Back to School Essay

The kids are getting on board those YELLOW school buses! Now that we've headed back to classes for the 09-10 school year, and I bet some of you are dreading that back-to-school essay many teachers assign: What did you do on your summer vacation?

I went to New Orleans for a weekend.

I went to Lake Charles for a day.

I did a little swimming and took a few walks.

The kids and I went to Palm Beach at Moody Gardens Galveston twice.

I went to Schlitterbahn in Galveston once.

I painted and redecorated two bedrooms.

But mostly, I did crafts, watched movies, and read books. Three of my favorite things! I accomplished 29 traditional scrapbook pages, 8 cards, and 10 digital pages this summer. Read about that here.

I frequented the movie theater 10 times, usually early in the day since it's less expensive. I saw:

Angels and Demons - loved it, though not as good as book
Night at the Museum 2 - better than I expected, funny, extra touches and historical details
The Taking of Pelham 123 - suspenseful, but jumpy camera movement for effect
Imagine That - better than I expected, sweet family movie
17 Again - formulaic, but still cute
The Proposal - great movie! I usually like Sandra Bullock's movies.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - awesome!
Public Enemies - not bad!
The Ugly Truth - hilarious!
The Hangover - even more hilarious!
Descriptions of these movies can be found at Internet Movie Database.

I saw 16 movies/TV series on DVD and started 2 more. Here's what I watched:

Slumdog Millionaire - definitely different
The Spiderwick Chronicles - clever and cute
Lost season 3 - I'm a late bloomer where Lost is concerned, and I love it!
Prison Break season 4 - so sad to see this one go.
Sophie Schole, the final Days - subtitles are difficult, but it had a powerful message
Princess Protection Program - cute!
Confessions of a Shopoholic - eh, it was okay, not great.
He's Just Not That into You - the story of my relationships; eh, not that great, either.
Yes Man - eh, I'm not a big Jim Carrey fan, but it was okay.
Another Cinderella Story - Selena Gomez is cute, but the movie is not great.
The Other Boleyn Girl - very different from the book, but I liked it.
ER Season 10 - I watched ER until a few years ago when life just got too busy, so I'm catching up.
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 6 - my husband's idea.
The Beach - different from the book & not that great
Cloverfield - really stupid movie reminiscent of Blair Witch Project
Isacc's Storm -historical account of the Galveston storm of 1900.
Started on Lost Season 3 and ER Season 11.


I also read 11 books, and I only have a small fine to pay at the library for overdue materials!
The Beach by Alex Garland - different than my usual read, zipped through it
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - good concept but a bit redundant
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult - emotional with a surprise ending (way better than the movie that was out this summer!)
The Associate by John Grisham - good, but not his best.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - interesting.
Time Bomb by Jonathan Kellerman - strange, but suspenseful.
Darkwater Rising by Marian Hale - not one of the better books about the storm of 1900.
Fingerlickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich - made me laugh out loud!
Wicked Prey by John Sanford - suspenseful and edgy.

Dry Ice by Stephen White - one of my favorite authors.
Blood on the River-Jamestown 1607 by Elisa Carbone - the kids and I had to read it for school.

All in all, I would call it a very productive summer!

The topic over at Heads or Tails is "yellow."

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Your Zone and Mom Knows it All

Mom Knows it All is giving away a $500 Walmart gift card to use to redo your teen or tween's room with really cool "Your Zone" products. I recently redid my twins' rooms. They are 13, a boy and a girl. But who says I couldn't redo them again? With $500, I would be able to get new comforters, accessories, storage. It would be great! Here are the two rooms that I would redecorate. I hope I win!

Wordless Wednesday

My son played his first golf tournament on August 7. He got third place. He's showing off his ribbon. He also won a free round of golf and golf cart rental.

Back to School

School supplies - check!

School clothes - check!

Hair cuts - check!

Schedules and books - check!

Jeans and pants hemmed (we're shorties) - check!

