The end to sticky is near

It pays to have a friend who makes maple syrup. Allen stayed over night at a friend's house (Jacob), who's parents are Robin and Kieth. I mentioned them a couple of posts ago. On Saturday morning, they gathered up the sap and went and had it made into syrup. Allen went along to take part in the whole process and came home later with a jug of maple syrup. Yum! Nothing beats the real thing! Thanks, Robin and Kieth!

Things are looking better concerning school. I have gotten a lot of major projects completed and handed in. The load on my shoulders is lighter! However...the trip to Paris is still on my shoulders and that is the biggest one! In two days, I present the lesson. I'm really nervous about how it will turn out. I don't feel ready! On a positive note...I managed to complete my cataloging homework this morning without feeling completely confused! Yeah!

I am looking so forward to being done with all of this! Just a few more weeks and I can take a little break before starting up again.

Stressed out in Paris

Well...things have gotten really ugly around here for my grad work. I was so stressed out yesterday that I actually cried. I was so overwhelmed! I thought that there was no possible way of getting the work accomplished. But...I managed to complete one of the things that was giving me great grief.

However...the biggest project is the webquest I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Please pray that I can take a classroom of 10th grade French students on a virtual tour of Paris and have it be a smashing success!

I really need to get a good grade on this!

(image source: DiscoverFance.net)

Sticky Stuff!

As I drove by my friend, Robin's house the other day, I noticed that she and Kieth had tapped the sugar maples that line their driveway. Unfortunately I did not get a picture since I did not have my camera. I'm going to try to get one and replace this one (which I borrowed off the internet).

I have finished a paper which was worth a quarter of my grade in one of my classes. I hope I did well on it! It can be so agonizing to hand things in and wait. I want to know how I did...but I'm afraid to know! So far I have done very well on everything. I have another paper that is due on Wednesday by midnight! I'm having difficulty getting going on this one since I pretty much spent the entire day Saturday writing the other one.

I have so much work to do that it is getting rather sticky! I really am not enjoying my cataloging class. I just find it to be such tedious and boring work. I will never be a cataloger and praise the Lord that most publishers will do this for librarians. If they don't, then there is always the Library of Congress which allows libraries to download cataloging info for free. So...why do I have to be bothered by a class?

Good news is that I am going to be doing a practicum at M Public Library for the months of May and June. I'm really looking forward to this! I need to keep a diary of what goes on daily and what I am learning. It might be fun to do this in blog form.

Getting unstuck!

I have been working hard on a research paper. It is coming along very well. It is due on Tuesday by midnight. I'm sure it will be done before then. I'm learning a lot and enjoying it!

I'm also doing a collaboration project with a teacher at a high school nearby. Basically what that means is that I take on the role of a librarian and work with a teacher to help her complete a lesson objective. In this case, a French teacher wants to teach her students about the basic layout of Paris and the sightseeing monuments, museums, etc. I'm creating a webquest for her to use as a tool to do this.

Good news! I think I have a short internship lined up for myself at a public library in a town nearby. I'm pretty excited about it! (More on this in a later post)

Here's the plan. After this semester, I take 2 summer courses (including the internship I just mentioned). In the fall I take 2 courses. In the spring I do my practicum (a librarian's equivalent to student teaching) and then I'm done! I will have a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science and I can get a real job!

Stuck Update

So here is my update on various tidbits of my life:
I found an incredible dresser for Audra on Craigslist. It cost only $30! I'm just so excited about it! I took her out sneaker shopping...but she is difficult to please on my budget. The only ones she liked were $70...but I wouldn't even let her try them on. I wrote the paper and I think I did a good job. I even handed it in one day early! I found someone to interview for another paper I am going to start writing soon. Next week I am going to a high school to discuss a collaborative lesson with a French teacher. (more elephant!) I am officially on break...but that just means that I won't be handing in any assignments next week or going to a class. I will still be doing school work. But...to celebrate: I will be indulging in some reading for recreation. A welcome change from reading textbooks. Alicia is playing a 12 inch viola and will soon move up to the 13 inch. I made pizza for dinner and discovered I had no sauce...so we had garlic pizza. Allen's 14th birthday is Sunday and he's having a bunch of hungry teenage boys over this weekend. And....my dog still adores me even though I haven't taken him for a walk since the other day.

