Girls Night

My friends came over for a Saturday Night Garden Party

I always like to make a fun dessert. When we were at the bookstore

Ella found a book that had dress cookies in it.

We knew that was it

They were so much fun to decorate and

the kids had a great time putting on the embellishments

It is so nice to have girlfriends over, have way to much food,

way to much dessert (no such thing!)

and lots of laughter

Make S'mores not War!

The first fire of the summer!

The first S'mores of the summer!

It looks like we are off to a great start!

It's time for some loveliness!

Hold onto your hats, I am posting twice in one day! Both kids are home for a clerical day. I had big plans; zoo, library, errands. Ella felt sick in the middle of the night with a friend sleeping over so all plans came to a halt. So while one is sleeping the other is happily building Bionicles in his room. Over the weekend we finally finished Ella's new room which is our old room which means Aaron has his own room.

The sense of peace this has created  for the time being is astounding. Both kids LOVE going to their rooms. Ella loves to CLEAN her room. The first night Ella missed Aaron and felt lonely. Aaron on the other hand danced around his room saying "I'm Free, I'm Free"

I know the novelty will wear off but today I am reveling in the peace and

posting pictures of my garden.

I hope you find some peace today also.

Get outta town!

We took a trip to the Laurel Mountains for Memorial Day.

I hadn't been there in years and the kids had never been there.

This is the natural slide. I used to go here in high school with my friends. We would have cookouts and drink and do the slides. Now I was afraid I may break a hip and be laid up for a few weeks. Though I did try the upper easy part and just came out with a big bruise on my leg. The rocks are cover in algae and I was in my bathing suit walking on slippery rocks trying to keep my balance(not always successfully). There are NO pictures of that!

This is Cucumber Falls. You can walk behind the falls and feel the spray. All Aaron could say was THIS IS AWESOME!! the entire time. You get that kid out in nature and he is never bored.

A rare moment of no goofy faces and pure happiness.

The yearly shave

Since our Xena is a plus size kitty it's a bit hard for her to

groom her 23 lb. body

So once a year my husband and I don the

rubber gloves and get down to business.

Ella laughs hysterically and puts all the hair in a bag for us

It takes me closer to a cats ass than anyone should ever be.

But after it's done...

It's all worth it.

Happy Birthday Ella!

Ella turned 8 this weekend.

There was hair crimping and braiding 

There were french manicures

8 girls, 80 little fingers, 8 heads of hair that all need crimped or braided and all the little girl drama that goes with it. How did I not know how loud 8 girls can be. Especially when they are in my tiny house for pizza and brownies. There were blood curdling screams, a few tears and just when you think it is all about to fall apart they are all honked off that their moms are back to pick them up. Throw in a sleep over with your best friend and you have the perfect birthday.

I love you Ella! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Here we Go!

In case you haven't heard the Steelers are going to the Superbowl. I am not a big sports fan but being from Pittsburgh I can't admit that or I am sure to be kicked out and told

"Don't yinz come back ya jagoffs!!

I had to share this video because every time I turn around this song is playing.

It can drive you crazy.

It also makes me proud of being from a city with so much diversity but we can all agree that we love our Black and Gold!

I want to drink my lunch

What a morning. Working everyday with kids who do not want to work is the most frustrating thing I've ever done. Mornings I deal with Middle School age kids who have been kicked out of school. Some days they work, some days they sleep, some days they want to talk sports and some days I am convinced their sole purpose is to drive me insane. Today was the day of insanity. The heat was on 85 degrees, I had a splitting headache with no aspirin. No one wanted to work or sit. When told to do their work or sit I was told I'm mean. Has anyone ever disciplined these kids?
The dean of students came down with a policeman to do a random search and talk to them about their behavior. One boy got in a screaming match with him and it devolved into a situation that I find hard to find words for. A grown man pretty much coming down to the level of a child and you could see the hate they both had.
Yesterday morning we were watching the preparations for the inauguration. I thought it would make an impact. They hardly cared. They talked the whole time and kept complaining they were bored. BORED!!!!! I can't wrap my head around that. Inside I wanted to smack them across the head and shout:
"You little shits don't you realize you don't need to be entertained 24/7! Don't you realize you are in this room because you make bad choices and your one step away from being kicked out of school altogether at the age of 14!!!! Don't you realize what you are watching is history in the making and you should feel proud and appreciative to be a part of it!!!

I want to be able to think I can help, to make some kind of difference, to be the calm they need in their life. The problem seems way bigger than me. I got in my van to go home for lunch and just cried. I am back at work with the High School kids and I could just hug them. They are quiet, do there work and are respectful. Why is that so hard for some. It's the question of the day.

Baby it's cold outside

This pretty much sums up how it is around here.

FREEZING!

If you can't tell that's me.

I'm telling you it's cold!

Christmas house part 2

I thought I would start a house using fabric like I use for the garland and ornaments. I really like the look but it is a bit more time consuming. I can't wait to get the mica glitter to finish them off.

Christmas isn't over here

I know Christmas is over but it doesn't mean I have to stop making decorations. I have been obsessed with vintage paper Christmas houses. I would buy them but they are either too expensive or I don't have the patience to try to find fabulous vintage ones or I am not a good enough shopper to find a great knockoffs somewhere. So I am going to make them myself. I have big plans in my head that I will make a whole village. Here is the first try. It is not quite finished. I still need to put the paper in the windows and sprinkle on that fabulous mica glitter. I ordered some today but I won't have it for a week or so. I had to take a picture though because I am very happy with it so far. Now I just have to be on the lookout for fun little things I can embellish them with. I found a website today that has some beautiful handmade houses.

I think this new day job I have (see below) has renewed my interest in making pretty things. After being around kids who's whole life revolves around x-box and rap stars, I can't wait to be around all things pretty and glittery.

Working for peanuts

I started working part time for our school district before the holidays. When break was over I did not think I would get called much and was a bit happy about it. The night before the kid's went back I got a call that they needed an aid for where the Kid's who get in trouble go. This was not just a sub position, this would be every day. I said I would try it out. Well it has been one interesting week. I deal with middle schoolers in the morning and high schoolers in the afternoon. At first I thought this may be very rewarding helping these kids get back on track and back to regular school. This pretty much went out the window after the first day. Two of the kid's slept the entire morning. The Principle has said to just let them sleep so they are not disruptive. There are sexual assault charges pending, battery against a teacher, firearms violations, GPS ankle bracelets, parole officers and many other interesting topics of conversation happening. I am not sure if this is something I can do for the long haul but I am getting wierdly used to it and if I didn't know what these kid's have done I would have never guessed it.

If I start posting video of some new rap star or  sprinkling my writing with "Yo Cuz" please let me know I will quit immediately.