It's Finally Cold!

B and M finally met there cousin this week, and were they excited! So excited they for one quick second thought they wanted their very own!

This morning when we finally got out of bed it was 34 degrees! YAY!!!! We have been waiting for cooler weather! The high today will be in the low sixties!

Where Does the Day GO?

The Blue Angels are in town this weekend, so from the driveway we were able to watch the "east" side of their show! You forget how loud one Blue Angel is let alone 6! The girls absolutely love it, but not enough that they wanted to truck across the river to watch.

Meanwhile, I have also worked on a paper today that is about to drive me insane! It has about 6 parts, and only about 1/2 are really through! Can you believe we are already finishing up week 8, and there are only 15 in the semester! It is almost over, I mean November is next Saturday.
I was looking on-line at pictures of Franklin today to see if there would be any leaves left for our Thanksgiving visit- I don't know, but I think it will still be neat to walk around and see property and anticipate what it would be like to live there.

Our new favorite store for clothes for M and B! Everything fits and is APPROPRIATE!! M is so good about starting HW when she gets to my room in the afternoon! She has about 30 minutes from when she is dismissed until we actually leave (Most days anyway!)

B received a new Junie B Jones book Saturday, and when she came into my room yesterday, she sat down and immediately started to READ!

The Weekend!

Sometimes you need to just get away! Other than the four hours I spent at School Saturday that is exactly what I did this weekend! No schoolwork (personal or job!), no housework, and no yard work! We really just hung out as a family and enjoyed each other with no chores to interfere! This morning I felt a little overwhelmed, but hey, it will get done!


B had a solo this Sunday at church... this was during practice (so, during her actual Solo her friends weren't looking at her!) By the way, that is my Sunday School Class, but I am not their choir director! Can't you tell how happy M is to be here? Needless to say we will reshoot these pictures another day!

Lots and Lots of pumpkins at the 2nd Festival!

B again got to go for a ride! I have not seen a ride like this in a long time!

Equal time in front of the camera, even though M wasn't too excited, I did take multiple pictures of her!

What a weekend! The weather finally changed somewhat here in Florida- It was actually about 70 degrees all weekend, and last night when we were leaving our 2nd Fall Festival it was 65 degrees! And yes, in the pictures M is in shorts - (BUT, she does have on a jacket!)

Continue to think good things,....

Sometimes we have a hard time trusting God's plan for us. What may seem impossible for us, is not impossible for God. We also continue to get things confused - our personal plans vs. HIS plans for us. To help us follow HIS plan, we should obey what he tells us, and ask God for help and trusting him to answer! On a lighter note, this week I know God doesn't mind the house is a little out of wack, and the school work will be a little intense, - I know that good things will happen, and the GOOD plans for me have already been laid!

God says, "Be quiet and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10.

Is there really a Plan B

Today's bible study lesson really made me reflect on my past and ponder my future. Jeremiah 29:11-14 says that "I say this because I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray and I will listen to you. You will search for me. (And here is the critical part) And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! I will let you find me" says the Lord.
It really resonated with me thinking back about all the Plan B's and C's I have taken in life. It has been pretty crooked at times, very rarely straight and narrow! Sometimes very happily, and others not so. Thinking now about those times, had I just prayed and "fully" paid attention to God it would have been so much clearer. Sometimes my prayers have been kind of "Hey God, by the way...." rather than sitting still and listening for a response. I find we get so busy in our self, that we forget we are not in control. As I read this I thought, WOW - I need to pray for patience with the world (my own family included) as sometimes I just get so frustrated with situations. I should not- because I should know that God has good plans for me!" I guess when I think about "plans" they have to be meticulously laid out, I'm a list person, I want the plan start to finish. Sort of like the child at Christmas that sees the wrapped gift, knows that it belongs to them, but just has to know what is in the box! So this week, I am going to ask God to help me slow down, to help me talk with Him, and most importantly to help me listen to Him, and pray fully to Him as we enter a period of change in our lives. He knows our plans, now we must listen so we can know them as well.

Tuesday evening Post...

It's getting late and everyone is in bed (dogs included) and yet here I still sit pounding out more papers- It would be interesting to know how many papers I have written for school since 1992- I wonder if I would now claim those simplistic papers of the past!

I do have some pretty awesome teachers this term... here is my latest comment from one:



This is an excellent paper. You were able to glean the major concepts of both articles and did a good job summarizing them both. You noted the similarities and differences of the articles in reference to learning organizations. You discussed well what you learned and shared elements you found most inspiring. You organized this paper well. You utilized proper use of grammar, high level of vocabulary and graduate quality writing. You integrated well supportive research and you formatted this paper appropriately. Content 10/10 Writing quality 6/6 APA style 4/4 Total 20/20



It is little messages like this that keep me going! This term alone there are 9 papers yet to write, for a total of about 200 pages with no less of about 100 "new" references! When I finish my last class next April, I know I will look back and think this struggle was worth it- or at least that is what everyone is telling me...



I am excited to think about the what if's of this degree- They say in our field that the Doctorate is the creme de' la' creme- and I am not talking about the nonfat skinny kind for all you Starbucks folks out there! Of course, once it's registered behind my name I am sure my Type A personality will then stress about what type of job I should have, vs. the one that makes me only work 186 days a year...... go figure! I mean who can give up those summers off and all the great travel! I just don't know if I could find a job that would give me that much space and freedom.



