Hopes for the New Year

Well, here we are only a few hours left of 2008. While there was some good times this year, it was also filled with alot of heartache. The loss of my Nana was enormous and I still expect to see her regularly. But I know that she is in a better place and keeping an eye on me and the rest of those she loved.
In about 45 minutes I am heading to church to pray for the coming year and receive communion. Then we are heading to Jim's place for New Year's Eve. I plan to end and start the year in the same way. In Jim's pool. Yes I am going swimming.
May the new year be a good one for all.

Day of firsts

Today was a busy day with first times. Jasmine had her recital with her dance team (not the school team), and she preformed her first solo. It was with 2 batons and jazz ribbons. She did a really good job, but was upset because she said she messed up. But she didn't she is just hard on herself.
This evening I made pizzelles by myself for the first time. I did them at my parent's house because Mom helped me season the iron. It was my grandmothers, but my parents aren't sure she ever used it. I bought it this spring when my grandfather sold the house. The cookies came out good too. They are going to get packaged for the girls I work with. It is what I have been giving as Christmas gifts for the last 3 years. the teachers must like them since I was already asked by 2 of them if I was bringing them again this year.

Coming round again

There is a song that I love by Harry Chapin Jr. It's called Circle. Part of the song goes "My whole life's a circle, sunrise and sundown, the moon rolls thru the night time til the daybreak comes around." It later goes on to say "I found you a thousand times, I guess you've done the same. But then we lose each other, it's just like a children's game." Well this week my circle is coming around again. Last night I was goofing off on facebook and found a friend from high school. She is two years younger than me, but I have known her most our lives. Her brother and cousin graduated with me. Well, her cousin Randi and I were close friends, and I have lost touch with her and found our way back together several times in the last 21 years. Well, thanks to Vanessa I was able to email Randi and maybe I will see them both in two weeks when I go home for Christmas.

St. Augustine

This year we aren't making our annual trip to Disney for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. We couldn't get a hotel room. So, Greg, Jasmine and I are in St. Augustine instead. We got in late this morning and went to St. George street. We really lucked out this weekend. There are hundreds of reactors here and we were able to actually get into the Huguenot Cemetery. Tonight there is going to a reenactment of the British night guard. I am looking forward to that. Right now we are just relaxing until we leave for dinner and then off to the old city for the evening.

City Gates

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone out there had a wonderful of a Thanksgiving as I did. Our family goes to one of the local parks right on the river for Thanksgiving and we grill. We do turkey tenderloins that are marinated and baked sweet and white potatoes. We were out there at 9:30 and didn't leave until almost 5pm. We watched boats go thru the locks and saw manatees. Well, I saw the tail of one. Greg, Jasmine and I went to another of our parks and saw alot of them yesterday morning. It was a good day with my parents, sister, brother in law, and the kids as well as my sweet and loving husband. Here are some pictures from yesterday and today.

Manatee in the water

Sorry, I can't get the other pictures to come up so all I can give you is my wonderful, little manatee.

Fifth Grade

I can hardly believe that it has been almost a month since I have posted. Life has been crazy the last few weeks. It seems often that there is not enough hours in the day or days in the week to get everything completed. On a good note, we got Jasmine's school pictures this week. She is turning from my baby girl to a beautiful young lady. Check it out.

Okotberfest

Today Jasmine got to experience something new, Oktoberfest. We went out the German American Social Clubs annual Oktoberfest and had a good time. They have two bands playing German music all the time and plenty of food. We had potato pancakes and bratwurst. It was really very good. Jasmine also seemed to enjoy the music and she got to see an accordion up close and in real life. She is obsessed with accordions right now, I just am not sure why.

Mommy & daughter day

What a wonderfully busy day did Jas and I have. With her daddy away we went into town to the science museum and historical museum. We went out to lunch and this evening we were invited to my sisters house for a party. One of the young ladies from the dojo is moving north for an internship in DC so this was her going away party. The day was very nice, until the drive home. Jas was telling me that her oldest cousin (13) told her she couldn't hang out with her and the older kids (understandable, but not to a 10 year old who looks up to her), and the one just below her blew her off for the other kids from the dojo leaving Jas to play with the little kids ages 4-7 or sit with the adults. Her poor feelings were hurt, but she didn't want her cousins in trouble so she didn't say anything until we were on our way home. I tried to tell her that this kind of stuff is going to happen and that it didn't mean her cousins didn't like her anymore it is just life. It is hard to explain this to a child who is in tears.
Well, she is now taking her shower before bed so she gets up and isn't grumpy for church and Sunday School.
Sherry

New intrest

Jas has something new that she is working on in her free time. Puzzles. She has done and redone every puzzle we have in the house. She can complete a 100 piece puzzle in under an hour. So tonight when we go into town I am going to let her pick one or two 200 to 300 piece puzzles to work on this weekend.
She really enjoys doing these and does them well.

