Saturday Sampling, January 1, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I had a lot more time than usual to catch up on blog-reading this week, and I'm so glad I did, because I found some real gems to share. Seriously--You should read all four of my recommendations--They're that good. Can't wait to read yours! Link away! [But please, if you haven't already, click on the SS tab above and get the skinny on Saturday Sampling, first. Thanks!]

Friday Fragments, Episode #127

What a treat it's been to have off this week. That doesn't mean my brain is any less fragmented, though, so I have plenty to offer today.  Get ready for bits and pieces from my brain; those too short for stand-alone posts but too good to let go. Collect your random thoughts and join me!

***As I draft this post, I really hope I take the time to redo my header soon--We are way past leaves on trees right now!

***I really love the Watch What You Watch PSA hosted by Girl Scouts (and others). Its message about not letting your beliefs be shaped by others is excellent. To learn more about this very worthwhile program, visit their website here.

***You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. [source unknown]

***Kyle's part-time job involves detailing cars at a local car dealer. Today, he went in two hours early and detailed my car as a present to me. It looks amazing!  I am so grateful. That kid is a keeper!

***Kendall discovered a really creepy app for her phone. It's called Caller ID Faker, and it allows you to call people in a disguised voice! She called me and had her voice disguised as a boy. YIKES. I can only see trouble with that app!  I'll be adding this to the post I wrote on Tuesday, in which I shared several useful apps. This is one parents should know about.

***Still need a unique gift for someone? We received Buckyballs for Christmas from Brother 4444 and his wife. They're very funky/fun and relaxing to play with. The ad warns that they are impossible to put down. I concur.

***A very generous friend surprised me this week with a "thank you" gift that was way over-the-top but very much appreciated--Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a purse/shoe fanatic (I've had the same purse, year-round, for over a two years now), so they might be surprised to learn that I LOVE my Luvali Convertible Handbag and am positively giddy about it! Mine looks something like this, only it's polka dots and patterned in black and white.

I'm so excited about the fact that it's just the right size for me and that I can put more covers ($25 or so) on my birthday wishlist.  Seriously, I am really excited. Can you tell? (And no, this is not a paid/compensated review--I just really love this thing!


***I'm super bummed that my new FLIP Mino video camera (Christmas gift) turned out to have a screen that was about 20% smaller than the FLIP cameras that I've used for a couple of years now at work. I returned it. :(   On the bright side, I can still use the ones at school, and I plan to apply for a grant to buy the FLIP Slide for my own classroom next year. If you can afford one, I highly recommend the FLIPs--They are super-user-friendly and have terrific, free (also easy-to-use) editing software that's included.

***I don't know about you, but we've had garlic in a jar in our fridge for nearly a year. Does that stuff last forever?

***If you've never read Dave Berry's A Journey into My Colon and you really need a good belly laugh, check it out. It's not new, but it's timeless. I read it in an email, but you can find it here (scroll down to where it says, "Dear Brother" and read from there.

***Believe it or not, one of the gifts that touched me the most this year was the fact that Kyle came home from college with a baggie full of used printer cartridges for my classroom--He remembered that we're having a contest and took the time to gather the cartridges for me. Between that and the car detailing, that kid is really earning his inheritance. (No, I don't have anything worth inheriting. Shhhh!)

***For Christmas, I bought an incredible deal (70% off) on yoga classes for myself and Kendall from Groupon. I highly recommend receiving their emails for your city; you'll be amazed at some of their deals (and the fact that Google is trying to buy Groupon right now is a hint to how great it is). Check it out here.

Now it's your turn to leave your fragments for us to catch up with you!

Thousand Words Thursday

My cousin, Tina, recently sent this blast-from-the-past photo of her sister and me.  

I'm not sure of the year, but I recognize that groovy, feathered hair 

from another photo of me, at my 15th birthday party.

My favorite parts are my straight-as-a-tree-trunk waist and the cool comb in my pocket.

Or maybe Laura's hat.

Glogster Fun

This year, I discovered Glogster and have been using it at school, but it's a great tool for all kinds of folks. Glogster is the 21st Century's answer to old-fashioned posterboard/markers posters/cards and is pretty fun to use. You can put words, pictures, all kinds of videos, animated graphics, audio, podcasts, etc. on your poster (with none of that gluestick residue!haha) Got kids with some Christmas thank you notes to send to people with computers? You should check this out!

