be silly, be fashionable, be alive!

it's been a good week-a busy week. we had a group come in to give us a formative observation with some great feedback. the whole procedure was valuable, and i am thankful that everyone involved, especially the focus groups were so  honest, because that is the only way that we grow and challenge ourselves! so valuable!

yesterday was read across america, and we had a great volunteer turnout! it was also dr. seuss' birthday! and i had the rare opportunity to don a pretty spectacular cat-in-the-hat outfit, thanks to nicolette, who had no intention of wearing it herself, and offered to bring it for me to wear. the students had a great time, and that made the day pretty spectacular. 

i also took a minute to go out to the garden (which i have not really had much of an opportunity to do lately), and i saw the flowers, that i planted a couple of years ago, blossoming-that was pretty cool, because the grounds crew usually chops them down! i also took the shears out to chop up the plants that were invasive and taking over the pond...it was a bit of a task. i began pulling, and before i knew it, i was struggling with roots and all sorts of heavy overgrowth. it was a bit of an undertaking, but don't worry, i cleared it all up, and the fish are still alive-they are probably pissed at me for taking away their hiding places...it's okay, i hear they have 5 second memories! so i need to check on them again tomorrow to throw them into the compost bin..the plants, not the fish.. (when i am actually dressed appropriately); they will be great for the compost, because the silt that came from the pond will be so good in creating rich soil!! i'm such a nerd. but that seriously makes me smile! i've been wanting to extract some of that from the bottom of the pond for awhile now!

beautiful, right? 

i wish computers were scratch and sniff, because these are so aromatic!!

and i was amazed by the fun that is happening in preK! everyone needs to go by and visit their centers! the nasa station rocks, the campsite-rocks!! it's such a fun atmosphere for our kiddos! way to go amanda and marlon! you are making memories for these little ones! 

houston, we have no problems!

planetarium, hello!

i wore a dress again today, and while i was upstairs, one of nafia's girls said something really cute. she said, "ms. robinson, ms. hamilton is making you fashionable!" i like being comfortable, but i will admit, it's been fun mixing it up. smile. 

is it strange to say that i know things are good because i've actually been writing letters again? when i write letters, things are good. that said, i am still not back into a good sleep habit-i have been staying up later than normal...maybe that's just my body preparing for spring break, as shea is a night owl...? part of being in a good place involves knowing that spring break is around the corner, but an even bigger part of the equation is surrounding myself with people who make me laugh, who make me think, who just value hanging out...these are simple things, but they are the things that make the difference. i've said it before-community is everything...living life in color, choosing to be positive, supporting others however we can, that makes me feel alive. it's good to be alive--take a minute, and think about it...what is it that makes you feel alive? pursue that!

julie

sassy socks say a lot about you as an individual

it's that time of the year again! i get to wear my sassy socks(basically any holiday, or otherwise conspicuous design) and this year, i invested in some halloween earrings-good call! they are a hit (at least with me! every morning i look at myself in the mirror and smile at the little candy corn earrings and say, "hey! cute earrings!!"). i would like to attribute my fondness for sassy socks to cindy, my comair manager. she would wear decorative socks and that stuck with me, and i began looking for them whenever i thought about it. you don't have to be a teacher to wear fun socks, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

bruno joined in and brought his halloween toy..but he didn't really want to play-i think he does that just to get chaco up and jealous, because he won't play with me, and as soon as chaco comes running with his own toy, bruno proceeds to jump up into his spot to lay down. well-played, bruno. clever you!

this past weekend i decided that it was time to go ahead and switch over to my fall wardrobe. i chose black pants/blue shirt. this "allowed" me to go shopping. so i went to ross (a first go to for the basics) and found only 3 pair of black pants that i liked, that fit, so then i decided to check in at target-not much there...so finally i decided to make my way out to the outlets in allen. unfortunately with all of the construction, i got distracted and missed the exit, so i had to take the next one which wound around in a strange fashion near a cemetery, and just took the service road to the back entrance of the outlets, which actually put me right at the store i wanted to be at! found my last pair of pants and some blue shirts! spent more than i planned, but that's alright, as i will not need to do any clothes shopping until perhaps spring. yay!

i also had to get black shoes...as brown shoes with black pants is frowned upon...

unfortunately it's taking a bit longer to break in the shoes. i may or may not have used duct tape to hold cotton ball cushions in place today so that i wasn't limping around with blister heels! it's okay, though, don't worry, you need not be embarrassed for me: I HAD ON MY SASSY SOCKS!!

at least it was purple duct tape..doesn't that get some sort of fashion-points?

tuesday we were finally able to have our playground dedication! it was long overdue, but it was very nice. jeri did an excellent job jumping on it and getting everything ready-decorations, invitations, emails...the perfect people were present to make the moment special for mrs. connelly. we are beyond fortunate to have been the beneficiaries of her generosity! our students love their playgrounds!

