Sunday morning....I LOVE Sunday mornings.  My husband sleeps in, so I have some time to just putter around doing whatever I want.  Not that I can't do that anytime, but it's just different on Sunday mornings.  This morning, I watched a cooking show, made a brine for cucumber salad later, fed the chickens, collected eggs, gathered together the things I need to sew a project later, and thought about what time I want to go to the farmer's market.  (I need cucumbers for earlier-mentioned salad). 

I've been thinking a lot about my life, my health, my job, and my house.  I'm feeling like things need to change a little bit.  The kids are all doing well, and are all moved out so it's time for us to think about just us.  Things are really good right now, but I think they can be better.  The house looks lived in--and I'm feeling like there are only two of us living here and it could be more organized.  My health is okay, but I need to exercise more and I'm trying to think how that is going to work since I have some issues with pain when walking too much.  I'm thinking yoga, stationery bike or gardening (my choice daily), along with walking the dog.  I need to eat more vegetables, so I'm trying to find yummy recipes for that.  My job is good, but I feel like I could be doing some more amazing things with my preschoolers.  As for my life, I would really like to find more time to just BE.  I love to putter around my house and I don't make time for that regularly.  Ridiculous.

Quilting is wonderful again, thanks to my wonderful husband who encourages me to sew when ever I please.  I even take my featherweight sewing machine camping with us and sew outside, which I highly recommend if you've never done it before.  It's already EXTREMELY hot in Orlando, so I limit my outside sewing to early morning, but I love it.  I usually have a quilt cut out and I just have to sit and sew my little heart out.  VERY pleasant. 

So, the garden is completely overgrown already.  The tomatoes are prolific, the cucumbers grew nice vines, but not one cucumber, and they are already wilty and need to be pulled up.  The squash are huge and I get a lot of small yellow squash, but I think it's getting too hot for them too.  The herbs are wonderful--especially the lemon balm and the mint (naturally).  The blackberries are red and I can't wait until the Hubbs can have a nice bowl with milk (his favorite).  Everything else is just so-so.  I need to get out there and weed.

I am going to make blogging a priority, as it helps me to sort out my thoughts, and I think I have a lot to say.  We'll see where that goes.

I just got home last night from an early childhood conference in New Orleans where I presented a session entitled "A Day in the Life of a Nature-Based Classroom".  The presentation went over so well that people applauded (UNHEARD OF), and continued to approach me to tell me how much they enjoyed it over the next two days.  It was wonderful.  And all this in spite of the fact that when I got there, the projector that I thought I had rented was not available to me, so I had to just wing it without my power point.  

New Orleans was WONDERFUL!  I will definitely visit this city again!  Some pictures...


The architecture was amazing...

Silliness.... but required silliness when you are in New Orleans....

The view from our hotel room.....

Pretty sure the hotel was haunted.....

Even the street signs are amazing, tiled right into the sidewalks....

Starbucks had the most incredible light fixtures ever...these were just iron grates (probably gates from somewhere) with clear globes hanging from wires randomly from them.  They were so gorgeous!

Of course, nobody on earth does cemeteries like New Orleans.  We noticed several with Xs carved all over the stones, but didn't know what that meant---I assumed either that the person (one of them, at least) in there was illiterate or they didn't know who it was.  After a little research, we found out that it's a voodoo symbol... 

Selfie station at the hotel.. I'm not much for selfies... or pictures of me at all, but it's time to get over my nonsense.  I look how I look, and I need to just take pictures sometimes.  For somebody who's all about the documentation, my hangups are ridiculous.

So.... this was in the lobby of the hotel....a very small casket.   No words...

More family crypts.....so amazing....

And, what is probably my most favorite store in the world.  

Really enjoyed my trip and can't wait to go back with my husband someday.  He will love it.

Not-So-Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  Although it's not super happy for me.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with everything going on--I have so much to do and it seems like not enough time to do it...I guess everyone feels that way sometimes, but add to that I took a BAD spill last night, so I'm bruised and lacerated literally from head to toe, and I'm not feeling productive.  

It started out so innocently...let the chickens out of their coop and run while the Hubbs and I putter around, feeding them, playing around with the dogs, putting some treats in the chicken yard, etc.  It was getting dark, so we started rounding them up to put them back in the coop.  I was chasing (not really running, as some of you know, I don't DO that), but scurrying and herding my girls into their yard, when I tripped over my own slipper (who the hell chases chickens in slippers!?) and fell face first into the wooden privacy fence.  When I say face-first, I literally mean that my forehead, eyebrow, eyelid, cheek, jaw and neck are cut and bruised and swollen ridiculously.  As well as both elbows, my hand, my knee, and both feet.  Not sure HOW all of that happened.  I guess on the pavers.  My poor Hubbs was beside himself.  So guess who won't be chasing the chickens into the coop from now on?  They can stay out all night if they want to I guess.

This weekend I have a lot to do.  Finish the decorating, clean up the house for Thanksgiving dinner, shop for the food, buy a few things for my classroom, and just generally run around like crazy.  I am having lunch with my friend Marybeth, and having a pedicure (if my feet can take it).  I might do a little baking too if I can find the time.  I'd like to send cookies and treats to my son Brett in Japan (in the navy), and my daughter Hillarie in Delaware.

Okay, my face hurts, which is not pleasant, so I think I'm going to try to get a little rest today before the weekend madness starts.  I hope you are having a happy Friday, at least.