scraps of love

these are a few of the 54 pages that i made last week-end when i was home with mom and dad.
i work fast because i don't have the tools at home- i only work with my mom... so 54 was enough pages to get me from june to december.
mostly, i like the company, the reminiscing, the craftiness, the simplicity, the creativity... but mostly the company.
thanks, mom.

my love, my valentine

its been snowy here all day, and i have still been under the weather... but naps and popsicles have brought me a long way.
i thought i'd backtrack and post some of these fun valentine's day pictures that i forgot i had.
todd and i had a quiet evening in with hot chocolate in the garage as we grilled up my favorite treat on the grill outside, ribs. yum. yum, yum. ribs and roasted veggies and baked potatoes in front of the warmth of american idol.
i gave todd this new ho scale barn for his train set- and it sits right now in a barren desert of plywood until we get our real set-up built downstairs.
i love these next two shots of my love- one of exasperation and the other of joy. i am glad he has his new new hobby.
i am glad i have him.

its been too long

its been too, too long my blogging friends.
i have just been out of commission for a variety of reasons.
life gets busy.
i was away at my mom and dad's fr an amazing family visit full of scrapbooking, breakfast restaurants and homemeade fondu. its always rejeuvenating for me to spend love-filled time with family- even if we were mostly just hanging around the house watching the snow fall outside.
i was back for a busy, busy week here full of catching up on work, selling todd's car (finally), and watching way too much american idol. i was so tired by this time of day that all i could do was watch ai from the horizontal until i fell asleep. (thank goodness for tivo.)
i had been looking forward to this week-end of calm, quiet, at home, fun, and quality time with todd... but alas, i woke up yesterday with a temp of 101 and it just kept rising throughout the day. i never left the horizontal.
i slept in our bed.
i slept on the couch.
i slept in the guest bed.
i took a long, hot bath.
i couldn't even get myself up right for long enough to check my e-mail and walking down the hall or talking on the phone were just exhausting activities.
needless to say, i am obviously feeling better today. my temp is at 100 and the aches have been replaced by a sore throat- but i am vertical as i type now and i am hoping to fully recover for work tomorrow.
wish me well.

an afternoon in

apparently in maryland a freezing rain is enough to close school early and send everyone home.
i am not looking a gift horse in the mouth. i am loving it.
school was out at 12:30 so i stuck around for a bit to get ready for tomorrow... then homeward for my gilad workout, yummy stuffed shells dinner prep, valentines readiness tests, packing for my trip home this week-end, and of course a stack of first grade papers to grade.
i am feeling so relaxed and calm, yet excited to drive up and see mom and dad and visit my old stomping grounds at the parker school. i hope to ski and scrapbook and visit, visit, visit with my mom and dad. i can't wait. i get a bit homesick being here with them there and its nice any chance i get to see them... so a long week-end for me with a lot to look forward to.
life is good.

black and white: number two

Thoughtful poses.
Pensive moods.
Quiet moments.
Calm.
Peace at heart.

simple week-end fun

happy snackies.
its been a great week-end for calm and happy thoughts.
quiet friday evening with yummy ravioli and a good book.
relaxing saturday spent attacking my to do list at a leisurely pace.
making a cake.
making gifts.
making home goods to settle in here.
fun saturday evening spent at the house of a work friend. a group of us from work were there with our husbands and a couple had little ones in tow. games. food. cake. laughter. silliness. more food.
sunday planning for the week ahead. i finished all of my lesson plans, made a new to do list, organized, and got myself set for the upcoming days.
errands in the afternoon. bought play doh and watercolor pants to add a little joy to the week ahead.
late afternoon nap.
evening work-out with my partner.
phone calls to catch up with family and friends.
i am feeling blessed.
surrounded my positive, positiveness.

its the little things...

i am feeling positive, happy, tired, and glad.
its friday again.

things i love this friday:

• sick little ones getting well. i am so glad nina's little joey is okay.
• having a snowday mid-week with only an inch of snow on the ground. it made for two mini-two-day weeks. what joy. its such a bonus day, no stress, no worries. snowdays are my favorite. i need that on a t-shirt.
• happiness in my classroom when i can look around and see everyone on task and smile to myself. we give ourselves a kiss on our brains, a pat on the back, a high five, and we move on. these are the moments to hold onto... they can be too few and too far between.
• watching my kids light up with fascination when i show them pictures of my family. yes, i a have a mom and dad and husband and sister and dog.
• yummy salad with winter fruits and homemade lemon poppyseed dressing.
  
• seeing a field of no less than 50 deer munching about on my way home. 50. in one field. a beautiful sight.
• seeing a hawk swoop down in front of my car, a little too close, to scoop up some roadkill in its talons.
• seeing a blazing red cardinal zip in front of my car. nature. if only i could see all this out of my car once in a while.
• watching 'the office' curled up next to my lovely husband on the couch.
• getting set for a week-end of sewing and crafting and reading and baking.
• deep fatigue and knowing i don't have to wake up in the morning.

i love week-ends. i love to sleep.

spc: black&white

it is challenging to take black and white photos...
these days its hard to take any photos.
tired winter exhaustion.
perhaps black and white is most fitting to this mood.

my education in trains

well, now that todd has his new hobby, today i got my first dose of training. we went to a local expo with hundreds of vendors and, wow, the things we saw. people put a lot of time and money into these creations and they are amazing. i hope to help todd with the creative edge once he gets his set-up situated. it looks like it will be alot of fun.
it was a busy week here, with me away at professional development most of the week. it was a nice break to the chaos of school and i learned alot and again, was re-inspired to do so, so many things in my classroom. oh, the things that they don't teach you in grad school that you need to know...

we had a chance to see the movie, freedom writers, and it was an inspirational tear-jerker. we ate out and worked-out in the hotel gym. it was almost luxury.

yesterday was errand day and i feel like i am accomplishing a lot this week-end. even now, with the super bowl on over my shoulder, i am continuing to do some school work as a i work on my corona and appetizers. party food for our party of two.

i feel relaxed and motivated and positive and happy.