tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024323309135301552024-03-14T01:31:09.632-04:00Scribblings from My BackporchLiving life simply
as a wife, mother, daughter,
teacher, friend, and crafterHopeAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02030204590854794288noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-57276976022541207222017-06-15T09:24:00.001-04:002017-06-15T09:24:41.582-04:00Eat to Live not Live to Eat Day 3I must say I'm a little disappointed. Weighing myself this morning wasn't what I expected. I thought I would be down another pound. I wasn't. I stayed the same. Still, I'm down 2.5 pounds for the week. In Dr. Fuhrman's book, some people have lost up to 10 pounds in one week. I also read a blog about a woman who lost 7 pounds in her first week. This was what I expected when I began my journey two days ago. Now I know I shouldn't be tied to the scale, but I'm afraid if I don't weigh myself every day I might slide in the wrong direction. I need to be more patient. It is only my third day.<br />
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I wonder though if the Kind Nuts & Spice bar, the salad dressing, and the black bean soup had anything to do with it. I still remained within my daily points for Weight Watchers. Hmmm. Could my body be reacting to the new healthy food? Could my body be holding on to the fat because it thinks I'm starving? Some things to think about.<br />
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This morning I ate my overnight oats. They were delicious. I think I'm going to stick with these for the summer and when I go back to school. I can take them with me and eat them before class since I'm not hungry before I head out the door. I shared the idea with my Weight Watchers group tonight. Many of the members said they would give it a try. I also spoke to my WW leader and told her I was concerned about not using all of my daily points. She said as long as I was eating clean she wasn't worried about it. Whew!<br />
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For lunch, I made my salad, mixed greens, carrots, and cucumbers. I used Olive Garden Lite Italien dressing (1 WW point). I didn't make it as huge as the ones I had eaten on day one and two. Those salads were a little much for me to get through if you can believe it. It was still a large salad, but one I could handle eating. I figure if I'm still hungry after eating my salad I'll just make another one. One was enough. I also had some cantaloupe. However, by late afternoon I was hungry. My stomach growled for the first time since I began this journey. Maybe my salad wasn't big enough. I didn't want to eat a whole lot since I was going back to Weight Watchers for the first time in months. I knew I would show weight gain, but I didn't want it to be too horrible. I decided to have a 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds since Dr. Fuhrman says that's what I can have a day. That did the trick.<br />
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For dinner, I ate my salad, mixed greens, carrots, and cucumbers. I also heated up some green beans. I just love green beans. Seriously. Hubby thinks I'm nuts. For dessert, I ate a banana. <br />
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I ate two salads. Check. I ate four fruits. Check, check. I drank a ton of water today. Check, check, check. I'm feeling pretty good about my day. All though I may have to learn to cook. I'm not too creative when it comes to fixing cooked veggies. I boil them in water.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-80283428406187426752017-06-15T08:43:00.000-04:002017-06-15T09:10:33.635-04:00Eat to Live not Live to Eat Day 2<div style="text-align: left;">
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Day number two of my eating to live lifestyle. I lost 2.5 pounds! Overnight! YEAH! I had to get that off my chest. So today I decided to try something new for breakfast that I found on Pinterest. It's called overnight oats. Here's what they look like. (I borrowed this photo from Pinterest and I added the link just under the picture. The blog is called Organize Yourself Skinny.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2016/08/17/blueberry-banana-overnight-oats-recipe/" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank">Blueberry Banana Overnight Oats</a></td></tr>
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According to Dr. Fuhrman, I can have 1/2 a cup of rolled oats a day so this follows the plan. I changed mine up a bit though. All I did was add 1/2 a cup of rolled oats, 1/2 a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/2 a cup of blueberries, and 1/2 a sliced banana. That's it! I sealed it up and placed it in the fridge. I actually didn't wait overnight. I only waited about two hours. They were really good. If you count smart points on Weight Watchers it added up to 5 points for the oats. The rest were zero. I don't think that's too bad for a breakfast. And it stuck with me. I actually had to remind myself to eat later. Tonight I'm going to make one for my breakfast tomorrow and see if there's a difference.</div>
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Tuesdays are my hubby's day off and it was extremely HOT both outside and inside the house. We really need to think about air conditioning. Anyway, we decided to head to the beach. Just the two of us, our chairs, towels, sunscreen, and suits. Notice I didn't say food. I was still feeling satisfied from my overnight oats and didn't think to take anything with me. Later that afternoon I realized I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. We stopped to get bottled water for the drive home and hubby grabbed me a Kind Nuts & Spices bar. If you haven't tried these they are amazing. However, they are 7 Weight Watchers points. I decided that would be my lunch. No salad. </div>
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For dinner that night hubby wanted to go to Panera. I ordered a Pick Two: a cup of black bean soup (there's my beans for the day) and a southwest salad without the tortilla chips or cheese. I did have the salad dressing though. Ooops! I haven't been getting in my cup of beans a day.</div>
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At home, we watched some TV and I was still hot so I made a blueberry and banana smoothie. YUM! It's 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 cup of blueberries, and 1 banana. Weight Watchers points 1. I need to get more variety in my fruit. </div>
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I didn't really stick to the plan today. I only had the one salad and no cooked vegies. I wonder how that's going to affect me tomorrow. I guess I'll find out. Oddly enough what I did eat was enough to keep me satisfied for the day. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-43420602307836461472017-06-13T12:44:00.001-04:002017-06-13T13:02:16.826-04:00Eating to Live not Living to Eat<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I finished reading Dr. Fuhrman's book called </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Amazing-Nutrient-Rich-Sustained/dp/031612091X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497371887&sr=8-1&keywords=eat+to+live" target="_blank">Eat to Live</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">on Friday</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">. </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a ton of information. It took me about three days to finish reading it, in between everything else going on in my life. This book made sense to me. It was like someone turned on the light switch. I told my hubby that back when I was eating less meat and more veggies (5 years ago) I felt better. Then I took a nose dive and began eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. So I joined Weight Watchers. It has really helped me stay on track. I love our leader, Lynn. However, the stress from this past year at school made me lose track of myself again. So I wanted to do something to recommit myself to getting healthier. That's why I picked up the book </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Eat to Live</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. After reading this book I'm ready to eat healthy once again. Not to say I won't have a cheat day NOW and THEN. And it's okay to have a cheat day as long as I get back to eating healthy the next day or sooner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a nutshell, the <i>Eat to Live</i> plan says I can have all of the raw and cooked vegetables that I want. Dr. Fuhrman wants me to shoot for a goal of one pound of each a day. As far as fruit goes . . . wait for it . . . I can have as much fruit as I want each day, a minimum of four servings. I've never been told I can have as much fruit as I want. Usually, diets say to limit the fruit intake. Following the <i>Eat to Live</i> plan is what's known as being a nutritarian, getting all the nutrients my body needs from nutrient rich foods. </span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Here are the Daily Guidelines:</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eat these as much as I want:</span></span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">all raw vegetables (goal 1 lb.)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cooked green and non-green nutrient-rich vegetables (goal: 1 lb.)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (goal: 1 cup)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">fresh fruit (min. 4 daily)</span></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Limit:</span></span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cooked starchy vegetables and whole grains (max. 1 cup)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">raw nuts and seeds (max 1 oz.)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">avocado (max 2 oz.)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">dried fruit (max 2 tbsp.)</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ground flaxseeds (max 1 tbsp.)</span></span></li>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do Not Eat:</span></span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">dairy</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">meat / Animal products</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">between-meal snacks</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">fruit juice</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">oils</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">added salt</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday was the beginning of eating to live for me. I have to admit I was a little nervous. Could I stick with it? Would I want to snack in the afternoon? If so how would I handle it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I began my day as I normally would with my cup of coffee and sitting on my back porch. I'm not usually a breakfast eater. By the way, Dr. Fuhrman says if I'm not hungry I don't have to eat. All though I do want to try making overnight oats in a jar. I'll talk about that later. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For lunch, I fixed an enormous salad: a mix of greens, carrots, cucumbers, celery, sunflower seeds, and poppy seed dressing from Panera Bread. I'm not supposed to have the dressing, but according to Weight Watchers, it is only 1 point for 2 tablespoons. The sunflower seeds were 6 points. It was difficult to get through the entire salad. However, I did feel full afterward. Not stuffed - satisfied. