Technology

Hi there friends.  Yesterday I went to a workshop at school.  The workshop was Digital Audio for Classroom Presentation and Projects.  Through Google APPS I opened a program called Aviary and created this little audio clip.  It gave me the option to add this MP3 player so all you have to do is click on it and hear me.

I love technology.  I am excited by the possibilities this will give me in my classroom and with my school blog and web page.  A couple of weeks ago I went to a digital workshop, Working with Digital Images and Cameras and last week I gave one on the Smart Board.

What do you think?  Do I sound like you thought I would?

take care,
Dawn

Summer Reading

Tim finished fifth grade this year and next school year he will move over to the middle school.  This year our school district (where I teach and Tim attends) came out with a summer reading list for Kindergarten through 12th grade.  Tim's list is required summer reading.  Each of the fifth grade students were given a copy of Island of the Blue Dolphin from the PTA as a kind of "graduation" to the middle school.

Of course Tim was not thrilled to have to read this summer.  Is he truly my son??????  He is a good reader too.  He just never wants to start a book.  When he is done reading, he has enjoyed the book.  I told him that I would read with him.  So, every couple of days we sit and take turns reading a chapter to each other.  We should be done with this book next week.

He has two required books.  We will read the next one in August.

I haven't been reading much of my own.  I did read
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner:
An Eclipse Novella

I think I will read The Host next.  I have had it since last summer and haven't started it.  


take care,
Dawn

Gangster!!

Doesn't this picture make a mother proud? 

Tim was so excited to get this picture taken yesterday.  I took Tim, Britt and the kids to the county fair yesterday and this was one of Tim's favorite parts of the day.  We went to one of those old time photo booths and this is what he wanted. 

This is so far from the little boy that would pin his blankie around his neck and become a super hero.  I guess it is hard deny that my little boy is growing up. 

I'm sharing more pictures of the fair tomorrow.  I'm just too tired from our long day to upload them all.

take care,
Dawn

Oh how yummy!

Well, Tim made our dinner on Sunday and I have to say it was quite good! He made the Beef Roulade and the Chocolate Delight dessert in the crock pot. I have several crock pots and we had two of them working on Sunday.

Here is the Beef Roulade after it came out of the crock pot.  I showed Tim how to make gravy with the juices. 

It

He chose baked potatoes and green beans to go along with the dinner.  It really was very good.  Rich even said he'd like to have it again. 

The dessert.  Here are the ingredients Tim used.

 He mixed it all together in the crock pot.

And here is the final product with some vanilla ice cream on top.

I don't think I would hesitate in giving Tim the cook book to pick something else to make for us. 

Oh, and don't forget to vote for Brittainy's blog.  See the post below for more information.

take care,
Dawn

Vote for Brittainy

My daughter Brittainy's blog is in a contest here at Life Without Pink.  Her blog is the Litany of Brittainy and if you enjoy her post, please vote for her.  I think she is quite funny and a talented writer.  Go check it out!

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, my post tomorrow is about the dinner Tim made us.

take care,
Dawn

Let them eat...STEAK

My son Tim is a typical 11 (almost 12 :) ) year old boy.  He loves Star Wars, Legos, playing with guns (much to my dismay!) and crude humor LOL!  But, he also loves watching the Travel Channel and the "food" shows.  His favorites are Man vs. Food and Good Eats.

I think it was while watching on of these he was intrigued with a recipe for flank steak.  He asked to look through some of my cookbooks so I showed him where they were.  He found a recipe for Beef  Roulade  made in the crock pot.  He also found another crock pot recipe for a hot chocolate cake like dessert.

Today is the big day.  He is making this for dinner for us.  I went to the store yesterday and picked up all of the ingredients and he will be making the meal (baked potatoes included) and dessert.

I am excited that he has an interest in learning to cook.  All Rich can cook are burgers on the grill and shake and bake pork chops or chicken.  I would love to see Tim know how to cook for himself when he is old enough to be out of the house and on his own.  Who knows, maybe someday I'll get a thank you from his wife, who won't be the only one in the family to do the cooking!

I'll let you know tomorrow how the dinner turned out.

take care,
Dawn

My busy week

Yesterday I started a week's worth of school work.  The kindergarten teachers are meeting for four days to begin math curriculum mapping and revising our standards based report cards.  I know, I know...I live a wild and crazy life LOL!

