First Century

So I have this little girl in my class who is a complete crack up. Her name is Audrieanna and yes she is the one who asked if I was painting my nails. She is very bossy and very busy. She is a little hispanic girl with all the sass and attitude of a latino.

Well yesterday was the first day we did math centers. During the second rotation she asked if she could go to the bathroom. I let her go and when she came back we had this conversation:

Audrie: What century was first?
Me: (thinking she was asking what center she was at first being this was the first day of centers) Do you mean what center were you at first?
Audrie: No teacher. I mean what century was born first?
Me: (totally confused and trying to figure out what she is asking) I don't know what you mean Audrieanna.
Audrie: (rolling her eyes and frustrated) What world was born first?!
Me: I'm not sure what you are asking me... Do you mean when was the world created?
Audrie: (slapping her arms to her side and completely irritated with my ignorance) George Washington???!!!
Me: George Washington was the first president......
Audrie: That's what I thought.

And then she walked away. I was left stunned and confused and cracking up. Can someone please tell me what happened...?

White out

Today as I was fixing a mess up using white out on one of my parent sign up sheets one of my 'sassy' little girls came up and asked...

"Teacher... Are you putting on nail polish?  I like the color."

Yes that is what it must seem to them that I do at school.  White must be the new in color according to 6 year olds.  

Now you know.

First Day of School

You gotta love the first day of school.  The kids come in so shy and timid on their best behavior.  Everyone has shiny new shoes and clothes with creases still in them.  Everything is clean and crisp.  Your teacher likes you.  The pencils don't have any chew marks on them.  Everything smells of office supply stores and hasn't been touched.  It's such a fun feeling.

Welcome back!

Take me out to the ball game...

Mason has joined a league with some of his friends and the games are every Thursday.  They've only had 2 so far but both times there have been major wind and rain storms.  This past game though there was a beautiful rainbow over the field.  I was hiding out in the pit (players only allowed!!!  Except when it's raining) and I snapped a few pictures of Mason when he was up to bat.

This is a great action shot!!  You can actually see two rainbows in this picture.  Nice form hun!!

It was a beautiful evening.  The rainbow connected to both sides.  The boys were wet and muddy, but I was dry.  :)

Project Summer

My goal this summer was to learn how to sew.  So...  I got out the old machine and here are a couple of projects I've been working on.  I've been having so much fun making things for friends!

When I went to Casa Grande back in July I went to Enrichment with my mom and we learned how to make these nursing covers better known as hooter hiders.  I LOVE making these.  I have made 3 so far and I just love picking out the material for them.

Then with the leftover material from the hooter hiders I make a matching burp cloth.  So easy to make and really cute!

This was the first thing I made.  A receiving blanket.  My sister-in-law Ashlee taught me this one.  I made mine a bath blanket instead.  Again, really simple to make.  I never knew sewing could be so easy!

This project I did yesterday in about an hour.  It was inspired by Kyle's wife's sister, Lindsey.  She redid a footstool so I hauled myself to DI and picked up a chair.  I've been needing a piano chair and this worked perfectly!  This was SUPER easy.  It only took me about an hour.  (then of course the stain had to dry but that's it!)

Here it is when I bought it.

Then I removed the cushion.  It's the first time I've ever used a drill.

Then I stained it.  I chose the dark walnut color to match my piano.

I chose a wild leopard print to go along with all my Africa things I brought home last summer. 

Stapled it on with a staple gun.

Lastly I sprayed Polyurethane on it to give it a nice shine and seal the stain and ta-da!!  The finished product.  

I love it!  I'm sitting on it right now.

Kids say the darnest things...

Every year around this time I go through my drawers at school and clean out everything I have been gathering all year.  I have one drawer where I throw funny things that I hear the kids talking about or saying.  I will write it on a sticky note and throw it in there to be looked at at a later time.  I found these and got a kick out of some of them.  I will put their initials so you can see how many of the entertaining comments come from the same kids.  I know it's a lot of reading but enjoy:

This was from my problem student this year.  I heard him telling this to a friend:

   - "I like Mrs. Lefler because she's so nice.  She's always smiling - even when she's mad." - J

This quote was from the same student.  He had to stay in during recess for a couple of minutes once and I went over to get a drink from the fountain.

 - "YOU even take a drink??" - J

     "Yes... I am human..." -Me

     "Oh.  I didn't know that." - J

This was in response when I asked where her homework was:

 -  "I couldn't do it because all the pens at our house were out of ink!" -S

Every year during Martin Luther King day there is almost a reverent feeling of thanks for people being equal.  My kids always love this unit I do with them.  One little boy raised his hand and said this:

 - "I know how to thank Martin Luther even though he is dead.  I'm going to say a prayer and thank him." -M  (How sweet is that??)

While I was teaching and the kids were all sitting at the carpet I look down and this little boy has blood gushing out of his thumb.  I asked, "What happened????"

 - "I bite my skin.  It's attracting."

This was a conversation I was overhearing between two little boys who LOVE space.  They were reading a book on the moon.  Here's how it went:

 - "I wonder how space ships leave the atmosphere and not burn up." - D

   "Yeah and how don't they hit the moon?" - J

This is yet another conversation I heard between the same little boys during reading time a different day.

 - "Do you know how many people there are in the world?" - J

 - "180." - D

 - "Wow." - J

This last one is a little note that I found on my desk.  School starts at 7:55 and I was suppose to be there at 7:30.  Occasionally I wouldn't get there until 7:45 and if it was snowing outside a couple of kids would be waiting by my door to come in.  Well this one particular morning I did come late and this was the note I found.  Sorry it's backwards:

(Dear Mrs. Lefler,  You slept in today.  From?)

I love my job.

Kitty for a day

Down in American Fork they have a little grass median outside Walmart where people are always selling puppies and kittens and such.  I am always a sucker for this area and often stop just to hold a puppy.  Well this little kitty did me in, especially when the owner said that i could have her for free.  I'll take anything if it's free, come on... OPPORTUNITY.  Even a problem - as long as it has the word free attached to it.

I was like a new mom in heaven.  I went to Walmart and bought all these cute little kitty things: sparkly collar with bell, pink food dish, her first kitty litter box, I even made her a pet bed off of a website I found online.  

She was the sweetest tiniest thing EVER!  She was 6 weeks old and wanted nothing more than to snuggle with us and mew.  She would run circles around our necks until she found the perfect spot and then fall asleep.  

But then being the rational adults that we are, we decided that a teeny baby kitty probably isn't the wisest thing for us right now... for a couple reasons 1) Our landlords said no pets.  2) We are moving to a new house in like a week or so and that's bad timing.  3) We will be moving a lot with Mason going to Law School and such and Mason says that hard on cats to move so much.  4) School starts next week and it would be home alone crying all day.

Sooo....

Here's Mason saying goodbye to this sweet little thing.  I had to take her back and give her away along with a couple of my heart strings.

I suppose I like to make myself sad.  I knew that it probably wasn't the best idea at the time as I was wrapping her up to bring her home.  I need something to curve my baby hunger!!!  Ahhhh!!