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For a snack, I made a smoothie in my blender. I had been outside weeding in my flower garden and thought an icy drink would hit the spot. In my mind, this replaced my breakfast since I'm not supposed to be snacking. I blended one cup of frozen blueberries, one medium banana, and one cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I sipped my smoothie while I sat in my chair enjoying the sunshine. I wonder if I got ANY vitamin D since I was covered in SPF 30. My smoothie was delicious! As far as Weight Watchers points go I only counted the almond milk. One cup is 1 point. So far so good. The hardest part of my day was yet to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sitting in front of the television is a trigger for me. In other words sitting on my couch mindlessly watching my show is when I want to snack on a <strike>whole bag of chips </strike>carrot sticks. Seriously, I watch an afternoon soap, General Hospital. I usually watch my show right when I come home from school where I teach ninth graders. Today, I watched my show and nibbled on some delicious cherries. It wasn't easy. I so wanted <strike>some</strike> a whole bag of tortilla chips with hummus. I had one cup of cherries. So far I've had a banana, blueberries, and cherries. One more fruit to go for the day and I hit my minimum. Notice I haven't had any cooked veggies yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For dinner, I cooked some green beans and fixed another huge salad. Pretty much the same salad as lunch minus the sunflower seeds and celery. My hubby had pizza. The turd! I ate all of my green beans and most of my salad. I was feeling kind of stuffed. So I stopped eating. What a concept. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While watching the Cavs game I wanted something to munch on so I had my fourth and final fruit of the day, cantaloupe. Yum! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I made it! I actually did it! I know. I know. It's only the FIRST day. But I feel good. Not as nervous as I did when I first began this morning. I only used 9 WW points for the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">P.S. When I weighed myself this morning I lost 2.1 pounds!!! WOOT!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-5782888597968074422016-07-31T19:39:00.002-04:002016-07-31T20:14:51.970-04:00This Week in My Erin Condren Life PlannerI know when I hit August my life picks up speed again. My summer days, slow-moving and restful, are coming to a close. Football two-a-days and marching band practice begin in earnest. In fact, as of Monday we only have 24 days of summer left before school begins.<br />
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The first half of my week so far.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn0pZbXx3tY/V56FNQVry0I/AAAAAAAAA2o/6O_hcDPA1gkrptnsKxvJNvkHDUs7FCL_gCLcB/s1600/IMG_1026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn0pZbXx3tY/V56FNQVry0I/AAAAAAAAA2o/6O_hcDPA1gkrptnsKxvJNvkHDUs7FCL_gCLcB/s640/IMG_1026.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The second half of my week.<br />
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I hope everyone has a beautiful week. It looks like we might finally get some rain in Vermilion this week. I hope so. My flowers and yard need it. </div>
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Shops tagged on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hopeann_plans/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. </div>
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If you would like to purchase your own Erin Condren Life Planner here is my code for <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/hopeannwallace0926-2172" target="_blank">$10 off</a> your first purchase.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0Vermilion, OH, USA41.4219889 -82.3646067999999941.374349900000006 -82.445287799999988 41.4696279 -82.283925799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-71656026891055997042016-07-27T18:00:00.001-04:002016-07-27T18:00:20.155-04:00A Stroll Around Vermilion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before it got too hot today, I strolled through Vermilion in order to get my steps in on my Fitbit. I actually achieved just over 8,000 steps. Here are some photos I snapped along my way. Well, mostly views from the bridge. </div>
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We have volunteers who water all of the flowers and plants around town. Aren't they beautiful along the bridge?</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RO2Z8whwHRI/V5kALVB0I7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/jrFn9Pe4C9IJJGGbxge-5EPguvCC31_GwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RO2Z8whwHRI/V5kALVB0I7I/AAAAAAAAA0s/jrFn9Pe4C9IJJGGbxge-5EPguvCC31_GwCLcB/s640/IMG_1004.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Looking south on the Vermilion River, you can see some of the marinas that dot the riverbank.<br />
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I just love the shadow of the bridge as I look north. The rooftop in the distance to the right is Quaker Steak and Lube. The restaurant boasts a nice patio where people can dine while looking out at the boats traveling up and down the river. Boaters can dock at the restaurant.<br />
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With all of the sailboats in a row, it looks like a coastal town that you might find in Main. Some visitors have even said that Vermilion reminds them of Cape Cod.<br />
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Vermilion also has paddle boards and kayaks for rent if you're up for an adventure on the river or even the lake.<br />
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I walked from the bridge down River Road to the Vermilion High School. My son Michael plays the bass drum in the marching band. This week the kids are attending band camp. The kids looked hot and shortly after I arrived received a welcome water break and some shade.<br />
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Walking is such good exercise. Do you ever have a difficult time getting started? I do. But once I get going and look at everything around me, I really do enjoy it.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Hugs,</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>HopeAnn</i></b></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0Vermilion, OH, USA41.4219889 -82.3646067999999941.374349900000006 -82.445287799999988 41.4696279 -82.283925799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-78011251307533710942016-07-25T09:00:00.000-04:002016-07-25T09:00:00.759-04:00A Summertime Moment with MomI have to say that so far my summer has been a relaxing one, even with Michael's busy schedule filled with football and band practices. Not to mention his driving lessons. And of course, I have been going to school once a week to prepare for next year. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of my days, I forget to slow down and enjoy the moment.<br />
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Well, last week I enjoyed spending a moment with Mom. We drove up to Lakeside and Marblehead. Now Lakeside is a Methodist community where visitors must pay $36 per person (during the months between June and September) to enjoy the quaint shops, restaurants, and beaches. It is well worth it. However, people can visit for free if they purchase something at one of the shops or eat at one of the restaurants and only stay for an hour and a half.<br />
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Because we weren't going to spend the entire day in Lakeside, we chose to park outside of the gate and ride the shuttle (golf cart) to the local shops. One of Mom's favorite places is Ooh La La! It's a small pastry, sandwich, and ice cream shop. Mom has been there so often that they know her by name and her order.<br />
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I decided on the homemade spinach, mushroom, and swiss quiche. It was delicious. Mom chose a turkey sandwich. While eating we enjoyed some of the artwork on the walls. People can actually purchase the paintings and photographs. After we ate we strolled through the small streets where golf carts and bicycles were abundant. We window shopped and popped into a few places where Mom knew the proprietors. With only five minutes before we had to leave, we called the shuttle from the historical, victorian Lakeside Hotel where they came to pick us up and drive us back to the main gate and my car.</div>
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Mom and I drove on to Marblehead to visit some of the shops. One of our stops was at Martha and Molly's. The shop carries clothes, home goods, and children's wear. I bought two scarves and Mom bought a dress.</div>
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Our next stop brought us to the Rocky Point Winery. The winery has indoor seating, patio seating, and seating around the yard. We chose to sit outside at a picnic table. It was such a beautiful day. One of the last before the heat and humidity moved into the lake area. That's Ohio weather.</div>
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Mom and I ordered a flight and a cheese plate with crackers. The flight contained both red and white wines. Mom loves the reds and I enjoy the whites, so it worked out perfectly. </div>
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Cheers! I tried the Pink Catawba first. It was a sweet, crisp, and refreshing on a warm day. My favorite was the Pinot Grigio. I think I'm getting better at my selfies.</div>
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After drinking our wine and enjoying our snack, we thought we should take a stroll. We headed for the Marblehead Lighthouse. That's it behind me in yet another selfie. Not as happy with this selfie. Oh well.<br />
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The Lighthouse has been here for as long as I can remember. When it's open people can climb to the top of the lighthouse, plus they can visit the lighthouse keeper's home. There were quite a few people out enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze from the lake.</div>
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We walked all the way around the grounds and down onto the rocks. The water was so blue.</div>
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I was a little surprised how well Mom traversed the rocks. Usually, Mom and Jim bring their chairs with them to sit on the rocks and look out at the water and boats. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chairs with us. But we still made the best of it.<br />
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This tree is growing right in the rocks.</div>
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Mom thought she'd be funny and pretend to push the tree over. </div>
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We weren't the only ones climbing around on the rocks. In fact, I had just said a moment before that I had never seen any rats at the lake because we heard people talking about them. I usually run into snakes. YUCK! I'm terrified of snakes. Luckily we didn't see any of those. Mom was facing me and I was taking her photo when something ran right our from under the rocks. It was lightning fast and brown. I took Mom's arm and said walk toward me. I wasn't sure what I saw. It came scurrying out from the rocks again. Thankfully the tail was furry. </div>
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Mom turned around and we watched a family of minks dart in and out between the rocks. They were so quick. I was lucky to get a photo of one. He looks big in the picture, but I enlarged it in orde to see him better. He was actually quite tiny. Several other people came to watch them leap and bound around the rocks.<br />
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I had such a wonderful outing with my Mom. We always have fun together. It was a summer moment spent shopping, drinking refreshing wine, and enjoying the beauty around us. It was a moment to take it all in and breathe before going back to the hustle and bustle. And to enjoy some of my last summer days before school begins in August.<br />
