June Bug Takes Over Bear's Christmas Present

De LaSalle Tournament

What a great school De LaSalle is!  I would love to live on that island too.

Cretin won 2 out of 3.  I love North East Mpls!

Cool Kitties at the Antique Shop on Central Avenue

They loved showing Greg the store and followed us everywhere.

The brown tipped would stand on his back legs and beg to be scratched.

Lovely kitties and cool store.

Beautiful. Hard to read, but you must.

True Grit - AWESOME, but watch the editing



Hailee Steinfeld

She is nothing short of Oscar worthy!

Why the hell is her name not on that marquee???????????????

Mattie Ross: Now I know you can drink whiskey and I saw you kill a rat, but all the rest has been talk. I'm not paying for talk. I can get all the talk I need at the Monarch Boarding House.

Rooster Cogburn: I ought to paddle your rump!

Mattie Ross: I don't know how you propose to do that from that hog wallow you're sunk into. If I smelled as bad as you I wouldn't live near people.

Rich Boy -Sharon Pomerantz

Great sweeping epic.  A little disappointed at the ending, but I am generally always disappointed by men and their failure to think with their reproductive organs and not their brains. Alas, that is probably because of the lack of testosterone in my upbringing, so hence, my failure to understand it all.

Goldfish

Goldfish

Kids Winter Carnival Art Show

Heifer International- SO COOL AND SO WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     GIVE TO THEM!!! A FLOCK OF DUCKS IS JUST $20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JOE AND I GAVE PRESENTS TO SOME OF HIS FAV TEACHERS FOR $100

WE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BETTER THAN SOAP OR A CANDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conferences

A bad or a good teacher

A bad teacher is negatively pessimistic

A good teacher is positively optimistic

A bad teacher swears all the time

A good teacher cares in their prime

A bad teacher passes on rude fear

A good teacher has on good ears

A bad teacher discourages

A good teacher encourages

A bad teacher despairs

A good teacher prepares

A bad teacher likes to bitch

A good teacher likes to teach

A bad teacher shouts every moment

A good teacher scouts for every talent

A bad teacher is up for crude devices

A good teacher is up for good advice

A bad teacher lets students fight on in the dark

A good teacher sets students on the right track

A bad teacher feeds on their looks

A good teachers reads many books

A bad teacher sings along with wrong faults

A good teacher brings along the right results

Copyright 2006 - Sylvia Chidi

Great Reads - AWESOME!!!

I LOVED reading this with the seventh grade.  A sweet, moving story that is concise and compelling.


Sometimes you just need someone like Amber Appleton!

THANKSGIVING

I LOVE GREG CLARK!!! What a vanity sink and actual towel racks!!!!

My irish ancestors are SO happy!! 

I LOVE that D!

TG Bristol Palin LOST to Jennifer Grey!

Bristol was the worst thing I have ever seen cross a dance floor.  Yep, she reminded me of a Clysdale.  Beauiful, yet solid and sturdy.  Graceful and eloquent?  NOT!

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 11/16: The Bruce Springsteen Episode | The Audio Perv

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 11/16: The Bruce Springsteen Episode The Audio Perv

Tough Kitty - Must be June Bug's Sissy

St Peter Claver Craft Sale - RanHam

 We painted beautiful gourds for the craft boutique this year and it was fun to be included again.

the kids loved painting them and finding the hidden gem in each one.  They were selling well when I had stopped in.  The SPC Quilters are a great bunch of caring, generous ladies.

I spy a flamingo, snake and a lizard.

A giraffe peeks out.

Tony's beautiful lizard.

Kalyans' swan, Blessing's swan, Hnrianna's flamingo.

Maia's graphic art, Cruz's penguin and Luther's apple.

Octavia's beautiful blue art.

Junie loving her boutique gift from Joe.  She LOVES her Java cat mat!

RANHAM BOWLING!

Old style lanes

Old fashion scoring

Bowling fun with the family. RanHam needs to tweak the equipment, but they have customer service down!

Lots of fun to be back in the basement.

Not very focused, but still cutie!

Terriers - Awesome

Slow to start, but great characters and a good continuous story line.
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/terriers/

Reading, "Push"

So hard to read the brutal words that shape her life. The most brilliant line that brought me to my knees is about coloring. Why care anymore about coloring in the second grade when in the scheme of her life and being abused everynight by her father, does it really matter? WHen her teacher tells her to care, one is not surprised when she says, "really?"

