Coming Soon......

Wow, the last day of August!!!!  Time just seems to fly by these days and tomorrow begins September...can you believe it???  So what does Biker Blues and BBQ have to do with this, you ask??  Well, the first Biker Blues and BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic is coming up September 23rd-24th at Tilley's Harley-Davidson in Salisbury and I wanted to give you a heads-up about this event so you can put it on your calendar.

My friend, Gary,
is the event organizer and he needs everyone to head on over to this event in September.  Doesn't matter if you are a motorcycle rider, a motorcycle lover or just like to have fun on the weekends....this event is for the whole family.  There will be a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned Cook-Off, Hot Air Balloon Rides, a Kids Corner, vendors, a Poker Run, a Bike Show, music...just a whole lot of things going on at this event.

Want to know more???  Okay, well just click this link: Biker Blues and BBQ Rally and find out all kinds of information.  You can get up-to-date information on Facebook: Biker Blues and BBQ Rally.

So...........SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!

Adding To My Resume!!!

Yes, I am retired but it never hurts to add skills to my resume.  I can now add Professional Milk Carton Opener, Salad Dressing Packet Cutter and Utensil Carrier!  What, you question my new skills?  I do possess those skills and yesterday I had the opportunity to put those skills to work at a local elementary school for Pre-K and Kindergarten students.

For over 2 hours I helped the little ones open all those items (it was only their 3rd day of school)!  It takes skill to help over 350 little ones and I loved every minute of it.  I did have help...Apple Bear and Leo Lion went with me (not to mention two other ladies who were volunteering...thank goodness)!  I do believe I am now qualified for these new jobs and so...off I go to update my resume!!  :-)

I didn't get to take photos showing my new skills....I was way too busy!!!!

Neither Wind Nor Rain....

Remember those flowers I gathered in Heigh-Ho To The Mountains We Go?  Well, here is what we did with them:

 By no means are we florist...we just had fun creating centerpieces for an engagement party we hosted on Saturday.  With a hurricane battering the coast 3 hours from us, we had some frustrating moments as we tried to get these done along with setting up tables/chairs, etc.  Clouds loomed in the sky all day, gusty winds whipped around us and we even had a couple of rain showers.  Even with the weather as fickle as it was, we managed to set up this outdoor area:

 Finally, later in the evening, we were able to enjoy a Lakeside Supper (with no rain nor wind) to celebrate the engagement of one of my former Kindergarten students!!!! (talk about feeling old...lol!)  Congratulations Jon E and Lisa!!

A To Z About Me!!!

Get to know a little about me!!

A. Age :: Seriously? That's the first question? Ok, I'm almost 58 years young.
B. Baked good preference:: Pastry.

C. Chore I hate :: Dusting, it's pointless at times!

D. Dogs :: None at this point but I use to have them.

E. Essential start to my day :: COFFEE

F. Favorite color :: It's red followed by purple.

G. Gold or silver :: I like both but lately it's more silver.

H. Height :: 5'2", oh so tall am I.

I. Instruments I play :: Absolutely none; I use to play the violin long, long ago!

J. Job title :: I haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up especially since I retired in January (school administrator)!!!

K. Kids ::Two daughters; nicknames are Prissy and Bman.

L. Live :: Beautiful state of North Carolina.

M. Marriage :: In December it will be 38 years to Harley Man.

N. Nicknames :: Chili Pepper or Deb.

O. Overnight hospital stays :: Births of my daughters; blood clot; plus a surgery I had a couple of years ago.

P. Pet peeve :: Rude people!

Q. Quote :: Oh, there are just too many to list but I say this all the time as advice: "Pick your battles".

R. Righty or lefty :: Righty.

S. Siblings ::  One younger brother, nicknamed Bubba.

T. Time I wake up :: 6 a.m.

U. University attended ::  UNC-G and Gardner-Webb

V. Vegetables I dislike: Not fond of Brussel sprouts.

W. What makes me run late :: Oh, I can't ever run late...I'm always early.

X. X-rays I’ve had :: Quite a few.

Y. Yummy food :: Lobster and dark chocolate. (not together)

Z. Zoo animal favorite :: Bears of any type...I love bears!!!!  Especially stuffed teddy bears!!

Heigh-Ho To The Mountains We Go!!

Yesterday, two friends and I traveled here

Mountains near Morganton, NC

to gather these (and more) at a friend's mountain home

to make flower arrangements for a Lakeside Supper we are hosting this weekend!

When all the flower gathering was done, we gathered these

for an afternoon treat!!!

Ahhh, I love the mountains!!

Eat More Shrimp!!

When my family goes to the beach we take turns cooking an evening meal (cook's choice) for all to enjoy.  We've found over the years eating out in restaurants at the beach can be expensive and we are usually disappointed in the quality of the meal!  So a new tradition was born and we love it!!  This year Bman made Spaghetti for all of us; I made Chicken and Rice Casserole; Harley Man did Shrimp and Crab Legs and Prissy made Meatloaf.  Yummmmm!!!  Of course we had other things to go along with the meal...these were the main entrees and not a drop was left by the end of the week.

