I Did It Again!

For the month of January, I challenged myself to blog every day like I did back in November. Well, with this post today, I achieved my goal.  It really wasn't that bad, actually!  And, I only missed 6 days on the photo blog as well.  That was partly due to the fact that I didn't decide to start that blog until about a week into January.  I've had quite a bit of fun thinking of things to take pictures of each day.  I'm also thinking of clever ways to incorporate all of those photos into a special scrapbook layout.

Today we spent another wonderful day in the basement.  We did some more sewing and a bit of scrapbooking.  Then we spent some time before dinner beating level 4 in Su.per Mar.i0 W.ii.  I absolutely LOVE that game!

Tomorrow morning I have my U/S at 8:30 and then I can hang at home for a bit.  I have to take a half day - so I won't go to school until noon.  MJ is currently upstairs working on "homework" and I am working on sub plans. A movie in bed will be in order soon, then begins the countdown - only 3 weeks until February Vacation!

Hope everyone had a great January!

I Love the Basement

We spent the better part of the day in the basement sewing.  It was pure bliss.  We emerged a few times to switch laundry and eat dinner, but other than that we enjoyed being crafty!  We worked on making towels for  Valen.tine's  Day, St. Pa.tty's D.ay, and Spring/E.aster.  We also worked on our quilt squares from our kit of the month club.

It has been frigid here - wind chills below zero.  So, it was a great day to stay inside.

Day 2 of my F0llis.tim tonight, and I have an U/S on Monday to make sure everything looks OK in there.   We're keeping our fingers crossed for that November baby.  We were talking today about the fact that it was almost a year ago that  we got pregnant.  I can't believe it has been that long already.

Great Day

We had an absolutely fantastic day at the B0ston Mus.eum of S.cience today.  The kids had an absolute blast!  We were able to see exhibits, and electricity demonstration, and an I.M.A.X film on coral reefs in the south pacific.  The kids (and adults) were just in awe.  We even did an extended day and didn't get back to school until almost 5PM so that the kids could get the most out of the trip.

I have talked about my "Friday School" before.  These kids live in situations that kids should never have to live in.  This school has over 80% of their students receiving free/reduced lunch.  So, needless to say a trip to B0ston was a huge thing.  Because of our high percentage, we were able to have $2 admission to the museum AND there was a business sponsoring the 0mni film for free.  The kids were absolutely in awe of it all.  Many of these families do not own cars, so they do not get out of the city where they live.   Imagine the faces as the B0ston skyline came into view.  Never mind riding escalators - something many of them had never done (and had to be taught how to do safely).  I should also mention that for many of the parents, this was the first time they had ever been out of their neighborhood as well.  At points I didn't know who was more excited - the kids or their parents.  A great and enriching experience for all.

And as I sit here tonight exhausted from the day, I am again reminded how lucky I am and how lucky I was growing up.  B0ston is only 1 1/2 hours away - no big deal.  My mom would think nothing of throwing my brother and I in the car and taking us to the museums, ice shows, etc.  I am fortunate, really fortunate. 

Life is good, really good!

She's Here!!!

Well, finally, after a 50 day vacation, AF arrived today!  We are back on the TTC bandwagon!  This month enters the beginning of year 4 of our journey.  This will be try #13 - not counting canceled cycles, etc.  We only count tries if we actually do an IUI.  So, fingers crossed, toes crossed, baby dust sprinkled, and all of that.  Looks like IUI should be around Feb 15 or 16.

Tomorrow I get to take  the kids at my Friday school to the B0ston Mus.eum of Sc.ience.  I am excited, and so are they.  It will be a great day!

We are thinking about a fun trip to The Highlan.ds next weekend just for a little getaway.  Is is a great  little les.bian bed and breakfast here in northern NH.  It's also where the picture of the rainbow chairs in our header was taken.  We are going to wait until Wed to officially book because they offer a 20% discount if you book last minute.  We'll take our chances that there will still be rooms available.  If not, we'll pick a different weekend!

Blood work in the morning and meds start  tomorrow night.  Baseline scan is waiting until Mon because I am gone on the trip all day tomorrow. 

Here we go again - could it be possible for 2010 to be our year?

