http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/ en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:51:01 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/images/insignia/misc/rss.jpg http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/ http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3958-tyson.html Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:56:30 GMT We cooked a large Tyson Pork Roast yesterday. Went to cut it up last night and ran into a small screwdriver! Could you believe it? Guess where we bought it from? WALMART. We cooked a large Tyson Pork Roast yesterday. Went to cut it up last night and ran into a small screwdriver! Could you believe it? Guess where we bought it from? WALMART. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3958-tyson.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3907-bragging.html Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:17:28 GMT I've got so many things to be pleased about that I'm bursting to tell someone. So you get to listen to me boast. ;)

My daughter is doing so well in school. She is going through quarterly exams and the lowest grade she has recieved was a 98%. She has r.ecieved 100% on every spelling test so far this year which began the second week of school and she has had 2 tests a week. Her entire class is now being called by the teachers at school the 'Wonder' class. I'm told (and have seen) that none of the students have any major discipline problems, behavior issues, and all are high achievers. There is no 'lower' reading group or anything like that. Her 3rd grade class mastered cursive penmanship last year and is well on their way to triple digit subtraction and quite a ways along in multiplication tables. The best part of it is I'm told by her teacher that she's leading the class in grades, reading, and math.

Then there's my own schooling. I finished 6 credits this summer with a 4.0 and am taking 10 credits this term. So far I have 100% in my classes and have turned in 3 projects/papers already. I have gotten the go ahead to sign up for the State Teacher's exam (which I'm studying for now) and could be substitute teaching at my daughter's school by January if I find a test before then.