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I hope you have some wonderful moments to enjoy this summer.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0Lakeside, Lakeside Marblehead, OH 43440, USA41.538557 -82.767296841.443462999999994 -82.9286583 41.633651 -82.6059353tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-52746825860321171802016-07-12T09:20:00.000-04:002016-07-12T09:20:29.426-04:00Totally Forgot to Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Good morning! While my coffee was perking away in my Keurig, I glanced down at my planner only to notice that I was still on last week's spread. Yikes! I forgot to plan for this week. I usually work on my planner on Sundays to get it ready for the next week. I was so busy working on my new crochet bag that I forgot to plan. The pattern for the bag is from Lucy at Attic 24. I'll post some pics when I have it finished. I've just got to attach the handles and add the flowers. </div>
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Back to my original post. Here is this week's spread. The stickers are from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetKawaiiDesign?ref=pr_faveshops" target="_blank">Sweet Kawaii Design</a>, and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JustScrapItStickers?ref=search_shop_redirect" target="_blank">Just Scrap It Stickers</a>. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-21756246995456581792016-07-10T11:20:00.000-04:002016-07-10T11:20:31.367-04:00Crocheted Market Bag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been spending some of my summer days sitting on my back porch crocheting. It's so relaxing and it keeps me from stuffing food in my mouth. This market bag is a pattern that I found <a href="http://daisycottagedesigns.net/crochet/free-market-tote-crochet-pattern/" target="_blank">here</a>. The yarn is Lang Yarns that I purchased in Switzerland while on vacation.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-91393553301602666522015-12-30T13:39:00.001-05:002015-12-30T13:39:25.457-05:00My New Erin Condren Life PlannerHello Friends!<br />
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It's almost the new year and with it comes New Year's resolutions. Once again, I've decided to get <strike>more</strike> organized with my life. So, I jumped in with both feet and purchased my first Erin Condren Life Planner. WOOT! I could hardly contain my excitement when it arrived at my door. Sorry I'm not including the unpacking, which so many planner people do. I'm still a newbie to the planning world. I was able to customize it with my name, choice of colors, and the quote. I wish the colors would pop more in this picture. The colors are robin egg blue and choral, in case your curious.<br />
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Now you may remember, I was using a Filofax. The reason I originally went with Filofax was because it could fit in my purse, which made it nice to carry around with me. Plus, I could refill the pages year after year. Good on the pocketbook and good for the environment. However, I didn't like the daily spread and having to print out and cut all of my pages. I know I could have purchased the pages, but I was trying to save money. Remember? I hated it! The planner that is. It became a chore. As a result, I stopped using it. Oh and also because the clasp melted one summer day and I couldn't fix it. ERGH!<br />
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So why the change? After all, the Erin Condren Life Planner isn't cheap. Plus it's quite a bit larger and won't fit so neatly in my purse. My friend used the planner this past year, and I was so jealous. I loved the pop of bright colors. I loved the uplifting quote on the cover. I loved the monthly tabs. I loved the monthly calendar at the beginning of each section. I loved how each month had its own color scheme. I loved how there was room to write. I loved the stickers. But, I didn't love the vertical spread.<br />
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As it so happens, Erin Condren listened to her customers, who didn't care for the vertical design, and created a horizontal spread for the Life Planner. YEAH! That sealed the deal for me. My planner came with the month of November and December, so I had some time to practice before the new year. I'm still practicing. I haven't been a planner girl since I was in school. Ahem. Long time ago.<br />
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This is the first layout I'm <strike>willing</strike> comfortable to share. It's not perfect, but it works for me. I'm still figuring out what I need to write down each week to help me stay on top of things. When it comes to decorating, I'm still a newbie there too. There are so many people our there in the planner world who have beautiful decorated planners. Do you know how many "Plan With Me" videos I've watched? My hubby thinks I'm obsessed. With that said, I've decided to keep my planner functional and simple.<br />
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Each day has the weather marked at the top. It helps me plan what to wear for the day. My "To Do" list for each day is in the box to the right. Aren't the cute heart check boxes cute? So are the washing machine stickers. The washing machines remind me which load of laundry to complete for the day. I find if I do one load a day it's easier to keep up with, especially in the summer when I'm hanging clothes on the line to dry. Since it was Christmas week I included a countdown to Christmas using snowflake stickers. I'll post links below to the Etsy shops where I purchased the stickers.<br />
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Isabella has been keeping me company on the couch while I <strike>work</strike> write in my planner and write this blog post.<br />
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Here is this week's spread. Not a whole lot going on this week. I'm on Christmas break. Ah! I've so needed some time off to spend with family. I think my students were also looking forward to some time off. They've been working so hard this year. I hope they come back refreshed and ready to dive back in.<br />
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Well here's hoping that my Erin Condren Life Planner helps me stay motivated to keep planning and following through with those plans to help keep my life a little more organized. Do you use a planner? If so which one works best for you? I'd love to hear from you.<br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Blessings and Hugs,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">HopeAnn</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. My mom gave me a new purse for Christmas that my Erin Condren Life Planner fits in perfectly. Problem solved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Links to Etsy shops:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/RorysSweetAddictions?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Rory's Sweet Addictions</a> weather stickers, heart check boxes, snowmen, weekend and half boxes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlannerPress" target="_blank">Planner Press</a> washing machines</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My holiday stickers came from Meijer's</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Disclaimer: I am in no way advertising for Erin Condren or any of the shops on Etsy. I'm just sharing the love.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0Vermilion, OH, USA41.4219889 -82.3646067999999941.374349900000006 -82.445287799999988 41.4696279 -82.283925799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-64244889002835772742015-08-08T16:45:00.000-04:002015-08-08T16:45:50.901-04:00My Summer Round UpIt's been awhile since I've posted on my blog. I thought I would share some photos of the fun times we've had so far this summer.<br />
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Matt has a new job as the manager of the Vermilion Yacht Club. On Memorial Day they had a huge celebration.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt stands at the ready to raise the flag. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael played the bass drum in the Vermilion Sailor Band. <br />The band was brought over on the Mystic Belle to play at VYC.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael and Matt after the picnic</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael helped Matt fire the cannon for each captain<br /> as part of the Memorial Day ceremony.</td></tr>
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Once school was out for summer, Michael went to Ohio State Football Camp. This year he stayed in the dorms. The camp was three days.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're waiting in line for registration. <br />We were told that there was a total of 700 campers attending.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the introduction of the coaches in the Woody Hayes Facility. <br />Two of my students from Perkins also attended.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael spent most of his time in the Shoe. The "Bigs" worked on drills well into the evening. <br />But they did have time for some fun too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing football in the Shoe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry it's a bit blurry. Coach Meyer spoke to the players on their first day at camp.</td></tr>
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<br />In June some of the ladies of the VYC held a Tea party. Each hostess designed a table for the guests who would be sitting with her. To start things off there was a raffle. While at our seats we learned Tea Party etiquette. The food and tea was divine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the items to be raffled</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael has his eye on one of the items to be raffled. It better not be the martini set.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The men's table</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could bring our own tea cup and tea pot if we chose.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies who attended the VYC Tea Party</td></tr>
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This June Michael and I had the opportunity to travel to Tennessee with my brother Bobby and his family. It had been a long time since I had visited Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Here are a few photos from our trip.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael's holding a Sugar Glider. We so wanted to bring this little guy home with us.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back row: Bobby, Michael, HopeAnn, and Jodi<br />Front row: Kourtney, Kaitlyn, and Krystal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Three Musketeers </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Bucks! O-H-I-O</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my brother</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael suits up to zip line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melissa, Krystal, Kaitlyn, Kourtney, and Michael</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They flew on Goliath, the highest zip line on the course.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're never to old.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On top of Old Smokey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mining for gems</td></tr>
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Whew! Once we returned from our vacation, Michael was off to football conditioning and then the dreaded two-a-days in August. This summer has flown by so fast.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-54132116163874218192014-07-22T09:28:00.000-04:002016-07-24T21:43:57.972-04:00Sunday DriveIt was such a beautiful day this past Sunday that Matt and I decided to go for a Sunday drive. We used to go quite often with my grandparents. PaPa would point the Caddy in the direction of the lake and off we'd go. MomMom would pack sandwiches and drinks to eat at her favorite spot across from Cedar Point. I miss those drives with my grandparents.<br />
