Saturday, February 28, 2009

Whole Kitten Caboodle




I just found out about this a-mazing organization called Caboodle Ranch. If I had the time or the money, it's the kind of sanctuary I would want to build. The ranch runs completely on donations. Here's some info:


In Florida, one man has carved out 30-acres to provide a home to nearly 500 unwanted felines, who travel from far and wide to settle into their elaborate sanctuary, Caboodle Ranch. The founder of the ranch fronts all of the facility's costs out of his own pocket.

LEE, Fla. -- Security is tight at the Caboodle Ranch, where the entrance is guarded by 500 strong. Yet, the formidable presence melts into purrs as guests enter the 30-acre cat sanctuary in Madison County, 50 miles from the state capital of Tallahassee.

The man behind it all is Craig Grant, the founder of Caboodle Ranch. But for a retired contractor who had an aversion to felines, Grant's golden years have taken an unusual twist.

It was Grant's commitment to his children that fostered a new life destiny. No longer able to care for his cat, Pepper, Grant's son asked him to permanently care for the pet. Having spent his entire life raising his three kids, Grant couldn't say no. more>>

Vintage



With Chocolate Chips Please

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/images/351_chocochipstar987654321.jpg

The Chocolate Chip Sea Star is my latest favorite sea animal. :)

New Banksy?

Solveig, a girl graffiti artist, aged 10, is the female Banksy



A 10-year-old schoolgirl called Solveig has earned herself a reputation as the "female Banksy" after creating a series of impressive graffiti artworks more>>

Monday, February 23, 2009

Best Question Ever!

My kiddos ask a bunch of great questions each day. I haven't been posting as many because I've been swamped with work. I just loved this question though.

On our way out to lunch Miss LK stops me.

Miss LK: Mrs. T---- Why does school have to be so long?
Me: (smiles) Miss LK, you're going to have to get used to it. College classes are even longer. I agree though the day is pretty long from 8-3.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Fast Car - Tracy Chapman

Post Secret (Sunday Feb 22)

When I was in high school, I wanted to understand Catcher in the Rye so badly, but I didn't get it. One of my friends, who I had been friends with since 6th grade, had to explain it to me. I haven't seen him since last Christmas. I wonder how he is. I also wonder if this is his secret or who else is like him:

We're Expecting!

We're expecting a dozen or so baby ghost shrimp. Gotcha! We just learned that our lady cop ghost shrimp is prego. My hubster called me over to check out her abdomen. He asked me what was moving inside. Wide-eyed, I exclaimed that she's prego. He didn't believe me until he googled it. Good ol' Google. We think she's still in stage one because her eggs are still olive-colored. They're supposed to get lighter and have wee little eyes in a week or two. The technical term for a prego shrimp is a berried shrimp. This tank has been filled with all sorts of drama. At least, we're enterained.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Post Secret (Sunday Feb 15)

I'm a pretty avid reader of Post Secret. My favorite Sunday every year is the Sunday that's closest to Valentine's Day because that's when Frank posts the most heartfelt secrets.






Thursday, February 19, 2009

What Would I Do Without Him?

Yesterday was a rough day for me. That's one of hte perks of my program is having major ups and downs. I was totally bummed out. My lesson didn't go as perfectly as planned and there was a whole mess of mini things to add to that mess that happened throughout the day. Needless to say, I wasn't it in the best of shape when my hubster got me at class. I was restless all night as I was trying to sleep.

Me: (rolls over and wakes up my hubster) I'm soo sad.
Hubster: (half awake) I'm sorry you had to be human for once.
Me: (smiles) Fine. You're right. I won't be such a moper.

He even gives perfect advice when he's partially sleeping. I definitely could not go through this intense transitional period without him.


Sunday, February 15, 2009

Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

"There's More to Life than Songs."

http://www.cluas.com/indie-music/Portals/0/Blog/Files/5/480/la_vie_en_rose_movie_poster.jpg

I managed to convince my hubster to watch La Vie en Rose. Overall, the movie was a bit depressing. It just wasn't the feel good movie that the poster or the commercials portrayed it to be. Bummer! Edith Piaf's life was just so sad. It reminded me of Ray for some reason. Marion Cotillard did an amazing job playing Piaf. My hubster couldn't believe that she was the same actress from Love Me if You Dare.

