Christmas Past

Monday, March 26, 2007 2 comments
It was about that time for another project on my list. My Mom had a stocking from when she was a very young girl (some how it was-approproately-pink), most of the beads and sequins have fallen off over the years, but each year we have still put it up for the holiday season. There are also some little 'elf' ornaments that have been hanging on our tree and the M's tree each Christmas that came from Mom and Lois' childhood, so I decided this year to save those memories in a 'collage'....it's my first attempt at the world of 'collaging' and I found I bought WAY too many things and ended up using very little. Of course it's a secret from my Mom (as you can tell from my public posting, and she was there for the whole process), but it'll be a Mother's Day gift this year.....next I need to work on replacing the stocking I've enclosed in glass!

Notalota

Sunday, March 25, 2007 No comments
There is not a lot going on that is newsbreaking (or rather, picture worthy). So I thought I'd just fill in a few little updates from the week.
-I met Neka (friend from Baylor) this week for an evening of catching up, it was great to get to chat with her and see she is doing well.
-A friend from work, Debbie, went in and had a surgery to remove cancer in her uterus. It has been a sad time at work thinking about her. She is one of the kindest people I know, but the good news in a bad news situation was that they really felt like the cancer had invaded major organs before going in, and that it was Stage 4 (the worst), but it is 'only' Stage 3, it was a really high level within the stage, and they found where it had indeed spread to the lymphnodes. She is scheduled for chemo through September. I've been asking everyone I know to pray for her, so....please pray for her, trust me, if you knew her, you would love her!
-This week I should find out where I'll be next year as far as the new reading position, I'm looking forward to that so I have some more specific directions for next year.
-It's crunch time at work, there are only a few more Saturday's left for Saturday school, and the end is in sight.....if I'm changing positions I've got a LOT to do, a long with quite a few workshops I need to be revamping and/or creating to present this summer.

See Spot Run.

Friday, March 16, 2007 1 comment
Today was the last day of my spring break. It was as super busy week, but I did get to catch up on some sleep, read, and socialize, three of my favorite things :O) I rounded out my week with my annual trip to the quilt show with Sonia. Everytime I make a quilt, I say-this is the last time, but every time I go to a fabric store, I come back with a new quilt pattern and the fabric to go with it-I'm in love with fabrics, but not the process of putting those fabrics together. Today I actually went with the intent of finding some fabric. I had three fat quarters I had fallen in love with, and I was going to find some friends for those little guys, but instead, I found this super fun fabric and pattern from the old Dick and Jane story book. I've taken a photo of the fabric on the back of the quilt. I have no intentions of working on this project anytime soon, but now I have it for when I am ready to work on it :O). It looks like a relatively entertaining pattern. In the meantime, I have about a million other projects that come first....I thought I'd share one piece of my week via the blog :O).

Plastination

Saturday, March 10, 2007 No comments
It's been a busy weekend, but the highlight was definitely my trip to the Science Place this evening http://www.natureandscience.org. A large group of us from church headed out to see the temporary exhibit called Body Worlds and the IMAX movie The Human Body. It was completely packed, and it has been since the exhibit opened last fall. The gist of it is a German scientist preserved a variety of human bodies/human organs etc from donors to give you an inside look at what the body looks like, how it works and how it looks working. He used a process called plastination where he basically fills the body with some sort of substance that fills it and basically turns the insides into 'plastic.' There were four rooms full of 'bodies.' Each room concentrated on different elements-the muscles, nerves, organs-you name it-they covered it. They also showed lungs/smoker's lungs and all sorts of body parts with cancer and other illnesses. It's just an experience you can't really describe-you have to see it. There was also a exhibit dedicated to growth and development of an infant. There was even a mother who was almost full term they had with the baby still inside and enough of the outer layer was cut away so you could see the workings and 'home' of this baby. They also showed each stage of development. We walked away with a lot more questions than answers. At the end you could get information for donating your body for plastination. In case you are wondering, I didn't feel drawn to get any information regarding further information on that matter...