Funny 5th grade story from today, then I have to run ... (no pun intended)

Two 5th grade boys are talking about Great White Sharks and Killer Whales (only because we talked about Proper nouns today, any other day it would have been sharks and whales, but you get the point) They get into this rather long conversation about whether or not a Great White Shark would run from a Killer Whale.. it gets them kind of going for 5th grade boys, (you know they then start calling for back-up and second opinions) when finally one of my 5th grade boys looks at both of them and says quite literally "Run?, did you say run away, don't you mean swim away, I mean how can a shark run in water?" You just have to love their minds!



Final thought-

Use your mouth to bring joy, peace, and happiness into the lives of others. Thank others for their friendship. Encourage those who are struggling. Tell others of your love for them. Most of all,use your words to praise God throughout

"Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This widsom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living"

- James 3: 16-18

A Big Step!

"But the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord will show him that he can be trusted" - Jeremiah 17: 7 Yep- that is our house up for sale! We will be patient, as we wait for our next big move! We know in time it will all work out! But it was kind of exciting to paint and get the house ready this weekend! It is just amazing how much "stuff" you accumulate over the years! We have taken about six months to clean out closets, drawers, and the garage! No telling how long we will be on the market, but it is our first big step, for our next BIG move! We can't wait to get to Franklin for Thanksgiving to see the place and all the land and housing options that will be available to us. I'm just excited to see a change of season!

M came home from church and put on her pajamas- She made it clear she was done!
She even tried a Cuban sandwich (minus the cheese!)

B dressed herself today after church- a combo look here- the shirt from summer musical, the shoes from dance recital, and the skort from summer! I am not sure

why one sock is up and the other is down- And the way she tucked in that shirt! All to go to Taco Bell to get chips and cheese! We don't give her that liberty for church dressing yet!

I found this stash of goodies for M at Publix today- Dairy Free - and SHE LIKES IT! It is difficult to find stuff that is pre-made that actually tastes good without dairy, but she seems to like this. It is a big change from Popsicles for her.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, according to Food TV now is the time to start planning and collecting items for your Thanksgiving meal- This year will be the first time we don't cook! I think Honey Baked will do just fine!

Enjoy the week!

Great Ramblings!

Lilo and Stitch are finally free to roam the house! Lilo (Golden) is 3 and boy what a difference 3 makes. (Stitch is 4.) Now they follow me everywhere and take up residence right beside me.
B came home today and started reading her book - Junie B. Jones

M came home from school and started reading too! Yes, that is her feet propped "up" on the couch! This is her 17th book (that she finished shortly after this picture) of her 25 book yearly goal! She is determined to read 25 books by October 23! She will still read, but wants the freedom to pick and read what she wishes.

We went to the community Fall Festival at Baymeadows Community Church this weekend. We saw lots of school friends. This is my coteacher Liz's church. She was handling the pony rides.

After the Fall Festival we went to Panzones Italian restaurant. They are one of our new school business partners! We had great food there. Of course M can have no cheese, but she does like a pepperoni pizza with NO cheese! B eats her pepperoni pizza with cheese !

They both liked this "new" place to eat. It is where the old Pizza Palace was in Mandarin.

Ms. Deb (a 3rd grade teacher at our school) and M at the Fall Festival. Contrary to the above picture of M and B, M did have a great time!

B was so excited to see a lamb! They had all kinds of "small" animals out.

This was the good part of the weekend, hanging out, seeing friends, and eating good food. Meanwhile while all this was going on, I had a disaster of a project going on at school. It was a group project nightmare! Why do I do this again I ask myself? Anyway, a project that should have been completed Friday night, ended up being submitted Sunday night at 11:40- We'll see how that goes. I was definitely the ball on this one.

It always amazes me when I prepare to teach my 1st and 2nd graders in Sunday School how simple the message of God is to us. Sometimes we get all convoluted in our own thinking, and forget just how simple God's love and grace is. The verse this week was: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" - (Proverbs 3:5) It talked about how God told Abram at 75 to pack up and move on out- Abram at 75 did what most of us do not- He simply listened to God and he obeyed. He didn't debate, weigh his options, or stall. God told Abram what to do, and he like an obedient child did exactly as God said. Why do we struggle, debate, or bargain for what we want with God? If we simply trust him with all our heart, he will listen and answer our prayers! Sometimes, we just need to slow down so we can talk to God and hear what he has to say!

With the holidays fast approaching, the stores are alive with decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I told M and B the other day that I can remember as a child the excitement of going to the stores the day after Thanksgiving. That is when all the Christmas stuff came out. Now, here we are 3 months out, and it is already up!

On Sunday, when my parents stopped by (and I was a complete wreck with school chaos) I asked them why I ever thought I could do this now. They are always so positive when it comes to school, like I am just out for a bike ride or something. They never entertain how hard it is, only that the end is near. They have thought this way the entire time- At first it was like, well your almost done with these classes, then well you have a year behind you, and now 2 1/2 years later- you got this! My mom actually said, one day you will look back and think, I am glad I did that!" It wasn't that bad. (Just for laughs.. I don't feel like that now! As a matter of fact, there have been many times lately that I feel like I am nuts to even attempt this!) So, I am trusting God that this is going to be an awesome time. That these last two semesters of school will be over before I know it. I am trusting God that he is ready and willing to write that dissertation on school wide discipline. I am trusting God, and it feels so much better!

When I think of the things that have happened this year, I know he is taking care of me. I have a great partner at school, we have a great class of 32 students, M and B are doing great, Derek is not traveling, and dance is only 2 nights a week! I actually have three nights during the week to write! - So with that being said, it is off to write!