Thunder!

I didn't sit down to write about rain, but just as I started -- THUNDER!!  And rain!!  Every little bit will help our poor dry land.  I've been watering the grass all day (I have about 4 hours to go to finish it all.)  They said on the news last week that we are about 25" short of rain from this time last year.  We'll blow away before long.  I was walking in the back of the playground last week and was shocked!  The ground is deeply cracked, and the concrete that holds up the fence posts are almost completely uncovered where the soil has blown away.  You can see almost a foot of the re-bar that holds the landscape timbers surrounding the playground.  Huge amounds of soil has blown away.  Yikes.

We've had quite a bit of exciting news since school has resumed.  Sarah is expecting our third grandchild in May!  We are so thrilled to have a new grand-baby!  God is so good.

Jacob ordered his class ring last week - TAMUK class of 2012!  He's worked so hard and we're really proud that he's able to graduate in 3 years.  He also has a lead on a job as Assistant Farm Manager after graduation.  It's too early to know yet, but I'm really excited that he has a lead this early in the process.  He's busy thinking about 21st birthday activities.  Time goes by so fast.

As for me, as hard as I've been trying to be fit and healthy, I took my first dose of Lipitor today :(  But Allan says it's the best thing.  I hate having to take medicine though. 

School is going pretty good.  I've been able to maintain my staying aheadness.  lol.  I am almost finished with all my lesson plans for the second grading period, and I'm keeping up with my copying for the week ahead.  So far so good.  Not behind in grading.  This MUST be a record.

Allan and I continue to do fun things together.  We have started going to the TAMUK volleyball games.  We don't really know much about volleyball, but are having a blast learning.  It's really fast paced and fun to watch.  We went to see "The Help" last night, and it was a GREAT movie...friends we went with have read the book and said it wasn't like the book, but either way, it was good!

Spring Break!

Wow, it's been a month since my last post...I was doing so good there for a while. lol.  The weeks have flown by.  So, so busy.  Work wise, I've been in the middle of a crazy AR reading contest which is thankfully over!  BTW, our school came out in FIRST place in the nation.  Then last week was Lutheran School Week which means a busy week of activities - fun but exhausting.  Now for a break.

There are a few things I want to do this week:
1.  Wash all the curtains in the house.
2.  Trap all animals to give them spring flea treatments.
3.  Scrapbook the photos taken thus far in 2011 (although I'm not feeling in the scrapbook mood yet)
4.  Finish the books I'm in the middle of.
5.  If the sun comes out, try to lessen the pasty white of a stay-at-home that I am right now.

So far, I've completed on book, and have seen two movies.  A trip to Corpus is planned for tomorrow - movie and a meeting for Allan.

Book Review:  Whiplash by Catherine Coulter.  This one took me about 3 weeks because as I said, life has been busy.  It was a great story, one of my favorites.  I love Sherlock and Savich, and they were great in this book.  They were working on two jobs at once, and a few new characters were introduced.  The new characters show potential for showing up in future stories.  Story #1 involved a US Senator who was seeing his late wife's ghost outside his window.  Savich's physic abilities helped to solve this mystery.  Story #2 involved a drug company, a murder, and Germans.  A really good read.  (A)

Movies:
Red Riding Hood - stinker.  Allan thought it was terrible, but I was a bit intrigued trying to figure out who the werewolf was.  (C-)

Adjustment Bureau - very intriguing.  We both enjoyed this movie.  Lots of thought provoking ideas about free will.  (A-)

On the list for tomorrow:  Cedar Rapids

Snow Days

That's right...you read it correctly...snow days in South Texas!  Unfortunately for the child that I am inside, there was no snow.  Only a little ice.  Not even sleet that you could scoop up and throw at someone.  Sigh.

Ice on the old oak tree

Check out those monster icicles

Palm leaves

That was about it for our winter storm of 2011.

But even though I didn't have actual snow to play in on my snow days, they were still a blast.  We went out for breakfast both days (plus this morning!)  Thursday went to see a movie:  The Mechanic.  This was, as my dad would have said, a womp stomper.  Lots of silly action.  But all in all a fun movie.  Worth the $6 we paid to see it.

Friday, we spent the day in Corpus.  Saw TWO movies in the big city theater.  First was The King's Speech.  Wow!  Great movie about a great king.  Excellent in every way.  And fun seeing the three Harry Potter cast members in something different.  Worth every penny of the $10 we paid.  The seats were super comfortable and even rocked.  Nice.

