If I Had a Nickel....

If I had a nickel for every time I heard a little person say my name this week, I'd be a rich woman.

Getting back into the swing of things after being out of school for spring break is always a bit challenging. During break, my days were busy, but peaceful. I went for hours at a time without speaking out loud, enjoying being alone with my thoughts, and occasionally turning on some music. When I went back to school, it was back to the days when there are never fewer than 2 first graders talking to me at one time.

"Mrs. Byriel where do I put my draft book?"

"Mrs. Byriel, look at this!"

"Mrs. Byriel, he's not sharing!"

"Hey Mrs. Byriel, does 'kept' start with a c or a k ?"

"Mom, I mean, Mrs. Byriel, Do we have art today ?"

Over the years, I've become pretty good at listening to more than one child at once. I can even carry on a couple of conversations while publishing someone's draft book story. When I need to, I hold up my "stop sign" (hand), which is a silent signal I have practiced with my class to remind a child not to interrupt. This week, nothing could make these little ones wait their turn. All the excitement of spring break must have given them lots to tell me, plus they seemed to have forgotten normal classroom routines. 

At the end of the day, my ears were tired and my voice was worn out. I was so thankful to go home and not remind anyone to"Zip your lips!" or "Put your eyes on me!" I have had no patience with my son Sam's extended stories, especially when he pauses in the middle and asks, "What was I talking about?" Lucky for me, my husband hasn't felt all that chatty lately, and the older boys prefer texting to talking. Buddy and Pearl don't always listen to me, but they don't tattle on each other, either. 

By the end of the week, things at school were going smoothly again. My students and I were back into our familiar routine, most of the stories about the Easter bunny and vacations at Grandma's have already been told.

I think their jellybean-sugar buzz must have worn off.  

Easter Perspective

I recently read this story online and found this video on YouTube.  It is the most amazing analogy that has provided me with much needed perspective this Easter morning.

Yes, there is snow on the ground, my basement is a disaster, my lesson plans aren't done and we go back to school tomorrow. Spring break has seemed much too short, and I really didn't get to do everything I had hoped this week.

This incredible story has changed my perspective. I am reminded that it doesn't matter whether I have the right kind of cheese for the recipe I need to make today. The fact that most of the plastic eggs in the house are missing or broken really doesn't seem important. Never mind that I need to wear my winter coat today.

Once again, God has yanked my little realities aside to show me His perspective on Easter.

Losing My Playroom

When we first moved into this house 12 years ago, there was a large unfinished room in the basement. It seemed to be the perfect playroom for the boys. We could keep the clutter and mess of the Legos and Little Tykes behind that door and still have our family room space in the rest of the basement. Well, the kids never actually used it as a playroom; they seemed to always play where we were, so it became unused space. I had a revelation....if the boys didn't want anything to do with that room, maybe I could take it over, and it could become my playroom! I set up my stamping and scrapbooking supplies in there and it became a wonderful area to work on craft projects. It wasn't pretty...cold cement floor, unfinished ceiling, and concrete block walls...but it was so handy to have an area for even the messiest painting projects.

As the years went by, I went back to teaching, and my craft supplies got shoved over to make room for more shelves and all my teaching supplies. I had toys, books, game and center supplies at my fingertips for any unit or lesson that was going on at school.

At the same time, something else was happening. I was becoming a hopeless pack rat. As any teacher will tell you, there are items that look like garbage to most people, but are valuable raw materials for craft projects. Since I had the space, it became a matter of policy for me to save egg cartons, paper towel rolls, strawberry baskets, and ice cream buckets. This had never been a problem, though, because by shutting the door, no one had to see the mess of the room that was becoming a catch-all space for the items that didn't seem to belong anywhere else.

Well, my family grew up, and now the boys want their playroom back. This week, the idea became a plan, and it looks like that space will need to be converted for the purchase of a pool table. Joey is home from college this week, and he showed his enthusiasm by offering to sacrifice his bedroom for this project. My new challenge is to sort and pitch, weeding out what has accumulated in that large room, so that the most essential items will fit on bookshelves in Joey's room.

Time to get out the trash bags and get started. 

All Finished!

Painting the Kitchen

Bright and early Monday morning, I cracked open the paint cans and started in ! I have loved the red walls in our kitchen and t.v room, but it was time for a change. Since our cabinets are very orange looking, I decided on a blue color, hoping the contrast would be pretty with the warm tones in the wood. 

A cold ripple of doubt washed over me as I looked at the first few strokes on the wall. Did they mix the paint right?.....It's so blue! I checked the paint sample again, and reassured myself. After all, I get this feeling every time I put a new color on the wall. Just keep going, I told myself. The reason it looks so bizarre is because it's going over the bright red. Standing on the counters and reaching high behind the top cabinets was a real trick. Does anyone even see up here? I wondered.

Sam grabbed a camera so he could record the transformation. He was so encouraging, telling me how great it looked. As one wall was done and I moved on to the next, I could look back and see where I'd been. With the bright red covered, the beauty of the blue really came out. I relaxed, knowing that the choice had been a good one. The color of the wood and the stone around the fireplace really pops with this new color. I like the green walls in the back hall as a soft accent to this blue. It's amazing how this green color worked with red and looks neat with the blue also.

