Have a G♥♥D Weekend

This is what Iwill be doing...Only 25 hours to go!

I ♥ NY

It was a year ago when I was anticipating this wonderful trip to NYC with my mom and daughter! The #1 reason we were going, last year, was to see GREASE!

We ended up seeing A Chorus Line and Hairspray too!

We were so star studded! This is Lance Bass from 'Nsync. He starred in Hairspray.
When E fell in love with these two on Grease; You're The One That I Want her daddy bought her tickets to see them on Broadway. After a year of performing those roles they are both moving on to bigger things. Goodbye Max and Laura!

Below is Ashley Spencer (the runner up to Laura as Sandy on the reality show). We saw her as Amber in Hairspray. She now will be taking overfor Laura in Grease. Go Ashley!

It wouldn't be a trip to New York without stopping by to say hi at the Today Show.
Here is E, strolling down fifth avenue munching on a Hot Dog from a vendor. Gotta love NYC!
My favorite stop was definately Serendipity. It is not overrated, the frozen hot chocolate really is to die for!
This trip was a chance of a lifetime for me, my mom and my daughter!

I will never forget those magical days we spent in NY!


If you would like to see our entire trip, click here to view my Shutterfly book.

Proud and Amazed!

It was a little while ago that I decided to let my ten year old daughter have her own blog. I have always been very strict about her internet access, but for some reason this was different. I monitor all that is posted on her blog and today I took a blog jog of her "friends".
These bloggers are amazing young people!
If you want to check out some great stuff, go here, and here for literature, here for some great cooking, and here as an example of service, and here for making earrings to earn money, and adventures that we only wish we could go on.

I am so overwhlemed by the wonderful character and vast talents these young adults have! I am proud that my daughter can see the example of them. Can you even imagine what these kids are going to be like when they are our age????? You guys rock!

Inspiration

A fellow blogger spotlighted this book a couple of weeks ago and I went right on Amazon and got it. I have poured over the wonderful pages and it did not disappoint! I will definately reference it over and over!


Check out here for a fabulous tutorial for something you will be able to use over and over. Thanks French Garden House!

Lastly, another favorite blog is hosting an observation project. See here for details. It is the entire reason I blog and buy book and look at magazines!
Enjoy!

It's A Small World Afterall

...When you use Skype for long distance phone calls!

Hubby is in Tokyo right now and this is the best way to keep in contact. It is only 2.3 cents a minute, over the computer, and the sound is crystal clear! Believe me, I was not sold on it until I tried it. Plus, who doesn't want to look cool in a headset like that??????

Change is GOOD

As you can see, I jazzed things up a bit here at TimeOutForMe. I usually do not like to do this because I want y'all to feel at home when you click on my blog-like I do at so many of yours. But, alas, I could not resist this new black and white getup. Thanks to L & T for inspiring me and pointing me in the right direction!

Which leads me to another wind of change. A great pal, and fellow blogger, announced plans to move. It makes me so sad as she is rock that I have come to take for granted. Now that she has announced this, I realize how different life will be without her and her family. BUT thank heavens for blogging! We will still be connected! I support you whole heartedly C family!

E went to her first school dance yesterday. I himmed and hawed about letting her go, but since I work at the school I was assured by my pals that she would be watched closely. AND, at this point in time, I trust her. She has a strong conviction of right and wrong and is a true leader. Okay, okay...it was adorable to drop off her friend and her (they ran screaming to the door = not yet worried about being cool, which I LOVE!) At the dance you could buy a polaroid for $1 so the girls gathered and then decided to ask their sixth grade crush to pose in the picture with them. He is adorable and said, "sure". She talked and talked and talked all night about what fun they had dancing for 1 hour and 50 minutes straight! Wow, I should try to work that in to my daily workout routine.

I guess change is inevitable, so I should learn to just roll with it.

It's About Time!

We all want to be healthier, including ME! Now that both of my kids are in school all day and I only work one day a week it is time to straighten out some things!

1. I will exercise 6 days a week in some way,shape, or form.
2. I will have personal scripture study daily.
3. I have no excuse to have a messy house.

