Goodbye Mr. Chips...

The school year has ended.

Anna, our sweet girl, is saying goodbye to Mrs. Harmon.

She is the only teacher Anna has had at Clinton Elementary. We were fortunate that she decided to loop from kindergarten to first grade. Sadly, others won't get the chance to be lovingly taught by her for she is retiring this year. Now that doesn't mean she won't be teaching others. I suspect that will continue. Just not as an elementary teacher, sadly enough.

 A few weeks ago, Miss Crafty, otherwise known as Anna, was writing a card to Mrs. Harmon. When she showed us the completed note she had written our hearts melted reading it. So right then and there we decided this would be Mrs. Harmon's Teacher/Retirement gift. We set about finding some nice scrapbook paper and a suitable frame to commemorate what, I'm sure, many first graders have felt about Mrs. Harmon over the years. Anna just happened to capture it beautifully. 

 
Translation: Dear Miss Harmon, I wish we could stay and learn more with you. It was fun being your student. You're my favorite teacher to me. You are a best teacher a girl could have.



 sniff...sniff...

And to make matters more heart wrenching, our first born is no longer an elementary student.  We couldn't be more proud of Gavin this past school year.  He stepped up his academic game and discovered that studying really pays off.  He had some great teachers this year to help him as well. But he was especially fond of Mrs. Underwood, his science and math teacher.  She too is retiring this year.  When Gavin saw what Anna had done for Mrs. Harmon, he asked us if he could do something like that for Mrs. Underwood.  Gavin is our perfectionist.  I knew that this would be a challenge for him because he struggles his humanness.  Simple mistakes can upset his entire world (and thus ours too) and the aftermath can be exhausting both for him and us.  After three attempts at a thank you note, he was finally satisfied with what he had written. Blood, sweat and tears went into this, dear readers.


So our not so little boy is moving onto middle school.



When we moved to Clinton almost four years ago now, we were trepidatious about the education our kids would recieve in a small rural county in South Carolina.  And although we still struggle with living a world away from family and dear friends, we have come to learn that education comes in many forms and not just from one source.  Both our children have had elementary teachers that gave their all and were genuinely committed to our kids' welfare.  Along with our committment to our children's education, you couldn't ask for a better team.



 

Epic Bathroom Renovation

It is done.
The bathroom renovation that started in November of 2010 is done.
Collective heavy sigh.
Now, it is not the bathroom I had dreamed of.
It is not the bathroom I had hoped for.
Nor is it the bathroom I had planned on.
But...
it is the bathroom that is completed and much better than I had imagined it could be.

After firing the first contractor in July of 2011, we took a hiatus to recover from the "trauma" of a botched job. We didn't attempt to hire another contractor to finish it until December 2011. He (and I am quoting him) turned chicken shit into chicken salad. God bless him.

You might remember that we started demolition of this bathroom in the fall of 2010. We were sure then if the contractor was up to the job and so we asked him to hold off while we made some design decisions. He returned to begin the work in May of 2011. Have I told you we don't do change well?

So he came and he brought his undisciplined ADHD mind with him. Thank god for our plumber/electrician who was able to ask the right questions to us to help us process what the heck our contractor was doing AND not doing. The final straw came when I came home from work to find he had laid the shower tile in the wrong pattern. Who doesn't know what a subway tile pattern is in the age of subway tile?

It was a xanax kind of moment, my friends. If only I had had one. But I called him and told him he was done and to pick up his tools the next day. I hated doing it but had to do it. Nicest guy you'd ever meet. Just don't have him do detail work if you hire him. Having paid him a good chunk of money we wondered if this was going to be the world's most expensive cheap looking bathroom ever. So for several months we had a bathroom with no working anything while we decided what to do next.

In comes the plumber/electrician who asked all the right questions. Now he's someone I can trust. And he measures twice (maybe even three or four times) and cuts once. He kindly came in and cleaned up someone else's mess.

So without further ado, I give you befores and afters...







Oh and this scary thing...


has been replaced by this...


Some details I like...


