April 30, 2014

This week I had an American Idol moment. I was a judge for the Talent Show tryouts for one of my schools. It was kind of under false pretenses because I didn't have any red x buzzers that I could push and we let everyone in if their act was rated G. There were many keroke singers and most of the songs were from the movie, Frozen. Then a little tiny girl approached the stage. She was nervous and when the music teacher asked her what song she was performing she quietly said, " The Cup Song" and she was singing without a soundtrack. This song is from the movie, Pitch Perfect which I've seen two times because my daughter keeps me hip. Well, I got my encouraging smile ready and then....she belted it! What a tremendous voice! You would have thought that Anna Kendrick herself was on stage! She had all the words down and in tune. Oh, and did I mention that she is only in first grade?! All the judges were speechless! I hope she remembers her old librarian when she is rich and famous! 

April 29, 2014

My friend and fellow Teacher Librarian, Mike McQueen is living his dream. He recently published his book, Getting Boys to Read:Quick Tips for Parents and Teachers. He has been working on this book for years while putting his heart and soul into his profession. Mike is a testament to me that if you really believe in something, you throw yourself into it 200%! I wish he could bottle his enthusiasm and motivation- I would be first in line to buy a case! Until then I'll make do with buying his book. If you're interested, it's available on Amazon! Way to go Mike! 

April 28, 2014

Below is the quote of the day..I have an app that alerts me of daily quotes because I don't get enough notifications during the day(!) Anyhoo, this one caught my eye because it is short, sweet and oh so true. I like to go through life blissfully ignorant that mean people exist but every once in awhile I come across one. So the next time you do remember this......

April 27, 2014

Pope John Paul II became a saint today which I agree with wholeheartedly! In 1980, when I was a mere 18 years old, my family visited Rome and saw Pope John Paul II in person. He toured around St. Peter's square in his pope mobile and you could just feel the warmth and goodness in him. He later addressed the crowd in at least 8 different languages. I don't remember what he talked about but I remember being impressed which was something because I had just graduated from high school and felt very impressive myself! He was someone many people admired whether they were catholic or not because he was real, positive, forgiving, accepting and so much more. Here's to you Saint John Paul II!!

April 26, 2014

I'm so glad spring and warmer temperatures are here! It was a beautiful day to sit on the patio and read! Oh I had plenty of other things that I should have been doing but the patio swing was calling me and I needed to bond with my husband as he was doing the yard work. Why is it that all my hobbies involve sedentary behavior? Reading, knitting, watching movies, blogging.....I really need to do something about this and now that it is becoming warmer it's easier to get motivated to walk the dogs and dust off the bike. I'll work on that tomorrow .....

April 25, 2014

I just had a big scare. One of those life altering moments when your life flashes before your eyes. After work today I took a little nap on the couch while catching up on some Facebook news on my iPad. When I woke up my iPad was dark with no sign of life. Oh well it must need to be charged I thought so I plugged it in. 30 minutes -nothing, 1 hour- nothing, 3 hours- nothing. Now I'm in a panic and telling Don that if it's dead he does realize that I will be the first person at the Apple store in the morning to replace it. My iPad and I have become inseparable and I couldn't go a day without it. Don was probably thinking that that is what I used to say about him! I bought my iPad almost three years ago with the sole purpose of getting acquainted with the device because my schools were going to be buying them in the near future. At first I had to make myself use it and not default to the computer because I was more comfortable with my computer. I have become more and more and more dependent on this little rectangle of electric awesomeness which resulted in my panic today. Is my attachment a bad thing- possibly - but there are worse things I could be addicted to. Anyway, it eventually turned back on and we are reunited once again!

April 24, 2014

Today I attended a professional development course about being adaptable. I enjoy learning new things, especially if I think it will help me as a Teacher Librarian. Today did not disappoint. For instance, we talked about having dialogue - really listening to the opinions and ideas of others without making any decisions. This is very hard to do in our hurry-up-we-have-to-get-this-done society! We were reminded that if you are truly listening, you are not thinking about the other person's cute earrings, that they should have never worn those pants with those shoes, or the witty comeback you are going to say if they ever stop talking! No..if you are truly listening, you will just be ....listening. Stop by and talk to me so I can practice!

April 23, 2014

I came across the quote below and I think it is really true. Have you ever had those days when you just wake up grumpy and nothing goes right? Or how about those days that you're feeling on top of the world and everything comes up roses? I have also heard many stories of people who are sick and visualize themselves well. They are convinced that this positive thinking helped them get better. Our minds are very powerful but the trick is getting in the right mindset. Let's just hope that no one discovers how to read minds..We'll all be in a world of trouble if that happens!

