Movin' and Groovin'

wow. is it mid MAY already???

Things have been really trucking along in these parts... My Stepford business is slowly and steadily getting orders here and there... and I'm FINALLY finishing up my homework so Troy can eventually do all the coding to implement the design changes we've come up with these past few months.

Rhena's recital is coming up... she's very excited about it... and I am no longer a crazy stress bucket about the idea of having to put some make-up on her face. I still don't LIKE it.. but after last year, I know my baby isn't going to look like a southern whore, so I've come to some form of peaceful acceptance.

Next week is also the last week of preschool, and while I'm still a teeny bit bitter than Rhena will not be allowed to move on to Kindergarten (thank you state of North Carolina and your asinine new law that changed the cutoff date for age requirements)...I am VERY happy that Kidoodle Kreations came through for me again for the end-of-the-year teacher Thank you gifts.

Not sure if you remember, but last year, I had Kidoodle Kreations make some notecards from a project Rhena had done in school. This year, they turned another one of Rhena's projects (with a little digital editing of mine to add a quote about teachers) into some note cards, and they arrived today. YAY!

I totally recommend their services if you're looking for a cool personalized gift. and Carrie, the owner, is a real person... with a cool name to boot! Seriously, though. I've been happy both times, and will continue to give her business cause I think she's got a quality product and service going.

so that's that. My folks come down next wednesday to take part in the recital festivities... so yay for that. and yay for fresh faces in this house cause I'm getting a LITTLE worn out of Danny being up in mine. but that's another story involving tantrums and explosive diapers, and well... just another story. trust me.

speaking of tantrums... time for me to supervise the lunching of the kids and get them down for some naps. If I don't get some laundry done today during nap time, Troy's bound to have an epic tantrum . or the piles in the closet will take life and attack us. either way, I'm thinking it ain't gonna be pretty.

have a good weekend, gang.

It's gonna be one of THOSE days.

I'm NOT going to talk about yesterday... the super-mommy marathon in which I single-handedly took on two cranky children and led them through a day of FUN FILLED activities and no naps and nose bleeds and baths and thunderstorms. cause that was yesterday.


I WILL say, however, that I woke up to the garage fridge not working, and that as soon as I can drink just a LITTLE more coffee I'm off to Lowe's to attempt repairing the wall circuit in the garage.

with both kids in tow.


in the rain.



DO wish me luck. I may actually need it.

Sweet!

ok.. I'm very excited. (and for once, it's not about food!!)


aside from the fact that my girlfriend from jersey is coming for a visit and will be here tomorrow night!! and we're going to get to go out to eat here.... (ok.. so maybe it's a LITTLE about food)


wait.. what was I saying?


OH!

yeah.. so Cathy over at Mine had done a post about end-of-year teacher gifts and the such. being a volunteer teacher, a DAUGHTER of a teacher, and just a mom who appreciates people who educate my children... I'm all about making sure the teachers in our life get recognized.


but what to do.. what to get?


I mean.. mugs? please. my mother could open a friggin COFFEE shop from the mugs she's gotten over the years. gift cards? good.. but kind of impersonal. I mean.... they guide my BABY!! ok.. perhaps a little dramatic there.. but I've mentioned earlier how I like to find the RIGHT gift.. well.. that is until I drop shit on my toe and all.

ANYWAYS.... a while back I had stumbled upon this website by chance. long story.. I was looking for ANOTHER website that turns kids' artwork into jewelry for a possible gift for my mom.. and found the kidoodle one instead.

insert victory smile here.... I exchanged e-mails and phone calls with the owner of Kidoodle Kreations, and she's going to turn a project that Rhena made in school into some stationary for her teachers. AND I'm going to get it within the next 2 weeks. apparently rhena's school ends in like mid-may??

Basically, what I did was scan this valentine's card that her teachers helped Rhena make for US.. crop it down, add a nice quote, and now it will become note cards for them. The roses are actually the side of rhena's fists dipped in paint. The quote.. in case you can't read it.. is one from Henry Adams: "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." (except I changed it to she and her)

I can't wait to get the final product so we can wrap it up and give it to them. I HOPE they like it as much as I do. I'll let y'all know how everything turns out.

ugh. speaking of turning out.. gotta whip up a dinner and grade some papers for CCD tonight.


happy monday gang!

.

First - the cookies

so I still am going to blog about rhena and the make-up and my utter sinking disapproval for what will most likely be inevitable.

but for now...

I'm proud to say that I made a little dent in the St Patty's day cookies.

I still have the detail work to do for the decorating, but as you can see below... the bases are at least complete. Maybe tonight when the kids are asleep, or tomorrow when troy is (surprise!) at work.

I also began work on the Easter cookies... but since I really only made white, green and orange icing.. I'll get to the Easter ones another day.

In other news.. not sure if y'all have visited my profile lately... if you have.. you'll notice I have a new blog in the works. and when I say work.. I mean just that. right now it's very bare bones, but I've decided to start keeping a record of my baking projects. call it a secret haven to the foodie in me.

I can't promise there will be weekly updates over there in Crumbles... as it is, this batch of cookies is turning into a 3+ day project, what with trying to keep the kids happy and the house from burning during a large chunk of my waking hours. However.. I do participate as a volunteer baker for my church's monthly bake sale... so even during this slow part of the year with no birthdays, you can be assured I'll turn the oven on once a month.

once I get these cookies completed, I will do my official post in the other blog.. and then should have another shortly thereafter with the Easter ones.

so yeah. cookies? (almost) check!

Tomorrow, I shall discuss the disgust I have with "tradition" as it was described to me.

Clifford, the Big Red (and apparently pissed off) Dog

So I know it's been a while since I last checked in. all is going well, and the school year is in full swing. We had Rhena's birthday party last week, and everyone seemed to have a tropically good time at her luau.


CCD started again for me, and that also is going well. keeping me busy... but going well.


One of the coolest things about me teaching CCD this year, though, is NOT the actual teaching. No.. it's not even the students I have this year. Though I imagine they'll prove to be pretty rockin' 2nd graders... no... the coolest thing about me teaching this year is that I'm teaching in the same classroom that Rhena goes to preschool in. (yes, she attends preschool at our church)



SO every monday night, I get to peer into her world a little. I look at the crafts that are hanging on the boards and walls.... I see posted lesson plans.... and when it's quiet.. like after class is over and the students are gone and I'm cleaning the desks... well, I could swear I hear Rhena laughing from the week before.




but SPEAKING of laughing... I had to share this. Apparently, the kids had been reading about Clifford, and focusing on the color red. so there have been a lot of red projects that come home.. and I ooh and aah appropriately to Rhena as she displays her artwork to me each day.



So ONE project is still hanging up in their class. below you will see a group of clifford-heads... a small sampling of what was done by the students in her class. looks cute when all together... the eyes, the noses... some dogs with their perfect puppy pouts....









annnnnnd.... here's Rhena's.








looks like Clifford had a bad day, you think?