Stuck

I have been stuck for awhile now. I just can't think of a single interesting thing to blog about. I have come here and come here time and time again...trying to come up with something.

I'm just stuck. I'm so stuck that no one even visits my blog anymore.

If you are here, then you are reading this. Thank you. Please leave a comment just to make my day.

Various tidbits of my life: I have gone to two funerals this week, one of which was a double funeral for a man and wife who died the same day...so there was a joint service. The elephant is getting smaller on my plate. It has been 40 degrees for two days in a row. My daughter, Alicia is very upset with her new viola because she says it is too big. I haven't played the piano in a while. haven't painted in a while. I do laundry constantly. I took the dog for a 4 mile walk yesterday. I'm somehow managing to keep my head above water in my school work. Audra needs a new pair of sneakers. I've been checking craigslist every day for a new dresser for Audra. No luck yet. I need to write a paper this week. I need to find someone to interview about at-risk students. My dog still follows me from room to room because he thinks I'm the best.

Happy Carefree Days

Two different people on my Facebook mentioned on status updates that they were taking their kids to the Rochester Museum and Science Center. I'm jealous! I want to go. Here's a picture of Alicia in first grade during a field trip there with her friend Kaylee. How I miss those days!

Elephant Cake

This is how I feel when I look at my plate this semester. I don't know how it is going to all pan out, but right now it seems impossible.

Its snow fun!

I couldn't find a good picture for my post today. I googled around and found beautiful ones taken around our town in the snow...but I couldn't take them. They aren't mine. So today I bring back an oldy, but a goody. This was taken two years ago. Alicia was 7 and she sure was having fun with her daddy going down that hill!
See? Winter can bring joy!

The longest stretch

We are getting into that long stretch of winter now...where winter seems to go on forever. Bitter cold temperatures lately that make it difficult to get out and take the dog for a walk. This picture was taken on a balmy 20-something degree day. Sometimes Sherman just sits by the coat rack, glancing up to where his leash hangs...hoping I'll take pity on him. We still have a good 2 months to go before it lets up. I always start to feel a bit melancholy this time of year. I think being busy with school work helps. I'm trying to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Once this semester is done, I think the toughest part will be over. I will be more than half way done and I'm hoping that I will be taking fewer classes in the fall. Next spring I will do a practicum and then hopefully find a job.
I am getting tired of putting up with a camera that has no working flash. I hope to have enough money soon to buy a new one.

Every Day Matters challenge #7-a bottle or jar

This took me about 15 minutes to sketch out. Had to take a picture of it...in bad lighting. Hopefully I will get a scanner hooked up soon, if I can figure it out. I enjoy these too. I wish I didn't have too much school work to do. I'd do quite a bit more I'm sure. I skipped a few challenges...not really intentionally. I saw this jar sitting there ready to be taken down to the recycling bin and I was inspired to draw it. I realized later that it was actually one of the challenges. My goal is to draw them all eventually.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Alicia was one of the winners in her grade for the Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest. I'm pretty proud of her.

Every Day Matters challenge #1-Draw Shoes

I have been very intrigued lately with sketch journals. I decided to start keeping one. This is my first real entry. While perusing several art and sketch blogs I found this fun list of drawing challenges. I just thought it seemed like a fun way to sharpen my drawing skills without overtaxing my time. Sometimes I take drawing way to seriously. This sketch took me about 15 minutes to do. Click on it to take a closer look.

Frozen Stiff

Well...it was negative 5 degrees here this morning. The kind of day where the snow actually squeaks when you walk on it. Last night was my first night of cataloging class. Luckily I do not have to drive to Buffalo for it...just up to Rochester.
Mr. and Mrs. F.F. Thompson look cold, don't you think? They lived in Canandaigua over a hundred years ago. You can read a little bit more here if you like. They look a little stiff from the cold. Perhaps they should go in where it is warmer. Mary is holding a miniature of the hospital they helped build in town here on it's original site.
Good news is that my last book arrived today...all the way from England!

