Last Blast before Summer Has Passed..The day in pictures

Jefferson County school kids go back to school on Wednesday, so this was my last weekend of break really. Ali and Addie still have one more week of break technically, but with me starting back to work, for all practical purposes, their summer break ends this weekend as well. We ended up summer break about where we started it... at Hodges Pond. The girls had a great time playing with their friends Evans and Mary Will. 

We expected Nanny and Poppy to be back from West Virginia about 5:30 so we rode over to their house to wait for them. Pete said he thought it was kind of rude because it looked like we were just waiting on Daddy to grill us something for supper. Rude or not- that WAS the case so why hide it?

I tried to snap a cute picture of Addie under a shade tree, but just as I set my camera, Bessie, our Collie, took off toward her, ran over her and scratched her foot. She was so happy to see Addie she just mowed her down! Addie was not happy.

Ali Grace was happy though! She is finally old enough to drive the gator around the farm by herself.

Looks like she's about to sling her  daddy into a ditch in this picture...

It was a great day!

And right before Nanny and Poppy arrived home, I caught this yahoo in their garage stealing Frosted Flakes. I do not want to know how she got up on the counter like that.

Best of luck to all you kiddos headed off to school tomorrow. I know your parents are happy!  

Back to School Bankruptcy

This is our school supply haul today. Honestly, I don't know how some parents do it. I guess they just don't. I can't stand the thoughts of the girls not having what they need on the first day of school, but honestly, how much of this stuff do they NEED? I have to say that the EBA supply list is not outrageous and I don't mean to criticize. I'd buy the Lysol stuff for the teacher even if it wasn't on the list because I know it's expensive for teachers to buy these supplies themselves all year long. No it's not any more outrageous than the public schools in Burke County but those students are probably less able in many cases to afford such supplies.

I really sympathized with a few parents/grandparents who were perusing the aisles at Wal Mart today with a gargantuan supply list. Seriously folks, at some point can't we just say bring a notebook and a pencil? A few crayons would be nice, but if not, you can use the old ones in my room that are perfectly good and leftover from last year? Does the notebook HAVE to have pockets? Do teachers realize that having "pockets" almost doubles the cost? Are the pockets that necessary? I know, I know.... these parents have bought their kids expensive shoes and therefore could afford the more expensive notebooks if they wanted to... probably true, but do they NEED to? Hint: Use cardstock paper or any kind of paper around the house and make pockets in the notebook. That's what we'll be doing when these expensive notebooks are worn out. The public school supply list was a little out there in that it listed some basic items and then there was a disclaimer at the bottom that said more items would be given out on a list on the first day of school. Okay.  Well then. Two shopping trips? I think not. What's the point of putting out the first list? I don't even have kids in the Burke County school system so I don't know why I'm bitching about it except for the fact that I had to reassure a nice old lady with a hole in her shoe, who was buying her grandchildren's school supplies, that it was okay to buy the 40 cent box of 24 count crayons rather than the 12 count box that was more expensive even though the supply sheet said 12. She said "are you sure?" I told her that if the teacher had a problem with it to tell her that a Jefferson County teacher said it was okay and that since we get much higher test scores in middle school than they do, I don't think an extra 12 crayons will hurt one thing. It might help. It surely makes better mathematical sense! People! Just put crayons on your dang list! Does it matter how many are in the box?? I don't think teachers really put a whole lot of thought into these lists sometimes. I know I didn't until I started buying it for my own kids. Now my list says "paper and pencil". I don't care if it's wide or college ruled. I'd prefer the pencils be made from a tree and not mechanical but in the big scheme of things I do not care. Yes so you all heard me out there right? Bring paper and pencil. Some way to keep it all together would be nice too. ( a cheap vinyl folder is fine!)  I think you could be well supplied for  around 10 dollars if we really got down to what's necessary. While some of us are blessed to be able to afford notebooks with pockets, not everyone is so fortunate and public schools need to be sympathetic to that.

Oh okay and moving on... I made a HORRIBLE mistake first thing this morning.  Y'all know I hate the mall. Y'all know I despise even "going into the city" as Addie says. I really do hate it and I knew better than to try it, but I've been taking this sinus medication and I think it's making me irrational. Anyhow, I have never seen such hoochy clothes in all my life in every store from Macy's to Justice to JC Penney and right back to Dillard's honey!  We came home virtually empty handed and thanks to a suggestion from my friend Tammy, I got online at Target and found plenty of shorts and tees to get the year started. Abercrombie had a few tees on sale online and I got those for Ali. We got tennis shoes in good 'ol downtown Louisville. Y'all can mark my words. That was my last trip to the Augusta Mall. The very last. Never again. Evah honey.

