Ah.... a quick break in the craziness. How is everyone doing? I'm great. I'm working hard teaching summer school (MCAS testing prep) and getting this house in shape (only 10 more boxes to go until we are unpacked) and I just finished getting my office/study organized and set up. Once the house is complete (curtains and all) I'll give you a virtual tour of the house :-)
So yeah, this summer is very different from last! Last summer I was a bump on a log stressing about finding a job and spent more time in my pj's then in real clothing. This summer I'm getting ready for year 2 at awesome middle school, making mad money teaching this summer, and getting ready to start grad classes in the fall. That's right.... I'm making the jump and starting grad school. I plan on taking one class this fall while I apply and hopefully I'll be accepted for the spring term.
Honestly, that's about it for me. It's been work, work, work this summer and gearing up for school. I was so depressed when school ended but I quickly realized that I needed the break as much as my kids did. And now I'm recharged and eager to try new lessons, rework my unit plans, and get ready for another successful MCAS session!
Hope all is well with all of you and you are enjoying the summer!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pics of the house!
Whew, just finished the last weekend (fingers crossed) of painting the interior of the house :-)
Here are a few exterior pictures to tide you over until next weekend when the hubby, the bulldog, and I move into the homestead.
This is the far right side near the mailbox. That's my new car (2009 Ford Focus). You can see the double garage stall, cozy and cute breezeway, and white entry door that will lead you into the kitchen. Green bush jumping into the picture on the right is no longer there (thanks Mommy!)
The front of the house... beautiful Japanese Maple tree, a lovely picture window in the living room, and I adore the black shutters (Can't have a cottage/ranch without them).
The far left side of lot. That's a Rose of Sharon bush blocking the master bedroom (far left of house) and the guest room/nursery (when the time comes) is the middle room on the left side of front door. Wonderful sunlight during the day!
And just to be goofy, here is a picture of hubby and I next to our Sold sign that we made the seller's agent put up the day we closed (I look extremely tired in this pic for some reason).
Interior pictures will be up next weekend once we have moved everything in and are more settled. I will say that the interior colors came out great and I can't wait to show you all!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Quick Update
- Bought a house!!!! A cute ranch with three bedrooms, a screened-in porch/breezeway, beautiful yard with peonies, roses, burning bushes, rose of sharon, and much more. We've been working on the trim the past two weeks (it was a hideous dark wood color... its now a cottage white color) and we will be starting the walls tomorrow. I have pictures in my dig cam I need to download.
- Golfing today with my husband and a couple we adore. So pumped
- My first year of teaching is almost at a end...can't believe it! Lots to talk, I'll probably create an individual post/reflection.
- Kappa Prep!!!! My husband did something to the computer and now I can't read your blog. Can you re-invite me? I don't think I can have a very preppy day without reading your blog!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Quick update
Hi everyone~
Very quick update since I need to go to bed so I can fight this cold/sore throat/sinus thingy I have currently. All I can say is thank goodness April vacation is on the way. I already have plans to visit the Cape to visit my favorite aunt and our favorite tea room, while also finding time to relax and correct any pending material.
On the school front, we are in the midst of MCAS, which seems to be going well. After the session today, I asked my students for their honest feedback on how they were doing, how prepared they felt (we did so many practice session and dissecting of open response writing I think they were ready), and what they could do better the next day. Keep your fingers crossed the next two days go smoothly.
Remember how I was saying I couldn't wait to be done with this year so I could go back to teaching at the high school level.... well, I'm ready to eat those words. I am having such a blast this year with my students, the staff, and the material. As each unit progresses, I find more exciting and challenging things to do and find myself looking forward to Monday mornings (go figure). I can't wait for next year so I can build on what I did this year and make it so much better. I think its official... I'm a proud middle school teacher (I never thought I would say that!!!!).
The next two months will be crazy. Lots of church stuff going on which Holy Week and then Easter, plus teaching, plus other personal stuff going on at home (nothing horrible, just interesting), and looking forward to end of June/early July since I'll be teaching the 6th grade session of Vacation Bible School at St. Anne's Parish (Doug's aunt helps run the program and asked me if I could volunteer!!!!).
I think that is pretty much it. I've been slacking again on my Thumbs Thursday but I promise to make an effort to get those started again. I'm even going to remind myself in my email calendar.
Hope all is well with everyone and wish you all a blessed Holy Week and Easter season~
Very quick update since I need to go to bed so I can fight this cold/sore throat/sinus thingy I have currently. All I can say is thank goodness April vacation is on the way. I already have plans to visit the Cape to visit my favorite aunt and our favorite tea room, while also finding time to relax and correct any pending material.
On the school front, we are in the midst of MCAS, which seems to be going well. After the session today, I asked my students for their honest feedback on how they were doing, how prepared they felt (we did so many practice session and dissecting of open response writing I think they were ready), and what they could do better the next day. Keep your fingers crossed the next two days go smoothly.
