And it's a wrap....

Another year has come and gone.  Many things have happened.. some small and some bigger deals, most of which have been chronicled in some way or another on Facebook or via email. We are still around though and trying to prepare for what 2011 will bring, if that is at all possible.

Our best wishes to all of you, too, as you say good-bye to one year... and hello to another.... and as they said, I hope it's a good one, without any tears...

Long time no see....

Life has not been so dull as to warrant no pictures or posts... just don't think much about posting here... when I post on Facebook (*gasp*).

Summer school has been fun. This shot is from "Project Pinata!" I also taught "Bead Yourself" and "Movie Maker" and did some tutoring, too.

School supplies are starting to show up in stores, which for some of you may be traumatic, but for me.... it incites impulse buys like this pencil case.

Charlie has been reconstructing the neighbor's lawn ornaments. I am in charge of painting the projects. Not quite finished with this one when I took the picture, but you get the idea.

And... we went to the Palmyra Fly-In and Father's Day pancake breakfast/brunch and spend part of the morning with this guy. :o)

So... a few tidbits of the happenings around here.... hope all is well where you are.

Duck, Duck, Duck.... Where?

There they are..... duck eggs.. count'em.. 10. They are in the neighbors garden.. right next to the house.. by the driveway... in the middle of a block.. near a school... not near water. So, that is my new obsession...Egg Watch.

Random

Things that happen in my life get briefly get summarized on Facebook, usually in 20 words or less and I occasionally get tagged in a photo or two, but I feel hard-pressed to find something worthy of blog merit.... I'm just saying. Then I look at the date of the last post and I keep looking at it.. and pretty soon MONTHS have passed since I last added anything here. Pathetic. I know.

So.. for what it's worth....

Here's me.. doing my part for Washington Elementary's Soup-er Art Night! The principal is loving that extra-special scoop of ice cream. I wonder if they knew in advance my Lauber's experience. That wasn't listed under Other Experience on my resume....

Kate and I did a mini-road trip on Friday and Saturday to start the last weekend of her spring break. We went to Cedar Falls IA to see an improv group, coached by a friend of mine, which got to do an opening prior to the musical Avenue Q... so she and I drove out there to see those performances and visit a bit. Just after we got into Cedar Falls, it was starting to rain and we were driving around deciding what we were going to do first when we saw this place. Kate said.. hm.... Zippy's BBQ Shack... it's a SHACK.... food from a shack is always good! Plus, it appeared they were smoking the meat right outside the place. So, we did a quick turn and went into the drive-thru and ordered up some BBQ pork and brisket. Then we headed over the coffee shop parking lot where we were going to meet my friend after a while, and ate the delicious sandwiches while watching the lightning and the pouring rain through the windows of the CR-V!

Here is Zippy's...... next time you're in Cedar Falls... you might have to give it a try. :o)

I know.... I live right there on the edge.

So, since then.....

We/I have:

been amused by our silly Kali... who loves the simple braided piece of fleece that my co-worker made for her....

been to a Rolling Warhawks basketball game with Austin....

continued teaching children who struggle with issues beyond their control,

watched Kate put her photographic skills to work shooting scene shots for the Fort Atkinson High School play, Moonlight and Magnolias..


and celebrated seven years with our sweet Bailey...

among many other things.....

Hope all is well with all of you. :o)

Christmas... and on into the New Year.

Christmas came and went pretty quickly this year it seems....

though we did manage to get the immediate family group together with some efficiency this year.

But we are all, apparently, wondering, "Where did it go?"

Today... a reprieve in some ways...

And so the first snow day of the 2009-2010 school year begins...

Though the snow must be moved, somehow it is a little better to take with a new, auger-style snow blower...
Not everyone enjoys it as much...
Otherwise (since October.. but at least not since July like someone-who-will-not-be-named), the days have been filled with reports, assessments, Thanksgiving with a delicious dinner at my parents' house

visiting and being visted by Kate, a visit from Molly, meetings at school to prep for new students to the program and to monitor the progress of others.... books to read... and now preparation for the Christmas holiday....

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.