Leavin' on a jet plane

Ohhhh.... my bags are packed...
(almost)

I'm ready to go...

(sort of)

(I stole the OnlyChild's purple dress for the trip)

I'm leeeeeavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again....

(I'll be back on July 14)

I have to be at the airport by 4:45 pm, so I've got loooooads of time, right?

I still need to:

* finish packing

* write out cards to my students who graduated and pop them in the mailbox

* finish and mail my July ATCs

* snuggle with the Wild Things (I will miss them terribly and will have to "love" some Italian dogs while I'm gone)

* nag the OnlyChild to empty the dishwasher

* check my list twice to make sure I haven't forgotten anything

Yep... it's gonna be FUN!

I'll try to blog from overseas, but if you don't hear from me, rest assured there will be lots to show and tell when I get back in 10 days. You can also check out the blog I set up for the parents so they can keep track of their kiddies while we're away. Click here to be transported.

And before I take off (literally, I guess), I wanted to share this:

These flowers were on my desk at school last week when I went in for the last day. One of my students dropped them off while I was marking government exams. They were accompanied by a lovely card from the parents thanking me for the three years I've cared for and worked with their son as his advisor.

I feel appreciated!

Ciao, amici! Vedere da voi in dieci.

What's on your mind?

When I log on to Facebook, it always asks me what's on my mind. Today, rather sarcastically, I replied, "None of your business, Facebook!" But the truth is, I do have a lot on my mind - some positive, some negative, and some disturbing. I have my stomach in a knot over something that could either be a great opportunity or a huge disaster, depending on how it comes out in the end.

However, since it is the first official day of summer vacation, it's Canada Day, and the school year ended very well yesterday, I'm trying to relax a little and spend some time in the porch with the dogs and my new iPad.

Yes, I did just say iPad.

At our last staff meeting of the year, fifty-two teachers at my school received one of these beauties to play with over the summer. It's part of a pilot project to integrate the technology into programming at my school. We are the only school in Western Canada to do this - and I think it will work very welll with the kind of program in which I teach. (Plus, it's so much fun!)

Lucille (my laptop) may find herself somewhat neglected throughout the summer as I am considering taking the iPad (I need to find a name for it) with me to Italy and France. It weighs a heck of a lot less than Lucille does. The only problem is, I don't have a "camera connection kit" that will allow me to upload photos to my blog(s) - plural because I have another blog for the Italy trip so parents can see/hear what we're doing for those 10 days. I have looked everywhere for one of these gadgets, but they are backordered 4-6 weeks in North America.

Hmmm... should I take the chance that I might be able to pick one up in Italy?

It wouldn't actually be a tragedy if I didn't post Italy pics, since we're only gone for a few days. But if I can't get the gadget before I go to France, I will definitely have to pack two-ton Lucille along because I'll have lots to share for the month.

Decisions, decisions...

Anyway, I'd like to wish all my Canadian friends a very Happy Canada Day! Bonne Fête du Canada! It's cold and windy here - perfect for avoiding large crowds, small children, and traffic jams in the city in favour of staying home and doing... nothing.

Oops, wrong picture. Once a Brit, always a Brit?

I really do love my adopted country.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Dropped off the face of the earth...?

Noooo... of course not.

I thought I'd better pop in and say hello lest you think I've disappeared for good.

I've marked over 200 essays in the past 3 days and have 2 more days of work to go, marking government exams for social studies.

Can you say, "brain dead?" I mean me, not the kids who wrote the essays (although some of them... well, I just won't go there).

Yep, two more days of this, a short (hopefully) staff meeting on Wednesday, and then FREEEEEEEDOM! Summer Vacation!

I've been having fun, though. Met up with a few friends I haven't seen since the last marking stint in January and a couple more I haven't seen for a few years. Teacher networking at its best.

As you can see from the list on my sidebar, sewing (and particularly completion of projects) is at a standstill. There's a good chance it will stay that way until September because...

in a week I will be off to ITALY for 10 days!

a week home then...

off to FRANCE for a month!

