Happy Halloween!

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I didn't accomplish the task of finding my resort pass today. I didn't even really try looking for it. It was just too pretty today to stay indoors looking for a pass when I could be outside.

Oh well...tomorrow's another day. lol!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

My job this weekend...

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My job for the weekend is to find my resort pass that I haven't seen since last Sunday. The guys at the security gate are kind of over my flirting with them to get in. lol! I really don't want to pay the $50 required to get a new one either.

I lost many, many times before and always found it. So please cross your fingers and wish me luck! This is the longest I've gone without finding it before.

10-29-10

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Fun day!

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It's Red Ribbon Week and today some of the kids from the high school came over and put on a little show for my school. We had Cheerleaders, Marching Band members, Drill Team members, Color Guard members, ROTC members and Majorettes. It was fun!

One of those days...

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Can you imagine my surprise when I woke up thinking, "Thank goodness it's Friday!" only to realize that it was Tuesday? lol!

Lots of stuff to say

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Thank you so much for all the nice comments and wonderful emails after my post about my dreams. I can always count on you guys for a life when I need it. You have no idea how much that means to me!

Check out the card Nataliya made on her blog. She used one of my sentiments. Actually, check out all of her cards. They are awesome!

Now, I have an apology to make and a favor to ask. Someone sent me the link to their blog showing how they had used my "When all else fails, Take a bath" wordart for some lemon bath bombs they made. The blog post had the directions for making the bath bombs. I want to show off and share that link here, but I've misplaced it. Please, if this was your project share it with me again. I also want to try making the bath bombs.

Time to catch you up on some postcard news. We've received some beautiful postcards from Holland, London, California, Georgia, North and South Carolina, the Split Rock Lighthouse, St. Marten and Zion National Park. There have been other cards too and I'm sorry that I can't remember them all right now.

Ruth sent us a wonderful packet with a postcard and information about Maine. I told the kids how I fell in love with Maine after vacationing there and dream of owning a summer in Maine. I asked them if they would buy me a house in Maine after they grow up and get rich and famous. My question was met with a collective NO! I faked sadness and asked why. I even pointed out that it didn't have to be a big house because I would only live there in the summer. They said, "If you live there who will be the teacher?" lol! Gotta love their reasoning.

We would still love to receive more cards. You can read the original post about out postcard project here and mail postcards to us at....

Ms. Brown's Class

Greynolds Park Elementary School

1536 NE 179th Street

North Miami Beach, FL 33162

If you know of any classes that would like to receive something from Miami just let me know. We'll be happy to send things.

Now it's time for mw to get some sleep. Enjoy your day!

Baby Girl Brag Book Freebie

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I've posted another Monday Freebie for you on April's blog! This BB page was made using April's Baby Girl Kit. Just click on the preview to go to April's blog.

This Little Piggy

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Scraps of Ellay and KnittinJen Digiscrap Designs have teamed up to make a super cute kit called This Little Piggy! You are going to love this kit! It can be used to scrap pictures of babies, cook outs, messy eaters, farm pics and....well, just about anything you can think of.

Take a look at this preview...

Did I tell you that this kit is huge?!?! There are 23 papers, 12 cardstocks, 78 elements and 2 full alphas!

Here are a couple of layouts that I've made, but I know that I'll be using this kit over and over!

You can buy this awesome kit at Stuff to Scrap! For more layout inspiration visit Ellay and Jen's blogs. You may even find some goodies waiting for you.

10-24-10

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10-23-10

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Wanna be my shrink?

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I know I've blogged about what a mess I was after Charlie passed away and how much I still miss him, but I'm not sure I told you about some of the truly crazy things I've done and thought since he's been gone.

Not long after he first passed away I had friends try to tell me that I should move. This was our home and there are memories of him everywhere. I was in pretty bad shape and they thought starting over in a new home without the old memories would be good for me. Maybe they were right, but I didn't want to hear what they were saying.

I told them that the housing market was too bad to try and move. I told them that I knew I was in a safe neighborhood and that was extra important to me since he was gone. I told them I liked being able to walk almost any place that I wanted to go. I told them that I liked living so close to all of them, that they were my support system and I needed them close.

