I have something to say. There has been something bugging me for a while - Public Education. I have been teaching for 9 years and I have often encountered the situation where I am blamed for a student's failing grade. And not only by the student, but by their parents. Many of these parents see no responsibility in their child's education. Honestly, by the time their children are in high school the parents shouldn't have to be too involved.
That isn't even the point of my post...I read an article in the paper this morning about public schools serving breakfast. Serving breakfast is not the issue either. It's breakfast counting as educational time for the students. The example the paper uses is about a 7th grade student who is too lazy to wake up early enough to eat breakfast. So then the poor child can't concentrate during his morning classes. One question - Where are his parents? Why don't they make sure his butt is out of bed? And now the responsibility falls on the schools again to raise their children. The article goes on to say that there are families struggling to feed their children due to the economy - and I get that. But there's no reason we have to give up instruction time to feed them. At our school we serve breakfast, but it's before the morning bell rings - no instruction time is lost.
Not only do we have the talk with them, and test their eye sight, and test their hearing, and teaching them how to interact with each other, and provide free sports activities, but now we will also give up our time to feed them. Why don't we just set up a few dormitories and have them live at school? Then the parents wouldn't have to pretend to do any parenting.
Whew! I feel better. Thanks. That won't happen again...for a while anyway. What do you think? Am I out of line here?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Looking Back
What do The Bucket List and The Last Lecture have in common?
They both refer to the to-do list that people make. The list of things to do before they die. For this post I've decided to work this idea backwards. I am going to look at what I have accomplished, both planned and unplanned, that I am proud of none-the-less.
If you remember I was rather upset about turning 30. Don't remember? Click here.
So, let's take a look back into my golden twenties in no particular order:
I suppose the biggest thing was buying my own house when I was 22. After one year of my 'real' job I wanted to move out of my parents' house. I had my mind set that I would not rent. My thought process was that I have to make a monthly payment regardless, why not pay myself? So, I did some research and the median age of first time home buyers is 32 (according to realtor.org). That's 10 years older than I was. That's 2 years older than I am right now. So, yes. I am pretty darn proud of that fact.
Second on my list is learning to drive stick shift. I know that this doesn't seem like a big deal, but when I was first learning it just seemed so impossible. So, that first year of teaching I needed to buy my own vehicle. There was no need to drive my parents' car any longer. My choice? A toyota tocoma - stick shift of course. Yup, I bought a truck that I couldn't drive. Sounds a little crazy, but I have this incredible father who totally understood and could drive standard. So until I learned, my dad and I swapped vehicles. And every evening my dad took me out driving until I was comfortable with my new skills. I'm happy to inform you that I now drive a little kia spectra - standard transmission - and this little car is SO much fun to drive. I will never regret the decision to buy that truck. THANKS DAD!!
Here's a good one...earning both my bachelors and masters degrees in my twenties. I graduated high school in 1996 when the graduation rate was 83% (http://www.epi.org/). And I graduated from college in 2000 with my bachelors degree, only about 24% of the national population has done that (http://www.census.gov/). I also earned my masters degree a few years ago (can't remember exactly when) and only 9% of the population has accomplished that (http://www.census.gov/). I've never been in the top ten of anything - least of all my high school graduating class - but when I look at these numbers, it appears as though I've finally made to the top ten percent in my education.
Getting married to the right person is next on my list. Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? If you have then you know where I'm going with this. When I see my husband there is a weight that is lifted off my shoulders that I didn't even know was there. I see so many relationships around me fall apart and I can't help but wish they had what I do. I don't know that this is something to be proud of as much as grateful for. I'll word it this way...I'm proud that I was smart enough to marry him.
Becoming a mother. Being a mother is nothing to sneeze at. Warning! There is a cliche coming. Motherhood is the hardest yet most rewarding job I will ever have. I love being Jared's mom. Being given the opportunity to guide a human being in this world is so incredible. Being a mother makes he want to be a better person. I absolutely love my little buddy!!