Then, a quick lunch at Rudy's Bar-b-que which was delicious.

Finally, Black Swan.  ICK.  Didn't like it - at- all!  I didn't really know much about this movie going in, and I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.  Very disturbing movie.  I guess it was well acted and all, but did NOT like it.  I'd like to have the $15.50  back on this one.

So, now we've seen half of the Oscar nominated movies.  Still would love to see Toy Story 3.  Maybe renting it next week?

House is clean, clothes almost all clean and put away, big pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup in the fridge to reheat, and my Kindle awaits me.

Spring Break Part 1

Boy do I love Spring Break. It's so nice to have time at home to do whatever...to NOT think about school or work. As day 2 is coming to an end, I have to say it's been wonderful.

First, spring cleaning chores completed: I have washed bedding and curtains in both our bedroom and Jacob's. I have cleaned both bathrooms, and hung a new and unmoldy shower curtain liner in Jacob's shower. Still need a new shower caddie - maybe tomorrow. I have dusted almost all the rooms, and cleaned windows in our bedroom and bathroom.

I have tanned once, exercised twice and almost finished reading a book I started weeks ago. We watched some excellent television, most notably episode one of "The Pacific." I thought this was excellent although Allan and Jacob didn't think it was as good as "Band of Brothers." Big Bang Theory was a repeat last night, but an excellent one with Wil Wheaton (which we know from a Family Guy episode - lol)

My most wonderful husband, who thinks he must keep me entertained even though it is his busiest time of year at work, has taken me to two - yes two - movies.

First,
Cop Out. Saw this yesterday. It was pretty entertaining. Bruce Willis can play this part with his eyes closed. There was lots of effing language, but oddly not in an offensive way. Several really funny scenes. It didn't always flow quite right, but was worth the viewing. There's a new Hispanic actress we haven't seen before that looks a lot like Selma Hayek. She was fun to watch. Sean William Scott was hilarious as always. Plus I think I saw Kelly Ripa's hubby in one scene.



Next,
She's out of My League. We saw this this afternoon. Actually was pleasantly surprised. Pretty funny. Jacob saw it Friday and thought it was hilarious, which usually means I won't like it because it will probably be disgusting. lol. I was expecting lots more crude humor and was pleasantly surprised. Allan says it is a total fantasy - that girl would NEVER be interested in that guy. She is gorgeous - like a younger Reece Witherspoon. And even though the guy looks like a young Tom Hanks in the poster, he looks nothing like him in the movie. All in all, likable group of actors and fairly amusing.

FYI - 1 minute is too long to heat a tablespoon of butter in the microwave to melt it without exploding it all over the microwave. sigh.

Edge of Darkness

We went to see this on Friday movie night. Had read reviews that it was pretty good, but that it didn't compare to the BBC Miniseries that it was based on. That miniseries must be pretty darn good, because this movie was great. Our only complaint was with the sound. Part of this is our small town theater (the speakers were actually buzzing during dialogue, I think), and part is our not 100% hearing capabilities. Some might have been the movie itself. Other sounds were plenty loud, but dialogue was not so good some of the time. Mel Gibson did a good job with this role, not acted as frantically as many of his roles in similar films. His daughter is killed on his front porch, and it is assumed that someone was trying to kill him (he is a Boston police detective.) He soon suspects that is not the case. No spoilers here, so you'll just have to go and see for yourself. Rated R, but the violence is not horribly graphic (although I closed my eyes twice just in case:) Language is a small problem, but not enough to make you crazy.

Julie and Julia

Went to see "Julie & Julia" yesterday. We've been waiting for weeks, and it was worth the wait. I'd read the book back in 2006 when it was published and loved it. The movie was excellent! Meryl Streep - what can you say. . . she was superb as she is in everything. For those of us who remember Julia Child, she was a carbon copy. Everything was well acted. It was funny, heart-warming, tender...all good. Well worth the price of admission ($3 each for us - thank you budget-friendly Kingsville theater!)



Now for other news. . . our grandson, Josia, is scheduled to make his appearance Monday the 17th! We can hardly wait to meet him:)

I've gone and burned the hummingbird food and now the house is smelling aweful! It's all the computer's fault.

Allan has helped me arrange the furniture in my classroom, so now all that's left is putting up the decorations, making the first lesson plans, and organizing books and stuff. Not a bad start for day one.

