Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Today was a big day for me!  One of the biggest of my year as PTO president of Riley's school.  Today was the day I wanted to pamper the teachers and staff of the elementary school.  Big day in terms of my emotions.

I have spent months pouring over ideas of what I would do.  Looked on others' blogs, looked through stores, thought about the menu.

Finally decided on it all!!  Since this was my last major event while at the school, I decided to use the theme, "You are our Stars!"  Wanted to go big!!  Trying to pull in the glitz of the Oscars.

These people pour their time and energies into taking care of our kids and helping create our future.

These are important people and need to be treated as such!!

For our MOPS Spa Day in March, a wonderful woman catered the event.  Her company is called Harbor Brook.  Not only does her food LOOK good, it tasted EVEN BETTER than it looked!!!

So I asked her to cater our event and do it up fancy!!

She made amazing beef/chicken kabobs, chicken waldorf salad wraps,

beautiful fruit salad and a tuxedo cheese cake and 2 fruit pizzas.  Oh, so yummy!! I added to it by having a couple of us make salads and desserts.  My favorite business, dunkin donuts, donated the coffee!!

Only problem was it was more than we needed.  But she did awesome work!

I had asked the families of the school to donate gift baskets OR gift cards and my goal was that each staff member could go home with a gift.  We got SOOOO many donations!!  Yeah!!

I want the teachers and staff to feel like they ARE cared for.  With all the yucky budget talks, they need to be rewarded!!

I was a little nervous, but the day went very well.  The staff seemed so appreciative!  We have enough volunteer help!!  All was great!!!

The principal about did me in though.  I LOVE her!! She is a wonderful woman who cares for each child and family in the school.  She thanked me for all I did.  That isn't something that should affect me BUT they gave me a standing ovation.  And all my emotions came to the surface.

I am realizing that my time here is winding down. 

In all my/our moves,

I have never felt as connected to my community as here. 

This is my home.  This is my family.

I love our church family.

The weather and seasons call out to me every day.  I LOVE it here.  I

 have made the deepest connections I have ever made here.

I am the happiest here that I have been in my life!

I KNOW God has a plan for me.  And I know moving back to Texas is part of it.

But I am still so sad about it.

If you see me in the next two months and I quickly turn away,

I love you!

I just can't imagine leaving. . . . 

Signs of Spring

Today is a GLORIOUS day!! K and I spent some time outside while the others were at school/work. Here are some pictures of our time together. After I took a few, she had to do some too! :)

My hyacinths

Pear Tree about to bloom

Kaylee wrote her name and drew a flower

Love her shadow

A picture of her momma! :)

Another Kaylee shot - doing a great job!!

A Woman After God’s Own Heart

I have spent the last few months learning lots of new things! One thing I am trying to do is be a better communicator! I am impressed by so many wonderful ladies and want to join in their ranks!! So here is a post on what has made a difference in MY life:

Someone gave me this book years ago but have no idea who!! I opened it when a dear friend started reading that and loved it. I had to see why she loved it!!

Since the New Year, I have read it THREE times and the last time, I took 7 pages of notes!! I LOVED it so much, I cannot even tell you all I liked about it! It has redirected my life and made me prioritize how I do things!!

Here are a few things I came away with – the wife/mother is the thermostat of the home, she should be predictably happy, need to be the one how teaches my children about God (NOT the church’s job), is the homemaker in more ways than one, oh could go on and on!!!!!!

The biggest thing God told me through it all is that I need to HOMESCHOOL!!! I cannot do what He asks me to do if I am putting priorities on other things. So need to completely simplify my life and we will start homeschooling in August after we move to Texas!!! Don’t know if I am up to the challenge but know God has asked me to do it!!!!