The Beginning of School

Well it's that time of year again: the beginning of school. Summer has come and gone and Fall is just around the corner. Football season is upon us and we are all hoping that the cool weather will hurry up and get here! Kids are back in the classroom and the teachers are still dragging a bit, trying to get used to 8:00am again. I have definitely had a hard time getting out of "summer mode" and getting back into the swing of things. But I am so glad to be back into a regular schedule and to see my kiddos again! It's awesome to see how much they have grown over the summer! It makes me think about how cool it will be to watch the kids that I had in Pre-K last year make it all the way to 5th grade. It's amazing. :)

Give thanks to the Lord our God and King, His love endures forever!!!

Last Day of School..

Well, this is it. The last day of school. We had 5th grade graduation this morning and I cried. It's amazing how these children can weave their way into your heart. This is the last day of my first year and I can honestly say that I love my job. I am so blessed to have such a great group of kids. I am happy to get up each morning so that I can come see them. I am fulfilled knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of these children. I'm hopeful for what they will accomplish, proud of who they are, and sad to see them go. For the kids who will be returning next year, I can't wait for August to come around again! I will certainly miss my kiddos. Some of them come from such rough home environments that I'm worried about how they will fare over the break. I can only pray that they will be safe, healthy, and that they will feel loved. Praise the Lord for the greatest blessing in life...children.

Man's Best Friend..

Aren't dogs great? It's just awesome how no matter what you look like or what you do they still love you and they still want to cuddle with you and give you kisses! We have three babies and it's so cool how different they are. I just want to brag about them and share a little bit about each one...


Shelby (2 years, 4 months old) - Shelby is our baby girl. We got her when Nolan and I had been dating only two months. We bought her from a breeder at Trade Days in McKinney and after about 36 hours at home we figured out that she had Parvo. We were lucky enough to catch it early on and took her straight to a vet. After $900 and 3 days at the vet's office with an IV keeping her hydrated, she was allowed to come back home. It was a scary time because the majority of puppies with Parvo do not survive, but our baby is a trooper! :) Shelby is very territorial with the other dogs and is very motherly. She likes her space and can be tempermental, so when she comes up to you on her own and snuggles it is the best thing ever!



Casper (2 years, 1 month old) - Casper became part of our family because Nolan's oldest sister and her family moved out of their house into an apartment and had no where for him to go. I remember Nolan called me to ask me if I wanted to adopt him and that he did. Being the softy that I am, I said yes. Casper is very playful and bouncy! He is so funny and I constantly laugh at him doing something ridiculous. Casper is special because he LOVES to cuddle and be close.



Moose (3 months old) - Moose is the newest addition to our family and was totally unplanned. Nolan and I went to Wal-Mart for dog food and ended up getting Moose from a family in the parking lot! He is fluffy and adorable and we both immediately fell in love with him. He loves to chew on his brother and sister's ears and has no idea that they are bigger than he is. He is going to be a big dog and I'm so excited to see him get bigger and grow up!

The Shack

So...I just finished reading The Shack. Actually, I listened to it on an audio book (I love audio books). It was...interesting. I have heard so much controversy about this book and some people love it and some people hate it. My sister read about half-way and just couldn't go any further. Our librarian has read it three times. I decided I had to at least give it a chance so that I could have my own opinion.

Synopsis:
This man's youngest daughter is kidnapped and killed. With the loss of his daughter he goes into a deep depression and struggles with life. His relationship with his family, with God, and his outlook on life are all strained. He receives a letter from "Papa" (his family's name for God) asking him to come to "the shack". Bewildered, he takes the weekend and goes to the shack and is meet by three "people" that are God. A large black woman called Papa is God, a Hebrew carpenter is Jesus, and an Asian woman is the Holy Spirit. Most of the book focuses on his resistance to God, recognition of His worthiness, and eventual grateful acceptance of peace.

To me, at times, it was very slow and I'm glad that I listened to it on audio because I'm not sure I would have finished it had I been reading it. On a positive note, it was definitely thought provoking and had lots of food for thought.

Book Review..

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to read. A lot. I recently finished The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard. I was at the library and it just caught my eye so I grabbed it. I absolutely LOVED it. It was captivating, thought provoking, romantic, and kept me guessing throughout. The story was woven magnificently and was full of surprises. Like I said, I read a lot. I drive my husband crazy at times because he says I pay more attention to my books than him. So we are driving home one night, I'm reading (of course) and he says, "So what's your book about?". I don't think he expects an in depth summary but that's exactly what I gave him! :) He was so interested in the story that for the next few days he kept asking, "What's happening now?" or "Did you find out about ____?" I highly recommend it. I am now excited to read more of Pickard's novels.