Then there's my town. We had homecoming this week and I took my daughter to join her class in the parade. All the students were able to participate and it looked like nearly all of them were there. It was a very rainy evening but the turnout along the streets was amazing. No candy being thrown, all the kids were IN the parade, and it was even Friday night fish fry and yet I would guess that at least half the town showed up. People were huddled in groups along the streets and cheering our teams on. What an inspiration. I have never seen any other town I know so devoted to their school and the teams. How cool is that?! ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3907-bragging.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3386-personal-philosophy.html Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:02:28 GMT For school I'm rewriting my personal Philosophy of Education Statement. Previously my PoEs was written under a strong religious influence and college and for my course requirements I had to more or less write it as my "Personal Religious Philosophy of Education" with a strong religious tone to it. Now I'm writing it from an Agnostic's point of view without any religous tone whatsoever. It's quite a change. It's been causing me to think about some emotions related to my previous religious experiences. I guess the major overtone is a little bitter and I should probably deal with that. I don't even quite know where to begin dealing with that. For now I think I'm just going to concentrate on my PoEs and get that set since it does not DEPEND on my feelings about my previous religious experiences. It only depends on where I stand now religiously if anything and really none of those spiritual beliefs will be included in my Statement. I thought I had figured it all out but if I'm feeling upset about it I haven't completely dealt with it, have I? Beyond that I've been cramming so much information into my head that I can't wait until these courses are done. Only four more weeks and I'll be done for a week or so. For now we've been talking about "Theory X and Theory Y", "Maslow's heirarchy of needs", "Constructivist Methodologies", and "ILPE - Investigating Learner's Previous Experiences". It's been too long since I dealt with these subjects and it's been a stretch even though it does feel good. I'm looking forward to more classes. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3386-personal-philosophy.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3219-car-ran-into-our-house-today.html Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:56:32 GMT What a way to start the day. We were outside having coffee on the deck with our neighbor while her 3 kids, my daughter, and another neighbor boy road their bicycles around and played in our yards. A car drove by the house and up to the intersection of our street and US Hwy 2 in town. Next thing we... What a way to start the day. We were outside having coffee on the deck with our neighbor while her 3 kids, my daughter, and another neighbor boy road their bicycles around and played in our yards. A car drove by the house and up to the intersection of our street and US Hwy 2 in town. Next thing we know we hear a loud CRUNCH! and couldn't see the car anymore. I walked into the porch and looked to the northern end of our porch where it appeared the car outside disappeared against our house. I called out to my husband and said that the car hit the house. He quickly went off the deck and rounded the corner to see what had happened. Next thing I know we're standing there with one of our Bumble Gum Machine cops (they have one single LARGE light in the middle of the top of the car - just like in Mayberry), with a towtruck, the owner of the car, a flattened stop sign, the car, our neighbor and 7 kids (note there were only 5 playing in our yards up to this point and all along the street people decided to come outside to have their coffee on the curb or on their steps. Or a number of neighborhood kids decided to ride down our street. Of course! This was a major event in town. We had people stopping by in the afternoon to ask about the car that ran into our house!
In the end, the guy's breaks had given out so he had hoped to slow the car and stop it by running up against the curb. Unfortunately it just jumped the curb, flattened the stop sign, squashed our wrought iron railing, and ran into our concrete steps. It never moved the steps. The only damage was a squashed Peony (sp?) and the railing (which we have 2 more sets already that we can replace it with). The cop had white paint on his blue car so we were teasing him about his driving skills. He was was a good sport and enjoying the diversion from serious work. It wasn't his car ;) anyway. We were able to reinforce to the kids why they've got to listen and stay away from US 2. No one was hurt and we had a VERY entertaining morning. It's always a little fun to be the center of what feels like the whole town's attention. At least our place is certainly not boring. We seem to be the local bar's entertainment as the bartender has commented often on "what are you doing NOW there?" since we're always building something or planting this tree, or something like that. A fun day! ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/3219-car-ran-into-our-house-today.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2419-jack-all-trades.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:58:11 GMT I've been covering for many teachers and staff at school. I love it. One teacher called me a Jack-of-all-Trades. I've covered in some instances only for a few minutes here or there but it helps and it's fun. I've covered in music, gym, at recess(for the whole time), in the kitchen, in the lunchroom, in the classroom, at storytime, and loading the children on the busses. This week, some of the children have been unreasonably rowdy and even volitile. Several tantrums in my classroom as well as other teachers dealing with the same bahavior in theirs. We've had to close our classroom door to get some quite from other students tantrums or whatnot. I'm guessing it has something to do with all the children spending this last weekend indoors because of the cold and rain all weekend. Today was warm and they were outdoors for recess. We had a new girl helping at recess today. She couldn't believe how overwhelming it was. She hardly knew which way to look. Of course today we had extra kids at noon recess because we only had a half day of school and the pre-K and Kindergarten and to wait to leave on the busses with the older kids. At recess we had the pre-K through 3rd grade outside at once with only two teachers. It WAS overwhelming, even for me and knowing many of the children's names already.
Speaking of knowing the names. I'm surprised at how quickly I'm learning their names. I usually have a hard time with peoples names let alone children. I'm trying really hard to learn the names with the faces and it's coming a lot faster that I ever expected. It's exciting to see what I can do when I try. All in all I'm so excited about being with children again. I knew I belonged here. Too bad my last teaching experience scared me away so badly. That's 8 years of teaching lost.

Went to Physical Therapy today. I sprained my right ankle in February when I fell on some ice and landed on it. Then 4 weeks later I did the same exact move and heard/felt the crunch. It bruised a second time and since the first, let alone second time, it has felt quite wobbly, weak, and tender. I've been wearing a brace since late March and trying to ween off of it. At the PT today he told me that I had torn the ligiments such that they will not ever be as stable or reattach. Also, the joint did not go back completely to where it should be. He's going to try to help it realign properly and then all that I can do is to strengthen surrounding muscles to help compensate for the loss. It's been frustrating and painful. Well I came home with a resistance band and 6 exercises to do and I'm supposed to go back twice a week for a while. This is not an easy injury to deal with when I'm on my feet all day at school and sometimes even chasing little 4 and 5 yr olds. I hope it gets strong this summer so that next school year will be easier. Also, I am NOT wearing this hot, stiff, brace all summer long. I just HAVE to do those exercises as much as I can. Tonight though, my ankle is swollen, tender, and throbbing from the working it got today.
Busy, sore, and lovin it. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2419-jack-all-trades.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2375-isolated-ecosystem.html Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:13:13 GMT I love it up here. This area is so unique. It's completely different from any of the surrounding areas. Even from areas as close as 15-20 miles in any direction. For starters...
This past week we had no snow on the ground as of Sunday. Come Tuesday afternoon we had 21" of snow and I was walking home in snow that came to my ankles. When I came to snow drifts it was even deeper. Now most of the snow is gone but there's still a solid blanket covering the grass almost completely.
Also, yesterday we were outside putting on the roof on our new shed and we turned to find a deer standing in the middle of our back yard considering us. He/she loped away without a concern in the world and stopped when it got to a neighbors yard across the street.
ALSO, on the way home from school/work I heard a loon calling. I turned to look at the lake across the road from the school playground and saw there, circling in the water not far from shore, a loon. It was calling repeatedly to it's family. It was not the fear, call, or the call that they use to talk to babies, it was that long call followed by several short ones used to call to families or to communicate to loons on nearby lakes. It was amazing to hear and see a loon right in the middle of "town".
One the way home today I saw turkeys (which I see often), and a ruffed grouse.
To top it off last fall there was talk of a wolf being seen in a back yard in the middle of town.
Then, also included in our little 'ecosystem' are pigeons that live in the old community building/opera house only a block away from us, and seagulls that are flying around nearly all day. There's the lake in town, there's the woods outside of town, and only 5 miles away there's Ottawa National forest. Only 30 minutes away is Porcupine Mountains with Cloud lake and MANY large waterfalls stepping down on their way to Lake Superior.

