Cool Lights - Day 334

Matthew took this picture of our tree lights. See the star in the center?

Thanksgiving, Part 2 - Day 332

Today we had Thanksgiving at my parents' house. My brother does his Thanksgiving at home, the boys always go to Dan's, and we go to Owen's on Thursday. It's great that my parents are flexible and we can spend the day together on Saturday. We had a great dinner and afterward Owen and I went with the boys, Dan, and Deb to see Blindside, which was a great movie.

Circle Cat - Day 331

Snickers had some portraits taken today. I love how circular he is. I also love the smiley face there on his upper shoulder (just above the center of the photo). He's a cool cat!

Thanksgiving - Day 330

Thanksgiving turned out a bit differently than planned. Owen's mom ended up going to the hospital for some heart issues. Thankfully, it was a medication issue, but Sandy missed the feast. She's doing well and got home after the boys and I left.

Robert keep the conversation lively by telling a story. I love his stories!

Senior Photos - Day 329

Angie posted some of Nicholas's second photo shoot from October. I just love these! It's so hard to choose which pictures to get printed.

Close ups - Day 328

Put them all together and you have one great classic car! (Photos by Nicholas)

Wouldn't You Know It - Day 323

Wouldn't you know it...as soon as I posted the dog pictures yesterday (because nothing new was going on other than me being sick), Topaz decided to put on a show. She loves to be up on the railing, high above everyone's head.
But then she tries to catch her tail through the posts, making us worry that she'll fall down a story to the hardwood floor. I guess cats are made to be agile (and stupid), because she hasn't fallen yet!

A Tale of Two Dogs - Day 324

Not really a tale, actually, no tale at all. I just thought it was a fun title. I could've spelled it "tail"...
I don't have any real current pictures so I was looking through some folders. Nicholas took these pictures of my parents' dogs a couple months ago. First Jasper...


Then Chico...

Book Group - Day 319

I started the day with a coffee break with my blog friend Margaret. It was great to get together and commiserate about each others' classes and teaching in general. Then I was off to Book Group. We read Women of the Silk this month. I usually don't read books in this genre, but it was well written and interesting. Judy mentioned that there is a sequel (the book left off seeming like there might be) so I will likely try to read that one.

It's Finished - Day 318

The roofers finished the roof Friday around 4:00. They had given many previous estimates and went over time. Luckily, that didn't matter at all. :) We still need to have the appraiser come out to see that we actually did get the roof replaced so that our refinance can go through so that we can pay for the roof. All this needs to happen before our rate is not locked in anymore. So here are photos with a camera, not a phone like the others (thank you Matthew for getting the others so I could see the progress before I got home and it was too dark).


We also spent too much money for a access cover that had to be altered to fit and is not strong enough to stand on. It is replacing a piece of plywood and will at least be secure and be better at keeping critters from entering underneath the house.

Roof Day 3 - Day 315

Today the weather was just right for working on the roof and the guys got a lot done. They finished tearing off all of the old roof, and got a lot of the new roof on. I'm really liking the color that we chose. It's called Northwest Slate and is algae resistant (has ceramic-coated copper crystals that inhibits the growth of algae). They may even finish up tomorrow.

Roof Day 2 - Day 314

The rain didn't come down as hard and only during the last hour or so today. Still a lot of work to do!

Roof Day 1 - Day 313

Today the guys started on the roof. Matthew took this photo when he got home from school. The rain didn't slow them down too much.

Quite a Day - Day 311

Wow! The thunder and lightning put on quite a show today! Then came the hail.


Owen took out our oven and microwave. They don't make many combo units like we had, so we have to hire an electrician to put in a plug for a microwave and Owen will build a shelf above the oven for it to sit on. I'll be without an oven for a while...we haven't picked out a new one yet.

Tonight we went to Jazz Alley to see Euge Groove. The show was great! He is a very fun musician and the whole band was having so much fun. I want to see him again when he comes back around.

Playoff Game - Day 310

Well, the football team has been undefeated this season and are playing their first playoff game. Matthew sent me this picture and Nicholas said that the score so far was 21-14 Curtis. Hopefully they keep up the winning streak! I thought of going, but didn't want to get totally drenched.

Instead, Owen and I did a mystery shop at a taco fast food restaurant. The shop was "unsuccessful", but we still had a good meal. I took a picture of the menu so I could answer my required questions online.

Changes - Day 307

Today I got a new student...a new student with issues. I lost a student on Friday and this was not a fair trade. We had a very tough day, the other kids looked at him like he was crazy to not follow directions and blurt out and get up and walk around during lessons. I don't think he had much fun, due to the fact that I spent most of the day patiently (almost) telling him "the rules" and to watch how the other kids were behaving and take a clue (I said it nicer than that...today). And this is my group that I've been complaining about not being able to follow directions or listen. He makes them look like amateur problem kids.

Maybe if I stay home and go down to the creek (photo by Nicholas)...oh, wait, I was off on Monday. Guess I can't do that...

Take Over - Day 305

Zoey and Topaz have been allowed into Snickers' room (Owen's and mine, actually) and have taken over Snickers' special sleeping area. Zoey has chosen the purple pillow, and Topaz has taken over the round kitty basket.
Snickers did come in and chase the others away, reclaiming his purple pillow, but that didn't last long since he really wasn't ready for a nap, especially with two whippersnappers running around "his" room.

But aren't they sweet?