

Curtains

2010-10-03T09:48:00.005-04:00

When we built the house, we knew curtains were needed to help protect all the wood trim and floors from the sun. I wanted to make curtains, because I haven't seen any for sale that suit this house. This summer I found a fabric that was perfect, and then it sat all summer because I could not decided how to make the curtains. Should I make tabs, or just an opening?
Matthew and I went to the store and figured it out. We purchased some plain curtains for his office (temporary, I hope), and decided to buy rings that clip to a panel. A simple panel! Why didn't I think of that? I made one complete curtain that afternoon. I made 2 more (4 panels) yesterday. It took ALL day. I am lining them which is difficult. Each panel was re-pinned at least once, but I think they look nice. Matthew thinks they help accentuate the trim around the windows.

Pinning and ironing was part of the problem. I don't have a large, flat surface on which to iron my panel. Matthew just had a great idea to lower the ironing board to the level of the table so the panel will stay flat. Great. Now he tells me. Haha!

It did feel good to get out the sewing machine. :)

Kitten Update

2010-10-02T19:17:00.004-04:00

My goodness it has been awhile, and the boys have been growing! They are almost tall enough to knock over the trash can. Miles and Dizzy have recently discovered they can run up and down the stairs, and Miles almost figured out how to go through the cat door. I locked it so he could not get into the basement. Here's a pic of the boys chasing each other up the stairs.

My friend, Beth, gave me this box for toys.

Moldy is doing about the same. She hisses and growls at them. Apparently, I have a nice little head cold that kept me up last night. At one point the kittens were outside the bedroom door, and Moldy, curled up in the bed with us, hissed and growled when she heard them. Oh well... I am going to make her have some forced family time in the same room with the kittens today.

This Time, the Great Smokies!

2010-09-19T09:38:00.005-04:00

It has been another beautiful weekend in WNC! Mom and dad came to visit, and we tried to take them to Cataloochee. Off we go to Maggie Valley, follow the signs, and BOOM! We get cannot continue because an 18-wheel moving truck got stuck in a switchback. Someone had some very bad directions... Dad and Matthew checked it out, and we were not going to wait around because... well... it was going to be awhile.

Matthew decided that we should go see the Mingus Mill. It is a working, turbine gris mill.

After the wheat has been ground, it goes back upstairs to be turned into to 4 different grades of flour, and it is sent back downstairs in these shoots.

The turbine is hydro powered. Unfortunately, the mill was out-of-order. Matthew and I have been when it was working, and it is very loud. You can buy corn meal or whole wheat flour ground at the mill.

This the water flue which turns the water wheel, which turns the turbine. (That's a whole lotta turnin'!)

We had a great day hanging with mom and dad!

Craggy Gardens

2010-09-19T08:56:00.004-04:00

The past few weekends have been perfect weather! Matthew and I decided to take advantage of our beautiful mountains. He had been talking about going to Craggy Gardens for the past month, and we had the perfect opportunity last weekend.

So we set off down our back roads through Gerton, Fairview, and Asheville where we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Following the brown park signs, we found the Craggy Gardens picnic area and a trail. We began walking up, and up, and up... We found a shelter at the top. From there you have three choices: 1) Go back; 2) Continue through the meadow; 3) Continue past the shelter. We chose #2 and found a beautiful view at the end. Matthew is a geography buff and can usually name one or two of the mountains we see. From the end of the meadows, you come back to the shelter where we were back to choices #1 and #3, so we chose #3 this time. We weren't sure where this trail would take us, but it was a pleasant little hike through the woods with various signs describing the high elevation environment (a little over 5,000 ft).

We hiked for several minutes and debated about turning back. We could hear road noise (which I thought was taking us back to the parking lot, Matthew knew that it was the parkway), so we found the end of the trail... at the Visitor's Center!

The view from the Visitor's Center.

This is the view from the top of the first trail near the shelter (taken with my panoramic option).

It was the perfect hike. The weather was a little overcast and cool, but I didn't mind a bit!

It was time for lunch, and thanks to my nifty, little Blackberry we found a restaurant on the way home. Folks in the Asheville area, or folks visiting the area, I HIGHLY recommend Pomodoro's. Matthew had a delicious frittata with sausage and red peppers. I had shrimp and polenta with sausage and goat cheese (per suggestion from our server). It was a great way to end our Blue Ridge excursion!

No Need for Fancy Toys

2010-09-11T14:25:00.003-04:00

Matthew has a 9̊0̊ degree PVC elbow that has been left by the front door. (Probably with hopes of returning it to Lowe's). It has since become a source of play for the kittens.

6 Week Check-Up

2010-09-11T13:53:00.005-04:00

So it's just another day in the King house... It started to rain, and Moldy came inside. Much to her dismay, the kittens were playing. Here she is trying to pretend she isn't looking at Miles.

Here is how she REALLY looked...

Every morning is filled with the sounds of the kittens wrestling. Dizzy just loves to play on and around the dining room chairs.

Dizzy throws a paw through the slats...

"I'm going to get you!!!!", says Dizzy.

"Ha ha! You missed me!", says Miles.

Then they roll around play fighting on the floor.

Sing it with me now, "Everybody was kungfu fighting... "

It is so much fun watching them and hearing them play! I took them for their first vaccination on Thursday. Miles cried out when the vet stuck the needle in him. :( Dizzy didn't get the chance because I put my hand over his face. I gave them their first pill last night for worms, and I am working on picking the fleas off of them. They are too little for flea medicine, so I may try to bathe them. I consulted the vet about it, and he said I could.

So it's just been fun and games here! I ordered something called "Feliway" which is a plug-in diffuser which will hopefully help Moldy adjust to the kitten smell. I'll let you know if it works!

The past week

2010-08-29T11:01:00.003-04:00

Schoooooool is back. in. session.... I returned to my classroom on Wednesday the 18th. I'm not exactly sure what all I accomplished that day except maybe catch up with folks and look at all the mess I left myself last June.

Thursday, I may have been slightly more productive. I believe I recycled a ton of papers... and... uh... OH! I moved my desk. I now have my own "space" in which children cannot intrude!

Friday was our first required workday which meant I got to sit in the media center ALL day. Fun times... We covered all the usual beginning of the year stuff and met our 13 *new* staff members. We had some teachers retire over the summer. Our median staff age has been around 40? Our new staff has lowered that by about 10 years. They even make me feel old! Haha?

The weekend proved to be uneventful. Monday I spent MORE time in meetings and no time in my room. Oh well...

Tuesday! Finally! A day in my room! Unfortunately I had to take Dizzy to the vet, because he had a case of what we call "the gallop and splatters". I'll leave out the details, but in the end (no pun intended) he was fine. I had to leave school to pick him up by 4pm, and he got to come back to school with me so I could finish getting ready for the arrival of students. It worked out that Matthew was able to come pick him up. :)

My schedule:

I have a Senior homeroom which means I will have TONS of paperwork for them to sign. It also means I will have to stay on them to make sure they get it turned in on time. My job is to make sure they graduate, so I WILL be keeping up with their grades and absences.

1st Period: Orchestra!

2nd Period: Chorus of 7 students - Not only will we sing, but they are going to learn how to play piano!

L U N C H ! ! !

3rd Period: Orchestra with a lot of freshmen and 7 A/B Day students (they switch between an AP class and my class all year)

4th Period: PLANNING!!!! So far, I am loving it! I am NOT a morning person, therefore I don't tend to get much done if I have planning 1st.

So far my day is over before I realize it! I am doing a better job with planning this year (one of my goals). I am really looking forward to this semester. Every semester is new and different in my curricula. I don't have to teach the same thing, 3 times a day, twice a year. Year 5 (at West, 6th overall) definitely feels better and less like I'm on probation. At the end of the semester, I will need to come back and read this post to see if or how my feelings have changed. :)

More kittens

2010-08-21T08:50:00.003-04:00

The kittens come out of their room in the morning and play, play, play. They mostly chew on my Chacos or play fight with each other. After a good time playing, they nap. When Dizzy woke up, he began mewing like crazy. Miles looked around, yawned, and jumped off my lap for more play.

