Celebrating Mum's Birthday

At dinner.

At a Birthday Party

The other mouse

Homework

Daddy helping Emma count 100 pennies.

Fun at Breakfast

Family movie night

At Emma's elementary school, the girls tuck in for a showing of Kung
Fu Panda.

Staring Down Saturday

All of the grading yet to be done... ((Yes, that is a BUCKET of papers)

Warming Up

Emma wears Daddy's sweater to warm up after dinner.

My Little Shadow

Mary colors while I fix soup and a roast.

Pajama Fun

Making cookies on our pajama snow day.

Ghost Town

It's so cold, even Sugartown is deserted...

Frozen Pond

Coldest day ever! The pond is still running underneath the ice.

Back to Normal?

Emma is back at school today, against her protests. Seems she really enjoyed a day with Mama, playing chess (8 times), making snowflakes, doing puzzles on the floor and watching a movie snuggled on the couch with me. I can't imagine why?! Well, she did enjoy it (go figure) and today it was next to impossible to push her out the door and that had nothing to do with the -10 wind chill. I traipsed back to work and had dissection day for my Anatomy students (brains!) and review sheets to the Chemistry classes for tomorrow's tests (hurray! Test Day Friday!). With any luck, and the snow dances of all Chemistry students in 126B (and possibly, but not necessarily, me), we will get a day off tomorrow and me and both of the girls can engage in day-off shenanigans. Hubby, on the other hand, is off on a business trip and will not be enjoying any stay home, day-off fun whatsoever. Sorry, Hubby!

Rest Day

Emma at home with a kidney infection. Keeping her quiet is nearly
impossible...

Fun times

Waiting at the Dr office

Afternoon walk

Giant "snow eggs" to the delight of the girls.

Laptop Nation

A family that computes together...

Christmas, disassembled

Taking it all down...

Sleepy

Charlie snuggling with sleepy Emma on our way home.

For the Love of the Game

Emma teaching Mary how to move chess pieces. Because we couldn't do
one more game today...

Favorite Presents

Both of the girls got modest piles of presents this year. Santa brought Mary a rocking chair, a new blankie, and her very own nutcracker. Emma received a sleeping beauty doll, a sleeping beauty horse that walks by itself, and a Barbie B smart computer. Mary is spending a lot of time reading books on her rocking chair with "New Ann" (her blankies are always named Ann). Emma is obsessed with a chess game we got her. OBSESSED. We have been playing it every minute of the day since yesterday morning. I am quite tired of the whole thing, as I have played no less than 10 games of chess since yesterday at 2 when we opened up the No Stress Chess game. And, incidentally, she read her first unassisted, unknown word when I put the board down. She said, "Rook! Mama, this says Rook." I asked her how she new that and she explained the whole process of knowing the word BOOK and replacing the "R" with the "B" and THERE YOU HAVE IT. Then she wanted to know what it meant and why it was printed on the board. We've been doing chess playing marathons ever since.

Resistance is Futile - You Will be Assimilated

This commercial is the undoing of all attempts at avoiding media control:


The girls hug the TV when this horrible thing comes on. The worst part? It is advertising TRADING CARDS. You know the girls are expecting fully animated horses that will befriend them and love them.

The robots are coming! The robots are coming!!!!! Save yourselves!!!!

Family Drive

Annual Lightfest

Lights for Dad and Mom

Lighted lighthouse!

Lights!

Creative Mary Toy

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SUPER BOTTLE! That's from the doll
house and is wearing a tag from gloves. How can Christmas compare??

Another Santa visit

"A rocking chair to sit in by my window and my very own nutcracker".

Stolen Moment

Christmas House Tours

More photos at Kodak Gallery. We had a Christmas in the Village event where people got to see the decorations at 8 houses and we were one of them. It took us 4 full weeks of decorating, borrowing decorations from my Mom and Dad, borrowing expertise and help form my Mother-In-Law, and countless purchases at Michael's. I'm glad it's over!!!!