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Today, however, we left PaPa's Caddy at home and went for our Sunday drive on our bikes. With a beautiful breeze coming off the water, it was nice and cool. Thank you polar vortex. We drove into the country for a ways before heading to Sherod Park. It's a beautiful park right on the water. We like to go down to the small beach to look for beach glass.<br />
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If you look way off to the horizon maybe you can just make out the sailboats. There were so many, but my camera on my phone can't zoom in that close.<br />
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After we parked our bikes against the tree we walked out to the beach. There were people swimming to the right so naturally we went to the left. There's a tiny stream of water we jumped across before getting to the other side of the beach.<br />
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The beach was made up of piles and piles of shells. That's why most people swim on the other side where there's more sand. I like to hear the crunch crunch of shells beneath my sandals.<br />
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Trees get washed ashore here.<br />
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I love how this beach is pretty much untouched.<br />
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It looks like someone tried to have a bonfire with this one.<br />
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This would make a lovely spot to rest in the shade and look out at the water.<br />
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Doesn't it look like it's pointing out to the water? The roots were the only thing left from the rest of the tree.<br />
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Matt and I miss having our boat. We'd be out there for sure if we still had it.<br />
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I just love, love, love the panoramic feature on my phone!<br />
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On our walk back to the bikes we stopped to admire the milkweed. Matt thinks we should plant some in our flower garden. Butterflies love it. When I was a little girl I would pull out the silky seeds from the pods and toss them in the air to watch them fly away.<br />
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Once we arrived at home I just couldn't go back in the house so I brought out my beach blanket and sat down on the grass to weave in the ends of my ripple blanket. I've been working on this one since Christmas break. It fits my queen size bed. All I have yet to do is crochet the border.<br />
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What a beautiful day. Thanks for sharing it with me.<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">Hugs,</span><br />
<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: large;">HopeAnn</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-45008767140352206182014-03-23T13:11:00.000-04:002014-03-23T13:11:06.607-04:00Books & Wine a Book Club<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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I love my book club. We are seven women strong and started our first book discussion on July 7, 2007. For our first book we read <u>Good in Bed</u> by Jennifer Weiner. Seventy books later we finished <u>The Silent Wife</u> by A.S.A. Harrison this past Friday night.<br />
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We meet once a month and generally follow the same hostess order: Aimee, Kristen, Kate, Amy, Me, Amy, and Heather. Yes. We have lots of Amy(ee)s in our club. Aimee is the one who started things off. If I remember correctly, some of her colleagues from work wanted to begin a book club. From those first inklings of a book club Aimee is the only one who went through with the idea. Thus we became Books & Wine/Wine & Books.<br />
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As I was saying, we meet once a month. In our first year we came up with some rules thanks to Amy. She's not just another pretty face.<br />
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Rule #1: The person who hosts the next month's book club must email the other members of book club about possible dates. Right. This rule hasn't really been followed. All though we do send reminders about book club on Facebook.<br />
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Instead we follow Rule #2: The future hostess should select two dates for members to choose. The future hostess brings the dates with her to the current book club meeting. This works well for us. Believe it or not we've been pretty good about meeting once a month. Even with all of our busy schedules plus our <strike>kids'</strike> and <strike>husbands' </strike>schedules. We make it happen!<br />
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Rule #3: The future hostess brings the book of choice to the current book club meeting to share. In the beginning we all purchased <b>books</b>. You know a cover and a back with pages in the middle and words on the pages. It began with one member buying a Kindle then slowly but surely every member purchased a Kindle. It was tough going with two English teachers who wanted the comfort of holding that book in their hands. ( I was one of the hold outs, but I love, love, love my Kindle.) Now we can read the description using technology. Wow. We're cutting edge.<br />
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Rule #4: There is no guilt involved when choosing a book and no one ends up liking it. Well, I can't seem to help feeling bad when one of my selections is a stinker. Like this last selection <u>The Silent Wife.</u> More on that in a minute.<br />
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Rule #5: Base your ratings on personal experience with the book. In the beginning we thought of the ratings as grades (teachers will do that) and kept comparing books to each other rather than holding the book up as an individual. We've since changed to judge the book based on our reading experience with the book. Here's our rating scale: 5 stars = one of the best; 4 stars = very good; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = made it through; and 1 star = couldn't make it through.<br />
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Rule #6: Book club begins at 7 p.m.<br />
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Whoever hosts the book club provides tasty treats and refreshments. It's extremely important to have delicious food and wine to stimulate conversation about the book.<br />
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So this last book club I served Asian BBQ meatballs, lemongrass chicken spring rolls, naan, ginger chips, and wheat thins with spinach and artichoke dip, sesame seed cashews, and lemon cake with lemon icing. For the wine selection I selected a Tuscan red called 1967 and from Pancake Cellars Big Day White as well as Project Happiness Chardonnay.<br />
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The book <u>The Silent Wife</u> (not a manual for husbands) was touted as being similar to <u>Gone Girl.</u> The only thing similar was the way in which the chapters were divided, Her and Him. It was supposed to be a psychological thriller and in one way I think that description fits. Kate said it was interesting to be inside Todd's head to listen to what he was thinking about Jodi. Many of us disagreed but Kate said, "I'm okay with the book being labeled as a psycho thriller. I'm standing by it!"<br />
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There was supposed to be a murder, but that didn't happen until just about the very end. I kept waiting for something to happen. There was no real cliff hanger to speak of and it just wasn't what I expected. The average rating of the book for the girls was 3.2.<br />
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Our next selection is called <u>A Week in Winter</u> by Maeve Binchy.<br />
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Have a wonderful week.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i><b>Hugs, </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i><b>HopeAnn</b></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-92167614998865592102014-02-02T12:33:00.000-05:002014-02-02T12:33:28.521-05:00Trying Something New in English Class<br />
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We're about to begin <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/t/Target_I_am_from%20poem.pdf" target="_blank">To Kill a Mockingbird</a> by Harper Lee. One of my all time favorite novels to read and teach. Typically my students research the historical events that surround that time period i.e.. The Great Depression, The Dustbowl, Jim Crow Laws, Civil Rights, . . . and write a research paper. We do this prior to reading the story so the kids have an idea of the time period and events surrounding the author's life.<br />
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We're still going to complete the research, but in groups rather than individually. However, that isn't what this post is about. I wanted to come up with a different way to introduce the story.<br />
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So here's the something new. I'm going to have my students write a "Where I'm From" poem. I got the idea from George Ella Lyon's website. She wrote the poem. You can find her poem <a href="http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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First I'm going to read the poem aloud as students follow along. I believe students should see as well as hear the poem. But they shouldn't just hear the story from me, they should also hear the poet read her poem aloud. I found a video on youtube of George Ella Lyon reading her poem. You can find the video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnHl_yW1dQ" target="_blank">here</a>. (The video gave me another idea. I'll get to that later.) Do you think the meaning of a poem can be affected when read by a stranger versus the poet herself? We're going to discuss that very thing in class.<br />
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Following our discussion we'll go over a template for the "Where I'm From" poem. I borrowed the template from <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/t/Target_I_am_from%20poem.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. Students will also receive a worksheet to help them brainstorm ideas to complete the template. (The worksheet is under construction. I'll post it soon.) Once students complete the brainstorming they will pair up and share what they come up with. Afterwards they will begin to write. I can't wait to see what they come up with. We'll spend some time revising and editing to reach our final piece of writing.<br />
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So here comes the something even newer . . . After students complete their "Where I'm From" poem they are going to add links. For each piece of writing they add to the template they will "link" it to an image, a video, another piece of personal writing, etc. For example, in George Ella Lyon's poem she wrote, "I am from the dirt under the back porch." If this were a line from a student's poem she would add a link. The link could be a photo of her back porch, or the dirt under the back porch. I hope this makes sense.<br />
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Since we're a one to one school we're supposed to include technology into our curriculum. The "linky poem" as I'm calling it helps fulfill that criteria in my English class. More importantly I'm hoping it will catch the interest of my students and more of them will WANT to complete the assignment.<br />
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I'm thinking we're going to write our poem with their links in google docs. In order for the links in the poem to work, the poem and the linked items must be located in a common folder. To that end each student will create a folder where she will include her poem and other linked items. The folder will be shared with everyone in the class including myself. If it works, we'll be able to open the poem, click on a link and the link will open. Keep your fingers crossed.<br />
