Walk With Me

We're going on a walk down memory lane. Please join in.

It's the night before the first day of school. Can you sleep? Are you excited? Is your new backpack ready? How about the supply box? And what does your new outfit look like? Is it pressed and ready to don? Don't the crayons smell good? They never quite smell the same again.

Well, I'm there tonight, but I'm the teacher. We feel the same way too. Bet most of you didn't know that. What will my class be like? Will they respond to my many hours of preparation with enthusiasm or yawning? Can I get them "on my team?" Will I be able to alleviate the concerns of the new kids? There's a lot goes on behind the scenes.

I have treat bags for all 25 new students. They are filled with the following along with this message:
An eraser because mistakes are an opportunity for learning.
Smarties because there are different kinds of smart.
A new pencil because I know you are sharp!
A stick of chewing gum because we stick together as a class.
A Hershey kiss because we have a safe and caring classroom.
A piece of candy because we are sweet and respectful towards each other.

Dan assured me they wouldn't think it was too hokey. Hope I make a good impression that first day. Wonder what my grade will be? : )

UNCLE!!!!

OK, I need another 3 months off.

Summer's Over

Now I know that there is not a soul out there who will feel sorry for me but........after having off the months of June, July, and so far all of August, tomorrow I go back to work! Vacation is over. No more sleeping in, like I ever did, staying up late to finish a book, leisurely going about my many tasks, or being able to put things off for one more day. Vacation is over!

I went over to school today for the entire morning but the pressure isn't the same as it would be if the students came tomorrow. We just have meetings and get things organized with the school tomorrow and then we meet our new students on Mon. Did I mention that vacation is over?

I don't really mind going back to work but sometimes going back to work is more of a vacation than being at home. I have accomplished a great deal this summer. My list:

Completed painting Dan's house
Got gutters ordered for both houses
Roofed our house (with help of course)
Got a new garage door
Had new furnaces installed
Fixed the chimney
We're ready to get the foundation fixed
Got new windows
Had a wonderful week with family
Mowed the lawn more than I can count
Drove the baler for the guys (more than I can count)
Froze a lot of vegetables and fruits for the winter
Went on some fun field trips with teacher friends
Read many great books

And the list could go on and on. I know that I am blessed to have had so many days off of work. But from the list above it seems like I used most of those days wisely. I will soon feel overwhelmed wondering why I didn't get more done but hey....there's always next summer.

Cutting Edge Customer Service

I have a pair of Fiskar scissors that I use all the time. Unfortunately, I have used them so much that a tiny spring that separates them as you cut broke and the scissors were difficult to use. Rather than spend $35 for a new pair, I went to the store I purchased them at about 5 years ago to see if they sold springs. I was told that I would probably have to buy a whole new pair.

Well, I didn't want to consider that until I had exhausted all of my options. I went to Fiskar's website, found customer service, and wrote them an email explaining my problem. People usually take pity on teachers and try to help whenever possible.

The next day I got an email from Janean Andrus, customer service at Fiskars, with the following message:

Dear Margaret:

Thank you for your interest in Fiskars! We are in receipt of your recent e-mail to our company regarding the spring on your Softouch Scissors.

We would be delighted to send you some extra springs (no charge). Please e-mail us your full name and address, along with a description of your scissors (overall length). Also note if your scissors have grey smooth handles, or grey knobby textured handles. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

We are looking forward to your reply.

Kindest regards,

Janean S. Andrus

Fiskars Brands, Inc.

I wish that every company I dealt with appreciated me as much as this fine woman at Fiskars. They made a good choice when they hired her. Makes me want to go out and buy another pair!

The Fresh Fruits of Summer

I was getting meat out of the freezer for supper tonight and couldn't help but smile when I saw all of the delicious fruits awaiting me this coming winter. Already I am looking forward to the fresh taste of the fruit as the bitter wind whips around out here in the country.

First, there are at least 12 pints of frozen blueberries. They will be delicious in muffins, pancakes, and just grabbed whole out of the freezer for a snack. They're even good for you! What a treat.

Then the strawberries. What's not to love about strawberries? I know that I have over 10 pounds of them in there, all sliced and ready to be added to other fruits or eaten on ice cream, in smoothies, or as shortcake. Such good stuff.

I have 9 quarts of frozen red raspberries. I can just imagine the raspberry muffins baking in the oven or a fresh raspberry pie just warm enough to melt the vanilla ice cream on top. Of course they are good on oatmeal or in muffins also. One of my favorite fruits.

And last but not least, a bushel of peaches frozen in various size packages. Some of the packages are bigger and have snowmen, Christmas trees, and PR and RR on them, which makes them those that are being saved for Christmas meals as this is one of the things my kids look forward to most of all. Slightly slushy, mixed with strawberries, and a medium rare fillet on the side. Yum. Then there are 20 packages waiting for us to enjoy the rest of the winter in other foods. Just brings back those golden days of the summer.

Doesn't take much to make me happy. No wonder people like eating at my house!

Self-improvement

I have decided that I need to get better about writing on this blog. There are so many people dependent on me for their link to the outside world that I have come to the conclusion that I am leaving them high and dry sooooooo....in the best interest of humankind, I am going to actually try and write most nights on this blog.

Not that Steve and I do that much that is exciting but we certainly do keep busy! When I think about what I have accomplished just today it makes my head swim and there might be people who actually care about what that was. I will not disclose those items at this time as I want to entice my viewers to come back and see what those things actually are.

Right now my guys are moving bulls and we haven't eaten yet. I have delicious hot roast beef sandwiches for supper and we'll indulge once they get home. I am getting ready for another evening of Olympic wonderment and trying to figure out a new online gradebook program that our school is going to. Think they'll supply us with notebooks since we are going to almost all computer? Could be a bargaining issue.

Anyway, enough for right now. Come back tomorrow and see what is up. You just might be amazed!