April 22, 2014

Mornings are for the birds. That is what I love about Spring- the birds are the first thing I hear when I wake up. I love the sound of their songs and it (usually) puts me in a good mood for the day. We probably have more birds in our yard than our neighbors' due to the fact that my husband thinks it is his duty to feed all of the winged creatures in a one hundred mile radius! We have four bird feeders along our back fence so we are the Country Buffet for all those with beaks. The other day, a duck couple flew in on a date to eat the bird seed on the ground. I get a little nervous when we are close to running out of birdseed- yeah I saw the movie The Birds- so Don is sent to the store to get another truck load so they'll keep singing and we keep our eyes! 😄

April 21, 2014

Hobby Lobby. I went there today. I haven't been in a long time. I used to go often- there was always something that I needed. As I was walking around the store I was trying to pinpoint why it wasn't at the top of my destinations anymore. When the kids were little I had a lot of crafting to do. There were den meetings, Girl Scout meetings, room parties, PTA functions.......the list went on. Even when Alex was only 3, my sister-in-law was convinced he knew how to read because he pointed to the sign on the store and said, "Hobby Lobby!" That's how often we went. Now I guess I don't have much crafting to do since my kids are out of the nest and my hobby of choice these days is knitting. It really bugs me that my craft room is all organized and clean- another sign that I need to hit Pinterest hard, start making a mess and frequenting Hobby Lobby! 

April 20, 2014

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter today! It was a beautiful day - bright and sunny so for once we didn't have to have a parka over our Easter dresses! Alex was able to meet us in Fort Morgan for church with Don's folks ( yes, he scored major brownie points with his mom!) It was so great to have our family together for the day. It got even better when 23 of us converged at my nephew's house for dinner! My niece-in-law went out of her way to make it special and the food was delicious! As we go through life we often find ourselves living away from our families. It is very special to be able to come back together and reconnect with those special to us every once in awhile.

April 19, 2014

Our egg dying was egg-specially creative tonight. I found a new technique on Pinterest. Right after you boil the eggs you color them with crayons and they melt on the eggs. I wouldn't try this with young children-the eggs are hot! My twenty year old pulled through with only second degree burns. Don wanted to try a new technique that he read about in the newspaper today. It involved shaving cream and dye. Paige and I convinced him that we would like to eventually eat these eggs so he used whipped topping instead. It worked pretty well and Don handled the "clean up"! 

April 18, 2014

What a day! I had race car drivers bring their cars to school today. It's part of a reading incentive program called Race to Read and sponsored by Bandimere Speedway. Drivers volunteer their time to show their cars to kids and promote reading. I had a wonderful group of drivers today. They loved seeing the smiling faces of the students and their excitement over their cars, especially when they started them up. Have you ever noticed that certain smells and sounds trigger memories? Well the revving of race car engines trigger happy memories for me of Saturday nights spent at the Morgan County Stock Car races. My dad built custom dune buggies and was the official driver of the  "Trophy Girl" who presented the awards to the winning racers. I went with dad and hung out with my friends in the bleachers. It was a fun time - I hope you're reading this Wendy! I'm exhausted...!

April 17, 2014

Yahtzee! I grew up playing Yahtzee with my family.  I have fond memories of sitting around our kitchen table and watching the dice roll. It was a terrific day when our family later discovered Triple Yahtzee! We continued this tradition with our kids and the Yahtzee game was one of the essentials packed in our trailer for camping trips. One time we were almost kicked out of the RVpark because I was on a winning streak and became a little too loud shouting YAHTZEE at ten o'clock at night! And as if life couldn't get any better, now I can play Yahtzee online with my daughter - yes there is an app for that! 

April 16, 2014

Vegetables to me are like exercising- I know I need them but don't necessarily enjoy them! During the winter growing up we didn't have many fresh vegetables. Frozen peas and mixed vegetables and canned green beans were the norm. Consequently, I did not grow up to be a huge veggie fan. I always wondered why mom ruined a perfectly good stew with carrots! These days we have year round access to a variety of fresh vegetables. I'm  constantly looking for new ways to fix vegetables so I'll want to eat them. When my kids were growing up we always had vegetables and I always made them eat them but fortunately they didn't keep tabs on how many I ate! However, my life changed when I discovered....EDAMAME! This has become my all time favorite vegetable. Shelled, in the shell, it doesn't matter, I'll take them! Forget the sugar, come by my house if you ever need a cup of edamame!

April 15, 2014

Have I ever told you how much I love technology? This afternoon I attended a webinar in the comfort of my office with 210 other people! The presenter was from the UK and the attendees were from all over the world- Africa, New Zealand, Germany, the Bahamas, and all over the United States. The exciting thing for me was the fact that we were all there to learn how to be more effective teachers with technology. The focus was iPads and the best ways in which to use this powerful tool. It is a wonderful time in education where we can join together internationally for ALL kids!