Summer reading complete - check! (Well, almost)

Classroom ready - check!

Lesson Plans Typed, Printed, Uploaded - check!

Lunches ready - check!

Ready for school to start? NOT!

Bye-bye, Summer! I will miss you!

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I'm Like Hannah Montana

No, I'm not secretly a famous, singing sensation pop star! But, you know how Hannah (and if you've got kids between the ages of four and fourteen, especially girls, you know Hannah!)... I digress. So, Hannah has to keep her whole pop princess life a secret from the world except for her two best friends who really know who she is (and you know who you are!). She goes by a different name when she is at home and school. Well... THAT is how I am like Hannah. And I wonder how many other Hannahs there are lurking in the blog world. I can actually think of a few of you that I KNOW prefer to keep your blog life and your "real" life separate. By "real" I mean work.


You know who you are. You're like me. You have your blog name and your blog persona, and the persona is probably who you are, but the people in your "real world job" don't know your blog name and maybe don't even know that your blog exists, of if they do, they don't know that it's YOU behind that blog name. Right? I can't be the only one!


Face it. We have to be somewhat secretive in this day and age. I have a full time job that I can't afford to lose if I say one wrong thing on my blog, and we all know it has happened, even for benign, insignificant reasons. Just ask Myrtle Beach Ramblings (it's a long story). And here on our blogs, isn't this where we really let it all hang out? Would we want it any other way? Nah.


So, I'll just be Hannah here on my blog and Miley in day-to-day life. I can have the best of both worlds! Share with me your best-of-both-worlds story! I'm offering a prize for the best one!

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Sunday Scrappin'

Sunday Scrappin' is a weekly meme for scrapbookers and paper crafters. Won't you join us?

This is my last scrappin' post for the summer. School starts Tuesday, so time will be precious. This week, I got 2 birthday cards done. Considering I was back at work last Tuesday, that's not bad.
This summer, I did 29 traditional scrapbook pages, 10 digital scrapbook pages, 8 cards, and 8 Sunday Scrappin' posts including this one. Here are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I really thought I did more pages than that, but I guess not.

I don't have any specific to-do's on my list since school is starting, so I will be pleased if I get any crafting done this week. I hope everyone has a happy week!

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Celebrate! Nutrition, Weight Loss ... Chocolate? And a Giveaway!

The winner is #3 Tammy from Queen Sized Funny Bone! Congrats, Tammy!


Not long ago, I reviewed a product made with CHOCOLATE, of all things, that can help you satisfy your cravings, curb your hunger, and become healthier.

Celebrate is a company that uses all natural ingredients in their hand made premium chocolates. Just enjoy one or two pieces of chocolate about twenty minutes before a meal, and you should feel full sooner, and thus, eat less. In addition, you get a boost of natural anti-oxidants as well as Omega 3/DHA for your heart and brain health.


This time, I tried the Celebrate Chocolate Classics Cocoa-Covered Almonds. They're enriched with concentrated nutrients from 56 whole foods. And they taste GREAT! Again, my 13 year old daughter liked them as well, and I do believe we ate less when we enjoyed a chocolate covered almond prior to a meal. Nutrition information can be found here.

The sponsor, Celebrate Life Nutrition, has generously offered to send one of my lucky readers (U S Residents Only, Please) the same product I've enjoyed, A 3.5 ounce bag of Cocoa-Covered Almonds-"A Seductive Mouthful of Pleasure."
To enter this giveaway, visit Celebrate's Cocoa-Covered Almonds page AND click on the "share this" button about midway down on the left sidebar. You can use the "share this" button to post to blogger, myspace, facebook, etc. While you're there, you can also sign up for their newsletter or register to win free chocolate, if you so choose. Then, come back here and tell me how you shared the link.

For extra entries in this giveaway, do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Make sure I have a way to contact you. This giveaway will end at midnight on August 31, 2009.
Extra Entries:
Follow my blog.
Subscribe to my feed.
Tweet this giveaway.
Stumble this post.
Please leave your link in the comments.

