Single Mom for a Week

My husband is gone to training for a week leaving me alone with 2 seven year boys all by myself! They are sweet boys but they are ALL boy! I went with them to karate class today since the teacher told me that they had been a little wild with each other the past few weeks. They were not happy that mama was there keeping an eye on them. At least today they both got a smiley face from school. Last week, one if not both of them, had bad reports from school. Nikolai had the nerve to "hop 2 times in the hallway"! Imagine that!! The nerve of the boy hopping like a rabbit! I'm sorry, but I think that is funny. I did tell him not to hop again inside the building but I could think of worse animals to imitate! At least he was not slithering like a snake in the hallway.

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek “and almost always achieve" a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Flowers from the heart

Deniska brought this bouquet of daffodils to me this afternoon. He picked them from our yard, along side the road, and from my mother's house. He said he wanted to pick 200 flowers for me! He really, really LOVES his mama. They are a lovely addition to my kitchen table. Wasn't that sweet of him to pick flowers for his mama? I'm a lucky girl!!

Valentine gift from my friend

How lovely to come home today and find a package all the way from England. My friend, Maisie, had sent me a Valentine's Day gift package. She sent me:

a manicure set (pink & black - love it!!)
a travel brush/mirror (I've never seen anything like this!)
a scarf (which I love!)
a red pen with a fuzzy heart (can't wait to use this!)
some candy and washcloths for the boys! (how very thoughtful!)
a gingerbread magnet (cute!!)
soap(smells so good!)

I loved all the items. She very thoughtfully included some items for Deniska and Nikolai. They can't wait to take a bath tonight to use their washcloths! Two things that I was fascinated with was the miniature manicure set and the travel brush and mirror. How very cute they are. I am showing a close up of these two items below.

As you can see, the brush folds up but then becomes a full size brush. The manicure set have the neatest design of pink and black. Who doesn't LOVE pink and black??? I'm thinking these colors will keep the male people in my house from using my nail clippers and not returning them for they are banned from these! Thank you Maisie!!!!!!!

Boys will be boys!

Today, I received this email from Nikolai's teacher:

"I just wanted to let you know that today at recess, Nikolai was playing pirates with Ismael in our class. From what I gather, they began to play a little too rough and Nikolai fell down with Ismael falling on top of him. When Nikolai tried to get up, his head hit Ismael on the chin and caused Ismael to bite a nice sized hole in his tongue. Ismael seems to be fine, his mother came to pick him up and she was going to take him to the doctor to have it checked. I was not at recess today because I did not have duty, but Mrs. Durham said that it was an accident and she talked to Nikolai about playing too rough. I will talk with Ismael tomorrow about the proper ways to play at recess as well. I just wanted you to know what happened in case Deniska or Nikolai told you about it."

I am glad that neither boy was injured. Nikolai is still having a hard time adjusting to American life. He comes from such a different culture - not bad, just different. Keep him in your prayers for social awareness and understanding. Oh, and that pirates will stay far away!!!

Seven Things

My internet friend Tammy has tagged me to post seven things about myself. Here's how this works:

1. When tagged, place the name of the person and URL on your blog
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 7 things about yourself
4. Name 7 of your favorite weblogs
5. Send an e-mail letting those bloggers know they have been tagged

Now, one would think that seven things to share would not be a problem, but when faced with the challenge to do so, it becomes challenging to decide what to share.

1. I did not marry until I was 39. I think everyone had given me up to be an old maid school teacher. I married a man who had never been married and he was 37. We were made for each other and it just took us a long time to find each other. He dated me on a dare from a dear friend of mine. She told him, “Take her out; you don’t have to marry the girl!” Ah, famous last words!!!

2. Due to physical complications, we could not have children and decided that was fine. We enjoyed being married; we traveled, ate out, bought what we wanted, etc… Then, my husband and I decided that perhaps we should adopt. Five years later we now have 2 seven year olds who are the lights of our world. We would not trade them for all the free time (and money) we ever had.

3. Although I had flown in the United States since I was 16, I had never been on a transatlantic or transpacific flight until I was 45. I can now say that I have done both. I have been to Eastern Europe 4 times and to Hawaii once.

4. I love to write grants for work in my spare time. I always enjoy getting free money and I look at it as a challenge to see how much I can get for my school. I usually end up spending the money on other teachers and usually write them for others. To me, the fun is in the writing and receiving, not the spending.

5. I started as a music major in college and switched to a Paranormal Psychology major my sophomore year. I minored in Special Education where I have spent my professional life. I also have a BA in Accounting and Business. I spent 5 years as a CPA and returned to education. Paranormal psychology is my preferred field of interest.

6. I love to create art in many forms – painting, sewing, crafting, drawing, music, etc… I never met an art form that I didn’t like. When I was a young child, I wanted to be a street artist in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have no idea where that dream came from!! I gave that dream up when I was about 10 and realized I would have to move away from my daddy! LOL! My grandmother took an art class from Georgia O’Keefe when grandmother was in college. Grandmother was a talented artist in her own right.

7. By the time I was 5, I could name every tree in the forest and every constellation in the sky. I had read all of John Steinbeck’s works by the time I was 14. I grew up on mythology (Roman and Greek). My daddy read every book I did so we could discuss the books I was reading (including Stephen King!) My dad passed on his love of reading and education to me. By the time I was in the 9th grade, I had read all the books on the banned book list at my local school. I still don’t understand why they were banned.

Now I must tag seven more bloggers:

Maisie at DALZIEL FAMILY
Linda at Life As I Know It
Nancy at A Step At A Time
NeeCee at My Tiggery Life
Joni at Joni's World
Sharon at Sharon Stitches
Kathy at Seasons of Whimzy

Rite of Election

I am sponsoring my friend Terrie as she in the journey to become a Roman Catholic. Last night was the Rite of Election. This year it was held at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. This is a beautiful church and the event was well attended. I was so touched by Monsignor's homily. The jest of it was to live your life as a Christian and you will be set apart for people will see it reflected in your life. I thought how true those words are. I believe St. Francis was the one who said "Preach all the time and when necessary use words!" I just love that quote.

Izzy

Izzy and I made another trip to the vet this past Saturday. We left with $100 more of medicines with the next step being a biopsy of the lower intestines. Where do you draw the line? I love this kitten so very much but can't imagine paying such big dollar amounts on him. Fortunately, he is doing much better on the new meds and seems to be back to himself. This was made after he had his medicine - he was not a happy camper!

Candy boxes

These are a few pictures of the candy boxes I made for Nikolai's classmates on his birthday. We filled them all of Nikolai's favorite candy - Tootsie Rolls, Starburst, Kisses, and a few other pieces that escapes me right now. As you can tell, bugs were the theme!

In all honesty, my friend Gail made the boxes for me at school while I was working on some paperwork that HAD to be finished that day. I don't know WHAT I would do without her to help me! I filled the boxes up that night with the candy while the boys were at religious ed class. I'm a lucky person to have such a good friend like Gail!!