Literacy at it's best

Our 4-year-old daughter wrote a note, and then she hung it on her door.

Could you read it?

It says, "No tooting"

What can I say...literacy at it's best!

Hooray! She did it!

Well...our little "zipper in her pocket girl" did it!! She DID sing at her Spring Musical. She wasn't too sure about it...but she DID it! She looked spring-y too in her pink bow and new dress from Ms. Christy, who totally rocks! Ms. Christy gave her this dress on Monday. As soon as we got home, our daughter HAD to put it on. Then she couldn't wait to wear it again! We decided her school program would be the perfect occasion. Here she is...our little singer...singing Big House:

Here she is at the post-performance reception with hubby and me:

Now...we're looking forward to the dance recital to see if she'll dance!

Zoo Field Trip

As a Kindergarten teacher, the way you feel after a field trip is kinda like you've been hit by a Mack truck! Well...as a K TEACHER and as a MOTHER of a K student....you have to double the experience of a field trip. I feel like I've been hit by the truck, and then it backed up and ran me over again! Whew! We had a great time!

Here are some pics of our day:

Here's our son on the bus ride to the zoo. He never rides the bus...so it's a BIG deal for him to get on the cheese.

Our son with 2 of his buddies riding the train at the zoo. I've been going on field trips to the zoo for many years as a K teacher, and this trip marked my first time riding the train--pretty fun...if I do say so myself! We were the 1st group of the day on the train and on the carousel b/c we wanted to "beat" the crowd!

Here's the baby panda that was born this past August-cutie!

Check out this kangaroo...

zipper

Our 4-year-old daughter has a school program coming up soon. She told me..."I'm going to put a zipper on my mouth, zip it up, and put it in my pocket-I'm not singing at the program!"
Oh...by the way...she also said she won't dance at her upcoming dance recital. Huh? I guess only time will tell.

Ball season officially began today at our house

Game #1....Rained out

Game #2...We were out of town

Game #3...Finally, today we made it to the first games of the season! Our daughter is playing t-ball, and our son is playing baseball. One child played at 9am and the other at 11am.

So...here are some thoughts from this morning:

1. WHY did we sign up both kids for ball when clearly neither one has a drive for the game?

2. 9am is EARLY on a Saturday morning!

3. 9am-12pm is a long time to keep EVERYONE happy at the ball field!

OK...whew...now I shall re-direct myself:

1. Aren't we lucky to have 2 healthy kids whom we can spend time with outside on a beautiful spring day?

2. Isn't it great to see friends at the ball field that we don't get to see on a regular basis?

3. Shouldn't we look through children's eyes to see all the enjoyment that is found in the little things at the ball field: a red wagon, popcorn from the concession stand, tall fences, handles on bat bags, and the list goes on...

Here are some pics from the day:

Below we're supporting our daughter's team in orange and black! Hubby had this orange polo in the "Good-Will stack" about a week ago because "he doesn't wear orange." Good thing we pulled it out of that stack so he could support his girl!

Below we're supporting our son's team in red--we had an hour between games to "suit up" for the proper team color you know!

Hubby and daughter on the field:

Our son at bat:

Worked on curtains again last week

During Spring Break, I worked on curtains. Here are the ones in the family room (one on back door and one on window):

I also made new ones for the breakfast area. I'm sick about them! I completed them, and they're all bunched up. I was trying to do a trick cutting the lining shorter so the sides turn back, but it didn't work because of how I sewed the red at top and green check on bottom. Here they are all sewn and bunched up:

So...what do you do? Well...I thought about it for a few days, and decided to cut all the hems off to start from scratch! Yuck!! I'm having the hardest time getting the cuts straight now. I'll keep you posted.

Easter Sunday

Wow-what a beautiful, perfect day for Easter! We celebrated at church and then at my sister's place for lunch. We were lucky to have both sets of grandparents and aunts together to celebrate. It was a fun, full day. Here are some pics:

At church by the Flower Cross:

Hubby and me at my sister's place (after a slight stress-attack at lunch with 2 spilled drinks within a 3-minute period):

Our daughter with a FULL basket (with hand on hip--no doubt):

Our son with a new strategy--put your basket in a central location--pick up as many eggs as you can hold--deposit in basket--repeat:

Kids with their great-grandmothers:

Kids with my parents:

I have a great pic of the kids' other set of grandparents too, but I'm holding out for special permission from T to post. How 'bout it T?? It would look great right

HERE!