Meanwhile, I thought Moldy might be making progress. She jumped off the bed to come into the living room window. She kept a watchful eye on those little ones. As soon as they went to sleep, she moved to a closer viewing spot. She hissed at Dizzy because he got within 3 feet. I just heard Moldy go through her door to the basement, hopefully to use her litter box. I was trying to make nice with her, and she clawed me. I let her outside before I went to take a shower. Everytime I let her out, I have a fear that she migth not come back.

New Additions

2010-08-17T16:58:00.004-04:00

About a week ago, Matthew's brother, David, found 5 kittens (3 black, 1 gray, & 1 tabby) abandoned by their mother. He called his girlfriend, Marie, and she picked them up and took them to the vet. While at the vet's office, a kind woman inquired about the contents of her box. She took one of the black kittens right then and there!

The kittens checked out and were only 3-4 weeks old! They are tiny but allowed to eat softened kitten food. Marie managed to find homes for 2 of the kittens (gray & 1 black). I met them and decided to take the tabby. He is feisty!

She was down to my tabby and the last black one hanging out in the crate together. The person who was going to take the black one decided that it wouldn't work out. Sooooo, on my way home today, I kittenapped the remaining two kittens. They are adorable!

The tabby likes feet, and I am going to have to nip that in the bud! I have them in the spare bathroom because they are too tiny to let roam around the house. Marie did a great job of keeping everything organized for them, so when they did move it would be easy.

Moldy is a different story. She does not like the kittens, but this is nothing new. In the 7 years we have had Moldy, we tried a dog, a dog, a dog, a cat, & a dog. None of these were received well, but most of them we didn't keep long enough for her to decide. The last dog we kept for a year, and she never did get accustomed to him. Here she is pleading to go outside so she doesn't have to smell the new kittens.

I have heard from several people introducing new kittens/cats in their already cat established homes, and they all say that no one gets along at first. At least right now, Moldy is curled up contentedly on a chair near me. A couple of days ago, she said, "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" after she met the new kitten.

This will be a new adventure for me! I am not necessarily keeping the black kitten, but I am more than happy to keep him with his tabby brother until he find a home. I thank Marie and David for caring for these little kittens.

If anyone would like a cute, black kitten... let me know! :)

Summer Summed Up

2010-08-13T10:02:00.008-04:00

7 Year Anniversary...

Visits from nieces...

Visits from nephews (& mom)...

Lots of interesting critters hanging around...

A summer with friends and family full of good food, great laughs, & some beautiful scenery...

One week until my first workday & looking forward to a great school year!

Unread

2010-08-13T07:44:00.002-04:00

I had some lofty reading goals earlier in the summer. Out of all those books I was going to read, I have only read 2 ("Voyage of the Dawn Treader" & "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo").
I am stuck! Do you ever begin to read a book and get stuck? I am reading "The Silver Chair" which is the next to last book in The Chronicles of Narnia. It is not very good. Eustace does not make a very good main character! I have several more books waiting to be read, but I feel like I need to finish this book. I want, no, NEED to finish the series before school starts.

OK. Here is my declaration:
I, Tiff, will finish "The Silver Chair" so that I may read "The Last Battle" therefore finishing The Chronicles of Narnia before August 19th (my first day back at school).

Summer Strings Camp!

2010-08-08T10:14:00.003-04:00

These last few weeks have been busy for me. As soon as my nephews went home, I began preparing for the Hendersonville Symphony's Summer Strings Camp which I have coordinated for the past 4 years! We had a great week, and I think the kids learned a lot while having fun. I spent the week pouring over the list of students and dividing them into two orchestras and into chamber ensembles. Our two orchestras were unbalanced (24 in the older group, 43 in the younger). At our Sunday Staff meeting, we decided to create a 3rd orchestra. It worked out great! Each group had between 20 and 25. We had about 4 "walk-ins", boosting our numbers to 71.

The Green Orchestra were the beginners who had only 1 year of experience. The Yellow Orchestra were the intermediates who had 2 - 3 years of experience. The Blue Orchestra was the older students with 3+ years of experience. The Blue Orchestra also gets to participate in an Improvisation Session. This year's song was "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns'N'Roses!

Everything went smoothly. Monday is always the hardest day because no one knows where to go or what to do next. The rest of the week was a breeze, and the staff took over. I sat with my computer and made programs for the concerts and revised the schedule for Friday (among other things).

The students have orchestra rehearsals, then they attend a sectional and a theory class. Lunch is next followed by either Improvisation Session or Music Appreciation. They have more orchestra rehearsal and a chamber ensemble coaching.

Each day ended with a Special Event. Monday was a Cello Quartet performance. Tuesday was a presentation of "early" string instruments by Gerald Trimble. Wednesday was the Staff Chamber Concert. Thursday was the Student Chamber Ensemble Concert. Friday was the grand finale. We had a packed house for this performance! I thought all the performances were amazing! These students learned A LOT of music in a short amount of time.

The Summer Strings Staff did an amazing job of teaching and entertaining these students for the week. I am so proud of them and the students!

I hope to do this again next year and continue improving the experience for the students!

Newphews Visit

2010-07-31T18:41:00.004-04:00

My sister and her husband had the opportunity to take a trip to Jamaica, and I was thrilled she asked me to keep the boys for a week. We had a GREAT time! When I aske Stephen what he wanted to do the last day, he replied, "Why don't we stay at the house? We've pretty much gone somewhere everyday..."

I forgot my camera when we went to Fun Depot, so I was sure to remember it for Lake Lure!

We met my friend Kelly whose son is 8, and her sister Kristy. (Yes... they are twins!) They were kind enough to watch Josh for a few while I took some pics, and then...

Here Stephen is waiting on the water slide....

SPLASH!!! Kelly & Kristy watched Josh so I could go slide. It was AWESOME!

Saturday, we went to Pisgah to the fish hatchery and education center. The boys got to feed the fish.

Josh had Nanny hold the food, and he would only throw one or two pieces at a time! He is so funny! (Stephen was done in about 20 seconds.)

Just a shot of some of the trout... (there are 3 kinds: Rainbow, Speckled, & Brook)

Soooo handsome!

We had a great week! I hope Michelle will let he keep them next summer, too!

Backyard Rainbows

2010-07-21T09:27:00.003-04:00

It started raining out the blue, literally! The sun was shining, and I think the sky was blue. I went outside to see where Moldy was hiding, and I see this:

I have NEVER seen a rainbow this closely before! It was beautiful! I followed it across the backyard to here:

I just had to laugh, because this is the edge of the septic tank! The "pot of gold" is apparently located where our drain line begins. I feel sorry for those leprechauns...

Your Moment of Zen

2010-07-10T08:41:00.002-04:00

Sorry it's a little blurry, but check out this little guy!

A New Door

2010-07-10T08:15:00.004-04:00

Moldy has a new door to the basement! We had her litter box in the spare bathroom, which is not very big, and she has a tendancy to kick her litter all over. So Matthew decided that it should go in the basement.

We showed her that her litter box was in the basement, and we bribed her to come through the door to show her how it works. It only took a day or two (she had been going outside a lot). I heard her go through the door all by herself! It was a very proud moment. :) Here she is in action.

Read, reading, & home improvements

2010-07-06T12:49:00.003-04:00

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is the 5th book in the Chronicles of Naria series. Only Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia, but their obnoxious cousin, Eustace, goes with them by accident. I am looking foward to reading "The Silver Chair" next.

I am close to finishing a CRAZY book called "Mistress of the Game" by Sidney Sheldon. Oh.My.Goodness! The characters in the this book are so maniacal, yet so believable... it's scary that people like this could exist!

Yeseterday, Matthew had his "crew" working around the house. A hill of kudzu was attacked. A radon vent was installed, which meant running a 4" PVC pipe from the basement floor, through the hardwood floor, through the ceiling, and out the roof! It's only about 30+ feet. The porch ceiling has been primed and is ready to be painted. (The pine beadboard knots bled through the first round of paint.) Matthew and a couple of guys built a shelter for our firewood. I managed to pick 2.5 quarts of blackberries and make round 1 of jam!

I am hoping to tackle some curtains tomorrow. We'll see how it goes!

Read

2010-06-30T09:00:00.002-04:00

I can check one book off my list now. I finished "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" yesterday. I decided that it was going to be a lazy day, sitting outside and reading. I sat through sunshine and thunderstorms. It was GREAT just being outside!