Oh Hearts

A few weeks ago, my parents mailed me a box of amazing Godiva chocolates. It was a pick-me-up gift for this rough week I had awhile ago. They were too beautiful to eat right away. I hadn't had time to take a picture of them until now.

Welcome to the Aguarium!

We just added two more members to our growing aguarium. They're albino corydoras. As my hubster says, "They're so funny looking that they're endearing." We love them to pieces. They're bottom feeders, so they're going to help us keep our tank clean. Because we're so creative with naming our fish, one is Al and the other is Bino.


Saturday, February 14, 2009

Catch Up: Pre-Valentine's Day

My only request for Valentine's Day was a bag of those gumdrop-like cherry hearts. The ones with the sugar all around the outside. I think Brach's used to make them. We went on a hunt for them yesterday and didn't find anything. Boo! We did have one of my all time favorite conversations though. :)

Me: Why don't you sweep me off my feet anymore?
Hubster: Because my back is broken. (laughs hysterically)
Me: (laughs) I knew you were going to say something stupid. I guess a stupid question gets a stupid answer.
Hubster: Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
Both: (laughs)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Values

In my social studies methods class (How-to-Teach-Social-Studies class), my awesome prof had us note some of our favorites and justify why they were our favorites. Here's what I had:

Favorite Movie:
Pride and Prejudice (The version with Keira Knightley)
It's one of my favorite movies because I love how Lizzie is spunky and outspoken, but she still gets to have the man of her dreams, her equal partner.

Favorite Food/Restaurant:
Via Vai
I love it because the pizza reminds me of our honeymoon.

Favorite Place:
Cambria
It's our happy place because everyone is so nice there and it's where we got married.

Favorite Song:
Winter Song
At the moment, it's Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson because it's a beautiful melancholy love song. I'm listening to it right now.

An Animal that Best Fits Who You are:
Butterfly
I'm constantly changing right now. I hope to be something beautiful at the end of all of it.


On My Own

I don't even know where to begin to explain where I really am on this journey of becoming a teacher. To say it's complicated would be the understatement of the year. A few days ago, I signed up for my spring classes. I couldn't believe that I was already signing up for my last real set of classes. Really, the information that I have acquired is enough to get started with my own classroom? No, can't be. Shouldn't there be more? I'm going to be responsible for 20-30 little people.

I'm not ready to be on my own. Well, I have been on my own for a week or two and they were the best weeks ever. My mentor teacher has been reminding me all this week how ready I am. Am I really? I love having him there. I learn so much by just watching him teach, by just listening to him talk to the kids. I just don't know if I'm ready. Regardless of what I think, the time is fast approaching to figure it out. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

My Second Favorite Monet

Monet is one of my favorite artists. In general, I love impressionist painters. My all time favorite Monet painting is Impression: Sunrise. Now, I just found my second favorite Monet painting. It's called Houses of Parliament. Thanks Free Rice to leading me to this new discovery!

http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/images/monet-parliament.jpg

Post Secret (Sunday Feb 8)


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Catch Up: Tories v. Rebels

http://ericturner.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/mystery-painting-1.jpg

As part of the new curriculum that I'm working with, I get to teach my kiddos about the American Revolution. They've been reading all these stories about the Revolution without knowing what Tories and Rebels were. Kind of important, no? Here's a conversation that I had with them:

Me: Tories are also known as loyalists. They were the ones who did not want to go against the King of England.
Kiddos: Ohhhhhh....
Me: Good. Rebels were the ones who wanted America to be independent.
Mr F: Excuse me, can I ask you something?
Me: Sure.
Mr F: How do you know all of this?
Me: (thinking of how to make this a teachable moment) Well, a long time ago I was in 5th grade and I learned all about it. I still remembered it from then.
Mr F: Ohhh...that was a long time ago.
Mr L: Yea...that was a looong looong looong time ago.
Miss L: It wasn't that looong ago. Right?
Me: So, what page were we on? 301?