Trying to Understand

I have been frittering away my time before school officially begins. Actually...I have done some reading of the textbooks that have come. I am still waiting for 2 textbooks to arrive. I have made some poor decisions while ordering and am suffering the consequences. I am nervous about my textbooks not being here and also about the amount of work I need to do. I think my load looks heavier than it was last semester and that scares me.

I also dropped my glasses and now there is a small crack in the left lens. I did not think it was a big deal because I could look past it, but now it looks like it is growing...kind of the same way a crack on a windshield grows.

Isn't this a lovely picture that I took of St. John's Episcopal bell tower here in my town? I love the way it is framed by all the bare branches. In two months it will be two years ago that I dropped my camera and broke the flash. I have been living with it that way ever since. I am getting good at making do...but I must get better at it. With me going to grad school, we are going farther and farther into debt. Hopefully...it is a step backwards to get ahead in the long run. In the meantime, I will wear the clothes I already have, not go to Starbucks, cancel my membership to Curves, cook using boneless chicken and ground beef, walk instead of drive, eat in,...and whatever else I need to do to cut expenses. I really have everything I need...but as a typical American I think I need more.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-The apostle Paul,
Philippians 4: 11-13

Admittedly, I am still trying to understand the secret that Paul did. I struggle so much with it.

Ice and Stress

Today there was an hour delay for school because of icy road conditions. I haven't been out in it, but my husband walked to the local Y where he lifeguards and swims. He said the sidewalks were terrible. He called to tell Allen and Audra that he would be driving them to school. Allen had already left. He doesn't like walking with his sister and I think he left on purpose before she was ready. I thought he was leaving awfully early. I told him he should wear his boots, but he would not do that. I am a silly old mom who apparently just doesn't get it I guess. So Audra got a nice warm, dry ride to school and Allen walked to school...slipping and sliding all the way. Upon arriving to school, his feet were probably wet and frozen (see his blog).

School officially starts on Monday for me...but not really, because I have a professor who has already assigned a reading and a short assignment which is due on Tuesday. There is a problem for me with that because I have not received my textbook yet. I ordered a used copy from Amazon in mid-December. I was wondering what was taking so long, so I checked on it. I was horrified to discover that I had ordered it from someone in England!!!! Yes, you read that correctly...the country of England! I went back to the original posting of the book and there is no indication that it was being shipped from England. The shipping cost is also pretty average, so that wasn't an indicator either. Anyway...I immediately went into a state of anxiety over it. Who knows how long this will take to arrive. I finally opted to order a second copy of the book...this time finding a seller in New York State. I ordered it rather late, but I'm sure it will get here before the other one. Luckily I have a friend who is taking the same course. She lives in Fairport...about 3 towns away from mine. She has her book and if mine does not come by Friday, I will drive to her house and photo copy chapter one. It was a blessing that she agreed to help me out.

The semester has not even officially begun and I'm already stressing! Not a good sign.

Getting Back to Normal

Well...the holidays are over. I took a walk yesterday and took a few pictures of some remnants of the festivities. Time to get back to normal...whatever that is. I have most of my decorations put away. It was tough getting back into the swing of things this morning. The kids are back at school.

Next week I go back to school. I am still waiting for most of my textbooks to arrive. Two out of five have come. Not sure I'm ready for it again.

Happy New Year!

Yesterday morning, my alarm rang to wake me up to go clean a house. Ugh...who wants to get up on a cold chilly day? I turned off my alarm, turned on a bedroom light and got in bed again. I know...that's a dumb thing to do. Then I heard the phone ring. It was a my client telling me that there had been no plows on her road. They couldn't get out, and I couldn't get in. I looked outside and that is when I figured out that we had about a foot of snow that fell over night. I went outside and started shoveling. I shoveled quite a bit and then woke up Allen to do some shoveling. Later after more snow fell, our neighbor, Mr. Fiorentino got his snowblower out. He cleared out our driveway and all our walkways!
Hannah had stayed over night. I was thinking that she might bring the new year in with us. I dressed warmly, made myself some coffee, and worked on a puzzle. The girls had a wonderful time. I heard a lot of giggling going on. I think they were all hoping for another overnight. Later on in the afternoon, I ventured out with the girls to meet Martha halfway between her house and mine. It was only about a half hour drive for both of us...maybe a little bit less.
We brought the new year in quietly. Jamie and Allen actually went to bed before midnight. They were too tired to care. The girls were determined to stay up even though they were tired. We got all ready for bed and waited for midnight. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Then we kissed and hugged and went to bed. By 12:15 AM on 1/1/09...our house was dark and quiet.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas will be here in 2 days...are ya ready for it? I don't feel as ready as other years, but it will come nevertheless and it will turn out fine. I know it. Today I do not have to go anywhere or do anything in particular, so I'm not. I've noticed an increase level of laziness without the schedule of grad classes. I need a schedule (or very small children home), otherwise I loaf. I just have to admit it. I just brewed some coffee and I'm about to go and enjoy that. Just thought I'd pop in and say, "MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!"

