The weather in my neck of the woods:

Rainy….but it doesn’t look as dismal as the week before because I spent a good part of the weekend “sprucing” up around the outside of the house…hacking away at everything that bit the dust during out “Arctic Blast”…which was just about EVERYTHING!!! I don’t know how people up north stand the winters…so grey….everything dead as a doornail….and brown…brown…brown. That’s the way it has been here since the “Big Freeze”. Even our orange tree endured a stage four case of frost bite!!!

A simple pleasure:

Sitting out on the lanai with a friend on a Sunday afternoon just “chit chatting”…even though we had to have blankets on!!!

I am thankful:

For everyone that commented on my most recent In Other Word’s post. I will be participating in this week’s quote but on another day (nothing new there for those of you that know me well!!):

• Miriam Pauline from Miriam Pauline’s Monologue (a dear and longtime blogging friend)
• Nicole from As My World Turns (I am 99.9 % positive I used to read her a few years back when she was single)
• Claudia from Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness
• Esthermay from The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife
• Tami from The Next Step
• Kathryn from Expectant Hearts
• Holly from Holly’s Corner Blog (another dear and longtime blogging friend that “knew me when” and continues to want to “know” me now)
• Betty from New Views of New Zealand

From the kitchen:

Tried Linda’s Rich and Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. It was incredibly awesome. On the menu for this week is a recipe from my new Taste of Home cookbook….Cheese Sausage Strata. I was going to try it this weekend but did not read about how it has to refrigerate over night until it was too late.

Creative Corner:

Still working on:

• our Christmas scrapbook – I am currently on Christmas 2007
• an inspirational “book” for a friend

From the learning rooms:

Had to put a new rule in place much to her chagrin…..ALL weekly work MUST be completed by Friday late afternoon or NO COMPUTER TIME ALL WEEKEND!!! Got that???

I am almost finished reading:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s a little slow after reading the fast paced Stephen King book. However, it is very well written and definitely keeps my interest. A truer book I haven’t read in regards to the “true” south. It is wonderful!!!

I am getting ready to read:

Sometimes Mine by Martha Moody. A new author for me but a trip to the library yesterday looking for a book for Mr. John…I noticed this in the “New Arrival” section and thought I would give it a whirl.

Trying to use the library instead of the bookstore this year as my source for reading materials!!!

On My Mind:

Still….so many things. It’s like a serving of scrambled eggs in there with a heap of salsa on the side.

However, I am diligently working on a way to help Samantha navigate the uncertainties of adolescence. I want her to be an emotionally healthy and independent young woman and there are days that I feel as though I may be sabotaging that….it’s just on my mind…that’s all.

Hearth and Home:

Taxes are e-filed and the list is getting checked off!!!! Our bedroom is getting a makeover as soon as the direct deposit goes through (I called “the guy” today to schedule a start date). I guess the hard wood floors will have to wait until next January…well worth the wait however as long as we can turn our bedroom into our “private retreat”…FINALLY.

I laugh:

Every class period this semester….my students really are GREAT!!! A good combination/mix of personalities and hardly a trace of shyness in any of them!!

Picture Thought I’m  Sharing:

I took this photo a week ago on one of our photo field trips. Although I do not know the snorkeler (??) I thought it was an awesome capture of life here in the Sunshine State (even though there was no sun that day and it was cold as …well you know)….but the springs stay a warm 77 degrees so both the snorkler and the manatee were quite comfortable..perhaps I should have joined them for a swim.