Remember how I was saying I couldn't wait to be done with this year so I could go back to teaching at the high school level.... well, I'm ready to eat those words. I am having such a blast this year with my students, the staff, and the material. As each unit progresses, I find more exciting and challenging things to do and find myself looking forward to Monday mornings (go figure). I can't wait for next year so I can build on what I did this year and make it so much better. I think its official... I'm a proud middle school teacher (I never thought I would say that!!!!).
The next two months will be crazy. Lots of church stuff going on which Holy Week and then Easter, plus teaching, plus other personal stuff going on at home (nothing horrible, just interesting), and looking forward to end of June/early July since I'll be teaching the 6th grade session of Vacation Bible School at St. Anne's Parish (Doug's aunt helps run the program and asked me if I could volunteer!!!!).
I think that is pretty much it. I've been slacking again on my Thumbs Thursday but I promise to make an effort to get those started again. I'm even going to remind myself in my email calendar.
Hope all is well with everyone and wish you all a blessed Holy Week and Easter season~
Saturday, March 21, 2009
In a funk....
Sorry everyone! I have been in a total funk so not in the mood to surf the net. Basically it is a combo of school burnout (MCAS are about a week away plus I'm swamped with correcting plus my little darlings would rather aggravate me than listen to me) and stumbling blocks on the house hunt.
I haven't been very vocal about our house search in fear that I would jink our attempts and also because we want to keep it on the downlow just in case things don't work out. However, I am tired of having no one to complain to (not including the DH.... he hears it all the time lol). We've put four offers in on four different houses since the New Year and they have all fallen through for some reason or other, which is very discouraging. We have our eye on one property right now in an older part of town (a cute ranch that needs a little TLC) which is quite different from the cute and charming capes we have been focused on (I have the dreams of living in my own cottage someday, right down to the beadboard in the dining room and a stone fireplace in the sitting room). This house that we have our eye on now does have alot of charm and potential in terms of my "cottage dream" so keep your fingers crossed.
I haven't been very vocal about our house search in fear that I would jink our attempts and also because we want to keep it on the downlow just in case things don't work out. However, I am tired of having no one to complain to (not including the DH.... he hears it all the time lol). We've put four offers in on four different houses since the New Year and they have all fallen through for some reason or other, which is very discouraging. We have our eye on one property right now in an older part of town (a cute ranch that needs a little TLC) which is quite different from the cute and charming capes we have been focused on (I have the dreams of living in my own cottage someday, right down to the beadboard in the dining room and a stone fireplace in the sitting room). This house that we have our eye on now does have alot of charm and potential in terms of my "cottage dream" so keep your fingers crossed.
Other than that, it has been pretty uneventful. Lent is flying by (as usual) and I am looking forward to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Now that I am a Eucharist minister, I can sign up for these special events in the Church, which is very exciting!
In my class we have been working on our poetry unit. I am using a similar technique I used last year with my sophomores called TYPCASTT. It is a fun and interesting way to analyze poetry. Each letter stands for a different thing to look for in the poem:
T= Title (Write down what the poem is about based on the title only
Y= Your dictionary (look up any words you are not familar with)
P= Paraphrase (put poem in your own words)
C= Connotation (looks for poetic devices, imagery, symbolism, etc)
A= Attitude (The mood of the poem and tone of the speaker)
S= Shifts (Where does the poem change either in tone, topic, rhyme scheme, etc)
T= Title (Look at title again and write down what you think poem is about now)
T= Theme (What is the moral or lesson of this poem)
I'm sorry to say I don't know who originally created this amazing tool. My advisor last year at the high school I worked at gave it to me to use and I borrowed it again this year. Of course I have made it appropriate for middle schoolers and I don't expect them to get everything out of the poem. I am most interested in their paraphrasing because they have no idea how to put something in their own words!!!!! It has been a great activity in class. We finished our second poem yesterday (The Road Not Taken and Sonnet 18 we did as a class) and next week they will be working in groups of three to TYPCASTT a poem (I've selected 12 different poems for them to choose from) on their own. It should be fun!
Well, I'm going to get back to cleaning the apartment and finishing my tea and warm blueberry muffins I just made. Hubby is off to the golf course with our neighbor so I'm a single gal for the day. It is too early for me to start golfing... I need at least 60 degree weather!!!! Hopefully I'll be taking my pink clubs out very soon!!!!!