Thanks E for a great party:

Oh yeah...about my Strawberry Pretzel Salad...it really has a mind of it's own...every time it comes out different...mine didn't congeal this time! I had to put the strawberry/jell-o combo on at the last minute so we wouldn't have soggy pretzels...didn't stop me from having 2 servings at lunch and some for dinner too! The runny mixture made me think of my late grandfather. He once made blackberry jam that didn't set-up...did that stop him from enjoying it? No way...mixed it with some vodka for a cocktail...and there you go!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter too!

Easter Equals (think food here)...

Easter equals Strawberry Pretzel Salad (of course)--really any holiday where family gathers=Strawberry Pretzel Salad!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Crust: 2 cups crushed pretzels, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3 tablespoons sugar. Combine all ingredients; press into 9x12 inch glass pan; bake 8 minutes at 400 degrees; cool.

Filling: 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 1 (8 ounce) package Cool-Whip. Beat cream cheese and sugar together; fold in Cool-Whip; spread over crust.

Topping: 1 (6 ounce) box strawberry Jell-o, 2 cups boiling water, 2 (16 ounce) packages frozen strawberries. Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water; add frozen strawberries; mix (I use a potato masher); cool in refrigerator until it is not runny--(you don't want to pour liquid on your filling b/c you'll have soggy pretzels-gross!!); pour mixture over filling and chill to finish congealing. YUM-sweet, salty, yummy!

What are you having yummy for Easter??

A Spring Day of Fun!

We've been waiting all week for a warm, sunny, spring day! We finally got one...so it was time for a family day of fun! We started with one of our favorite pizza places-Fellinis. I have to show you this great idea:

You order a slice of cheese pizza and a salad....then you dump your salad on top of your pizza---yum!!! This pic is of hubby's slice. We discovered this idea at California Pizza Kitchen when we ordered a BLT pizza (bacon and tomatoes with lettuce tossed in mayo). Now...we put our lettuce on top of our cheese pizza everywhere! Add some of your favorite dressing...I like a vinaigrette. Try it...let me know what you think!

OK...back to the fun...

We were walking around enjoying Stone Mountain Park on our nice, spring day...when we saw our friends and their kids--totally unplanned--small world considering that it's a huge park. So...the kids were soooooooooooooooooo happy that they chased each other, ran all around, and then...made a plan mapping out where to go next--see below--they're all huddled around the park map:

Here's a pic of the kid crew:

Now...the pics of the parent crew....each of the kids wanted to take our picture. The more pics we took...the more it looks like we're out clubbing rather than about to ride the train with the fam. See for yourself...

A fun, spring day!

Curtains for Breakfast Area-Take Two

OK...so today I went fabric shopping again for our breakfast area, but this time I went with inspiration from Southern Hospitality. Here's a picture of her kitchen. You can check her out at: http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/

When I was shopping a few weeks ago, I saw this exact red fabric with the rabbits that she has in her kitchen. Today I went back to the same store, and all of that particular fabric was sold out. So...I found these fabrics...

I know...they look similar to the fabric on the dining room panels, but they are cheerful! I'm using the same design shown in the Southern Hospitality pic above.
Our son went shopping with me to 3 fabric stores...so what was his reward for such good behavior?

That's right...handcuffs...that he's already using on his sister to "lock her up in jail."

A memorable trip

Well...the kids and I are officially on Spring Break. We started our vacation on Friday night with a trip to the mountains. Our kids have been to the mountains before, but our son kept insisting that the mountain was a dump. Can you tell his Daddy works protecting the environment?! What 6 year old knows about landfills?
It was a memorable trip (full of good and not-so-good memories):
1. We stayed in a low rent motel (that's putting it nicely)! Here's hubby standing by the trash can at the hotel. Look closely...Yes...it really does say..."USDA condemned" on it!

2. We tried to drive to a neighboring town Friday night, but took a wrong turn. Our daughter kept saying, "Let's just go back to the hotel" (like that was better than riding in the nice, clean car)!

3. Our son coughed ALL NIGHT LONG...nobody could sleep, and we woke up for good at 5:30am!

OK...now on to the good memories:

4. We ate breakfast with the Easter Bunny and with Cabbage Patch Kids. Our kids liked the food, and they both won stuffed animal door prizes--a duck and a bear.

5. There were lots (they said 18,000) eggs to hunt! The kids filled their baskets at the hunt!

6. There was lots of space to enjoy the nice Spring day. We went from winter coats in the am, to long sleeves mid-morning, and then to short sleeves and sunburns by the afternoon!

7. The kids got free balloon art-a dog and a hat at the Arts and Crafts area, and lots a candy at the parade.

8. We did finally make to it the neighboring town for lunch!

Whew--that sums up our less-than-24 hour trip! Do you have a memorable trip planned soon?