Glogster's what I used when I took my Difference Makers kids to the Tundra Lodge (Green Bay) for a little Christmas party fun. I wanted to thank the general manager for helping us out with the waterpark passes, so while the kids were eating pizza, I put this together. (I've edited it for confidentiality/blogging purposes.)

Here's our Glogster Thank You "note," (which I was able to email to the manager before we even left the building that night!) The kids chose the graphics and added the text. (I just took the pics and chose the snowflake background.)

There is a GlogsterEdu and a regular Glogster. GlogsterEdu is more teacher/kid-friendly, and Glogster is a little more "Parental Guidance is Suggested" kind of place. I found these glogs there:

This is one of my favorites: Emo

A birthday card for someone
A sweet glog for a friend

Here's a link to a beautiful glog by a French person named Lynn Cole. I can't understand it, but I like it!

Teachers can use Glogster for an incredible number of lessons, but here's a Glog for the book, The Giver. (the video response at the bottom is wonderful, btw).
This glog was done for a charity.
Here's a teacher's classroom glog.

A lot of people use Glogster to make glogs about their favorite musicians, pets, etc.

Today, it occurred to me that anyone could make a poster that was a collaborative effort, too. Wouldn't that be fun? As a family, you could make a big Congratulations, Get Well, Thank You, or Happy Anniversary poster for a family member, even if you were all separated by miles and continents! (If the collaborators don't live near each other, you'd have to take turns being logged in to add your content, but that's a minor detail.)

The possibilities are endless! You could use Glogster to scrapbook a vacation, baby book, or any other scrapbook project, too. You can figure out how to use it by simply poking around and clicking on stuff (or email me, and I'll do my best to help). BTW, you do not need to register to view glogs, only to make them.

Let me know if you try it--I'd love to see what you make of it!

Tech Tuesday

I've been to a couple of technology conferences this year, at which I became totally geeked out about tech tricks I learned. I've also been given an iPad to use in my classroom this year, and I'm learning a lot.  This post is to share some of the great tech-related information I've learned and see what you have to teach me! Aside from the first offering, if you don't have Facebook or any Apple devices, you may not be interested in this post. However, if you do, or if you love someone who does, much of this will be very helpful, so check it out!

***Have you seen Teach Parents Tech? It's from Google, and I love the idea; you can hand-pick tutorials to send to your mom and dad or grandparents who are just getting started with computers. It's free!

***Hate those photos of yourself that show up across the top of your profile in the "new" Facebook?  Kristin (The Goat) showed me this AWESOME fix! You can create a cool face like this one or simply replace the photos here with a series that you like. I replaced mine with something temporary, but here's what it looks like:

Kristin, you're such a lifesaver!! Thanks again!

***Got an iPad? iPhone? This article is fantastic--iPhone Tips and Tricks I just found this today, and I learned several tricks/tips I didn't know before reading the article; I highly recommend it.

***BigFoot the Monster has a free app for little kids. When I babysat that 3-year-old a few weeks ago, he loved "playing ball" with BigFoot over and over and over, giggling every time.

***Of course, I also love the Talking Tom app, which is free. It's appealing to all ages, from senior citizens to toddlers. The little boy I sat for "poured" Tom about 50 glasses of milk in a row, just to listen to him "glug-glug-glug-ahhhhh."  I also saw a very education application for Talking Tom when I noticed the little guy correcting his own speech when Talking Tom repeated back what he had said to him. If you know a child with a speech issue, this app could help a lot.

***Kendall discovered a really creepy app for her phone. It's called Caller ID Faker, and it allows you to call people in a disguised voice! She called me and had her voice disguised as a boy. YIKES. I can only see trouble with that app!  I mention it here just to give parents a heads-up.
***I found an awesome app called Sound Notes last week. Students, people in meetings, etc. simply click "Record," and the device records what's being said in the room. While it's doing that, you can jot down key words here and there (making an outline of what's being said, basically.) Later, you can tap on any of your key words and be brought immediately to the place in the recording that you took that note. No more fast-forwarding to find the spot that you need in a the recording!  I highly recommend this app for students and people who have to attend meetings in which they want to mostly listen but like to have an organized guide to come back to later. This app cost $4.99.