Currently I am reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I have heard many good things about it and so far (just on page 5) it's good. It's based in 1962 Mississippi and is about three different women and is told from each of their viewpoints; one white woman and two black women. This book appeals to me for several reasons. Number one, I love history. Number two, I am very interested in the Civil Rights Movement era. I think that this time period appeals to me the most because I just do not understand the white supremacist attitude that so many Americans held at that time. It baffles me. It saddens me that people suffered in the ways that they did and that such behavior went on for such a long time. I will let everyone know how I like this book when I finish! I have a feeling I am really going to like it.

They Make My Job Awesome..

I thought it would be funny to share some of the hilarious things that kids have said this year. They are precious! Several of my students see me because of lower level language skills and it is evident in their daily speech sometimes.

Little girl: Ms. Blankenship, Ms. Blankenship! My two T's dried off!!!
Me: What, honey?
Little girl: My two T's dried off!!!
Me: Huh? Say it one more time please.
Little girl: MY. TWO. T'S. DRIED. OFF!
Me: Oh okay sweetie, that's neat.
*(I still have no idea what she was talking about! Her teacher and I tried to figure it out but we have no clue. Soooo funny!)

Kindergarten boy: Do ladybugs give you skin cancer??

Kiddo: Ahh! Ms. Blankenship!
Me: Yes?
Kiddo: I HAVE TOES!!!
Me: Yes, I know. I do too. (dying laughing inside)
Kiddo: AND TOENAILS!!!
Me: Mmmhmmm. (containing my laughter and grabbing a pencil to write this down)

Me: (Pointing to a skeleton) What is this?
Little girl: Ummm...x-ray man.

*Some younger kids have had trouble saying/remembering my maiden name. This little girl had an especially hard time. This happened one day while playing Go Fish.
Me: It's your turn Brooksie.
Girl: Ok..umm, what's your name?
Me: Ms. Blankenship.
Girl: Okay, Ms. Blaffenshiff, do you have a nine?
Me: Nope, go fish.
(Go around the table, her turn again.)
Me: Your turn honey.
Girl: Ok..umm, what's your name again?
Me: Ms. Blankenship.
Girl: Oh yeah...okay...Ms. Goldenfish, do you have a three?
(Hahahahahahaha)

*At a park on a field trip, this little girl is talking to her teacher.
Little girl: Mrs. Weda, Mrs. Weda! Look over there!
Teacher: Yes, lots of trees!
Little girl: (Walks over to the tree and touches a cluster of berries)
Teacher: Do you know what we call these?
Little girl: (Still holding the berries in her hand) Yep! Mashed potatoes!!!
(Oh boy! We have lots of work to do! LOL)

Me: (Going through my desk, I pull out an oversized paper clip)
Girl: Oh! A tic-tac!
(LOL)

These kids keep me laughing and make my job so much fun and worth it! I will miss them so much over the summer!

Nearing the end..

School is officially winding down. I cannot believe that my first year of teaching is almost done! I feel so accomplished. There is so much that I want to do this summer; work and home related. On top of waiting tables also I hope that I get it all done. I can just see me sleeping until noon every day and being a bum until I go wait tables, then wake up on August 1st and have nothing on my list done. I need to get motivated and stay that way!

Seriously though I feel like we have gotten a lot done around the house since we moved in in June. There is still so much to do. It's kinda crazy that you put so much work into a rent house, only to leave it and start all over again when you leave. But I think it's worth it to make your home your own. We'll probably stay in our house for a couple more years, so I want it to be a comfortable place that we really do love.

Seven days of school left. The kids are so antsy and unruly. Little do they know that the teachers are more ready for summer break than they are! I took three boys to the principals office yesterday for laughing in my face. Literally, 9 year old boys laughed in my face when I told them to stop talking. Ugh. Our future. First time I've ever taken kids to the office. I don't care if we only have two weeks of school left, they aren't going to disrespect adults for the next two weeks. And then as if they didn't learn anything from the experience (shocking), two of the boys had to go back later for a paddling for bad behavior again! One day they might learn but I won't hold my breath until that time comes.