Amazon.com: Push: A Novel (9780679766759): Sapphire: Books

Amazon.com: Push: A Novel (9780679766759): Sapphire: Books

I believe

The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind - Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Minnesota Book Award Finalist

The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind

Morgan is a witty, sarcastic sixteen-year-old who lives in a small town in Nebraska and struggles with an alcoholic dad, a crush on a boy at work, and rumors at school that she is a lesbian. Even worse, she discovers that her Grandma, the person she trusts most, has kept a shocking secret from her. Now she is forced to change her whole life around. Kirstin Cronn-Mills grew up in Nebraska, but now lives in southern Minnesota and teaches English at a college in Mankato. This is her first novel.

Fresh, intelligent offbeat, realistic-

READ IT!

Winter Carnival Art Show

I think, very fascinating.............................

Sometimes being a Mom and a Teacher is a Crap Ass Job

Just stating it as I see it.  You can be the best thing in the world one day and the worst the next.  Does any teacher/Momr ever wonder... that is what you get paid for? What do you do? And it is so far from teaching the curriculum that you think ...is that what I am going to get my family in debt for...that teaching degree???????????????.  Does any Mom (I always capitalize Mom because it is a term of  royalty) realize what these sweet babies will utter out of their mouths one day?  I am so done with Mom things and teacher things.  No one else can take anymore from me tonight.  I understand nature and the whole thing about kicking the fledgling out of the nest.  Be gone young flapper , out of your mouth that hates all.  I wish they were all 2 and adored me.  This age SUCKS! All the experts say to be careful of the early years...I say watch out for the middle school CRAP!
I want my babies back.............  :  (

YMCA Thompson South Location

Great new addition!  More equipment. no signing in, no lack of TVs.....GREAT!!  Check it out! I finally like this location.  We usually only went there for their outdoor pool and I hated the workout room, because of the lack of equipment and no own followed the schedules. I always wanted to push the hoggers and non-signers off the treadmills. Fantasy Billy Jack I know.

I finally ran a mile last night at the Eagan Y.  It was very painful at first and then it was normal. With that and my arm that I cannot lift to write on the board, I am getting very down about my physical attributes. I am thrilled that I made a mile and I could get out of bed, so happy trails to me and maybe it will get better.

Sucks getting old.................................

Oh My!!! Can I have the guy in the fur???????????????

I dropped out of the car on Snelling to take this guy's picture.  So dashing and handsome, but I was worried about safety.  He seemed stationary, so happy trails to you my regal friend! Wish I was at your side!!

Sons of Anarchy



90 minute special tonite!  Those irish accents are tricky on the ear.  Jimmy just needs to go down.

Great series.

Very Cool Site

http://www.wimp.com/



Watch the Hummingbird Video.  Wish that was me!

Alley Walk

I found out tonight that my friend's son passed away this weekend and so did a long ago friend last week.  One took his own life and the other I am not sure.  I would like everyone to stop when things get so bad and look at what God has given you.  Look at the beauty surrounding you amongst the sadness.  What God has made is always beautiful and what is bad, man created.  You can always find God's beauty and walk away from the bad. Nothing is that horrible that you cannot overcome.  Things will always get better.  My wise friend Yogi would always tell me that in our twenties.  It is SO ( I like capitalizing like Owen Meaney.  I should read that again and ya all should too if you haven't) true.  Time will pass and what seems insurmountable today will be nothing as time goes on. I know and I have been there. 

Life is wonderful.  Cherish the good, along with the bad. God will protect you and you will smile again.

Life is short, enjoy it while you're here.  As I tell my students, you could be hit by a bus and then it's all done with. So.....knock it off and grab the brass ring while it's in front of ya. Peace.

Mary and Bear

Miss Mary came by the AZ gallery for a visit and to show me her newest work.  Spectacular watercolors!

She just makes me happy and makes me feel wonderful about my life.

I need a friend like that now and then and she is the perfect canidate.

XXOO to you Miss Mary and congrats on all your latest accomplishments.

Look for her at Carlton College and Rosalux Gallery in November.
http://www.rosaluxgallery.com/

Look at my handsome baby boohead!

He had fun at Auntie Nonee's Friday with his buds Millie and Buddy.

UMD

G and Ry

Cool Library with a very awesome acoustic ceiling and is this a Chihuly Sculpture?

MIA lobby sculpture - Sunburst 1999, Chihuly

 

Very sweet dorm room

Sweet Momma and Ry

Bulldogs RULE!!

Except this dog probably rules MORE!!!