family+amazing race+mexia=best time EVER!

We had our family reunion this past week in Mexia, Texas. And it was, so incredibly ridiculously fun.
Tammie created what can only be described as the most amazing Amazing Race ever for us all to compete in. She planned, set up and photographed the whole thing. We ran all over the place doing crazy things like duct taping kids to back stops, throwing cheetos at shaving cream covered heads, dragging people around in bed sheets...seriously. Best.time.ever.

Go here and here for pictures if you're so inclined.

I've always known it, but this past week further confirmed that it doesn't get any better than my family.

three random things

1) i know school is coming soon because I can't sleep at night without having school nightmares. Last night district walkthroughs were the first day of school. And I had 46 students in my homeroom.

2) I haven't really posted about this yet because I kept waiting for it to not happen, but it's legit now. Troy is now the assistant athletic trainer at Lakeview Highschool! Why do I suddenly feel that's it really real? He got his class schedule in the mail today. He has three PE classes, an afternoon in the training room, b lunch and an advisory. That's for real kind of stuff right there. I'm pretty proud of my man, gotta say. : )

3) I posted more pics on the other blog. For some reason, no matter what I do, my link in my blogroll won't work. This is a problem for LOTS of reasons...main one being that it also doesn't work when I do with my new sprinkle blog. Being in blog rolls is how you get read. Sprinkle has to be in blog rolls. ugh. It's all very frustrating.

create your own wordle!

I went to a workshop today and the presenters showed us this site, WORDLE.
I think someone or even a few of you may have posted about it a while back, but I thought it was so cool I wanted to share it again.
You can go in and create a word cloud by typing in text, or linking to a blog.
But then comes the fun part! You can change fonts, colors, take out words, change the layouts of the words (all horizontal, all vertical, half and half, every which way...) and then you can print it.
So, if you're a teacher, or a mom, you could have your kids:

• create a wordle for their spelling list(if they type in the same word more than once it's bigger, so the words they're having a hard time with could be bigger)
• make a synonym poster for overused words like said, big, pretty, cool, etc. Type those words in lots of times so you know what word you're building from.
  
• all the vocabulary they're learning for a unit of study.
  
• all their dislikes, all their likes, their character traits, etc.
  
• copy and paste a piece of literature you're reading to see the text in an artsy way
• commonly misspelled words
• all about me wordle (which they used to decorate the cover of their students journals. )
  

And there are hundreds more ideas I'm sure you could think of. I even had the ambitious thought that it might be cool for ME to make one for each student at the end of the year and frame it and give it as a gift. I could put in all the words or things that I think apply to the student. Well, maybe not ALL the words... :)

Anyway, I just thought it was a cool FREE site and that some of you teachers/moms out there might love it!


I plan on making some for my students and then giving them the opportunity to make their own for various times of the year. And I think i will see if Mason likes doing it and have him make one for his spelling words each week.

our vacation!

For pics of our vacation, go HERE.
I don't know how to make the complete switch over. It's a whole new blog address. My 6 readers might lose me in cyperspace.
Which is why I'm not sure it's the right move.
because it's not blogger.
and I might have to PAY for a blog which seems ridiculous.
No, it is ridiculous.
except that it looks really cool and has the potential to be even more cool...
But i can't link twitter posts to it...
or blog rolls...well, that might be possible...I should research that.
And change isn't something i handle well.
but then I look at the big pictures, and the simple design, and the slideshow header...
but letmythoughtsflow.blogspot.com was the beginning. the home for my thoughts for over three years.
However, none of us still type on typewriters, make calls from our bag phones, or wash our hair in the creek. Change is inevitable.
But i usually resist change with every fiber of my being. And, really how bad could have it been to wash your hair in the creek?
sigh. indecision is one of my more serious downfalls.

while I spend far too many precious minutes of my life debating this monumental decision, please refer to the new blog for the vacation pictures if you're so inclined.

changes?

So...In searching for a new blog for sprinkle of grace I found something I am thinking of using for my personal blog...maybe... I just hate how small the pictures are on my blog...

anyway, check this out...

the new letmythoughtsflow

and tell me if you think it's a good idea or if change is a bad thing. :)

bartering

A teacher at my school makes and sells jewelry. It's all super cute, but her "charm school" is my favorite. For a color lover like myself it's to-die-for. You just buy a base chain necklace and then buy the charms to add to it. See the drawers full of charms? See the necklace on top? That's how it works!

This necklace...
can turn into this in seconds...

Seriously, the coolest thing ever. And for taking pictures of all her jewelry (or a teeny portion of it, really) she paid me in charms! I am in love.

Bartering rocks.

She sells them very reasonably at Rattle Dazzle - go check it out! Or you could just wait until the next time you see me, because I'm willing to bet I'll be wearing one. :)