juice fest

with all the beets in the garden,
and local apples coming off the trees,
its been an great time for making juice.
and feasting on in.
yum.
is there anything better you can do for body?


and while taking caring of my body,
i also feel healthy in the spirit department.
while i rarely discuss or entertain topics
of politics or religion on my blog
i left service today at peace.
and at home.


i feel welcomed by this community that pledges to
"seek to nurture spiritual and intellectual growth for all ages,
to be actively involved in community outreach and service,
cherish diversity,
celebrate our oneness with all humanity,
and support each other in the spirit of compassion, respect, and love."

their principles remind me what i was looking for and why i am there.
i know you don't need a church for all this,
but in a conservative community
i feel lucky to have found people who value:

• the inherent worth of every person.
• justice, equality, and compassion.
• acceptance of one another.
• a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
• the goal of world peace, liberty, and justice for all.
• respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
  

fall saturday

easton came home from the vet today after losing his jewels and looks more pathetic than ever all wrapped up in this cone.
poor guy.
now he's cooped up and looks really silly.
it can only come off under direct supervision,
and when he has a new marrow bone
or ice cubes to entertain him.
what a good boy.


fall is also creeping in at the seams here.
the weather is only slightly fall like,
with the temperature and the sun still high.
the breeze brought in a slight chill, though,
enough to warrant pants or a fleece.

we spent the day
shopping for apples and goodies at the farmer's market,
walking an outdoor book sale in a waterside town,
filling the fridge and our bellies,
coughing, sniffling, snorting,
napping, cuddling, relaxing,
tending to the last bits of the garden,
bumping into friends on the street,
shopping for todd's new crocs,
and then all wrapped up for a evening movie,
babel, which i liked.

peace.

a boy and a frog

it's come to another week-end, and as i get settled in for a night of pizza, hot tubbing, beer, and friends, i finally have a chance to get back on the computer.
these photos are of little A last week-end.
what excitement is was to find a toad in the barn and be able to carry him around for a while.
he hopped in the apartment and made himself at home.


and a smile like that can just melt your heart.


in other news, easton is officially neutered, although he doesn't come home until tomorrow.
mollie is finished her antibiotics and better.
we've both had allergy/colds this week and are in recovery.

this week-end is also for us to recover and clean
getting ready for a visit from my sister and little W next week-end.
more pics soon.

price of admission

the price of admission at aunt emily and uncle toddy's includes:

hugs and walks by the water

pear picking

tractor rides

golf cart driving lessons

boat rides and tours of the local creeks

tickles and giggles

all the tomatoes you can pick

a petting zoo of horses


and dog walking.

when are you coming to visit?

comparison

well, in reading this post by karen, i thought it would be fun to do a comparison shot in my classroom. while karen teaches kindergarten, and i am teaching second grade, our kids do some things the same. white boards. kids love 'em. my kids have a bit of free time to use them when we finish a math activity that requires them, and so the other day, i took some pictures just for fun... just for comparison.


its so fun to see how such things change over time...


and how trends catch on...


and how they are all just so darn cute.


and does it get any cuter than this?
at parent night tonight (a teacher's most difficult day of the year in my opinion) a parent told me that her daughter came home on the first day of second grade and told her mom that the very best part of school was listening to my voice.
really, does it get any sweeter?

i adore these kids.

week-end loves

i love:

• candy corn
• cool autumn, breezy air
• pumpkins and apples
  

• tomatoes and mozzarella and basil from the garden
• pesto dip and crustinis
• chicken salad sandwiches
• leftovers
  

• a clean floor
• expecting visitors
• the red color of ripe peppers
  

• playing games
• giddy laughter
• tickling children

• boys holding hands
• a beautifully clean refrigerator
• hard rains
  

• friends and families
• the smell of cut grass
• sticky wet grass on bare feet

• morning coffee with cream
• making, writing, receiving fall postcards
• Tylenol p.m.

so many things to love.
too little week-end...