Oh, yeah - I also updated the photo blog - check it out!

Quick and Bullety

Just a quick and bullety kind of post since it is late and we need to go to bed!

*On a whim, we decided to ask my dad to let the dogs out tonight and we went out to dinner and wandered around the Chris.tmas Tr.ee Sh0p - love that place!

*Beat world 3 in Sup.er Mari0 W.ii tonight - now we have sore thumbs!

*We don't have to teach tomorrow - we have a workshop day - I'm sure it will be invigorating

*Still waiting for AF to arrive

*No set plans for the weekend and we love it!

*3 weeks until February Vacation!

Getting Married

So, it's been legal in NH for us to get married since the beginning of 2010.  A couple of weekends ago, there was a church around here offering to do the ceremonies for free as long as you showed up with your marriage license in hand.  We were stoked - and ready to have that real marriage license from our state.

Then came the problem......

You see, back a few years ago when we thought NH would NEVER jump on the gay marr.iage bandwagon, we "hopped the border" and got a C.ivil Un.ion in VT.  That is where the problem lies.  Before we can apply for a marriage license here, we have to go to court and get our VT Civi.l Un.ion dissolved.  And, that will cost us $205.  Just to get married  - which, by the way will cost $100.

So, to make a long story short, we have to get divorced before we can get married (legally).

It's always something, isn't it?

Seriously?!?!

So, tomorrow will be day 49 of this cycle - are you kidding me?!?!

I have NEVER had a cycle that long in the almost 4 years that we have been keeping track.  I think the universe is playing some sort of silly trick on us. 

If we get pregnant this cycle we'll have a baby in 2010 - if we don't we are out for this year already.  We should have 2 by now....

In other news, MJ and I just played a killer game of Mari0 Brothe.rs W.ii - I love that game

Send some AF and baby making vibes our way, please!

Another Good Day

Today was just as much fun as yesterday!  We enjoyed playing more DDR - and laughed a lot more too.  We had a wonderful egg bake and cinnamon roll breakfast and spent the morning visiting with Laura, Sue, and Olivia.  We've been watching football all afternoon/evening and we're psyched that Indi.anapolis won.  Now we are biting our nails watching the Vikin.gs and hoping they pull through as well.  That will put us in a good spot in the football pool at work - and guarantee that I remain in first place going into the Sup.er Bo.wl.

This week will be an interesting week as we have school Mon, Tues, Wed and then Teacher Workshop on Thurs.  Friday I go with my little school to the B0st0n Mus.eum of Sci.ence.  Interesting, but fun!

Great Start to the Weekend

Yesterday we came home to a package waiting for us from a friend of MJ's who lives in Canada. She has been working on some of the planning with host cities, airports, etc, and sent us an Olym.pic Flag so that MJ could hang it in her classroom. It is very cool to have a real flag from the upcoming Oly.mpics!




















Today, our friends Laura, Sue and Olivia came to visit so that we could celebrate Christ.mas together a few weeks late! We enjoyed a wonderful fondue dinner and chocolate cream pie for dessert!

Olivia helped clean up from making the pie!














We spent the afternoon hanging out and opening presents. Sue, Olivia and I had lots of fun playing Sup.er Mar.i0 W.ii - I hadn't played with multiple players before and it was very fun. It is always nice to just enjoy the company of friends.

Olivia thoroughly enjoyed eating a large icicle.














We ended the evening with some fun playing Dis.ney Dan.ce Dan.ce Rev0lution. Oh.my.goodness.....It was SO much fun! We laughed so hard! Olivia did a great job getting the hang of it as well.




















Now the kid is in bed and we are watching Gl.ee on DVD - we haven't seen it yet and want to catch up on it before it comes back in April.

What I Learned Today

Instead of teaching computers this morning, I got to hang out with the kids as they had a special presentation from the "nature lady".  I thoroughly enjoyed singing and signing the nature songs along with the kids and I especially enjoyed learning right along with them.

Two things I learned from the presentation:

When people are cleaning up birds from oil spills, they use Da.wn dish liquid.  They use Da.wn and only Da.wn - there is something about it that makes it work the best.