Lastly, surviving a tragedy. I don't really want to go into detail on this one, but surviving this it is something I'm proud of. At the onset of this situation we were prepared to get professional help for me if there was a need. I wondered about how this would effect my mental health, my marriage, my relationship with everyone, and my ability to work. It seems as though I made it. Our marriage is stronger than ever and all other aspects of my life have strengthen, the ones that matter anyway. By surviving this, I feel strong and I have a new view of the world and how I fit in it. I'm proud that although I could have curled up in a ball and died (figuratively) I didn't. I allowed this to only strengthen me rather than weaken me.
If you haven't seen the movie The Bucket List or read the book The Last Lecture I do recommend that you do. Time is ticking...
They both refer to the to-do list that people make. The list of things to do before they die. For this post I've decided to work this idea backwards. I am going to look at what I have accomplished, both planned and unplanned, that I am proud of none-the-less.
If you remember I was rather upset about turning 30. Don't remember? Click here.
So, let's take a look back into my golden twenties in no particular order:
I suppose the biggest thing was buying my own house when I was 22. After one year of my 'real' job I wanted to move out of my parents' house. I had my mind set that I would not rent. My thought process was that I have to make a monthly payment regardless, why not pay myself? So, I did some research and the median age of first time home buyers is 32 (according to realtor.org). That's 10 years older than I was. That's 2 years older than I am right now. So, yes. I am pretty darn proud of that fact.
Second on my list is learning to drive stick shift. I know that this doesn't seem like a big deal, but when I was first learning it just seemed so impossible. So, that first year of teaching I needed to buy my own vehicle. There was no need to drive my parents' car any longer. My choice? A toyota tocoma - stick shift of course. Yup, I bought a truck that I couldn't drive. Sounds a little crazy, but I have this incredible father who totally understood and could drive standard. So until I learned, my dad and I swapped vehicles. And every evening my dad took me out driving until I was comfortable with my new skills. I'm happy to inform you that I now drive a little kia spectra - standard transmission - and this little car is SO much fun to drive. I will never regret the decision to buy that truck. THANKS DAD!!
Here's a good one...earning both my bachelors and masters degrees in my twenties. I graduated high school in 1996 when the graduation rate was 83% (http://www.epi.org/). And I graduated from college in 2000 with my bachelors degree, only about 24% of the national population has done that (http://www.census.gov/). I also earned my masters degree a few years ago (can't remember exactly when) and only 9% of the population has accomplished that (http://www.census.gov/). I've never been in the top ten of anything - least of all my high school graduating class - but when I look at these numbers, it appears as though I've finally made to the top ten percent in my education.
Getting married to the right person is next on my list. Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? If you have then you know where I'm going with this. When I see my husband there is a weight that is lifted off my shoulders that I didn't even know was there. I see so many relationships around me fall apart and I can't help but wish they had what I do. I don't know that this is something to be proud of as much as grateful for. I'll word it this way...I'm proud that I was smart enough to marry him.
Becoming a mother. Being a mother is nothing to sneeze at. Warning! There is a cliche coming. Motherhood is the hardest yet most rewarding job I will ever have. I love being Jared's mom. Being given the opportunity to guide a human being in this world is so incredible. Being a mother makes he want to be a better person. I absolutely love my little buddy!!
Lastly, surviving a tragedy. I don't really want to go into detail on this one, but surviving this it is something I'm proud of. At the onset of this situation we were prepared to get professional help for me if there was a need. I wondered about how this would effect my mental health, my marriage, my relationship with everyone, and my ability to work. It seems as though I made it. Our marriage is stronger than ever and all other aspects of my life have strengthen, the ones that matter anyway. By surviving this, I feel strong and I have a new view of the world and how I fit in it. I'm proud that although I could have curled up in a ball and died (figuratively) I didn't. I allowed this to only strengthen me rather than weaken me.
If you haven't seen the movie The Bucket List or read the book The Last Lecture I do recommend that you do. Time is ticking...
Saturday, May 9, 2009
7th Grade Geography
My 7th grade geography teacher, Mr. Beagle, use to tell us that he was so mean so that people would remember him after he died. In the school district where I grew up we had a junior high that contained the 7th and 8th grade students. We were only a few weeks into my 7th grade year when this story takes place.