***An app that Kyle really likes is Mental Case. He uses it to make flashcards to study. A very cool feature of Mental Case is that you can make 3-sided flashcards (word/picture/definition). The possibilities are so endless! Kyle says it is well worth the $5 he paid for it.

***Koi Pond is very relaxing; it's a virtual koi pond in which you can splash and bother the fish and other creatures you put in your pond. This app costs $1.99 but is very relaxing (and thus, worth it's weight in gold for certain students).

***Words with Friends is a free iPhone/iPad/iPod app that allows you and a friend to play Scrabble virtually. You make a move, then your friend gets word that it's his/her turn, and so on. It's fun!  My username is Mrs4444 [should you like to challenge me, which would be a great idea, because everyone who has played me so far has kicked my butt, including Kendall (which shouldn't come as a surprise)].

***Counting Coins is a free app I'm using at school with a couple of students who need to develop better skills related to making change and understanding the value of certain coins.  When they have free-time, I have them spend 5-10 minutes with that app before I let them do anything else. Hopefully, it will help!

Got fun tech stuff to share? Feel free to comment!

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Well, my Sunday's almost over already, but Lotus's Weekly Winners and Sundays in My City
are the perfect themes for sharing what I've been up to this weekend.

On Christmas eve, we puppysat for Santa for a few hours. It was torture for poor Kendall,

who has always wanted, "a cuddly, little, white puppy" that wouldn't make her allergies flare up.

Gus, a "teddy bear" totally fit the bill....

Kendall couldn't have fallen more in love if she'd been given a new, luxurious scarf!

He never left her side...

...except when he was at Mr.4444's side, which Cooper didn't appreciate.

He had something to say about it (and something tells me we should be grateful we don't speak dog)!

More cuddling....

When Santa arrived (around 11pm), we tried to tell him that the dog had run away...

...but he didn't fall for it.

We basically had to pry Gus from Kendall's arms.

It helped that we then snuck outside for our annual tradition

of decorating the rest of the tree at the entrance to our neighborhood.

On Christmas morning, Kyle was thrilled to open his new snowboard...

When I saw his size 14 boots, I was blown away.
(Couldn't get a pic to show how ginormous they are.)

For breakfast, I made my usual Blueberry French Toast, the recipe for which you will find here.

We then headed to Grandma 4444's for more gift-box carnage and the annual pic in front of the tree.

Grandma 4444 made her famous City Chicken that night,

(which I have promised Mr.4444 I would learn how to make,

even though I have absolutely no desire to--It's very putsy!

Isn't making pasties* enough proof of my love?!)

Mashed potatoes and homemade gravy are a must for a city chicken feast.
Mr.4444 helped his mom make the gravy
(it's a science, you know, and the technique is very important.)

And finally, a glimpse of my nativity scene, which was entirely set up for me by a four year old little boy who celebrated his first Christmas this year (long story) and had no knowledge of the Christmas story but did an amazing job as I shared the story with him. My favorite part is how he placed Joseph and one of the wise men; they are nose-to-nose, in seemingly deep conversation.

I wonder what they were saying.

Oops! I almost forgot that last week, I took this photo at the church in which the Tinytown high school
marching band and choir held a Christmas concert.
It was so beautiful inside, I was instantly filled with holiday spirit.
There is nothing like a holiday concert, at night, in an old Catholic church.
.

Some of my fondest memories involve midnight/late-night Christmas eve masses from years ago.
(One of these years, I'll talk Mr.4444 and the kids into attending one, instead of going to early mass.)

However you celebrated your holidays this year,
I hope that you, too, have happy memories to last another year or more :)

*For those of you fixated on the word "pasties," click on my link--It's the plural of pasty, not be be confused with the stripper paraphernalia!haha

Friday Fragments, Episode #126

I think this goes without saying, but just in case....I'm talking the rest of the weekend off, in terms of blogging. I look forward to catching up with you next week :) Saturday Sampling will return on New Year's Eve.