Snow Forts

Yesterday and today, Allen set about to work on making a snow fort. Here the kids are all enjoying it. The snow is very pretty today. I drove Allen out to a friend's house in Cheshire area. All the trees were laced with snow and the sun was shining brightly. It was just beautiful! I wished that I had my camera with me. It's been a nice day of staying at home. I finally baked some Christmas cookies. Later on, the girls and I will frost and decorate them.

It IS Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

Today at 6:00 in the morning, I got notification that school would be canceled. I looked outside. The sidewalks were still clear, right down to the pavement. I thought, "Wouldn't it serve them right, if it doesn't even snow?" I went around turning off the alarms on the clocks and going back to bed. Later when I had gotten up, I saw that snow was definitely coming down! I had to take Alicia to the eye doctor to pick up her new glasses and then to drop off Allen's swim parka at his swim coach's house. The roads were steadily getting worse! Jamie had asked me to stop by his office and pick up a check to deposit into the account...the roads were really getting crazy! That craziness spread to me because I suggested to the girls that we go to Wal-Mart to finish up their shopping. They each needed to find a gift for their Dad. Luckily I don't live far from the store! The schools were very smart to close for the day!

The Official Christmas Season may now Begin

Winter's here again...and it looks like my birds are going hungry lately. Yesterday was my Birthday, so now the Christmas season has officially started. I wrapped up some presents today. (More wrapping to come) I also did some shoveling...which was not very fun since it rained on top of the freshly fallen snow. This made the snow very heavy and now my back hurts. I am not done with my Christmas shopping. I enjoy giving gifts...but I don't care for shopping. Especially when I am not sure what I'm looking for.
Only one more week to go. If you are done shopping, please refrain from saying so in the comments! LOL!

My Siblings and I

Here we are...the 4 siblings. From Left to right: Me, Tim, Rachel, Martha.

Little Librarian and Little Mother

I've gotten such a kick out of this old photo of my sisters and I that I just had to blog about it. There I am at age 2 looking at a library book. Granted it is upside down, but the enthusiasm is there to be sure! I was known as a child to even read to the cats. (Martha, if you have one of those old photos, send it to me)Of course I need to mention my older sister, at age 4 enthusiastically holding the new baby of the family. Later in her life, as most of you know, she became the mother of seven beautiful children. As for me, I was strategically ignoring the new child who took my spot as youngest. Or maybe I was preparing to read to her, who knows. As for Rachel's destiny...she had no teeth yet and wasn't big enough to check out anyone else's. She looks a little upset about that!
Isn't this picture a hoot?

Excitement in the Air

Audra took this picture of herself. It's not perfect, but somehow I find it appealing. I am done with school work for the semester. So far I have gotten grades for 2 out of 3 classes and did excellent. I am still waiting to know how I did in the other class. I am glad for the break and looking forward to enjoying the holidays. Do you feel the excitement of Christmas in the air? I'm starting to feel it!

Almost time to relax

Ruth says I need to update my blog. She's right. It is rather boring looking at the same thing over and over again. Sometimes there are good reasons for it to remain static...like tons of school work and deadlines. The good news is, I am almost done! All I have left to do is finish a research paper and take an online open book quiz. I already have five pages written for the paper. So it is almost time to relax...just like Sherman here is doing with a coke on a hot summer day.