I told them all of these things and many other things as well to explain why I thought moving was a bad idea. I told them all of those things, but the real reason I didn't (and still don't) want to move is that I'm afraid if I move and Charlie comes back, he won't be able to find me.

I know...he's gone...he's not coming back. I'm crazy.

You don't even want to know how long I slept with his picture under my pillow along with some old cards and letters from him because I thought it would help make me dream about him. It didn't work.

There was one dream after he had been gone for about a year. In the dream my friends were here and Charlie called me on the phone. The really weird part is that in the dream I knew he was dead. I knew he was dead and didn't want my friends to know that I was talking to him so I took the phone into the closet and sat in there talking to him.

When I woke up from that dream I was happy. I had heard the sound of his voice and I was happy. I knew it was only a dream, but I was happy.

There were no more dreams about him no matter how hard I wished for them.

When I was hospitalized with pneumonia in March, 2009 my doctors were really scared. They kept me there for 10 days. When they finally let me go home I got the full lecture about completing my antibiotics and keeping my follow-up appointments. They let me know that I had come very close to dying.

I completed the antibiotics and kept the doctor appointments. I was sick.....really, really sick. I knew the doctors believed that I had come close to dying, but I didn't believe them. I didn't think it was my time. I didn't think it was my time because I didn't feel Charlie's presence in the room. If it had truly been my time to go I believe that he would have come for me.

Crazy? Maybe, but I survived so I'm liking my theory.

Now it's been exactly 4 and a half years since Charlie passed away and for the last two nights I have actually seen him in my dreams.

In the first dream, I was sitting in a hospital waiting room and he was with me. I'm not sure why we were at the hospital, but we were happy and laughing so it couldn't have been that big of a deal. In the second dream, I was in some weird place and Charlie swam in from a pipe to get me. We were both happy in that dream too.

I've woken up happy both times.

So, my million dollar question is....Why now?

Why after all this time am I finally seeing him in my dreams? His picture and letters are no longer under my pillow and the flowery sheets that I used to torment him with haven't left the linen closet in a long, long time.

Does this mean that my poor heart has finally mended enough that I can dream of him and not fall completely apart?

Is it wrong that I just want to take some Tylenol PM, crawl into bed and wait for the dreams to begin?

Man, I would probably make some shrinks career!

What was I saying?

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OK, I'm officially losing it! I sat down with lots of thing to tell you, but then the phone rang...After a 5 minute phone conversation I completely forgot what I was going to blog about. lol!

Just in case you're wondering....I have not had a single margarita tonight. (sadly, lol!)

Store closing sale!

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FlowerScraps is closing her DSO store and her kits are on sale. Once her DSO store closes many of those kits will be retired and you won't be able to get them anymore. Click on the flier below to take advantage of her closing sale!

Men are so rude!

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I was pumping gas today and the station was really busy. There were cars on both sides of the pumps and there was one guy off to the side with an overheated car. He had the hood up and was doing something to it while smoke rose from the car.

Well, broken car guy came close to where I was pumping gas to throw something in the trash. As he was walking toward me a lady with her child were walking past also as they headed into the store. Broken car guy starts cat calling after the lady, telling her how good she looked. The lady didn't even turn around.

I finished up and got into my car thinking about how rude it was that he yelled those things when the poor lady was with her kid. Then I laughed at the thought of him actually thinking she would be interested in him and his busted up car.

As I was driving away a third thought came to me.......Why didn't he tell me how good I looked?

Apparently, this guy needs a new car and some glasses! lol!

Baby Boy BB page freebie!

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Click on the preview below to head over to April's blog to grab the brag book page I made with her Baby Boy Kit!

Enjoy your day!

Trick or Treat by Scraps of Ellay

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Don't you just love Halloween? Well, I bet you don't love it as much as Scraps of Ellay! lol!

Her new kit is called Trick or Treat and it is just awesome! This kit is a must have if you have little ones. There are 18 papers, 56 elements and a full alpha. Just take a look at this preview...

I've made a couple of layouts with the kit, take a look...