The book was very difficult for me in the first 200 pages. It was bogged down with details that get lost with me, but once Larsson got to solving the mystery I was hooked. The mystery was solved with another 100 pages left in the book. I was thinking, "What is left?" I went ahead and finished it at 10:30 last night.

It was a good read, but I wouldn't say it was "great". I actually have the same sentiment towards it as I do "Twilight". I enjoyed it, but I can't say that I loved it. I am, however, a sequel junkie, and I will most likely read the next two books at some point.

Meanwhile, I need to go to the library and get "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"!

Music

2010-06-29T08:48:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, I am a musican and music teacher. You would think that I listen to lots and lots of music, but I really do not. I usually cannot listen to live singers. (Needless to say, I cannot stand American Idol.) I am often surprised at the number of singers with million dollar record contracts that really can't sing. And then there are the ones I admire because they almost always give a flawless performance.

Since I have been home in the mornings (yay!), I have been watching Good Morning America which has it's Summer Music Series. Last Friday they had Alicia Keys. She can sing AND play piano. Another one I admire is Mary J. Blige! She will be on GMA this Friday, and I'll be sure to tune in for that. Dolly Parton just did a beautiful job singing on GMA!

I'd like to know who you like to listen to live. Is there a band or singer that you must see if they are on TV or performing close to you?

Anniversary

2010-06-28T07:49:00.003-04:00

Matthew and I exchanged vows 7 years ago! I must admit that it doesn't feel like 7 years, and I'm so glad it hasn't. When we were getting married, I never liked the people joking about "ball and chain" or any of the other negative jokes. I have LOVED being married, but I was lucky enough to marry my best friend.

We've had a lot of adventures. Am I saying that every minute has been bliss? Of course not! It wouldn't be a marriage, but we seem to works things out. Am a I little miffed that he left the garbage outside two night in a row for the possum and raccoons to enjoy? Yes. But I will clean it up. Is there stuff I do that irritates him? Yes. But what can I say... I love my Facebook and Blogs. :)

I am a lucky girl, because Matthew is a "good one", as they say. I have coffee ready for me every morning. We take turns loading and unloading the dishwasher AND he can do a load of laundry. He can vacuum AND mop. In exchange for these things, I will clean the bathrooms without complaint. ;) Matthew even does some light grocery shopping on occassion! It's always interesting to see what he finds.

Matthew is a great travel companion. He is not afraid to change his plan if needed. This took some getting used to for me, but I have learned that it really helps keep your vacation stress free! We have traveled to New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

I could go on and on, but I won't bore you. Here we are, 7 years ago!

Summer Reading

2010-06-26T08:30:00.004-04:00

My summer reading list:

~The Chronicles of Narnia
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- The Silver Chair
- The Last Battle
~Tuesdays With Morrie
~The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
~The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
~Wicked (started but didn't finish)

~I forgot that I also want to read Harry Potter... yup... all of 'em... I've only read "The Chamber of Secrets"!

Summer Vacay!

2010-06-26T08:24:00.002-04:00

This was my first "real" week of summer vacation! WOO HOO!!! And it is already WAY better than last year. I've had an amazing week with friends. I shopped, hiked, shopped some more, and hiked some more!

Matthew has given me the task to make some curtains for the spare bedroom. It gets the most sun, and we need to protect the trim. I have accepted this task with much joy (since I will finally dust off my poor, neglected sewing machine).

I have a PILE of photos with no home, so I am hoping to do a little scrapbooking! Big Lots had some Martha Stewart stuff really cheap! I bought a scrapbook for $4!

Whether you are working or have your summer off...

HAPPY SUMMMER!!!!

Class of 2010

2010-06-13T18:20:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2010! I think you are truely the last of a generation.

I am at the tail end of GenX, which remembers BETA, VHS, 45's, and cassette tapes. We remember a time when we had to use the Encyclopedia Brittanica vs. Wikipedia. We went to library and used the card catalogue, hand copied notes from our BOOK source, and traslated that into a research paper.

We used to volunteer to turn the projector's reel when the audio cassette's recording "beeped".

Does anyone remember the "new" videos on laserdisc, which was going to replace the VHS? Laserdiscs were the size of LP's!

MTV actually showed something new called music videos, and musicians were beginning to furthur their limits. The new genre called "Rap" was just emerging. Michael Jackson released a video called "Thriller" which redefined what a music video could be.

Like the generations before me, I am grateful to have seen so much technology advance so quickly. But it still scares the heck out of me! I have my laptop computer which has more than the 1G of memory my larger computer in college had. I have a digital camera with 7.5 megpixels. If you take a bad picture, you simply delete the picture instead instead of having it printed, pay for it, and then regret it.

Now I come back to music. I remember buying my first cassette tape which was Tina Turner's "1984". I bet you can't guess what year I bought it. When I reached high school, I owned my first "Walkman", which is a portable CD player. I used to save my money to buy CDs. I now own an iPod with 8G of memory. They managed to fit 8 of my college computers into one, tiny... what? It isn't a box... uh... well, it still blows my mind!

So to this generation getting ready to enter college or the work force, I wish you much luck in your futures! And prepare yourselves to listen to us, "older" generation talk about the "good ol' days". :)

Photography

2010-05-25T20:05:00.004-04:00

Since the 8th grade, I have had a photography "bug". I get it from my dad, honest, and if you could see the many, wonderful pics he has taken through the years, you would understand. Anyhoo... I have taken a few these last couple of years with my nice, digital camera. I am quite fond of these, and I am thinking about entering them in the contest at the fair. Let me know what you think!

Spring Concert

2010-05-22T15:46:00.001-04:00

Oy! My final concert for the school year was bitter sweet. We put on a great concert, and I am very proud of my students. I also had to acknowledge my first group of seniors whom I've had for 4 years! They are very precious to me.

I refused help from a friend to videotape the entire concert. Instead, I asked a student to video the orchestra portion of the concert. I forgot, however, to ask someone to video the chorus portion... I was sort of bummed because I think they sang really well!

The next morning... I had three different girls come up and say they had cash stolen from their purses during the concert. It was either a thief among us or anyone in the audience. The poor girls trusted their stuff to be safe our room (which remained unlocked). After some counseling from a good friend, I realized that I can't carry the blame for the unfortunate incidents. At least from now on, I know to tell my girls to keep up with their stuff.

All in all... I have received MANY compliments on my concert from parents, teachers, and other students! I feel very proud of their accomplishments, and I look forward to setting the bar even higher next year.

Until then... only 2.5 more weeks of students! BUT I am NOT going to wish the days away! Or am I?!?!?!?

Weekends

2010-05-15T12:47:00.002-04:00

We all love our weekends, whether they occur on an actual Saturday/Sunday or you have a different kind of schedule that puts your "weekend" in the middle of the week. I must say that mine if off to an interesting start! I experience drama at school all day, but I don't want it in my everyday life.

Drama #1
For those who aren't on Facebook... there is a website called www.spokeo.com. Make sure you go to this website and search YOUR name and town. You will be suprised to see what it pulls up. People can join this sight for $3+ and view private information about you. If you find yourself, click on the pale, gray "privacy" button at the bottom. It will ask for you to input the URL for your name and your email address. You must then check your email to finalize deleting your "page".

Drama #2
I went to Wal-Mart this morning to do my shopping. I am NOT a fan of Wal-Mart and usually choose to go to 3 different stores instead of getting all I need in one place. OK. While shopping, a woman approched me (after I smiled at her baby, 12 monthish). She said she's from Kentucky and asked if I minded if she asked me a question. I, being the nice person I try to be, said, "Sure." I thought she was going to ask about the area, places to visit, directions... boy was I wrong. She launched into this elaborate story about her debit card getting rejected. She then said she needed money to get back to Alabama... oops! After boldly asking for $20! I politely said, "No" and walked away. I found a Wal-Mart employee, described the woman and said she was soliciting money. They began looking for the woman, AND THEN I had to walk close and identify her! I did and I don't know what happened after that. I got so flustered I had to check out and leave! The whole time I'm walking to my car, I'm looking for her to make sure she wasn't stalking me. Thank goodness I didn't see her. She was obviously a drug addict because she couldn't look me in the eye, she blinked a lot, and rolled her eyes. I wished I had punched her in the face and told her she needs to get help if she cares 2 cents about her baby (if it was even hers... for all I know, she "borrowed" him from a friend).