As I'm walking to school one morning a friend of mine offers me a jaw breaker which I cannot turn down. Now, it's against the rules to eat candy or chew gum in school. But, this was okay because I wasn't at school yet. As you know, jaw breakers cannot be eaten too quickly and I was just finishing mine as I was entering the building. Mr. Beagle stops me and asks me to spit out my gum. I inform him (politely I might add) that I was eating candy and I swallowed it. He told me that I could sit in his room until I was ready to tell the truth and spit out my gum.
So there I sat...alone...in his room...panicking. I was panicking not because I was afraid of being late to homeroom, I was afraid of the attention that being late would bring upon me. So I gave in...I took a tissue from my purse, balled it up, and told him that the piece of gum was in there and threw it away. Every time I saw him after that he called me 'the liar'. Ah, there she is, the liar. Oh, look, the liar is in my study hall. This devastated me. Obviously, my reputation as a goody-two-shoes did not in fact follow me to the junior high school.
All 7th grade students were required to take one quarter of geography and there was only one 7th grade geography teacher....Mr. Beagle. I had my mind set on changing his opinion of me and showing him what a great student I was. One day Mr. Beagle sprang a pop quiz on us about States and Capitals. I started to freak. But, what's this? He left the map of the united states up in the front of the room. This is not a test about the states and capitals, it's a test to see which students are observant enough to look up! This is it! This is my chance to show him that I'm smart and have common sense, and to show him that he was dead wrong about me. I start to copy down the answer and I see him walking toward me with a big smile on his face. Yes, he is smiling because he is proud and I am the only student smart enough to look up. When he reaches my desk he takes my paper and throws it away. What the hell just happened? He then says to me, "Not only are you a liar but you are a cheater as well." And he quickly takes the map away before anyone else has a chance to see it.
I'm almost happy to report that Mr. Beagle is dead and I still remember him.
As I'm walking to school one morning a friend of mine offers me a jaw breaker which I cannot turn down. Now, it's against the rules to eat candy or chew gum in school. But, this was okay because I wasn't at school yet. As you know, jaw breakers cannot be eaten too quickly and I was just finishing mine as I was entering the building. Mr. Beagle stops me and asks me to spit out my gum. I inform him (politely I might add) that I was eating candy and I swallowed it. He told me that I could sit in his room until I was ready to tell the truth and spit out my gum.
So there I sat...alone...in his room...panicking. I was panicking not because I was afraid of being late to homeroom, I was afraid of the attention that being late would bring upon me. So I gave in...I took a tissue from my purse, balled it up, and told him that the piece of gum was in there and threw it away. Every time I saw him after that he called me 'the liar'. Ah, there she is, the liar. Oh, look, the liar is in my study hall. This devastated me. Obviously, my reputation as a goody-two-shoes did not in fact follow me to the junior high school.
All 7th grade students were required to take one quarter of geography and there was only one 7th grade geography teacher....Mr. Beagle. I had my mind set on changing his opinion of me and showing him what a great student I was. One day Mr. Beagle sprang a pop quiz on us about States and Capitals. I started to freak. But, what's this? He left the map of the united states up in the front of the room. This is not a test about the states and capitals, it's a test to see which students are observant enough to look up! This is it! This is my chance to show him that I'm smart and have common sense, and to show him that he was dead wrong about me. I start to copy down the answer and I see him walking toward me with a big smile on his face. Yes, he is smiling because he is proud and I am the only student smart enough to look up. When he reaches my desk he takes my paper and throws it away. What the hell just happened? He then says to me, "Not only are you a liar but you are a cheater as well." And he quickly takes the map away before anyone else has a chance to see it.
I'm almost happy to report that Mr. Beagle is dead and I still remember him.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Yard Sale Season
One day when I went to pick up Jared from preschool he asked, no begged, to eat lunch at Burger King. I told him that we couldn't...I didn't have money for that. He cried and begged and my heart broke. Then I had an idea, "Jared, why don't we go home and pretend that we're at Burger King. I'll make a happy meal for you."
I was surprised when his eyes lit up and he said OK.
Once we got home I made a counter between our kitchen and dining room and asked him for his order.
"I would like a cup with juice, a straw, chicken nuggets, french fries, and napkins."
