Pears and Pottery

On our way home from the beach, we visited with my grandparents. My grandfather still goes into work every day, and he's even planted a few fruit trees at the office. He proudly walked us through his orchard, and here are a few pears we took home.

Here's my latest pottery project.

It makes me want to get ahold of Scandanavian designs!

A Long, Long Time Ago

I found these photos in an album today, and since I'd just posted some of the kids in Ocean City, I wanted to post a few of the days when the family first got the house and we all went as kids.

Here's me with my bro, Michael...

Preparing to give him his birthday cake....

Looks like I lost my 2 front teeth here. We spent a few of his birthdays down there, one I'll never forget. We wondered where he was when it was dinner time, as we knew he was out with a 16 yr old relative; turns out she got caught shoplifting a Madonna record and they both went to the police station! There was also a hurricane one year, but I don't know whether it was the same week.

Becca and me...


And all of us kids in the kitchen-- Becca, Michael, Matt and I....
And the kids last week!

My how we've all grown! Here's Matt, and any day now he's gonna be a dad himself!


Time sure flies!

What would a pirate say?

I need some input- my brain can't think of a solution. I want to do a Pirate bulletin board welcoming the students back. I could use pirate flags, coins, treasure chests, maps with X (marks the spot), or even an island.... I want to have a big pirate character saying something like "Shiver me timbers, welcome back students" but it just doesnt' sound like something a pirate says. Maybe "Arghh, there's a treasure".... Any ideas????

Leave a comment if you will....

A New Year

Well, another school year has begun. I don't know about other teachers, but it's sort of where our year begins and ends. We're preparing every way we know how for an entirely group of kids. Yes, they may be the same students that were in the building last year, but they're different :) A third grader is sooo much older than a second grader, don't you know? In all seriousness, it's a great time of year. No one's counting down 'til the next break, or when school will get out... it's just everyone anxious to meet, greet and start a new year with a new group of kids.

I often keep in mind that the internet is public domain. I try to keep those thoughts that I might get me in trouble in a more private diary, but some days I really want to run to the computer and vent,vent, vent. Boy-oh-boy, do I want to write all kinds of things. But I'm going to bite my tongue and say things nicely.

For the first time in forever, seriously, forever, I am going to work just one job this year. For most people, that may sound pretty good. Ever since 10th grade, I've worked multiple jobs at once-- I think junior or senior year one semester I worked in a florist, a restaurant, a spa, and sometimes babysat or catered. In college I always was a student (I considered that a job!) and waitress or nanny. For the past few years, I've worked at the school and waitressed. In fact, I've worked at one restaurant for the past three years: I'm the employee who'd been there the longest & I was a part-time employee!

Well, recently I ended my employment with the restaurant. Things ended in a disappointing way, but I guess everything can't happen the way you hope it will.

So now, I've got just one job to work. It's full-time, of course, but I won't have to balance 2 work schedules! What will I do with all that free time???

I must sound strange. I just haven't ever not been really busy. Busy, busy, busy. I know it's about time for me to have my free time, but it is a weird feeling. It was nice to have a change of pace each week, too-- each workplace has its own feel, and I guess that's one more thing I'll miss.

But I have so, sooooo many ideas & patterns, so many ideas, so many projects that I want to do. We want to go places, do fun things. And I want to get back to school, maybe go to Mary Baldwin and take some graphic design courses in those programs I know so little about.

Maybe it was the reunion and realizing I've been out 10 years. Maybe it's the fact that I realized you can't always have that perfect job, or make that perfect paycheck. I dunno. What I know is that I appreciate what I have, and the direction that life's taking me is exciting.

So, I'm sure you'll be seeing lots more blogging, since I'll have a little more free time. I mean, doesn't today prove it to you? I think I wrote 4 posts! :)

Here's something fun for you to play with- fd's Flickr toys-- this is using the Hockneyizer effect.




Have a great week.

Beach Photos

We took our annual trip to Ocean City, NJ last week. We took our neice and my cousin's kids joined us, too. We really had a great time, and I took so many photos! We're still recovering :), and work's begun, so I am just going to take the easy route and put them in a Flickr Toy mosaic. Enjoy!


Leslie or Becca, go here for the photoset.

MINI Post

I would absolutely recommend MINIs to everyone! Space isn't so much of an issue-- we just went to the beach with our 8 year old niece and a week's worth of stuff and didn't even have to put the seats down! It's so much fun to drive!!!

Here's that sewing project I mentioned long ago... it's for holding all that stuff you want to keep in your car but have no home for....

I also finished a diaper bag using Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern-- using that same fabric. I quickly shipped it so I have no photos, but I would recommend the pattern, but just not to use heavy weight canvas plus decorator fabric (that's what my friend asked me to use) it just isn't as easy to work with. Here's another opinion I recently read about the pattern.

10 Year Reunion

Here I am.
On Saturday night we went to my high school reunion. It was strange because some people looked really old!!! We'd see someone who looked "really old" and ask if anyone recognizes them from our class, hoping the answer is no! :) It does feel like we just graduated a few years ago, not 10! It was great-- they had it at a very nice hotel in town and had a weekend of events planned around town. We were out of town until late Friday night, but I got to catch up with some folks on Saturday for lunch and then we went to the dinner that night.

Since I am always here (my hometown) it was strange for me to think of this as a reunion, because I see most of these people around town. But I did get to see a lot of people I haven't seen in years... I think everyone looks so much better than they did in high school! We had such a nice group of people in my graduating class, so many talented folks.

Good times!

Girls, if you're wanting to upload a photo, go to the photoset on Flickr and choose the size you want....