Actually, my house is a wreck since it has been neglected for so long. The first thing I plan to do after returning home from Long Island (we are leaving to go there Wednesday morning for Thanksgiving), is to clean my house from top to bottom! And of course there will be the whole Christmas holiday to keep me busy. I don't feel mentally ready for that. It does not seem real to me that it is going to be here soon. The other thing I am planning on doing is more reading. Yup! More reading. There were many children's books that I heard about that I wanted to read while taking children's Literature. So many books....but not enough time. I have a list going!

Tagged

I was tagged by Rachel.

So here are the instructions:

* Go to your sixth picture folder in your picture file on your computer, then pick your sixth picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Post it on your blog.
* Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.This is the 6th picture in the 6th folder in my picture directory.
I did not take this photo. I think Allen did when he was staying over night at Aunt Rachel's house. I was home. I trusted him with the camera. This is a pretty entertaining picture of my sisters, nephew, and daughter. Everone but Alicia seems pretty mesmerized by the computer. Probably looking at a blog!

I tag Jenny, Jim the 3rd, Josiah, Nixter and Dunja .

Gettin' there

Oh how I wish my camera's flash worked. It really hampers the blogging a bit. I am almost done with this semester! Tomorrow I must visit an Elementary school library and give a thematic storytelling lesson. I have chosen the Iroquois Indians as my theme. I will be telling an Indian Legend to a group of 4th graders since they are studying the Iroquois Indians this year. After I tell it, I will talk to them about Indian Pictographs. I will tell a second story with pictographs using a flannel board.
One more research paper to do, which I haven't started yet.
Sorry to bore you with this.

Still Swinging!

Hi everyone! I know I have virtually disappeared for a while. Things got pretty busy...I got really stressed out and didn't think I was going to make it. However, I've gotten over some major hurdles and things are looking good!

Highlights of my experience: I gave some book talks at Geneva High School on Friday. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I was pleased with how things went. At another school, I was told by a second grade boy that he thinks that I'll catch on fast and be a good librarian some day.

I've written one research paper this past week. I have another research paper coming up. I am doing it on story telling traditions among Native Americans. I have all my participation activities lined up. I'm pretty excited about all of that. I will be facilitating two book discussion groups at an elementary school, giving a thematic storytelling presentation at another elementary story and helping with some collection development at a middle school. I've already completed the high school requirement...mentioned earlier.

Best of all, I have gotten good grades so far!

Love this picture of Alicia taken this past August!

Another Cool Library

Today I visited another library at an elementary school in another school district nearby. I just loved it there! The librarian there was just so cool! She really makes the library fun. I decided that when I am a librarian some day, I want to be like her. She has her students excited about reading. When the kids came in and she sat them down to do her lesson, she asked them what they had been reading. The kid's hands were flying up everywhere. They all wanted to share what they had read recently. She had all kinds of things for kids to do in the library. They all seemed happy to be there.
She also does really fun activities such as a pumpkin decorating contest. They need to decorate the pumpkin like a character of a book. In the spring she has a storytelling festival. I already volunteered to help with it. It'll be in March. I'm already looking forward to it!
I will definitely be coming back to this library to do other things. She has already invited me to come back and do some hands-on projects. I need to complete 25 hours by December 1st. This will help a lot!

Mmmmm-Lecker!

Jamie and I went to the Rheinblick German Restaurant last night. Very busy and very yummy! We loved every bite. I made sure to order something with the red cabbage on the side because I love red cabbage. My mother makes it...but since it is not a favorite of my husband's, I don't get it often. I don't remember the name of what else I ate, but it was delicious. Jamie ordered the wiener schnitzel. He gave me a bite and I just may have to order that next time. It was a nice evening and we were able to walk to the restaurant because it is not far at all from our home. Good exercise too.
I wish I had a picture to present here...but it was dark and my camera flash does not work.