I made the second layout for the font challenge at Stuff to Scrap. Make sure you check out the monthly challenges there!

You can buy Trick or Treat in the Scraps of Ellay store at Stuff to Scrap. For more layout inspiration visit Ellay's Blog. There have been some really cute layouts made using this kit!

Round Midnight by Flower Scraps

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FlowerScraps is releasing an awesome kit today called Round Midnight. This kit is perfect for scrapping pictures of your adult Halloween/October pictures. Check out the preview...

I've used the kit for two layouts so far and neither has a Halloween theme. So you can see how versatile the kit is.

You can buy the kit in the FlowerScraps store at Stuff to Scrap.

Make sure you check out FlowerScraps Blog for more layout inspiration. You may even find a little goodie waiting for you there.

10-17-10

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10-16-10

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10-15-10

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Good, Not Good and Really Not Good

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Know what's good?

Coming home after a long, dreary, rainy day and having a bowl of ice cream before you even think about what you're having for dinner.

Know what's not good?

Being so distracted by your long, dreary, rainy day that you return the carton of ice cream to the refrigerator instead of the freezer.

Know what's really not good?

Having Orange Croc Guy find the ice cream in the frig several hours after you put it there.

LOL! I may never live this one down.

We ordered Chinese for dinner. I really wanted fajitas, but decided not to put up a fight. I was afraid OCG would yell out and tell the cute delivery guy about where I put the ice cream.

It's time for an eye exam!

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So, this week my class is working on the letter "m" and it's sound. I pulled up a computer site that I love because it has all kinds of things to read and do for each letter of the alphabet. I had the smartboard on so everyone could see what we were doing.

There is one section for the letter "m" has has you reading sentences and then asking the kids which words in the sentences begin with the /m/ sound. We got through the first couple of sentences with no problem. Then, I start reading the next sentence....

ME: Mark and Mike are....wait!....what does that say?...
Random kids: We don't know those words!

I thinking this website has REALLY changed since I covered the letter "m" last year. I stop looking at the smartboard and turn to look at the computer screen which is closer to where I'm sitting.

I see that the first word in the sentence isn't Mark...it's Maria. So the sentence actually read...

Maria and Mark are getting married.

I'm a "to each his own" kind of gal, but I really did not want to explain the sentence "Mark and Mike are getting married" to my kindergarten class. lol!

Scrapbooking Tutorials by FlowerScraps

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FlowerScraps has started a wonderful new site with scrapbooking tutorials. You no longer have to be afraid to use photoshop. lol!

Make sure you check out the tutorials she has published so far and watch for more great things to come!

If there is something specific you would like a tutorial for, just let her know!

Enjoy your day!

Autumn Kisses BB freebie

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I've used April's Autumn Kisses Kit to make another Brag Book page freebie for you. Just lick on the preview to go to her blog and pick up your goodie.

You can buy the Autumn Kisses kit here. Take a look at the Snowglobes too! They are adorable!

Enjoy your day!

Amelia by Shel Belle Scraps

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Shell Belle Scraps has released a beautiful new kit called Amelia. There are 17 papers, 42 elements and an alpha. Take a look at this gorgeous preview...



You can pick up the kit in the Shell Belle Scraps store at Stuff to Scrap. Make sure you pick it up soon because it's 30% off until the 16th!

Take a look at a layout I made with the kit...



Check out Shel's blog for more layout inspiration.

Beautiful card by Heidi

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I'm jealous of people who can make pretty cards! I've tried making cards and they never turn out pretty. There's a definite trick to card making that I have yet to discover.

Heidi has found the trick though! Just look at this picture she sent me of her adorable fall card...

The wordart she used on her card is still available here if you would like to grab it for your cards or fall layouts.

Can you get arrested for looking?

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So, a couple of weeks ago I went into the teacher's class next to mine and pitched a fit.

Me: Why do you have the cute daddy?
Her: What?
Me: The cute daddy that walks up to get his child. I think it's a girl.
Her: I don't know who you're talking about. You'll have to point him out to me.
Me: If you need to have the cute daddy pointed out to you, you aren't worthy and his child will be transferred to my class first thing tomorrow.
Her: Is he tall?
Me: No, but he's taller than I am.
Her: That's the problem. I don't notice men unless they're tall.
Me: haha! Just another advantage of being my height!


