Sunday, April 27, 2014

Prom 2014 ~ A Night to Remember

 This was Prom Weekend.
For the first time in over a decade, I was not really involved in the Prom,
in any way...shape...or form.
(I did however, deliver some prom 'advice' during classes on Friday!)

So...it made my night, when these lovely young ladies and their handsome dates got up to greet me when we went out to one of our favorite restaurants on Saturday night.

They are striking, aren't they?!
Can you tell that the young men are brothers?

I was honored to be a small part of prom planning 
when our daughters attended.
This is Amy, junior year.

Emily, Junior year.

And Emily, Senior year.

Line, our foreign exchange daughter in 2010.

And Nellie, our foreign exchange daughter in 2013.

Thank you, girls,
I felt like a 'prom mom' again for just a few minutes!
You are both special young ladies.

Take care,
~Natalie

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Thursday's "The Little Things that make me Smile" and it's "Poem in Your Pocket Day"

Here's a photo of my mom and me...
When she died last February, the remainder of her precious possessions
 were moved here, to our storage area.

And among those items are photos...
Many of you know that my parents were farmers...
poor farmers.

And, I am a only child.
So, I spent countless hours with my mom,
while my dad was out working in the fields.
Playing with my dishes...

Cutting out my favorite fashions from the Catalog.

I was Mommy's little helper.
Here, I am rolling and cutting donuts.

And, here I am using the meat grinder to make sandwich spread.
(Is this border-line a child labor law violation?)
But, to tell the truth I have good memories of growing up on the farm.

My mother had a wealth of poems in her memory.
She graduated HS in 1938 and went to Mayville State Teachers College.

After earning her teaching certificate,
she taught in several country schools in North Dakota.
The State Department of Education required the memorization and recitation of poetry.

My mother could entertain me for hours by reciting poetry.
Poem...after poem.

I especially remember Laundry Day.
Mom washed clothes with the wringer washer.
We hung the clothes outside on the line.

When they were dry, we brought them inside...
and I sprinkled them with water.

Then she would iron...for hours!
I would sit on that silver stool, listening to her recite poetry.


Which brings me to today.
It is "Poem in my Pocket Day".
Our school librarian encouraged us to all select a poem to share with each other and with our students.

And this was one of my favorites.
oil painting by Winslow Homer

The Swing
by Robert Louis Stevenson


Happy Spring...
Happy Poem in your Pocket Day!

Take care,
~Natalie

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

What'cha Workin' on Wednesday? Knitting??

Did a little shopping after school today...
I wanted to check out some of the new yarns for spring.

It is time for my Fashion class to start their scarf project.
The trend is moving from the long skinny scarf
to a more chunky yarn Infinity Scarf.

I hadn't done any knitting since before my accident and surgery.
But, I guess I'm not likely to forget...
I started knitting when I was 10 years old,
and that is a very long time ago!

Like riding a bicycle...
the stitches came naturally.

However, my wrists reminded me that they don't move like they used to.

So, I packed my 'fun' project up in Grandma's knitting bag.

I have moved on to more the 'responsible' task 
of correcting papers and recording grades.

I hope you are all having a great night.
Take care,
~Natalie

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Easter 2014 ~ My Report

It was such a beautiful weekend here.
This Easter Bunny had to to out to WalMart and the supermarket yesterday.
I fell in love with the fresh spring blooms.
And this morning, the sanctuary was adorned with beautiful spring flowers.

Hubby and I hosted small dinner for his mom and sister.

Since my hubby is the grill master of our family,
he made Salmon and tried a new recipe for 
Grilled Asparagus with Bacon.

I purchased Hot Cross Buns, 
because they were my mom's favorite.

Grandma made her Cheesy Carrots,
because they are everybody's favorite.

A spring salad completed our meal.

Just a few bunnies and chicks hang out around here...

There were so many adorable children in church today,
all dressed up in new clothes...their Easter finest.
It prompted me to come home and browse throught my picture box.

So, now...here is a trip down memory lane.
Easter 1989
Easter 1990
Easter 1991
Easter 1992
Easter on the Farm 1993
look...leggings were in fashion!
Easter 1994
Easter 1995
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday
with family and friends.

Take care,
~Natalie

Road Trip ~Day Three ~Burger Battle ~Sweet Shopping Highlights

Our last full travel day took us through four states… Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Including some Big Bridges over some Big ...