Stonework!

What a beautiful Saturday! We had stonework done around our front flowerbed and tree. I am quite pleased with it!

I am so excited that I can finally dig into the garden and fill it with flowers now that the border is done! I looked online at several interesting flowers; Kew Red Lavender, Clematis Romantika and the Empress Tree grabbed my attention. The empress tree had blue flowers and can grow around 5 feet every year! I love lavender of all kinds. Clematis has been calling my name ever since I saw it at my dad's house a couple of years ago. 

My goal this week is to remove the top layer of old mulch, dig out any weeds and grass, level out the bed with fresh soil and remove those nasty old holly bushes! Then Saturday we can go plant shopping, come home and plant them immediately before they die.

Spring is exhausting but so rewarding at the same time.

It is finished

Well, life has been crazy stressful lately. I have known that the school where I work would be losing students and teacher to a new school that is being built. I learned in January that my position as an ESL teacher at my school would be going away (not officially but through deduction). I have been sitting on pins and needles for 3 months. I hoped and prayed that I could go to the new school and teach. The majority of my students would be going to the new school and many of my teacher friends would be going there as well. The added bonus is that I have heard great things about the new school's principal. Plus, as a new school it will have all the latest technology.

I was at a conference yesterday. One of my friends there received a text saying that one of our friends learned her fate for next year. I knew that meant that people were starting to be informed. After the conference was over, I decided to go to school to find out who was going to the new school and who go to stay at our school. I learned that many of my friends are going to the new school. My teaching assistant friends do not yet know their fate. I continue to pray for them. As an ESL teacher I did not yet know my fate, since the principal had to decide about the core subject teachers before he could think about the other subjects. I figured I would hear something next week. As I was leaving the building, my principal caught me. With a smile she told me that I got the job at the new school. While I am sad to leave my friends at my current school, I am excited to begin at the new school next year. I continue to pray for my friends that still await their fates. I hope they do not have to wait long and that they will be happy in their new jobs. Most of all I praise God that he has yet again taken care of me through troubles and taken care of my future.

P.S. On the weekend of March 20th we got several inches of snow. Someone told me, "You know it has snowed too much in TX when you drive down the snow-filled street and you do not see a single snowman." What a bizarre year for weather in TX.

From Snow to Flowers!

 

Can you believe not quite a month ago I posted pictures of snow?

I can't tell you how happy it made me to feel the sunshine on my face and soil in my hands!

I think the blue flowers are beautiful!

This spiky petaled Gerbera grabbed my attention.

 Isn't this lovely?

Jesse and I are making plans to build a pergola over our porch in the back. Unfortunately that will eat up most of our gardening budget. Doing stonework around our front flowerbeds will eat up the rest of our budget. I had steeled myself to this fact until today.

While out running errands, we saw a Callaways. On a bright sunny, warm afternoon, we had to go in. I saw the flowers and my resolve crumbled like dry clumps of dirt. We'll just have to go into debt. : )

Snow Days!

I heard on the news today that Hawaii is the only state in the US that doesn't have snow on the ground today! I got around 7inches of snow on my street! DFW area got between 6-12" of snow. We have only had that much snow one other time in Texas' recorded history! School was canceled on Friday so Jesse and I took a walk with the dogs, down to the park at the end of our street.

I couldn't get over how pretty everything was. I didn't even mind the cold.

  

My Yorkie trudged through the snow eagerly... once I threw a treat for her to find.

  It wasn't easy going but she was a trooper.

Isn't that the cutest face you ever saw?

She eventually got tuckered out and had to be carried.
Not Isis though...

 

She found her treats in the snow too.

Smocking

I am learning to smock. I finished 1 - 3hour class so far. I have one more to go. So far it is pretty interesting. I have wanted to learn to do this for as long as I can remember. I think the dresses and baptismal gowns are amazing!

Signature quilt 2010

Here is what I got done yesterday and today, 30 blocks cut and partially pieced.

This quilt has 1 accent fabrics and 1 theme fabric (not shown).  There are 3 blocks made out of each fabric. More to come tomorrow... I hope.

Signature quilt beginnings

I am going to begin making a signature quilt this week. I made an example block with really bad instructions on it. I may redo it to be more clear.

I have worked at the same school since it opened almost 7 years ago. Now it looks as though I will have to go to a new school next year to teach, due to my lack of seniority and a new school opening.

For this quilt I plan to gather signatures from each of my ESL students and some coworkers.

Tomorrow I am going to my sister's house to cut pieces for the quilt. I am being ambitious though, as I am also taking a quilted jacket project. Regardless, I should have something to show for it by Sunday.

Memory Quilt by mom

Here is the memory quilt that my mom made me for Christmas!

Close ups:
Poppop loved to golf at Hurricane Creek. This was one of his golf shirts from there and a tie, with Mickey golfing.








This is Nana and Poppop's wedding photo and their 50th anniversary photo. Nana and Poppop were married for 54 years before Nana passed away.








Mom made a fan out of several of Poppop's ties.









Poppop was in the Airforce during WWII. He was a mechanic and instructor stationed in Colorado and in Texas. He helped make accurate maps of the Texas Mexico Border by "hanging" out the bomb bay doors with a camera.








This is a picture of the 3 grand kids.
Victoria, me and Michael.






This is a piece of muslin that mom brought to Poppop's funeral. Everyone that came wrote a brief message of farewell to Poppop on the pieces of muslin.








Mom put my wedding photo in the quilt as well, as others that I didn't put in this post.