***It's only 10pm on Thursday night, and I am already pooped! I wrapped for two hours tonight and still have decorating to do! 

***Last week, I offered to babysit a three-year-old boy who doesn't know me at all and isn't used to authoritative adults. When I turned off his tv after his snack before bed, he said, "No!"  Undaunted, I reminded him that it was time for him to get ready for bed, so he took me by the hand, led me to the front door, and said, "You go now." (No, I'm not kidding.) LMAO I really love that age...

***It might be a little late to tell you this, but I do not recommend buying anything from The Bradford Exchange. I ordered three things on the 12th of December and am still waiting for one of them. The other two were not of good quality and had to be sent back, resulting in my having to go shopping again for Grandma 4444.

***Merry Christmas to you. I hope this finds you well, happy, and enjoying a little vacation. I have the next nine days off, and I look forward to catching up with you in the next week :) 

Here's the linky for you diehard Friday Fragmenters! :)

Heard in the Classroom

We've heard some doozies in our team-taught classroom lately. 

(Mrs. K and I teach a combination of regular and special education students.) 

I'm only going to share three of them, but believe me,

I could write a book.


We were labeling the parts of the human heart in science class.
We'd learned them the day before, so it should have been a review.

"Who can tell me the name of the ..."

"The right terrarium?"

"Um, that's actually 'the right atrium," but thank you."

"Please turn in your poster that's due today."

Ethan approaches me, wide-eyed and obviously stressed.

"Mrs.4444, I couldn't find my poster; I looked behind my cubby and couldn't find it there, either."

Because this was not my first trip to town, I cut to the chase,
"Did you actually do the assignment?"

"No."

"Well, then. There's your answer to where your poster is, Ethan."

"Okay."
(And he returns to his desk.)

I didn't actually hear this one, unless you count hearing myself talk. 

It was in response to something I had seen while teaching the whole group. 

A little later, in a computer lab, I privately called the student over.

Holly, a few minutes ago, I noticed that you picked your nose and wiped it underneath your desk.

*blink*

You'll need to go back to the classroom and take care of wiping that off. 

In the future please use a tissue to wipe your nose.

*blink*

That one took place a couple of weeks ago, and during our Human Body lesson today, 

Mrs. K let me demonstrate this often-used "tactic" for nose picking in the classroom.  

[A student was kind enough to model it for this blog photo. Thanks, Kiddo!]

Believe it or not, every year, we have two or three kids 

who actually think that when they do this, no one knows what's going on.

 

And last (but certainly not least) we have been working on a fun project that will require students to write sincere thank you letters to each other for "Useless" gifts they receive in a nonsense gift-exchange. 

Today, Candy raised her hand and asked,

"When do we have to bring in the gay gift?"

"Whaaat??"

"The gay gift. When do we have to bring that in?"

"Do you mean the the gag gift?"

"What?! What's a gag gift?"

I laughed until I cried...

Divider image borrowed from Sticky and Stubby Ideas.

Christmas Card FAIL

 [Photo courtesy of Awkward Family Photos]

The only time I like to send Christmas cards is when I have a family photo for them, which I do not this year, so that's why I won't be sending any this year. I enjoy receiving photo cards very much. I think the photo-less cards with only a signature, though, are a waste of my money (sorry!) and are not necessary today, what with Facebook, blogs, email, etc.  (Though I suppose they help the post office stay in business.) 

I also enjoy the Christmas letters (though I've only written one in my life, the year we lost two Great Grandma Florence and Grandpa 4444).  There is nothing I could possibly write in a holiday card that you and my family, neighbors, etc. don't already know about us.  Yes, some of you old farts traditionalists will always enjoy sending the paper cards with just a signature (no offense to old farts--you know I'm just teasin' you), and I understand that completely; it's just not my thing.  Anyway...

I have an idea that I would love....a website from which you could send digital photo or video Christmas greetings to friends.  They could also send them to you, and the site would host all of the "cards" you receive and allow you to make a digital slideshow of the greetings you receive. That slideshow could take center stage on a laptop, on a coffee table, where everyone could enjoy it (probably even moreso than the typical Christmas card display.) I'm just putting this out here because if such a site exists, I'd like to know about it. If it doesn't, I'll get right on that.

