28 Feb 10

February 27

The Mississippi University for Women's Theatre Department presented A Midsummer Night's Dream Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights last week. Bekah Guerry and I are standing in front of the sign.


Kaite's friend, Kelsey Sample, did an excellent job as Puck. The costumes were circa the '60's while the dialogue was Elizabethan. The actors really made the words come alive for the audience; the theatre in the round production was a joy to watch from any of the fours sides that surrounded the stage.

27 Feb 10

Feb 26

The folks at MUW's Education Department host a one day conference every spring semester called TGIF, Teacher's of the Gifted Instructional Forum. This year, in response to participant's requests last year, the W asked Lowndes County School District and the Columbus Municipal School District to each do a one hour presentation on innovative practices in their classrooms. The teachers attending the forum wanted something that they could take home and use!

Here I am sharing a short history of our gifted education program and a unit that the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers at New Hope had created at the beginning of school this year, "Raise the Flag for a New Generation". We studied about Old Glory and how to properly retire the flag as well as about 9/11.

26 Feb 10

When you're married to law enforcement that has keys to many buildings on campus, you can have a private tour of sports buildings and take cool pics of the eagle carpet. :)

February 25

We stretched Lydia's birthday from Saturday morning through Tuesday when they left Columbus around noon; here we are playing Apples to Apples.

25 Feb 10

Feb 24

Ally enjoys her smoothie while visiting with Lydia and Jared after school on Monday.

24 Feb 10

Feb 23

Father and daughter visit at Beans and Cream on Monday.

23 Feb 10

Feb 22

One of the best things about the birthday weekend was seeing friends; Megan Howton Tilley, Bret Vandiver, and Heather Roberts....

22 Feb 10

February 21

For Lydia's Birthday I took 2 family pictures, one silly and the other "normal" and found a three picture frame. In the middle I put the card with the gold gingko leaf on the front. Marianna found some gingko material at Hobby Lobby and we matted it with the material. Here is our creation.

21 Feb 10

Happy Birthday to Me!! :) 

Feb 20

Lydia and Jared came in Saturday morning from Hattiesburg. Lydia had worked until 7am and Jared had worked until 3am. He drove in on 3 hours of sleep while she slept most of the way up! It was a beautiful weekend....60 degrees Saturday and on Lydia's birthday, Sunday.

20 Feb 10

Feb 19

This is a lovely thank you card with a gingko leaf on the front, a gift from Lillian Wade; I sent each senator on the University and College Committee a thank you note, thanking them for all the hard work they do on behalf of the college and university students of Mississippi.

19 Feb 10

Feb 18

In MERIT one of our jobs is to mass screen all the 1st and 2nd graders who go to New Hope Elementary School; then, we take referrals from teachers, parents, and students, too. All of this involves a bunch of paperwork. What you see here is a stack of referral forms from the second grade; we are sending out letters by mail to the parents of these students.

18 Feb 10

Uncle OP is Hannah's favorite toy.

February 17

I teach MERIT, gifted education, with three lovely ladies, Becky Hayes, Becky Kinard, and Michelle Byrd; this is a shot of Becky Kinard, on the phone, and Michelle Byrd, at her desk.

17 Feb 10

Hannah making pizzas. She loves the camera! :)

2-16-10 Shrove Tuesday

We didn't go to a pancake supper, but we did eat quiche. David has widened his culinary horizons and has made three quiches. We cleaned out the leftovers and he created this spinach quiche; it was the best so far!

16 Feb 10

There was a lot of static electricity with the laundry, enough to make this string stand up all by itself. Crazy!

15 February

This is a shot of the dusting we got last night; it was gone very quickly.



On President's Day I did some errands; I went to the Southern Women's Institute and visited Dr. Bridget Pieschel; this is Dr. P in her office.
We had toddlers at the Center for Infants and Parents in Franklin Hall at the same time; David was getting his certification to teach and I was finishing up my undergraduate degree. David and I worked parent hours and worked with her son, Will, when he was in Miss Susan's class! Marianna was a little younger than Will; she was in Miss Marianne's class. I am talking 27 years ago!
The Institute is sponsoring a women's history program on March 2, and I was picking up some flyers to give out at the Teacher's of the Gifted Instructional Forum (TGIF) on February 26.



It was actually snowing when I arrived back home from the W....see the little bit of white on the red car?

15 Feb 10

The beginning of my birthweek. We like to celebrate the week of our birthdays with a big blowout on the day of. Jared kicked off my birthweek by grilling steaks with twice-baked potatoes and cookie cake for dessert. He splurged and got Reese's eggs too. My favorite. :)

14 February Valentines Day and Chinese New Year

We usually give our pharmaceutical business to Shelton's Pharmacy; our friend Denny Rutherford is our neighborhood pharmacist. However, after a week of the flu I went again to the Dr. today with sinus infection symptoms; a shot and prescription later had to go to Walgreens. :(
Denny, I am proud to say, does not open on Sunday. Viral infections decimate the immune system and leave one open to bacterial attack; but I am fighting back!

13 Feb

Kaite's suite-mate and friend, Lacy, from Batesville, came over for lunch...red beans and rice. They adjourned to the couch, along with Lily (you can see her in the middle); a real friend is one with whom you can enjoy reading!

13 Feb 10

I couldn't choose between the blimp or the nachos so today's a double whammy. :)

The "blimp" at the USM v. Rice basketball game. 

A sporting event is not complete without enjoying nachos with jalepenos. Mmmm… :)

12 February 2010

Well, we saw snowflakes. We had several hours on Friday to enjoy the snow coming down; I let my students go out back and play about five minutes before the bell. They were madly scraping snow off of leaves in attempts to get enough to make a snowball to throw!

12 Feb 10

Hannah and Uncle OP, her favorite toy.

11 February 2010

This one is blank cause I am still at home, running fever, and trying to enjoy the break in routine that the flu brings.

11 Feb 10

Third snow of the winter. That's three more than normal.

10 February 2010

When you wait a very long time between oven cleanings it takes a hammer and chisel and a husband with lots of elbow grease.

10 Feb 10

My BFF, Jaime, and me at a Mary Kay party.

9 Fevrier 2010

Can you tell what this is?




On Monday morning I was diagnosed with the flu; my main symptoms were sinus congestion and stopped up ears and nose and fever; I really thought I had a sinus infection.
On Sunday afternoon I was trying everything I could think of to unstop the pipes; hot chicken soup, hot washcloths on the face, hot tea....I even did this hors d'oeuvre in a desperate attempt to unstop.

Turkey bacon and cheese on whole wheat saltine crackers slathered in Chinese hot mustard!

9 Feb 10

I found my new favorite store, The Antique Mall. It has lots and lots and lots of retired Fiestaware which makes me smile. :)

Monday February 8, 2010

Kaite is a full fledged Jester #7!



The Jesters are a two year social club at Mississippi University for Women.

8 Feb 10

My apothecary jars that cost me about $30 to make all three. I had lots of fun making them. I even got to use Gorilla Glue! I want to put coffee beans in one jar and white lima beans in the other. Jared thinks I'm crazy, but what else is new! :)

Super Saint Sunday February 7

Lydia, Jared, David and I enjoyed the Super Bowl together through Skype.

7 Feb 10

"Who dat say dey gonna beat dem SAINTS?" Not those PONIES!! When you live 90 miles from New Orleans, how can you not cheer for the best team this year? :)