Wordless Wednesday

Between a rock and a hard place?

DIY Nail Polish

Ok, I would never have thought of this but you can make your own nail polish colors. Donatella over at Inspiration and Realisation has a tutorial to help you. Love the colors she made. I'm going to try this the next time the granddaughters come over.

On Your Mark, Get Set...

After stressing a little about getting everything done for Open House it all came together. (It didn't help that our administrators planned an all day workshop for us on our first day back. No classroom time that day.)

Bulletin boards are done, boxes unpacked and materials all found a home--some shoved into cupboards. Desks arranged, folders filled for Open House. Lesson plans done for the first week. Whew!

All of my students and families came to Open House. It is so nice to get to meet all of my kiddos before the first day. Makes everyone a little more at ease. I have a class of 22 which is a good size. I still have a few things to finish up before Monday's start. I guess that's what weekends are for...teachers don't punch a clock!

30 Hairstyles in 30 Days

I don't have long hair but if I did I would be tickled to have 30 different hairstyles to wear. To see how Abby met the 30 hairstyles in 30 days challenge go here.

Wordless Wednesday

What's better than sidewalk chalk? Sidewalk paint!

Comin' In Hot at the Ragnar Race

Our team of 12 amazing women runners and Van #2's driver. I'm 3rd from the left, front row. My daughter, our team captain is in the back row, 4th from the left.

I'm a runner! It really hit me. I've been running for about two years but I don't really think of myself as a "runner". Aren't those the people that have the expensive shoes, fashionable running clothes and skinny legs?  But after this past weekend, I will think of myself as a runner!

The Ragnar Race was the most challenging thing I have ever done (except for childbirth of course). I ran three legs: 6.2 miles, 5 miles and 4.2 miles. I trained for about a month and worked really hard to be able to run 6 miles. (Before that, my longest run was about 3.5 miles.) On my first leg I ran at 11am. It was sunny, hot,humid, no breeze. The road had been freshly tarred so it was black! About 4 miles of it was uphill. I was crushed that I wasn't able to run the whole 6 miles. I did have to walk/run it.

My 5 mile leg was around 11pm. It was cool but also kind of creepy. There weren't many runners along my way. We all had to wear lighted vests, tail lights and headlights. After the first half mile I had to run up a very steep hill for a couple of miles and then it leveled out. I felt better about that run. Only had to walk a little on the hill and I didn't run into any skunks or raccoons!

My third leg was early morning, three miles along a tarred path that was shaded and ran along a creek and then a lake. (Where was this shade on my first run?!?) Very pretty scenery. However, you guessed it. The last mile was straight uphill. Again I had to walk a little on the hill.

Wearing my Ragnar Medal. It was heavy!

All in all I think I did pretty good for this old body. It was very fun watching the other gals speed along their runs and cheering them on. I only wished I could have run half as fast and with half as much stamina as they did. But I realize they are much younger and have been running much more than I have.

The name of our team was "Comin' in Hot".

It was a great experience! My team of 12 ran 195 miles from Winona to Minneapolis in about 30 hours. I got to spend time cheering for them, learning how to properly eat to fuel up from them, sleep a few hours in the van with them and celebrate with them at the finish line.

Would I do it again? If they ask me and if I can have shorter legs to run I think I would. But then again, I'll be another year older...maybe I could just drive the van. :)

Adorable Nail Art

I have been seeing all kinds of adorable nail art lately--here and here.

Do you think I could turn these nails into something a little more glamorous?

Off to the Races

I'm off to run my Ragnar Race tomorrow. Tonight we pick up our van and drive to the town where we start in the morning. I'm running three legs for a total of 15.4 miles. That probably doesn't sound like a lot but to this old body it sure does! I'm hoping my teammates help to keep me fired up. The forecast calls for isolated thunderstorms (40% chance).Now wouldn't that make for a fun run!

Think of me and send lots of positive thoughts my way.

Wordless Wednesday

Nobody home...

Teaching--Behind the Scenes

Time to head back to school already. Where did summer go? I was just getting started!
I thought you might like to see a little of what goes on behind the scenes as I get ready for the first week of school. Today I drove out to my classroom (30 miles away). I took along my two granddaughters to help. (They were such big helpers!) The oldest granddaughter is going into second grade which is what I teach so she was especially excited to help.

