Monday, September 5, 2011

I must be getting excited...

I can't sleep.  It's 2:00 a.m. and I haven't been asleep yet.  I keep thinking about school starting, and meeting my new class, and things I want to do, and well, I can't sleep.  So I'll do a little blog post and then try to rest again.

I finished painting my $2.00 oil painting frame, and I am really happy with it.  It's the first time I tried this technique and it turned out pretty good I think.  Wendy was the first to suggest this idea when I asked for ideas a couple of posts ago, so thanks, Wendy - and Dee and Annie for backing her up!  I liked the sound of the stain idea that you other folks suggested, so I have that on stand-by for my next project.  So thank you to everyone, really - I was so appreciative that people gave such great ideas.

Here's a close-up of what it looks like now:

I hung it up at school and I love it there right by the door to my classroom.

The squares on the door will have pictures of the students as soon as I can get them taken and printed.  I have done that for the past several years and the kiddos all love looking at them.

My classroom is about 90% ready.  I have two cupboards I would still like to clean and organize but that might have to wait - the students start on Wednesday!  One thing I did accomplish that I am very happy about is finally sorting all of my books.  I'll take pictures of that and share it later.  I'm pretty proud of it to tell the truth. :)  I think you'll understand when you see the pictures...

Mark took me for a little day trip get-away last Wednesday and we went to Presque Isle near Erie, PA.  What a lovely, lovely spot to spend a day (or longer).  It is a Pennsylvania State Park location, and it is really clean, with lots of walking (or bike riding) paths to go on, as well as a nice stretch of beach.  That's where we spent most of our time - walking and collecting little beach rocks.  The PA schools are back in session, so it was pretty quiet when we were there.  Here are some shots of what we saw while we were there:



I think there were three lighthouses you can see on the island.
This one you could see from the road  and also from the beach.
We walked up to the fence to get this picture.
There were several markers for the historical sites in the park.
I loved this one because I wanted to know
why Mr. McAllister only lasted 8 days.
There is a welcome center which we didn't visit.
I'll bet I can find a book that tells me.  Next time...
Nice stretch of beach for walking.
As you can see it was an overcast day,
which made it very comfortable for strolling.

We loved this little cove/inlet section where there were several houseboats.
You can only get to your houseboat by boat.  Loved that.
Mark wanted a picture of us.
I will never be a glamorous person.  Sigh.
Well, maybe I can sleep a little if I try again now.
I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day and start to September.  Cooler temperatures are on the way to Western New York which means it's definitely time to start my Fall decorating.  I had to laugh because today Mark looked up at the fireplace mantle and said, "I like what you have going there."  (It's all patriotic themed stuff.)  Well gee, it's been like that for most of the summer and I'm about to change the whole thing so thanks?  Cracked me up.  At least he noticed at all, right?  ;)
Have a great day wherever you are!
Melissa