Field Experience

It has been forever since I have blogged. I have been very busy! Lately I have been visiting and observing school libraries to get a feel for what goes on there. In the past two weeks, I have spent 22 hours doing this. (yes...I am keeping track) It has been enlightening to say the least. Some of the libraries have been fantastic. Unbelievable facilities and librarians who are energetic and really up to date on the latest stuff in school libraries. And then there are "other" libraries and librarians. Thursday I went to a rural high school with an older librarian. Her selection of books were very outdated. Her fiction section looked like it had not been visited in years. I felt very sad for the students, because reading just for the sake of it is not really presented in a positive way here. There were no displays to catch the attention of students to attract them to read. Maybe they have a smaller budget than other schools. They seemed to be very current as far as computers and technology. The librarian told me they are getting a Smart Board...so they have to have some money to work with. I guess it's easy to sit back and be critical. (forgive me) I'm really curious to see another school in this same district so that I can get a feel for whether it is something that can't be helped.
I visited another library where the selection of books was phenomenal, but I thought the librarian was very rigid in how she ran her library. She had very strict rules as to how things are run. This was in an elementary school. I saw a group of 3rd graders come in. They had assigned seats at tables. When they came in, they went to where their assigned seats were and all stood behind the chairs until they were told by the librarian that they could sit. She went over very specific procedures about how things are done in her library. Wow! She has some very specific ways of doing things! She has been a librarian here for over 30 years and I guess this works for her. I know I could not be as regimented though. A few days later, I saw a friend of mine who teaches at the same school. I told her I had been at the library. This teacher told me that some of her students are afraid to go to the library at library time if they have forgotten to bring the book they borrowed back. I was very careful with my words because I don't really want to be catty.
I went to our Middle School Library here in town and I saw Melimouse! (twice) I also saw Sam and Audra...but my own son was no where to be seen. He told me later that he peeked in the window and saw me. That particular library was awesome! I thought the facilities were great and the librarian has some great ideas! I took note of some of them so I can remember. Unfortunately, I cannot do my student teaching under her, because she is a fairly new school librarian, having just graduated from the school I am now attending just three years ago.
Yesterday I went to a high school and a middle school in an urban setting. Beautiful facilites! The two librarians that I shadowed were great and had a lot of suggestions for me. I came away from there with my head spinning with all the knowledge that they were imparting on me! I thought it was really cool to see such a multicultural group. They have a number of Spanish speaking students, so they have a selection of fiction written in Spanish. Interesting to see Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal on the shelf.
Anyway, I am learning so much. Today I haven't gotten much work done and I must make up for it somehow. I decided to go to a friend's house for lunch. I stayed there much longer then planned, getting home just on time for the school bus to arrive.

Those Carefee Days of Summer Are Gone...

I'm beginning to feel the crunch of school and deadlines. I'm wondering how it'll all get done. I am spinning so many plates right now. Many are getting neglected. I'm sure that I could probably organize my time better so that I could spin them all more efficiently. My house is really going downhill fast as far as neatness goes. I have so many memos from the schools of my children tacked up on the bulletin board. There are fees to be to pay and forms to fill out and papers to write and a sign to paint and laundry to do and meetings to attend and books to read and cross country meets to go to and stories to tell and schools to contact and go to....
I think you're getting the picture. Tomorrow I am going to the local public library to return 20 children's books and I am going to check out about 20 more I think. On Friday I went to an elementary school in Geneva to observe in a library. I loved being there. On Tuesday I will go to another elementary school here in my town. On Friday I will go to a middle school. Next week I will go to at least one high school.

Meanwhile...my house is getting messier and messier by the minute. I can't stand it, but don't have the time to devote to really clean it the way it needs to be.

The Pig

The pig is not a nervous beast;
He never worries in the least.
He lives in tranquil life unshaken,
And when he dies brings home the bacon.

(Roland Young)

I know...you are all thinking, "Priscilla, that's sick!" Just thought I'd share one of the many pictures we took of animals at the fair a few weeks ago!

Me I Am!

I have been tagged by Kim.
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. List 6 random facts about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
5. Let each person know they've been tagged by commenting on their blog
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog

1. I love poetry....particularly silly rhymes.
2. I'm really enjoying being a graduate student...even though it is a bit stressful.
3. I don't really have time for blogging right now in my life.
4. I am going to bake cookies with Alicia tonight because I love her and said I would do it.
5. Tomorrow I am visiting a school library in the city of Geneva.
6. I am very rebellious and refuse to do numbers 4, 5, and 6.

So there you have it!

Eating

Eating! One of those activities that brings people together. What is it about food that bonds people? Yesterday I had to go to a meeting at the University of Buffalo for a class I am taking. I was in a room full of people I didn't know. We took notes and listened to the instructor, asked questions and jotted down more notes. The meeting ended at noon. Perfect time for lunch. A bunch of us decided to go out to lunch together.

