Don't blink or you might miss it!

What are the words to that song?
"If I could save time in a bottle...."
Here, take a look as these pictures and I'll show you what I mean:

This photo was taken on Andrea's first day of 5th grade and this was McKenna on the first day of PreK-3.....one blink of an eye, and now we are celebrating Andrea's 8th grade graduation and McKenna's 1st grade ceremonies tonight. Man-o-man, really the time has passed so quickly.



This was taken this morning of McKenna with her amazing teacher, MS. Chubon, after their 1st grade awards.


This was taken tonight as McKenna handed Andrea her flowers.


And this last photo was of the whole crew. I just love Andrea's dress (Mine, left over from Christmas.)


What I really wanted to document before I went to bed tonight and before I forgot is where each girl wanted to go to after graduation to celebrate. (We all did meet before the ceremony at Olive Garden at 3:30.) Andrea asked if we could go to the bookstore! What? Three years ago, when we started on this middle school ride, she never would have gone to a bookstore by choice. And then, I love it, as we walk out with 2 books, she says, "I wonder which one I'll read first?" OMG, you can't imagine what a turn around this is. I'm smiling from ear to ear with pride and she even let me hug her in public.
McKenna chose to go to Wal-Mart so she could pick any Littlest Pet Shop toy.
It's like Heidi Swapp said on her blog, I love this "time and season" that we are in. It's just a little bitter-sweet for me tonight as I realize how fast it is all passing by.

While I have your attention and I'm still winding down and can't sleep, may I share with you two of my favorite links. (Thank you Kristy for first introducing me to PS22!)
Have you heard these kids (and music teacher) from Public School 22? Truly an inspiration.
Click here for the first one and then here for the most recent addition.
Let me know what you think!

Love to all!
Melle

Yippee!

I just got into the Tim Holtz class I wanted!
Not sure who Tim Holtz is???
Well, just click on the link to his blog over in the right hand column and check it out. :)
Melle

Take the good with the bad....

Or should that be "take the bad with the good"? Anyway......
The GOOD news is, the house is completely vacuumed, all bed linens are freshly laundered and McKenna's hair is squeaky clean.....
Have you guessed it? I hope not, 'cause if you have that means you may have had the same experience. Yep, McKenna was sent home from school on Thursday with head lice.
OMG! I know :(
Initially, it hasn't been too horrible.
Scott took the day off; he wash for two days; he took bedspreads to the laundry mat;I vacuumed and washed some more.
However, we did have to cancel McKenna attending a slumber party this weekend - that was very heartbreaking.
Now, what concerns me is the fear that they can still come back! OMG, if there is still one egg somewhere (damn things are minuscule in size) then in 10 days we could be dealing with more. AARRGH.
Interestingly, I find it frustrating because I can't lay blame anywhere. Every student in her classroom and the room next to hers (they share aftercare together) checked out fine. I was reminded that she could of gotten them from cushions from a restaurant or the movie theater. I will never look at those movie theater seats the same way again.

It is a blessing that McKenna has short, fine and straight hair. Can you imagine if Andrea got them? I can't! We would have to cut it for sure. So we continue to be very careful and vigelent.

On a brighter note. Scott feels all he needs is one of those mini-notebook laptops. So we found one at Best Buy for $249 and I now have his old laptop. Man-o-man how liberating! Digital scrapbooking, here I come! Right now, I'm also busy putting together not one, but two digital slideshows for two teachers at school for their end of the year program. Of course, I really don't mind doing it. After the art show, everything seems easy from here. Nine more student days!
I can't wait to get together with friends again.
Love to all,
Melle

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Hello All!
I'm so sorry that I haven't had any new posts lately. I see by my visitor's counter, I ought to mention something! :)
And so, the one irony about being a mom who is a teacher, is during Teacher Appreciation Week, I am busy every night when I get home, sometimes staying up later than usual so I can finish making and or wrapping a little token of appreciation for my daughter's teachers!
And admittedly, now that I'm a special area teacher, the treats don't come in as much as they did when I was a classroom teacher. However, it's okay! I will muddle through. :)
My favorite gifts we are giving this week:
"I treasure you" - a little wooden treasure box painted by McKenna and filled with chocolate candy (did you know, I don't think they make the "Treasures" candy anymore? Bummer, 'cause that's how I got the idea.)
FSU themed notecards for McKenna's teacher - cute - and she was thrilled :)
And, Dollar Tree had a large plastic popcorn tub that we will fill with DVDs, soda, movie candy and popcorn of course!

To all my teacher friends - whether you are currently teaching, on leave or retired.......I SOOOOOOOO appreciate you! Your influence inspires me every day :)
Love, Melle

Just playing around with some new stuff, let me know what you think!
Love,
Melle

Thank you my dear friends, thank you!

I just have to thank you. With so many faithful followers to my blog (more than 2 of you now, woohoo!) I was motivated to play with some photos because I couldn't think of anything else new to really blog about!
Here's what I have so far,
Last Friday evening, April 17th, McKenna performed a few songs along with her fellow first graders. (She is the one in the top row, in pink of course.)

And then, thanks to Earth Day this week, McKenna was inspired to plant a garden. We had to compromise and we agreed on a little garden. She planted these tomato, lettuce and sweet pepper seeds today.


Finally, finally I figured out how to work a few techniques in my photo editing software that have been bugging me. Let's hope, one day I'll look back at this picture and think "amateur", but for today, I'm very pleased with this photo.
Love to all,
Melle

All done!

I finally finished those cards I was working on and I was just ready to go to bed, but I couldn't go without just two quick photos for you.
Here's what 80 3-D, stand up thank you cards look like for our community volunteers at The Villages...


Love to all,
sweet dreams,
Melle