Several days go by before I see him again. I see him, get my friends attention and give the "cute daddy" signal. She looks, smiles and gives me a thumbs up. I take this as a sign that she agrees with me --- he's cute!

Yesterday, we're out at dismissal and I tell her that I haven't seen my cute daddy in a while.
She informs me that it's because he's not the daddy---he's the big brother. lol!

I told her to find out how old he was so I would know how long I'd be in jail.

She seems to think that he's a college freshman so I'll probably be going away for a long, long time. lol!

10-7-10

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I'm a mess!

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So, I was leaving an appointment today when I got onto an elevator with a pretty cute guy. We exchanged "hi's", but didn't say anything else. The elevator doors opened and as another guy got on the cute guy looked at me smiled and nodded his head as if to say "bye" and walked out of the elevator.

Well, dumb me follows him off the elevator. LOL! As I'm looking around trying to figure out where I am and why the lobby looks so different from the way it had looked just an hour earlier the cute guy turned around and saw me. He took a couple steps back in my direction before quietly pointing out to me that we were on the second floor and not the ground floor whose button I had pushed.

Talk about wishing you were invisible! lol!

30th Day of School!

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Tuesday is our 30th day of school---that translates to---150 more school days until summer vacation. LOL!

We'll be celebrating our 3rd Zero the Hero Day and Shelly had asked earlier who Zero the Hero was...so, here's his story....

Once upon a time (a very long time ago) we only had the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. All of the numbers used to tease 0 because he had nothing to show for his value. 1 could show one apple, 2 could show two apples, etc. But, poor Zero, had nothing.

One day all the numbers decided to play a game and line up in order of the things they could show. The numbers told Zero he couldn't play because he had no value.

The game started with 1 lining up first. 2 joined the line next followed by 3. 4, 5, and then 6 joined the line followed by 7, 8 and 9. That was the end of the game because there were no more numbers. The numbers were kind of sad and didn't know what to do next.

Zero had been watching the game and wishing he could play. Suddenly, he had a great idea! Zero jumped up, grabbed 1's hand, stood beside her and made a new number----10! The other numbers were so happy they cheered for Zero and called him a hero.

Soon all the numbers were teaming up to make other new numbers---1 stood with 2 to make 12, 2 stood with 3 to make 23, 3 stood with 4 to make 34, etc. There were all kinds of new numbers made! The best part of the game was that every number wanted to stand with Zero! 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 80, 90

Thanks to Zero we will never run out of numbers again!

LOL! OK, that's kind of a condensed version of the Zero the Hero story, but hopefully you get the idea.

Every 10 days we celebrate the number Zero as a way of helping us count up to the 100th day of school. Zero the Hero sneaks in while we're at lunch and leaves us a treat shaped like a Zero, a coloring sheet and a note congratulating us for being that many days smarter.

After the 100th day, we start counting down to summer vacation.

Hallow's Eve BB page freebie

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I've posted a brag book page freebie for you on April's blog. I made it using her Hallow's Eve kit. Just click on the preview to go to her blog to snag it.



Enjoy your day!

Quiet day!

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Today was a nice quiet day for me and after the week I've had I needed it!

I did some things around the house this morning, ran a couple of errands, took a nap, visited with and had dinner with some friends then came home to watch some TV.

It was a perfect Saturday! Hope you had a good day too!

Thank goodness for weekends!

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I've been so busy lately that I feel like there hasn't even been time to breathe. lol! Don't you just hate weeks like that?

Tuesday afternoon it was looking like we would probably get Wednesday off from school because of a tropical storm, but that loud noise you heard Tuesday night was the sound of the Dade County teachers collectively groaning when we learned that school wasn't going to be closed. The storm never really got it's act together and only became a named storm for about a minute and a half then it veered to the east and away from Miami. Of course, we got really wet from all the rain the storm did manage to bring our way.

My plans for this weekend are to sleep, sleep and sleep!