Found out today that Jacob got another scholarship for $3,500 - could NOT be more pleased!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

What a great day! We went to see the sixth installment of the Harry Potter movies. We've been anticipating it for weeks. We watched each of the previous five movies, one each day for the last 5 days. The Half-Blood Prince was worth the wait. It was excellent. Lots of humor, to counter the drama and scary parts. Of course, for anyone who has read the book, there will be no real surprises. Big shocks for those who haven't read the book. Ron and Hermoine's interaction is wonderfully acted, and Ginny's character really shines in this movie. Draco is wonderfully evil, yet your heart feels for him and his situation. The special effects are 'brilliant.' Especially the opening sequences almost made me queasy. Every one of the 155 minutes of this film is worth sitting in the theater. Sit back and enjoy!

Charlie Bit Me

For my long awaited return, I've chosen this youtube video, which for some reason makes me chuckle. I wish I knew how to put the screen itself on, which many of you do, but I just don't have that much blog smarts.

I know it's been forever since my last post, it seems that way anyway. I just haven't been able to get motivated to blog. As I told my mother several weeks ago...things in our house have been outstanding, but it seems like once we step outside things fall apart. It's been a very busy, and often sad, time -- these last few months. It's hard to even know where to begin.

Our German friend Markus has safely returned home to Germany. His family and friends are thrilled to have him home. It was such a pleasure to get to know him, and have him share our home.

Jacob finished the year ranked 8th in his class. He went right to work the Monday after school was out. He is working as a cotton breeder. He and two other men keep the weeds out, cross pollinate the cotton plants, and later will harvest their hybrid cotton to obtain seeds for next year. He enjoys being outside, the nice hours (no weekends, 30-40 hrs/week), it's close to home (gas = $$), and the wage is good.

Our good friend who was battling cancer went to be with the Lord July 4th. She was such a blessing to our family, and the faith, bravery, and courage that she faced her illness with was incredible to see. Here is a picture of my great boys at her memorial service.
Our good friend, David, Jacob, and her grandson -- Jacob's best friend -- Paeton

Speaking of David, his mother is also very ill with cancer. She is out of town receiving treatment, and David is living with us. (Currently he is with her until school begins, and then he will return to our house.) He's an awesome young man, and now occupies Sarah's/Markus' room.

We took a quick trip to check out some colleges and also to visit our families in Ft. Worth. We walked around A&M, UTA, UNT, TCU, and UT. Jacob is still headed for Aggie-town unless something changes once school begins. We had a great visit with our families, Jacob checked out the July 4th fireworks, and was very impressed. His Grampy surprised him by putting together a complete Craftsmen tool set for his truck. Was he ever thrilled.

I've read several books while on vacation: Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich; Phantom Prey, by John Sandford; Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child; and Barefoot, by Elin Hilderbrand. Fearless Fourteen was terrific - introduced several new characters --A+. Barefoot was very well written. The subject matter hit a little too close to home, not a feel good summer read. The other two books were worth reading, since I love Lucas Davenport and Jack Reacher, but nothing spectacular about them.

We've been to see several movies: Indiana Jones; Wanted; Get Smart; Wall-E. All were good, but Get Smart was probably my favorite of the four. Watched Live Free or Die Hard last night - we've had this movie since Christmas and just watched it (you can tell how often we watch movies at home:) Loved it - definitely one of the better ones.

Our granddaughter had her first birthday. She is such an angel. Very beautiful and sweet. She took to us right away - very friendly and good tempered. Sarah had us over and she fixed the best meal: chicken Parmesan, pasta, salad, bread and of course birthday cake. Everything was so tasty - we were stuffed. It was great to get to see them all again.

I don't know what else to write. Maybe more later??

I Know....I Know.....I Know

I know I missed my weekend post. AND I know it's almost the weekend again already (yipee). But this has been a crazy time. First, my reviews:

"Where Angels Go," by Debbie Macomber. This is a delightful book. It appears that she has written other books, and I'm definitely looking for them at the library. My friend, Susan, had checked this out last week, and gave it to me to read. (She is having a heart attack about now because it's due tomorrow and she knows I rarely return a book on time - but I'll take it by after school tomorrow:) It is a Christmas story about the guardian angels Shirley, Goodness and Mercy and their assignments that Gabriel gives them for the week leading up to Christmas. Apparently they tend to get into a bit of trouble every time they're sent to Earth. It's fairly theologically OK, and just a beautiful story. A++

"Nim's Island" Allan and I went to see this last Friday, and WOW. This is a great adventure movie. It is creative, funny, sensitive, well acted...we just loved this movie. Two weekends -- two great movies. Probably be months before that happens again!

