Mission:Missoni

So, I am obsessed with Missoni. What's not to love about a diverse color palete & zig-zags from a fine Italian powerhouse? NADA! I tried to get on to target.com ALL DAY (in between teaching our nation's youth, of course) with NO LUCK. 

Feeling defeated, I pouted the whole drive home & I protested going to Target. If I couldn't get in the store online, there's no way there'd be things left in the store. I finally was able to get on target.com after school to see all the things I've been drooling over - gone. Sold out. There was an option to "check in store" - could it be?! The most coveted item on my list...is it true??  Said they had "limited stock" at the Leesburg store. You bet your bottom dollar that I hauled ass to Leesburg to see if my gorgeous blanket was still there. 

The coveted blanket -- ahhhh

No. But seeing some things strewn about the shelves and hidden in aisles make me embark on a top-secret-Missoni-mission. 

No luck, but my Missoni thirst needed to be quenched - I race over to Sterling store just as a friendly Targetman is wheeling out giant cardboard boxes labled "MISSONI" - there is a God! Except, He didn't want me to have my blanket that day BUT he wanted me and my sister to have matching plates & cereal bowls.

Never Forgotten, Always Grateful.

This first week of school was a little hectic. Between grad school and back-to-school I feel like I'm going a mile a minute. On Thursday, after pure days of doom,  gloom and torrential rain I knew I couldn't make myself stay at school late for the 3rd day in a row. As I am driving out of the school parking lot, I see one of my colleagues walking out to Dranesville Road with an umbrella in his hand. Seemed odd to me so I pull up and roll down my window "Hey! What are you doing? Do you need a ride??" My saturated colleague climbs in my jeep (thank goodness for all-weather floor mats ;) ), and he explains that he loaned his car to a friend in need and has been walking the mile+ to & from school. I do a quick mental flash-back, astonished that this co-worker had been trekking in the rain all week and hadn't asked anyone for a ride. I guess it's not easy, especially with people you just met...I'm glad I was at the right place at the right time that day. PAY IT FORWARD. We glide and hydroplane over lots of puddles (more like rivers) before arriving in Reston. I knew we had been getting lots of rain but who knew that so many roads were washed out and closed? Due to all the flooding and road closures, FCPS canceled schools on Friday. Halleujah! What a nice treat. 

Friday was spent at the movies, doing homework and lounging. By the time happy hour rolled around, I was itching to get out! All work and no play makes Kel a dull girl. I met my friends (old & new) Chris,  Elizabeth (http://guestinmyworld.blogspot.com/) & Mandi at the bar. We shared some beers and lots of laughs (I now have rock-hard abs because of it). 

Mermaid Hair

9/11/2011
10 years later. Everyone remembers all the details about where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. I was a sophomore at Langley High School (located .75 miles from the CIA building in Mclean, VA).

I was in Mrs. Morse's Photography class sitting next to two of my best friends - Ashton & Jon. There was no TV in my room but one of my classmates, Emily, ran up to the office to drop off a note to get a pass to leave for a Dr's appointment that day. Emily came down and said "uh a plane crashed into the World Trade Center". A few other students went up to the office to see what was going on and when they came back down - "uhh another plane has hit the other tower." We pulled up the news on the internet and soon realized that the pentagon had been hit by a plane, too. Being so close to the pentagon and the capital city of this great country, lots of my classmates parents worked downtown and in the pentagon. We all pulled out cell phones and were trying to call and text to make sure our loved ones were ok and if they'd heard the news. LHS went into "lockdown" because it was feared the CIA could be the next target. Students started to be pulled out of class, teachers were running down passes to release students to their parents. My dad's office is also in Mclean so he came to pick me up shortly after. He tried to check out Ashley and Brittany (my best friend & her sister) from school, too, since their parent's were far and wouldn't be able to get them soon. My dad and I went back to his office so he could gather some important documents before we went back to LHS to "jailbreak" Ash & Britt. I remember sitting in the car on the way home with tears streaming, realizing that our world as we know it, has been changed forever. Last night and the majority of today has been spent reflecting on those lives and the innocence lost that day. It's funny how life comes full circle, 10 years ago I was a sophomore in HS, now I teach students that age. Thinking back now, I don't know how Mrs. Morse kept it together in front of us kids. I hope I don't ever have to face that test as an educator.