abundantly happy

i feel so abundantly happy that it is almost beyond words.
happy to have my basic needs met and my belly full if chicken and dumplings.
happy to have friends here and all over the country to love and who love us.
happy to be expecting two new nieces into the world this winter.
happy to be loving my job and to feel joy in the morning when i get up.
happy to be so in love with my husband.
happy to be back at the gym and going to work out in the morning and to yoga after work.
happy to feel my body happy.
happy to be looking forward to fall, and feeling the cool air return to our mornings and evenings.
happy to be on our way to a week-end spending time with todd and friends.
happy that the dogs are amazing little loving animals.
just brimming...
abundantly happy.

spc: in the bathroom

school was out, so i snuck into the bathroom alone to shoot some pictures of myself.
hopefully noone was walking by and listening to the beeping and the shutter.
and there i was balancing on the sink, or the toilet, automatic flush going off and all.

fans

the week-end was full.
full of fun and of fans.
we saw the orioles-red sox game on friday
and the locals were outnumbered.
todd joined them for the day, but i stuck with my roots.
the sox won, 4-0.
no surprise there.
the best part was really the long ride with good friends
and a chance to chat and catch up.
the week-end was also full of gardening.
poor garden, under watered and over grown now that i am back to work.
good thing its season is almost up.
and the week-end was full of postcard making for the fall swap
and yoga at the Y
and planning our next bocce night
and downloading new podcasts
and revisiting old pictures
and visiting with marathon runners and mark twain scholars
and trying to keep the dogs calm
and planning fun activities and lessons for this week
and dreaming up quilt ideas for the two little girls that our sisters are having this january
and cooking up fresh goodies
and making large salads
and breathing, because my new job is everything i hoped it would be.

dogs and their doings

poor baby easton developed a limp.
poor big girl mollie has been suffering what we believed to be an UTI.
so friday, we were off to the vet.

easton had x-rays and made a lot of friends.
just a sprain.
so keep your puppy inactive for 2 weeks.
Hmmmm... even on a leash, he bounces like tigger.
but we're trying.

mollies issues were confirmed.
but her meds made her sicky-sick all over the floor twice.
so we're holding off until monday to try something new.
poor babies.

they look really sick, don't they?

my first week

its been a roller coaster ride of emotion this week.
monday we were off, but i was nervous as h---, so not too relaxed.

tuesday was our first day and we were off to a running start.
after all,
kids are kids,
anywhere you go.
and these kids were ready.
one pair of teary eyes
and lots of smiles as they came to be a part of "our" classroom.
i could not have felt more welcome.
i was given apples-
and two sets of flowers this week.
one delivered at the beginning of the week as a welcome
one at the end because i made it through my first week there.

and i did make it through.
and i made it through happily.
i was more nervous the second day than the first, now a bit more sure of what to expect
but not how i would handle it all.
but, by the end of the day, i was feeling old hat.
kids are kids,
anywhere you go.

confidence and kindness, kindness and confidence.

i made 17 new little friends this week.
how i love learning the intricacies of each of their personalities
and how they will all work as a group.
we are developing a community at rapid speed.
and we are getting along.
and we are able to work quietly and independently.
and we are able to set goals for ourselves this year.
and i was able to see at least one light already go on for child.
its a magical moment when you see it light up their face with understanding.

and so i have also been loving my increased amount of planning time during the day
and the help of an assistant,
a wonderfully competent and organized and thoughtful assistant.
and i have enjoyed coming home
after such a short drive
and breathing deep breaths
and feeling relaxed and calm.
its almost joyous.

kindness and confidence.

kindness and confidence

nina has a habit of making me think at times.
(time referenced in this post not pictured)

this time, when she came up with another personal mantra,
it made me wonder,
what is my mantra?
i needed a mantra.
i didn't have a mantra.
the panic of lack of self-definition set in.
where was my mantra?

today i heard it.
i went to service with todd,
a new and peaceful ritual that we have added to our sundays.
its a diverse group,
full of open minds.
including the couple that wears their renaissance clothing,
and us, sitting in the back.

anyway, as the school year is starting,
the mantra that i heard was
kindness and confidence.
and immediately, i realized that this is my mantra.
my calling.
what i spend my energy seeking and instilling.
as i enter the next few weeks of school
the first weeks of school,
these will be the only things that matter.
they will be the curriculum.
including mine.
kindness and confidence.