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Monday, October 31, 2011

Quinn on Halloween

Happy Halloween 2011

To start our Halloween off right, Grandpa and Gram sent one of their magical boxes to the kids from Chicago.  As always, the squealing began before the box was opened.  And then we saw what was inside and a hush fell over all of us....Chris and I for a different reason than the children.  We were in shock.  Horrified, shock.  The children were also shocked.  Amazed, shocked.  See the difference?

It was a box of candy.  I repeat, a BOX of CANDY.


Ike was also shocked at the box of candy.  And he desperately wanted to sample a few pieces.


The girls were a bumble bee and a senorita flamenco dancer.  Chandler chooses her costumes solely on the shoes she might be able to wear with it.  Casey based her decision on the use of wings.


They're starting to be really awkward, aren't they?  I love awkward middle schoolers and that is definitely the direction in which they are heading.  They also have really long arms, don't they?

Drew, CB and Loralai came over for dinner and then we headed out.  CB and tried to take a few pics of Q and L before leaving.  I clearly get an F on the assignment.  They just wouldn't stop moving.


At the first house we went to they gave out candy AND glow in the dark bracelets.  Quinn was confused by this.  I don't blame him.  He wasn't prepared for a bracelet. 


On our way up their driveway he kept saying, "I have to ding their door!"

And, of course, I just love the pictures of Quinn holding Chris's hand.  And then CB and I bid farewell to the men and the children and headed home to answer the door.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

I don't even know where to begin.

Before I start this story (which I am sure will be much longer than I ever intended for it to be) let me just share with you one of the nicest things that has been done for me at my new school.  We displayed book fair posters and you get to keep the display posters.  When I took them down, I did so very carefully to keep them in good shape for the PE boys to hang in the gym at school.  When I got to work on Thursday, this was on the circ desk...

...with the nicest thank you note from the two PE coaches.  I totally felt loved.  And I am a fool for some Krispy Kremes.


Ok, back to the post...

Maybe I should begin with the conversation I had with my mother last weekend...

Me:  blah, blah, blah
Mom:  And when do I get to have the children again?  It's been like a month since we've seen them.
Me:  Um, well, you can have them next weekend if you want.
Mom:  Um, okay.  Yeah.  I think next weekend will work.  I actually have Friday off because I have a doctor's appointment in the morning.
Me:  Well, we have Friday off too for Georgia v. Florida.
Mom:  Great! Meet me for lunch on Friday and I'll take the children home with me for the weekend.

And hot diggity dog, just like that we scored a weekend off!

Of course, we already had some plans made for the weekend (me, hitting the bead show with Erin, Chris hanging out with colleagues to work on their NCTE presentation), but other than that...we were free! 

So, we met Meme for lunch at Chili's.  Chan, of course, ordered ribs.  Quinn shocked us all by ordering a corn dog and broccoli.  What an awesome kid, right? 

I love these pictures of Quinn and my mom.


Chandler was hard at work.


I made Chris take a picture of mom and I in the parking lot mainly because every time we meet, we are dressed similarly.  I think we may have the same sense of style.  Or perhaps I stole her style.  Whatever.  Whichever.  I always feel like we look alike.  That's what I am trying to say.



But all in all, this has to be my MOST FAVORITE picture from the whole day...  (drum roll please) heeeheee



After we dropped the kids off,  we shopped around the North Point area a bit.  We went into a home decorating store (I even think that may have been the name of it...it's the place next to the Toys R Us.) and I found my happy place.  It involved these orange pieces, the vintage ad posters and the fantastic vintage typewriter print...


On the way home we had a moment where we weren't exactly sure that we knew where we were.  I didn't really mind because the road was lined with the most beautiful red trees...


...there's more (clearly) to tell of our weekend off, but if I keep going at this point, its going to become a novella and not just a longish post.  I try not to go the novella route.  Just sayin.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Visit Me at A Little Etsy Love!

Check out my features this week at A Little Etsy Love...some giveaways and coupon codes from...

Lazydoll



And Maie Dae...




Thursday, October 27, 2011

You're Already Home Where You Feel Loved*

Hi.  I'm Angie.  This is my blog where I write about...  well, a lot of different things.  It's where I am a writer.  This blog is part of my home.  My home is part of this blog.  This is me...


...trying to look fierce.  Or perhaps the sun was just in my eyes.  Whatever.  Did it work?  The fierce, I mean? 

These are my peeps....

I have twin daughters and a son.  I have a husband and a dog too, but they couldn't compete with the little ones when it came time to collage. They understand.  It happens.