Feng Shui for the Classroom

My colleagues at school pick on me a little about my "feng shui". I absolutely positively cannot teach in a classroom that does not feel comfortable. I cannot stand sharp edges, clutter, and things that do not balance. I can't stand doorways being blocked or windows being covered.  I cannot stand wall to wall furniture. There has to be space! Open space!  AND things have to feel right! What is wrong with this picture? Well it's hard to tell from the angle, but the desk is not facing the door.  After setting up this new classroom, something just did not feel right and I could not put my finger on it until my dear husband pointed out that one of the basic tenets of feng shui is that the desk should face the door. Always. I didn't want to move it since it's heavy, but could not sleep last night for thinking about that desk and its bad energy! LOL  :)  I got up and left the house by 6:15 so that I could get that desk moved before the chaos of preplanning started and before the custodians were there to yell at me about scratching the waxed floors! After moving it, the room feels MUCH better.  I need a few live plants and hopefully I can find a tabletop fountain tomorrow since mine died. This girl needs water in a classroom. Yes, I am a nut.  So is Addie in this picture. While her legs look look like she has a horrible case of road rash, it's really in fact just a pair of softball socks she found in a storage room at school.  :) She was a big help these last few days! Thanks Addie B for being a trusty sidekick!


Check out this New York Times article on the effect of natural light on student learning. STOP covering your windows people! Take DOWN the paper! Also, please please please- if someone of ANY importance at all is reading this- PLEASE take note when the article says "Reading comprehension declines as room temperature rises above 74 degrees, and addition and subtraction skills decline when a room becomes warmer than 77 degrees." 


Help us! We are BAKING at Louisville Middle School. Our test scores SPANK the state average. Who knows at what level we might achieve if we weren't sweating out so many of our brain cells!   Who knows what kids could do if they weren't having to take turns breathing their 98.6 degree breath on the thermostat to make the air stay on. True story. Here's the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/05/education/the-feng-shui-of-schools.html


I had such a wonderful summer with Pete and the girls that it's hard to be excited about going back to school, however I felt a lot better after today. We have a great staff at LMS and there are some exciting things going on there! I am especially excited about our kids having Spanish and Web Design as new courses this year! I am also excited about my new role. I'm a little nervous about not being in the classroom full time anymore but I get stagnant and bored after a few years of doing the same thing and I need a challenge. I have definitely found one! 

Eat More Chicken!

Not many words today, just a picture! Addie was so proud of this drawing! I snapped her picture and shortly after, SHE snapped. She still hasn't caught up from 2 weeks at the beach. I just told her to go and ask Poppy how much longer the chicken would be. She flipped out and was totally inconsolable, insisting that I had yelled at her. (Oh the horror!)  Pete had to take her home before dinner at Nanny and Poppy's. I brought her a barbecued chicken leg quarter. She ate every bite and asked if there was more. I told her there was plenty still at Poppy's house. She rode back over there and told Poppy and Nanny she wanted more chicken! As a side note, I think this is her 3rd outfit today. 

Very Vera!

Check out my Ali Grace who's growing up way too quickly. She wants you to check out her new Vera Bradley bag for school. Ali Grace seldom asks for ANYTHING name brand, so when she asked for a Vera purse, we felt compelled to get her one! Isn't she a doll?

And just check out her little circa 1985 side pony tail. I just love her to pieces.

My daddy came home from the hospital today and in our excitement I forgot to take a single picture.  Addie woke up wailing in the middle of the night last night saying she had a bad dream. I asked her what her dream was about and she said "Mama I don't want to speak of it". I didn't ask her anymore and I don't know if it had a thing to do with her missing her Poppy but I do know she's been all out of sorts this weekend while he was in the hospital. We had a great dinner tonight and it was awesome to have the old man back home on the Ponderosa!

The Story of Us

Today marks 12 years Pete and I have put up with each other. I say that because I really think God puts you with someone for a reason. Since none of us are perfect, I think if you let Him, he'll find you someone who makes you a little closer to perfect.  

Pete and I met at the University of Georgia in the Spring of 1997. I had graduated early and started graduate school. Pete was... well... having a good time and enjoying everything the great University had to offer. When I tease him about not graduating nearly on time, he reminds me that had he graduated one quarter earlier, we never would have met. 'Tis true. We ended up student teaching together at the same high school. Long story short. We were working late in the livestock barn. It was cold. He loaned me his gloves. The rest is history. 

Don't think for a second I don't want to beat him to a pulp sometimes! But most of the time, he really floats my boat, plays my piano, peels my banana... you get the picture. 

Here's a few reasons why I love him... in pictures.

He loves golf, even when golf doesn't love him...

He can hook up the lights on a christmas tree like no other!

He is a GREAT daddy!

He keeps up our family traditions... here he is juicing oranges around Christmas time a few years ago.

He can build anything. Here's the shelves he built in Addie's closet in our house in Effingham.

He loves his Mama. That was VERY important to me. I would never have married a man who was not nice to his Mama! When I first met her, I listened to every single word they said to each other. No lie. He loved his grandma too. She spoiled him because he was the oldest grandchild.