April 14, 2014

Fashion faux pas at the gym today. I forgot my workout socks. The old me would have seen that as a sign to go home and not workout but the new my-metabolism-has-slowed-to-nonexistance-so-gotta-do-something me figured out how to fold my brown socks in half so they didn't go above my tennies. Hopefully the spandex distress of my pants created a diversion from my socks! 

I like that my gym has all kinds of people- young, teens, middle aged, and older all mixed together. I love to people watch while I'm there. I find that women usually looked determined and have a plan- this machine, then that one, etc. Men however seem to strut around a lot and just kind of wander from machine to machine. Teens, of course, move around in pacts after spending some time primping in the locker room first (boys and girls). They work out but are very aware who is there at all times. They just love it when they see their old librarian in her tight pants and brown socks!

April 13, 2014

No snow day tomorrow and it is unusual for me to say, "good!" We are so close to the end of this school year, we don't have time for a snow day! It will be hard enough to squeeze in everything that needs to happen before the students walk out the door for summer break! Every year it seems like the roller coaster I'm on reaches the heighest point at spring break and the day we come back I start careening toward the bottom! I hate roller coasters...they scare me. Anyhoo, on the positive side, there are many fun events that happen the last two months of school. Also it is wonderful to take a moment to reflect on all you have accomplished throughout the year and the growth students have made- academically and socially. My first group of students that I taught as a Teacher Librarian are graduating from high school this spring which is mind boggling! It is terrific to see what wonderful young men and women they have become.....one of the perks of being involved in the education profession!

April 12, 2014

Meat. That is what was for dinner! We went to the Brazilian steakhouse,Fogo de Chao tonight with our good friend Mark who is in town. You definitely don't want to go there if you are vegetarian! As long as you keep your coaster flipped to green, they will keep the meat coming! It was delicious and was wonderful to see Mark. Don and Mark became friends in college and he was the Best Man at our wedding almost 27 years ago!

April 11, 2014

Tonight we went to the Arvada Center to see the performance of  End of the Rainbow. This is a play/musical (plasical?) about the final years of Judy Garland's life. Since I already knew that she took her own life, I was expecting a Debbie Downer experience. I was wrong. Tari Kelly, the actress who portrays Judy Garland was phenomenal! She not only looked like her but also talked and sang like I remember. You could tell that she really studied Judy's mannerisms and behaviors of an addict. At intermission I asked Don if he was "counting his lucky stars" that I am somewhat normal! I would recommend this play to anyone who appreciates outstanding acting even if it isn't all rosy somewhere over that rainbow!

April 10, 2014

One of my News Teams talked me into letting them record a Lost and Found Fashion show displaying all these forgotten items on the catwalk. This is kind of an annual tradition and this group of kids wanted to have their turn in the fashion world. Well, on filming day, a conflict came up in my schedule so I had to hand the camera to one of my parent volunteers and tell the kids you're on your own to get this done. OMG! I just finished editing the video and they did a fantastic job with very few retakes! I am so proud of them! This is a reminder to me to loosen those reins more often and let students find their own way because it just may be more fun and creative than the old path I've been treading on!

April 9, 2014

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. This is the time where students can thank their teachers for all their hard work. Every once in awhile a student will remember their old Teacher Librarian. The best gift that I have received this week was what a parent said to me today. While discussing what they should do for her son's second grade teacher he says to his mom, " We need to get something for Mrs. Ostwald because she's my iPad friend!"  Yes, this is why I get out of bed every day!!!

April 8, 2014

In the News! My sister called me this evening and told me that I made the front page of The Fort Morgan Times! Well, my picture did anyway(see below). My post last Friday was about the auction that we went to benefitting the Museum. Today this was the front page news. That is one of the advantages of living in a smaller city- the news is much more personal. Our wedding was a three column spread with photo. That wasn't because we were special, it is the norm for everyone. You can keep up on First Birthdays, who got a traffic ticket or worse, and the recent Dissolutions of Marriage report. I love that everyone who leaves us gets a wonderful write up celebrating their lives. You don't get that in a larger city unless you pay a lot of money for it! I'm so thankful that I grew up in Fort Morgan and that I can visit every once in awhile.