Passing on the traditions

It amazes me how quickly time seems to fly by. It is already the second half of Sept. and fall. My Nana has been gone now for six months and I still forget sometimes and think I have something to tell her and grab my phone to call her. She and I were always close and it has been hard to not have her around. I have decided that this weekend I need to teach Jasmine how to play some of the card games taht Nana taught me as a kid. Our family were always big card players and without her no wants to play and I miss it. Plus, Nana made me promise to teach her great grandchildren how to play canasta, hand and foot, penny ante poker, and 31. So, with Greg being away this weekend it seems like a good time to pass on the tradtion.

Everything old is new again

It amazes me how stuff goes full circle. Right now Jasmine is in the living room watching cartoons that were popular before I was born. She loves the old "Tom and Jerry" cartoons and all the other old shows from Boomarang. It still catches me off guard when I happen to be watching the cartoons with her and here comes the Smurfs, who were wildly popular when I was just about her age. Amazing!

bye bye Fay

Well Tropical Storm came and left a lot of rain and downed tree branches in the yard, but other wise has left well and good. We got lucky, where I work, not quite as lucky. No school for my county again tomorrow. What a way to start a school year.

First day of school

So, want to try something new on the first day of school. Try preparing to be closed for a tropical storm/hurricane. We aren't sure which it will be yet, but on top of 64 pre-schoolers starting their first day of school, dealing with buses the 1st day, we also got to batten down the hatches. This includes unhooking and bagging all the computers that we just hooked up last week, taking home school animals, and finding place for everything on the playground so it doesn't blow away. And to add more fun we got to do it all in rain, some so heavy that you got soaked even with an umbrella. Maybe we will get lucky and Fay will take mercy on us, but we are prepared (at home shutters are up so we can't see out) and have the second day of school off for a "hurricane day". Same principal as snow days, but here in Florida.

Sherry

Long week

This has been another busy week in our house. On Monday my mother who has been sick for a few weeks was hospitalized. She has pneumonia and has bad lungs anyhow so she has now been in all week. This has been a little hard on Jasmine I think because of my Nana being hospitalized and then dying this winter. But Momma is well on her way to recovery and should be home next week.
On a good note Jasmine has now earned her double gold belt in karate. Not bad for a kiddo who only started at the beginning of June. She will continue thru this month, but is looking forward to going back to her dance classes when they start.
I have finished summer VPK! Yeah, my boys kept me hopping, but I really enjoyed it for the most part. It just made it a very long summer with just the one break. I am spoiled when it comes to summers, since I have spent most of them off the last 14 years. But now I am working to get ready. My teachers are back on Wed. and the kids come back a week from Monday.
Sherry

Summer Fun

Well, it is summer and of course that means vacation. This summer Jasmine and I joined my parents to my dad's naval reunion. My dad served on the USS Wainwright DLG-28 for almost 2 years in the 60's and I have grown up hearing stories about the ship and it's crew. One member of the crew is my godfather, who I hadn't seen in a LOOOOOONG Time. So, Jas and I went with to get to see him again. I must say we had a blast. The crew of the Wainwright is absolutely amazing. They treated Jasmine and I so nicely and I got to hear more stories. Jasmine was the only kiddo there and made many friends. We were able to go to the Naval base we were near and got a tour of a frigate. It was an amazing reunion and we had a blast.

On the ship
Jasmine and her Poppop on the ferry after lunch
Jasmine and the pirate (AKA my god father "Cookie")

Watching the river from the hotel window in the hospitality suite.

Keeping busy

Well again it seems like forever since I have had time to really sit down and update this blog. It is sort of my diary, since I am pretty sure no one reads this. Maybe I should put the address to this on my facebook page. Anyhow, we are working on half way thru summer VPK. I have 6 boys in my class. Let me tell you they are a work out. I have climbed a rock wall, run around and gone on the sliding board more in the past few weeks than in the past year. We have had to use the elementary school playground more the last few weeks because we have had so much rain our playground seems to be underwater ALOT!