Did I mention he's a great daddy?

He plays in the ocean... but not just in Florida!

In North Carolina....

and in South Carolina.... (The more I look, the more I think this may have been in NC as well, but you get the picture)...

It's been a great 12 years. 

A lady of forty-seven who had been married twenty-seven years and has six children knows what love really is and once described it for me like this: 'Love is what you've been through with somebody.'James Thurber

Reality Check!

I don't know if there's a single soul who had a better summer than Ali Grace and Addie Belle Bennett! They are blessed with two exceptional sets of grandparents who really did it up with them this summer. As if they weren't lucky enough, they ended up with a "Nanny 2" with my mom's twin sister, Aunt Bonnie. After a fabulous 4th of July weekend with a huge chunk of our family here, we took off to Palm Bay and spent the week with Nanny 2 and Uncle Carlos. They live minutes from the beach. The girls had a grand time swimming in every pool in the neighborhood and splashing away up and down the strip from Satellite Beach all the way to Cocoa. While there, we took advantage of Nanny 2's awesome sewing machine and the girls got new EBA appliqued shirts. Nothing short of fabulous. 

The next week, the girls went to Pete's cousin's wedding and then on to Palm Coast with their OTHER grandparents! We had a fabulous time and the girls loved playing with their cousins Carson, Emma, Sarah, and Annabelle. 

The girls seem to have no lasting effects of the blue/orange exposure. 

Check out Aunt Janet and the pirates ready for Treasure Night in Palm Coast!

Lyles Great-Grands.. (Wouldn't Great Mama be soooooo proud??)  

Anyone who knows us well, knows our calendar in the pantry. It's what keeps us sane since we have to contend with 3 different school schedules- Jenkins County, Jefferson County and Edmund Burke Academy. It gets a little wild around here sometimes! I go back to work on Friday. Pete goes back a week later and the girls go back a week later than that! I think I got that straight. Can you already see a need for our huge calendar? Tonight Addie Belle got out the clorox wipes and wiped down the calendar. It was kind of sad to see the summer dates go: Cheer camp, Vacation Bible School, Giles visit, Palm Bay, Palm Coast, etc... But it's always exciting to add new things to the calendar. The girls aren't very excited about starting back to school, but once back to school shopping gets into full swing I'm sure they'll come around. Retail therapy does a lot for your attitude. I believe that. :)

Sweet Surfer Girls

When Nanny bought the girls boogie boards on a whim, we never thought they'd get so much use out of them. Both girls LOVED the ones Nanny bought and literally after a week at the beach, wore them completely out. Pete went out and bought them another more heavy duty model and hopefully they'll last  the 2nd week at the beach!  My 2 surfer girls have had ONE HECK of a summer!

A Gator Wedding

 

The girls were SO excited to get to be in Bert and Erin's wedding today! Despite the fact that they had to wear orange and blue, they all looked just beautiful. I could not get over how grown up Ali Grace looked.

 The Bennett girls tried their very best to teach the Gator fans a few lessons before the wedding. They even resorted to drawing pictures rather than using words, but it really was a lost cause.  :)

After the ceremony, everyone danced and had a great time. The BEST part of the evening  was when the Georgia girls busted out their red sashes to replace the orange and blue ones. Special thanks to Aunt Jess for secretly sewing them for us! Pete told everyone that the orange and blue sashes were causing a rash on the children and that they had to change into red!

 

 Addie chose to wear her red sash in her hair! She is so lucky! Last week her Nanny taught her to surf! THIS week her Granny is teaching her to do the cha cha slide!

Congratulations Erin and Bert! We had a wonderful time! 

Now, we're looking forward to spending a few more days at the beach and then it's back to reality!

CooCoo in Cocoa!

We have had a WONDERFUL time so far in Palm Bay....too good a time to stop and blog! The kids have had a wonderful time in the pool and at the beach. Since the girls got a little burned yesterday we decided to avoid the beach until dusk today. After dinner at the Lobster Shanty and a quick trip to Ron Jon in Cocoa Beach, we let the kids play on the beach for awhile. Daddy and Pete are coming down tomorrow and we're looking forward to dinner with friends. 

Mama, Bonnie and Beth did some sewing today while I took a nap on the sofa! I am useless when it comes to sewing. They doctored on Ali's flower girl dress and started on her peace sign dress. She's thrilled about it. 

Hoping to take the kids to the beach in the morning and then run back into Melbourne historic district to pick up a bead necklace Ali Grace just HAD TO HAVE custom made today.  She is really something lately. One minute she wants to play with the younger kids and the next minute she's too cool for them. Watching her grow up so quickly is getting harder and harder!

 

The best part of this week so far has been watching the kids play with Nanny and Aunt Bonnie. They have had a ball. Colten told Nanny today "I'm glad I'm here."  So sweet.