In my class we have been working on our poetry unit. I am using a similar technique I used last year with my sophomores called TYPCASTT. It is a fun and interesting way to analyze poetry. Each letter stands for a different thing to look for in the poem:
T= Title (Write down what the poem is about based on the title only
Y= Your dictionary (look up any words you are not familar with)
P= Paraphrase (put poem in your own words)
C= Connotation (looks for poetic devices, imagery, symbolism, etc)
A= Attitude (The mood of the poem and tone of the speaker)
S= Shifts (Where does the poem change either in tone, topic, rhyme scheme, etc)
T= Title (Look at title again and write down what you think poem is about now)
T= Theme (What is the moral or lesson of this poem)
I'm sorry to say I don't know who originally created this amazing tool. My advisor last year at the high school I worked at gave it to me to use and I borrowed it again this year. Of course I have made it appropriate for middle schoolers and I don't expect them to get everything out of the poem. I am most interested in their paraphrasing because they have no idea how to put something in their own words!!!!! It has been a great activity in class. We finished our second poem yesterday (The Road Not Taken and Sonnet 18 we did as a class) and next week they will be working in groups of three to TYPCASTT a poem (I've selected 12 different poems for them to choose from) on their own. It should be fun!
Well, I'm going to get back to cleaning the apartment and finishing my tea and warm blueberry muffins I just made. Hubby is off to the golf course with our neighbor so I'm a single gal for the day. It is too early for me to start golfing... I need at least 60 degree weather!!!! Hopefully I'll be taking my pink clubs out very soon!!!!!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thumbs Thursday
Hope everyone had a lovely Ash Wednesday! I know I did! I was asked to do the second reading at Mass last night and my cross came out really good. Not your typical smudge like most get. It was very dark and very defined. Thanks Father Art!
This has been a strange week so I may have more thumbs down than up. But I promise to always try to find at least one thing to be happy or grateful for.
Thumbs up:
Beginning of Lent: Like I mentioned earlier this week, I love this time of year. It is a time to draw closer to Jesus and to improve ourselves spiritually. Even my husband sees the difference in me and can appreciate how important this time of year is for me.
Last week of February: This has been the longest months of my life. I think it might also have to do with the vacation they took away from the students this month to make up for some of the snow days. All I can say is I'm looking forward to March and the beginning of Spring!
Thumbs down:
Not feeling 100%: I feel like this week my body has been fighting some sort of bug. My appetite has been off and the feeling that I'm going to be sick is not fun. No, I'm not expecting (let's nip that rumor in the bud!!!) I just think since I'm a teacher, I'm exposed to lots of gross little germs and this is one of them.
No February vacation: I know I shouldn't complain... Teachers and students do get two vacation this time of year. I will say, though, that they are well deserved. This time of year is extremely stressful with the MCAS exam just a month away, on top of everything else I'm trying to work on this year. It breaks up the month and helps give the students a final push towards the ELA portion of the test. Thank goodness its behind us and we survived that week.
Cancer: My mother-in-law's cancer has returned again (the "good" one, not the really bad one she fought back in '03) so that has been tough on the family. Luckily it is something she can take care of with only one day and night in the hospital, but it is still a hard thing to deal with every 6 months or so. We're praying that this will be the last time and that the doctors can find a more permanent solution.
Okay, back to correcting MCAS packets and then folding laundry. What a life I lead!!!!
This has been a strange week so I may have more thumbs down than up. But I promise to always try to find at least one thing to be happy or grateful for.
Thumbs up:
Beginning of Lent: Like I mentioned earlier this week, I love this time of year. It is a time to draw closer to Jesus and to improve ourselves spiritually. Even my husband sees the difference in me and can appreciate how important this time of year is for me.
Last week of February: This has been the longest months of my life. I think it might also have to do with the vacation they took away from the students this month to make up for some of the snow days. All I can say is I'm looking forward to March and the beginning of Spring!
Thumbs down:
Not feeling 100%: I feel like this week my body has been fighting some sort of bug. My appetite has been off and the feeling that I'm going to be sick is not fun. No, I'm not expecting (let's nip that rumor in the bud!!!) I just think since I'm a teacher, I'm exposed to lots of gross little germs and this is one of them.
No February vacation: I know I shouldn't complain... Teachers and students do get two vacation this time of year. I will say, though, that they are well deserved. This time of year is extremely stressful with the MCAS exam just a month away, on top of everything else I'm trying to work on this year. It breaks up the month and helps give the students a final push towards the ELA portion of the test. Thank goodness its behind us and we survived that week.
Cancer: My mother-in-law's cancer has returned again (the "good" one, not the really bad one she fought back in '03) so that has been tough on the family. Luckily it is something she can take care of with only one day and night in the hospital, but it is still a hard thing to deal with every 6 months or so. We're praying that this will be the last time and that the doctors can find a more permanent solution.
Okay, back to correcting MCAS packets and then folding laundry. What a life I lead!!!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ash Wednesday
Off to get my ashes! Hope everyone is having a blessed Ash Wednesday. Update tomorrow!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