Where else in the world can you find Loons, Pigeons, Wolves, Whitetail Deer, Turkeys, Turkey Vultures, Ruffed Grouse, Black Bear, Bald Eagles, Coyotes, Red Tailed Foxes, Piliated Woodpeckers (the largest woodpecker species), Porcupines, Quail, Mountains, Waterfalls (albeit 30 minutes away), Lakes, Forests and even Moose and Elk and they're all in our area. When it snows anywhere in Northern Wisconsin or the Upper Peninsula we always seem to get some too and we almost always get more than anywhere around within 15-20 miles of our township. There are over 500 Timber Wolves in the Upper Peninsula. This past fall our County held a predator season for Wolves and Coyotes.

It's facinating what wildlife we can find so close to home and yet we have all the basic necessities right here in town within walking distance. I LOVE IT! ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2375-isolated-ecosystem.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2332-week-hell-week-miracles-depending-how-you-look-long.html Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:24:07 GMT We have just had the most unfortunate weeks I have ever had. We have a 34 ft travel trailer (or rather had) parked year-round at a campground in Southern Wisconsin. After our move to Upper Michigan we just don't have the time to make that drive just for a weekend. Before it was only about 90 minutes. Now it's nearly 4 1/2 hrs to get there. So we managed to sell it to Bob's nephew.
Thus begins our 'adventure'...
Bob's nephew couldn't come to get the trailer until late June. We had to either move the trailer or pay for the next years lot rent by May 1st. So it was urgent that we get it moved. In order to move it we had to disassemble the deck in front and the shed out back and bring them to our place since his nephew had only purchased the trailer. Our plan was to borrow Bob's son-in-law's truck and his brother's flatbed trailer. The week of April 10th - 19th was Spring Break for us so we could take the whole week to move everything. We could not move the deck and shed in one trip so we had to make two for them and one for the travel trailer itself. It was a monumentous task we had laid out to finish in one week but we thought we could manage it.
About a week before we were going to leave we heard from Bob's son-in-law that the truck had blown it's transmission. So... we scramble around and called a number for a truck for sale that we'd seen earlier. It was a decent deal. Dodge 1997 pickup with a 360 I think (don't quote me on that) and it had a hitch and was ready to pull. We talked to them and made arrangements. Then the night before we were going to head out we got a call from Bob's brother. The trailer wasn't ready to go. The wheels needed to be greased and it wasn't registered. I called my parents who suggested I call a friend of theirs who had farm trailers at least (who knew what condition these were in but it was a shot). So I called them and without any question they said we could use it and they didn't want any money for it either. GREAT!
Well Thursday morning we went to pick up the truck as arranged. We hadn't gotten the check in the mail yet but we put down a deposit and said we'd be back that afternoon if the check was in the mail for the travel trailer and they let us bring the truck home. When we got home the mail was already there and so was the check. I called my insurance company and set up the insurance for the truck and then I went to deposit the check and then off to pay for the truck. The seller was about 30 minutes away actually. When I got there the seller was in a meeting and his daughter didn't know where. She gave him a call and he said he'd be back in about 20 minutes. The pressure was on now. My daughter got out of school at 3:00 and we wanted to leave right away. It was already about 2:00 so I was anxious to get going but what could I do, but wait. He finally got there at about 2:45 to sign the title and I dashed over to the Secretary of State (The name for the DMV in Michigan :orly: ) to get the title transferred and the plates. Unfortunately I had missed the lein on the title and didn't have papers clearing it. I just about had a meltdown then. The ladies there were wonderful, let me use their phone, phonebook and call the seller for the papers. He had them and he faxed them right away to the SoS. I got the title, registration, and license and dashed home. We were finally on the road by 4:00. We dropped my daughter off at my parents so she could go to her Dad's on Friday afternoon and then we ran on down to the trailer. When we finally got there it was after 10 and the trailer had not been opened up or plugged in since last fall. The water wasn't turned on again at the campground yet either so we had no water. It was also below freezing outside and only two small space heaters in the trailer did little to aleviate that. ALSO, Bob's daughter had borrowed the mattress when she had moved in the summer but it hadn't occured to us that she still had it after moving in with a new boyfriend. We had no mattress. Well, sortof. The sofa-bed mattress felt like a boxspring and was too small. I had two blankets but they weren't quite enough with the cold we had. We turned in for a very hard night of sleep.