Drama #3
I get home (finally!) to find Moldy having a Mexican standoff with a lizard at the front door. He was a pretty tough little guy because he challenged me too! I got Moldy back inside and made the lizard scurry away. Then I had to listen to Moldy meow for 10 minutes straight wanting to go back and torture the little fella. Sorry! I'm not giving in!

Whew!!!! I think I'll take a nap!

Being sick

2010-05-04T09:36:00.002-04:00

I am not prone to illness. In fact, I have a pretty good immune system., but this year has been quite unusual. I think my classroom is making me sick. I know it's full of mold and mildew. The air units blow out this musty smelling, damp air. I am home today. This is probably the 3rd time I've stayed home sick. I am MISERABLE! I woke up with a sore throat Friday, which continued on Saturday. Sunday, it turned into a dry cough. This cough became worse yesterday. By the afternoon, I was either blowing my nose or coughing.

When I get back to school, I hope I can get something done about my room. Not only is it bad for me, but our school instruments are being threatened by high humidity and temps.

OK. No more complaining. I have a doctor's appointment at 2:30 today.

Here's hoping all is well with you! (I must say, it could be worse, and at least I can take the day off to stay at home).

Spring has sprung

2010-05-04T09:06:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, Spring! We get to celebrate many birthdays in the Spring. Matthew's is April 21, then my brother-in-law, Steve, and my sister-in-law, Marie, share the 23rd. The best one is May 2... MOM'S BDAY! I went to Charlotte last weekend to help everyone celebrate. Here is Josh helping Nannie blow out the candles (not to mention my multi-talented sis carrying Josh, lighting the candles, AND holding the cake so they could blow them out).

Stephen (age 10.5) drew this lion in class. He is a talented artist, and I hope he will continue his art throughout school. Michelle had it turned into a flag for mom. So cool!

While Stephen was playing outside, the MetLife blimp flew over the house. It was heading to the golf tournament in Charlotte.

REWIND: A couple of weekends ago, Matthew and I went to the Festival of Flowers at the Biltmore House with mom, dad, Uncle Delwyn, Aunt LuAnn, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Theresa, and Lindsey (whew!). We had a great time. The President and his family had been visiting Asheville that week. The family had left earlier that morning, but their entourage was still on the tarmac. Here are the two ginormous planes that carrry the President's helicopter and vehicles.

I'll have to get some pics of the basement when it's cleaned up. All the sheet rock is up with a coat of primer. We've also painted the extra room a really nice, pastel green. Matthew chose a very complimentary tile for the room, too.

Until the next project... (5 more weeks of school).

Sheet rock, spiders, & pollen, OH MY!

2010-04-19T18:28:00.005-04:00

I can't believe ANOTHER week has flown by. In that time we have finished the sheet rock in the basement. This meant the washing machine had to be disconnected. We own Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer. I've had them for... wow... 7 years. Each has been serviced once, and now I'm going for the washer's second. After reconnecting, it doesn't want to drain.

Last weekend, I was assaulted by a spider. OK. So it didn't attack me, per se...

It did BURST out from under the litter box sending me SCREAMING into the opposite side of the house. I closed the bathroom door only to notice it has a nice sized gap. I call Matthew in a frenzy.
T: What should I DO?!?
M: Just put a Mason jar over it, slide a piece of paper underneath, and take it outside.
T: Wha? Ha! A MASON JAR WON"T FIT OVER THIS THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
M: How big is it?
T: Friggin' HUGE!
M:(laughs) OK. I'll be home soon.
T: (trying to control breathing) I think I have a glass that's big enough.

So I grab a glass, and try the sneak around behind it... it ran. More screaming. Me chasing it. It chasing me. I finally corner it and lower the glass. It raises in front two legs. Guess what buddy? I'm done screaming. Your @$$ is going outside.... as soon as Matthew gets home. Can you see? Can you see the size of that thing?!?

The spider and I now live in separate harmony. :)

And now a kudos to Zyrtec which is keeping my sinuses at bay for now.

Spring Reading

2010-04-11T18:42:00.003-04:00

I have always loved reading, even when I was a kid. Thanks, mom, for all the book fair moolah! :)

Anyhoo... I decided that I needed to read "The Chronicles of Narnia". I did not read them when I was younger. As I was wandering around Barne's & Noble's one day, I spied "The Magician's Nephew", and so my reading began. I have since finished "The Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe" and most recently finished (as in, today) "The Horse and His Boy".

I look forward to reading "Prince Caspian". I love the Phish song, and when Matthew had a salt water tank in college, we named the clown fish Prince Caspian.

Tis all for now! I tend to do my best reading in the warmer climates. There's just something about sitting outside and reading a good book!

Spring Break

2010-04-08T14:11:00.003-04:00

This is Spring Break week, and I am trying to make the most of it! It started Saturday in Asheville. A friend from my Greensboro days was visiting her folks in Aville, so we got to hang out. We did Malaprops for a coffee/smoothie, Woolworth Walk with its beautiful, local art, and The Grove Arcade with its funky, hip shops. I found a t-shirt with a goat on it! We also had fun at the Bath Junkie creating different scents, including dirt+cucumber+basil...

Sunday was Easter. We had dinner at the King Ranch. Little Addison did not feel well, but she sure did have some fun in her swing! Oh, I love to hear her giggle!

Monday was for more friend time. We met up at Carl Sandburg's place in Flat Rock. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, verging on being hot! The goats and chickens are my favortie part, and yes, I did wear my new goat t-shirt. :)

We had nice hike followed by some delicious pizza by the Flat Rock Bakery. Mmmmmm!

Tuesday was long overdue time spent with a good friend. We had a fantastic time shopping at Target, then lunch at Hannah Flanagan's, and more shopping downtown Hendo.

Wednesday was my time. Matthew has been threatening to donate any of my framed pictures that don't get hung up. I managed to get quite a few hung yesterday in no time! I don't know why I waited so long to do it.

Thursday... getting less productive: I've done a load of dishes; one load of laundry washed & waiting to be put in the dryer; one basket waiting to be folded; vacuumed AND Shark steam-cleaned the floors; hmmm... maybe I've done a little more than I thought today. Yay!

I'm hoping to go back Monday, recharged and ready for the next 9 weeks. We don't have any breaks between now and the end of the year (thank you, snow).

Hope all is well with you out there in cyberspace!

Relay for Life

2010-03-21T11:10:00.001-04:00

I have joined West Falcon's Relay For Life Team. I have never had a family member with cancer, and I hope I never do. I do have friends and students who have had cancer or have had family memebers with cancer. I hope that the money raised can help fund research to find ways and cures.

I will be walking in May. This is the first time I have participated in an actual event. My fundraising goal is $200. If you would like to support the Relay For Life, please click here http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=14331603&pg=personal&fr_id=24674 if you would like to donate.

Please feel free to share any of your stories here. Thank you for any support you give or have given to Cancer Research.

Playing catch up...

2010-03-13T08:16:00.004-05:00

This past school week has been the first full, normal week since the week of December 7. It was a long week, especially since we only had a one day weekend. We went to school last Saturday to make up a snow day.

I am conducting the Pit Orchestra for our Spring Musical, "Thoroughly Modern Mille". It has been a lot work but at least it's fun! I have an awesome group. Our show opens next week, so I am going to try to get some rest this weekend (we'll see how that goes).

Tomorrow is our niece's 1st birthday! It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed!

My chorus and orchestra have our first spring concert on March 23. Why I am doing a concert the Tuesday after the musical, I will never know. It will be a good concert. I'm proud of our progress so far.

I am looking forward to Spring! I can't believe Daylight Savings is tonight. In my 32 years, I have never delt well with the time change.

That's about all for now. I'm going to go outside and enjoy this sunshine while I can!

Celaya & Guanajuato, Mexico

2010-02-14T10:40:00.005-05:00

It was time to leave Patzcuaro and travel to Morelia and catch a bus to Celaya. Matthew and I took a busvan to the place we were dropped off when arriving to Patzcuaro. We weren't exactly sure how to catch a bus to Morelia, but we knew the buses stopped at that spot. While looking like sad little lost gringos, our buddy, Gerado showed up in his taxi! He said he could drive us to Morelia! This worked out quite well. We arrived at the bus station in Morelia and bought a ticket to Celaya.

