Last Day of School

Today marks the final day of 6th grade for Meg.  Finals are finished and grades have posted online so I imagine its basically a fun day for the students.  (Hope so.  She went in today with only a lunch and her new yearbook.)  As for grades, she earned 4 As and 3 Bs with one of those As being her first one in math this year.  Go Meg!
 
As per our routine, I snapped a photo of her on her last day school.  To say she was less than thrilled is a massive understatement but its been documented.

Jay's well into his summer courses now.  He sent me this photo, showing off his new glasses.

On a final note....it's official.  My door is definitely getting painted.  I got in my van this morning and barely made it out of my subdivision before I heard Mick singing "I see a red door and I want to paint it black."   I haven't heard this song in years so you tell me, is this not freaky?

It's a Sign

If you follow decorating blogs you may have noticed the latest trend of painting interior doors black.  For months I have been patiently waiting for my hip to heal enough to do just that to the door that leads from the laundry room to the garage.  (I'm actually leaning towards a black chalkboard paint.)  Well last night, as I lay awake into the wee hours of the morning (thank you "age-related" insomnia), I was thinking of just this project.  Eventually my mind wandered to the The Rolling Stone's singing "I see a red door and I want to paint it black."  I was still hearing those lyrics in my head when I woke this morning.  Fast forward to 4:30 PM this afternoon.  We're leaving the house to pick up Meg from tutoring when I turn the ignition key in the van and I kid you not....on the radio at that exact moment was Mick singing not only the song BUT the exact lyric "I see a red door and I want to paint it black."  Is that totally bizarre or what?   I told Randy (who is against the idea) that our door was calling out to me.  It's meant to be...


 

Stuff....

I finished making this week's mason jar salads while glued to the Oklahoma tornado coverage.  Having grown up in the midwest, I am all too familiar with the fear and destruction a tornado siren can bring.  To me they are without a doubt, the scariest of all disasters.  I've been asked hundreds of times about hurricanes and our choice to live so close to the Atlantic coast and my answer is always the same.  "You always know when a hurricane is out there but tornadoes will sneak up on you in a matter of minutes.  I'll take hurricanes any 'ole day."  My heart goes out to those suffering in Moore, especially those whose children are still among the missing. I cannot even imagine.

On a happier note....

Whether you're 4 or just shy of 12, a slushie from Target is always a happy treat.

Mason Jar Salads

I first came across the concept of a mason jar salad about a year and a half ago on an internet blog.  Since that time they've become a very popular pin on Pinterest as well.  Why it took me so darned long to get around to trying them, I'll never know.

If you aren't familiar with the concept, mason jar salads are just that....a green salad stuffed inside a mason jar.  The only real "rules" are that you should put the salad dressing in first, followed by any watery type items such as tomatoes and cucumbers.  The greens, nuts and cheeses should be on top.  The popularity stems from the idea that you prep once and enjoy all week.  Here's a photo of the ones I made on Monday of this week.  I can assure you that six days later the sole survivor will be just as delicious as the first one was earlier this week.

I used pint sized large mouth jars (because that's what I had clean, on hand) and started with my dressing, either mango poppy seed or Olive Garden Vinegrette, available at Sam's.  To this I added tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, red peppers, red onions, and shredded carrots.  I then piled in fresh spinach and spring mix.  Just keep pushing it all down.  You'll be surprised at how much one pint can hold!  (This is why the dressing appears to be much larger in quantity than what I put in.)    To finish up I sprinkled in some glazed pecans and a bit of gorgonzola cheese and then put the lids on tightly.  Almost everyday now I've pulled one out for lunch, dumping the contents into a bowl.  Just do a quick stir and eat.  Everything is still crunchy fresh, like it was on day one.

You'll see a quart jar in the back.  I used it to store my remaining chopped veggies which I have used for recipes throughout the week.  Again, the contents are super fresh and crunchy.

Next week I'm going to add in some quart sized salads.  The pints are perfect alongside a dinner meal or as a small lunch but there are some days that I want a BIG SALAD.  (Name that show.)  The quarts will be perfect for that.  I highly recommend trying them!

The Rewards of Volunteering

Even though Meg is now a middle schooler, I continue to volunteer weekly at her former elementary school, primarily in my girlfriend's first grade classroom. This year she has one little guy in particular who continues to struggle in reading and because this is his "second go around" as a first grader, getting him up to level has been a major priority.  Sadly this little guy also struggles with classroom behavior issues which are no doubt the result of the constant shuffling he's endured between his home and a local children's shelter.  From where I sit, he's a very sweet little boy who just needs some quality time with someone he can count on and his situation totally breaks my heart.  But together we have spent many an hour in the media center reading books and taking Accelerated Reader tests.  His reading has improved tremendously and I always look forward to my time with him.

So as you might imagine, I was recently saddened to find out that my little guy had a total meltdown in the classroom, resulting in a two day suspension.  While reviewing his Positive Behavior Reward Chart with the school guidance counselor he was asked about the things he likes to do.  (Good behavior brings rewards, bad behavior lands you in the office.)  At the top of his list was "Reading with Mrs. P."  When with me, this little guy is a man of few words so while I hoped he enjoyed our time together, I never really knew for sure.  I was truly moved to tears...still am.

On my next visit in to the school we had a little talk (I talked, he mainly nodded) and we made the following agreement.  If he can manage to "stay on green" every day I promised to go in on both Mondays and Thursdays to read with him.  I am delighted to say that "so far, so good."

Footnote...We are now in our final weeks of school.  If all goes well at home, he will more than likely not be in our elementary school next year.  I'm already sad thinking about how much I will miss him.

For Moms Everywhere

Just Another Day in Paradise

My girlfriend and I started walking the bridge over the intracoastal this week.  I park my car on the mainland side and we walk the 60' high span over the waterway and then continue onto the barrier island and the beach.  It's a wonderful walk (4 miles total) and I'm so happy my hip is feeling up to the challenge. I took a few IPhone photos to share while we were out this morning.


Halfway through our walk we get to gaze out into the Atlantic Ocean from the barrier island.  It was beautiful this morning.

Here's a view from the top of the bridge as we were making our way back to the mainland.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Sometimes you get lucky enough to see some dolphin playing along the coast but we didn't see any this week.

My girlfriend's husband wanted to take one of their boats out for a quick ride so he met us at the bottom of the bridge where she hopped aboard.  Unfortunately I had an appointment to get our dog groomed so I wasn't able to join them.

I feel so fortunate to live in such a wonderful place!