The evening we had Harley Man's shrimp (I think he bought 10 pounds!!!) there were leftovers.  So Prissy and I searched for a very easy Shrimp Salad recipe (we were trying to use only ingredients we had on hand since we didn't want to bring lots of food back with us) to make use of the leftovers.  We found a delicious, easy recipe...just what we needed to tempt everyone to "Eat More Shrimp"!!  Lol!  Needless to say...it was gone in a heartbeat the next day!!

Shrimp Salad                                                     

Serve this shrimp salad on romaine lettuce with tomato slices or avocado slices.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked shrimp, halved lengthwise and chilled
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 tablespoon finely minced onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine lettuce or mixed greens
• thinly sliced tomatoes
• avocado slices, optional
• cherry tomato slices, optional

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix shrimp with celery, onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for several hours.  Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce and thinly sliced tomatoes or mixed greens. Garnish with avocado slices or cherry tomato.

Do you have a favorite shrimp recipe??

Reading With Beanie Babies????

Never one to stop checking out new reading ideas for children, I came across an article at Real Classroom Ideas not too long ago and I think it is absolutely genius!!!  Beanie Babies have been around forever and some very creative person put them to great use in teaching decoding and reading strategies to students in Kindergarten and First Grade.  I couldn't wait to share the idea with my teacher friends....so here's the article!!! This would make a great Donor's Choose project!!! Let me know what you think and if you decide to try this, please keep me updated!!!!

Beanie Baby Strategies

(taken from Real Classroom Ideas)

I absolutely love this idea. Collect the following beanie babies from friends and garage sales, or visit Sprout for a great selection. Create a bulletin board using the following posters, pass out the bookmarks and use the animal examples in your reading workshops. I'm collecting several of each animal, so students can take the animals back to their reading area when they are practicing the strategy as a reminder of what needs to be done. Love it!
The best place to find the beanies are at garage sales. I picked up four this weekend for a quarter a piece.
Decoding Strategies Overview Poster
Decoding Strategies Posters
Decoding Strategies Bookmarks
Comprehension Strategies Posters
Comprehension Strategies Bookmarks

 

Box Labels- I picked up 14 small, stackable crates at Walmart the other day to store my beanies in. Each crate holds about 5 beanies, and they were 97 cents each.
Decoding Labels
Comprehension Labels

 

Decoding Beanies: 

Stretchy Snake

Chunky Monkey

Helpful Kangaroo

Lips the Fish

Tryin' Lion

Skippy the Frog  

Eagle Eye          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Comprehension Beanies:
Spinner Spider
Questioning Owl
Rocky Raccoon
Digger Dog
Iggy the Inferring Iguana
Jabber the Reteller (Parrot)
Fix-Up Bear

I also found some other links that would be useful.  Here is a video of how the decoding strategies are used: http://www.schooltube.com/video/63f59fca8170d60cb8b8/Reading-Strategies-First-Grade. 
There is also a Second Grade teacher who uses Beanie Babies totally for comprehenion and writing strategies.  Her list is different from the one above and she has a site to buy the posters she uses; I added her link because some Second Grade teachers might be interested: https://www.teacherweb.com/FL/SextonElementarySchool/MissLak/apt8.aspx.

Stock up on reading strategy beanie babies at Amazon.com or SproutClassrooms.com!

'R' for reading, of course! ;)

I'm Back!!!!!

Yep, I'm back from a wonderful week at Topsail Beach!!!  Prissy and her family, Bman, Harley Man and I went for a relaxing week in the sun, sand and surf.  We decided this vacation would totally be for relaxing so we didn't do excursions to various places...nope, we spent our time under a tent on the beach reading, soaking up the sun and playing in the water!!!  It was awesome!!


I managed to read three books while lounging on the sand and I was in heaven!!  If you haven't read any of the Sarah Addison Allen books yet, you are missing out on some delightful stories!  Prissy and Bman read them as well and were hooked by the first book!

So, I'll be back this week with my posts.  I have an exciting idea I read about for K and 1st grade teachers using Beanie Babies, some more info about our vacation, a recipe or two to share with you and more.  Hope you'll stop by this week and leave a comment or two!  I'd love to hear from you.

I Pledge To Be Nice On The Bloggy Playground!

I love this pledge.  I was visiting a new found blog friend and found this post.  I am taking the pledge!!  So all credit goes to Mccormick Madness for this wonderful blogger pledge!!!!

(I received her permission to add the pledge to my posts)

I Pledge:

1) I will not visit a blog and leave a comment without reading the actual post. If I don’t have time to read it, I will wait until I do.

2) I will not visit a blog and leave a comment asking for a follow back, when that person has just written a long heartfelt post about something difficult she/he is going through. (refer to #1)

3) When blog hopping, I will not be a copy and paste commenter, only seeking a follow back.

4) I will not follow someone just for the sake of a follow back, and then un-follow them a week later.

5) I will leave sincere comments. If I don’t mean it, I won’t write it.