One of the hardest things about teaching is not laughing at certain moments. We call these moments lit-biting moments. lol.

Crusty

We've been having some soggy days down here. What does that lead to exactly? Rainy day schedule at school, which includes rainy day recess and lunch. Therefore, I get to spend tons of time with my kiddos. Here's one of the cute conversations at lunch time.

Me: (eating my pb&j sandwich)
Miss OJ: Mrs. T---?
Me: Yea...Miss OJ?
Miss OJ: You don't like eating the crust of your sandwich?
Me: (looks at a bag full of crusts where my sandwich had been) I guess not. I don't like it with this bread because it's all grainy.
Miss OJ: Grainy?
Me: Yea, it has the oat grains on the crust.

Kiddos are way observant. I need to keep that in mind when I do things including eating my PB&J. I've always known that I don't like the crusts on PB&Js, but I don't have the heart to ask my hubster to cut them off for me in the morning.

Because V-Day is Around the Corner

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/NYRoom23/PepeLePew2.gif
Valentine for Ernest Mann

You can't order a poem like you order a
taco.
Walk up to the counter, say, "I'll take two"
and expect it to be handed back to you
on a shiny plate.

Still, I like your spirit.
Anyone who says, "Here's my address.
Write me a poem," deserves something
in reply.
So I'll tell you a secret instead:
Poems hide.
In the bottom of our shoes,
They are sleeping. They are the shadows
drifting across our ceilings the moment
before we wake up. What we have to do is live
in a way that lets us find them.

Once I knew a man who gave his wife
two skunks for a valentine.
He couldn't understand why she was
crying.
"I thought they had beautiful eyes."
And he was serious. He was serious
man
who lived in a serious way. Nothing was
ugly
Just because the world said so. He really
liked those skunks. So, he re-invented
them
as valentines and they became beautiful.
At least, to him. And the poems that had
been hiding
in the eyes of skunks for centuries
crawled out and curled up at his feet.
Maybe if we reinvent whatever our
lives give us
we find poems. Check your garage, the
odd sock
in your drawer, the person you almost
like, but
not quite.

And let me know.

Naomi Shihab Nye

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Little Lights...

I forgot to add this random fact in my latest set of 25. I thought I would post it here to help me remember it.

I always wanted to live in the countryside, so I could catch fireflies. I had always read about them, but had never seen them. Now, I live in the countryside, but I don't think it's the right kind of countryside.


Teddy Bears Are For Everyone

I would have never imagined that I would say that rodents were cute then I saw this picture.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Eh Eh - Lady Gaga

"The Story Can Resume."

http://www.flixray.com/dvd_covers/200804/55182.jpg

Even though my hubster's best friend said that Atonement was a bit on the disappointing side, we still decided to watch it. I have to agree with him. I thought it was going to be like A Very Long Engagement, but it wasn't. It wasn't the acting or the directing that made it eh. It was just the story didn't please me. I thought it was ridiculous that Briony thought she gave the "final act of kindness" to her sister and Robbie because she wrote them a happy ending in her book. Maybe, I just wasn't in the mood for a sad movie.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

"Your Life is Defined By Its Opportunities..."


We finally had a chance to watch Benjamin Button this weekend. It was a great movie, quite well done. Somehow, it left me wanting more, which isn't a bad thing. The movie really puts into perspective what it means to love and to lose someone. Whether or not we feel prepared to handle them, those emotions and experiences are essential to our existence. Because it is not easy to make sense of them, that's probably why this movie does not lend itself to being wrapped up nice and neatly at the end. I found Brad Pitt charming as Benjamin. I loved Taraji Henson as Queenie. As my hubster would say, this movie would be great in Blu-Ray, so it might be worth waiting to watch later.

Happy Black History Month!


In honor of Black History month, I would like to introduce Phillis Wheatley. She's considered America's first black poet.