Category Archives: Life in General

Happy New Year 2011

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The view from the cottage across the lake is obscured by the fog hovering over the lake.

The New Year comes along just to end Christmas vacation. Today is New Year’s Eve and a reminder that getting back to school is just a few days away. What has happened to the time? I know I have spent it resting, relaxing, rejuvenating, driving, and chasing Ivy. I know the days have counted for my mental health if not for the other aspects of who I am. I have spent a bit of time (probably too much time) looking through Facebook and added several friends from my childhood home in Sugar Land. Thinking back to that time was fun and I have made a couple of connections I had been wondering about for years.  

Continue reading Happy New Year 2011 →

Christmas week

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The schools call it Winter Break, but it really is Christmas Break and the past week has been Christmas week. It has been busy and hectic since school let loose a week ago. We have logged almost 800 miles and have completed two legs of the triangle: Wheaton to Ohio, Ohio to Michigan, with the final leg to finish later this week after New Year’s Day and the trip home. Continue reading Christmas week →

Silent Night

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Olivia is dressed to tell Santa what is on her list!

It started snowing early this morning and it has snowed lightly all day long giving the trees, the yard, and everything a beautiful coat of fresh white snow. Also, it has been several days since my last post and I have wanted to sit and write, but I have not made time to do it for all of the things that I need to do are far more important than what I want to do at this time of the year. I have had several ideas and topics, which crossed my path, but for now, those will have to wait as I focus on the present. Continue reading Silent Night →

Snowy Day

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The view out the kitchen window this morning, snow is still falling!

I woke early this morning. it was about ten to five. I had set my alarm early so I could get a start on the day before everyone in the house was up and about. Saturday was going to be a busy day and I wanted to get a few things on my agenda accomplished; it is much more difficult to work on my agenda when they are three other agendas about! Also, I prefer the peaceful solitude of the morning to write and get organized. Continue reading Snowy Day →

Back to School after Thanksgiving Break

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Olivia and William at the game!

It was a short break or so it seemed. I had five days and the kids had nine days away from school. The time went quickly as it always does when you are busy. As a family, we packed it full: Thanksgiving Day and dinner, cooking, wreaths, wreaths (did I really include it twice?), a little shopping, a high school football game, and some Christmas decorating in the yard. Continue reading Back to School after Thanksgiving Break →

Saturday and Tiger Football

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Today is the day! The Tigers play for the state championship in Champaign at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois. Their opponent is the Lake Zurich Bears, who beat us for the 2007 state championship 7-3. It should be a good game. I have been on the fence about going, it is a two and a half hour drive; with the game and the drive together it is at least nine hours – but as the VISA commercial ends – priceless. Olivia and William will come along and Beth will get to watch in the comfort of home on television. Continue reading Saturday and Tiger Football →

Happy Thanksgiving

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Olivia helps momma with Thanksgiving pies and sweet potato caserole!

I’m thankful for my rambunctious dog, Ivy. I am also thankful for my family and my hamster, Hammy. I am thankful for Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, and ham. I am thankful for my brother and my pets. This Thanksgiving I am hoping that I will get to help my dad cook dinner and my mom bake pies. I am thankful for the Wheaton-Warrenville South Tigers football team and the chance to go on the field after the home game. After home football games, I get to go on the field and help clean up! I helped my mom make pies this morning. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Olivia is a rambunctious 8 year-old in second grade. She spends her time with family and friends. She loves her dog, Ivy. She plays soccer, softball, and loves to swim. This is her first blog post.

Thanksgiving and giving thanks

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I have been thinking about this post for over a week and wanted to get started earlier, but I didn’t. Before I began writing, I came across the quote below originally posted to twitter by Values.com.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order; confusion into clarity…Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” 

Continue reading Thanksgiving and giving thanks →

Saturday and the Full Moon

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My editor, Olivia!

Another Saturday, gone; it was a busy day as Saturdays during the school year seem to be. Beth had been busy all week organizing and preparing for wreath pickup and delivery for William’s Boy Scout troop and Saturday morning was wreath day. She is the wreath coordinator for the troop and managed the sale and delivery; last year she earned the nickname, ‘Awretha,’ and it stuck, so did the job. Next week, the troop will be selling their wreaths and garlands outdoors at a local grocery store and in front of our church. Continue reading Saturday and the Full Moon →

Day 53: Conclusion and my birthday, #49

adventure, Family, Hobbies and Fun, Life in General, model airplanes, model railroads, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, travel, Writing, , , , , ,
The plane is pulled from Lake Michigan, read the story for more information

Today is my birthday and I had a flashback to seventh grade yesterday. Well, I have flashbacks to seventh grade every day, but this one was different. The headline for the Daily Herald was World War II-era plane recovered from Lake Michigan and I remembered my birthday gift, a plastic model kit probably a P-47 Thunderbolt or some other World War II era fighter. I remember I reading everything I could get my hands on about the WWII, War in the Pacific and Europe, and I enjoyed building plastic models of aircraft from the time period. Continue reading Day 53: Conclusion and my birthday, #49 →