WISH YOU WERE HERE

The pictures really don't do this table display justice! Tomorrow the Maintenance Crew from our school system, the manager from Lowe's, the custodial staff from our school, the local newspaper and all administration have been invited to my classroom for lunch to say "Thank You" for a job well done! These sweet people transformed my classroom environment. My CTE director took on the task of working with all of these groups and the budget. Her dedication to our CTE program is evident in her continued support and program improvement. She is a miracle worker!

The kitchen designer from Lowe's was absolutely the best! She came out to the school and drew the plan up. She listened carefully to the functions that happen in that room and designed work areas to meet those needs. I am amazed!

She was instrumental in working with cabinet companies to get the best price for all new materials. Consequently, my classroom has new cabinetry, new flooring, a wonderful floor plan, beautiful counter top and amazing storage space. I am blessed.
As a way to say "Thank You" the students in my classes have worked diligently all week to prepare a special meal for the above mentioned groups. I have creative students and put them to the task of working on "atmosphere" for the dining area. They chose a "tool" theme. These pictures do not begin to express all of the creativity that has happened in that room. The tables are covered with denim fabric that was left in the classroom by the former teacher. Duct tape was used to outline each place setting, the napkins rings are nuts(nuts & bolts) strung on plastic ties, napkins are handi' wipes, the center pieces are electrical "stuff" I found at Lowe's. The "Thanks" cards are on sand paper. I provided the materials and they went to work.
I wish you could really see these "flowers". They used wire cutters and pliers to twist and turn that wire into flowers. We have table settings for 30 guests. I cannot wait for tomorrow and our guests to see what wonderful young people I have the priviledge of working with each day.

I have not forgotten all of the food that has been prepared. I will take photos of that tomorrow and share with you then. The food is as pretty as the tables. I LOVE MY JOB! Thank you, Jesus for allowing me the opportunity to earn a paycheck for doing what I love. AMEN

XOXO Theresa

Brrrrrr

The cold wind doth blow! It blows so hard they canceled school. Unfortunately, it never dawned on me they would do that and I was already up and getting ready when I heard on the radio my school was closed. UGH! It took effort but I was able to snooze on the couch for a while. I love unexpected snow days.

I have spent some of my day learning computer "stuff". I have worked on the design of this blog spot. I'm sure there are easier ways and better ways, but for what I did I am pleased with the looks. I would love to take a computer graphics class for fun. Maybe another day.
Enjoy your weekend. XOXO Theresa

Time Flies

January is over 1/2 gone! Can you believe it? I can remember when I was a little girl I would think I would never grow up. Now, I'm praying, I never grow up. LOL

I have had a couple of creative moments since my last blog.

These small bags went together fairly quickly once I had all the correct supplies. I can't tell you the last time I needed a zipper. I have helped students put them into projects, but I personally haven't used a zipper in a project in forever. I found this fabric in my "stash" and thought it would make cute bags. Everyone can use a small bag. This is the inside of the bags. I love the red, black and white. The dressed up dolls on the fabric remind me of playing "Barbie" when I was a little girl with my sister. That's another story.
I admit, I'm having feelings of nostalgia this week. My grandmother was a "crafty" lady. She had the patience to work with me and encouraged me to learn what I considered at the time, really cool things! As I became a young wife and then mother, I didn't have the time to continue the crafts she had taught me. This brings me to the above flowers. I have several beautiful pieces of crochet work that my grandmother did for me. I decided that I needed to "relearn" those skills. This is easier said than done. I remember grandma showing me step by step how to make each of those stitches. What I don't remember is learning how to read the instructions. It has taken me a few hours, but I was determined to make a crochet flower. The above flowers are the product of my labor. I think grandma would be proud. I'm not sure yet what I will do with those flowers, they are larger than I thought they would be. I'm not sure you can tell what this is, but it is going to be a valentine quilt. Last Thursday when we were out for snow, I began this little project. I thought I would have it finished, but as you can tell, it's still a work in progress. My mother was the queen of 9 patch quilts. She painstakingly cut each square, with scissors, mind you, and then would sew those squares into perfect blocks. Her seams matched, or out the seam ripper would come. I have a few pieces of her work still. I used a rotary cutter and sewed into strips, re-cut then made them into blocks. Pretty easy. I wish it were done, but I got tired of sitting at the sewing machine.