While his food was in the oven I got some card stock and made containers for the fries and nuggets just like they do at the fast food places. I made sure he had some juice with a straw and served it to him on tray. He ate everything! I was going to share pictures of our lunch with all of you but I couldn't find the camera. Dan took it to take picture of the garage clean-up.
Jared enjoyed playing 'fast food' so much that I was set on painting a large cardboard box to look like Burger King for him to play in. Until I went to a yard sale this morning. Here are all of our great finds from this morning...
I was surprised when his eyes lit up and he said OK.
Once we got home I made a counter between our kitchen and dining room and asked him for his order.
"I would like a cup with juice, a straw, chicken nuggets, french fries, and napkins."
While his food was in the oven I got some card stock and made containers for the fries and nuggets just like they do at the fast food places. I made sure he had some juice with a straw and served it to him on tray. He ate everything! I was going to share pictures of our lunch with all of you but I couldn't find the camera. Dan took it to take picture of the garage clean-up.
Jared enjoyed playing 'fast food' so much that I was set on painting a large cardboard box to look like Burger King for him to play in. Until I went to a yard sale this morning. Here are all of our great finds from this morning...
A McDonald's play set - without the play food - cost $5. A pair of boots for $0.50. Four book that cost $0.80 all together.
Jared has been playing with the set all morning. I can't tear him away from it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mystery Reader
This month Jared's preschool had a different mystery reader come to each class and read a book to the children. The mystery readers are the parents of the kids, even the child of the mystery reader has no idea who would be reading. There was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity. I took a personal day from work and prepared myself for the reading. I knew one of two things was going to happen. Either Jared was going to be excited to see me there and yell, "Mommy!" or he was not going to be happy that I was at 'his' school and yell at me to "Get out!"
After he went into his classroom (never looking back mind you), I waited in the lobby for the teacher to come and get me. Now, I talk in front of over 100 teenagers everyday without a second thought. That's no problem at all. But, as I stood there waiting I started to get butterflies in my stomach about reading to a bunch of three- and four-year-olds.
Finally Miss Donna comes to get me and tells all the students to close their eyes. I walk into the middle of the circle and sit down. "Okay, everyone open your eyes!"
Jared looks up at me and yells, "Mommy!"
Whew! As soon as I started reading the butterflies flew away. I have to tell you , if you ever have the chance to read to preschoolers jump at it. They are so lovable.
After he went into his classroom (never looking back mind you), I waited in the lobby for the teacher to come and get me. Now, I talk in front of over 100 teenagers everyday without a second thought. That's no problem at all. But, as I stood there waiting I started to get butterflies in my stomach about reading to a bunch of three- and four-year-olds.
Finally Miss Donna comes to get me and tells all the students to close their eyes. I walk into the middle of the circle and sit down. "Okay, everyone open your eyes!"
Jared looks up at me and yells, "Mommy!"
Whew! As soon as I started reading the butterflies flew away. I have to tell you , if you ever have the chance to read to preschoolers jump at it. They are so lovable.
Monday, April 13, 2009
My Husband's New Parakeet
Here's a story that my husband shared with me and I knew I had to pass this gem along....
My husband was about 10 years old and at that time his sister was 7 and his brother was 5. Their maternal grandmother had a parakeet that she no longer wanted. So, she asked Dan and his brother and sister if they wanted said parakeet. They were ecstatic. My husband remembers thinking that having a parakeet would be so cool. Just think about it, he would be the only kid he knew that owned a parakeet. All his other friends only had dogs or cats.
It was all set then. His grandmother would deliver the parakeet on her next trip to town and bring the parakeet. A few days later as promised she brought the parakeet. Dan went with her to her car to receive his new responsibility with much anticipation. However, instead of opening the back seat of the car as he assumed, his grandmother walked around to the rear of the car to the trunk. My husband thought this was unusual but didn't give it another thought. She unlocked the trunk to reveal... a dead parakeet. The poor thing died of heat exhaustion. Well, that's what they assumed, they didn't have a autopsy performed.
My husband was about 10 years old and at that time his sister was 7 and his brother was 5. Their maternal grandmother had a parakeet that she no longer wanted. So, she asked Dan and his brother and sister if they wanted said parakeet. They were ecstatic. My husband remembers thinking that having a parakeet would be so cool. Just think about it, he would be the only kid he knew that owned a parakeet. All his other friends only had dogs or cats.
