Another One Gone

Well, when my fourth graders heard that I had kittens to give away, of course they all wanted one. One of the boys, though, does live in town and I knew he would take care of one. Sure enough, he and his sister showed up at my door this afternoon to pick one up. Mama said he could have one if it was a boy. So he took Benji. He was such a cutie with beautiful eyes. He promised to take care of him and I could see in his eyes it meant a lot to him. He is a sweet kid and he has really being down about us moving. I hope that the cat will always be special to him.

Earth Day Bag Give-Away!!!!

Welcome to Earth Day! My class has been working on environmental projects for about a month now. I divided them into three groups and they chose their topics. One group is doing water conservation, another trash and pollution and the other is doing recycling. They have worked really hard. The recycling group has called every county employee trying to get a true recycling program in our small rural town. Unfortunately, they have not met with many people that were willing to help. Let's call all three projects "in progress". I told them, since they did not vote to do a project on plastic bags, that I would be in charge of that one. A couple of students donated some fabrics to reuse. I took these fabrics and made them into reusable shopping bags. I even made my own stamp out of some old packing materials that were headed to the trash, and stamped our project name on them. ---Project Green 2008--- I have now given each student one and we are now giving them out to any student in the school who brings a bundle of plastic sacks to recycle. This morning I gave out nine bags to the first and kindergarden students. I talked to their classes yesterday about our project. Three of my own students have also brought bags to trade. Well, we are doing our best to make this Earth a better place. I hope you have great plans for Earth Day too. Please post a comment about how you will participate in Earth Day so that I can share it with my class. Also, look for a give away PIF on my Etsy site. I will give one of these bags away to anyone around the world.

Update:

We have now given away 30 bags. We have 11 left and I have to go home and make more!

My Poor, Poor Old Sewing Machine!

Yes, I made most of the rice bag innards last night. Still have the covers to make and about 20 reuable shopping bags to finish. My class is working on an ecology project and my part is to take recycled materials and make shopping bags. But, after all of this continuous sewing, my machine is starting to rattle a bit and I am not going to use it until I locate the oil and get it nice and oily on the inside. From the diagram, it could take from 2-8 hours for me to figure out where it all goes. I haven't used my machine much in the past few years.

Rice Bag-o-Rama

A good friend and former co-worker of mine just emailed me and wants to order 12 rice bags! Yay!! Isn't it amazing that my local sales are making me tons more money than my Etsy worldwide website? Thank goodness for friends. BTW I love my new neck bag and I am having a hard time keeping it because my daughter keeps using it for her volleyball soreness. Another friend wants me to make one that she can wear around her back. That's one I will have to figure out. OH, and can someone go to town and get me some rice from Wallyworld? I'm running low for some reason.

Oh, and check out my new MIT Theater T-shirt.

Testing Question

This past week I had to give a state test called the TAKS test to the fifth grade class. At part of the test, students are given a piece of paper that has measurement info and rulers printed on it to use on the test. The test instructions called this a "seperate mathmatics chart". The instructions I had to read repeated the fact that the students could not write on this chart probably seven or eight times. It got a bit rediculous. Anyway, all the students were feeling a bit tense and everytime I had to read that part again I would kind of grin at the craziness of it. The kids would roll their eyes. Finally I got to the end of the instructions and, of course, it asked, "Are there any other questions?" I looked around at the class. One boy raised his hand and a smile came to his face. He asked, "Mrs. M, are we allowed to write on the seperate mathmatics chart?" With this, the class collectively laughed and a rush of tension left the room so we could begin the test. Someday that kid is going to write sitcoms for TV!

Last Night's Visitors

We had two visitors last night on our back porch. My husband was out watering, and called us all to come and look. There were two hummingbird moths feeding on our new hanging baskets. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. They were really hard to catch with my digital, but I took tons of pics so I ended up with quite a few shots. By the end of my battery life, the little guys were flitting all around us, making circles around me especially, and hovering around my legs. I was able to stand super close to the flowers. They didn't seem bothered at all by our presence or my camera flash. Aren't they the cutiest moths you have ever seen?