A water bird:  loons, ducks, etc make their own waterproofing.  When they preen their feathers (wash them) they have a substance that comes out of their mouth and waterproofs their feathers.  So, when a bird has been cleaned up from an oil spill, they have to be kept in captivity for a while so that they can re-waterproof themselves!

One other thing I learned today (not from the nature lady)

Mini marshmallows and toothpicks will provide an easy half hour plus of enjoyment for kindergarten and first graders!

Aren't you glad I made you smarter?  Unless of course you already knew all of that!!  Happy weekend everyone!

Three Hundredth Post!

That's right folks, this marks our 300th post!  To mark the occasion, I will post a picture year in review from 2009!  Here are some of our highlights....

January - we began our Quilt Block of the Month Club

February  - we had lots of fun making Valentine's cookies with Olivia

March - the month our dreams came true (little did we know how shattered this same dream would become)

April - Our only picture of our angel baby - how quickly we fell in love

May - Carrie's brother's 30th!

June - girls day in Bost0n with my mom

 

July - ROAD TRIP

August - FREE box seats to see Melissa

September - Enjoying Fall at Carrie's Parents' house

October - fun on the beach in Provincet0wn for W0men's W.eek

November - Thanksgiving

December - Christmas and time spent with family both near and far

We had a wonderful 2009 and can't wait to see what's in store for 2010!

Thoughts

Some of what is running through my brain right now.....

Why is it that a 4 day work week seems so much longer than a regular week? - There are still two more days to go.....

The weekend will be enjoyable as Laura, Sue, and Olivia are coming for a visit so that we can finally celebrate Christmas with them.

Willy (the dog) keeps sitting on the stairs - I wonder what he did today that was naughty?

Tomorrow will be my 300th post - CRAZY!

I am ready for the snow to stop - it has been snowing lightly since Monday. - It's pretty, but enough is enough!

I wonder if AF will ever make her appearance so we can get this cycle going - she is over a week late at this point.

Maybe this cycle will bring us our 2010 baby....

Boy, I'm tired and all of the above was just a ramble - I better quit and go to bed!

A Thought

This morning as we were driving to work and talking about our upcoming cycle due to start any day now, MJ says to me, "This is the beginning of year four isn't it?"

Yes. it. is.

Isn't it our turn for our baby?

Never mind the fact that we should have one that is 6 weeks old already.

Please, please, let it be us this time.....

More Snow

I LOVE three day weekends. The best part of today was that had it not been a holiday, it would have been a snow day that we would have had to make up in June. We got nine inches of snow overnight last night and this morning. It was wet and heavy snow too. It was so pretty though.

This morning, we had fun scrapbooking in our clean and organized basement. Boy, it didn't take long to mess it up though. After that, I went out and cleared the driveway and backyard. We have to snowblow paths in the backyard so the dogs can go potty!

While I was clearing, MJ worked on correcting papers - she had two weeks worth to plow through!

Once I finished outside, I went back to the basement and made some PJ bottoms. They are so cute and comfy! MJ continued correcting - she worked for about 6 hours - but she got it all done!

It's back to the grind tomorrow, but I'll leave you with one last cute picture from last night of Sadie and Gus snuggling together.

Mission Complete

Today was Operation Organize the Basement. As you can see from the pics below, our craft area had become a catch all. Blame it on the holidays, or whatever, but we couldn't do anything in there! We have many sewing and scrapbooking projects that we want to work on and just can't. We worked really hard and got not only the craft room organized, but the rest of the basement as well!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

We put together our new cutting table for sewing:

and some new shelves for organizing:

and we have a whole lotta trash to bring out on Tuesday!

What a productive day!  Now, tomorrow, we can be crafty!

Snowshoeing

We had an absolutely fantastic time snowshoeing today! We are lucky enough to have trails right by our house and that also lets us bring the dogs and they can run around too!  It was the first time I went out on my new snowshoes that MJ gave me for Christmas!  It was a gorgeous day today - in the 40's which is unseasonably warm for January, and the sun was shining bright.  It was just perfect.

I'll leave you with a large post of pics to enjoy - and there is one more on our Project 365 Blog - it's my favorite one of the day - go check it out!

Is the Day Over Yet?