dr. hughes was there, as she was actually one of the key factors in helping make the connection. and of course, she asked if i was going to the catch up and read event, at northpark mall- eisman jewelry. then i also received the email from catherine saying she hoped that i would attend. you've seen it here. i've written about it. i do NOT love events. i do NOT love small talk. i can do it- i'd rather not. that said, i went tonight to the event; it's probably best to go to these things so that people can speak with real teachers and disd personnel so that they understand the importance of the cause. reading is important.

the catering was lovely-they were little bite-sized teases, so really, it was almost like i didn't actually eat anything! me to girl: what's this? girl: it's a thinly sliced french baguette with gruyere cheese and a smoked ham. lady next to me after girl leaves: so...grilled cheese and ham.

upon leaving (i stayed super long..for me), i was presented at the door with a sweet gesture-a gift bag with beautiful jewelry sold at the store, and a container of jewelry cleaner with a cloth. which is super coincidental. just this morning, i was looking at a necklace charm and my ring that are looking dull, thinking, gosh, if only i still worked at montgomery wards in the jewelry dept....where that woman threw the purse at me...

love the cleaning cloth-it's magical!

earlier today-this morning i had to go to another training for teacher excellence initiative. and on the way back, i was able to meet with a friend for lunch at fuzzy's to try their fish tacos. to be 100% honest, i was extremely underwhelmed. especially after the sand dollar! dude..even MINE are better! but the weren't bad, and it was really more about seeing carla than being a restaurant critic! i absolutely covet friend time, and although we live in the same area, we don't see nearly enough of each other! so we basically only got to share briefly, the saying "in a nutshell" well... we're talking about a hazelnut. (smallest nut in the mixed nut section-umm...don't look that up in images, just trust me).

stella dot. i've mentioned my friend brandy before-she is a breast cancer survivor- one of brandy's friends did an event in her honor and donated proceeds toward research for breast cancer, and so, while i am not a super-trendy jewelry person, i did find a little plaque-charm that was customizably (yep, made that word up) engraved, so i decided it would be appropriate to engrave NMBG, and for those who receive letters from me, that is how i close out my letters. i LOVE it-perfect size! and i had the perfect necklace to couple it with my kanakuk cross. perfect and for a worthy cause!

cutest little packaging!

nothing matters but God!

the cross has tennis shoes hanging on it, as kanakuk is a Christian sports camp. 'kamp' 

i'm sure everyone is wondering what has been happening in the cabell garden. well...let me tell you! the only thing going on right now is pumpkins in one bed, and peppers, mint, lemon-oregano, russian kale and lavender in another. we had a group of high school volunteers from shelton come to help us get the garden in shape for students and teachers to begin using again as an outdoor classroom. several have, but now it's really ready and we can get classes involved in the planting and maintenance! 

green baby pumpkins!! how cute are they?! 

also in the garden, we have been having electrical problems, which means that in essence, the pump has not been working to filter the pond. i have made requests and sent emails regarding this, and i am afraid to go out there, for fear that i will see a bunch of floaters. the gold fish are fairly hardy, but breathing is essential...so, i will try one more time-if it does not get resolved this week, i am considering ridding the pond of fish and having a give-away in plastic bags. i am not fond of fishing them out with the net and disposing of them. and i really don't think teachers will use it as an opportunity to discuss the cycle of life. yuck. 

and i'm pretty sure this is the culprit. the breaker won't flip all the way, but then...the district electricians know this because they came out to look at it. i don't know why it wasn't fixed...band-aids. boo. but when i looked in there, i got a kick out of the 'secerity' label! please watch this video to see why it tickled me so much! (pay close attention at 1:30!)

and to top it off, this week i received some very fun mail from two very dear friends, and for that i am grateful! 

such a fun 'dia de los muertos' card! thanks b!

laura sent me some fun mail as well, and the book about miss rumphius was perfect! what a special thought! i SO want to live in my house by the sea (ocean), and make the world more beautiful! thanks, laura!!

 yesterday afternoon when i got home, i took the boys for a walk because it was barely beginning to sprinkle, and they were dying for a short walk, so i grabbed the umbrella and we set out around the pond. chaco was a sissy. he kept stopping and looking up and finally he said, "hey, if you want to get around this pond, you might want to pick me up right now. i can't see. the rain is getting in my eyes." so whiny. anyhoo, i picked his little damp, muddy self up and tucked him in like a football. bruno on the other hand was leading forward and actually enjoying the rain. bruno would be comparable to a mountain man, chaco would be the gq metrosexual. when we got back to the house they ran around to every cloth covered surface to dry off. and later that evening chaco found this spot on the couch (which is not typical for him; he usually curls up beside me under a blanket), but the look on his face as he put his nose down between his paws was just too much. #theyownme

i love him. 

 time to rest up for another busy week!
julie