We had a fun 4th of July. The three of us went to the park for a while to the festivities they had. It included "snow". Well, it was actually ice put thru the chipper, but Jasmine was able to play in it and had a good time, she then proceeded to the water slides and was soppin' wet as well as fully dressed. We did not know that they were going to have the water slides, but for $3 she was able to play and the money went to the social services in our community. We followed it up by having a picnic at my parents house. My grandfather had also joined us. He loves to see the kids and it has been hard on him since my Nana died. He misses her so much and I think the kids give him comfort.

On Sunday Jasmine, Alecia and I went to a special service at church. We now have our own full time pastor. We had an ordination and installation service.

Well, I guess now is the time to sign off, but I will add this picture of Jasmine in the "Florida snow"

Karate Kid

Here is Jasmine decked out and ready for karate.

Looking good

It's the AT&T bars

So today was one of my very few days off between school and summer VPK, so how did I spend it? With Jasmine, Alecia, Portia and AJ. I took them to get pictures done and then off to the hands on science museum. I was also going to take them to the historical museum, but it was closed. It turned out ok, since all 4 kids had karate tonight and at least one little guy needed a "rest". Jasmine just started karate last week and says that she enjoys it.

Here is one of the pictures taken today.

catching up

I can hardly believe that I haven't written on this blog in over a month. Life seems to keep us hopping. In the past month work has gotten crazy, end of the year and all. As of right now there are only 6 and 1/2 days of school left. I am so excited. I am not sure why, since I have off about 3 days before Summer VPK (voluntary prek) starts, and I am teaching it this summer. It will be a new and exciting challenge. I have been working on my lesson plans and am halfway done them. It has really been fun to find new and exciting activities to do with the children, while still meeting the guidelines of our curriculum.
Jasmine has stayed very busy too, she had a dance recital at school, a big field trip, a girl scout trip, and all the end of the year fun. She is very excited about the summer.

Learn something new.

So, what do you do when in a box of craft materials from a estate sale you find crochet needles? Why you learn to crochet of course. That is what I decided to learn today. I found instructions on line and decided to try and teach myself how to crochet. My grandmother would be so proud. She crocheted as well as my one great grandmother. So, far I can do a straight line, but for some reason my yarn tends to curve. So my first product ended up being a shawl for my daughters barbie dolls.
So, life has been hectic. Earlier this week we went up to Savannah, Ga. for part of spring break. It was a really nice trip, but for me the best part was going to the Juliet Gordon Low house. As a girl scout and a girl scout leader it was the highlight of our trip.

Happy Birthday

Referal picture January 08

With everything going on recently I haven't had much time on the computer and so I have not got a post about my baby's birthday. She turned 10 years old on Sunday. She is nearly as tall as me and it seems impossible to me that this beautiful girl is the same child who came home to me nearly 7 years ago. So it is late, but Happy Birthday baby girl.

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed

Well, maybe it isn't that bad, but I just spent a couple hours sitting with my grandparents at the ER. My grandmother was nearly admitted yesterday with low blood sugar and pnuemonia, but she refused to stay. Today she went back to the same ER by ambulance and is staying. It seems like I have visited way too many ERs in the last six months. Hopefully, this will clear up quickly and Nana will be feeling better soon.

The New Year

I can hardly believe it is already 2 weeks into the new year. It seems like time is flying by. The past two weeks has been mostly about getting back into the normal routine of things. After two weeks off of work and school, getting up at the crack of dawn again took a little work. But we are back in action. Jasmine is working hard in school and gets her report card next week. It looks like it will be B's and C's. She is back to twirling and tumbling classes and is practising hard in the dance team at school. The district dance team performs on the 29th of this month.

We also went to Disney on the 5th of the month to see Greg's alma mater perform before the Main Street parade. His cousin's oldest son plays tuba and we went to see him play. It was fun to go and know someone in the parade. Although I remember why we don't go to the Magic Kingdom after Christmas until after Easter. The lines are terrible. The wait for the Haunted Mansion (Greg's favorite) was like 45 minutes. Needless to say we skipped it that trip. We will probably be heading up again next month, but if Jasmine has her way it will be to EPCOT, unless we tell her she can see the High School Musical parade at MGM.

Above is Jasmine's newest dance picture. She is growing up way to fast for her Momma.