It was a nice idea, but this is what I got.
Check out the photobomb attempt at the bottom of the frame.
Soooooooooo silly!!!!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Bus Stop Silliness
Things got extra silly at the bus stop yesterday morning. Campbell has chosen to wear a beautiful, sparkly dress and I wanted one nice picture of her (and her sister).
It was a nice idea, but this is what I got.
Soooooooooo silly!!!!!
It was a nice idea, but this is what I got.
Soooooooooo silly!!!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
It's Been A Tough One
If anything is going to break or go wrong, it will be when LT is away. Everybody knows that's how it works, and this week has certainly proven the rule over and over again.
Even still, I'm trying hard to keep my focus on the positives:
* Everybody has gotten to school on time every day this week, with a packed lunch in their backpack and appropriate clothing on their body. Winning!
* The bus broke down on the way home yesterday and was 45 minutes late, but we still got all the homework done - even though it was a late dance night.
* The girlz are well rested and I haven't lost either one of them. I, on the other hand, am NOT well-rested. And I can only wish somebody would lose me (just long enough for a good nap, please and thank you).
* The closet broke, but I bought the replacement part and fixed it myself.
* The girlz got to their hair appointment less than 5 minutes late.
* I assembled 45 goody bags for our neighborhood Trick or Treaters.
* The girlz have brought home some really great grades this week.
Only one more day and a wake up until life gets back to normal!
Even still, I'm trying hard to keep my focus on the positives:
* Everybody has gotten to school on time every day this week, with a packed lunch in their backpack and appropriate clothing on their body. Winning!
* The bus broke down on the way home yesterday and was 45 minutes late, but we still got all the homework done - even though it was a late dance night.
* The girlz are well rested and I haven't lost either one of them. I, on the other hand, am NOT well-rested. And I can only wish somebody would lose me (just long enough for a good nap, please and thank you).
* The closet broke, but I bought the replacement part and fixed it myself.
* The girlz got to their hair appointment less than 5 minutes late.
* I assembled 45 goody bags for our neighborhood Trick or Treaters.
* The girlz have brought home some really great grades this week.
Only one more day and a wake up until life gets back to normal!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Sweetest Day Gifts
I'm on top of my game this year (well, so far). The girlz and I made gifts for the teachers and bus driver for Sweetest Day. Sweetest day is technically tomorrow, but we celebrated today!
I'm not even sure what Sweetest Day really is, but it sounds like a good excuse to give a sweet gift. I found decorative mason jars at Michael's on clearance for $.30 each, and spend another $3 for standard mason jar lids and tops.
The girlz decorated white jumbo cupcake wrappers and we used those as a pretty topper.
We then packaged the mugs in pretty bags and handed them out to our favorite teachers and bus drivers.
Happy Sweetest Day!
I'm not even sure what Sweetest Day really is, but it sounds like a good excuse to give a sweet gift. I found decorative mason jars at Michael's on clearance for $.30 each, and spend another $3 for standard mason jar lids and tops.
The girlz decorated white jumbo cupcake wrappers and we used those as a pretty topper.
We then packaged the mugs in pretty bags and handed them out to our favorite teachers and bus drivers.
Happy Sweetest Day!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
A Dash Through The Pumpkin Patch
We had just enough time on Sunday to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch. I was afraid it wasn't going to happen this year -- this is the first year Cassidy has dance all day on Saturdays. In years past, Saturdays were our time to spend doing fun things. Not this year - it's already starting to get dark by the time Cassidy finishes at the dance studio. Sunday mornings are spent at church and Sunday afternoons are spent dancing in Norfolk, so we really only had about 2 hours early Sunday afternoon to get our pumpkins.
In the interest of time, we went to a patch that's much closer to our house instead of going to our favorite pumpkin patch way out in the country. There was no time to waste, so Cassidy had to wear her dance clothes instead of a cute fall outfit.
We got it done, and now we have pumpkins on the front porch. Whew!
If the girlz continue increasing their commitment to dance each year, it looks like this year's dash through the pumpkin patch is just a glimpse of what our future will hold. It's time to change our approach -- instead of letting things like the pumpkin patch and Santa pictures happen when they happen, we'll need to start planning ahead and scheduling our favorite family activities.
The winds are changing!
In the interest of time, we went to a patch that's much closer to our house instead of going to our favorite pumpkin patch way out in the country. There was no time to waste, so Cassidy had to wear her dance clothes instead of a cute fall outfit.
We got it done, and now we have pumpkins on the front porch. Whew!
If the girlz continue increasing their commitment to dance each year, it looks like this year's dash through the pumpkin patch is just a glimpse of what our future will hold. It's time to change our approach -- instead of letting things like the pumpkin patch and Santa pictures happen when they happen, we'll need to start planning ahead and scheduling our favorite family activities.
The winds are changing!
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
18 Years And Counting
Today marks my 18th year at the Evil Empire. 18 years ago I started a journey that has been grueling at times, and yet so rewarding. I think most careers are difficult, regardless of the industry. It seems everyone is asked to do more with less, adapt to constant change, make no mistakes, and play nice in the sandbox.
At The Evil Empire, you don't have any street cred until you reach 20 years of service, so hitting 18 years is a big deal for me.
To mark this momentous occasion, I found a video called "A Conference Call In Real Life".
The conference call struggle is real, y'all.