The purpose of traveling to Celaya was to visit some friends. They picked us up at the bus station and took us back to their house. The next day they showed us around. Have you ever seen a Garbonzo bean/Chickpea NOT in the can? This is what it looks like.

I don't know if you can see the green pods, but that is where the bean is. We collected a mound of bushes, and Rogelio's mom picked the beans. The next morning, she was roasting them over a fire. This makes them very tender and delicious! You just peel and eat!

We had a great time meeting their families. Matthew and I decided to stay in a hotel close to the airport since our flight was at 9:00am. On our way, we made a trip to Guanajuato. The city was very cool. It has a lot of old Spanish style architecture. There is a series of tunnels made by silver miners. They were deemed structurally sound, so now you can drive UNDER the entire city via these tunnels.
This little dog was just hanging out on the roof. (Haha! Get it? Roof?)

This is a pretty good example of what most of the buildings look like. There were so many brilliant colors.

All in all we had an AMAZING trip to Mexico. I most definately want to return to the beach and spend a whole week. We weren't prepared for the cooler weather inland, but we still had a great time. The history and old buildings were fascinating. We felt safe the whole time, but we had done our research on the places to go and not to go.

The plane ride home:
We arrived early enough to chill in the airport before our flight left. We arrived in Houston at 11:35 CST. Our next flight left at 12:46 CST. For some reason I had to check my bag, but Matthew was able to blue tag his. Anyway, we jump off the plane, I go running to get my bag. I forgot that we have to go through customs first. I waited for Matthew for a minute, watching to line grow. I said, "Forget this" and got in line. I made an entire loop before Matthew showed up. He got in line with me, and we begin watching the minutes tick. 12:00noon, 12:10, 12:20... we were averaging 10 minutes a loop. We FINALLY get to the desk, and we get through fairly quick. We RUN to the baggage claim, skipping the escaltor and taking the stairs. Matthew goes on one side, I take the other to look for my bag. GOT IT! We RUN up the stairs to the train to take us to our terminal. It was pulling away just as we got there. So we wait... We jump on the train... 12:45... We RUN up stairs (with our bags...) I really thought my legs were going to give out. More running... 12:55. We missed our flight! The lady at the desk was just as frazzled as we were, but she was sooo nice. The only flight to Charlotte was the next day, but she found a flight that was leaving at 2:40 CST to Asheville. AWESOME! This worked well, because we were able to get lunch. We called everyone, and Matthew's parents could pick us up at the airport. My sister didn't mind keeping my truck at her house for another week (Thanks, sis!).

The best part was spending a whole 10 days with Matthew. We haven't had a vacay together in years.

Tzintzuntzan, Mexico

2010-02-06T10:13:00.003-05:00

So headed back into town for lunch. This was the beautiful courtyard where I had pasta alfredo. Yeah, I know...

Instead of busvan, we took an old bus to Tzintzuntzan (szin-SZOOT-san). Matthew affectionately calls these "chicken buses".

The purpose of this trip was to see the famous Purepecha (poor-hay-PAY-cha) Indian ruins. They are still in the process of cleaning it up and "fixing" the ruins. We just took our time and wandered around.

Some of the old blocks had carvings.

We had a big day! We went to Isla Janitzio AND Tzintzuntzan. I'm as bad as a toddler when I get tired, so needless to say I was becoming a little cranky. We took the bus back to Patzcuaro and went in search of dinner. Most the restaurants were already full, and we ended up circling back around to our hotel. That suited me just fine, so we had a nice dinner.

We ordered our beers, and we notice that everyone else is drinking coffee! No one was drinking beer. I guess they were too cold. We grabbed some beers and took them to the balcony on our floor. Despite the wool blanket, it was pretty cold! Matthew and I headed to the room to make plans for the next day.

Janitzio, Mexico

2010-02-06T08:57:00.006-05:00

Our bellboy told us places we should see, and Janitzio is one of them. There were these "busvans" (as I called them) that just went all around the city for pennies. So we hopped on one to Lago (Lake) Patzcuaro. From there, we bought a boat ticket to go to the Isla (Island) Janitzio. (I had to steal this photo because for some reason I didn't downsize one of the ones I took).

(Yes, those are houses and people live on this island.)

Janitzio (hah-NEET-zee-oh) is very interesting. We start with the boat ride which is nice and slow across the lake. You can admire all the egrets and I spied a hawk on the lookout atop a skinny tree. The boat takes us all around the lake and comes to a stop. The fishermen show us how they use the butterfly nets to catch the pescado blanco (white fish), and the little fish are fried (called charales) and sold in bags with hot sauce.

The island has famous statue of Jose Maria Morelos, and it was built from 1500 concrete blocks that were brought from Morelia (a larger city east of Patzcuaro). He was a famous hero in the Mexican Independance. You have to hike all the way up the island to the statue. It was quite steep, and filled with vendors selling everything from trinkets to t-shirts to snacks.

So we paid our 6 pesos each (12 pesos was about $1usd) and checked it out. The inside of the statue has a staircase spiraling all the way to his "wrist". All the way up are detailed murals of Mexico's history. No flash photos were allowed, so I didn't take any inside. My vertigo was held at bay while the stairs became very narrow at the top.

After we hiked back down, we didn't see a boat to go back. This was a great opportunity to check out one of the little restaurants and have a beer. There were two burrachos in the back corner at 10am. They were hilarious! He kept changing the radio station to see if we liked the music. There was also a young lady making tortillas and frying them. This is what you usually see at the food vendor spots. Sometimes wood is used, but she had propane. You can see the charales in the cup in the lower right.

Of course the place was decorated for Christmas.

No boats had showed up yet, so we ventured down to the dock. Someone told us the departing boats where at a different dock. Short story long, we made it back across the lago and caught a busvan back to town to have lunch.

Patzcuaro, Mexico

2010-01-19T20:23:00.007-05:00

Our taxi driver called the hotel for directions and delivered us safely. We also took his name and phone number for future use. (This is a little foreshadowing...) Here is the Gran Hotel.

Of course the first item on our agenda... find a beer! Success!

Patzcuaro was a busy city! There were many vendors, beggars, cars, taxis, buses, and exhaust. It was also A LOT more chilly than the beach. I didn't need any of my cute tank tops or dresses here. :(

There was a lot of history in Patzcuaro. We filled our first day with as much as we could. We saw the historic theater.

Inside the theater was an old movie projector. The light source was carbon that was lit.

We then walked to the Casa de Once Patios (the House of Eleven Patios). It was really pretty with a lot of shops. I spied this blind fellow playing accordian.

This pretty much filled our day. We had dinner at the restaurant at our hotel. We had an awesome balcony at the end of our hallway. We hung out and took some night pictures while playing with my camera settings.

The adventure continues in the next town over...

Bus Ride to Patzcuaro

2010-01-19T20:03:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, December 28 - We saw some awesome scenery on the way to Uruapan. I got to watch "Benjamin Button" in Spanish! HA! Seriously though, there was some pretty scenery.

My favorites parts of this trip were:

The driver was texting.
He pulled over and stopped the bus to buy lunch at a roadside stand.
He was the master of turning a 2 lane road into 3 lanes (even on a bridge).

We arrived in Uruapan with 10 minutes to buy a ticket for a bus to Patzcuaro. In that 10 minutes, Matthew bought two "tortas" (sandwiches). One was potatoes, cheese, and a red sauce, and the other was chicharrones (pig skin) with hot sauce. My potato torta was really good... Matthew couldn't eat his because the fried chicharrones were a little soggy and texturally unpleasant.

Anyhoo... our bus was really headed to the next town of Morelia. So, our stop in Patzcuaro was kind of random. We were literally left on the side of the road. Luckily, Gerado pulled over his taxi to help the gringos. :) Short story long, he took us to the Gran Hotel in downtown Patzcuaro. The adventure continues...