By the end of lunch, we were laughing like old friends and some of us even exchanged phone numbers. It was nice to put a face to the names I have seen on my online courses.

I just love these pictures of Allen and Alicia at the state fair eating BLT sandwiches. We had become separated from Audra and Jamie...so we ate without them. Alicia and I shared a sandwich since they were pretty big.

I think I need to do lunch more often with friends. I've been feeling a bit separated from them lately.

First Day Back

Today is the first day of school here in town. Now I have two middle schoolers.

Everyone seemed excited (but not to have their pictures taken necessarily). I didn't have to drag anyone out of bed this morning. I didn't have to nag everyone to "hurry" or "brush your teeth"...everyone seemed anxious to do that on their own. No worries about leaving on time or missing the bus this morning. *sigh* Some things never last long.
Only one left in the elementary school.

Meadows

I finished one of the signs for a friend's B&B yesterday. She named her two guest rooms: one Meadows and the other Sunrise. I like how it turned out, but this photo does not do it justice. It looks a lot better in "real life".

Allen stayed over night at Sam's house yesterday and the two of them went to "Rheinlick" to get a bite to eat. They were pretty excited to check out Gudl's restaurant. He's still at Sam's so I haven't gotten a report yet. I can't wait to go there too!

The Three Sisters-Authentically American

Here we are...the three sisters. Corn, Squash and Beans. What I am refering to here of course is something everyone who grew up in NY State and studied the Iroquios Indians should know about. The rest of you will be naturally confused...but that's ok. I'll give you a hint. Anyway...we had fun at Martha's house. We saw Jim, who was home from Minnesota and we ate lots of food...and just generally enjoyed one another's company. And even though Rachel's "German Potato Salad" is not really authentically German(see Rachel's post and comments), I like it anyway. I had two helpings. What American Labor Day picnic would be complete without hot dogs and hamburgers....and corn on the cob? Baked beans are always welcome too...and squash. Like Zuchini. Not all of it was there...but it was authentically American. We are American and we like it that way. LOL! I'm just having fun with this post.
I hope all of my friends reading here had a wonderful Labor Day...even if you are not authentically American. Love to you all!

Son of a Future Librarian

It has been a busy week. It was the last full week of summer before school starts for the kids. We took them to the New York State Fair on Thursday. Yesterday was the annual Crosswinds 5k...which we all took part in (ouch, I'm sore!), and last night was the ring of fire around Canandaigua Lake. I have been also busy doing school work. One of the courses I am taking is a Children's Literature course. This week I checked out every Caldecott Award winning book that was possible to check out from our library from the years between 1980 and present day. Caldecott Awards are meant to honor the artists who illustrated a particular book. So I have been reading some great picture books with wonderful illustrations like "Kitten's First Full Moon", "The Polar Express", and "Owl Moon." I must have checked out at least 15 books and put several on reserve. And of course no graduate work is made complete without doing some write up of some sort. Luckily, it is not too bad. I must pick 5 of these books and write a short summary and evaluation of each. I have 3 done already.
That is all for now. I'll end with these words-"Go read a book!!!"

College Chick!

