Winning a Blog Give Away

My New Fabulous Notecards!

I love to visit other blogs and often leave comments, however, I never expected to win a blog give away...well...I received a convo from Stacy at InkSpot Workshop that I had won! There is even a video of her handsome son drawing my name out of the hat. Yesterday, the package came with these lovely handmade cards. Thank you so much. Almost too pretty to use...

I am adding the link to InkSpot Workshop, so you can see more of her special creations. http://www.inkspotworkshopblog.blogspot.com/

OFG Spookfest

The Etsy Team that I belong to...Old Farmhouse Gathering...is gearing up for another Etsy celebration. This one is the SPOOKFEST. It starts tomorrow. Both of my items are ready to list. To see all the good stuff, type OFG Spookfest into the Etsy Searchbar...tomorrow, that is!!

I am featuring my Halloween ghost and witch.

How was school today?

My first block class is Fitness for Life. I have been team teaching this with one of the PE teachers for 7 years now. It is an amazing concept. The students meet every other day with the PE teacher and work out...weights, cardio, games...the idea is to find activities that they enjoy, that can become a part of their lifestyle.
Then every other day they come to my Foods room to discuss Nutrition and making good choices. This week we made a Blender Drink and Whole Wheat Pancakes.

Orange Drink

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

1 cup lowfat milk

1 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

10 - 12 ice cubes
Place first 5 ingredients in blender and whirl. Add ice and blend until desired consistency.

The pancakes seemed to be a hit. Well, especially since we start our at at 8:10 a.m. I did search through several recipes. Teenagers are not all fond of eating products that are too whole grainy. This recipe used both white and whole wheat flour, so good for gluten development and has the whole grain goodness!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 to 2 cups lowfat milk

2 Tablespoons melted butter
Directions
Makes 4-6 large pancakes. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients. Cook on a griddle or in a nonstick skillet, over medium-low heat. (If the griddle's too hot, the outside will burn before they're ready to be flipped.)

Number of Servings: 6

My Classroom

Would you like to see my classroom? Our High School is only 4 years old. We all feel very lucky to have such a nice facility. I spend over half of my day in this room. I cannot show pictures of students unless I have parent permission signatures, etc. I understand why, but at the same time, about 98% of the kids have pictures on Facebook! They all laughed when I told them I needed permission forms to have their pictures on my school web page!!
There are 30 desks arranged semi-circle fashion. I love this arrangement. It makes for great group discussions. I refer to the desks as the inner circle and the outer circle...Some of my classes have up to 33 students, but there are usually some absent. If everyone is there, I run next door and grab more desks.
In the center of the semi-circle is the open area that I call my "fish bowl". I move around in this area to teach, and invite speakers and students to the "fishbowl" to present!!


This is the far corner of the room, by my desk. I like it here, because I have a view of the whole room and of anyone who may be coming in my door. I wanted you to see my cords. There are 5 for my laptop alone. Between that and my phone, my desk looks like a tangled mess!

When students are in my room, it is rare for me to be at my desk. Call me old-fashioned, but my philosophy is to be up, moving around, facilitating learning, interacting with the students. Anyway, this is the view from my corner. I stand back here when I take attendance on my computer, etc.

This term I am teaching a course called Personal Development. This week we have talked about "Knowing Yourself" and how that helps you with life decisions...education, careers, life partners..

...also knowing about the different personality types helps you get along better with others...helps you tolerate individual differences, helps reduce conflict at work, helps relationships with siblings, roommates, and in groups of friends. We've had some good discussions just in the last few days!

Celebrating Dad's Birthday

The month of August was a month of family time for us. Too much for one blog post, so will share with you a little at a time. It was pretty special to have both daughters home. We were able to be together for a little brunch and gift opening before they went to the Aquatics Center. (Jake, notice Dad's shirt...we were wishing you were here for the weekend, too!)
Yes, those of you remembering from a previous post, our youngest daughter was a summer lifeguard there, but she did manage to have a half a day off to spend with her sister and boyfriend.

