I'm still here!!

Hi everyone!
Sorry it has been such a long time between my posts. I have been busy with getting things ready for my class, getting the kids started in school and the regulary items like cross country and around the house. Last week we had something going on every single night, wow, were we tired!

The kids are back in school and are enjoying it. J says he's not, but I know he is. He is glad to have something to do during the day! T is really enjoying back and seeing all his friends. He is at the high school now and has had no problems moving up, but then again they go to a smaller school and he has been running with the CC team for 8 weeks now.

The obligatory first day of school picture

Today they had their first "meet" at New London. Both the boys ran well, and made their personal record. T ran in 22:04 and J ran in 13:46. The competition was tough and the boys JR high team came in 4th overall. T came in 16th in the boys open race, which was excellent!

T

J (on the far left of the picture)

The weather is a little rainy in the last few days, but it cleared up for the races today! Yesterday rained most of the day and tomorrow is only supposed to be 62! Yuck!!

My job is going well and I am really enjoying it. The kids are great and so is the staff. I love being with the little ones and am really excited for preschool to start! I have lots of great ideas for this year, and look forward to helping these little ones learn the colors, shapes, numbers etc!

Tomorrow I hope to finish another lap quilt and do some reading, along with getting the house clean and working on some lessons! Hopefully we will settle into a schedule and I will be able to blog regularly again!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Look at all this!

Ha! you probably thought it was going to be something really cool huh??

Well, to me it is! Yesterday we went down to my in-laws and spent the day. My MIL use to do sewing and quilting etc. Mostly making simple things, but she doesn't have time anymore, nor the ambition soo....

I got all her fabric!! Tons of it!

This is a view from their back deck.

This is one of the hummingbirds that frequent the hummingbird bush and feeder.

I read on their deck most of the day yesterday and really enjoyed these guys! Then last night we went to the Lore City festival, it was really small and met up with Aunt Avis, who sells these really cool wooden roses.

Wednesday night was also the classic at Mastick Park. The entire team ran and so did Rich. Here are pictures of each of the boys at the clock. T ran a 22:54, J ran a 24:50 and Rich ran a 33:52. They all did great!

T running in

J running in

Rich running in!

Today has been pretty uneventful, it is supposed to get up to 90 so we are hanging out inside this afternoon. I am working on lesson plans and reading my Book Club book. Hopefully I will get some sewing done! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Package Surprise!

Robyn at Daisy Quilts held a PIF and I was one of her participants! My package came yesterday! I am very excited to have been in Robyn's PIF and was thrilled when it arrived. I had to dig right in of course! And I will just say that I love it!

It arrived!

Oh, pretty!

A book bag! This will get LOTS of use!

Chocolate, a bookmark, card and DUQ magazine!

Last night it stormed pretty bad at our house before and after practice. Luckily we didn't lose power, which tends to happen, even on sunny days. Last night during one of the breaks I snapped this picture of CC, he was laying under the chair almost as if he was hiding and this picture reminds me of him looking out as if on stake out.

Quilting wise, not much has been happening. With the fair last week and starting work this week I haven't gotten anything done. I may work on my stripped one tonight some, Rich was nice enough to take the boys to practice. I had a few shots (TB and Tetnus) yesterday for work and really feel bad today! But things are going smoothly and I am learning. Next week I will be by myself in my classroom and the day after labor day school starts for the preschool. I am looking forward to it, I have to get planning.

Book wise, I have sort of been on a reading slump. I did read Brad Thor's newest, The Apostle, which was good and I read Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble (one day read, very quick and light!). Now I am reading The German Woman by Paul Griner. It was on our libraries New Fiction list and sounded good so I picked it up. Its really not bad. Its set during the WW's and really moves fairly quickly. Next up will be A Room With A View for bookclub next Monday.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Reserve Grand Champion!!!

He did it! J won Reserve Grand Champion in Equitation! We are so excited! He did awesome, completely nailed his pattern and beat out a girl who ALWAYS wins...(she was a little mad!) It wasn't Grand Champion, but seeing as he skipped Tenderfoot last year to be in a tougher class we'll take it! He did great and was so excited! Look out next year!!

J and Rich

Today is the 2nd to last day of fair. It ends tomorrow, another year over. We were talking of going tonight for Rich and I to show, but it's raining. I don't think we are going. If it stops raining we may go and watch but its looking like its going to be a quiet night at home! Tomorrow I will have to go up just to get my last milkshake for the year! I love the 4-h booth milkshakes...we save all our change up every year so we can spend it on milkshakes!

In other news, I won a giveaway!!! Quilting Cowgirl Brenda, had a Christmas Giveaway and I won! Yeah, very excited!!! It included some great material, two patterns and a book! I can't wait to dig into the material and make one of the patterns!

Look at this great prize!!

We have also been non-rainy and rainy days that I am not having to water my garden. My corn is just about ready to get tossles. I can't wait for it to be done! I love sweet corn! My dinner the other night was fresh corn, green beans (neighbors garden) and blackberries. (I know not that nutritous but it was worth it!). My pumpkins are out of control! There are tons of blooms on them and at least 2 dozen mini pumpkins starting! Here are a couple of shots of my garden.

Gettin' bigger

pumpkins gone wild!

Big pumpkins!

Little pumpkins!

I am going to do some blog reading (TRY to catch up!) and then some sewing. The steady rain will defiantely put a damper on the fair tonight so we will probably stay home. Monday I start my job and can't wait! And the boys and Rich have the Classic at Mastick 5K on Wednesday night, with the CC team. I hope Rich can run the entire course (his goal is 10min miles and the boys are 7 min miles!). I hope everyone had a great week! And is enjoying the weekend. I'll be back next week!

A boy and his horse

Today is the 2nd day of the county fair. Yesterday J showed his rabbits, and got a first in showmanship and a 3rd in his breed class. Long day yesterday! But today was even longer!


Today is the day he showed his horse. The judge was SO slow, one showmanship class took 45 minutes! Very slow! But he did really good and we are proud of him...

He showed in 3 classes, horsemanship, pleasure and reining. He received a third in Horsemanship (on the rider), a fifth in pleasure (on the horse) and a first in reining (a pattern type class). Reining is by far his favorite class and he was so tired he almost didn't show in it. We left home at about 8:00 and got home about 6:30. He did a great job and I am really proud of him and his efforts with his horse.

We have been busy this past week getting ready for fair, and practice every day. T is up to running about 6 miles a night and J is running about 5. Their first race is next Wednesday up in the Cleveland Metroparks and Rich is going to try to run it too!

We came home tonight and were talking to the neighbor when Rich said "Hey babe, here are some blackberries". They are growing along our tree line and we really just noticed them and they are just starting to produce so I went and picked some! Don't they look yummy:

Tomorrow I don't have to go to the fair so I am staying home and sewing! And I am very excited because I finally (after a year and a half) got a job! I will be starting next week at a local preschool teaching the 3 yr old class! I can't wait! Finally!!! So after this week I will be working everyday and I am sure I will enjoy it!

Hope everyone is having a great week!