We got there around 9:30 and stayed until a little after 3:00. We took 20 minutes for lunch. That was our only break except for a quick snack for the girls around 10:30.

When I walked in my room I was pretty shocked to see all of the boxes. We are using new science materials this year. I teach science to all of the 2nd graders so I get to store the materials in my room. (I haven't figured out where that's going to be yet!)

The girls and I worked on putting up new bulletin boards, labeling reading and spelling workbooks. I laminated a bunch of stuff for the bulletin boards,name tags,math charts,etc. The girls worked hard cutting all of that out.

At the end of the year I have to pack up all of the stuff on my bookshelves so the cleaning staff can move them to clean over the summer. (You can see the paper boxes lining the back wall.) So we unpacked many boxes of books, game and misc. items and put them back on the bookshelves.

We didn't get everything done that I would have liked. I brought hours of work home to do before next week. (If I lived closer I would just have gone back in another day.) Our adminstration has lots of meetings planned for next week but we will have some time to work in our classrooms. That time will be spent preparing lessons for the first week of school and getting ready for Open House on Wed. night.

(A little note, none of us get paid for the time we put in getting our classrooms ready.)

I'll take pics after I have everything ready to go for the first day of school. Hopefully, it looks much better than this! :)

I've Learned That

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
—
Maya Angelou




I love this quote by Maya Angelou. It just about sums up everything you need to know or do in life!

A Camera for all Seasons

I've been busy with my camera out in my garden this week. It was fun finding and photographing these friends.

I got a Canon Rebel for Christmas and I love it! I bought a 50mm prime lens that takes awesome close-up pics. I download my pictures to Picasa but I really like to edit them using Picnik--it's very easy and fun. I have also used Photoshop Express. (These are all free!)

I'm very self-taught; reading whatever I can find on the internet. Here are a few resources that I really like. Digital Photography School has lots of tutorials. I Heart Faces has tutorials and a weekly photo challenge. Ree over at Pioneer Woman blog also has photography tips.

Have you been out with your camera lately? What's your favorite thing to photograph?

Wordless Wednesday

This made me think of back to school coming soon! (taken in Barcelona)

A Thought/Real Joy

I had to borrow this from Your Homebased Mom.

After spending a fun afternoon tubing with my three little grandchildren I know I need to spend more time with them. What brings you real joy?

If Only...

Lilies from my garden. I wish I could send you some my blogger friends! Have a great Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

An active volcano on the island of Stromboli as seen from our cruise ship.

Tattoos for Youse

I was recently at a family gathering and the subject of tattoos came up. I'm surprised at the reactions that people still have regarding tattoos and those that have them. (I have 4 tattoos that can all be covered up.)Some family members are totally stumped as to why anyone would want one. Others are curious and may be contemplating getting one of their own. Almost everyone had questions about the tattoo-ing process.
So here are some Tattoo do's and don'ts. I hope the information is helpful and maybe even gets you to consider a tattoo!

*Do consult with a reputable tattoo artist about the design you want before you get started. Make sure it is something you want for the rest of your life. The artist that did mine suggested a little different placement than I would have thought of. (He said you should be able to cover up all tattoos.)

*Do listen to your tattoo artist when your tattoo is completed. He/she will tell you how to care for your new tattoo. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

*Don't expose your new tattoo to sunlight. No tanning beds! Put sunblock/sunscreen on your tattoo when going outside. You should continue to do this even after your tattoo isn't new anymore. It will help keep the colors from fading.

*Leave the bandage on your tattoo as long as the artist instructs you to.It will prevent it from sticking to clothing, bedsheets, etc.

* Don't rebandage your tattoo.

*Use the aftercare product your artist recommends. Do not use Neosporin, Vaseline or peroxide on your tattoo. These can ruin your tattoo. Follow the directions faithfully!

*Don't pick at or scratch your tattoo. It will itch as it heals. That's part of the healing process.

*Don't go swimming or soak your tattoo for at least two weeks after you get it done.

*Don't consume alcohol before getting a tattoo. Not only could it impair your judgement but it could thin your blood and you could bleed more.

*Do research the tattoo shop. Make sure you know the precautions they are taking for your safety.

Do you have any tattoos? How do people react to yours?