It was all set then. His grandmother would deliver the parakeet on her next trip to town and bring the parakeet. A few days later as promised she brought the parakeet. Dan went with her to her car to receive his new responsibility with much anticipation. However, instead of opening the back seat of the car as he assumed, his grandmother walked around to the rear of the car to the trunk. My husband thought this was unusual but didn't give it another thought. She unlocked the trunk to reveal... a dead parakeet. The poor thing died of heat exhaustion. Well, that's what they assumed, they didn't have a autopsy performed.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Me? Run?
I've never been a runner. I was even on the basketball team in high school and even then I didn't think I had any running skills - nothing that I could hold out for any length of time.
I started to get inspired last year while watching Invincible. I did blog about that movie earlier. You can read about that here. The movie isn't about running, it's about football. But there's this scene where Vince seems to be running away from the past and toward the future and I remember thinking...ah, that would be so nice...just to run.
So, I consulted with colleagues who are runners to get advice and tips. You know what I found out? Runners are the nicest people, the want to encourage you to run, they want you to succeed. I never got the impression when talking to them that we were in competition. I was further inspired to join the community of runners.
I started out on my treadmill and was doing well (for my standards anyway). So, I upgraded to the high school track that is about one block from my house. I ran about 2 or 3 days a week until I had company. I will admit this....I have trouble running in front of other people. Typing this I can see how stupid and childish I sound. When I went to the track and was met with stares of teenagers that I didn't even know, I lost my nerve and didn't go back. I'm a coward. But, I plan to be a coward no more. When I put myself outside the situation I realize that no one cares if I run or not.
Sooooo....I've started running again...on my treadmill. Once track season is over I will venture over to the track and not be afraid of a few imagined stares from teenagers.
I started to get inspired last year while watching Invincible. I did blog about that movie earlier. You can read about that here. The movie isn't about running, it's about football. But there's this scene where Vince seems to be running away from the past and toward the future and I remember thinking...ah, that would be so nice...just to run.
So, I consulted with colleagues who are runners to get advice and tips. You know what I found out? Runners are the nicest people, the want to encourage you to run, they want you to succeed. I never got the impression when talking to them that we were in competition. I was further inspired to join the community of runners.
I started out on my treadmill and was doing well (for my standards anyway). So, I upgraded to the high school track that is about one block from my house. I ran about 2 or 3 days a week until I had company. I will admit this....I have trouble running in front of other people. Typing this I can see how stupid and childish I sound. When I went to the track and was met with stares of teenagers that I didn't even know, I lost my nerve and didn't go back. I'm a coward. But, I plan to be a coward no more. When I put myself outside the situation I realize that no one cares if I run or not.
Sooooo....I've started running again...on my treadmill. Once track season is over I will venture over to the track and not be afraid of a few imagined stares from teenagers.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Bella's Lullaby
As you know, I'm crazy about the Twilight Series. I've been trying to find sheet music for Bella's Lullaby. It's wasn't too difficult to find...for about $15 for a movie score. Then my husband lost his job and I had to improvise.
In the back of my head I heard a colleagues advice from a few months back, "You can learn songs from youtube". So I gave youtube a quick search and not only did I find a tutorial on Bella's Lullaby, I found sheet music. I've been playing the piano since I was in 2nd grade and I am not one to memorize. I need to see the music to get through piece. So, seeing someone else play a song on youtube didn't sound like something that would be easy for me. But, sheet music...oh, I can play if there's sheet music.
Check this out:
In the back of my head I heard a colleagues advice from a few months back, "You can learn songs from youtube". So I gave youtube a quick search and not only did I find a tutorial on Bella's Lullaby, I found sheet music. I've been playing the piano since I was in 2nd grade and I am not one to memorize. I need to see the music to get through piece. So, seeing someone else play a song on youtube didn't sound like something that would be easy for me. But, sheet music...oh, I can play if there's sheet music.