You will notice a new section on my sidebar, my daily workout. I always do best when I am accountable to someone. In my head, someone - somewhere out there can serve that purpose for me. If I know that I need to update it daily, it will motivate me to do it! This is in no way intended to impose guilt on anyone of my readers! I simply need a kick in the rear. Why? Because I want to have energy, I want to fight off germs better and MOST OF ALL I want to show my children how important it is to take care of ourselves! Do I want to lose weight? Of course, but this is really about being healthy...I just feel better when I move. The eating will come next...

cute story about the above picture: we were waiting for E at the local high school as she finished up cheer clinic. We decided to check out the new swanky stadium. D said, "I want to run." So he began to run and continued to run two full laps around the track. By that time it was time to go. He was not even breathy and said, "I want to run two more laps." I found out that each lap is a quarter of a mile. Forget him learning from me, maybe I should learn from him!

Pull up a CHAIR

I have always dreamed of having a wrap around front porch. Sigh Tis not so, both of my houses have had stoops. :(

Can you imagine sitting, reading and waving to your neighbors as they stroll by?

Although we do not have a FRONT porch we do have a couple of back porches. This particular one has been used for many things, none of them included relaxing. For the last few months it has been completely empty due to lack of inspiration and lack of funds. Until I found these chairs, again at World Market. The aqua is so calming and they were on sale!
My daughter's room has french doors that open out onto this spot, as well as a door from the loft. I can't tell you how simple it feels, yet these adirondack chairs are nothing but comfortable!

I have found my new favorite spot!

Pictures 1,2 & 3 courtesy of HGTV Rate My Space

Summer Nights

One of my favorite things about summer is our neighborhood movies in the park. Last night we watched Ratatouille on the big screen, outside, with a gorgeous moon shining. Ahhh, this is the life! With free drinks and popcorn (and a general store for any candy craving) who could ask for more? If you live close by and want to join us for E.T. let me know!

S is for sewing

I really love to sew! But I have always stayed away from sewing anything for anyone's body. The exactness intimidates me and if I mess up it is really noticeable. So, in the past I have just kept my projects for MY home that way I cannot be worried about apologizing for any mess-ups.

So when a friend, and sewing extraordinaire, decided to plan a skirt sewing activity for church I hesitantly, but excitedly, signed up. Above is a peak at the back of my fabric and the invisible zipper I was installing.

Here I am. I look like a pro, but looks can be deceiving! The skirt turned out decent (at least it fits) and I only had to destitch two times.

Even though D is in school, summer boredom still rears it's ugly head. He is obsessed with stuffies so when I saw this kit at World Market I jumped at the chance for him to make his own. It was a bargain and he did the project completely himself!

Good job D! Happy sewing!

"So Oh My Gosh!"

During the spring, some of my girl students came to school wearing the most adorable beaded necklaces with bottle cap pendants. They are so wonderfully made! I just went to a show and saw their collection! If you are into fun, funky jewelry for you or a girl in your life...this is it! The company is Lilly Ellen and their motto is "So Oh My Gosh ~ jazzy jewelry and creative couture for kids and moms" The above necklace I bought for E, at a very reasonable price I must say, and they make the cutest ones with names!

Check them out!
pictures courtesy of Lilly Ellen Ebay store

A Sad Tale

Outside I was really, really irritated with a huge pile of bird poop. I was so irritated that I was 98% sure I wanted to climb up and knock down the nest! I know, cruel! But before I did it I thought that I better climb up on a chair with a mirror to see if there was anything in it. I was secretly hoping there wasn't, but...

...there was! Isn't this the most precious bird nest you have ever saw? I swear...it looks fake, but it is not. And the adorable little eggs lead me to exactly what I DID NOT want to happen...I became attached! AND the darn things weren't even hatched yet. I am still mourning my goldfish that I stepped on in sixth grade, I have issues!
So I tried not to monitor them too closely but wondered when the little miracles would hatch, begin to eat and soon learn to fly.
Then... yesterday...D was riding his bike in the backyard and he ran into the house saying, "Mom I found a dinosaur skeleton!" I assumed this was one of his imaginative ideas but when I went out to the yard he showed me a little 3 inch skeleton and I knew it was one of the little birdies. I was tempted to take a picture of the little skeleton since it was in perfect, pristine condition...but it is a visual I would rather soon forget. Of course, D cheered me up by saying, "It's okay Mom. He is much happier flying and playing with other birdies in Heaven."