I don't have a picture for today's post. This is a picture that Allen took two weeks ago. I like it. It looks so....serene!
I got to UB in plenty of time for my class. In fact, I had time to spare so I bought a bowl of soup and a roll at the student union. It felt so strange to be there all alone. During my last classes I rode to school with two other women. I missed Libby and Kathy! I didn't know a soul and everyone I saw looked like an undergraduate. I felt a little out of place, but the soup tasted good at least! LOL!
Finally it was time to go to my class, 17 Clemens Hall. (named after Samuel Clemens...or Mark Twain). I couldn't find my room number! I still had about 5 minutes to spare, so I wasn't panicking yet. I found 117 and thought maybe I had made a mistake...so I hung out there a while. No people. Just a dark, empty classroom. Then I saw Libby! She is taking the same class. She couldn't find the class either. I said, "Do you think it might be in the basement?" We went to the elevators and pressed "B"...and sure enough, found our class. I didn't know the place had a basement. I would have expected catecombs and maybe a boiler. Who knew?
Dr. Kimble seemed cool. She seems pretty laid back and has a good sense of humor. I don't think she will be too difficult to get along with. We went over the syllabus. There is a lot of reading and a lot of writing. I will be spinning a lot of plates. (incidently, in the syllabus Dr. Kimble mentioned that she hates the term "a lot"...and doesn't want to see it in a paper...uh oh!!!!!!!) I'm taking 2 other classes as well...so who knows how often I will be here blogging. Anyway, 20 minutes into the class a guy named William came in. He couldn't find the class. Go figure!
After class, Libby and I went to Starbucks to tank up on caffiene for the drive home. She lives in Batavia, so has a shorter drive...but then again, she is pregnant so is tired a lot. (there goes "a lot" again!) We saw Tracy who is another LIS major. He recognized us as LIS students and talked a bit with us. I was wide awake for the drive home. In fact, I was bit wired. An hour and a half later, I was home. Too wired up to go to bed...even though it was after 11. What did I do? Check the blog of course! I also read another syllabus from another class that I will be taking on line.
Thanks for all of your encouraging comments!

First Day Jitters

I will be leaving in about 2 hours for my first class at UB for the fall semester. I don't really have jitters...but I liked the sound for the title. These are the pillars by Lake LaSalle that is on my campus. I'll let ya know how it went tomorrow. I'll be getting home late! It's a good hour and a half drive. I'll be loading up on coffee before the drive home.

Photo by Kathy

More Beautiful Baby Feet

This is Kaidin. He is such a beautiful baby....which doesn't surprise me. When Jamie and I got married, Kaidin's mother, Kelly was just a little girl. I remember thinking that she was beautiful. Kaidin's grandma, Nancy adopted Kelly from Korea. Now Kelly is 21, married, and has a baby of her own.

Nancy was babysitting her grandson while Kelly and Kaidin's Daddy went on a tour of the local wineries. I wanted to take pictures of Kaidin's feet because I think baby feet are just so precious. Kaidin thought I was a little weird, but Nancy didn't.

Old Grafiti

This is a picture of some very old grafiti along the Watkin's Glenn Gorge. Some things like this just entertain me.

On Monday night I start classes again...working towards that Master's Degree in Library Science. Kind of looking forward to it, but also nervous about all the work involved. I started reading two of my textbooks already. Since I am taking on-line courses, I was able to see what I needed to do and start with some basic things. For one of the classes, I can't really start anything until after my first meeting and the start of public schools. I will be doing quite a bit of field work at area schools. Sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into, and then all I need to do is clean another toilet or scrub another floor at someone else's house and then I remember. I'm more than ready to move up in the world!

Grad School Quickly Approaching

Summer is really going by fast. It doesn't seem possible that it is drawing to a close so soon. In less than a week, I start grad classes again. I'm just as nervous this time as last time. Can I do this? How will I balance being a mom, wife, homemaker with being a student? Can I spin all the plates?
AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

You Never Know Who Might Show Up Around Here

Yesterday, we found out that "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" is demolishing and building a new home in Geneva, NY. Today my husband happened to have the day off, so we hopped in the car and traveled the 17 miles to Geneva to check it out. We joined the crowd of onlookers behind the fences across the street. It was kind of fun and interesting. The white house in the back ground will be demolished tomorrow. The family has been sent to Cancun for the week. Today the crew was demolishing a barn on the premises.

Ty and the rest of the Design Team were not on sight. (Just all the people who actually do most of the work.) Today they were emptying the house. I'm sure that Ty will be here on sight tomorow with his bull horn and video camera.

Jamie got a chance to talk with one of the sight managers for the show who told him that quite often the show is working on 2 houses at the same time. Ty is actually on sight down in Arkansas today for another house and will fly in to upstate NY tonight. We also learned that Extreme Makeover does free cosmetic work on surrounding houses just so they all look nice on camera...and also to make it up to them for the inconvenience of crowds of people trampling their lawns, closing down their street, construction workers all night, etc. They will even put a new roof on the neighbor's house if they think it necessary.

From what I understand, this show will focus on a family that helps kids stay off the streets. (Geneva can be a rough town) The man is a guidance counselor at the high school, but also runs a school for boxing. The show is supposed to air some time in November.