Troncones, Mexico Pt. 2

2010-01-19T19:50:00.004-05:00

After Matthew's surfing lesson, he met me at the restaurant (owned by the sister of the oweners of our place). It was Sunday, and a crowd had begun to gather at the water's edge. I had NO idea what was happening. I kind of walked close to check it out, but all I saw was a bunch of kids and two large plastic pans. I walked back to Matthew and said, "I think they might be baptizing kids..." Boy, was I WAY off.

We asked our new friend, Guillermo (the owner's nephew that helped us the first day), "What are they doing on the beach?" He replied, "They are releasing baby sea turtles." Of course I went running with the camera. Soooo cute!

I saw some of the most beautiful sunsets at Troncones.

And Matthew saw some beatiful sunrises. (I never got up that early.)

Tues. Dec. 29 - I was very sad to leave the beach. We took a taxi into Ixtapa (eeks-tap-ah) to catch a bus to Uruapan. The real adventure begins!

Troncones, Mexico Pt. 1

2010-01-17T16:48:00.006-05:00

December 24 - After Christmas with the Kings, Matthew and I headed for my sister's house in Charlotte. We stayed up way too late shooting zombies on Wii, but it was a nice little visit before our vacay really got started.

December 25 5:00AM - We get up and dressed. Now, I dress for my destination. I didn't care if it was 40F and raining. I wore my cute new dress and Chacos. At the Charlotte airport AND our connection in Houston... I had to walk out on the tarmac. BRRRR! But I was LOVIN' it when we landing in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico!!!!!

We found a taxi to take us to Zihuatanejo (zee-wah-tah-nay-ho). It it a tourist town, and there is even a Carnival Cruise port there. We found a yummy lunch and a couple of beers. YAY!

We continued our trip to Playa Troncones. We drove up the road, but our driver did not know Casa Troncones. We drove by it, I recognized it, but we weren't sure. So our driver went back to one of the restaurants and asked someone. He hadn't heard of it either, but Matthew knew the owner's name. The guy recognized the name and said he would call. It turns out this guy is the owner's nephew. (Small town!) Here is Casa Troncones.

This was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The waves were INCREDIBLE!

We found this beach through searching for good surfing spots. Matthew did take a couple of surfing lessons. I was so impressed with how well he did! I would LOVE to try it, but I am a horrible swimmer. I'm better on the beach and reading.

Much Posting...

2010-01-06T21:26:00.002-05:00

Matthew and I had a wonderful vacation together. It has been so very long since we've vacationed together. Our trip to Mexico was quite the adventure, and I will have many, many posts coming soon accompanied by many, many pics. Meanwhile, I have been thrust directly back into the working world and musical rehearsals. Until I can tell my adventures in Mexico, I will leave you with this pic. A hammock at the beach is the best!

Frustration!

2009-12-23T14:48:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's the most wonderful time of year... yaddah yaddah yaddah... While the snow sure it pretty, it sure is a bit of a burden. I LOVE my house and it's location, but it's not a ton of fun hiking in the snow a 1/2 mile.

To top it all off, the Christmas shopping needed finishing. Matthew did manage to take me on Sunday, and then yesterday I left him at work and ventured out... along with the other 1,000s of people who needed to fninsh their shopping, too.

Today, I successfully rescued my little truck. I needed to get back out there to get a few more gifts. The ride to town was bumper to bumper, but I expected that. I did get a sweet parking spot close to the first store.

The next spot was a little nerve wracking to exit. A lady saw that I was backing up, so she backed up to take my spot. I'm trying to back up and not hit her, someone else decided to back up at the sametime. I don't have a little car that can turn on a dime, so I needed to pull foward into the "other" lane and the lady makes a beeline for the other spot almost hitting me! CRAZY!!!

OK. So I make it home... well, to the driveway, at least. I'm debating on how far I want to try to go. I don't have 4-wheel drive, which limits my choices. As I'm about to gun it for my last spot, the neighbor is coming up the driveway. She can't go anywhere. I had to back out of the driveway and into the church drive across the street.

After parking it in the old spot, I begin the hike up to the house with a 12 pack and a honeybaked turkey + 2 jars of chutney. I guess it's good training for our trip to Mexico. :)

See that? I managed a smile. I can find the bright side... OK. No more whining! (Unless I can wine... beer works, too!) Christmas shopping is finished, mom & dad are on their way to visit and spend the night, and tomorrow we celebrate with the King family. Then tomorrow night (YIKES!) we'll drive to Charlotte to spend the night.... You won't hear from me again until after January 4! Unbelievable! Sorry I had to vent, there are SO many positive things that outweigh any of the above.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Another Snow Day

2009-12-21T15:44:00.003-05:00

So Moldy has not been much for going outside since the snow. Today, she was a little restless and decided to try it. After several minutes, she came running back to the front door. I let in, and she took off for the back bedroom and hid under Matthew's desk. Moldy promptly began to pull up the register vent. I was afraid she was going to dive inside! Something definitely spooked her. (I have the feeling it was some mischievous crows.)

A little later, she tried going out again. She even braved going out in the snow! (Of course, the top layer was so frozen, she just walked right across it without getting her feet wet.)

My favorite visitor came by today. We have a Pileated Woodpecker, and this is frist time I've managed to get a good picture of him.

A Broad-Winged Hawk landed in one of the trees towards the fence. He was too far away to get a good picture.
I walked to the mailbox and back. That was a pretty good workout. I checked on my poor little truck, and she's not going anywhere for awhile. Matthew helped our City Cop neighbor get his crusier out of the driveway... Yup... That's about it...

4 MORE DAYS!!!!!

Riding Around

2009-12-20T08:28:00.003-05:00

Let the adventures begin... Actually, it wasn't too bad once we got to the main road. We only had to back up once to make a second running start up the driveway.

A pic of Grandad's Apples. They have a John Deere tractor on top of their silo.

This is a shot of Four Season's Blvd.

We had a good time in town. We went to Hannah Flannagan's, our local Irish pub. We played Texas Hold'Em on the TV. They were closing early, so we headed to Binion's for dinner.

The trip back up the driveway was not successful. We didn't think it would be, but it was worth a shot. We realized that we have a bulldozer in the driveway, so that is where Matthew is right now. Maybe I'll be able to get my truck out! Poor thing has been stuck in the orchard since Friday.

6 DAYS TIL MEXICO!

Snow Finale

2009-12-19T19:12:00.004-05:00

Here is the scene at 8:30pm.

And the scene at 8:30AM the next morning.

Needless to say, we got around 8 - 10 inches of snow! It's so pretty. Matthew and I played in it today. We made some massive snowboulders. Then we made a sled out of a piece of metal roofing. Finally, around 3:30pm, cabin fever took hold, and we made the trek out.

We had a great time playing Texas Hold'Em at Hannah Flannagan's. They were closing early, so we headed to Binion's for dinner. It was great!

We made it safely home but the F250 did not want to get back up the driveway. So... it's sitting in the driveway at the creek.

ONE MORE WEEK AND I'LL BE SITTING ON A BEACH IN MEXICO!!!! :)

Snow News Pt. 2

2009-12-18T14:18:00.002-05:00

This is the scene at 2:00pm. It has not paused since my last post.

This is a pic of my little froggy that sits out front. Matthew calls him "Baby Jabba".

Snow News is Good News?

2009-12-18T12:01:00.003-05:00

Today was supposed to be an early release day for students. They get out at 1:00pm. The faculty has been working on a silly Christmas play for the kids. The teachers have 2 furlough hours, so we would leave at 1:30 (instead of having to stay until 3:30).

At 6:20am, I received "the call". "This is David Jones, Assistant Super. of HCPS. Due to inclement weather, HCPS will be closed. Today will be an optional teacher workday." Ughh!

Matthew left at 6:30am and called me at 7:00. He had left something at home and needed me to bring it to the shop. I go out to crank up the truck, and it's snowing pretty heavy already. I managed to make it to the shop, but decided it was a bad idea to try and go to school.

I left and headed home. I managed to pull into our driveway but decided to park the truck in the orchard and hike the rest of the way to the house.

Here is the scene at 8:30 this morning.

Shortly after Matthew arrived home, the snow had turned to a rainy/sleety/snow. It practically ruined the pretty snow. But never fear... it's snowing again! We are supposed to get about 10 inches total. I think I'll just enjoy the snow and not worry about having to make a day. :)

Birthdays!