Never Forgotten, Always Grateful.

I forgot how...

1. Much I enjoy/like teaching (love is such a strong word = committment phobe)
2. Little my freshman are
3. These first few weeks/months are EXHAUSTING
4. 31 teenagers in one room can be crowded and stinky but create also some incredible synergy 
5. Uncool I've become in my "old age" - who's Tyler the Creator?
6. I don't have time to use the restroom before lunch
7. Curious my students are about me- "Ms. Goodwin, are you married? what's in your hair? do you have in extensions? where did you get your shoes? Are you Spanish?"

This is going to be a great year! Right? It has to be. Not only am I a full-time teacher but I am a full-time student this semester, taking grad classes at UVA: 2 online & 2 traditional evening classes. I can sleep when I'm dead, right?

Back to School

Back to school. Yikes. Where did the summer go?? Starting the new school year is always tough - my stamina for work is very low, so after getting in from OBX at 4:30am Monday morning and going to school at 7am was not pleasant. At all. These first few days were filled with meetings, inservices, freshmen orientation, grad classes and organizing my room. I think I'm all set up so now the next 2 days I can work on lesson plans. Check it out!

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene def did a number on the outer banks. We couldn't get a hold of anyone in Duck and nobody in the surrounding OBX area could get in. It was literally shut down because of the distruction from Irene. No in, no out. After hearing word from a neighbor in Kilmarlic that there was a tree on top of our house, my dad made the executive decision that he had to go down and check on the houses. It was Sunday at noon (first day back for us teachers was the next day), we (Dad, Kim & BIL) drove down to OBX knowing we'd have to come back the same day. We were shocked (but yet not at all) at the sights we found at the sound. But first, let me give you a before & then an after:

The gazebo where Kim and Brett got married is no more

And at those in Duck:

Sunset Grille Pier/Dock

Sunset outdoor bar.

Luckily, the house in Duck was fine - no damage & still have power. Still lots of clean up at Kilmarlic from where the water came/tree fell/debris & don't have power. Could be out for weeks...Depending on if we get power back this week, my dad asked me to go down this weekend to continue to help him clean up.

Mae's Bday

Everyone knows that I'm OBSESSED with my dog. & my precious pooch's bday was the 24th. Can you believe my little girl is 2?? I found an easy recipe online to make cup cakes, or as I like to call them - pup cakes! Every birthday girl needs to have a special treat on her B-day!

Peanut Butter Dog Birthday Cake 

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (or substitute rice flour)

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil 

¼ Cup Organic Peanut Butter 

1 Teaspoon Vanilla 

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Honey 

Combine Flour, and Baking soda then add your remaining ingredients. Mix well, pour into 8 inch round pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

  Pup-cakes as party favors to the other 4-legged guest. :)

Then, I iced it with peanut butter (you could also used vanilla yogurt) & decorated it!

Birthday princess with her pup-cake - ready to pounce & enjoy!

Getting inspired at home & in the classroom

So I've been introduced to pinterest and have been inspired by so many great DIY crafts for home & my classroom. 

Some crafts I want to work on for home-

make your own dry-erase board

old door, blackboard paint

magetic makeup holder

dresser with fabric modpodged to the front

magnetic monogrammed boards

Crafts I'll be working on for my HS Spanish classroom:

how smart!! to keep the comp cords all easily accessible

would love to frame this and put it on my desk

stamps I bought

bought some new posters

bought this pocket calendar, the months & weather are in Spanish on the back side

I'm going to label my popsicle stick cup "victimas" (victims) - I always ask for voluntarios, but 9 times out of 10 I have to call on victims. This is an easy way to remember who I've called on and who I haven't in a 90 min block

This is how my desk was set up last year - now I'll have my own classroom :) Time to rearrange!

chilipepper lights & "word birds" to demonstrate location - These were in English, but I pasted and lamonated the Spanish on top of it - genius!

I have a week left of summer to craft my little heart out! Time to get cracking!