Check this out:
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Bad Guys
My little boy is all about the bad boys. He likes to roll play and every character he pretends to be is a bad guy. Like Swiper or the Grumpy Old Troll from Dora, Brutus and Victor from Geo Trax, and the Dirty Bubble from Spongebob.
Tonight our free fun thing to do was to watch Spiderman. Jared has never seen this movie before and we thought it would be fun. During the scene where the Green Goblin makes his debut, the scene at Times Square, there was a lot of mayhem...police officers are injured, a little boy was almost crushed, Harry was knocked unconscious, and MJ almost fell from a fatal height. At the end of this scene Jared looked very concerned about what he just saw. He looks over at Dan and me with one of the saddest faces that he is capable and asks, "What's the matter with the Green Goblin?"
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Fun for Free!!
So, as you know my husband is out of work and I have this challenge in front of me to find fun free things to do. I love a good challenge. My first idea was for the whole family to take a trip to the library. I realize this book is a little out of season but I read Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater. I wanted to share a few lines with you from this book...
Life is what you make of it. There's always fun and laughs right under your nose if you're willing to open your eyes to see it. Most times we're so focused on what we think we want that we can't appreciate how happy we already are. It's only when we forget about our problems and help others forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it.
I'm sure we've all been there, feeling sorry for ourselves when it really wasn't necessary or even justified.
Anyway, about the fun right under your nose part...
As you know today is April's Fool's day and every year I place a rubber band around the sink spray hose to get my husband or he does it to get me. This is such a great prank because it's the same one year after year. This year was no exception.
Before leaving for work this morning I put the rubber band in place and was on my merry way. Once I got to work I realized I had a voice mail from Dan. hee hee I got him! I was so excited and pleased with myself. To make a long story short - he didn't call about the prank and I spoiled it by reminding him what day it was.
My husband more than made up for it. While at his parents' house he placed a rubber band on their sink spray hose (tee hee). My father-in-law was the first victim. But instead of taking the rubber band off, he let it there for my mother-in-law (tee-hee-hee). However, he forgot it was there and became a victim AGAIN!
So, while he was all pissed off from pulling the prank on himself he yelled over to his wife, "Donna get over here a look at this!!"
"I'm busy! You're going to make me get up now!"
So, she walks over to the sink and he tells her, "Turn on the faucet!"
And she does, but instead of turning the water off right away, she jumps back allowing the water to spray all over.
I am practically doubled over in laughter. It doesn't get any better than that - and - it's FREE!!
Life is what you make of it. There's always fun and laughs right under your nose if you're willing to open your eyes to see it. Most times we're so focused on what we think we want that we can't appreciate how happy we already are. It's only when we forget about our problems and help others forget theirs that we realize how good we really have it.
I'm sure we've all been there, feeling sorry for ourselves when it really wasn't necessary or even justified.
Anyway, about the fun right under your nose part...
As you know today is April's Fool's day and every year I place a rubber band around the sink spray hose to get my husband or he does it to get me. This is such a great prank because it's the same one year after year. This year was no exception.
Before leaving for work this morning I put the rubber band in place and was on my merry way. Once I got to work I realized I had a voice mail from Dan. hee hee I got him! I was so excited and pleased with myself. To make a long story short - he didn't call about the prank and I spoiled it by reminding him what day it was.
My husband more than made up for it. While at his parents' house he placed a rubber band on their sink spray hose (tee hee). My father-in-law was the first victim. But instead of taking the rubber band off, he let it there for my mother-in-law (tee-hee-hee). However, he forgot it was there and became a victim AGAIN!
So, while he was all pissed off from pulling the prank on himself he yelled over to his wife, "Donna get over here a look at this!!"
"I'm busy! You're going to make me get up now!"
So, she walks over to the sink and he tells her, "Turn on the faucet!"
And she does, but instead of turning the water off right away, she jumps back allowing the water to spray all over.
I am practically doubled over in laughter. It doesn't get any better than that - and - it's FREE!!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
Wow! 34 years. I'm sorry, but I don't have any photos to show you...I forgot to put my memory card in my camera :-(
We made steaks and potatoes on the grill for the big event. And for dessert....porcupine cakes! One day while my mom was watching Jared he took pretzel sticks and stuck them in a cake. She dubbed it a porcupine cake. So, what would be more fitting than a porcupine cake for their anniversary?
