ABCs of "E" - D

 I got a bit off track with my Alpha All About Me Posts.  Let's resume with "D".

Dave Matthews Band - I've always loved Dave Matthews. Been to several concerts years ago.  There's something relaxing and comforting about going through any of those albums.  I associate many of the songs with places (mainly OU) and people.   

Dishes - I've gone the past 7 years without a dishwasher and will be thrilled when I finally live in a place that has one.  It's the small things.

Dip (as in Chip Dip) - A favorite indulgence that I hardly ever give into would be French Onion Chip Dip and rippled chips.

Downy Wrinkle Releaser - If you know me well, you know that I have a history of ironing everything: clothes, workout clothes, towels, bedsheets...you name it.  I also love Downy Wrinkle Releaser for quick touch ups and it also gives your clothes that nice fresh smell. 

Dad- My dad is a character. It's been said that I never needed a brother growing up because I had him. My sister and I could rarely walk through the kitchen without being thrown into a WWF wrestling simulation without advance warning.  My dad's also been known to give some very flattering nicknames to his daughters "Leesburg Lip"...I won't go into all of them. I've got so many stories and fun memories - some as recent as last week in which I wondered who was the parent...lol!  We've also been through a lot together with the passing of my mom and became very close.  Love you, Dad.

New England Spring Break

This past week I took a road trip to New Hampshire with my dad.  

When we left Ohio, it was 60 degrees.  

By the time, we got to the mountains in Vermont it was 29 degrees and starting to snow.  

The last 200 miles of the trip were a little tense.

Check out this cute wood carving.

I loved these covered bridges.

and this old public library....

I meant to buy some maple syrup, but didn't get around to it this trip.

These aren't power lines.  It's a ropes/zip-line course.  I will be back to do this July. Looks fun!

Lake Winnipesaukee is behind me.

 Wolfeboro Inn

Gazebo at Woleboro Inn (and my dad coming down the slippery steps)

Looking forward to seeing it in July when we return.

Scrapping Up a Storm

 I've spent a great weekend scrapbooking with my dear friends Lisa and Rita. 

Here are a few layouts I've completed for the Lucky You Crop at HYWWP.

My Orange "Over the Rainbow" Blop Hop Winner

Congratulations to Stacy for winning the orange Primas!
Please contact me with your address and I will get those out to you. :)

Please join us for the Lucky You Crop at HYWWP going on now!

Over the Rainbow Blog Hop - Orange

Welcome to the Over the Rainbow blog hop! 

One of the things scrappers love most is COLOR! During this journey you'll encounter all seven colors of the rainbow and some of our favorite things about those colors. In order to play along all you need to do is leave a comment on each blog saying what you love about the color featured on each blog. You can even just tell us your favorite thing (scrappy or not) that is that color! Once you reach the pot of gold, post ROY G. BIV!! and you're done and ready to start cropping with us!

I am featuring the color orange. 
Here are a few of my favorite orange scrappy things! 

Prima flowers
I think these are simply gorgeous.

Karen Foster Designs Eggs Eggs Eggs 
I like this Easter paper...a lot.  A little nontraditional with the colors.

Bo Bunny Press Paradise Collection
This line has me ready for vacation!  I'm already planning the pictures I will take to match these supplies. ;)

And a few of my favorite non-scrappy orange things....

 Thanks for stopping by! Before you leave, please tell me what you love about the color orange or what your favorite orange colored item is!  Your name will go in a drawing for some Orange Prima Flowers!


 If you just started the hop, please go back to Jenny's blog which is where the hop begins with Red!
Next stop on the rainbow is Yellow over at Trisha's blog!  Have fun!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Such a pretty day in central Ohio today - though a tad windy.  I will take it though.

Thought I would share a few pictures from the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin this morning. 

Lots of Planning

Lots of planning happening in my world...

School plans.
Blog hop plans.
Online crop plans.
Wedding invite plans.
Spring break plans.
Scrapbooking plans.
and the list goes on and on....

it's all good. :)

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
I have given up bread. 
Anyone else giving anything up for Lent? 
Or, doing something you normally don't do on a regular basis?
Please do share.

Good Deed Follow Up

Did anyone else take the Good Deed Challenge from last week?

Joe and I attended a great Columbus Blue Jackets Game last week! Hat Trick!

Anyway, we were famished after the game and ventured across the street to O'Shaughnessy's Pub. It was super busy, but we found a great spot to look down on the bar below and people watch. I had been craving a wedge salad.  Delicious!  Our waitress was so helpful, prompt and friendly.  I left a note on the receipt telling her I appreciated her service during such a busy evening. I hope it made her feel appreciated. 

Have a great start to the weekend!

This job of mine

I am not a mother.

I never thought I'd say those words at 35, but I'm not. 
It's ok.
I believe there is a plan and everything is for a reason.  I also believe it can still happen for me.
This really isn't the sole purpose for this post.

Today one of my students dislocated her elbow in a freak accident...while we were on a field trip to see a play at a high school ten minutes away.  Yeah....

This child was so strong and brave. She was in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar nurse (who was excellent!), and hurt.  She didn't cry. During the ordeal, I held her while the nurse and the EMT's did their thing.  It was determined that she would need to go to Children's Hospital.   I was going with her.  I needed to go back to the auditorium  to get my purse and assured her I would be right back. This is the only time she did cry.

