Too much excitement for me!

Well, I'm pretty proud of myself because I have been working on my summer bucket list.  I have had my garage sale, visited family, and attempted working on the backyard landscape.  By attempted, I mean I began but had a little bit of an emergency during that time.  I was all ready to tackle that backyard and my cat (who is an indoor cat), but loves to go outside with us at times really wanted to go out.  So, I brought him with me to the backyard.  As I'm working he is supervising me as you can see in the photo below (please ignore the disaster of a backyard-remember I'm trying to work on it).  

I continue to work checking on him now and then.  Then I see him walking off so I go to see what he is doing.  He goes over to the fence and climbs over it into the neighbor's yard before I can grab him.  The problem with that is that the neighbor has a big dog that is very nice but hasn't been around cats.  UGGGHHH!!!  

Neighbor's dog

I panicked as I was trying to decide what I should do.  You see my cat is used to being around our 2 lovely Siberian Husky dogs shown below.  They have been trained to be nice to him, so he thinks that all dogs are kind and nice.  

Our Siberian Husky dogs that my cat is used to being around and has this idea that all dogs are like them.  

I looked into the backyard of my neighbors and my cat was just walking around the yard like no big deal and I see the dog off to the side sleeping.  I knew that my neighbor wasn't home, so I went back to her backyard to try and distract the dog.  I was playing with him and trying to get him distracted with a toy while I thought I would be able to swoop over and gradually grab my cat.  Not the case, he spotted my cat before I could get to him and off he went chasing my cat.  My cat ran and tried to get out of the fence (instead he hit the fence and bounced back), hissed at the dog and ran way way way way up in the tree.  My cat has never climbed a tree in his life so I guess his instincts just kicked in (which I was glad that they did).  

High in the tree-didn't get the full picture of the tree, but it is over 16 feet high because when I got our 16 ft. high extension ladder out it wouldn't reach him.  He was probably another 10 feet higher.

Meanwhile, you could imagine my panic as I'm running around in the backyard trying to catch my cat and keep him safe.  Now, another problem, my cat was way up in the tree.  I got ahold of my neighbor to see if I could get her dog out of the backyard so that maybe my cat would come down (there was no way he would come down with the dog there).  Luckily, we have nice neighbors and she was fine with it.  So, I got the dog out of the backyard and tried to coax my cat down.  He wasn't budging.  I called my husband at work still panicking and wondering if the fire department would come get him down (I figured he had never climbed a tree before and probably wouldn't be able to get down by himself).  My husband tried to calm me down and tell me that he would probably come down when he was calmed down and to just stay and wait by the tree.  So, I waited and waited......3 1/2 hours later.....my cat began to meow like he wanted to come down but didn't know how to get down.   Finally, he climbed down halfway and then stopped where he was at and of course I still couldn't reach him.  When my husband got home, he got the extension ladder out and climbed up to rescue him.  So a total of 4 hours he spent up in the tree and I spent waiting for him to come down.  Needless to say, I didn't get my backyard done, but I was so glad that my cat stayed safe.   I believe he got a little stressed as well and was relieved when it was all said and done, can you tell? 

Hope you have a great week!

Wisdom for Wednesday - Encouragement

Well, hello there. So glad you stopped by for a little...

This week's quote comes from Rest Stops for Teachers compiled by Susan Titus Osborn. I actually had a story published in her similar book, Rest Stops for Busy Moms (years ago). Both are designed to give you a short, inspirational and uplifting read.

Anyway, take a look:

This quote was included in the book alongside a story about how one teacher taking the time to be an encouragement to an at-risk student completely changed the course of that young man's life. As teachers, we have that same opportunity each and every year, student after student. Let's be sure we are not too busy with the "stuff" of teaching that we miss out on giving the gift of encouragement to our students.

Now let's think about encouraging others...beyond our students.

If you read my summer bucket list, you may remember I've been working hard to finish a devotional book. The latest chapter is on being a willing servant to others--you could even say being willing to encourage others. 

Yesterday as I was writing, the Lord really worked on my heart as I considered who I am most willing to serve (or encourage). Too often I will stay in my comfort zone of family and friends. I'm quick to reach out to them when they are in need or to find little ways that I can brighten their day.

But what about the people outside my circle of family and friends? Do I look for ways to be a blessing to them?

Jesus certainly ministered to all people when he walked on this Earth, even spending much of his time reaching out to those who had been rejected by others. 

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men...

Galatians 6:10

Just a little something the Lord is making me think about...

Have a blessed day!

Monday Made-It - Mesh Wreath, Seasoning Mixes, and Chicken Flautas!!!

Good morning! I'm so excited to share the fun Kristi and I had at our Pinterest party last week! 

We invited some of our teaching buddies and tried some things we've seen on Pinterest. I thought linking up for Tara's Monday Made-It would be the perfect way to share the things we made! Check out her new buttons (if you haven't already) as you scroll along. Too cute!

First we got a little crafty and made some wreaths (inspired by this pin and tutorial):

It was a lot of fun (once I got past the perfectionist in me)! Here's how our wreaths came out:

Kristi is still going to paint her T, but other than that hers is complete. She is actually switching from frogs to owls in her classroom this year. I'm excited to see the cuteness she comes up with for her new room (a little envious...)!

