My heart goes out to those affected by Ike.

I got 3 students today all from Beaumont. Bless their hearts. They tried to put them in different rooms, but they just cried so I told the counselor to let them stay with me. That makes my class at 24. Luckily I had 3 absent today.

The poor girls cried off and on all day. I was lucky enough to have two assistants in my room all day so that helped more than they know. We did find them some tennis shoes so they could play in PE. I am going to try and go through Jayla's closet tonight because they are 6/6X and Jayla is getting too tall for that size. (it looks like I washed it in hot water when she wears it).

So pray for these families. Two are cousins, and the third I think they just met up at the shelter. There are also some boys somewhere in the mix, but couldn't tell you where. If any of you are interested in helping, I'll forward any need requests to you. Otherwise, just keep them in your thoughts.

McCamey, TX for Aunt Mary's funeral.

The kids on the Jeep, riding around.
Playing with Gertie, the goat whose elevator doesn't quite go to the top.
Helping Poppa Wayne feed the goats.
(whose elevators do go to the top, at least as far as goats are concerned.)

The final swim.

Our first day of school.

Morning assembly.

Saying the pledge.

Soccer has started but the first games were canceled because of Ike. Things are really starting to get busy. Wes has had to work a lot of overtime because they are turning on new wells in his area. I won't complain because it means extra $$. His fishing trip is in a few weeks. He's very excited about going. I am glad he's going. At first he was a little leary because of his leg, but they have changed where they are going so he's decided to go. We also won't have to get a rental car, so that will help on the expense. My mom is coming in for the races this fall, so I am really looking forward to that. All three series run in the fall, so it is so much fun.

I survived!!!

The first week was good. The second week seemed to take forEVER. And it was only four days long. There is so much more to do with this new "program". There is a science experiment nearly every day. It's taking a lot of prep time and tons of time writing lesson plans. I spent 3 1/2 hours on mine tonight. To top it off Wes and the kids were at each other and driving me crazy. I wanted to jump in the car and run away.

There off the chest.

I am slowly getting the house back together from all the moving around, putting in storage, etc. I'll be glad when I get the junk out of here. I'm trying to go into the kids room about every two weeks and fill a trash bag with things they don't use/need anymore.

Soon I'll be hitting the clothes. Becky? Staci? Want first dibs on them?

I always forget how much work it is to set up a new classroom. Trying to get things put away. Pull out the "easy" stuff and put up the "hard" stuff for later in the year. Put names on desks, nametags, desk tags, cubbies, the wall outside the door, the leader board. I'm sure I'm for getting something that I'll remember a few minutes before school starts on Monday. Today is a "workday". I try to get as much labled as I can today because tonight is meet the teacher. I only have half a day Friday to finish up for Monday.

Yesterday we spent the day meeting and trying to figure out what we would teach the kids for the first few weeks. Everything is new. The district adopted a new curriculim system and so most of what we used to do doesn't fit it. But that's ok, because what we got is going to be a good thing. The problem is getting some of the teachers to let go of the way they have been doing it for the past 10 years because it doesnt' work anymore. Kids now are digital and most raised on the TV, that you almost have to "entertain" to teach them. Make sense?

Ok, better go shower and get busy. Have a great day.

I am trying to figure out why my date is missing on all the templates I've tried lately. But I am just too brain dead for HTML editing today. Maybe soon I can date things again.

The kids and I went to six flags yesterday they had a great time. Pictures are on my cell phone. I didn't want to lug around a camera so I just used my phone. Good thing I dint' take it either. We got soaked on one ride. Eric even got to ride several rides. He loved the log ride and the river ride. Although the mini-mine train just about did him in. He was a little white when we got off. Jayla however went back for a second turn and wanted a third.

I was glad there was enough for Eric to ride. I was afraid he'd be stuck with me and get upset because he wasn't big enough. They were both upset about the gocarts because they were both tall enough to ride, but neither wanted to wait alone while the other took their turn. That will have to wait until Dad gets to go.

BTW: Happy Anniversary to us. 10 years now.

Here is the beginning color. A dull brown that turned my hidden room into a drab cave. Even though I should be getting my classroom ready, I decided it was time for some color. So I emptied the room except for the big pieces which I shoved to the middle and covered. Before we moved into the house, Wes scrapped off all the popcorn on the ceiling and repainted. We were short on time so we only put on one coat of white paint. Being that I had everything tucked away, I decided at the last minute to add a bright white on the ceiling. Since we didn't prime the ceiling the first time, it sucked up a gallon of the white.

When I got ready for the walls, my assistants help me prepare for a change.

And now, I have a "Tiffany" yellow office. It took two gallons of paint, and if you can tell by the picture, coverage was not good at all. It wasn't going on right and I just thought it was the humidity outside and continued slathering it on to try to even it out. When Shaunery was helping me remove the tape, we came up with a hypothosis, the brown color was an oil base coat, therefore my laytex was not liking it at all. So I will sit and watch it slowly peel for the next few years until I decide to strip it off, Kilz it and do it again.

Bummer. And it's not even the shade of yellow I wanted.

We have had another critter visit. This little guy was spotted outside my bedroom window.