2009-12-13T08:00:00.004-05:00

Before tackling Christmas, our family has several birthdays. It begins with my sister's, Michelle, on November 28. Here she is with her present from me, Taylor Lautner on the cover of Rolling Stone. :)

One week later, we celebrate my nephew's, Joshua, birthday. He turned 5 this year! He shares a birthday with my mother-in-law (age not announced).

I love my little leprechaun.

Michelle & my oldest nephew, Stephen. (He's 10!)

Josh received $5 in one of his birthday cards. He likes to save his money. His dad told me how they all went to the movies and had some time to play video games. Steve gave each boy $2. Stephen went right away to play games. Josh looked around, put the money in his pocket, and said something about saving it for later!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The next day is my birthday. I had a great one. Sorry, there are no pics. My birthday began with birthday beers with good friends (on a Friday night, btw).
Saturday was with the family (see pictures above). Mom, Michelle, and I went shopping which invloved a trip to Old Navy and Target. :)
Sunday was THE day. Mom and dad had already given me my present... A SHARK FLOOR STEAMER! It's AWESOME! I can clean my tile AND hardwood floors. I actually used it... on my birthday. Matthew bought me two rackets and some birdies because I have been talking about getting a badmitten set for the last 3 years. I love that boy. The King crowd went to dinner at 131 Main, and it was sooo good. I'm glad Mom and Dad got to join us.

One more week of school! Then let "Countdown to Mexico" begin! You heard me... Matthew & I are headed South for Christmas!

Christmas Decorations

2009-12-05T07:26:00.003-05:00

The first decoration is Moldy and her Santa pillow. (It might be wishful thinking...)

My most favorite Christmas to put out is my Willow Tree Nativity set. Most of the statues are situated to face the Baby Jesus... except the donkey. But I guess he brought them there, so he's good.

I have so much to be thankful for this season. We're in our beautiful new house, which we did a lot with our own two hands. I have wonderful family and friends. I have a full-time job with benefits. My kitty, despite the fact that she jumped on my face in the wee hours of the morning AND scratched my chin, is a good snuggler. I am also glad Matthew and I will be taking our first vacation TOGETHER since... well... it's been a few years. We leave Christmas day for MEXICO!

Well, I am off to shop with Mom & Sis today, then celebrate Josh's 5th birthday! Tomorrow will be my "big" day :)

I hope everyone has a WONDERUL Holiday Season!

Wish I had pictures...

2009-11-11T08:52:00.003-05:00

Moldy has not had fleas since we found her 5 years ago! For a few months, she has had a small clan of fleas living on her. Then they decided to give us a try. I bought some flea medicine, but it did not do anything! OK... short story long...

While Matthew getting corn for the turkey feeder, he picked up some flea bath for kittens and cats. He figured if it was safe for kittens, then it should be gentle enough. :)

While I was in Winston-Salem, Moldy had her first bath! Matthew held her under the running water... bathed her... rinsed her... AND ended up turning on the shower to finish rinsing her! He said she didn't mind it at all. Plus, he towel AND blow dried her. AMAZING! I only wish I had pictures...

Crazy couple of weeks!

2009-11-11T08:34:00.002-05:00

Greetings! The past couple of weeks have been nutty! My orchestra had a concert last week. We combine the four high school orchestras into one large group. They rehearse separately for 9 weeks, and then they have 2 rehearsals with a guest conductor before the concert. It was a great success! With 700 seats, we still had people standing in the back.

Last weekend, I took a Youth Symphony student to Winston-Salem to participate in the NC Honors Orchestra. We arrived to the hotel Friday afternoon. A basson player from Asheville joined us. Then my whirlwind weekend began!

The NC Music Educator's Conference is happening at the sametime. On Saturday, we had a "new" music reading session. While the students are rehearsing, the teachers gather and read through some new music. The conductor let me play her cello (which was really nice). She got tired of conducting, so we traded places. I got to conduct an orchestra of my peers.

I was unable to get online all weekend, because my computer would find a wireless connection but chose not to connect. Anyway...

Sunday's concert was AMAZING! I also watched a choral performance which was very inspiring. I attend various sessions Monday and drove home late Monday night. I had a good time catching up with friends I see about once or twice a year, and I made a new friend! It's always good to talk to other music teachers.

It's good to be home. :)

Driveway

2009-10-31T15:40:00.004-04:00

Here is the previous post with pics from the driveway before it was poured.

http://tiff-countrylivin.blogspot.com/2009/10/still-under-construction.html

This is as you are coming up the driveway.

This is the opposite view.

And, I always like to add a personal touch to any concrete work done on the house. The basement walls have this on top somewhere (even though the rest of the house sits on top of it).

Next is to pour the driveway all the way to the creek. This will involve about a week of not driving on the concrete. You have to let it cure for at least a week, or it will crack. It should be interesting. :)

Prevent the Spread of Germs!

2009-10-21T17:29:00.003-04:00

My sister emailed this to me, and I sent it to my entire school and friends at other schools. I had several colleagues tell me they printed it out, so I thought I would share this with you, too.
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Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital ,Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc..Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).The following message given by him makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat.

In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (except to eat or bathe).

3. * Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, * clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot to clean nasal cavities, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5.. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. * Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Quite Fortunate

2009-10-11T20:08:00.002-04:00

Often I take for granted the beautiful area surrounding me.

Rigth now the leaves are rapidly changing to beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds. However, this evening has been masked by a mysterious fog.

This is an unzoomed view from my front door. The edge of the pasture is may 50-60 yards(?) away, and by this point I almost could not see it! I shall try to get a picture comparison. We have a lot of Poplar trees, and most of them have lost their leaves! Matthew says they are the first, anyway.

I take for granted the fact that I get to live in a beautiful area. My friend, Andy, reminded me that he and his family will have to travel to see such sites. I merely drive to work and see all the beautiful colors.

Meanwhile... I'm not sure I could handle a place that has snow already... BTW~ Hey, Cuz! How much snow do you have in Montana???

Mustache...

2009-10-09T22:18:00.004-04:00

Please choose your favorite mustache. We have Spirit Week next week, and Monday is hat AND mustache day. I have a dorky hat (the bat hat is for character day), but I need help deciding which mustache to wear.

The Bruiser

The Square
The Hero
The Hollywood

The Grandpa

The Sheriff

The Weasel
YOU DECIDE!!

That, my friends, is...

2009-10-04T18:31:00.004-04:00

the Moultrie EZ Feeder.

Matthew's dad bought us a feeder to help keep the turkies hanging around and maybe draw some deer into the yard. Don't worry, though, we only plan to take pictures when they show up! It is on a timer, which we have set for 6:00pm and 6:30am. It will throw seed out for 3 seconds. When the turkies start to hang around and eat all the feed, then we'll up the timer to 6 seconds so it throws more seed.

So far the turkies are still doing what they want. But I expect that they'll start to come around more regularly when there are no more acorns on the ground.

Still under construction...

2009-10-04T17:38:00.007-04:00

Well folks... just what you've all been waiting for... final house pictures! Haha! So... it's still a work in progress, BUT I thought I would share some recent pics anyway. :)

This is the view as you walk in the door.

As you gaze to your right, you will see the dining area and into the kitchen.

Pan to your left and you will see the granite bar top. We are hoping to get another couple of bar stools. It's a great spot to eat breakfast because you can see the TV and watch the news.

This is the master bedroom. We use the armoire to hide the TV. On a side note: This is not our normal bedspread. This is a quilt that Matthew's nanny had made for us.

This is the "backside" of the kitchen. The top cabinets are really tall!

The view from this side of the kitchen puts you in the back hallway (you can see the corner of the tile that is the kitchen).

All the trim, Matthew and his buddies made from scratch. We had hemlock wood "drying" in the barn for a couple of years. The stair railing was simply purchased at Lowe's unfinished. We stained it to match everything else.

As you traverse to the end of the hall, you hang a right and enter the guest bedroom/office. Matthew bought a desk so he could work on estimates, look at plans, etc. I have yet to decorate this room.

Should you ever sleep over, we have a hide-a-bed. Mom and dad were the first to try it out, and they survived (I'm not 100% sure about their backs, however...)