First Grade Math

Some of you may have thought, "she must be on vacation". Quite the contrary, school has started again. For those of you who are on traditional school schedules you are still enjoying your summer break. We are on a multi-track year round schedule and my track only has a week between school years. I am a job share first grade teacher, where the first week of school I teach all five days with my fabulous partner, and the rest of the weeks I teach one day a week. Here is a sneak peak at the numbers I have been adding up in my head since my last post.

100 - the number of times I have hacked, worrying everyone around me (my antibiotic did not work that well)

99- the number of times I have thought, "I am so proud of him!" (D is in my class this year and it has been exciting to see him enter first grade)

98 - the number of times I wanted to visit blogs and make a post but just had too much to do.

20- the number of sweethearts that I will teach this year

10- the number of days since I picked up my mail last (I was sad when we weren't invited to the coolest july 4th party in town, then I found the invitation in our mailbox today! Sorry j.s.! )

9 - the number of times I screamed at the tv during The Bachelorette finale when she did not choose the guy I wanted!!!!

8 - the number of friends I miss because I have not been seeing them often.

4 - the number of laundry loads I need to do!

3 - the number of phone calls I have not been able to return because I am so dang busy!

2 - the number of times I have thought about the Kauai Marriott in this heat!

1 - the number of hot dads that came to Back To School Night last night! (I am talking about my hot dad hubby since he came to support me and D)

My admiration goes out to all moms and wives who work full time. It is so difficult to achieve balance being pulled in so many directions. I am so grateful that I have the best of both worlds, a wonderful part-time job with amazing colleagues AND being able to stay home and be a mom and housewife (I know it sounds old fashioned, but I worked hard to get that title and am darn proud of it!)

Happy 4th of July!

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very safe and happy fourth!

My M0m and Dad have taught me so many things, but one of the things that I will always be grateful for is how to respect our country. Every single day of the year (rain or shine) my dad puts out his flag. Okay, so alot of people put their flags out...but my mom and dad make sure to take it in as close to dusk as possible. Why, you ask? They take patriotism very seriously! I love the example they are to me. My flag is often out but I leave it out in the dark-tsk,tsk on me.

Here is a fabulous, easy to read, place where you may learn a few things about flag etiquette, which in turn shows respect for our country.

Please help me by:

• saying a prayer for those who serve our country
• telling a veteran or someone in the military thank you
• putting out your flag and repecting it
• respecting our National Anthem and teach your children to respect it
• remembering that the 4th of July is not just a holiday to bbq and have fun, but a holiday to honor the land we live in!

Be Safe!

curB appeal

Despite being under the weather I have still accomplished a few small tasks. The area above our front door has always looked empty to me. I have often daydreamed about a nice scrolling iron with a B there, like this. But on one of my hunts I found a B (for our last name) for just $7. I decided to try it out up there.

I actually like the simple lines, it goes well with our colonial style house. But guess what? Hubby does not like it. So I told him that he could totally go up there, get it, and fill in the holes. I guess it will be there for awhile...

update: I have blown through all of my summer reads. Any suggestions?I like them light and fun!

Summer Lovin'

My peaches were getting over ripe. I found this easy recipe, where the ingredients are in everyone's pantry, and actually made this Peach Cobbler for breakfast the other morning. Make sure you use self rising flour, mine sat on the bottom, but was still good.
Peel and slice your peaches~ just the smell is worth it!

I had some extra so I filled a ramekin. These would be great for a summer dessert!

May look a mess, but it was tasty! I omitted the ice cream or whipped cream. Can't have all your treats for breakfast...can you?

This particular morning I was actually feeling okay. I have been really sick, going on three weeks now. I FINALLY went to the Dr. and I have a double ear infection...I thought only kids get those. Moral of the story: GO TO THE DR. when you are sick!