If I seem to be bragging, forgive me. I'm just so freakin' excited!

Okay, no picture tonight - sorry about that. Did you really want to see a photo of all those essays???

Hopin' I'll be back in a day or so with much more interesting things to say. No guarantee, but there is Canada Day on the horizon so maybe.

And... I reached my 300th post a few days ago. Must plan some kind of celebration for that.

Later...

Time for bed. Early day tomorrow - day 4 of that marking gig!

'Night friends!

Slow Poke

Finally... a group designed just for people like me.

Are you a Slow Poke, too? You can join us at Momma Made This.

Fiddleheads and Father's Day

Have you ever tasted fiddleheads?

They grow in ditches on the east coast and my mum used to go picking them every year. They're delicious steamed and served with a bit of butter and vinegar.

But they're so hard to find out here on the Prairies. We used to be able to get them frozen, but when they were cooked they turned to mush. Not appetizing at all.

Saturday morning I was at the farmer's market downtown and one of the greenhouses had fiddlehead plants for sale. I asked around to find out how to plant, where to plant and how to care for them, but noone seemed to have a clue (strange, since they were selling the plants). I bought a couple anyway and will see if they'll grow in containers in my back yard. At $3.00 a plant, it was a small investment for potentially a great pay-off. Yum.

It's been such a nice weekend! Yesterday Mr. P and I went to the horse races with some friends. We had lunch, took in a few races, enjoyed the sun. Today was spent in the back yard. We bought an inflatable pool - 36" deep. It takes up most of our tiny back yard and it took all day to fill, but I had a short dip in the freezing water and will cross my fingers that tomorrow is hot and sunny again so I can sit in it after work. Maybe the water will be warm by the late afternoon.

The OnlyChild and I used our creativity to put together Mr. P's Father's Day gift this year. We made him a "Pop Kit" with all things "pop" - Pop Tarts, popcorn, a can of pop, a bottle of wobbly pop (beer), lollipops, and pop bottle candy. We were looking for pop rocks candy and also wanted to add a popsicle (but were afraid it would melt). His real present was a book and a set of sheets. Don't laugh - he asked for them because he hates the rough, old sheets we have on the bed right now.

Well, you know his real real present was the recent trip to Philadelphia and tickets to a playoff game. Even though he booked that trip himself.

We also made him this card

which was inspired by this post.

Mr. P had to head out of town this afternoon as he is scheduled to do a presentation tomorrow. What a way to spend Father's Day... mind you, after the present-giving it would have been all downhill because he would have had to cook his own supper. haha.

The OnlyChild is heading to a theatre gala tonight, so I'm on my own again. I think I'll make a few hairbands, inspired by another blogger's post that I can't find right now. I think I remember enough of it to go it my own way, but I'd like to give credit...

This was meant to be a short, little post while I wait for the OnlyChild to get ready, but as usual I gabbed on and on. Thanks for sticking with me :)

Goin' Green on Friday Night

I didn't forget this time. I did a bit of sewing last night for the Friday Night Sew-in on my blocks for the Green and White no-sew swap.

I hadn't even looked at these since probably February, so it was like Christmas digging into the bag and randomly picking out baggies of fabric. I had my block done already (top right) and completed five more.

Not great progress, but I was actually feeling a bit lonely up in the sewing room by myself. Mr. P was out; the OnlyChild was out. It seemed like I should be doing something more exciting and social.

Plus I cleaned the house and mowed the lawn (but not the neighbour's lawn this time - I don't want him to think I'm stalking him).

p.s. I need a pedicure. Maybe green nail polish...? To match the blocks?

A string around my finger

so I don't forget

like I did last month.

I thought tomorrow night might end up being a Friday Night Write-in with me working on that paper for my master's course, but I finished it this morning at work. I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Wonderful!

Tomorrow night I think I will work on some of the blocks for the Green and White no-sew swap I joined in January. Or I could try to get my Checkerboard quilt basted at school tomorrow and do some quilting on that. Ahhh... the possibilities are endless.

Will you be joining us at the Friday Night Sew-in?