Next, we have the guest bathroom. I am in need of making some curtains. Actually, no one would ever be able to see you unless they were in a tree or on a ladder.

Now we exit the guest area and travel back up the hallway. I need to hang some pictures...

At the other end of the hall, you can exit onto the back deck.

This is just a view of the stucco. Matthew and some guys finished the basement stucco a few weeks ago.

The most recent project is finishing up the driveway. We put up a retaining wall, which Matthew's brother stained kind of red. We didn't like that as much as we thought, so Matthew is working on putting stucco on the wall.

The driveway was regraded and Matthew's brother formed the turnaround.

We also had our sidewalk poured last week! I was very excited about that because, maybe now we won't track in so much dirt. Although Matthew blames Moldy... Matthew also did a nice job of landscaping out front. We are going to mulch all of it once it's closer to being finished.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour of our work in progress. We are entering month three with the couple renting the old house.

Today's project was to seed, lime, & fertilize the places next to the new circular drive. We also spread about 4 bales of straw. I bought more seed and straw today.

It's still all coming together and looking great! I really like what they did with the driveway, and Matthew will be putting stucco on the porch columns soon. I'll try to remember to post pictures of that, too! Hope all is well with all of you out there!

More Critters

2009-08-29T09:16:00.002-04:00

Don't worry! I didn't post creepy, crawlies this time :)

A few weeks ago, we had this stick bug hanging out.

Last weekend, we were working on the front of the house, and we moved a board. Now, if you remember a past post, always look before you move anything off the ground at my house. :)

This guys is all muddy, but these salamanders are so pretty. They look like a midnight sky because they have faint, little white specks that look like stars.

Then, my favorite was hopping around. I love these little guys, because they look so tough. The way his front legs sit reminds me of a bulldog.

House pics are coming soon to a blog near you!!!!!!

Dedicated

2009-08-29T09:05:00.005-04:00

So, one of the things I am most excited about beging full-time is getting more involved with the activities at school. Yesterday, we had a pep rally, and we had a teacher vs. student tug-o-war. It was so much fun. The students added the entire football team at the last minute, so they won the first round. The second time, we won because they let go of the rope! They had a third try, but I sat out. My friend, Kelly, and I have done two days of walking and sprints. My legs were about to give out!

Anyhoo... we were all laughing and having a great time at the pep rally. My arm started to sting a little, so I look and...

I'm so proud of my "battle" wound :P Apparently, I thought we had a chance, and I thought I was really contributing to the tugging. Haha! I had a great first week, even though we are all exhausted!

Excited and Nervous

2009-08-12T09:12:00.003-04:00

Reason 1: Plain and simple. I have been working my patootie off this summer, and I am going shopping today. And it makes me happy.

Reason 2: My principal called me last week to let me know that it was looking pretty good that I would be teaching chorus (making me a full-time teacher). I spent a week not being sure, so I went by school yesterday. Our secretary congratulated me on being full-time! I'm on the master schedule (that's a good thing, btw). The paperwork to make me official has not been finalized, and that makes me a little nervous. The prospect of teaching chorus makes me a little nervous, too.

In the meantime, I am going shopping today. :) I have a Target trip planned with my friend, Beth. Then we may have to go to the fabric store, because I need to make some curtains.

Charlotte & Friends

2009-08-09T18:15:00.002-04:00

Matthew and I were cleaning up around the house today. We still had construction stuff scattered about, and it felt GREAT to get it picked up.

Before grabbing items around our house, it is always best to look first. I managed to find only one garter snake (sorry, no pic) while picking up scrap wood today. I grabbed him and sent him on his way far away from Matthew.

While gathering a pile in front of the house, I was sent to get a trash can from our new "trashcan corral". (Even though I am terrified of spiders) I was pleasantly greeted by Charlotte, who had decided to set up camp in a sideways trashcan.

Sadly, she had to be misplaced, but I expect her to build another web. Perhaps she will send me a message expressing her dislike for her forced move.

We are still cleaning up, and I find a bucket that has been updside down for who knows how long. Again, always be wary when flipping items over at our house. HELLO! I find Charlotte's evil sister, Black Widow. Her mate is still alive, and you can see him quite well in one pic (poor sap, doesn't know what's coming).

*Shiver* That last one gives me the heebee geebees. BTW~ These scary pics are posted for my mother (who is obsessed with spiders). LOVE YOU :)

Summertime...and the livin's easy...

2009-07-20T20:17:00.001-04:00

If Celebrities Lived in NC

2009-07-05T12:43:00.005-04:00

Sarah Jessica Parker

Pamela Anderson

Johnny Depp

Sharon Stone

The Olsen Twins

Jennifer Aniston

Gwen Stefani

Cameron Diaz

Brittany Spears

Ashlee Simpson

Tom Cruise

My sister sent this to me, and I found it while cleaning up email. It just made me laugh. ^_^

Papa Kinney

2009-07-05T09:01:00.002-04:00

Matthew and I went to Rome, GA for my grandfather's funeral. My Uncle Dixon (dad's brother) wrote a beautiful euology. My mother's family (Kinney) is buried in Rome. I met several family members that haven't seen me in 20 years.

One interesting part was a story about how at every funeral at this cemetary, there is a butterfly that lands on someone in the family. Sure enough, a butterfly showed up and landed on my Aunt LuAnne. It was pretty sweet, because she took good care of my Papa his last few years.

We shared lots of stories and had a great visit.

RIP Weyman "Papa" Kinney
b. July 21, 1923; d. June 27, 2009

Beach Trip

2009-06-30T08:54:00.003-04:00

Ahhh... I spent a week at Oak Island, NC. I only spent one day on the beach, because the weather turned windy and the surf became unruly. The tide came all the way up to the dunes!

The morning on the beach was an exciting one. A little family of dolphins swam by between the sandbars.

One of the fun parts of the week was hanging with Addie. While I was watching her, I decided to have a photo shoot on her play mat. First, I got some smiles.

She is only 3.5 months old, and she is cutting two bottom teeth! Her thing is to suck in her bottom lip and move her tongue over her lip and gums. I guess it feels weird, but it makes for some really funny faces.

I managed to catch that at the right time. Well, it was a week of pure R & R. I went to the pool a couple of times for sun. Now it's back to reality.

I had an interview at Staples yesterday, and I will be starting next week! Only part-time. I will stay with them when school starts if I'm still 50%.

My mother's father passed away in his sleep last Friday night. He had a life full of travel and adventures. Matthew and I travel to Georgia tomorrow for his visitation and funeral. I am always amazed at all the different people who are/were a part of the lives of the people I love. I'm sure there will be lots of stories.

I hope you are all doing well! Summer is flying by so fast! Today is the last day of June! Meanwhile, I'm heading down to the old house to help get it ready to rent. Yay! Fun, fun, fun!

Always An Adventure...

2009-06-21T22:57:00.003-04:00

So, Matthew and I were sitting on the back deck, and he says, "Do you see that?" At that moment I see a Bobcat run into the woods. Now I know why Moldy does not want to go out sometimes.

A few weeks ago, I chased a Red Fox into the woods as I was coming up the drive.

A doe crossed the driveway in the apple orchard.

You have seen pictures of our Wild Turkeys. There is only one wandering around these days.

Yesterday, Matthew saw a snake next to the driveway. (He does not like snakes, like I do not like spiders.) Today, I saw the snake basically in the same spot. We had put down some straw nets to help the bank from washing, and this poor snake was caught up in the netting. So I did the only thing I knew... I cut it out. Matthew bravely went with me, and I made him take this pic before I let the poor little fellow go.

For anyone who knows how I love to pick up animals, you can appreciate the smile on my face.

Edneyville Library

2009-06-18T09:54:00.003-04:00

I have found a new favorite place! The best part is that it's only 2 miles from my house! I went to find a "How-to" book on making Roman blinds. I found more than that! It was great. I checked out the "Curtains & Blinds" book, "Making Slipcovers", and "Afghans to Knit and Crochet". YAY!

I am waiting for that great feeling of Summer Vacay to start so I can have fun with projects I want to do (not have to or need to do).

I'll be sure to blog the Roman blinds process. It's supposed to be "easy", but we'll see.

I hope all of you are having a happy June so far. Maybe I'll have some beach pics next week. ^_^