All My Blessings

I'm out of school today.
I left with my papers graded and lesson plans ready for next week.
We had an early birthday celebration for K last night.
Her sister and her roommate came bearing gifts.
Oh, and the boys were here, too.

This morning:
Coffee and the morning news.
Martha Stewart and Bon Jovi in the morning.
After the 2nd cup, the house cleaning will begin.
The Mr. is at work.
I love a quiet house.
I love a clean house.
I love a full house.

This afternoon and evening:
The girls and their friends are returning.
Miscellaneous tasks to complete before tomorrow.
Veggies to cut. Relish trays to locate.
Wine to purchase and sample.
Cards? A movie?

Tomorrow:
An early alarm for the turkey.
Macy's Day Parade.
Off to the brother's and then to the farm.
Hopefully, a long walk after dinner.

Thanksgiving?
The secret is to make it last all year.
I have too many blessings for just one day.

"One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer."

Thanks for Little Girls Who Grew Up Way Too Fast

This is a short week for the schools in our area. We have the rest of the week off in celebration of Thanksgiving.

L might be in need of a break. They brought the H1N1 vaccine into her school. Other elementary schools in her district got the nasal dose. They were out by the time they hit her school, so they set up a room and gave the shots. The room they used was just next door to L's 1st grade room. So besides having to hold her students down while they gave the shots, she and her class got to hear crying and screaming all day as all the classes rotated into the room for their vaccines. Yeah, that sounds like a good time.

Today, L hosts a Thanksgiving Feast. She cooks a roast and potatoes in a huge roaster. Every student brings a can of vegetables to add to the stew. Then they invite parents and friends to join the feast. Last year, she had a room full of about 40. This year with 27 students, L isn't sure how many they will have. I'm guessing they will be standing elbow to elbow, and L will be thankful her feast is over for another year.

I got to listen to K speak to Trailer School's Tri M group (Modern Music Masters) last night. It was their initiation. She talked about the impact of music in her life from childhood through teaching. She did a great job.

The Mr. and I are lucky that K and L like (or at least tolerate!) their parents and don't mind spending time with us. We're looking forward to having a few days with them over this break. In fact, CT is cooking fish fry #2 tonight. K's roommate E, and then L and CG will be joining us and helping K celebrate her birthday a little early.

I love my girls. I've always said that parenting boils down to a lot of dumb luck. I may be lousy at cards and the lottery, but I have been lucky at parenting. At their worst, K and L were pretty easy to raise. They have always been fun to be around and are just good people. The Mr. and I were/are lucky. They make us proud.

When There Aren't Words

We always need a good reminder not to take health for granted. I've had my reminder. Thanks.

We also need to remember not to take our loved ones for granted. I've had that, too. Thanks.

We need to be thankful for our communities. I've learned the hard way that, as permanent as they seem, they aren't. Thanks for the reminder.

Those are the biggies for me this Thanksgiving week.

Other thankful thoughts for me:

good news, crock pot meals, students who study for huge tests, smiles, prayers when you especially need them, and knowing that the week ahead will be full of family...

Sometimes there just aren't words to express my gratitude.

The Mr.

The Mr. is first and foremost a husband and Dad.

He's good at making breakfasts. And not bad at lunch and dinner either.

He makes a pot of coffee every morning and rarely drinks a cup. Coffee is my thing.

The girls will tell you that he is almost always good for a tank of gas--even when you're 26 and 28 years old.

He starts the car on cold mornings so it is warm for me.

He has endured more chick flicks than any man should have to.

He grocery shops. And after, he opens the trunk and hands off the keys so I can get in out of the cold and start the car while he stows the bags.

He overhears a lot of "girlie" conversations and has learned to mask whatever horrifying shock he might be feeling at TMI. (Too Much Information)

He spends a lot of time worrying: about his girls on the road or the boys that may break their hearts. My stroke brought him to a whole new level of worrying.

He's a pretty great guy. Better than most. He takes good care of us.

What do we do for him?

We let him watch a lot of sports. It's about the only masculine influence he gets around here.

We nag him about taking care of his health.

He has two daughters who hope they will find a guy as great as their dad to take care of them someday. Oh, and a wife who wouldn't trade him for anything.

It isn't an even exchange, but it's about the best we can do.

Thankful Thursday

Who knew that I could actually post this on a Thursday? Ta-da! These are reasons to be thankful:

*L is excited because her friend CG is coming in from Philly tonight. She is picking him up at the airport, and he will be here until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Yep, she is one happy girl.

*Last Sunday, K's friend CT had a fish fry for us. Essentially, we all sat around in coats on lawn chairs and watched him fry fish and hush puppies. Have I mentioned that CT is a really good cook? Yum! (And yes, I can tell this is going to be a nightmare with the CT and the CG. Their names are way too similar, and I am way too old!)

*The Mr. and I are headed to a football game. We're watching my cousin's son who is playing in the State Semi-Finals. I love my cousin; he's been amusing me since he was a kid. He's been asking us to come for a month or so, and we're finally getting there. Can't wait to watch his son play and enjoy some time with his family.