Just kidding. You go right ahead.

5 days and counting...

In the Final Stretch!

Guess who's home for the holidays?

I ignored the laundry and instead went to the best Christmas concert I've ever attended, in a gorgeous, old, Catholic church, in Tinytown. We are incredibly lucky to have such a talented band director (A year from now, they're going to march in the Rose Parade again!)  The choir's Pie Jesu brought me to tears. What a wonderful night.

Lights on the tree...Check! (Finally. Don't ask about the ornaments.)
Presents purchased... (What presents? I still don't even have a list.)
Christmas cards sent?... Christmas cards in 2010 are for diehards only. I am not a diehard. If you sent a card to me, thank you very much!  I guess this means I'm off your list for next year :(

Saturday Sampling, December 18th, 2010

I don't have my shopping done. I don't even know what I have left to do, because I haven't even started a list yet!  A live Christmas tree stands before me, begging to be dressed with lights (and all the rest). Rather than burdens, though, I see these activities as gifts; I do love the holidays and all the trappings.  Let's consider this post a stocking waiting to be stuffed!  I look forward to reading the gifts that you have to share...

Fill away! [If this is your first Saturday Sampling post, please click on tab above to read the particulars.]

Friday Fragments, Episode #125

If you're like me, your head is spinning these days, and all you have in your mind is fragments. Here's the place to spew them! (Click on the FF tab above to learn more about FF.)

***Unknown Mami was my Favorite Friday Fragmenter last week....

I am a brilliant typo-ist!!! I was leaving a comment on a blog and meant to write “perspective”, but my fingers typed “peerspective”. Tell me that shouldn’t be a word?! Come on, you know it should! Sometimes the outlook or our peers, their peerspective, affects our perspective. It’s definitely worthy of being considered as an entry to the dictionary.

I agree, U.M.  You are brilliant! The award is yours (again).

***If you haven't seen the 19 Unusual Gifts No One Wants for Christmas, I highly recommended you check it out. I laughed (out loud) a lot.

***Speaking of laughing out loud, I hope you watched Cats Playing Patty-Cake video I posted on Monday. Even if you hate cats, you will laugh. 

***I keep having random hiccups--Just one at a time, once or twice per day, and they are really loud.  I don't feel them coming. They aren't normal hiccups--it's always just one loud one (and when I say loud, I'm not kidding. Mr.4444 isn't a fan). What is this?

***In case you missed it, the lucky winners of my CSNStores giveaway were:
$100 Pam, of The Journey Leads Home
$50 Dee
Happy Shopping, Ladies!

***I took Difference Maker students out tonight on a Ding-Dong-Decorate-and-Ditch outing, and we had a ball. Afterwards, I took them back to my classroom for homemade hot chocolate!  (I'll post the recipe on Mrs.4444 Cooks this weekend.)
Finally, if you arrived here at the usual time and found no FF, I apologize--I was falling asleep on the couch of Aerie (store in the mall) with Kendall in the dressing room, trying on stuff. We just got home (for the first time all day), and it is late!

***Okay, now it's your turn. Have at 'er! (Friday Fragment posts only, please. Others will be reported to the Better Blogging Bureau.)

Thousand Words Thursday

Thousand Words Thursday is a weekly photo post that invites bloggers to post pictures that "say a thousand words." It's the baby (albeit the abandoned baby, hinthint, Jen!) of The Mom Jen, of Cheaper Than Therapy.

Dave, of 42 North, enjoyed my Sundays in My City, Blizzard Edition post so much that he had a little fun with it, and I love it:

Thanks, Dave. (I think.)

I Might Have Missed My Calling

I noticed him right away, when I approached the grocery store door and saw him standing outside; not smoking, no cart, just standing there, noticing me.  I didn't think much of it at the time and simply went inside to grab a cart. As I steered the cart over the stupid brick-tiled floor towards the soda cases, I noticed the guy (heretofore nicknamed "Sneaky Pete") again; this time, ahead of me.   I watched as Sneaky Pete went around behind the stack of soda cases and stopped. As I drew near, he stuffed something into his pocket, glanced around, and walked into the bathroom nearby. Suspicious, I walked around to that side of the soda cases and saw an out-of-place shopping basket with products in it. Clearly, Sneaky Pete was up to something!  Had he come inside to retrieve something from his stashed basket, only to hide it better in the restroom?