Stop Me If You Have Heard This One

This is an old one but it really happened. In fact, I think it has happened more than once, but never to me.

My husband was on playground duty one day. The kids know not to come tattle all the time to him, but if something really bad happens they should let him know. So, one of the more well behaved children comes up to him and says "B said the F-word!" Suddenly, this child has my husband's full attention. This is a pretty big transgression for an elementary student. Before he set the punishment in motion, he wanted to be sure that this student had heard B clearly. After interviewing her for a minute or two he asked her to repeat the word.
"You won't be in trouble," he told her, "I just need to know exactly what B said."
"Well...." the little girl hesitated, "He said fart." After my husband stopped laughing he actually called B over and told him not to say fart again.


BTW: The S-word is shut up!

Elementary Teacher Predictions

You know, when you spend eight hours a day for 138 or more days a year with a group of kids, in your head you start making predictions about what they will be and who they will become. It is inevitable! One year I had a class so wild, so unruly, and so defiant, I could swear that some of them were destined for Huntsville! I kept this to myself of course. I didn't really want to think ill of them. Most of them were sweet souls with no self control at all. Well, I don't know much about what happened to this class. I do know that one of the worst of the bunch is now happily married with....get this....six children! I am so glad he is not in jail. Now, as for the teachers who work in that area....prepare yourselves!

My Favorite Story

I've got lots of funny and sad stories. This is my favorite.

Teachers don't have favorites. Teachers don't have pets. I will always stand by this as true. But if I did have a favorite it would have to be one of the most rambunctious, rowdy students I ever had. This is the kid that you had to tell twenty times a day to sit down or be quiet. "D, don't drum on the desk...pay attention...leave them alone." And yet, this kid has a special place in my heart. It didn't take me long to see once the year started, that D was not what he seemed. He wasn't the troublemaker that I had been led to believe. Instead, I saw what should have been obvious. I beautiful heart inside that constantly moving body. Also, what I soon determined, was that the other boys in the class would constantly pick at him and try to make him mad. Especially at PE class. They soon learned though, that I saw right through them. By the end of the year I hated to see D go. I hated to think he was going to another classroom. Who would be teaching him? Would they understand him? Or would he end up constantly in trouble? Constantly being yelled at? Put down? It broke my heart to see him go. My class has never been quite the same since. The best part of the story is the next year. I would see him in the halls and he would always give me a big hug and talk to me for a minute. One day, before school he handed me a folded piece of construction paper that he had made into a card. It said, "I love you. Thanks for taking my side against J and C." That is one piece of paper that I will always treasure as much as anything my own daughter has made. I still think about and pray for him. I hope that he is surrounded by people that understand and support him. Someday I hope to travel across Texas to see him play football. But, of course, I don't have any favorites. Never! I love you D!

My 100th Heart Celebration!!!!

Hey out there! I got my 100th heart today!!!! Yay me! Anyway, to celebrate, I am going to promote that shop here.

YeOleSuppyShop

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5552210&order=&section_id=&page=1

They sell supplies for all you wonderful jewelry makers out there! Buy some and make me some fabulous jewelry!

Vegetarian Vultures and Other Tales from the Classroom

There are so many tales. Some of which are so old I may not remember them. I am an elementary teacher. I have been teaching for seventeen years. Yes, I have lots of stories. Stories that will curl your hair...some might make it fall out! I will start posting them here as I remember them. Here's a new fresh one.

I have recently divided my class into two groups for a special project. I thought I would use our school initials to name them so that there would be no A, B...A's are better than B's business. So they were group B and group V. Well, in the course of calling them I discovered they are so close sounding that I needed to name them. So I started calling them Buffalo and Vultures, just to be silly. When one girl whined that she didn't want to be a buffalo I told her that it was better than a vulture because they eat dead stinky skunks. Then, my comedianne from the V group said..."Ewww. If I have to be a vulture, I am going to be a vegetarian vulture!"