*Only two days of school next week! We're ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. I'm also hoping for a movie, a little Black Friday shopping, and decorating for the holidays.

To be honest, I'm thankful for almost everything at this time of year: electric blankets, turkey and dressing, excited students worn out from basketball practices, and crisp days. There is a lot to love in November.

Newbies

One of my former students is studying education. She called our house Tuesday night and had that panicked tone in her voice. She needed to interview someone in education. The teacher she asked hadn't responded and her paper was due Thursday! Could she beg a favor?

Who said I'm not a sucker?! "Send me the questions and I'll type up a response and send them back to you. Soon." I could hear the relief in her voice.

You've got to love a student who thinks you can remember your student teaching experience 33 years ago or even the struggles at your first job. (I have trouble remembering my zip code!) Bless her heart.

I spent a good hour responding to her questions and fired them back to her so she'd have at least 24 hours to finish her paper.

So now I am behind on blog reading! Darn it.

Searching my memory is taking longer and longer these days!

Midweek Joys

These are some of the things that are making life nice right now:

*A super warm, oversized, black cardigan that I pull on every night to keep toasty warm.

*One of those programmable thermostats that will automatically drop the temperature when we're at work or during the night. For under $50, it has saved us a lot of money!

*Dandy over at Spontaneous Clapping is sending me a Sarah McLachlan Christmas CD. I'm quite excited. Thanks, Dandy! (By the way, she has been posting cookie recipes that are to die for! Drop in and skim through her past posts if you're looking for some new holiday favorites!)

*Two principals who walked around to every classroom at trailer high delivering the fruit that came from our Board of Education for American Education Week. It was thoughtful of our BOE to send it, but our faculty doesn't really have a community workroom or gathering place right now. In this cold weather, most opted not to walk the block or so to enjoy the fruit; so our principals pulled on gloves and stocking caps and made the rounds of the classrooms, scooping out small plates of melon, strawberries, and pineapple. Pretty awesome bosses--even if I am old enough to be their mother!

The holiday spirit is alive and well in Tiny Tornado Town and Trailer High.

Trailer School Hallways

This year's fun has included figuring out ways for our students to travel in between two construction sites on their passing period between classes. The Lutheran church is going up on the one side, and the new school is going up on the other. See that picture. That is one of our hallways. The kids have affectionately named it the cattle chute. They aren't wrong. It kind of looks like a corral chute.

Yesterday, we had snowy rain. When a little rain falls, they have to rig a piece of board to make a bridge for the students to avoid a mini river that runs through the chute. The gender differences become fairly obvious on rainy days. The girls balance delicately trying to avoid the water, and the guys go splashing through.

I'd like to think all of this is going to get better soon. Actually, I think it is going to get worse before it gets better. Construction work areas mean waving good-bye to quite a bit of our parking in the near future. So not only will there be no normal place to walk; parking is going to be at a premium, too. I have been walking home from school. It frees up a parking space and gives me a little compassion for what the kids "get" to deal with.

Stupid Lesson Plan #1 by Mrs. E

Teacher directions: Act out the assassination scene in Julius Caesar.
The idea was for students to take on different roles and perform that character's job in the assassination. If you knew your character, you knew what you had to do.

Most hours were quite successful. They made paper swords. They knew their part and performed their scenes. But one class...

Things were going well. The students were quite enthusiastic in their performances. Then I looked up to see that they had swiped about five pairs of scissors off my desk and were using them to "make the assassination look real." Did I mention they were really enthusiastic? Turns out the guy playing Caesar was annoying to his classmates. (A near scissor assassination?!)

That day became known as Mrs. E Freaks Out Day. Oh, and they didn't get to finish their scene!

*Note to self: When assigning parts, always make sure the student playing Caesar is well-liked by his classmates. I mean really well-liked.

Last Home Game

Yesterday was the last home game for the U team, and it wasn't pretty! I think all their energyand even the crowd's excitement were used up after last week. It's a good thing we were surrounded by a lot of cute kids. Watching them is quite entertaining.

U stadium is set up so that seats in the north end zone have port-a-potties. I'm a fan of U team, but not that big of a fan. At least once a game, I make the hike up the west side stairs to the restrooms and main concourse of the stadium. The stairs give a heck of a work out, and I get a real restroom with water and everything!

Yesterday's trip was worth the hike. Right at the "gasping for air" part of the hike, my former student Courtney grabbed me. She is LC's mom--and the other half of one of my favorite blogging duos of all time! AND...I got to hold LC and kiss those sweet cheeks. (What a tiny little thing!!) I got to hug LC's mama, too. I am guessing it has been about ten+ years since I've seen her. I've been so happy to catch up with Courtney in blog land-- and reading about LC is one of the happiest moments of every day. Now I need to convince LC's mama to do what I always thought she would: write a book! I think she has the perfect subject in her arms every day.

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Even bad days at a U game can be wonderful!