Job Interview

Wednesday, March 07, 2007 1 comment
Yesterday I interviewed for a Campus Reading Specialist Position. The interview went really well and it was all friendly faces in the interview process. The director told me I would have a position next year, and she is aware that I would like to stay at my current school, and the school would like me to stay. I also told her I understood that when I applied ultimately I had to be flexible, but it would be my number one choice, she said she would let me know my location by April. The rest I'm completely leaving in God's hands, He's done some pretty great stuff for me career wise up through this point! After Spring Break I am supposed to start working with the current CRS so the 'take over' will be seamless when she leaves the district. Today, while my kids took a math test, I began going through my files. I have about a million, and I didn't put much of a dent in that, but it was a start, and it's something I need to be doing from this point on so the end of the year is not such a shock. Some things I will take with me, but quite a bit of it is totally unnecessary at this point! I'll keep you posted, it was a bittersweet time, it's so difficult to leave the kids (though I'll still have small groups-I'll also be working with teachers and helping direct their teaching), 95% of the time I love the students, and we have a good time, 5% of the time I'd work at McDonald's on the graveyard shift. I need to seize the opportunity before it passes. There are plenty of classes I can go back into, but the 'big doors' only open so often....

The new Mrs. F

Monday, March 05, 2007 1 comment
This past week I headed to Columbia, SC for Regan's wedding. I enjoyed getting to spend time with 'the family' again, and I got to put my 'florist' skills (I'm using the term 'skill' very lightly here) to use, I learned a lot and would feel even more prepared next time-I need more time and a cool place, but everything turned out well. (This photo is one Liz took of my bouquet). We had a fun laugh at Regan's expense during one of her 'bridezilla' moments that included a few hundred yards of tulle and a missed meal. (Liz also took this picture of the Chaplain, Regan and Dave on the deck where the ceremony took place the next day). We had a lot of laughs this weekend-and when the wedding pictures get here they will tell the story better than I can. (Regan in her dress before we headed over to the clubhouse). I also (obviously) met Regan's new husband, Dave for the first time, he was very gracious and welcoming and I enjoyed getting to know him and appreciated his effort in getting to know 'the girls.' Regan's friend Liz also made the trip from N.C. and we spent a lot of time catching up, she took some really great photos with her snazzy new camera and I should be getting the rest of the 'wedding photos' in the mail in the near future, but for the moment, I'm giving you a taste...

I Heart Savannah!
































I absolutely ADORE the city of Savannah, and I can't wait to get back there! There are several cities I've fallen in love with in my travels, but I've now added Savannah to the list for it's elegance and character. When I decided to swing by the city (more because it's a city I've never been too and it was close enough to make a mini vacation out of my trip East) I mentioned it to a few people and nobody had anything bad to say about the city, but I can't believe I didn't hear MORE about it before I decided to add it to my list of places 'to visit.' My regrets are that I only had a few hours to explore, and I wasn't able to capture more of it on film, or experience more of the city itself. It was pouring down rain, but Maurine is headed there at the beginning of the summer, so I'm making it her job to capture the city for me. Each building and the bushes outside were master pieces! I've heard it's very muggy in the summer though, so I would definitely recommend this time of year, in addition to great weather, they had flowers in full bloom, it was SO colorful. There are 24 squares (small parks in my mind) that each of the historical areas are built around. There is so much to do and see, I couldn't even begin to explain it all, go to the city website, I'm pretty sure they've had more time to work on their adjectives! I did learn that Savannah is the only city in the south that survived the Civil War. The story is as Sherman marched south burning up the cities along the way he decided to save Savannah because he thought it was too beautiful to destroy. The homes reflect their age. Along with a ton of really cool little shops, historical homes and museums, there is a 'river front' that faces the Savannah River with a history and culture all of it's own with riverboats and candy factories and shops galore, and an old pirate's hang out (Is there any such thing as a bad vacation when their are PIRATES involved?). Across the Savannah River is a line of Islands that face out to the Atlantic Ocean. I'm definitely headed back sometime to explore it in more depth, you're invited. I've posted a few of the things I actually got pictures of in my whirlwind tour. Photo One: The trolley that tours the city squares, and the riverfront. Photo Two: Juliette Lowe's house (the founder of Girl Scouts), I went on the tour because of my past experiences, and I felt like it was my 'Girl Scout duty.' BUT it was such a cool experience, and she was one amazing woman-she makes Martha Stewart look lacking! Photo Three: Paula Dean's restaurant. I think it was Roslynn that said none of her food ever turned out for her (if you don't know who this lady is-she's on the food network). I agree, I've never really enjoyed a food network meal, but her restaurant makes me understand why she is a chef. Even the buffet was some of the best fried chicken and macaronni (among other things) I've ever had. It came with a dessert that was out of this world. In the photo you can see only about a third of the people waiting in line for the restaurant to open, they start taking reservations for the 11 o'clock lunch at 9:30 am....and I completely understand why. There was a line down BOTH sides of the street on a raining, wet Thursday! Photo Four: This is a church we passed, the windows are Tiffany glass that Tiffany himself came and helped install....if that isn't a recommendation for the city I don't know what is!