It hurt my heart. 

I also got yelled at by a high school teacher for running in the halls. (lol!) 

We rode the ambulance downtown with some excellent EMTs who kept things calm and chatted with her about books she read and what my classroom might look like if I wasn't there by the end of recess.

They decided a zoo.  I silently agreed. :)

After her parents got there and we switched roles, my principal picked me up and treated me to lunch, and I went back to school to her worried classmates to reassure them she was ok.

It's exhausting and emotional this job.

Tonight as I was reflecting on the day, it reminded me of the time in my early years teaching when I had a student cut his head open on a fence in the playground. He was a TOUGH kid both physically and emotionally. I used my outer shirt (I was wearing another underneath,don't worry) to help stop the bleeding.  I believe he got 13 stitches that day.  After that day, Eric also started opening up to me just a bit and treated me with a little more respect.

That same year another student, a tiny girl named Ashley, was choking on a piece of hard candy.  Truly choking. The kids were lining up for lunch and were loud as lining up for lunch seems to be. She purposely knocked over my desk supplies to get my attention and then collapsed. I had taken CPR/First Aid three years earlier. Somehow, I remembered the Heimlich and that piece of candy flew across the room.

I never believed when people said that you will know what to do if the time came. I also never believed the item being chocked on would fly that far.  It happens. Believe me. It does.

We went down to the office, the nurse checked her out, called her parents and she insisted she wanted to go to lunch because she was hungry. Finally, they allowed her to rejoin her class. I then broke down and cried. Hard.

Adrenaline is a crazy thing.

A few years ago, I had a boy break his arm at recess playing soccer. His parents has "highly important" jobs. Apparently, so important it took his dad two hours to get to school. Seriously?  His father walked in the door in his three piece suit and the first words out of his mouth were "You think your arm hurts,wait til you feel your backside."  It was one of those times I wanted to kick out teeth...multiple times. 

I'm not trying to toot my own horn.
Today's experience just solidified to me that teachers are more than just educators.
Teachers all over and everywhere do these things all the time.
We care for these kids.

We care. We hurt for these kids we are entrusted with. We want so badly for these kids to be ok. 
I think that's why it hits so hard when our jobs are attacked for whatever reason.

Being a teacher in Ohio holds a lot of uncertainty right now. I do not want to open up a debate about good teachers v. bad teachers or funding or Senate Bills because of course everything is relevant and there are exceptions. I will block all negative posts because this is my blog and I'm allowed to write what I want.  You don't have to like it.

It's still the job I would choose even though it's harder than h-e-double hockey sticks. ;)

Good Deed

Tonight I was running through my Google Blog Feed and came across this post on  I Am Momma,  Hear Me Roar.

The gist is to leave a note/word of kindness to a food service industry worker. You can read more about it here.
Cheri provides a good deed challenge each Wednesday on her blog. In a time of such worry and negativity, I think this is a cool thing.  This is going to be the first of her challenges I am going to complete.

I really think it's a simple, easy way to make someone's day brighter.... and who couldn't use that? Please share on Cheri's blog (and on mine) if and/or when you take the challenge. I'd love to hear about it.

Miracles At Play

One of my students had a such a cool opportunity to be one of the "Miracle Seven".  Alli lives with Cystic Fibrosis and has been under the care of Nationwide Children's Hospital since birth.  She is on this HUGE (like 4 stories huge!) 3D wall-scape in downtown Columbus as part of  the Miracles at Play campaign. 

Here's a Slide Show about the Making of the Wallscape and the day it was dedicated. Sweet Alli is the first picture!  http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/miracles-wallscape

Here is an EASY, PEASY way you could help raise funds for the Nationwide Children's Hospital. It's as easy as pressing "Like" on Facebook.  :)  Read below for more info.

For a Limited Time
Help Us Meet the "Challenge"

To Celebrate the launch of the Miracles at Play, Wolfe Associates Inc. is generously funding "The $100,000 Kick-off Challenge."

How it works:  Wolfe Associates, Inc. will donate $1 for each person who joins the Miracles at Play movement during this limited time, up to 100,000 people. If we're successful, the challenge will culminate in up to a $100,000 donation to the Nationwide Children's’ Hospital. There is no cost to sign-up or participate in the Miracles at Play Movement or the Kick-Off Challenge.

The $100,000 Miracle Kick-off Challenge could fund:

• 20,000 packages of diapers
• The toy room for almost 2 years
• 400 patients summer camp experience

How can you help?

• Join Today
• Help spread the word on Facebook and Twitter
• Make a Gift

Sketch Inspiration

My dear friend, Trisha, is the site owner of Sketch Inspiration.  She posts a new sketch each week week with a sponsor giveway each week as well.  She is selling a book in a sturdy 6 x 6 cardstock of all of last years sketches including 6 exclusive sketches.  The cost is only $14 and includes shipping in the US.  The book is the perfect size to have on hand and her sketches are easy and fun to use. Here are some layouts I've done using Sketch Inspiration Sketches

Please stop by and check out Sketch Inspiration and if you are interested in getting your own Sketch Inspiration Sketch book please email Trisha:  trishahill76@hotmail.com