The next day we got the deck apart (it had been built in 4" sections) and loaded and by Saturday we were on the road for the first trip home. The first trip home was uneventful and we managed to get back down by Monday to pick up the daughter and go start disassembling the shed. That night was quite windy and storm clouds looked to be coming in. Thankfully I had brought MANY more blankets and we'd been there during the day so that we were able to turn on the heaters before the trailer got cold. We also had brought an airmattress so the bed was more comfortable and the table bed was just perfect for my daughter. We packed up the tools fairly early and got them put away in case of rain. By Tuesday we were able to get everything loaded by 2ish in the afternoon and decided to head out right away. We got a little over halfway, near where my parents live and had to stop at a truck stop for a quick bathroom break. On the way back onto the interstate the truck was very sluggish and hesitant to shift. It wouldn't go into 3rd at all. After about 300ft it just revved and wouldn't move at all. To sum it up after talking to family and my mechanic/brother it sounded like the transmission was gone. We walked back to the truckstop to get some supper and then walked back to the truck to try once more in hopes that it had just gotten overheaded or something. No such luck. We limped into town. Turning it off and back on whenever it refused to go further. My brother met us at his bosses shop and took a peak, confirming his previous suspicions. We climbed into his truck and he took us to my parents where we were able to spend the night.
The next day, Tuesday, my brother hooked the truck up to the computers to see if it would help him determine the problem. Nothing new there. Still transmission issues. Bob took my Dad's truck to the shop for my brother to put on two new tires to replace a bad one and the spare that was on the front right. Dad had had an accident about 3 weeks ago where it took out the tire, right front fender, side mirror, grill, hood (dented only), light, and signal light. It was not legal to drive. My brother had repaired the body enough that it was driveable and able to support the other pieces that needed to be put back on. Bob and it put it all back on except for the fender which Dad didn't have yet. I had to splice the wires but I was able to get the lights and signal to work right. We bolted on the new bumper and grill and Bob put on the mirror. Also, since it was my Dad's work truck, full of tools and since the truck had nearly rolled when it went in the ditch, there were tools and screws and whatever else in the truck all in a jumble on the floor. Bob and I picked it all up, tried to find some semblance of order, and vacuumed up the dust and debris. Then Mom and Dad let us take the truck back to pick up the trailer with the deck and haul it home. My daughter stayed with Grandma that night. We left my parents by 3ish, got home and unloaded and showered (since there's no hot water at the trailer unless we take it from our big jug and boil it) and back on the road by 7:00pm. Bob even called his brother and asked if he could meet us in Merrill on Wednesday to pick up the truck and haul it home with his 1ton pickup and car hauler trailer. We grabbed some McDonalds on the way back down to the campground and dropped off the flatbed trailer with the wonderful people who loaned it to us on our way there. We got back to the trailer a little after midnight. We crashed that night and got up by 7:00 on Wednesday. Bob got to business on the jacks and blocking under the trailer, I got to work tying things down and packing up any breakables. We got everything packed away and pulled together and we were out by 10:00am. We got to Merrill around 12:30. Dad showed up at the shop with my daughter and Bob's brother showed up with the car hauler. Everything was FINALLY going smoothly, it SEEMED. They got the car on the trailer, and my daughter and I got in Don's truck. Dad rode with Bob in Dad's truck with the travel trailer behind. We headed out. Everything going well almost all the way home. Then Don and I slowed after a few turns on the county roads close to home. We couldn't see the trailer and then when they came around the corner and came up beside us Don saw that a trailer tire was shredded. Bob had felt it pulling but had written it off to the poor alignment of Dad's truck due to his previous accident. We pulled over at the very conveniently located gas station/shop. Unfortunately they'd already closed. Don and Bob dashed back to the next nearest shop. They'd already closed but the guys were hanging around outside with a couple of beers before going home. They put a new tire on quite quickly and Don and Bob were back before hardly 15 minutes had passed. The guys got it back on and we managed the last 30 miles or so without mishap.