I went to get a store employee. The first two I approached could not help me, but the third called someone, and while I waited, I saw Sneaky Pete come out of the bathroom and disappear into the store aisles.  The employee who came to address me walked with me back to the soda area as I explained,

"He just looks really shifty; I saw him out front, first, kind of loitering.  Then he came inside, and I saw him put something in his pocket and then look around before he went into the bathroom.  He has a grocery basket stashed over there, too."

When we there, I didn't see Sneaky Pete and I saw that the shopping basket was no longer there. Apparently, he had decided to load up some more!   The store employee asked me what Sneaky Pete was wearing, and I told him (jeans, a dark zip-up sweatshirt, dark-colored knit cap.)  I told him I would just continue shopping and would call the store number if I saw Pete again. He asked me to first share my story with Security, who we then waited for.

A moment later, the staff member said, "Here he comes...."

And guess who walked up?  (I'll give you a hint--He was wearing jeans, a dark zip-up sweatshirt, dark-colored knit cap.)

Sneaky Pete (basket and all)!


I guess I should have named him Not-So-Sneaky Pete!

(Boy, was he embarrassed.)

Open Mouth, Insert Cookie

Among my Grandma Draeger’s well-loved Christmas cookies was a beautiful marzipan-ish “Strawberry” cookie. They were adorable; lovingly hand-shaped exactly like real strawberries, rolled in red sugar, and even topped with tiny “stems.” Waxing nostalgic one year, when Mr.4444 and I lived in upstate New York, I decided to make the cookies for a Christmas party we were attending. I somehow got the recipe (Grandma had long ago passed away) and started “cooking.”

I don’t remember a lot about the recipe, except that it involved sweetened condensed milk, coconut, and pink Jell-o powder and that no baking was involved. I made the adorable strawberries and painstakingly hand-painted the tiny slivered almond stems with a mini-paintbrush. Having wrapped them up on a colorful Christmas plate, I cheerfully presented my offering to my hostess when we arrived, and they were added to the Christmas bounty on the kitchen table. Grandma would have been proud!

An hour or so later, standing midst of the holiday chatter at the kitchen table, I watched as a party guest who was unknown to me (I later learned his name was Bill) chose one of my strawberry treats and took a bite. Before I could chirp, “I made those myself!” he coughed it back out and exclaimed, “Oh man! These things suck! Whoever made these needs to get fired.” (He was assuming that the cookies had come from a grocery store bakery as part of a sampler platter.)

By this time of the night, I had shared my holiday Christmas cookie memories (and the strawberry history) with others around the table, including Bill’s wife, Sue. Unfortunately for Bill, he had not been privy to the conversation. An awkward silence engulfed us, no one daring to look my way. Bill continued,

“Seriously, those things taste like cardboard!”

Some guests started to laugh uncomfortably, and I just laughed because it was funny; he had no idea I had made the cookies, and he was making a fool of himself! I laughed til I cried, some guests appeared relieved that I could laugh. Poor Bill took the laughter for encouragement. Reveling in the fact that all eyes were on him, he continued his stand-up act,

“If I wanted to eat wax, I would have grabbed a candle!”

We were all laughing hysterically at this point; Bill was in his glory. Unable to endure the embarrassment a moment longer, Sue interrupted sternly, “Bill! Barb made those cookies!”

I have never in my life seen a man turn more shades of red. Bill looked like he was going to choke to death. He got up from the table and escaped into the garage, muttering “Sorry…” on his way out. He did not come back in again, and when I went out later, he apologized profusely, tripping all over himself in the process. I felt so sorry for him, because I truly was not offended; the cookies were dear to me, and nothing he said changed that. Plus, the spectacle he made had really been quite entertaining (and is memorable today, obviously, 15 years later!) “It’s really okay,” I assured him, but he was still mortified. Later that year, at another gathering at same house, Bill avoided me like the plague.