I woke up this morning with aching hands from gripping the roller, and tight shoulder muscles from yesterday's counter-top-contortions, but I'm so pleased with the way it looks. It's amazing how a new coat of paint can make a room look brand new again. Perry told me he likes it, then pointed out the blue paint dripped on the microwave. Even Ben gushed over the new color. "I thought I was going to hate it, but I don't," he told me. 

It's hard to stay humble with praise like that.

On Your Mark...Get Set...Go !!

This is how I feel the first day of any break from school. I couldn't sleep last night...my mind was racing with the possibilities of all the projects I could get done with a week off. This morning I feel like I am braced at the starting line.... muscles quivering...mind spinning. What should I tackle first? 

Should I dive into my pile of school projects that I brought home? Conferences are coming soon and this week would be the perfect time to get prepared.

How about cleaning out my basement work room? It's overflowing with books, papers, and junk for school, scrapbook supplies, donations that need to go to Goodwill, and other odds and ends that don't seem to belong anywhere else in the house. I could rip through there like a whirlwind. organizing, and throwing away. Think of the extra space I could create.

Maybe I will spend the morning baking. There's a new muffin recipe I want to try, and making cut-out Easter cookies would be fun. Now that Joey is home, I know he'd appreciate some home baked goodies.

Hey, the living room carpet is looking pretty bad. I could get out the carpet cleaner and get to work in there. Now I remember, I  need to give the dogs a bath. I dread that, so I REALLY should get that over with first. 

I really want to put a fresh new color on the walls of the kitchen. Should I hop in the car and get the paint bought so I can get started? Now that I've decided to change the "lobster red" to "ocean blue" I can hardly wait for the transformation to begin.

On the other hand, somebody told me there are great clearance sales on winter clothes at the mall. Maybe today would be a great day to check those out. It's still early though, so I could pop in an exercise video and start the break off right by working out faithfully every day. 

When I explained my dilemma to Perry, he replied matter of factly, "You could clean."

He's right, of course. Sigh.

Fun spoiler.

Melting !

Yesterday was sunny and 60 degrees outside.... the most beautiful spring day ! After a long winter, just the sight of the shrinking, sludge colored snow piles was enough to put a song in my heart. Driving into my driveway is no longer a teeth rattling experience now that the snow "hump" at the base has finally melted. It's amazing how pretty everything looks to me. Even though the grass is matted, brown and soggy,  I haven't seen it since December and it's a beautiful sight!

At school, the kids were silly and giddy about going out on the playground with no coats on. Not having snowpants and boots to struggle with, stuck zippers to wrestle, and missing mittens to locate put a spring in everyone's step. For the first time I ever remember, I actually wished it was my turn for recess duty ! I opened the windows of our classroom to let in the fresh air and blow out some of the germs we've been percolating in all winter. The smell of wet boots and unwashed mittens is being replaced with the scent of springtime puddles. 

Days like this seem like our reward for surviving the winter.  I have a hunch that a sunny 60 degree day wouldn't have this effect on my brother in Florida or my friend Angie in Texas. It's hard to explain why people stay in the midwest and put up with the winters. My only explanation is that it makes the experience of spring so exciting and new. A warm spring day might feel ordinary to much of the country, but in Boone, it was an occasion to celebrate!

Eating Out

Saturday night, Perry and I went out to eat with his brother Rick and his wife Jennifer. Rick recently celebrated a milestone birthday, so Perry wanted to treat him to a meal at a fancy steak house he'd been wanting to try. On the way to Des Moines, Perry coached me, "Don't look at the prices. Just enjoy the evening." The restaurant was gorgeous...dark cherry wood, beautiful lighting. The hostess even took our coats...what a nice service! We were seated at our table, I opened my menu and....(gasp) As my eyes scanned the selections, I remembered family stories about Perry's little old grandma, who was known to always order the cheapest thing on the menu whenever she went out to eat. I considered it, but realized Perry would make the connection. His animal loving wife hasn't eaten veal since finding out what veal really was.

The food was wonderful, but as we ate, I found myself thinking about how many groceries I could buy with the cost of this one meal. Without meaning to, I chewed extra slowly and wondered if I could calculate the cost per bite. The highlight of the meal for me was the creme brulee I had for dessert. That's an all-time favorite of mine, and it was served with a gorgeous arrangement of fruit on top that I really should have taken a picture of before eating. 

It really was a fun evening and a fabulous meal, but when we spend that kind of money on something, I feel guilty for having digested it......

Thanking God for the weekend

I was so thankful to wake up this morning and realize it's the weekend ! A quiet day to catch up at home on the many things I let go during the week. My kitchen floor has a layer of something gritty on it, we are out of milk, and the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes. At the moment, Pearl is busy ripping the guts (stuffing) out of one of her toys, so fluffy bits will soon be scattered around the main floor of the house. I see muddy footprints on the rug from Sam's boots, which reminds me that spring is definitely on the way. He must have found a thawed patch of ground during his paper route yesterday.

And here I sit, drinking coffee and tapping away at the computer. Why did I decide to start this blog? Maybe it's because I love to read the entries from Jolene's, Darci's, and Melinda's blogs. Maybe it's because I know that journaling is good for a person's mental health, a time to reflect on life's priorities and blessings. Maybe it's because I've been so terrible about keeping in touch with the people I care about, and this will be a simple solution to emailing friends and family on a regular basis. Or maybe, it's another way to justify my time in front of the computer