At school, I've been buried in achievement tests and testing. Last week we tested every day. Because we're a small school, the teachers score their own tests, and do all the results themselves. This is a brain numbing/back breaking job. There are chart after chart of tiny numbers and columns and rows that all have to be kept just so. But it's done now and I am currently half way through parent conferences.

Our niece was confirmed in Fort Worth the Sunday after Easter, and I just got her gift in the mail today. I hate not being able to be at such important events. Since we've been here, we've missed one high school graduation, and 3 confirmations. It makes me sad. She is an awesome young lady...terrific student...amazing ballerina...and a very serious and devout Christian. We love her to pieces.

The biggest news of all: My wonderful friend - who lives in New Orleans - her mother has been very ill for the past month with cancer. We have prayed for her since we met ten years ago that she would know the love that Christ has for her. My friend spoke some pointed words to her mother several years ago, which has been in the back of her mind all this time. Her mother called Allan Monday and said told him she wanted to learn about Christ, join the church and be baptised (I'm tearing up yet again just typing this). Tomorrow, she's being baptised at her home with her close friends nearby. She is positively glowing with the love of Christ. Needless to say, my friend is crazy happy and thankful to God for his answering of prayers. Amen.

Post Austin...Various Reviews

We had a great time in Austin. The weather was a bit dreary, with clouds and some rain, so no pool time. Allan thought the speakers were awesome, and I enjoyed lazing around. I finished a book, watched a movie and took several very long naps. We walked around 6th Street on Tuesday night, ate at a terrific restaurant, and enjoyed the sights. We peeked in an almost empty Coyote Ugly bar, laughed at the Modeling agency/Chinese massage sign, took in the beautiful capital building at night and checked out all the groovy UT students walking around campus.

I finished reading "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon. As always, her book about Father Tim returning to his home town was terrific. She is a wonderful storyteller. I often wonder if she is a PK, or what connection she has to pastors, because in all the books, she gets it just right. This is a terrific book. Tim goes back to his home town, looking for someone who wrote him a letter simply saying "Come Home." While there he meets new people, and finds old acquaintances. The story is filled with flashbacks of things that have happened to him as a child. Wonderful book! If you're not familiar with this author, start at the beginning and be prepared for wonderful stories.

While at the hotel, I brought a DVD of "The Guardian" with Kevin Costner and Aston Kutcher. I had wanted to see this when it first came out, and Jacob has watched it several times. I haven't liked Costner in a movie in years, but he was good in this movie. The movie had a "Heartbreak Ridge" feel about it for much of the movie. I thought it was a great movie, and am glad I finally watched it. Well worth the time spent at the desk.

Allan and I went to see "21" Friday night. Being a math wiener, I had to see this movie. In our local paper, it got 2 1/2 stars, but I thought it was much better than that. Here's a movie about Las Vegas - no nudity - amazing! It was really good and we had a good time watching it. Jacob went to see it last night and he liked it too. Check it out!

Markus went on a day trip to Mexico with other exchange students yesterday, and seemed to have a great time. He's had a bit of allergy problems, but hopefully he's on the mend.

Jacob spent yesterday at the local airshow - checked out the blue angels and all the other planes. That means that today he has spent doing all the homework he didn't do on Saturday:)

We do our achievement tests this week. I'm nervous. Maybe they'll do good...

Classroom and Life Update

OK, here they are, the before pictures. Piles and piles of things that I don't know what they are, or where they should go. I took Jacob and his friend Zach on Tuesday to move all the heavy things around. (Zach had some good suggestions for where things should go) Zach hooked up the computers, and both boys cleaned the bottoms of the desks with bleach and set them up in groups of 2. I have worked all week (except for Thursday - we had a funeral which took up most of the day). I'm pleased with where I am, but not nearly ready. And of course, I've not even begun to look at the actual books and plan anything yet *yikes*. I have thrown away LOTS of - yes I'll say it - JUNK. It seems that every teacher who has used this room brought every bit of educational things they owned, and then felt the need to leave it for the next people. Do I need a filing cabinet full of memeograph materials?? (I don't even know how to spell that, much less use it!)

I came home yesterday afternoon to a house full of teenagers. Jacob and 5 friends were hanging out around the computer. We grilled some steaks, new potatoes w/rosemary, tomatoes, corn w/lime & cayenne with ice cream for desert. Also watched Disturbia with them. Really good movie...scary and funny and suspenseful, but nothing horribly gross. Jacob said it was too scary for me, but I liked it (It's no Rear Window, but pretty good for a teen version).