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Finally the something even newer than newer . . . Students will create a video like George Ella Lyon's video on youtube. This is the idea I got from viewing George Ella Lyon's youtube video. Students will read their "Where I'm From" poem on the video while images move across the screen. Yea! Even more technology in my English class. Many of my kiddos enjoy making videos.<br />
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My kiddos are in regular ninth grade English and sadly many of them don't like school, well the part where they have to complete work. I hope my students will enjoy this project so that more will want to complete the assignment and actually enjoy it, for a school project anyway.<br />
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Has anyone else tried this before? If so please share your experience. If not, please let me know what you think.<br />
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Have a great week.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Hugs,</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>HopeAnn</b></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-47702239472761279632014-01-26T16:25:00.001-05:002014-01-26T16:36:22.785-05:00Snow Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have has some serious snow and bone chilling cold this month. Last Friday made it snow day number 6 for our school. We were right in the middle of exams that we had to push back because of all of the snow days added onto our Christmas break. Many fellow teachers and friends have predicted that we'll have at least one snow day this next week. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm ready to get back to a normal routine.<br />
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We've been keeping our feeders filled. Our squirrel pals not only eat all of their corn, but also eat the peanuts for the blue jays. We're going through seed and corn like crazy. We enjoy watching all of the activity in our backyard.<br />
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Our cat Sebastien has also enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels. He runs from the front living room window to the back porch windows. When he's not bird-watching I can find Sebastien sitting next to Bella in front of the heating vents.<br />
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I purchased new curtains for the living room. They really seem to brighten the space and help keep out the cold draft from the windows.<br />
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Our Amarilis bloomed in the kitchen. It's so pretty and pink. I wish it would last longer.<br />
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We found 10 rolls of film. We got them developed and were so happy with the photos. Of course the majority of them were of Michael. This was from Christmas. He loved his new big boy undies. I'm happy to say he figured out that the undies go under the pants not over them.<br />
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I was so excited when my yarn was finally delivered from Deramores. Just look at all of those juicy colors.<br />
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And my new crochet book arrived from amazon. Woot!<br />
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I immediately put the yarn to good use. My ripply blanket is well under way. It brightens my day and makes me happy as I work each new ripply row of color. The blanket has 227 stitches per row and I'm using 17 colors, four rows for each color. The colors look like waves rolling onto the beach.<br />
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No snowy day would be complete without some chocolate chip cookies. Of course the best way to eat them is to dunk them in milk. Yum!<br />
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What have you been doing to keep busy during these wintery snowy days?<br />
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Keep warm!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0Vermilion, OH, USA41.4219889 -82.3646067999999941.374349900000006 -82.445287799999988 41.4696279 -82.283925799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-61089022785056720502014-01-12T09:47:00.000-05:002014-01-12T18:41:53.905-05:00Some Hooky Projects: Ripples, hearts, and snowflakes<br />
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Over Christmas break I began working on a ripply blanket for my cousin's new baby. She's having a girl and naming her Elsie. Her due date was just moved up by two weeks. I better get hooking to finish it on time. I love the bright colors. The yarn I used was Caron SImply Soft Watermelon, Soft Blue, and Sunshine. This is actually the first ripple blanket that I've made. Well I did make a round ripple for my cousin's daughter Claire. For this ripply blanket I used Lucy's pattern found <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Lucy's pattern is so easy to follow.</div>
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Another tiny project I began over our extended Christmas break was a snowflake garland. Our break was extended due to the "polar vortex." The temperatures in my neck of the woods dropped to nine below with wind chills -20ish. The roads were an icy mess because it had rained most of the day on Sunday and then the cold set in and froze everything. Plus it began to snow, and snow, and snow. We were off from school an additional four days. I made three different snowflakes for my garland. You can find the patterns <a href="http://sarahndipities.indiemade.com/blog/things-make-crochet-snowflake-star-garland" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-snowflake.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://flowergirlcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. I worked this garland up in an afternoon.<br />
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Yesterday I decided to make some hearts to decorate for Valentine's day. I realized that I really go all out for Christmas, but when it comes to other holidays I don't decorate nearly as much. The hearts are going to be used to make two different decorations. I'll be stringing the hearts on a garland like the snowflakes to hang from my hutch.<br />
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The second way I'm using the hearts is to crochet two together and then stuff them with batting. I'll hang these ornaments around the house. You can find the pattern for the hearts <a href="http://www.planetjune.com/blog/free-crochet-patterns/love-hearts/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhRtbyxe3HA/UtKhYI1xZ9I/AAAAAAAAAPw/xlOOQwnus7Q/s1600/IMG_0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhRtbyxe3HA/UtKhYI1xZ9I/AAAAAAAAAPw/xlOOQwnus7Q/s400/IMG_0061.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Finally I made some granny square hearts to place under some of my candy dishes. The pattern for these hearts can be found <a href="http://sandra-cherryheart.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/granny-heart-tutorial.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEcpxMmpx68/UtKkQTdTLCI/AAAAAAAAAQE/GWUXzMdwgAc/s1600/IMG_0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEcpxMmpx68/UtKkQTdTLCI/AAAAAAAAAQE/GWUXzMdwgAc/s400/IMG_0063.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I hope you can use some of these patterns in your own home.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-67727017928475703512014-01-08T09:34:00.000-05:002014-01-08T09:41:16.235-05:00Honey and Cinnamon<div id="fb-root">
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I found this post on FaceBook this morning. I thought it quite interesting and decided to share it with you. Enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=723616754323175&set=a.629718577046327.1073741825.100000245722194&type=1">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/donna.hayes.7737">Donna Hayes</a>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-4138658307082871482014-01-04T21:46:00.001-05:002014-01-04T21:46:32.211-05:00Christmas Treasures Bring Fond Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My MomMom and PaPa loved the Christmas season. This Christmas was the first one without either of my grandparents. It was tough at times and yet filled with bittersweet memories. These are some of the ornaments and Christmas decor that we brought home from my grandparents to decorate for the Christmas season. Enjoy.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F0futHkFrpA/UsIIEKsY3xI/AAAAAAAAAMA/BVehy1WDHL8/s1600/IMG_1275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F0futHkFrpA/UsIIEKsY3xI/AAAAAAAAAMA/BVehy1WDHL8/s320/IMG_1275.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our version of Elf on the Shelf. He's been<br />
with our family a long time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeLrOEEtkHk/UsIIEAfCqnI/AAAAAAAAAL8/g2wREV5hYfM/s1600/IMG_1276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeLrOEEtkHk/UsIIEAfCqnI/AAAAAAAAAL8/g2wREV5hYfM/s320/IMG_1276.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PaPa's star. It was one of the originals from the<br />
gift shop, Switzer's Holiday House.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g8em0A4HqgU/UsIICatFZKI/AAAAAAAAALw/x6NopZe7xmk/s1600/IMG_1277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g8em0A4HqgU/UsIICatFZKI/AAAAAAAAALw/x6NopZe7xmk/s320/IMG_1277.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa in his sled.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rT2pUOl4UNE/UsIIF1wIoJI/AAAAAAAAAMI/KYrs2fJze68/s1600/IMG_1278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rT2pUOl4UNE/UsIIF1wIoJI/AAAAAAAAAMI/KYrs2fJze68/s320/IMG_1278.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden bell.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UfRAZXcrpLI/UsIIJZysZVI/AAAAAAAAAMY/0lUWDzpNBtg/s1600/IMG_1279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UfRAZXcrpLI/UsIIJZysZVI/AAAAAAAAAMY/0lUWDzpNBtg/s320/IMG_1279.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crystal Angel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JPG3G6ETEo8/UsIIKjThuKI/AAAAAAAAAMg/aHx1XZaUC4U/s1600/IMG_1281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JPG3G6ETEo8/UsIIKjThuKI/AAAAAAAAAMg/aHx1XZaUC4U/s320/IMG_1281.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crystal Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WMyUu-zTMoo/UsIIOASKLwI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TRZrnHstinM/s1600/IMG_1283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WMyUu-zTMoo/UsIIOASKLwI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TRZrnHstinM/s320/IMG_1283.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crystal Nativity</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-alT60hemFKM/UsIIJTEZDzI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ORbhsucvV38/s1600/IMG_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-alT60hemFKM/UsIIJTEZDzI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ORbhsucvV38/s320/IMG_1280.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass Teardrop</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCTE18_KWkw/UsIIQh0U32I/AAAAAAAAAM8/whNzA_hozKo/s1600/IMG_1284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCTE18_KWkw/UsIIQh0U32I/AAAAAAAAAM8/whNzA_hozKo/s320/IMG_1284.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our favorite places to visit when we vacationed<br />
in Myrtle Beach, Pawley's Island.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2TXNHmu3SI/UsIIRmo3Y7I/AAAAAAAAANA/6QtWqaSENq0/s1600/IMG_1290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2TXNHmu3SI/UsIIRmo3Y7I/AAAAAAAAANA/6QtWqaSENq0/s320/IMG_1290.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PaPa made these Christmas Caroling mice in his wood shop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yD_HKgnGasw/UsIIT31dHsI/AAAAAAAAANU/qaPOhAVhSzc/s1600/IMG_1291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yD_HKgnGasw/UsIIT31dHsI/AAAAAAAAANU/qaPOhAVhSzc/s320/IMG_1291.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. and Mrs. Clause with their little helper. PaPa made these<br />