Today has been crazy busy!  We both worked of course - MJ went to the B0ston Mus.eum of Sci.ence with the fourth grade and I spent a normal day at school.  After work, I rushed home because the cats had to go to the vet.  I caught Gus and wrangled him into the carrier - it only took 2 tries.  Then he began to howl, and howl, and howl.  Max went missing and I'm sure due to the howling his brother was doing, he wasn't anywhere to be found.  So, I went to the vet minus a cat.  Never fear, Max has another appointment next Saturday when we can try again to get him there.

After the vet, I brought Gus home and met MJ for dinner and enjoyed a margarita as well!  Then we went to H0me Dep0t to get shelving for the basement and paint to repaint the downstairs of the house.  Groceries and a Wa.l Ma.rt run were next and we are finally home and in our PJs!! 

Looking forward to the three day weekend!

Thanks to all of you lurkers who commented yesterday  - it was fun to read all of your comments!

Stupid People

So, someone actually climbed OVER the stop sign today to cut through my room during testing.

People are stupid.....enough said.....

Today is also National Delurker Day - so, all of you out there who read, leave me a comment today so I know who you are.  Remember, I am a teacher, so you must follow my directions!

What An Honor

Yesterday morning, I was hanging out working with some teachers when in came the Principal, Superintendant, and Assistant Superintendant.  I was both surprised and honored when they congratulated me on being chosen district Employee of the Month at the Elementary Level. WOW!

There are 7 Elementary Schools in our district and only one person per month is chosen from all of the staff in those schools.  I was honored to say the least.  I found out who nominated me (it was a parent) and I will definitely be sending them a note of thanks. 

Our principal so nicely went to MJ last week and told her about it so that she could get her duty covered and be there to see the presentation.  The funny thing is, I didn't even connect the fact that MJ was hanging out with all of us when she should have been on duty - I can be so dense sometimes!  It was nice to have her there and she got some pics as well.

I got a wonderful plant and a nice letter.  Next month, I am invited to the School Board Meeting to receive recognition.  What a great way to start my day!

Hopefully this is a sign of all of the good things to come in 2010!  A BFP would be next on my list if I could choose!  We are just waiting for af to arrive - she should have been here today.

Check This Out

I've decided to make a second blog and attempt Project 365.  The premise is that you will take and post a picture a day.  Now, I am already behind because I just started it last night.  I realized that I took pictures on about half of the days so far this month - so I jumped in and started it!

Now, I know that realistically speaking, there is no way that I will take a picture a day this year.  But...........

*Whatever I do take will be compiled in one place and it will be great to look back on it

*It serves as a great challenge

*We got a new camera about a month ago and this will help me learn to use it better

*We will become better photographers by taking more pictures

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Go check it out - Carrie and MJ Project 365

What I Have To Deal With

Three times a year, our students are tested on a computerized test. I (Carrie) am the one responsible for proctoring these tests. Obviously, when students are testing, you want them to have a quiet place free of distractions. Normally, my room is a place that people cut through all day long. It has a door to the kitchen, a door to the teachers' room, a door out into the hall, two doors into the library, and a staircase to the mezzanine.

So, logically when we are testing, I post signs on all of the doors like this:














Now, one would think that most people would see this sign and find another route to where they were going. Not.so.much. By 9:30 this morning (I started testing at 8:35) I had someone come through the kitchen door to cut to the teachers' room and another adult come in through the hall door with the proclamation that she "peeked in and didn't see any kids" when, in fact, there were still two kids in with me. The best one was when someone opened the teachers' room door (which sticks and is LOUD) and said "Oh, I was just checking to see if you were still testing - I'll go around." I wanted to say, "No, I just hung the signs for the fun of it.


So, up goes round 2 of the signs - these were placed below the first do not enter signs.

This one on the hall door:













This one on the teachers' room door:













and this one on the kitchen door where people love to cut through after dropping their kids of at the cafeteria.














Now, one would think that would work - again, not.so.much! at 11:30 - someone came bounding through the door above that says we test until 12:15.

Now begins Phase 3 of Operation Keep People Out of the Computer Lab During Testing

The STOP Sign and orange cone:

This finally worked - and made people a wee bit upset in the process.

If people could just use a bit of common sense and follow directions, life would be so much easier.

It's going to be a long 8 days of testing......