April 7, 2014

Kongs. Not the King kind, the dog kind. Our dogs love, love, love them! Like most dogs, our furry children hate being left at home alone. Our neighbors used to complain about them barking all day while we were gone so we solved that problem by letting them stay in the house instead of just the laundry room. Now they bark from the stairs inside the house because they are too lazy to go all the way outside. But they were still bored when we were gone -demonstrated by stolen and sometimes chewed up shoes, items such as reading glasses,mittens, and unmentionables drug into the dog yard, and the obvious- trying to make a run for it when we're trying to leave. Then we discovered the magic of Kongs. This product is made by a Colorado company and is a rubber red chew toy that you fill with goodies. They have to really work at getting all the treats out, especially if you put a little peanut butter inside. Now our dogs can't wait for us to leave in the morning because they get The Kong! When we come home they both run and get their toys so we can see how well they did getting all their treats out! I'm going to buy a large one for me and stuff a bottle of wine and chocolates inside. Don can give it to me the next time he leaves on a business trip!

April 6, 2014

Well it was going to happen sooner or later - it always does to new travel trailer owners. Even though our trailer hasn't arrived, we found ourselves at the Mecca of Glamping......Camping World! This is the Bloomindales for campers- they have everything that you will possibly need for your RVing adventures! Of course the two essential items I put in the cart were a wine opener and that nifty United States map decal that you fill in as you visit the 50 states. I'm counting on Puerto Rico holding off until the camper is out of warranty. I even scored a special soap holder for my Italian bar soap that is essential to my survival! We booked our first weekend camping trip with my sister at the end of May and are working on trip with friends in June! I can't wait!

April 5, 2014

Today as my mom, sister, and I were walking the dogs, we observed two children practicing riding their new bikes with the help of their parents. This prompted reminiscing about our own experiences with mastering this skill. My sister tells a funny story of dad helping her get started on her bike which was too big for her. She took off but swears she had to keep riding until he came home because she didn't know how to stop! I remember my dad encouraging me to keep going and he would run behind holding onto the back of my bike to keep me balanced. After awhile I discovered that I had been riding on my own since he had let go a long time before but didn't tell me! Debby and I were shocked when mom told us that my dad didn't know how to ride a bike! He taught 7 kids how but never learned himself...wow!

April 4, 2014

The Country Steak Out was the place to be tonight! This restaurant is in Fort Morgan and was the location for the Fort Morgan Museum's annual fundraiser. This was probably our third time attending because both Don's father and my sister are on the Museum Board. It is a fun time to eat a buffet of not-so-good-for-you appetizers and a chance to see some friends and former teachers who are still in Fort Morgan. Tonight I had a great visit with my former high school history teacher who has me all excited about a trip to England that she will be guiding for interested adults. I just may be under her tutelage again! Of course there were some silent auction items to bid on and then a live auction with an auctioneer who is also part comedian and a local businessman. We ended up with a framed pastel rendition of Glenn Miller in his Fort Morgan High School football uniform. For those of you who are not up on your Glenn Miller history, Fort Morgan was his boyhood home and he was an Allstate football player. However, I would be happier if there was a trombone somewhere in the drawing! The artist that created this artwork also created the life sized artwork of notable people from Fort Morgan history found throughout the museum. Below is a copy of his depiction of a German farming family, representing a large group of settlers of the town. The next time you find yourself heading east on I76, take the Fort Morgan exit and come visit!

April 3, 2014

I wasn't too thrilled to see the snow this morning because I am ready for Spring. My yard is like my closet...too much brown! However, when it snows in April, it is a pretty easy scenario. The snow was piled high on the trees and lawns this morning, the streets were just wet, and by the afternoon, most was melted away and the morning winter coat discarded. Because of this white blanket of moisture, I'm hoping to see a lot more green on my drive to work in the morning....and I won't wear brown!

Dear weather impaired, there's an app for that!

April 2, 2014

Every once in awhile I think how nice it would be to work from home. A slipper commute, sweatpant wardrobe, and one with the dogs. But after the last few days, I realize how much I enjoy the people I work with. Since I work at two schools, I have two work families that are at times dysfunctional but mostly fun and supportive. This week when I was a little down, my coworkers were there to lift me up and make me smile. There is always fun to be had and of course when you are around elementary students- lots of humorous moments! I firmly believe that you will never meet more caring and friendly people than those in the education profession. Ok so now I'm thinking that instead of working at home maybe see if I could just stroll in about 10ish.....!

April 1, 2014

Happy April Fools Day! This has always been one of my favorite holidays. Unfortunately, my family is braced for it so they wait by the phone and don't believe anything I say on this day. Now that I'm getting older, this might not be in my favor. I hope I don't fall and break my hip on April 1, get kidnapped, or need CPR...they will never buy it and I'll be a goner! No big foolery happened today. Some of my past all time favorites is when I set Don's alarm for 12:30am after he fell asleep. When the alarm went off he got up and drug himself to the shower. I took pity on him and stopped him before he got in and told him it was only 12:30am. He was relieved it wasn't morning because he felt like he didn't get any sleep! Hee hee!