cutouts as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t7yVu2Ibq7g/UsIIV26GehI/AAAAAAAAANo/2yfyLPQJEek/s1600/IMG_1294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t7yVu2Ibq7g/UsIIV26GehI/AAAAAAAAANo/2yfyLPQJEek/s320/IMG_1294.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MomMom's goose, who I've named Penelope, wears her<br />
caroling ensemble while sitting in the snow <br />
by the back porch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_LgU_nYOilY/UsIIUYaeh2I/AAAAAAAAANY/7asUfcK42s8/s1600/IMG_1293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_LgU_nYOilY/UsIIUYaeh2I/AAAAAAAAANY/7asUfcK42s8/s320/IMG_1293.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudolph, another of PaPa's creations,<br />
lights the way to our front door.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkPJj4XiNd8/UsIIXspO5xI/AAAAAAAAANs/H6Kxinrg6oE/s1600/IMG_1296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkPJj4XiNd8/UsIIXspO5xI/AAAAAAAAANs/H6Kxinrg6oE/s320/IMG_1296.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Snowman stands guard in the middle<br />
of the garage doors. <br />
PaPa made him from a telephone pole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-56713819387551881072013-09-29T21:30:00.002-04:002013-09-29T21:31:20.011-04:00Apple Picking Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This afternoon, Matt, Michael, and I drove to Burnham's Orchards for our annual apple picking. Since we moved to Vermilion nine years ago, picking apples at the orchard has become a family tradition.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujZDv3zG2dY/UkjNYYPhcBI/AAAAAAAAAKs/lBnioYPWkX8/s1600/IMG_1144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ujZDv3zG2dY/UkjNYYPhcBI/AAAAAAAAAKs/lBnioYPWkX8/s320/IMG_1144.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I remember when Michael was no bigger than the goofy looking red apple. He always ran up to the apple sign to see how much he had grown since the previous year. Boy times have changed. This year I practically begged him to stand next to the apple. Being 13 he thinks this is so uncool.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Y5eAe9Z5Zc/UkjNUr6U9rI/AAAAAAAAAKg/umbdsjpyt7Y/s1600/IMG_1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Y5eAe9Z5Zc/UkjNUr6U9rI/AAAAAAAAAKg/umbdsjpyt7Y/s320/IMG_1142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our next stop on our visit was to purchase the makings of a scarecrow. Michael picked out jeans, a blue and red flannel shirt, and a burlap bag with a happy face painted on the front. We took our materials to the stuffing station where we tied off the legs and arms before filling them with straw. We even received a birth certificate for our scarecrow. The scarecrow enjoyed riding around in the wagon Michael pulled behind him.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qlXcMcJGJJQ/UkjPr2pivFI/AAAAAAAAAK4/Yb2QHZ7YgP0/s1600/001-web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qlXcMcJGJJQ/UkjPr2pivFI/AAAAAAAAAK4/Yb2QHZ7YgP0/s320/001-web.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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From the scarecrow station we visited the bees. I think it would be lovely to have a bee hive in my backyard. There are so few honey bees around these days. We have tons of flowers in our flower beds. I think bees would love to live in our yard. I wonder how difficult it would be to keep them. I purchased a half gallon of honey. Did you know that you can freeze honey? The woman told me that I could keep the large container in the freezer and take it out to refill my small container as I needed it. Learned something new today.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKsZf64GaUs/UkjNZHLIBhI/AAAAAAAAAKw/1JwMZJkCDcA/s1600/IMG_1145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KKsZf64GaUs/UkjNZHLIBhI/AAAAAAAAAKw/1JwMZJkCDcA/s320/IMG_1145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Michael pulled the wagon with the honey and the scarecrow towards the apple trees. We picked Golden Delicious, Johnathons, and Golden Johnathons. Michael was the first to eat an apple right from the tree. Matt and I followed suit. I picked my apple and shined it up with my shirt. The apple was crisp and sweet - delicious. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjyedDknJbA/UkjNDz1xzzI/AAAAAAAAAKI/hylH2jx68TE/s1600/IMG_1135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DjyedDknJbA/UkjNDz1xzzI/AAAAAAAAAKI/hylH2jx68TE/s320/IMG_1135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our next stop was the pumpkins. Well we side tracked to take a picture with the John Deer tractor for Boppa. Matt and Michael selected some small pumpkins for decorations while I purchased the Indian corn and apple cider. The boys also decided that we needed corn stalks and a bale of straw. We seriously need a TRUCK. We had to put the back seats down to fit the straw bale and corn stalks.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8unLb2B90ag/UkjNKXsOEsI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/NNG1qjdY6KE/s1600/IMG_1139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8unLb2B90ag/UkjNKXsOEsI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/NNG1qjdY6KE/s320/IMG_1139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When we returned home Michael and I set up our scarecrow, straw bale, pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks in the front yard. Matt went in the house to fix dinner, chicken and noodles - yum.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y03LjVxVlVY/UkjT2CMBSkI/AAAAAAAAALM/TidAtvjhXvg/s1600/IMG_1147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y03LjVxVlVY/UkjT2CMBSkI/AAAAAAAAALM/TidAtvjhXvg/s320/IMG_1147.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After dinner I baked my first apple pie. I'm not too crazy about the crust. It was one of those already made pie crusts. I think it was a little dry. We just finished having a piece of pie with vanilla ice cream. Delicious.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RHO7wQZ-Sf4/UkjT0wXGiiI/AAAAAAAAALI/JuGPUag84tc/s1600/IMG_1148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RHO7wQZ-Sf4/UkjT0wXGiiI/AAAAAAAAALI/JuGPUag84tc/s320/IMG_1148.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What a nice fall day.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Hugs,</i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-18790931720143488802013-09-15T19:49:00.003-04:002013-09-15T19:54:23.515-04:00Another Summer Comes to a Close<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe I'm actually saying this. I'm happy to be back at school. This is the first time I can remember being ready for summer to be over and school to begin. Maybe it's because I had such an awesome time with my freshmen last year. What a fun and energetic group of kids. I will miss them. All though many have already come to visit me in my room. Several have asked if they can still check books out of my classroom library. YEAH!<br />
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Reading is so important to me. As you know last year I had my students keep a reading notebook. In the notebook they tracked all of the books that they read as well as wrote about their books. They read 10 minutes each day at the beginning of class. I tested the kids each nine weeks to see if they were growing as readers. I'm excited to say that the majority of reading scores went up, up, up. In fact the largest jump was four grade levels. YES!<br />
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Well this year I'm sticking with reading, but also adding more writing. Instead of just a reading notebook, students will be keeping a Reading and Writing Notebook. Here's how I changed things up a bit.<br />
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Students are still reading 10 minutes each day of a reading week. They also choose any book at their reading level that they want to read. They record their book on their reading log when they begin a new book and when they finish they write the date completed as well as E for easy, JR for just right, or C for challenging. They may still abandon a book if they don't like it. This is still a difficult concept for kids.<br />
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Some new things that I'm trying are tracking how many pages students read rather than counting the numbers of books. This week I had students count how many pages they could read in 10 minutes. We then multiplied that number by 6 to see how many pages they could read in an hour. Then we doubled that number to see how many pages students could read in two hours. From there students created a simple book mark with the days of the week listed down the front. Each day they read they write their beginning page number for that day. At the end of the week, actually Monday in class, we'll calculate the pages they read for the week. If they read for two hours then they should easily reach their page goal for the week. I'm taking this as a homework grade. The only way a kid will receive a zero is if he/she didn't read at all. If they at least read one page, then they will receive half of the points.<br />
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I'm placing an enormous amount of trust on students' shoulders. I explained that I can't possibly sit with all 144 of them and watch them read every day. I also didn't want to have parents sign off each week saying that their child read. My students are freshmen now, young adults. I explained that I'm trusting them. It's common courtesy which is my number one rule in my classroom.<br />
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Students have a page tracker glued into their Reading Writing Notebook for the first nine weeks. On Mondays they simply transfer their page numbers from their bookmarks to their page tracker for each week. I send my classroom page tracker around the room each Monday and students transfer their page numbers read each day with their total for the week. This is what I will place in my grade book.<br />
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We're also placing all notes on reading like our short story unit in our Reading and Writing Notebooks. This week students will be working in their notebooks on character, setting, plot, tone, etc. It should be review. On the left hand side of the page they taped or glued the notes I gave them. On the right hand side of the page is where they will reflect on what they have learned. For example, on the right hand side of the page next to plot notes students will write major events from the story on post it notes and arrange them in a plot diagram. I got this idea from researching interactive notebooks. Learning on the left and reflection on the right. We'll see how this goes.<br />
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The idea is to alternate between reading and writing every week. So far we've spent a ton of time setting up our notebooks and reading. We'll finish our first short story this week and then we'll move into some writing. I'll keep you posted on how things go. Hopefully we settle into a routine soon.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-71520937954203521122013-06-16T21:42:00.000-04:002013-06-16T21:42:22.931-04:00Ohio Berries Make Yummy Strawberry ShortcakeHappy Father's Day!<br />
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I woke up my husband. Once he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and drank his <strike>first </strike>second cup of coffee, I asked him what he wanted to do today after we went to church. He said the Ohio berries are in. Let's go get some before they're all gone. He's so funny. Like all the berries in Ohio would be gone if we didn't get them today.<br />