My Husband Needs to Blog

Hello out there in blogger land. I told my husband today that he needs to start a blog. He will probably never do it, but if he did it would be much better than mine. He is quite the expert in all things financial, but he is stuck in his job as a coach...which he loves....most of the time. I just think his knowledge is a bit wasted on me. He has taught me most of it. He also talks to the kids...but there are many more people who need this kind of advice in the world.

Buy My Stuff so I Can Buy This!!!!!!

Check this shirt out by Poppyswickedgarden! I love it. I want it. Please proceed to my etsy site and buy enough ofmy stuff so I can buy it....the bid keeps going up!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120235008806&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

New Blue Turquoise Arm Warmers

People keep buying my red arm warmers. People can't resist...even in Florida. So, I just had to make this yummy color. Tell me what you think. Will they be as popular?

On HOLD with Toshiba!

Call #1
Okay, I called Toshiba Saturday about a charge they made on my credit card. On Saturday I was told that since it was Sunday I needed to call back the next day on Monday so I could talk to someone in customer service.

Call #2
Called on Sunday...which should be Monday by their logic. Anyway, I told the whole story again and was told that customer relations is closed on Sunday(??????) and to call back on Monday between 8 and 8 Eastern time.

Call #3
Yes, it is really Monday.
This call lasted 43 minutes and the end of which I was disconnected by them.

Call #4
Still Monday, I called back. This call, in which I had to again explain what I needed lasted 39 minutes before they disconnected me.

Call #5
(Yes, I am stubborn!) $86 is $86. Still Monday, about one hour before closing. This call I asked to go straight to customer relations, which I go to go to hold. 36 minutes later I am disconnected by them again!

Call #6
Monday still, I just talked to the info people to try and get some info on when and where the charges took place. This call lasted 10 minutes in which I was told that the representitive would call me in 1 to 5 business days.

Call #7
To the credit card company, which said it would take care of the charge.

Call #8
My husband thought he could make something happen and called the same number. He gave up after 16 minutes on hold.

Final story still to come. In 1 to 5 business days.


IN the meantime, read my forum post:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5534161

My Newest Monster is a Cat

Here is my newest bath monster for kids. Several people had told me to make a cat or a dog. Well, I tried the cat first. I knew the ears would be easier. Anyway, I love it and so does my real cat Zoe! She didn't even hiss...which might mean Purrful, bath monster number nine, doesn't look a lot like a cat or at least doesn't smell like one.

It's Almost Over!!!!!!

For those of you who have worked as usual, I will say I am sorry ahead of time. Anyone else out there on Spring Break will understand what I mean when I say....type....that this has been the fastest week of the entire year. I can not believe it is over! Now is the time for me to get my head back together, get my etsy back to work, get my papers graded and lesson plans made. ARGGGGGGG!

Here We Go Again!

Still only one student. He was late and I was afraid he wasn't coming either. So, I sent him with fifth grade to CEI, got my summative conference done, and now he is going to read to me as soon as he finishes his spelling. He also brought money for me to make a scarfette for his mom. What a sweetie! Anyway....if your reading this, thanks! I hope you have a great day where you are. Best wishes!

Hers will be blue and baby blue, but alot like this.

One Student!!!

Good morning all. Here I am in my classroom. Why am I not busy teaching 15 minutes into the school day??? Could it be because I only have one student attending today! One is gone to the Houston Stock Show. The other two...who knows? This hasn't ever happened to me in 17 years of teaching! Well, I know someone will get loads of AR points today. He needs it!

Have a great day where you are!

LOST

Okay, I want to know your opinion of Lost this year. Do you like the new turns and twists? I love the show and am total hooked of course, but I have a feeling if I was a new viewer I would have given up on the show by now. First off, where's Sawyer. This see-sawing back and forth is rather soap operaey. They tempt us with nice juicey scenes of Sawyer three weeks ago. Wow! Then last week, NO SAWYER! Now, this week, very little Sawyer. I don't care to see Ben every week, but we seem to. I wish Sawyer would kill him already. Maybe that's why Locke let him out!