I am getting paid for this time (and some time I am putting in next week) so I was thinking of using the money to buy a laptop for Tim.  I am selfish and don't like to always share mine LOL!  My desktop is on it's last leg I am afraid.  It over heats and shuts down a lot.  I'm sure he'll be needed to write reports and do research and it should get him through the three years that he will be there.  I use mine all the time so it will be hard to share.

On another note I got brave the other day and looked in the cabinet to see just how much of my corning ware was broken.  The big ones survived and I think I have three to replace.  Not bad.  I can live with that.  When I get a minute I am going to go online to see what I can find.


take care,
Dawn

I have a set of these casserole dishes that belonged to my grandmother.  I use them all the time and each time I do I think of her.  I remember going to her house and having holiday meals and she would use them.  I am reminded of how my grandmother used to have carrots, my favorites, in one of these dishes.  They would be oh so hot and swimming in butter.  I also think of here when I make butternut squash and mix it with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter and bake it for Thanksgiving dinner.  I use the bigger one to cook stuffing and more often, Shepperd's pie.  These casserole dishes are very sentimental to me.

Last night Rich was putting something away and broke almost everyone of them. I am so very sad!!!  I know that they are only things but they are the things that remind me of my "Nana".  I suppose now I am going to have to be on the hunt to find replacements.  I feel as blue as the cornflower design!

take care,
Dawn 

Not for the SQUEAMISH!!!

My niece was working at Dunkin Donuts Monday and spilled hot coffee grounds and hot water on her hand. It looks awful. I'm posting the picture at the end of this post. If you are squeamish don't look!

She went to the ER and they told her she has 2nd and 3rd degree burns. She said she was in so much pain! They dressed it and sent her home with some meds. She went back yesterday to have it looked at. She said she is feeling better but it looks terrible. Her normally slender hand is all swollen and red and blistery. I have burned my self many times in the past. Most are from ironing and cooking accidents. Just two Christmases ago I burned my hand with hot oil and was in pain for hours and hours. I couldn't take the ice off of it without it feeling like it was on fire. I remember once when I was a teenager reaching to turn off a light that didn't have a shade on it and got a huge blister on my wrist that hurt so much I had to sleep with my hand in a bucket of water.

I sure hope she is feeling better soon. I'm sure many of us have our own "war stories" about burns. None of mine compare to what her hand looks like.

take care,
Dawn

A Morning at the Beach

Last week Britt took Tim with her to the beach down the street from our house.  She packed up her kids, picked up Tim and spent about four hours there.  She told me that you need to get there early or the parking lot fills up and you can't get a place to park.  They were just about the first people at the beach that day.  Lucky for me I gave her my camera to take so I would have copies of pictures of the day.


Here's a close up of Jack.  He is getting so big and talks so well that I forget he is only 2 1/2.



Isn't he cute?


Mackenzie is getting quite grown up as well.  She will be five in September!




Here's a picture of Tim.  You can't tell from the picture but he is getting so tall!  I'm 5'5" and he is about three inches shorter than me.




And here is me!  I joined weight watchers at the end of February and have lost about 40 pounds.  I'm still working on the rest.  :)


There is a little update of pictures of the family.

take care,
Dawn

School's out

It was just over a week ago that we had our final day of school. We started late this past school year (right after Labor Day) and didn't finish school until the 25th of June. It is a tradition at our school that on the last day of school all of the teachers wait out with the buses and blow bubbles.

It seems like the last day of school takes forever for the buses to pull out.  I remember one year a teacher forgot to pass out her report cards so we waited until she visited all the buses to pass out the cards.

Us old lady mature teachers usually do the revised "queen wave".  That is to say we hold our saggy underarm skin and give our wave.  The buses pull out slowly all beeping their horns  until they reach the street.  We have in the past sung various goodbye songs, like Na Na Na Na Good bye and See You in September.

Every year seems to be harder and harder for Tim.  He leaves the Elementary School this year and heads next door to the Middle School.  He will be a 6th grader in the fall.  This year he absolutely loved his teacher.  The poor boy couldn't stop crying!  A few days before school ended he told me that his teacher was the best in the school.  He hoped that I understood how she surpassed me!

I always take Tim out to lunch on the last day since it is a half day of school for the kids.  We made our annual trip to A&W for burgers and root beer.  Speaking of root beer, Tim asked me today if you could get drunk on root beer.  When  I told him no he asked why it was called beer then.  Any insight on that would be appreciated!  :)


The Monday after school ended I was back at school writing a grant with some fellow teachers. Then last Friday I was back again for a workshop.  I have this week off from "school related" activities, but I'll be back all of next week.

Let's see what summer vacation brings me this year.

take care,
Dawn