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After church we headed to Aufdenkamp's Farm Market just outside of Vermilion to pick some berries. However, the Fish Festival Parade was marching toward our car, so we had to make a u-turn and head to Aufdenkamp's via the back roads. Side note: The Fish Festival is held annually in June for three days Friday through Sunday - great food, lots of vendors, and games for the kiddies.<br />
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In the end we didn't pick our berries. We purchased a flat, eight quarts, of fresh just picked today strawberries. Matt decided with so many berries that we should not only bake strawberry shortcake, but also make strawberry preserves. It's father's day, and I said we would do whatever he wanted to do today. But that's a different story for a different blog post.<br />
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Once we returned home I began baking the strawberry shortcake.<br />
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I want to share the recipe for strawberry shortcake with you. I adapted it from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. Here goes:<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients for the cake:</b></u> <br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/2 cups self-rising flour</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li>2 cups sugar</li>
<li>4 large eggs, at room temperature</li>
<li>1 cup milk (I used coconut milk.)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
</ul>
<b><u>Ingredients for cream filling:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>2 cups heavy cream</li>
<li>1/4 cup confectioner's sugar</li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Ingredients for berry filling:</u></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>2 pints (4 cups) ripe strawberries, sliced in half</li>
<li>2 tablespoons sugar</li>
</ul>
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.</div>
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Grease and flour 9 1/2 x 12 baking pan.</div>
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<b><u>To make the cake: </u></b></div>
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In a small bowl, combine the self-rising flour and the all-purpose flour. Set this aside for the time being.</div>
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Using a mixer on medium speed you cream the two sticks of butter. This should take about 3 minutes. The butter will look smooth. </div>
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Add the sugar a little at a time and beat until fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes.</div>
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Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one is added.</div>
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Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla extract. With each addition beat until it's incorporated. Do not overbeat.<br />
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Use your spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure all the ingredients are well blended.</div>
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Pour the batter in the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.</div>
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Let the cake cool for one hour.<br />
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<b><u>To make the cream filling:</u></b></div>
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In a mixer, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. (I only make enough whipped cream for the number of pieces of cake I'm going to be serving. The cream melts, and I don't like to refrigerate cake because it dries out.)<br /><ol>
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<b><u>To make the berry filling:</u></b></div>
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Gently toss the berries with the sugar until they're evenly coated.<br /><ol>
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<b><u>To assemble the cake:</u></b></div>
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Cut each person one piece of cake, about two inches by two inches. Next slice the piece of cake horizontally through the middle so that you have a top and bottom. Spread a good amount of whipped cream on the bottom piece of cake. Add some of the berries to the whipped cream. Place the top of the cake on the whipped cream and berries. Finish off with whipped cream and berries on the top of the piece of cake and serve. </div>
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YUM!</div>
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It was delicious. I hope you enjoy some fresh Ohio berries before they're all gone. Have a wonderful week.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-82784312604045404492013-06-09T09:22:00.002-04:002013-06-09T09:22:54.729-04:00New Habits Baby StepsI decided to create some new habits once summer began. I'm starting small with just three habits for the first week. These habits focus on the bedroom, kitchen, and me. I got the idea, at least the one about the kitchen, from <a href="http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/02/daily-cleaning-101-step-1-the-kitchen.html" target="_blank">A Bowl Full of Lemons</a>.<br />
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1. Bedroom - The moment I get up and out of bed I make it. Even before I visit the restroom or let Bella out, I make the bed. It takes a mere five minutes. I pull up the sheets and the comforter then place the pillows on top. A made bed makes the room look a little more tidy. Plus it gives Sebastien a nice place to curl up for a cat nap.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4nYfUzPysf4/UbR3SBnS1LI/AAAAAAAAAGo/j-OXuw5C8OQ/s1600/IMG_0706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4nYfUzPysf4/UbR3SBnS1LI/AAAAAAAAAGo/j-OXuw5C8OQ/s320/IMG_0706.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At night when I'm getting ready for bed, I put on my pjs and place <strike>my</strike> hubby's and my dirty clothes in the hamper instead of piling them on my floor. <strike>I'm </strike>We're clutter bugs. Growing up I drove my Mom crazy with my clothes spilling from several different piles all over the floor of my room. Dirty or clean, it didn't matter and typically I struggled figuring out which pile was which. Gross. Right? That bad habit lingered. Until this week. When you walk into my bedroom, you can see my floor, clothes-free.<br />
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2. Kitchen - Before I go to bed, I wash the dishes. So far it's been nice not having to face a HUMONGOUS pile of dishes in the morning. Sometimes when I let things go, like the dishes, they pile up, literally. You know, like the clothes in my room. Then I feel overwhelmed and angry that the dishes are piling up in the sink and on the counters. Angrily, I wash them all. However, since I've been washing the dishes each night before bed, I'm not feeling overwhelmed and instead of feeling angry, I have a feeling of accomplishment.<br />
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Once the dishes are finished I wipe down the counters, then the kitchen table, and finally the stove. Everything is shiny and the kitchen smells of lemons. I love it. When I wake in the morning and go into the kitchen to make my coffee, I feel like the day is off to a good start.<br />
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3. Exercise - I have struggled with my weight since high school. We joined the YMCA in our town and have been going twice a week. Well, Matt and Michael have been going twice a week. I seemed to stay later and later after school. As a result I couldn't make it to the YMCA to fit in my workout. So now I'm back to twice a week to begin. I want to increase it to four days a week. Not necessarily going to the YMCA, but walking or riding my bike.<br />
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So far I've discovered that if I do a little bit every day then things don't seem to pile up, and I don't feel so overwhelmed. I can also have people pop over, like my friend Amy when she and her darling daughter delivered their pet hamster Nutmeg. Michael is hamster sitting. Typically, I would be running around like a crazy lady putting things away and cleaning up before people came over for a visit. When Amy called to come over with Nutmeg I said "Come on over any time." I didn't run around like a crazy lady. The house was tidy. Tad-dah!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Hugs,</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>HopeAnn</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-18235365257132284842013-06-07T08:12:00.000-04:002013-06-07T08:12:50.758-04:00Peonies and Pitchers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love flowers. I think I get that love from my grandmother, MomMom. MomMom spent hours working in her flowerbeds and formal garden. In the backyard the boxwood hedge of MomMom's formal garden sheltered several pink peony bushes. The lush pink peonies framed the two back corners of the garden, one on each side behind the fountain. </div>
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When we moved to our little blue house in Vermilion, MomMom gave me a start of one of her peony bushes to add to my flowerbed. We planted the tiny sprig in the flowerbed under the windows of our back porch. That first summer it didn't bloom. However, the next year numerous purple peony sprigs peeked up through the soil. It's been seven years since we first planted MomMom's little peony sprig. Now my pink peony, luscious and sweet, bursts with beautiful pink blooms. I love the smell of peonies. When the blooms begin to open, I cut some to bring in the house. </div>
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This year I placed them in MomMom's blue pitcher that used to sit on top of the cupboard above the oven. It was one of the mementos I brought home. I just love fresh flowers, especially in pitchers.<br />
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Last night, after washing the dishes, I snuggled under my blue and white blanket on the couch next to the glass topped table where the pitcher of peonies sat. I sipped my chamomile tea, smelling the aroma of the flowers, thinking of MomMom and remembering her fondly.<br />
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What a nice way to wrap up my day.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span></div>
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<span id="goog_653066235"></span><span id="goog_653066236"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-75302514883571923642013-06-05T10:21:00.000-04:002013-06-05T10:21:22.799-04:00This Week's Midweek Confessions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again I've been following Elizabeth at E, Myself, and I. Here are my Midweek Confessions.<br />
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<li>Monday I got up and made Michael ride the bus to school. I stayed in my pjs until noon. Noon. I just vegged (spelling?) on the couch all morning. All though I had been up since 2 a.m. (See below for the details.)</li>
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<li>Remember the cat puke? Yeah. It's. still. there. under. the. bed. </li>
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<li>I spent two and a half hours at the salon yesterday getting my hair cut and colored. I was so relaxed that I almost fell asleep in the chair. I had the head bobbing thing going on. My head jerked back and hit the hairdryer. People stared. My face turned red. I finally asked for a cup of coffee. It helped - a little. When I got home I peeked in on Michael who was home from school. He was sound asleep in his bed with his glasses still on his face. What a great idea! I took a nap myself. Ahhh!</li>
