It's Tizita time here in Watertown

Tizita has come to spend some time with me this week.

I told her I needed her here because Grandpa is gone and I need someone to sleep in my bed with me.

She was more than happy to oblige and so she is here keeping me company.

She arrived on Tuesday afternoon.

We started our fun adventure with a pancake dinner at Perkins.

We came home, played, watched some TV, and did some crafting.

 Today, we woke up and watched some episodes of Andy Griffith, what a fun show.

Times were so different back then.

We were both laughing out loud at the antics of Barney Fife.

Finally we got out of bed and made some yummy sugar/cinnamon donut holes for breakfast.

Usually we only make these yummy treats at Christmas, but I figured we should make this a special morning and have them now.

It was a fine decision.

 I am not an active participant in the making of these donuts at Christmas time.

The girls and Mallory have always been in charge of them, so I had to really work to remember how to make it all work.

Tiz was a great help in the process.

First, she had to cut the dough into fourths and roll it into little balls.

 Next, she had to mix the sugar and cinnamon.

 I handled the frying part due to the hot oil. 

I did overcook a few of the first holes until I got the hang of the timing.

 Tiz rolled the holes in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

 Of course, Tiz had to sprinkle some more of the sweetness on the donut holes.

I guess you can never have too much sugar on a donut.

Almost ready, but first Tiz had to lick out the sugar/cinnamon bowl.

 The finished product all ready for us to eat.

We enjoyed them in front of the TV.

It was a great breakfast prepared with so much love.

 

After breakfast we went shopping.

We started at Shopko where we found lots of clearance items that Tiz wanted to try on.

We both tried lots of things on, but she was the only one who scored.

We found lots of bargains, but she could not find anything in the toys section at Shopko, so we had to head to Walmart where we hit pay dirt with the purchase of this "American Girl" doll which is not really an American girl doll, but Tiz doesn't know the difference.

She just loves her because she has the same color skin, hair, and eyes that she does.

She has spent the better part of today with the new doll.

Mallory stopped over and she was the lucky recipient of a manicure.

After the manicure, Mal took Tiz to the cupcake shop to pick out a few sweets.

When they returned, Tiz and I rode our bikes to St. Vinny's to find a few treasures.

We were not disappointed.

We found some more craft items and some roller skates.

It was a good trip.

We came home and did more crafting and TV watching.

Tiz enjoyed some corn on the cob for dinner, but due to her loose tooth, we ended up cutting it off the cob for her.

After dinner,

Tiz was excited to see Honey BooBoo, but after a few episodes, she didn't find the value in it, so we went back to Disney.

Now it is time for bed.

Tonight I will be sharing the bed with not only Tiz but her new doll as well.

Good night all.

No time to post, I have Tiz!

No time to post right now.

I am having Tizita time and we have home made donuts to eat.

Later...

One week down, on to week number two

John just left for his second week of training for his new job.

He is off to Iron Mountain, Michigan again.

This time it was less stressful for him since he has made friends, has his desk, and knows the ins and outs of his motel life.

I sent left over meatloaf as well as tator tot hot dish so he can have some home made foods for dinner.

I also made him some brownies for his sweet tooth.

He had wanted to take his bike, but it would not fit into his car without taking off the front tire and he did not want the hassle of not getting it back on properly.

 

We had a really nice weekend catching up.

We started with two pitchers of beer and pizza at On the Rock on Friday night.

John was able to leave Michigan by 2:00 on Friday, so he was home and ready to go out by 6:00.

 

On Saturday morning we woke up to unseasonably cool temps and cloudy skies so our planned bike trip was put on hold until later in the day.

We loaded up the bikes and went shopping because what is better to do than shopping.  We bought some of my classroom supplies at the Learning Shop, bought Tizita her drum set at Toys R Us, and finished up at Kohl's where we each bought some new clothes.

It was a great shopping trip.

After that we went to Oconomowoc where we rode 8 miles around Lac La Belle and saw how the other half lives.

It was a beautiful ride even with the cool wind and clouds.

 There was lots of pretty scenery along the route.

 On our way back into Oconomowoc, we discovered this little beach that we had never seen before.

 When I say little beach, I am not kidding.

Just look at all that sand!  HA

 There was no lifeguard on duty, so I took a spot up in the chair.

 Our next stop was in Oconomowoc at a little park by the lake.

And, here is a little history on Oconnomowoc.

We came home and ate meatloaf for dinner.

After that we watched two movies together.

It was a great day.

 

Today, we went to church.

It was a wonderful service with a great message that I walked away remembering.

We did some grocery shopping, John cut the lawn and we watched another movie before he left.

 

You know, when we were dating (newly engaged, I think) being apart was so hard.  This time around it is easier, but I still miss having John close by.

The good byes are not as sad as they were way back and we know we can keep in touch via text, facebook, and email which makes it so much easier.

It still is very exciting to know that he is coming home and we will get time together.

So, while it is somewhat different, being apart is still not easy and reuniting is just as joyous.

The week ahead for me is going to be a good one.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I have meetings at school preparing for the new year.

On Tuesday, Tizita is coming to spend time with  me until Friday.

