The First Day of School

Today was day 11 but I found a few pictures on my phone of the first day of school this year so here we go... 

Click HERE to see the Back to School Blessing. 

Click HERE to see the Night Before Sophomore Year. 

Click HERE to see You're In the Right Place Part 2 (bringing Anna to college for her sophomore year) 

Click HERE to see Day Three in the Classroom. 

So much 'back to school', right?! But it wouldn't be complete without a quick picture of Abigail moments before I dropped her off at her high school on the first day (and then zipped over to my school) 

And here I am in my classroom so excited, nervous, all of the emotions even after all these years! 

This is my awesome team that I get to work with every day: Amy and Brian - we have so much fun! They make me laugh. They let me be me. They share ideas, inspire, and are good good friends! 

Here is a picture of Anna on her first day - she always sends us her outfit! 

And Scott -- I asked him to take a picture of him at his school but didn't get one, one of these years I will :) 

 

Repost From a Weekend in September 2013

Raising Gratefulness

I remember it clearly. It was Anna's first thank you cards. 

It was the first week after her First Holy Communion. She had a little pile of sweet gifts given to her at her party. We took all of those little statues, prayer boxes, rosary books, and all of the cards. We lined them up on the living room mantle - one gift after another. 

And then every day after school Anna sat at my desk (my Bible desk) in the living room and I handed her a thank you card. I had them made to match the invitations. They had her name engraved in them and she loved them, me too. And my second grade Anna wrote one thank you card a day. She could use any pen she wanted and when she was one with one each day we took that little gift that she just wrote a thank you card for off the mantle and went to her room to find a very special spot for it. 

I remember it like it was this week. (I wish it was this week) 

Who knew back then that my girl at nineteen would be writing thank you cards to me for visiting her in college for dinner? 

I am grateful that I taught Anna a thankfulness and a was to show gratitude because now I am the one blessed. 

Just this week I got a card in the mail that was the sweetest ever. 

Anna has always taken time to take out a card and thank others. The cards she's written me are usually tucked on my pillow at night over the years. And I've saved each one in a box. They are treasures to me. Now those cards come in the mail and they are just as much treasures that delight my soul. 

I do love how this growing up has glimpses of little Anna still there. And of course glimpses of what I nurtured in her. And for that I am grateful. 

Our Class Is a Family

We spend a lot of time in the beginning of the school year working on creating a classroom environment that "feels like home" and where the people in our classroom "feels like a family". I actually just took this bulletin board down (wow -- I'm on a roll this year -- already on our second bulletin board in the hallway) and I hung these permanently in our classroom because we are a classroom family. I love these drawn portraits so much -- they make me smile every day. 

A Quick Visit to Anna

You know I want to post more fall. 

I really wanted my next post to be Fall in our Living Room 

It's almost ready... but just not quite... not quite done with the mantle and a few other little things and then I need to take a few pictures of it for here. 

I'm sure I can do that this weekend. 

I am really looking forward to Friday (tomorrow, yea) so I can walk into our cozy fall home and rest. This weekend does have a few things but I choose to rest my mind in each part and to really feel rest when I can be home. 

Because I have to wait on the living room -- I think I'll share a tiny bit of our weekend last weekend. We got to go up for a little bit to hug our college girl, to take her out to dinner, and get some warm cookies, and see her room. 

It was amazing to hug her and my mama's heart was so full and blessed. How I love Anna! 

Fall in the Kitchen

"Oh Marilla, looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them, exclaimed Anne." Anne of Green Gables ~ L.M. Montgomery

Decorating early helps me look forward to all of the goodness of the season. 

Yes, yes, yes, I love my little kitchen. I love to cook and bake and talk and be with my family in here. And I really love to decorate it for the fall. 

Here is what I did for the fall this year in the kitchen: 

💛 New check curtains at the kitchen window. They are a lighter fabric that I had up there before and I'm really enjoying them

💛 New natural colored check skink skirt from one of my favorite stores on the planet: The Vermont Country Store. We've been there a few times and I love it so

💛In one little vignette I put together an ironstone plate and four little candy apples... reminding me that fall fairs are coming soon! 

I love to create little scenes in my kitchen (well everywhere, really)! It is something lovely to look at when I am cooking, sweeping, wiping counters. It rings joybells in my heart! 💞

💛I have all of my fall mugs on the mug rack. Some are Susan Branch china ones, and some are from thrift stores. I especially adore ones that are heavy lately with the words "made in England" on the bottom. Makes my heart happy to drink tea from a special mug every morning -- and the older the better! 

💛 I have another little happy scene on the other end of the kitchen on a chippy, old, white stool. I put all of my favorite fall cookbooks with a lovely new (new to me, but old) tea cup and a basket of apples! 

💛I added a fall a painting this year I found for $12... yes I did! And I love it for September and October! 

💛 My baking center has all of the fall table cloths and an antique basket filled with little white pumpkins! I think pumpkins are adorable! 

💛 To top it all off is a pumpkin pie on my pie cooling window! 

Want to see it all? Here you goooooooo!

"When she crossed the bridge over the brook the kitchen light of Green Gables winked her a friendly welcome back, nd though the open door shone the hearth fire, sending out its warm red glow athwart the chilly autumn night. Anne ran blithely up the hill and into the kitchen, where a hot supper was waiting on the table." Anne of Green Gables ~ L.M. Montomery