The winner will be required to give their name and address at the sponsor's website. The winner will add the product to their cart and put in a coupon code. There will be absolutely NO COST to the winner. Details will be sent to the winner when the giveaway ends. Remember, though, this is for US Residents.

This review was brought to you by Family Review Network.


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Friday Fill-ins

Come play along with Friday Fill-ins!

1. I remember, I remember 9/11.
2. Dear Daddy, I want you to know how much I miss you.
3. Is that my car!!??? (I tend to "lose" my car in the parking lot!)
4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of fatty foods.
5. I'm saving a place just for you!
6. If I made a birthday list diamond earrings would definitely be on it!!!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a massage and eyebrow wax, tomorrow my plans include a jewelry party, and Sunday, I want to go to church then relax!

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Thursday 13

New teachers to my district reported last week. Veteran teachers, I guess that's what you call us old-timers, reported Tuesday. The students start August 25th. I was NOT looking forward to being back at work, and here are 13 of the many reasons.

1. No more staying up till all hours of the night on the Internet.

2. No more sleeping late.

3. I'm exiting the napping zone.

4. I actually have to get dressed in presentable clothes.

5. I have to wear makeup.

6. Not as much time for blogging.

7. No time for my favorite obsession... facebook (farmtown, jungle jewels, and chat)!

8. I'll have lessons to plan, meetings to attend, parents to call, and papers to grade.

9. I'll have to make school lunches (or worse, eat cafeteria food).

10. I'll have to go to the restroom on a schedule! Gasp!

11. No more meeting my husband or friends for lunch or movie dates.

12. I won't have time to catch up on any more shows (because I really don't have much time for TV during the school year).

13. No more freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To stay positive, maybe next week I will give you 13 good reasons for school to start, but right now, I'm still pouting.

Visit more Thursday 13 participants here!

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Back to School Giveaways

One of my favorite sites, 5 Minutes for Mom, is having lots of Back to School Giveaways. I'm late getting in the game. The giveaways started August 14, but they last until Friday the 28th, and you can still enter any or all of them. Go check them out now!

Wordless Wednesday

I LOVE my daughter's new haircut. Thank you, Selena Gomez, for inspiring her!

More WW here!

The Queen's Meme

I stumbled across The Queen's Meme last week. It's quirky and fun! I'm going to give it a go this week. Mimi, our Queen of Memes who lives in Blogginham Palace, provides a challenge:

The Bachelor's Dating Meme: Take a look at these seven dating profile headlines from real dating sites. Imagine you are trying to find a date and these gems have just landed in your inbox. How would you respond to them? Write a comeback response to each one. Be sarcastic, be funny, be brave! Spelling errors not my own. (nor are they mine!) Here's my first attemtp at TQM.

1. Birdbrain looking for a mate
I’ll be your chickadee! But we must mate for life!

2. Where Are All The Bad Girls?
Try Hollywood!

3. A Good Woman Is Hard To Fine
What are you going to fine her for? If she’s good, she doesn’t need or deserve a fine. Is there a fine for being good now?

4. Does God Know You've Escaped From Heaven?
Well, yes, He does! He sent me down here with a message for you: get a better pick-up line or you’ll be going to the “bad” place.

5. I Put the Fun in DysFUNctional
Can you be the peanut in my butter?

6. Does this profile make me look fat?
No, it just makes you look like a whiner!

7. I'm a no nonsince person with little tolorrance for stupidity

Since you have no sense of spelling, you can take your nonsense elsewhere. By the way, if you’re not looking for stupidity, please avoid mirrors!

Did I do okay?

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Give Me Five Monday

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! It is hosted at Becca's Buzz. Why not play along?\

This week... Give Me Five memorable things you have done before.

(These are not chronological, nor are they in order of importance.)