Today I've been busy catching up on the weeks chores...between working each day, and the added work of the funeral, all chores since Tuesday have been put on the back burner. Three more loads of laundry, and I'll be totally caught up, hopefully to stay on schedule next week.

I'll post my after pictures when the room is complete!

Bourne Ultimatum / HP & the Deathly Hallows

Wow, what a great entertainment day! We went this afternoon to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Fantastic! As my dad would've said - a real womp-stomper! The movie never slows down, it's one mad and terrific race to the finish. OK, 2 things might be a bit unrealistic *smirk*. #1 Why if the guy standing between the bomb and the man in the car isn't injured is the guy in the car dead? #2 How does anyone walk away from that car chase?? Great movie, A+

Now, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - don't look here for a spoiler. But what an amazing book. I can't begin to express how sad I am that this was the last installment in Harry's life. I have enjoyed these books so much. My son was 11 (Harry's age in book #1) when the first book was published. He has grown up with Harry, Ron and Hermoine. He is not a reader, but reads these books (all 700+ pages of them) from cover to cover. This last book does not disappoint. The characters are heroic, faithful, devoted (to each other and their cause.) If you've not read the books, now is the time to start. Enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was awesome! We saw it last night (OK, not the first night, but almost.) Although it was impossible to include everything in the book, as usual they did an amazing job. The thing about all these movies that moves me is that they have completely captured - exactly - how I have imagined the scenes in my mind. The new characters were excellent, and the returning characters were brilliant as always. It was a bit darker than the last movie, and had some scary parts that might frighten little ones. 5+ stars!

Ratatouille

We took Grandmother to see what may have been the very first movie she's seen in a theater. Went to see "Ratatouille." It was a great movie! Very funny, and since I love to cook, neat to see the animation of the cooking. Grandmother laughed out loud on more than one occasion. Great fun for all ages - a must see.

Evan Almighty

Allan and I went to see "Evan Almighty" last night. It was really good - nothing objectionable - great for the whole family. I love his assistant - she always plays a great role. Lots of sight gags and funny lines. I think I liked "Bruce Almighty" better, but this one was worth the trip to the theater.

Shrek 3

We went to see Shrek 3 this afternoon. It was good, and I have a feeling that like the others, every time you see it you see something you missed the time before. It wasn't as good as I was expecting, because Jacob loved it - said he laughed all through it. I loved Mr. Merlin's shoes :) Absolutely worth the 2 $3 tickets.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3

We went to the movies this afternoon with Jacob and 2 of his friends to see "Pirates of the Caribbean 3." (Last day of school *sigh*) I can barely remember the first movie, and I remember the second movie I thought was terrible - none of it made sense or seemed to even go together. This movie was definitely better than #2. It was long, but I really didn't notice myself thinking it was long. The plot seemed to flow and everything seemed connected, but I still didn't understand it. Why are they fighting the fish people if they're already dead - how do you kill a dead person? I love, love, love Johnny Depp in this role - he is outstanding, but not enough of him this time. Loved Keith Richards! Still don't like the crazy talking lady whom I can't understand a word she says. It's a must-see movie for the summer, I'm glad we went, and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Next up: Shrek 3 and Spiderman 3.

Rear Window

We rented this last night to watch before seeing Disturbia. My 16 year old had never even heard of it! What a classic. I like in the old movies how they don't feel the need to rush through it, and take the time to build in some background. I don't remember this movie originally in color. Grace Kelly was STUNNING. Jacob really liked the movie - although he couldn't pick out any one thing that made it so good. Nice to see that good films stand up over generations.

The Shooter

Just returned from the movies. Our power went off at 1:45 and was expected to be back on at 5 so we decided to go to the movies. We go to some movies, but not all the time. This afternoon, we saw "The Shooter" with Mark Walberg. Gotta say, it was pretty good. I was afraid of a lot of gore (not my favorite thing) but even though lots of heads got shot, it was a long shot and not really too offensive. The movie reminded me of the Lee Child books about Jack Reacher, which I love. The girl in the movie I'd never heard of, but she was great, and I LOVE how she talks. My only complaint was that the dialogue should have been a bit louder since I had trouble understanding a lot of the lines. Definitely not for the kids as there was some bad language at the end, but a good outing for grownups!