Master Gardener, AKA :mom

This weekend my mom came to stay with us and she helped us work on our yard. It was really fun and I learned alot about gardening. I let all our plants from the fall die which was a traumatic experience for me. I felt so bad. This spring/summer I am going to give it another try. Coincidentally, my mom got me plants that do very well if one forgets to water a few days in a row.

Maggie's favorite spot. Notice the blinds are all bent up a bit- Maggie loves to chew them and play with them for hours. Whatever floats your boat Maggie. :)

Our little home. We love it. I absolutely love having a front porch. (minus the bugs that are attracted to the light at night) It has been so fun to sit outside.

I just added the pillows from Garden Ridge. I also got those three citronella candles from Target. They work really well and don't smell funny like some citronella candles do.


My mom: the master gardener! She worked so hard on our yard! Thanks mom! We had such a fun weekend!

Overall, we had a great weekend! We spend yesterday afternoon visiting Patrick's parents and wishing his mom a Happy Mother's Day. I will give updates on how the plants are doing- hopefully it will be a good report. I really don't have a death wish for them- I wish them a long and happy life!

Fabulous Fruit Pizza Fun Day!!!

They made a peace sign with their blueberries.

I love these girls! Thias is from Brazil!

I just uploaded this picture and realized that this student is sporting a sharp knife ....ooops- I promise he was using it for fruit and not some sort of gang activity.

So- we made fruit pizza today! It is a fun and easy lab. My kids did tell me that it was too sweet and that it wasn't their favorite. I guess something that tastes like heaven isn't good enough for them. :) Who doesn't want huge slab of sugar cookie smothered in cream cheese/marshmallow cream?? They were really cracking me up today. One boy came and complained that someone stole his piece of gum and I told him that it sounded like a personal problem- not my problem. Then he proceeded to tell me " it's hard to find gum these days lady." I guess the economy is affecting his 14 year old life in a rough way. I was like- seriously?? Yes- that is my first period class. I do love them. :)

I have mentioned that I love my job- and I really really do. I love these kids! They really bring such joy to my life every day. I know this is where God wants me for now. I am so thankful for a rewarding job even on the really hard days. (like yesterday when one of my students hit another one in the face in class)

Our Tuesday

This past Tuesday Patrick and I had tickets to see "Rent" in the Dallas Summer Musicals. I have never seen Rent on stage but I do have the CD and I absolutely love the music. It was spectacular! I love music and the cast had incredible voices. I have a secret dream to one day be in a musical. At Baylor my sorrority performed in something called "Sing" and those are some of the best memories I have of college. (except for when I dislocated my knee cap at Sing my sophomore year- but that is a whole other post) It is hard to explain to someone that didn't go there- but it was so fun to practice and finally perform in front of family and friends. I was always on the back row due to my incurable uncoordinated dancing ability but I was proud to just be up there with everyone else.

The only picture I got was at our house before the musical.





At our High School every year we have a special program called "Lighthouse". It is a ceremony where every teacher picks one student who has been through hard times, risen above challenges, made a difference, changed their ways, etc.... you know what I mean. I knew exactly who I wanted to choose this year. I had Israel when he was a freshman- four years ago- and he definitely didn't look or act like he does now that he is a senior. He is the first to admit that he made some mistakes and wrong decisions his first few years of High School. After I had him, a couple years later he started to come and visit me and I noticed a dramatic change in him. He dressed sharp and was polite and respectful, he cared about grades and school and just seemed to be a different student all together. It is stories like this that remind me why I love my job. Getting to see kids change is one of the most amazing experiences as a teacher. I sat with Israel in the program and presented him with his award. We talked about college and how he really wants to go to college and what steps he needs to take to get there. He also had Patrick for IPC too-which is fun. We are both so proud of him and what he has accomplished the past 2 years!