So Much To Do Saturday

This entire week's focus was on the start of school. It is such an exciting time. Shiny waxed floors, new school supplies, new clothes, anxious students, hugs of welcome. Our opening day's keynote speaker talked about attitude and keeping things in perspective.

This graphic, complements of Mandie of Hollyberry Corner, is a good reminder for everyone!

Since all of my time and energy was spent in my classroom, my home looks neglected. My list of things to do is growing faster than I can cross things off. Since both daughters are away at college and husband is golfing, I can really make tracks!! Best wishes for a great day.

The Empty Nest

It is tough find words to describe this situation referred to as "the empty nest". How can something feel so bad and so good all at the same time!

THE BAD:

Our nest is empty again. It is very quiet here. I do not anticipate the sound of the door opening, or music coming from downstairs. Our oldest left Sunday after spending two weeks at home. She was here for valuable rest and relaxation before starting the rigor of PA school. It was nice to have her home again. Our family seemed complete.

Today, my husband is helping our youngest daughter move into her dorm for her 2nd year of college. She lived here this summer, and it was wonderful to have her home again. I hope that she, too, got some rest and relaxation before returning to her studies.

THE GOOD:

While missing them is hard, I would never wish that they didn't grow up and leave home. After all, the goal of parenting is to raise them to be independent young adults, able to function, to succeed in our world.

I do not know the exact moment when I realized this, but our girls are no longer girls, they are beautiful young women. I am so proud of them. They had the courage and determination to make their way out into the world. They not only left home, they moved out of state! They have made new friends, chosen their life path, found employment, managed their finances, decorated their living spaces, and made life altering decisions. I can't wait to see what the next "chapter" brings!

MESSAGE TO PARENTS:

If you have children at home, back away from your computer! Seek them out, find out what they are doing. Find something you can do together. Spend this valuable time with them. Even if you just go for a walk, make dinner, fold laundry, play a board game, talk about homework, shop for school supplies, or read a book, those precious minutes will make memories.

Back to School for Teachers

The beginning of the school year is always an exciting time. Teachers all over the country are busy creating the ideal climate in their classroom. They are arranging the desks and tables to create cooperative learning groups or to encourage large group discussion. They are hanging posters on their walls to welcome students and encourage respect and responsibility. They prepare curriculum, school supplies and support materials. A teacher's work is never done. There is always another idea or task on the list of things to do!! Teachers spend alot of time in August preparing an environment that is conducive to learning.


Today marks the first day of my 30th year of teaching. When I say this, I can hardly believe it. It seems like forever and just yesterday at the same time! Today's inservice featured this gentleman, Murray Banks. His message was inspirational and motivational. Check out his website for more information. http://www.murraybanks.com/

Our Daughter's Home

Scott and I enjoyed our stay with our oldest daughter.
She has a darling apartment that is decorated in a way that reflects her personality! This is her main living area. She has a conversation height table to the left, a desk to the right, and seating area under the bay window. It is very cozy!

Her kitchen is open for viewing from the living area. But not to worry, it is always neat and tidy!

I'm not so sure that her kitty was happy to have us stay...Bella hissed at me when I tried to pet her! Otherwise, she is a very sweet kitty and is a great companion for Amy.

Visiting Nebraska

While visiting in Nebraska we stayed with friends. They live on a golf course, so you can see is was a highlight of the weekend. Since it was over 100 degrees, they didn't go out the second day :(

Their dog thought she should be able to go too...with new rules on the course, she was left to stay with the moms at the house!!

Dinner with Friends

Wow, where does the time go?! It has been a week since my last blog update. Since my last post was about our storm, I'm afraid that some of you were afraid that we were still buried under branches...not so...



















the branches and tree limbs are piled neatly behind our house, and my husband and one of his golfing buddies are going to haul them out tomorrow!

We enjoyed an awesome dinner with good friends last week. Has anyone tried the Chicken on the grill where you place a can of beer in the cavity of a whole chicken...commonly referred to as "beer butt chicken"?



We also tried fixing our corn on the cob on the grill. That involved butter, seasoned salt and cilantro. It was all very yummy!



Bob actually let me touch the grill (!!) but, trust me, I didn't do anything, I just looked inside!!