I have many fun activities planned for the two of us.

And, the best part is that next Sunday, I am heading up to Michigan with John for a mini vacation for me.  While he works, I will be exploring the area.

I am looking forward to this week and the next.

 

It is amazing to see how God has been working all of our past experiences into this new adventure.  In hindsight, we can see how everything had its time and place in our lives.

God is good, all the time and he has great plans for our lives.



My classroom is a clean slate

I finally decided it was time to check out my classroom.

After our trip to St. George Island, it seemed like it was time to start thinking about the new school year, because inevitably time will pass and the new school year will begin.

I walked in and was so pleasantly surprised to see the beautifully waxed floors.

St. John's has never used professional waxers until this year and the floors look just wonderful.

It will be almost a shame to move my things back into place, but of course, I could not resist beginning the set up.

It was so nice to have a clean, empty slate as my classroom.

I felt like an artist, a designer just ready to create something terrific.

It was fun to move the furniture around and come up with new room arrangements that will better suit my classes.

 Just look at the shine on that floor!

It is just waiting for all the little feet that will soon scuff it up, all the little cars driven by little hands that will travel on it, and all the little spills that will soon take that shine away.

All of a sudden, I am anxious to get my room in order and welcome all those sweet little ones for another year of learning and fun.

Bring 'em on.

Crab Sitting

 I am crab sitting for Tizita's two hermit crabs that we bought on St.George Island.

This is the fourth time that John and  I have transported hermit crabs home from the Island.

 Here are Chloe, the teenage mutant ninja turtle one, and Molly, the natural one.

They both survived the trip home and are doing very well.

I am  hoping to keep them alive and thriving until next Tuesday when Tiz will be here to pick them up.

Hermit crabs are such easy, fun little pets.

My girls had two of them when they were younger.

They were named Laura and Timmy.

Mallory has had at least two that we brought home for her.  She named them George and Appy.  (After St. George Island and Apalachicola.

Tiz's last two were named Lisa and Sleepyhead, but they came to rather tragic ends so I am hopeful that these two will last a bit longer.

Our Beautiful Beach House

This post is primarily for me.

I want to remember all the little details of our beautiful beach house on St. George Island.

We have been on the Island 16 times.  I like to try a different house each time we go.  It is exciting to see how they are decorated, fun to have a look into so many people's houses.

We did rent a house called Margaritaville two years on a row because we really liked it and it fit our needs so well, but this year's house may have surpassed all the others.

Our house was The Coppertone House.

It was actually situated across the road from the beach with the bike path running behind it.

Because it was so tall, we were easily able to see the water from all the decks and from the living room and bedrooms which made it so nice.

As you walked in the front door, you came into a foyer with an elevator, which was a great feature and the steps going up.

On the second floor there were two huge bedroom suites with huge bathrooms and a smaller kid's bedroom with double/single bunk beds and an attached full bathroom.

All suites had TV's and king beds.

The bathrooms on this floor had Jacuzzi tubs and full showers.  one even had a private toilet room with its own fan.

On the top floor there was a large kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a large dining area with a table that seated 8 and a breakfast counter as well as a large living area with three couches, large screen TV, and full windows to the upper deck.

This entire area was one big room.

There was also a laundry room, small bathroom, and one more bedroom suite with large bathroom.

Absolutely perfect for the 8 of us.

Lots of room for togetherness, but also lots of room for privacy, too.

One of the best features of this home was our pool and hot tub.

The pool was big enough for all of us to relax on rafts and jump in.

The hot tub was perfect for Soli since she thought it was her won personal pool.  It was fun to jump off of the area by the hot tub into the 5 ft. of water in the pool.

There were lots of chairs around the pool for lounging, too.

Beyond the pool is the beach.  We would walk past our pool and then past that house you see in the back ground, cross the road, and take the boardwalk to the beach.  Less than five minutes and we were there.

 Here is our beautiful beach which of course, changes many times during the day with the high and low tides and the storms that come in.

Always endless white sand and beautiful greenish blue water though and big waves.

Always little critters and lots of shells, too.

Always room to sit on our chairs and just relax.

 

This is our boardwalk to the beach from the road which we had to cross.

Now on to the inside of our home:

 Our top deck where we all spent so much time reading, talking, and just taking it all in.  The best part was that the decks were all in the shade.

 View from our top deck looking west.

 Our living area with beautiful views of the water.

 Our kitchen area and breakfast bar.

 John and my suite.

 Another view into the kitchen.

 An area off of the living room full of games, videos, and books all for our enjoyment.

 John and my bathroom which included

 a rain feature in the shower.  The girls loved to take showers in there with me.

 Tiz and my mom's room.  They were great roommates.

 Alissa's room.

 The private toilet in Alissa's room.

 Alissa's bathroom

 A small bar and fridge on the second floor.

 Tiz and Marge's deck off of their bedroom.  This is in the back of the house, not by the pool.

 Our fireplace and pap zon chair.  That is how Soli says it.

 Washer and dryer off kitchen.

So, there you have it.

Our beautiful home away from home.

You just may see this one again in a year or two.

It is a keeper for sure.