Wife.  Mama.  Daughter.  Sister.  Christian.  And also librarian.  (No, really, its my day job.  I am, in fact, an elementary school librarian.  And I love my job.  My job of helping children fall in love with reading.)  Blogger.  Jewelry designer.  Etsy shop owner.

This is my studio...and some of my fun things...


...although, if I am being honest, my table is never that clean.  Unless we're having company.  And maybe not even then.  Do you love the lime and the gray?  Yeah, me too.  One of my better painting decisions.  

I hope you'll stick around.  I would love to have you!

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*"Lost in My Mind" by the head and the heart (my current favorite song)

Cause and Effect

While I am very glad that this is over...

...ah, yes.  Book Fair.  Now make no mistake, I do love the book fair.  But it is A LOT of work...and I spent my Saturday afternoon up at school getting it all packed up.  But I am still recovering and we are swamped with stuff at school again this week.  And so when I came home and found this...

...on my front porch...UGH...I didn't even know that we were a booing sort of neighborhood!  And now I have 24 hours to boo 2 more people.  I just don't see it happening.  Chris had to teach class and so it was just the kids and I for dinner.  The house was a mess.  I had already worked a full day and ran errands after work (because it is Halloween week at dance class which required finishing their Halloween costumes before the weekend) and it was 6 by the time I made it home with Quinn.  And I was tired.  Tired and hungry.  And I had just been Booed.  Which added one more lousy thing to my plate.  Boo for this.  Not a fun game in my opinion.  And all of that led to this...
...yep, eating dinner at the counter of the waffle house.

A simple story of cause and effect.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

What I Wore Wednesday Week 22

Linking up with Lindsey for another What I Wore!

One
black short sleeve turtleneck ~ banana republic outlet (last year)
black and white polka dot skirt ~ target 
black faux snakeskin flats - gap outlet

Two
khaki v-neck sweater - banana republic outlet 
denim skirt - target
tights - bass outlet
boots - bass outlet


Reminder bracelet - IKE & CO 
faux snakeskin ballet flats - gap outlet
chandelier earrings - IKE & CO

Monday, October 24, 2011

True Stories.

I received a text from my cousin Jimmy (a yankee) this weekend...  It went like this...
Jimmy:  What do you call that thing where all the food is dumped out on the table?
Me:  We call it awesome.
Jimmy:  What would I call it?
Me:  Low Country Boil....or food you're not gonna eat.  :)
Me:  Why?  Are you telling someone about your cracker cousin and her cracker friends and what they serve at parties?
Jimmy:  No, it was on a tv show that Julie flipped on and I said, "Oh no!  Not that hillbilly way to eat!"
Me:  My mom says you should bring Julie down and she'll cook one in your honor.
Jimmy:  That's not a way to get us to come down there.  

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The girls race into the library everyday after school and Chan makes a beeline for the window at the back door to watch the other students at bus dismissal.  Today, I asked her why...

Casey:  Oh.  Its because she wants to wave good bye to Justin.
Me:  Oh?  Justin?
Casey:  *in hushed tones* It's luuuuuuvvvvvv.  *makes a heart with her index fingers and thumbs*
Me:  Chan, is this true?
Casey:  Oh, yeah, it's true alright.

**Chandler is completely beet red**

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Quinn waited up for me to get home from my late night at book fair last week.  When I walked in...

Me:  Who is that sittin on the couch waiting up for me?
Q:  It's me, Mama.
Me:  Me, who?  What's your name?
Q:  It's me, Lilo Winn!

Hello, speech services!  The poor boy can't pronounce his first or middle name - Leo Quinn!

The Red Line...and some hoops!


I really do love red coral.  And I love the color combo of the red and turquoise together.  What a great way to brighten up some of your fall and winter outfits!
And I think we all know how I love some hoops...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

There are times when I feel old. This was one of them.

Over the weekend, I went to the wedding shower of one of my former students.  {We can all groan together now.  Ugh.}  I taught Chris when he was in 8th grade.  He has since graduated from high school.  And college.  Is almost finished with his Master's degree and is in his first year of teaching.

Clearly I was a child prodigy and went into teaching when I was 12. 

Because I just can't believe the age of some of my former students.  They are so old.  Like, they're grown ups.  They have real jobs and are getting married and some of them *gasp* even have babies. 

I did not give them permission to grow up.


These pictures are of Em (now a Doctor...she teaches at Vanderbilt), Chris and I.  Em and I taught together for four years.  Next door to each other.  We used to dance to Vanilla Ice in the hallways and talk through a hole in the wall in between our classrooms.  This girl knows me.  It's good to have people like that.  She's popped my blisters before.  No joke.  That's friendship.  We are also *awesome* at school dances and wedding receptions together.  We know how to rock the dance floor.  We also now know that we are perfect wedding shower dates - the veil we made in one of those shower games was stunning

Chris was actually in Em's homeroom.  We had a tough competition that year to see whose homeroom would sell the most....um, er...magazines, maybe?  I don't even remember what the competition was aside from that Chris would taunt me in the hallway, and well, I gave it right back to him and somehow the L on the forehead became our greeting to each other.  See what I mean?