I can hardly believe that we're home and everything is here in one piece, albeit not all a FUNCTIONING piece, but it's all here. It's been a long week but I think it turned out well. There were many moments where I wondered if we'd make it. Talk about stress. Bad luck and good luck at the same time. Things could have been so much worse but we were constantly reminded that we weren't omnipotent. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/2332-week-hell-week-miracles-depending-how-you-look-long.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1580-engaged.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:22:26 GMT We're engaged. My SO and I. The hope is to tie the knot this coming year. It'll only be a small occaision with immediate family around. I'm kindof hoping for an outdoor marriage ceremony but in our LARGE porch would be suitable if rain interrupts. I have a simple dress already. Almost hippy style - if you can recall what the girl wore in Forest Gump when he married her - that's similar. I'm not sure what else to do/have. I'm thinking of having almost a 'potluck' picnic. This won't be anything formal as it's my second marriage and my SO's fourth. It's just a simple ceremony to finalize things. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1580-engaged.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1416-new-job.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:16:16 GMT I've been working at my new job for a few weeks already but I'm finally getting down to the job I was actually hired for. Cleaning condos. I like it. I can work at my own pace, as long or as short a time as I want as long as the condos that I've been assigned get cleaned before the next checkin. I get paid for each condo not by the hour so I can stop and take a break whenever I want. I enjoy it. I cleaned 5 today, all with multiple bedrooms, whirlpools and saunas. It was nice.
If anyone leaves any food/soda/etc. I get to keep it. Personal items I take to lost and found. I got a bag of fresh limes today, and some cans of soda. Kinda cool to find a free unopened soda on the counter when I'm there to work.
I get to turn on the TV or radio while I work and no one bothers me the whole time. When I'm done I turn in my papers and leave. Free to go when I need to. Best job around I think. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1416-new-job.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1321-snow-snow-snow.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:13:28 GMT I knew we got a lot of snow up here in the U.P. of Michigan. But come to find out, our new town is smack dab, in the middle of the snow belt portion. If there's any snow falling anywhere above the 45th parallel, we get some of it. It has snowed here almost every other day for the past 6 weeks. The estimated snowfall so far this year is 30+ inches. Wow! The snowbank on our street is up to my shoulder (I'm 5'5") and still growing. The snow at work (where they're making snow as well) is up to my thigh (not the snowbank, the actual snow on the ground). It's amazing. I have seen a lot of snow living just north of Latitude 45 but never this much and certainly not this early. The best part of it all is that it's not much colder - it's actually almost warmer because Lake Superior has a mediating effect on the air temperature, even though it adds a lot of moisture. This way, the warmer temperatures, Plus the large amount of snow is GREAT for my daughter to play in. She can stay outside longer and go out more often and she just LOVES the snow.