And then there is mine...which was supposed to look Dr. Suess-ish. I need some more embellishments that we didn't have available. I'm hoping for something for like this:

This PIN just links to the picture so I have no idea who to give credit to...

When I get it finished, I will post another picture. Kristi insisted that I had to share mine even though it wasn't complete! ;-)

The next thing we did was make some seasoning mixes. I'm sorry I forgot to take pictures of this part! It was a mess, I can tell you that! Ha! Our recipes came from One Good Thing by Jillee. Everyone went home with S.O.S mix, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and onion soup mix. I can't wait to try them all out!

It was a little crazy and pricey getting enough spices for all of us...if you try this at a Pinterest party, I'd suggest maybe not making so many kinds of mixes. Even with everyone bringing a spice to share, we still had to get quite a few on our own.

Everyone also brought a Pinterest inspired dish to share. I made these baked chicken flautas from Spoon Fork Bacon. Yummy! I doubled the batch and had some for supper too. I would definitely make these again--would make a good lunch even when school starts up again!

There was a lot of great food (sorry I don't have all the pins and links)! We had watermelon cake, goat cheese grapes (delicious--who knew?), apple dumplings (made with mountain dew), Smores dip, garlic hummus and chips, layered chocolate chip cookie cheesecake, and a broccoli cauliflower cheese salad.

If you haven't tried a Pinterest party yet, I say go for it! We all had a great time! ;-) 

Have a blessed week! 

Let's Talk about Books! Linky

We have linked up with Mrs. Jump's Class :

Let's Talk about Books! Linky

I love reading different books to kids!  I think they can teach them so many different things.  Here is one of my new favorite books:

In this book, Lucy wants to make and be friends with everyone.  Unfortunately she goes about it the wrong way by yelling and saying things such as — “Come back here and have fun with me.” and “You WILL be my friend.” Not the best way to make a friend.

This book really helps to teach kids the right way to make and keep friends and it is very cute!

Make sure you link up and share your favorite book (just click the link below)!  I'm always on the lookout for a new book to read throughout the year.

Have a great day!

Wisdom for Wednesday-Summers for Teachers

Well, I don't really have much wisdom this Wednesday  :-).  Instead I thought I'd put in some cute things I found about teachers in the summertime since many are starting their summer or getting close to starting their summer break.  

Found here

I feel like my mind always wonders back to school stuff.......

Found here

Found here

So true!

Found here

Oh, how I wish you could use pinterest to recertify.  :-)

Found here

I hope you are able to do this during your summer vacation!

Have a great day!

Completely Random Without (I mean with) Apology :)

As the title suggests, this post is completely random. 

You see, it is quite difficult to think of a blogging topic relevant to education when I am trying so desperately to not think about school. 

Please forgive me...and don't stop following us. 

Please.

I promise I will be inspired to share a useful post soon...probably. ;-)

Random Thought #1:

Did you know you can get burnt on your ice maker?

You can. 

And here is proof...two weeks later... Still OUCH!

Random Thought #2:

Planning a Pinterest party is a lot of work! 

Kristi and I (and her new coteacher, since it is not me anymore, and she also happens to be a good friend of mine, and yes, I still miss working with those girls even though my new coworkers are fun too--excuse the run-on sentence) are having a Pinterest party at my place on Thursday. I'm quite certain it is going to be a blast. We are making seasoning mixes, some cool crafts picked out by that crafty coteacher and friend, and trying some new recipes. We invited all our school friends to celebrate summer. 

Random Thought #3:

The volleyball skill that declines the fastest without practice is the one that seems the simplest...the toss.

I went with my daughter to volleyball practice today and jumped right in to play with the middle school and high school girls. If I haven't told you, I played in college and have coached many times since then. 

I was quite frustrated to find that my tossing is very inconsistent, which makes my serve very inconsistent. And that along with the throbbing pain in my shoulder makes me feel old.

Random Thought #4:

I'm going to camp again with the youth group from our church. It is in Colorado and quickly approaching... Last year, as I tried to sleep on the extremely hard bunk bed, I realized that I am old. I have made preparations to make my bed more comfortable this time. I bought an egg crate thingy and a twin mattress pad. Now if I can just claim a bottom bunk, I should be all set! 

Okay, enough.

If you're still with me, bless you.

I hope you're enjoying your summer--or winding down your school year.

Have a great week!

June Currently

We have linked up with the June Currently at  Oh Boy Fourth Grade:

Listening:  To our 3 fans in the windows blowing.  We are trying not to turn on our AC yet.  It is about 78 degrees in our house right now with the fans blowing.  Not bad considering it is about 85 degrees outside.  We have a huge tree outside our house that shades a lot of our house, which helps keep it cooler. 

Loving:  The down time.  Since school is out, I'm going at my own pace (SLOW).  Instead of constantly rushing around trying to get things done.  

Thinking:  I have several things I want to accomplish this summer.  

Wanting:  I would like to go to the pool sometime this summer and just cool off and relax in the sun.  (I burn so I don't go there often).

Needing:  I just finished with my garage sale and need to take the leftovers to Goodwill before I decide to stash them somewhere in the house.  :-)

Summer bucket list: 

1.  I plan to visit friends and family

2.  I want to strip our hardwood floors and make them lighter.

3.  I need to do some landscaping in our backyard (2 Siberian husky dogs have been hard on it).

Make sure you connect with Farley and do your June Currently.  

Have a great day!