Fire update:
Here is a post that my husband did on the emergency forum for this county:
I woke up responding to an unknown type fire. Then upon leaving the house I hear from police on scene it was my father`s business, Oswald Plumbing and Heating garage, fully involved.
Needless to say I went directly to the scene. I was not a firefighter this time, but a victim. 25 years in business gone in no time. It was one of the few times I had seen my father cry in my life. He lost everything, 2 service vans, tools, and a large inventory which he built up over his time in the bus..
When he started, he worked from our basement. I remember having to move pipes and fittings when I want to get my bike from the basement. 5 years later he expanded to this garage. I remember how empty it looked inside and how I wished it was when I arrived on scene.
Sometimes we respond and brush off an incident as it was just another call, now I know how it feels on the other side.On behalf of my family I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone involved there that night and all emergency services who take the time from their families to help others.
We made steaks and potatoes on the grill for the big event. And for dessert....porcupine cakes! One day while my mom was watching Jared he took pretzel sticks and stuck them in a cake. She dubbed it a porcupine cake. So, what would be more fitting than a porcupine cake for their anniversary?
Fire update:
Here is a post that my husband did on the emergency forum for this county:
I woke up responding to an unknown type fire. Then upon leaving the house I hear from police on scene it was my father`s business, Oswald Plumbing and Heating garage, fully involved.
Needless to say I went directly to the scene. I was not a firefighter this time, but a victim. 25 years in business gone in no time. It was one of the few times I had seen my father cry in my life. He lost everything, 2 service vans, tools, and a large inventory which he built up over his time in the bus..
When he started, he worked from our basement. I remember having to move pipes and fittings when I want to get my bike from the basement. 5 years later he expanded to this garage. I remember how empty it looked inside and how I wished it was when I arrived on scene.
Sometimes we respond and brush off an incident as it was just another call, now I know how it feels on the other side.On behalf of my family I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone involved there that night and all emergency services who take the time from their families to help others.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bedroom Makeover
Below you will see picture of how we lived for over a year. No curtains, we did have sheets, but there were in the wash the day I took these photos, no pictures on the walls, just blah.
The photo hanging on the wall was in our living room and I needed a change. 
New Lampshades from Big Lots - $24.
I had enough of looking at this white pallet. I gave myself a budget of $100 to redecorate. Once I started doing my homework I realized that with a budget of $100 I could basically buy curtains. But I was determined to work with $100. At lot of the improvements you will see below are handmade or found around the house with what we already owned.
I took a trip to Walmart and bought fabric for the curtains - total cost for curtains: $24.
The quilt I made and already owned. I just needed to finish putting the binding on. So I got my butt in gear and finally finished the quilt. Jared and I made the two matching pillows with leftover fabric.
The quilt I made and already owned. I just needed to finish putting the binding on. So I got my butt in gear and finally finished the quilt. Jared and I made the two matching pillows with leftover fabric.
The photo hanging on the wall was in our living room and I needed a change.
The hamper - $20
The quilt rack was downstairs too - free.
New Lampshades from Big Lots - $24.
Painting - I made two - one that you see below and one for the living room bare spot - $15.
Hat boxes - from my grandmother's estate - free.
Hat boxes - from my grandmother's estate - free.
Wall hanging - sitting in a box from our last anniversary.
Wooden Bench - this was sitting awkwardly in our dining room - fits great at the foot of our bed.
Wooden Bench - this was sitting awkwardly in our dining room - fits great at the foot of our bed.
Bed Skirt - $10 from eBay.
Total - $93.00
Total - $93.00
Having a Bedroom you can be proud of....priceless!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Shack
Wanna read a thought-provoking book? Read the shack. Although this is not a difficult read, I found myself reading about one chapter a day. I needed time to think about what I just read and what that meant to me.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Fire
I'm sorry to say that my in-laws and husband have suffered a great loss. My in-laws have their own business and my husband works for them (or he did). This past Tuesday the business went up in flames, literally. Here are a few pics...
My father-in-law has been in business for 25 years. I know that this is just a building and no lives were lost or even injured, but this was a huge part of his life.
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