Shampoo cubby in the shower



I love the style of this vanity. Where did I get such a gorgeous thing? Costco



Added glass knobs to the vanity. Did you know Hobby Lobby has a ton of unique handles and knobs?


Enamored with my spa hotel light fixture


And the last detail I want to share with you is the shower curtain. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I came home with the perfect shower curtain only to find it was about 14 inches too short. We needed an 84 inch long curtain. They are generally sold in length of 72 inches. Grrrrrr.

All the extra long shower curtains were tacky, plastic and expensive. So the simplest solution was to add length to a regular shower curtain. I had considered buying regular drapes to use as a shower curtain but I would have had to learn how to do button holes or punch grommets. I wasn't up for that learning curve. But, as luck would have it, I found a table runner at Target on clearance and it was the perfect dimensions for what I needed. Thank you Target for once again coming to my rescue. I sewed that baby on there and, voila, an extra long, one of a kind shower curtain.

And....scene.

Auld Lang Syne 2011

I've been a bad blogger in 2011.
Very Spotty.
If I may be frank, dear readers (those of you who have stuck around), I do not multi-task very well. I'd like to think that I do. Heavy sigh. But I don't. What I do well is hyper-focus. Let's give a shout out to Attention Deficit Disorder!

So here I am trying to give you a Reader's Digest version of the past year or so. And with my homage to RD it will also be sanitized to avoid dwelling on those parts of 2011 where I or others were not performing at our best. Ugly bits will be left out on purpose. Whining is not an attractive quality. So fasten your seat belts.

Here we go...

In August Gavin entered 5th grade and Anna became a first grader. They both are having a stellar academic year.


Gavin-10 years old
First Day of 5th Grade


Anna Mae-6 years old
First Day of 1st Grade

In September our artist in residence created a treasured birthday card. She truly gives my heart wings.



In October the holiday season commenced with our annual Halloween Party. It kinda surprised me...



But we managed to throw a good "pre-kicker" to Trick or Treating.




Because if you have enough vampire teeth, any party can be a success. Just ask these adorable party goers...


Love, love, love, the owl in perched on her hat.


Gavin and his crew made quite the statement


Anna and her bff, Rachel.

For one Halloween party, Anna went dressed as a Mexican Sugar Skull. Did I mention I love Halloween?



In November we adopted a geriatric dachshund. He's somewhere between the age of 6 and 10 according to the vet. The kids are in love. He's growing on the adults. Anna and Gavin named him Mr. Ollie Wienerkins but to friends and family he's just Ollie.



We traveled to Indiana to be with family on Thanksgiving. This is what traveling in the car for nine hours will do to you.




Thanksgiving day we were with the Kileys. And this pretty much sums up what we did all Thanksgiving Holiday. If only someone were to feed me...and I looked so cute doing it. But currently, sweet Miren has the corner on cuteness.


The Kiley clan's Thanksgiving Feast


Aunt Shannon gave early Christmas gifts to the girls. But the best gift from her was the day before...


I tell you, there was no happier girl in the state of Indiana that day.


The cousins stood still just long enough for me to prove they were all together

Mostly this is what they looked like...


Then it was on to the Gallagher's for Feast #2.

Shenanigans ensued...


And bites of dessert were sneaked...



Great Aunt Libby told the best "knock knock" jokes.


And handsome Phillip and his momma, Aunt Cindy (along with all the other kids) laughed at 'em all.

It was a beautiful autumn full of family, laughter, and life.


Then Christmas sneaked up on us...

There was a Clinton Elementary PTO Winter Wonderland Dance. Pulled off fabulously by fantastic volunteers! Think "controlled chaos". Then the next weekend I had the pleasure of flying to the Windy City to celebrate Christmas with dear old friends from college. Much drinking and inappropriate behavior occurred...and laughter, lots and lots of laughter. So good for the soul, old friends laughing together about the same things they have laughed about for 24 years.

Because nothing says Christmas like anti-diarrheal medicine.

Then came the annual Clinton Christmas Parade...

I'm not sure what they were going for here. Marie Antoinette would be horrified.

And we made what I think will be Gavin's final visit to Santa.

