Amanda's Barstools

Here they are!! Okay, I should have posted these after Saturday, but no where does it say that it is bad luck for the bride to see her barstools before the shower! Gotta have that zebra on them! I hope Amanda doesn't get tired of the stripes for a long time.

Living Lawn Mowers

Todd told me this evening, "I can't believe you have not blogged the cows!". Well, honestly, I didn't think about it, but every evening when I come in from school, the grass in one pasture gets shorter and shorter. No more mowing the pasture now. Thanks, Dennis! Last week, this pasture the cows are on looked like the above picture. Next week they get to work on the other side of the house when a fence gets up so they won't get into my plants along the fence!

YUM-O as Rachel Ray would say!

This dessert is so easy and so lo-cal! It has become one of our favorites. I didn't realize how easy Angel Food cakes were to make, but you just add water! I used sugar-free cheesecake pudding with low fat milk, of course, fat free cool whip, the crumbled cake, and sliced strawberries and layered it. As I tell my students, "It's a piece of cake!"

Day of Fun with Karley who is almost 1!

My neice came to spend the day Saturday while big brother and sister were at a Ranch Rodeo. I had forgotten how it is to have a baby around! Karley has just begun to walk and she was very curious! I had lots of fun, as well as Todd. We hope she comes back for another visit soon.

Everyone Reads Day

Friday was Everyone Reads Day, which means the school had a goal of reading thousands of books in order to get Ms. Brooks, our principal down from the flagpole. Ms. Brooks, with the help of Mr. Fite, reads to the entire school.

We had visitors come read to the kids from throughout the community. Our class was treated to a visit by a local electrician, a/c tech, oh, and school board member! Todd read Green Eggs and Ham so that the kids could participate with him.

Class Pets

Our class is raising monarch butterflies. We went out and gathered eggs on milkweed plants. They hatched and we are feeding them milkweed. If you look closely you will see a tiny caterpillar on a leaf. This one was on a milkweed that we gathered for food. He is our ACCIDENT! Today when I came to school, one of the caterpillars was in a J, which means soon it will be in its chrysalis.

Lakeshore, Mississippi

Todd and Matt traveled to Lakeshore, Mississippi early Friday morning to wire a house for one of the residents there. This area was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The steeple that is pictured is what is left of a church there. The building behind Todd's truck is the church and just beyond there is the beach. Todd said he was told that over 40 feet of water flooded the area. The man whose house Todd and Matt wired was one of the last people out of Lakeshore. He was listening to the radio about 1 am before the storm hit, and the radio announcer said that if you haven't left yet, write your social security number on your arm so you can be identified. He told Todd he woke his wife and they left immediately. His house was destroyed by water and mud. It is almost 3 years later and people are still trying to recover. Pray for the people there. Churches from all over the U.S. have come to help. Our church will travel back there in June.

Toga Power!

Ashley went to a Disney on Ice party last night with a Christian sorority, Phi Lambda. They dressed as characters from Disney movies. Ashley and Katy were characters from the movie, Hercules. What happens when you don't have white sheets? You take the ones off your bed and where what you have! Doesn't look like Ashley or her friends are too confident on the ice!

A Swim

We just finished the book, Frog and Toad are Friends, and the students designed Toad's new bathing suit from the chapter, A Swim. This is our pond full of toads. Camouflage and Hannah Montana are popular designs.

HELP! Need Motivation!

I should be jogging on this thing right now instead of posting blogs, but I just don't have the motivation to get on it. After reading Jana's success story on her blog, I should be pumped and ready to go. Here lately, I just want to come home, eat, paint, clean up, eat again, and go to bed. Todd and I have progressed to 3 miles now, and I can't let him pass me up. That should be enough motivation. Okay, I'll get my headphones and shoes and make myself do this.

Pots a Little on the Wild Side

Just finished painting 20 of these clay pots for hostess gifts for a wedding shower. They will look really good with plants in them.

Wild Accessories

Just finished painting accessories for a young teen. These used to be blues, yellows, and flowery. After some sanding and priming, this young girl's stuff has become hip and wild! I can't wait to see her room.

Yesterday we went to Table Rock Dam. There they have a fish hatchery with trout. The water was like ice. Our feet were cold for a good while after we left!

Branson Landing just opened this year. It has a Bass Pro Shop and lots of stores. You can take a trolley from one end to the other. It is right on Lake Taneycomo.
We shopped so much, Mama had to take a break. I told her she was responsible for getting her ownself out!

Fun in Branson

We made it to Branson in about 8 hours. After a late lunch at Cracker Barrell, we took all of our brochures and decided on who we wanted to see. We bought our tickets in advance and had GREAT seats. We were on the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st rows at 3 of the shows we saw. The seats at Presley's were so comfortable.

Branson Bound!

At 5 a.m. tomorrow my grandmother, mom, aunt, and I will head out on a 4 day adventure in Branson, Missouri! This is my grandmother's favorite place, and she will turn 80 next month! Our days will be packed with shows, shopping, and hopefully, good food. I hope these ladies won't wear me out so much, so I will be ready to return to school on Wednesday.