A stomach virus has hit our house. I'm hoping it stays with the person that has it and the rest of us NEVER get it! My washing machine has gone non-stop today, trying to wash those germs down the drain. I hope they stay there!

I haven't checked the forecast to see if there is a possibility of snow. We had one snow day last week. With today being a holiday this should be a quick week. I hope you are having a wonderful week. xoxo Theresa

Good Night!

Girls night. These girls are spending the night together before they head back to their respective college campuses. Fun!

Homemade chicken pot pie. I was craving a comfort food and decided this would fit the bill. It was perfect. I hate that you can't have a bite. YUM! I made the white sauce from scratch with real cream and it was incredible.
The applique blankets were a joint effort. Ashley did the design work and I did the sewing. To be fair, she WAS going to do the sewing, but ran out of time. LOL

I have to finish up grades for report cards. Enjoy your week.

XOXO Theresa

BACK TO SCHOOL

No photos tonight. I am trying to prepare myself mentally for a new semester. It was suppose to begin last Thursday but... due to snow in the mountains, we haven't returned to school from the Christmas break. I love my job, I LOVE teaching, but there is just something wonderful about hearing those words on the radio, "no school for.." and knowing you can sleep in. What makes this beginning so difficult is my honey is on vacation and my two yac(young adult children) have not returned to college dorm life. We have had a glorious time staying up late and sleeping without concern of an alarm clock going off. They will all be staying up late tonight without me and then sound asleep when I leave in the morning. Such is life.

On a positive note, our church focus for the year of 2008 is reading the Bible through. Due to cranky eyes, I have difficulty with reading texts these days, so I am going to be listening to it on CD. I have discovered the joy of listening to books being read aloud to me. It makes my 40 minute journey to and from school pass quickly and enjoyable. If you haven't listened to a good book lately, other than the Bible, I can suggest you pick up "The Christmas Promise" by Donna VanLiere. She not only wrote the book but reads it. She reads beautifully, and my brain allows me to see her spoken word as if it were a movie. If you aren't familiar with her work, she is also the author of The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing. Both of those books have been made into movies. Another enjoyable activity, watching good movies.

Well, as the saying goes, I'd better get to bed. Morning comes quickly! XOXO Theresa

ORGANIZATION

A dear friend of my m'n'l passed away this past summer

and she left a tremendous amount of sewing notions. Because of my love of sewing and creating my m'n'l passed the sewing beauties on to me. I was determined to organize before adding them to my sewing room. I always have good intentions to organize but never seem to find the time. LOL

For the first time in my adult life I finally have a room to call my own! I did let my oldest son sleep in there when he was home for Christmas but otherwise it is all MINE! I have been inspired by the beautiful studio rooms I have seen on the web. Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey and Portabellapixie are three of my favorites. I have listed their blogs on the side. If you haven't been to these sites yet, you should go! They are creative and inspiring young women.

Ribbon is always a dilemma for me. I want to see it but have yet to find a creative way to organize those beautiful spools. Upon observing the above mentioned studio rooms I thought I had found the perfect wrought iron piece at Hobby Lobby a few hours ago. My hubby was with me and he didn't find the piece nearly as ideal as I. We were looking through a magazine while there and no, the above picture is not what was shown in the magazine, but it did give me the idea of what I could do. This is my solution to organizing ribbon. I purchased enough materials to make two of these, but have discovered I need at least two more. I bought 2, 1/4" dowel rods for .39 each and a pkg. of wooden disks to place on the end. Now if I were really creative I could paint them, but for the time being I think they will stay simple. Those ribbons look gorgeous and ready to become a project.

Isn't life "Grand"

Beautiful "Grand" Nephew Levi
He is so cuddly and has a sweet disposition.
Thanks to my niece and sister for sharing this precious treasure with all of us. He is blessed to have wonderful Christian parents and grandparents. He is loved. Thank you God for this addition to our family. God is Good!

xoxo Theresa

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

January 1, 1979
December 30, 2007

29 Years! Wow! How Quickly time flies! It seems like yesterday when we began this journey. God has blessed us and I wouldn't have missed this trip for anything. Thank you, honey, for a life time of joy! I love you! XOXO Theresa