1. Got married in the chapel where I was baptized as a child.

2. Relaxed in a chaise on a private beach in Cozumel drinking a fruity drink, reading a novel, and holding hands with the man I love.

3. Holding my father's hand when the machines keeping his heart beating were turned off.

4. Gave birth to twins 13 years ago.

5. Seeing Disneyworld with my children.

Here is a picture from #1.

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Thursday 13

In honor of our trip to Jason's Deli tonight and the delicious salad I had, I give you 13 things with which to make a salad. Can you guess which ones I do and don't eat?

1. Lettuce, of course, different varieties.
2. Black olives, sliced
3. Artichokes
4. Grated cheese, mild cheddar
5. Salad dressing, buttermilk ranch
6. Bacon bits
7. Croutons
8. Hard boiled eggs, chopped
9. Sliced mushrooms
10. Carrots
11. Tomatoes
12. Radishes
13. Cucumbers

I usually choose 1-8, sometimes 9. I will eat 10-13, but they're not my favorite things. Jason's no longer has black olives, except the Kalamata kind, and I didn't get that tonight.
Check out Thursday 13 Here!

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Heads or Tails

Barb's prompt for Heads or Tails this week is NOTE.

With school starting for teachers next week and students the following week, the word NOTE is going to come up frequently for me.

I have to make a NOTE of any new routines and procedures, and since we have new administrators in place, there will be changes.

I'll be keeping an eye out for that errant NOTE that somehow passes from student to student across my classroom.

I will be listening for the first NOTE each time my daughter practices her clarinet.

And I will teach my students how to properly take NOTEs in class.

Last, since I'm often Forgetful, I will have to leave a NOTE (probably more than one) for myself listing all of the many things I need to do before school starts.

Image sources:

Note with tack

Musical Notes

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Give Me Five Monday

The 'Give Me Five' Monday meme is designed to share fun information with each other in a simple short list! Why not play along?

Becca's mom asks us, "Give Me Five random things you've never done before."

1. I have never stood in front of Radio City Music Hall in New York.
2. I have never sat in a live studio audience for a game show.
3. I have never worn a pumpkin suit on Halloween.
4. I have never taken a photography class.
5. I have never smoked a pipe.

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Sunday Scrappin'

If you are a digital scrapbooker or a paper crafter of any kind, why not join us for Sunday Scrappin'? Simply post your ta-da's and to-do's for the week and join an optional challenge if you'd like. I know there are lots of scrappers out there. Why not join us on Sundays? And don't forget to check out the Sunday Scrappin' home page.

Ta-Da's - This week I got six traditional pages done including a birthday layout for the optional challenge.

To-Do's - My goal is to get SOMETHING done that is scrapbook related whether it be a traditional layout, digital page, or getting my craft room set up. School starts soon, so I better do what I can while I can!

Challenge - I was able to do Christine's birthday challenge last week. This week, Amy is asking for bookmark ideas and posted this link. Hmmmm. I'll have to give this some thought.

Happy Scrappin'!

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Camera Critters

My sweet angel, Lacy.

Visit other Camera Critters players here.

Things That are Green

I've been watching a lot of Game Show Network, $100,000 Pyramid, for example, and I painted my kids' rooms green this summer, different shades, so this week's Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by the color green.

1. My daughter's room. (linked to the photos)

2. My son's room. (linked to the photos)


3. Kermit the Frog, a favorite from my childhood.

4. Oscar the Grouch, another favorite from my childhood.

5. The topiaries at Disney's Epcot.

6. My field of peas on Farmtown in Facebook.

7. No Feet - the name of the green garden snake on the series Little Bear.

8. The car I'd like to have someday, a green Jaguar.

9. Money!

10. Golf course greens. My son is in golf camp this week, and he loves it.

11. Nasal mucus when you are sick! (Sorry, gross, but I had to lighten up a little.)

12. A four leaf clover. I could use one of those!

13. Am emerald is green, one of the most beautiful semi-precious stones.

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