Holiday Egg Nog

Three chefs celebrate their posset.

Christmas house tour

String quartet on the balcony!

Santa steps

Almost done decorating!

Every now and then, I turn domestic...

I go back to work tomorrow, like a good portion of the United States professional world, and I don't want to go. It's a little bit of a selfish thing (ya think?) but when given a couple of days off, I fear returning to imposed order. And I want to quilt. I have never successfully quilted, so I don't know why I turn into quilt woman wannabe. For example, I LOVE this project - check out the mouse! And I want to embroider. And scrap book. I am not really thinking of new schedules (brand new trimester with new classes and new rosters!). Sure, I've got the lesson plans done, most of the copies made, the notes ready to be given, and the quizzes scheduled. I'd just rather be crafting. That is a sign. Usually a sign of stress, but I think it is more from a taste of freedom. Now, I know I'd be bored in a matter of days, but when facing down a whole new agenda and different classes than I've been teaching (in other words, no momentum), I'd rather not. Who would? At least I've got the summer. Isn't that just around the corner? In wild anticipation of all that time without tests, papers, and lesson plans, I think I'll order the Tulip Fairy Stitchette. Hooray for June!

Emma Evidence

When Emma gets a hold of my phone I find odd pictures of pet
elephants. Sally and Lucy look on defiantly here as they lay on the
pastry counter where they KNOW they are not allowed.

Christmas Village

Some of the Precious Moments sugartown village-couldn't fit it all in
one picture, but one more decorating thing is off the list!

Tommy Turkey Undercover

Emma's disguised turkey for school.

Tweet! Tweet!

I just signed on with Twitter, so if you are on Twitter, I am Sciteacher and we can Tweet!

Who Knew?

I got called back for my job! Three work days before the layoff was to start, with NO news either way, an innocuous envelope was delivered to my classroom door and signed for that said that my services would, indeed, be needed for this school year, if I wouldn't mind terribly. Otherwise, if I felt that I could not fulfill the duties outlined in the contract, please contact the superintendent of the district within 15 days. Get the chalk, Georgie, we're goin' in! Time to print some syllabi and assign some homework, because I'M BACK.

Reprise of tree #1

Details

Victorian woodlands style?

Tree #3

And stockings! Those boxes go under the tree.

Details

Glass drippy things worked out perfectly!

Finished

This looks better!

Tree #2

Living room tree is searching for glass teardrop crystal thingies and
a topper.

A final touch

I can't stop messing with more details. I love this room!

Emma's Tree

Mary's Tree

Inspired by the snow

Tree #1 and my own centerpiece. It's going to take me a full month to
get the house ready for the Christmas in the Village house tours!

Snow!

In the living room, a brief blizzard brought thoughts of Christmas..,.

A smaller affair

Hosting a smaller, slightly more casual dinner experience tonight, but
it was worthy of Apple Spice truffles on each plate!

Polls are open!!!

7 am voting line.

Time for Change!!!

I just got a Very Important Phone Call. Yep, it's the ONE I've been waiting for (in addition to that one that tells me I will still have a job) to make my decision. Barack Obama called ME. Sure, it was a recorded message, but it was for ME. At MY number. McCain hasn't called me. Hillary never called me. And Heaven knows Bush didn't pick up the phone and give me a ring with a happily recorded voice when he was running. Senator Obama told me how we need change. We need a new set of leaders - not Maverick-y people who hunt caribou or love George Bush's policies (he didn't say that directly, but I know what he was trying to say without really saying it). He told me WE NEED BARACK. And just because his recorded voice came over my phone, I think I'll go vote on Tuesday. I swear if your recorded voice calls me before then, I'll vote for you!

Trick or Treat!

Minnie Mouse and Sleeping Beauty chum it up before the big haul.

Minnie

Crazy hair day

Spirit week at school

Because I should be sitting down

It's not the best I've done, but the girls were thrilled....