If he's a good big brother it won't be Anna's last.

Christmas arrived.

Santa didn't disappoint.

And we had ourselves a 21st Century Christmas Morning. No eyes were shot out this year. Well, there's always next year.

Then the kids and I packed up and headed to Indiana.


We were given a white Christmas. Sweet gift, Mother Nature. Thank you, dear.

And here we are, 15 days into the new year.
Once again playing catch up with myself. But I wish you all great and wonderful things for 2012.
May you find joy in small things and laugh often.

For a Brief Moment

For a brief moment I am centered.
I am calm.
I breathe in...
...and I breathe out.
This old soul greets me in the morning and welcomes me back home in the evening.
And for a brief moment I am centered.
I am calm.

The Happiest Place on Earth: Day Two

It was a perfect day in the Magic Kingdom.
And they are right.
It is the happiest place on earth. It is intoxicatingly happy.
The high lasted several days.
But I am not a Disney Addict. It is a very pricey drug.

We arrived for the opening show. When the gates opened we followed Alice. You know, Alice, as in "Alice in Wonderland". I felt like Alice myself as we headed for the Teacups. The boys veered off to go to a race car ride which later they deemed as "lame". But the Teacups did not disappoint our need for childhood glee.


Does that face not scream "childhood glee"?


There's nothing like spinning your little heart out.

Then we were off to "Small World". The kitsch factor did not disappoint. And the kids loved it. We traveled around the world in about seven minutes.

"Welcome to the Happiest Cruise that ever sailed"

Everybody sing along...


Gavin rode his first roller coasters. The first was the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This whet his appetite and he was ready for Space Mountain. But his Dad was not as the Fast Pass for it was not at a time when he would be in the park. And I really really really don't like roller coasters. But I sucked it up and waited in line with Gavin to plunge to my death ride Space Mountain. Did I mention that I don't like roller coasters? The wait was shorter than it indicated which gave me less time to get totally crazy anxious. And in less than ten minutes we were getting off the ride. I survived and Gavin got to say he rode Space Mountain.

While in Tomorrow Land we rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. This was a really fun ride that brought out some healthy competition among the family because you laser shoot at targets through out the ride. At the end of the ride your score appears. Gavin beat the socks off us all.

One of the unique features that you may run into in Tomorrow Land is the talking trash can. Anna carried on quite the conversation with this little guy never realizing there was a man in the crowd operating it and talking into a a little mic that changed his voice.



In Adventureland we climbed aboard the Pirates of the Caribbean. We were amazed to see people of all ages, clear up to way old timers, enjoying the magic of Disney World. When we got off the ride look who we ran into.


He is easy on the eyes. I'd swab his deck any day.

We left the park around four to rest and get some dinner.


The professor and Anna decided they were not going to return for the Main Street Electrical Parade and fireworks. No amount of convincing could change their minds. They stayed poolside at the hotel and watched a movie outside. Gavin and I, however, were jonesing for a little more of that Magic Kingdom drug. I so wished they had come.

We returned to find Magic Kindgdom packed to the gills. They tape off where you can stand during the parade. We got back too late to grab a prime spot. So we really had to squeeze in somewhere, claim it and wait for the parade to start.

But just watching the castle change colors was magical. It was beautiful.


When the parade began my jaw dropped and I didn't pick it up until the last float paraded by. Between the parade, the show between the parade and the fireworks, and the fireworks I realized our admissions to the park were worth every penny.

Here's a taste of the Main Street Electrical Parade


After the parade there was a show in front of the castle that was technologically amazing. It's called "The Magic, the Memories, and You". As many as 500 images shot that day project onto the castle each night the show is presented, producers estimate. Disney PhotoPass photographers capture guests creating new memories as they “smile for the castle.” So it could be that night we were part of the castle show. I'm embarassed to say that it brings a tear to my eyes even to watch it now.


The fireworks had me at Tinker Bell...the REAL LIVE Tinker Bell flying down from the castle to get the fabulous fireworks show started. We had a fabulous time at Disney World. I know we'll go back again someday to get another infusion of that happiness drug that they do so well.