At The Evil Empire, you don't have any street cred until you reach 20 years of service, so hitting 18 years is a big deal for me.
To mark this momentous occasion, I found a video called "A Conference Call In Real Life".
The conference call struggle is real, y'all.
Monday, October 6, 2014
An Exceptional Teacher
It's taken me a while to write this post. And then I stumbled across this little gem as I was hunting through old pictures today to find the Spirit Day picture from 2011.
The gentleman in the red shirt is our beloved music teacher, Mr. Conley. He passed away suddenly at the beginning of the school year from a heart attack.
Both girls - but especially Cassidy - adored Mr. Conley. To be fair, EVERYBODY adored Mr. Conley. He seemed to be at every school event - running sound for the Preschool Thanksgiving Program, Grandparent's Day, and Kindergarten Graduation... or being the Emcee of the Harvest Festival Costume Contest... or helping the kids show off their musical skills at the Christmas and Spring Concerts.
He chose Cassidy for a solo in last year's Christmas Concert. He taught the Third Graders to play the recorder last year, and the Spring Concert wasn't even close to the painful torture I expected it to be. When it came time for the high school band to play, he picked up his trombone and played along. He was tremendously talented and a genuinely kind person. Most of all, he was an exceptional teacher.
At our school, Fourth Graders are allowed to try Beginning Band. Cassidy decided months ago that she wanted to learn how to play Mama's clarinet. I traded emails with Mr. Conley over the summer asking if he could hold a clarinet spot for Cassidy so we could move forward with refurbishing the instrument and getting her some starter lessons.
The whole thing made me think of Mr. Holland's Opus, and I even watched this clip over the summer. In my mind's eye, this was Cassidy and Mr. Conley in about 4 years.
Spoiler - that gorgeous girl with the red hair grows up and becomes the governor.
Cassidy looked for Mr. Conley the night of Orientation. She was SO EXCITED to tell him about her clarinet and show him how much she had learned over the summer. Little did we know, he'd had a heart attack the night before and was very sick. He died two days later, leaving an impossible pair of shoes to fill.
It was a devastating loss for our children and our school. I'm so grateful our children got to be his students, even if their time was cut short.
Heaven's band gained quite a member with Mr. Conley!
The gentleman in the red shirt is our beloved music teacher, Mr. Conley. He passed away suddenly at the beginning of the school year from a heart attack.
Both girls - but especially Cassidy - adored Mr. Conley. To be fair, EVERYBODY adored Mr. Conley. He seemed to be at every school event - running sound for the Preschool Thanksgiving Program, Grandparent's Day, and Kindergarten Graduation... or being the Emcee of the Harvest Festival Costume Contest... or helping the kids show off their musical skills at the Christmas and Spring Concerts.
He chose Cassidy for a solo in last year's Christmas Concert. He taught the Third Graders to play the recorder last year, and the Spring Concert wasn't even close to the painful torture I expected it to be. When it came time for the high school band to play, he picked up his trombone and played along. He was tremendously talented and a genuinely kind person. Most of all, he was an exceptional teacher.
At our school, Fourth Graders are allowed to try Beginning Band. Cassidy decided months ago that she wanted to learn how to play Mama's clarinet. I traded emails with Mr. Conley over the summer asking if he could hold a clarinet spot for Cassidy so we could move forward with refurbishing the instrument and getting her some starter lessons.
The whole thing made me think of Mr. Holland's Opus, and I even watched this clip over the summer. In my mind's eye, this was Cassidy and Mr. Conley in about 4 years.
Spoiler - that gorgeous girl with the red hair grows up and becomes the governor.
Cassidy looked for Mr. Conley the night of Orientation. She was SO EXCITED to tell him about her clarinet and show him how much she had learned over the summer. Little did we know, he'd had a heart attack the night before and was very sick. He died two days later, leaving an impossible pair of shoes to fill.
It was a devastating loss for our children and our school. I'm so grateful our children got to be his students, even if their time was cut short.
Heaven's band gained quite a member with Mr. Conley!
Friday, October 3, 2014
Spirit Day!
What a difference three years makes! This is Spirit Day 2011 -- Campbell's first Spirit Day.
And this is Spirit Day 2014. It looks like somebody's growing, in spite of their candy and chicken nugget diet!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Spirit Week - Day 4: Camo Day
Yes, we skipped day 3. It was 'Merica Day and the girls were properly decked out in their finest red, white, and blue. I didn't get a picture because Cassidy was running late and joined Campbell and I in the driveway just as the bus rolled up.
Today is Camo Day! I think we're the only family at the school that doesn't have a closet full of camouflage to choose from on Camo Day. Even still, I was able to scrape together an outfit for the girlz after spending some time at the Goodwill and Stuff Mart. WINNING!
Tomorrow is the last day of Spirit Week - Spirit Day! Cassidy has outgrown all her school shirts, so she chose a new one from the school store earlier this week. I think we're ready for the Homecoming festivities!
Today is Camo Day! I think we're the only family at the school that doesn't have a closet full of camouflage to choose from on Camo Day. Even still, I was able to scrape together an outfit for the girlz after spending some time at the Goodwill and Stuff Mart. WINNING!
Tomorrow is the last day of Spirit Week - Spirit Day! Cassidy has outgrown all her school shirts, so she chose a new one from the school store earlier this week. I think we're ready for the Homecoming festivities!