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<li>Speaking of sleeping. . . if you haven't noticed, I've been TIRED all week, and it's only Wednesday. Sunday night at 2 a.m. Bella, my Yorkie, decided to sit in the kitchen and cry. Repeatedly. She's been a bad girl so she has been banned to the kitchen during the night. It's not that awful. She has her bed, food, water, toys, and piddle pad. Last night I caved. I let her back into the main part of the house for the evening so I could get some sleep. What kind of a message am I sending my dog?</li>
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<li>I tried to create a new habit this week. I got the idea here: <a href="http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/02/daily-cleaning-101-step-1-the-kitchen.html" target="_blank">Daily Cleaning 101</a>. I need all the help I can get as you well know from reading about the cat. Actually I began this new habit on Friday evening. Each evening before I go to bed, I take about 15 minutes to wash the dishes, wipe off the sink, counters, table, and stove. It actually makes me feel happy <strike>at the butt crack of dawn </strike>in the morning when I walk into a clean kitchen. I said trying in the first sentence. Yesterday I didn't take the time (15 whole minutes) to clean the kitchen. Now I'm faced with a sink full of dishes and takeout bags on the counter. And I'm still in my pjs. And tired.</li>
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<li>People who don't support their local schools make. me. ANGRY! Last Wednesday I went to the school board meeting to hear the doomandgloom about our school's future. I also listened to the doomandgloom on our last day of school. I'm TIRED of the doomandgloom. We HAVE to pass a levy in August. We've already made cuts. TWICE. It's SAD. Great, young teachers lost their jobs because the May levy didn't pass. Programs are being cut. What kind of an education will our kids receive with 30 + students in the classroom? How do you say no to kids? I know. Hard economic times. I've felt it too. If the levy passes, it'll cost about $25 a month. That's dinner at McDonald's for my family. I can give up McDonald's once a month. It's definitely better for my health. Hmmm . . . Get healthy! Support your school!</li>
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Wow! Where did that energetic angry outburst come from?</div>
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What are you confessing this week?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Hugs,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>HopeAnn</i></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12646481736193646452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-26008672960546060732013-05-29T21:42:00.002-04:002013-06-04T23:44:45.641-04:00Midweek Confessions<div style="text-align: center;">
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I've been following Elizabeth at E, Myself, and I for quite some time. Here are my midweek confessions. . .<br />
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So to start off this week I totally messed up my check book balance. How I could forget about writing two pretty large checks is beyond me. It doesn't help that we spend money like we're millionaires. Now we have to keep things pretty tight to the belt for the next couple of weeks. Not a nice way to begin summer vacation.<br />
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Monday night or Tuesday morning take your pick, the cat, Sebastien, started making hackinguphairball sounds. Typically he doesn't hack up hairballs; he pukes up his food instead. We think it's because he's such a HOG and eats too fast. So I heard the heaves and ran out of the bedroom to find him. Mind you everyone else in the house was asleep. I found Sebastien in the living room so I tried to grab him and take him into the kitchen. It's easier to clean cat puke off a linoleum floor. He evaded me and ran right into Michael's bedroom and under the bed. As I tried quietly to coax him out, he puked. Did I clean it up? No. I was not about to go under the bed and clean cat puke up and wake Michael in the process. It's still there. I figure it's easier to clean it up once it's dried. I'm such the housekeeper. I am not my mother in this regard.<br />
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In my last post, <a href="http://scribblingsfrommybackporch.blogspot.com/2013/05/bringing-home-memories.html" target="_blank">here</a>, I told you about MomMom's fountain and how we placed it in our back flower bed. Well, Matt used a metal spike pounded into the ground to help support the back of the fountain to keep it from falling over on that side. After the boys left for football conditioning I painted the goose (also mentioned <a href="http://scribblingsfrommybackporch.blogspot.com/2013/05/bringing-home-memories.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Then when Penelope the goose was finished I sat in my chair and listened to the sounds of my beautiful fountain. While I sat there I noticed that the bowl of the fountain wasn't even on all sides. Being the perfectionist that I am, I went over to the fountain and moved the bowl so it was centered on the pedestal. Unfortunately since I moved the bowl it no longer rested on the metal spike that was supporting it. My husband noticed it the next day. So far the fountain hasn't tipped over, but I just can't seem to leave well enough alone. Matt is just waiting to say "I told you so."<br />
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This week is finals week. My honors class had their final on last Friday and it was an essay exam. Your basic read the article and right a five paragraph position essay. They had all week to prepare and they could use their notes, an outline, and the article. They just had to do the writing in class. When I should have been grading their essays this weekend, I spent my time catching up on my reading - all the blogs that I follow - as well as writing on my blog. Where are my priorities?<br />
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Lastly, I procrastinated again. It seems to be a theme for this past week. I missed a whole week of GH so I sat and watched five episodes in a row. Matt had to work that morning and wouldn't be home until two-ish. I told him I'd have the messy kitchen cleaned by the time he got home so we could have our cookout. At one I finally moved from the couch and began cleaning up in the kitchen. I had to move fast. I turned on Pandora radio to some 80s music and jammed while I rocked out the kitchen. Music always makes me get things done faster and it makes chores a little more fun. When Matt got home he thought I spent the entire morning cleaning the kitchen. I'm good.<br />
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What are you confessing this week?<br />
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HopeAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02030204590854794288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-402432330913530155.post-36193162046740100902013-05-27T18:52:00.003-04:002013-05-27T18:54:24.044-04:00Bringing Home Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you recall, I told you that I received MomMom's fountain. This fountain has been around since 1969 according to the stamp on the bottom of the bowl. MomMom and PaPa sold these fountains at their floral shop, Switzer's Holiday House. </div>
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This fountain sat in a place of honor in the center of MomMom's formal garden in the backyard. Since MomMom passed it's been living in the shed in the backyard. Until last summer when I helped PaPa put it together and place it in the front flower bed. At that time he reminded me that one day this fountain would grace my flower bed. He just wasn't ready to give it up yet because it reminded him of MomMom. About a month ago, the fountain came home with me.<br />
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Two weekends ago Matt and I set up the fountain to make sure it works. We had a difficult time getting the bowl to balance in the pedestal. It seems that an animal, maybe a raccoon or squirrel may have clawed up the bottom of the bowl making it a little tipsy. We placed it on the concrete stoop just outside of the garage. Matt used several shims to get it level. But at least it works.<br />
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Matt and I cleaned the fountain up as best we could. I began with Soft Scrub. That didn't work at all. Then I went to Magic Eraser. The Magic Erasers lasted all of five minutes each. They did take off some of the gunk. Mostly the plastic material of the fountain was covered in rust stains. Probably from the well water at MomMom and PaPa's house. </div>
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We purchased spray paint and decided to give it a fresh coat. I chose an off white. We sprayed two coats on each piece, the pedestal, the bowl, and the cupid. (At least I think it might be cupid. He is carrying a quiver at his side, but he doesn't seem to have any wings.)</div>
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Ta-dah! Doesn't he look fantastic?! We ended up purchasing a stone slab to help the fountain balance. I learned how to use a level. WOOT! We ran electric out to the back flowerbed and filled it up with water.<br />
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We sat and listened to the gentle splish splash of the water as it poured from the leaf Cupid holds in his hands. We sat back in our chairs to admire our beautiful fountain. While we were sitting there all tranquil, Jack our black lab went up to the fountain to get a drink. Grrrrrr. If he thinks this is his new water bowl, he has another think coming. This dog has a mind of his own. </div>
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Do you remember the other new addition to our family? This is the goose that used to sit on MomMom and PaPa's front porch greeting everyone who came for a visit. She used to dress in the most outlandish outfits depending on the holiday. My family used to joke about what the goose was wearing whenever we got together. MomMom and PaPa purchased her somewhere up here by the lake on one of their many Sunday drives around Catawba and Marblehead. </div>
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Matt used Scotch Brite pad to sand off the old dusty paint. This was definitely not a job for me because of my asthma. Dust drives my allergies and lungs crazy. Sorry I didn't get any photos of Matt sanding.</div>
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This is the goose after the second coat of white spray paint. She used to be a tan color, and I thought white would really brighten her up. I'm thinking of coloring the edges of her feathers with a touch of grey. Paint not the Grateful Dead song. Although I love that song and that band. So sad Jerry's been gone for ages. It's just not the same. I ramble.<br />
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Yesterday after we finished the fountain Matt and Michael went off to football conditioning. I decided to paint the finishing touches on my goose. I gave her a yellow bill with matching yellow webbed feet. I painted her eyes blue like MomMom's eyes. Next weekend I'm going to paint the base either a green to match the grass or a grey as if she's sitting on a rock. Still pondering that one.<br />
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The goose's name is Penelope after a character in the book called <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37095.The_Shell_Seekers" target="_blank">The Shell Seekers</a> </i>by Rosamunde Pilcher. The story is set in modern day and flashes back to WWII. The story reminded me of the time when MomMom and PaPa were young. MomMom stayed home with her newborn baby (my mother) while PaPa went off to fight in the Battle of the Bulge.<br />
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Now Penelope sits in the grass just outside of our back door greeting us as we come home each day.<br />
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What have you been working on in your neck of the woods?<br />
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