{8th grade dance, high school graduation, wedding shower}

And I can't talk about former students without talking about the mothers of former students.  Oh, how I love these ladies...

{Omie, Lianne - mother of the groom, Emily, Me}

And Lianne, God bless her, told Em and I that we don't look any older than we did when we taught Chris.  And that she still thinks of us as we were ten years ago.  We wanted to take her with us everywhere.  I have felt very blessed to have taught 3 of her sons (2 of them are going into education, and possibly the third...I like to think that I may have had a little to do with that).  I've also taught 2 of Omie's children...I now consider her daughter Erin to be a friend of mine.  These women are who I strive to be as a parent...amazing, outstanding ladies that have raised wonderful children.

And I'm not really sure how it happened that I didn't take a picture of Angel (his future bride) and Chris together.  She's super cute though...take my word for it.  And sweet and makes Chris very happy, which of course, is most important. 

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Harry Potter

The girls have found a love for two things...

1.  Harry Potter (which makes me insanely happy)
2.  Taking sketch pictures with my phone.

When you combine the two loves, this is what you get...


There were also these sketches on my phone...

Yep, that would be the front left side of our house taken from the backseat of the car.


And that would be our garage.  In case you were wondering.


Friday, October 21, 2011

Visit Me at A Little Etsy Love!

Yesterday, on A Little Etsy Love, I wrote about a super cute shop, Lillypie {with a discount code, woop!}





And today I am featuring Note Trunk (for all your stamping needs)...with a discount code and a giveaway!  Yay!




Thursday, October 20, 2011

Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway winner is....

Megan #11

Yay!!!

Send me an email at ang4332@hotmail.com and I will tell you how to redeem your prize! 

How do you teach children empathy AND gratefulness?

There was a day last week that was particularly rough.  I had a student steal an opened carton of milk out of the cafeteria in the pocket.  The milk spilled, their pants were then wet and other children ratted the child out.  The teacher later confided in me that the child took it because they don't have any food at home.

It broke my heart.

Sadly, this isn't the only child like this at my school and we are not the only school like this in our district.  And I think it's pretty safe to say that there are similar cases in almost every public school in America.

That night, I went home and found a complete and total disaster in the girls' bathroom.  Squalor.  Complete and total squalor.  I can't even tell you all the gory details because I am (still) so disgusted by it.  I was furious with them.  I yelled.  And perhaps screamed a bit.  I sent them to bed for the night...without dinner.

I went downstairs and ate a really wonderful, home cooked meal (with enough for left overs) with Chris and Quinn.  I had a tall glass of milk with dinner.  And I couldn't help but think back to the child in my library earlier that day.  I am quite sure that they would be grateful for all that we had to offer at our house...in a way that my children are not.

Chris and I talked about this issue during dinner.  We know that the girls care about others.  They make the choice to help others through missions and when presented with an opportunity to help, they jump at it.  We talk as a family about why we donate clothing, why we donate food, why we volunteer in our community.

I know that if they knew about the child at school they would probably start smuggling food to them.  They are empathetic children.  They want to help and do the right thing.  They hurt for others.

But they don't know how to be grateful for what they have.  They just don't seem to grasp that concept.

My mom and I talked a lot about this...I was grateful as a child because we didn't have a whole lot.  We moved a lot.  My parents were divorced.  There were times when I wanted to do things and my mom had to tell me no because we couldn't afford it.  There was a summer when we lived off of hot dogs, creamet salad and sun tea.

Is there a way to learn/teach gratefulness without having hardships in life?

**ps - as for the dinner, I caved and sent Chris up with plates for both of them. 

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Bikey in Pictures and More!



In the following pictures, he may or may not be getting into trouble.  My house may or may not be a slight disaster.

Regardless, I didn't take them...Chris did and they were a surprise on my phone.  I do love to find surprise photos...



And apparently there was a shortage of bread at the Publix that I wasn't aware of (and really just of the kind that we eat)...


I missed a trip to this place (one of my favorites)...


...because this was going on....


and so all that was left for me to do, while Chris ran in and bought stuff to make whole wheat pizza with pesto, fresh mozzarella,  green peppers and black olive pizza (YUM!), was to take pictures (clearly) and admire my sneakers and contemplate the new ones that I plan on buying soon.  


ps - Have you entered the giveaway?