Happy New Year! Goodbye 2009 Come On In 2010!!!

New Year's Eve dinner at Amici with the family and Brenna. Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Calm

I am working full time. Why am I so calm? It's December and I'm posting grades tomorrow, giving final exams next week, and I feel no anxiety, no stress. My house is decorated and I'm having a caroling party here Saturday night. I actually made my ornament for the ornament party this year(the little snowman below) and the party was last week. What in the world is going on??? I have bought precious few gifts, yet I remain collected. Weird.

Snow!

For about three days we heard snow was predicted for Friday. Sure, sure. Right. Well, it did snow and not just a little bit. It began to snow about 8 a.m. and it snowed all day. Came down in beautiful drifts hitting the windows and sticking to the ground. It was such a treat! Our school didn't call school off, so the kids were wildy excited. These pictures tell the story....

Professor Popcorn

For everything there is a season. This season, I'm teaching school. High school U.S. History and World History. I teach at a school that I taught at before we had kids 23 years ago! Now two of our three have graduated from the school and the last one will be a senior next year. It's a fun way to spend the hours between 7 and 3. Teaching is a great gig. Here are some glimpes of a typical day in my little T shack...

Here's the greeter
Here's cute little T-7 ; not too pretty on the outside...but so cozy on the inside

Now where is that map of India?

Here's my podium; got the base out of the trash behind the school and cut and crackle painted the top. I love it!

And see those cute yellow desks? I think this is the only room that has them. They are so sunny and cheerful. How lucky am I??

Surprise!

Yes, I was really surprised

The Captain Von Trapp

The Sound of Music theme is sinking in

The evening was complete when the Von Trapp children sang "So Long Farewell" on the stairs and the guests below bid them "ggggoooood nnnnnniiiiiiight" from below. It made turning 50 so worth it!

Happy Birthday Charlie Boy!

Dear Charlie, you will turn 17 at 12:02 p.m. today. Just wanted to tell you happy birthday and to tell that you have brought nothing but absolute joy to my life every second from 12:02 p.m. Oct. 19, 1992 forward. You are delightful, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, beautiful, amazing, sensitive, brilliant, talented, kind, loving, spiritual, and most of all a man of God. Your Dad, sisters, and I are so proud of you and love love love you! Happy 17th birthday baby boy!!

Blog Abandonment, NOT Popcorn's Page!!!

Latley my blog neighbors have been neglecting their blogs. So sad. I have so enjoyed reading the blogs the last year or so. The blogs have given me such insight into people's thoughts, I hate to see them disappear. You might be thinking hey Popcorn, it seems like you're doing that too since you blog so infrequently lately. NO. I'm just busier than I was when I started blogging a year ago. I am now teaching full time again, which came upon me sort of suddenly last Christmas. I'm loving it I have to say, but yes, it eats up lots and lots of time. But I still want to blog and will be able to work it in more now that I have an actual classroom and don't have to float anymore. So keep checking this page for more newsy, photog blogging. I am not abandoning Popcorn's Page. I'm still over here on this side of the screen and I feel some inspired blogs coming on so stay tuned and keep me bookmarked. Love you all who read me.

Katie Girl Is Born

Twenty three years ago today, at exactly 8:20 a.m. on a Sunday morning, Mary Katherine Carroll was born. After four rapid hours of labor, completely natural i.e. no pain killing drugs, my almost 9 pound baby girl graced the world. Her Peepaw announced it from his pulpit to his congregation in Lexington, Ky. Her Grammie and Papaw had their noses pressed up against the hospital window when she was rolled into the nursery. Baby Katie had a huge fan club from the very start. Tonight we celebrated her birthday quietly. Dinner with just the four of us, minus E who is off at school. We chatted, we smiled, we ate raw fish. Happy Birthday honey. Thanks for all the happiness you've brought us. We love you.

Blog Photog

Happy Constitution Day! Yesterday, Sept. 17

Our beloved Constitution, ratified in 1787, was 222 years old yesterday. Dig out a copy, pull it up on google, or something... and read it. It is a God inspired creation. I'm so thankful for the wisdom of our founding fathers for hanging in there and coming up with a document that has fully served us through the years. The lovely Constitution shown here is 68 x 50 and weighs in at 75 lbs. and hangs in our music room. It is so pretty and is a constant reminder to our family of how lucky we are to live in America. Yes, I'm fully aware that only nerd's decorate with the Constitution. God bless America!

Dear Other Side

Dear computer, is there anyone on the other side of this screen reading this? It's so cold and lonely on my side not knowing.

I Can't Help It

I can't help it. If go into Target for a box of paper clips...I have to push one of these: Is this some sort of control issue problem or what?