My Productive Weekend...

Here's what I've been doing this weekend, and probably what I'm going to be doing the rest of the week - Music Man costumes!

The "Goodnight, My Someone" outfit (yes, changed from the last time I posted with that name):



The coat that "Marian" is going to wear for about 3 seconds when Harold Hill is following her down the street. It's a little frumpy looking at the moment - it needs to be pressed and buttons need to be added.



The coat and outfit together:

Featured Book # 9

In honor of "Secrets from the Kitchen" day with my students, I am featuring one of my favorite cookbooks - and one that I quote from many times in the student cookbook!


Incidentally, if anyone would like to purchase or sponsor (pay for a student copy but not receive a personal one) a cookbook, please let me know via email: kelerr@hotmail.com and I will get you all the details you need.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's what I was doing last year around this time:

Stuck in the schoolyard helping my friend Jackie try to get her keys out of her locked, turned-on car! It was quite the adventure and a slightly depressing Valentine's Day turned into one that will be hard to top!


Trying to get the keys out!


Me in the snow!


My friends Michelle and Amanda in a snowball fight!

It really was quite the afternoon. We had the janitor trying to pry open Jackie's window with a hanger, the rest of us helping to push the staff's cars out of the snow (and falling in the process!), and a whole score of both helpful and not-so-helpful people!

Brain Type Test

Well... if that doesn't describe me to a "T," then I don't know what does! (I enjoyed the "quietly forceful" description.)

BCAL / INFJ "Wordsmith"
potential gifted writer; imaginative, conscientious; has concern for the needs and development of others; empathetic; enjoys enriching inner life; methodical; quietly forceful; counselor; language skilled

Take your brain type test! (CLICK HERE!)

Humphrey!

I used to LOVE these cartoons! I especially liked when he "grew" the fish! Humphrey's awesome!

Picture of the Week

My favorite picture of me and dad!

A View from the Porch...

It snowed here today, as part of our FREEZING weather. I DO like snow though... it would be better if I didn't have to go to a PTA meeting tonight though!

Silly Symphonies!

A blast from the past! We used to LOVE watching these! There will be MANY more to come, as we try to collect them, I'm sure! This was one of our favorites!

I Recently Discovered...

...that much like myspace, you can download and use templates for blogger as well! I am on the hunt for one that suits the family website perfectly and then will work to get all the features put back on the site for everyone to see (as the templates use very basic features and I will need to "redo" all the little things along the side, such as the music and photos and whatnot)!

Featured Book # 8

I know the whole family has seen and loved the movie, but have you read the book? The Princess Bride is this week's book. Give it a try!

Picture of the Week

This picture, taken at Robert's 1st Communion Celebration in 2005, features Alex and Katherine mimicking a four and a half year old Nicholas and Daniel as they pose!

Happy Mardi Gras!

And to think, we were there last year...

We spent seven fun (and a little stressful!) days in New Orleans last February. These photos are from Mardi Gras day, though the best nights by far were the first night at our first parade and what I believe was the fourth night - it was Monday when Lindsay, Amanda, Michelle and I went to the other parade (I forgot the name!(.

(And no, none of us got beads inappropriately - they really DO just give them to you!)


Lindsay and her chicken!


Me with friends Michelle and Kristi

Though I don't think I need to go for Mardi Gras again, it'd be fun to get back to New Orleans someday!

Another Almost Finished Project...

The nearly finished blue dress for the Music Man! Don't know which character will wear it yet. It was intended for Marian, but we're trying to incoporate purple into all her dresses and don't know if purple would look very nice with this. But then again, the purple only has to be a tiny bit so it might work. I'll have to see how it looks.

Please ignore all loose threads. The sleeve cuffs are not yet sewn and the hemming is, as usual, not done yet!

Happy Birthday, Katherine!

Today is Katherine's 17th Birthday!


Here's Katherine on Christmas Eve 2007, sandwiched between me and Lindsay for a kiss!


A miniature, almost 2-year-old Katherine in December 1992, playing on the stairs at Mohank Mountain House. It was her favorite activity... going up and down, up and down. It got old really fast for the rest of us!


July 2000, in Wading River.


All decked out for Lindsay's 80's party, August 2003


Catching fish at Donna and Tom Clancey's house in Connecticut, July 2005

Featured Book # 7

I love books written in correspondance, and Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn, fits the bill perfectly. It's the story of a town who bans the use of letters of the alphabet, one my one, and how they have to modify their writing and letters accordingly. It's a great story AND a really interesting study into what would happen if we didn't have all the letters we do now. Makes me want to have my students write without using a certain letter.