I can’t say that I’ve made the cookies since, but it isn’t out of anything other than the fact that I, too, realized that while they were beautiful, they just tasted okay to me. It was the memories that they stirred which made me enjoy them. I may never make the strawberry cookies again, but I will always smile when I remember the story of Bill at the Christmas party.

Hopefully, Grandma is smiling, too.


[This post was originally published December 7, 2007]

Patty Cake Cats

This is the best video ever. I got it via Twitter from Larry Ferlazzo, who is worth a gazillion dollars if shared links are worth anything (that man is a goldmine of resources)! I laughed all the way through this video which was captured and then voiced over by a couple of guys who seem like they'd be a lot of fun at a party :)

Sundays in My City, Blizzard Edition

It's cold here in Wisconsin.

And windy.

And snowy.

Only those who know life this far north (Wisconsin, not the Arctic. Well, the Arctic, too, I suppose)
know why this tree has a patch of snow on it...

[Wait. They might not have trees in the Arctic. I guess we should be grateful.]

Only Northerners know what this is like...

Don't pity him--He actually loves it. See?

Don't worry about his eye; it's not usually half-shut. It's just from having snow blown into it at 50mph.

And now, a silly video for you...

Visit Unknown Mami to check the weather elsewhere!haha

Oh, and P.S. The tree is like that from the snowblower blowing snow at it :)

Saturday Sampling

I'm so looking forward to catching up with some great posts this week. Saturday Sampling is your chance to link up your favorites (one from you, and as many as you like of others) and sit back an enjoy the bounty.  [If you're new to SS, please click on the tab above to read the specifics.]   Enjoy!

Friday Fragments, Episode #124

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, "Heard" items, and other small gems (hint: a notebook is helpful :) and put them together in a Friday Fragments post. Anyone will tell you that fragging is one of the easiest, most satisfying posts to write! First time fragging? Please read the specifics here.

As I write this week's fragments, a beautiful blanket of snow covers Northeast Wisconsin. If it's going to be cold, I'd rather have snow to at least make it pretty. Cooper sure loves the snow! I'm just glad any stray deer carcasses in the woods will soon be buried.

I attended a conference this week in the Wisconsin Dells (no, I did not partake in any of the waterparks). It was productive, and I plan to share some things I learned with you next week.  The drive home in our first real snow of the season took two extra hours, and I'm grateful to finally be home.

My $100 CSN Stores Giveaway is open until Sunday night at midnight. You don't need a blog to enter, either, so be sure to enter, here.  The $50 Giveaway is over at Mrs.4444 Cooks, so check that out, too!

Wondering what gift you can give your child's teacher? I really mean it when I say that the best gift you can give your child's teacher is to do your part as a parent; that's more than enough. If you still feel a need to offer something, write a heartfelt note, wishing him/her a happy, relaxing Christmas.  Still insisting on a gift? A big pack of pencils or a bottle of hand sanitizer this time of year is a welcome contribution to any classroom.

Yes, I'm sorry, but I did turn Word Verification on, because I just couldn't take the 10-15 spam comments I was getting every single day, and I wanted my Anonymous cousin, Lisa, to be able to comment without a Google account. So, if you hate it, complain to Lisa!haha  It's really just temporary (the WV thing). I just wanted to take a vacation from the spam for a week or so; I plan to turn it back off soon.

Jene, of The Original Bean was my Favorite Friday Fragmenter this week. She offered up some analysis about how people eat their gingerbread men, and she ended it with this personal revelation:
I don't eat gingerbread people, or anything shaped like any living thing, so what does that make me? I guess crazy, because I've been that way since I was 3, when (according to the lore of Original Bean) I cried because I didn't want to eat a chocolate bunny at easter. It made me too sad. OCD! Whee!

Poor thing. Jene, the award is yours :)

Random quote from Kendall, who came into the livingroom and said, "I love and look up to Kyle soooo much, I can't even put it into words."  How sweet is that?!  We're all looking forward to Kyle coming home from college next week :)

Alrighty then. Now it's your turn to share your frags and meet some new friends. Link away! (Remember, Santa's watching; if you don't bother to actually read the post and just link up a random post from your blog, you will get coal in your stocking and your link will be deleted.)