6) When someone visits my blog consistently and leaves me comments frequently, I will be courteous and visit their blog leaving them a comment in return. Or at least drop them an e-mail letting them know I appreciate the time they took to send me a comment.

7) I will not make anyone feel like they are invisible to me or that their comments float away in the air, never being noticed.

8 ) I will consider the feelings of others and treat them as I want to be treated.

Now take the pledge to pass on good blog etiquette!!!

Go here to grab your button!!

Seriously?! Thursday!!

Seriously???! I love having lunch with friends!  It is so nice to have a leisurely lunch....heaven knows that never happened when I was teaching all those years!! Lol!

Seriously???! I am so excited about my back to school posts!  I enjoy sharing information with my teacher friends...even if I am retired!  As they say..."once a teacher, always a teacher"!!

Seriously???! I can't wait to see the movie "The Help"!  I am just so disappointed some people feel the need to make a controversy about everything.  I thought the book was fabulous and had such a great message....why do people have to read so much into everything????

Seriously???! I am hooked on the show "MasterChef"!  Now Gordon Ramsay certainly does not have a pleasing personality...but I do have to give him kudos for this show!  Especially when they gave Tracy the chance to go to cooking school and the opportunity to work in one of their restaurants in the future!!  How cool is that???

Seriously???! I am up for any suggestions or comments you have concerning my blog!  Ask me questions, tell me about your favorite topics, whatever!!!!  I seriously want to know!!

What made YOU go Seriously???! this week?

Head on over to From Mrs to Mama and link up!

Show Your Students Some Love!!

I know...go figure...me thinking about the start of school!!  Yep, it happens!!!  I was thinking about the survival kits I use to make for my Kindergarten classes and did a little poking around the Internet.  I found several ideas my teacher buddies may want to use for their classrooms this year.

The beginning of a new school year is so exciting for children...why not make a little kit to let them know how you feel about having them in your classroom or your ideas on what they will be able to do this year to be successful.  Parents could also make a little kit for their child and place in his/her book bag or lunchbox as a reminder from you of how special your child is!!!  Just a suggestion!!

So here they are....Back To School Survival Kits:


Survival Kit 1 comes from Tip Junkie;

Put together a Back to School Survival Kit for your child with these candy grams! 
Attach the above cards to its corresponding item and place them in a gift bag or other type of container. (It can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish.)
This is just a reminder of your love and support as your child goes back to school.
** For Parents: You can also include other special items like snacks, a new book to read after school, small trinkets, and notes from other family members, etc.**

Labels in the Survival Kit:
Fruit by the foot – Put your best foot forward
Pencils – We think you are sharp!
A lollipop – To remind you to stick to the scriptures to help you “lick” any obstacles this year.
Eraser – To remind you you can start each new day with a clean slate.
Rubber band – Stretch your mind this year.
Paper clips – You have all the tools to hold it together!
Hershey Hugs – Just some extra hugs when you need them.
Smarties – To boost your smart brain power.
Tootsie Roll – to remind you to roll with the punches this year.
Sponge – to remind you to soak it all in this year.
Almond Joy candy bar – We hope this year brings you great joy.
Link for Labels:  Print Free File: Back to School Surival Kit

Survival Kit 2

Dear (Student's Name)

You are a star in my class (Starburst).

It's okay to make mistakes; that’s how we learn (Eraser).
You are going to learn so much this year (Smarties).  
Everyone needs a hug-let me know if you need one (Hershey's Hug). 
I’m nuts about having you in my class (Peanut in shell).         
From,

(Teacher's Signature)

Survival Kit 3:

Lucky Charms Survival Kit (Lucky Charms Cereal)  

Place cereal in baggie and add this note to the baggie:

This special treat is to remind you I'm glad you are in my class!  Before you eat your treat, have someone read the list to you.  Search the bag for the marshmallow shapes hidden inside.  You should find:

*A yellow star-to remind you to always shine!

*A pot of gold- to remind you that you're worth a million!

*A colorful rainbow-to remind you to promise to always do your best!

*A blue moon- to remind you that once in awhile, we all make mistakes and it's okay!

*A green clover-to give you good luck in _____ grade!

*A red balloon-to remind you to soar above the clouds and try new things!

*A purple horseshoe-to remind you that U matter!

* And most of all---a pink heart to remind you I care about you!

Survival Kit 4:

You will need: Starbursts, pennies, stickers, Smarties, erasers, Hershey Hug, Lifesavers.  Place one of each in a bag and add the following notes:

Printable First Day of School Kit (Kindergarten) - (.pdf format)

Printable First Day of School Kit (Preschool) - (.pdf format)



Survival Kit 5:

You will need: stars, chocolate kisses, Starbursts, rubber bands, cotton balls, toothpicks, confetti, gum, yarn, erasers, pennies.  Place in baggie or lunch sack and add the printed bookmark below.

Printable Survival Kit Bookmark

P.S.  Dollar Tree has little boxes like these if you don't want to use paper bags or baggies...they make cute containers as well!!!

                                     

                               

Post-It Note Tuesday Returns