It's beautiful up here. About 4 weeks ago I took the kids to the school to go sledding at their hill (they actually keep sleds at school for the kids to use during recess too) and loved the scenery. It was getting close to dusk and the lamps surrounding the lake were just lighting up. The lights from the few homes on the other side of the lake where lit up too. It all reflected nicely off the ice and the colors of the sky made the snow a warm orange. It was beautiful and quiet.

Saw a large buck the other day, standing right near the road and just watching the cars. Granted I see a lot of deer up here but this was one big, beautiful buck. He had at least 8 points and his winter coat looked thick and luxurious. Cool. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/1321-snow-snow-snow.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/629-lots-going.html Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:40:22 GMT Mayberry (sp?) USA will be my new home. It's a walk back in time to when people go for evening walks or sit on their porches in the evenings (granted not everyone but a whole lot more than they do in Wausau, WI.) A place where the oldster men gather for morning coffee and to swap stories. It's facinating.
Walked to the Randalls Bakery the other day, Maggie was just bringing out a tray of apple filled bear claws. I bought about a dozen for my late morning guests. While I was there I talked briefly with a number of residents who were having coffee at the sunday bar. Later at home, some family dropped by and a friend was there to help move things. They all dug into the bakery and had some coffee. Their golden retriever checked out all the rooms and then plopped in the kitchen hoping for some bakery to be handed out or dropped. Pat brought some cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to share. Later another relative stopped by to update me on my future sister-in-law's state at the hospital (she broke her hip last week) and he had some coffee and donuts and left with a few cucumbers too. All in all a busy day and such a friendly, laid back, small town sortof day.

Seems neighbors or new friends or relatives are stopping by unexpectedly to see the house and swap gossip. It's funny how we find out about news almost always before the paper even prints it. What a different world.

So pleased with this new town. I don't feel near as worried to let my daughter out to play. I checked out the sexual offenders website and found somewhere near 65 offenders within 10 blocks of my house in Wausau, yet only 5 in the whole town up north. Amazing difference. Plus 3 out of the 5 up north looked so old as to be none of a threat to anyone able to let out a good kick. My girl can really give a wallop of a kick too.

Trying to get the last of things packed up. It's a weary task to pack endlessly. Besides the fact that both homes have second floors and of course half the stuff has to either be carried upstairs or down to the basement or my books, till I can get some bookcases, will all be up in the attic and up more stairs. Can't wait to have it all there and be able to more leisurely UNPACK.

My daughter's teacher is a pain. She sent a note home about a child in the class who has a nut allergy. At first I thought she just misunderstood about my daughter's peanut allergy. When I talked to her she said that the note had been for another child and not my daughter since my daughter's allergy 'was not lifethreatening' !!! What, anaphylactic reactions are always life threatening. The teacher shrugged it off and said that hopefully no parents would send a snack with peanuts in it. Grrrrr. If she was staying at this school I would have a fit over it. The teacher is also extremely anal about snacks. I made my own sugar free chocolate pudding. The teacher told my daughter that the next time she brought it she would not be allowed to eat it because it wasn't healthy. I made a note, with all the nutrients, calories, and that it was sugar free. Laura gave it to the teacher who promptly called me to say that I didn't have to send the note, that she really wouldn't prevent my daughter from eating that snack. Yeah right - it sure sounded like she would have. My daughter likes her well enough thankfully but I feel slighted for her by the teacher's attitude. There have been several other instances like these. I'm glad we're changing schools next week. Hopefully this will only heighten my daughter's enjoyment of the new school in comparison to the old one. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/629-lots-going.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/496-treasures.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:11:21 GMT Found an old logging hook buried in the attic. Wood is in great shape, Metal is a little rusty but solid, and the hinge works pretty smoothly. It's the kind of hook that pushes open when you push against a log and then when you pull it grabs in and hangs on. Facinating stuff. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/496-treasures.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/491-different-world.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:35:44 GMT Lifes great. I love this new house and the location. The attic is filled with treasures. From exercise machines (2 of them) to electrionic keyboard, to a bunch of computer cables, wires, hard drives, CD drives, to flannel sheets, comforters, boxes of DVD's and Videos, Video games, a gameboy game, a child's slide and playset, a antique wooden highchair in excellent shape, knitted scarfs, and crocheted things ... So much more that I haven't explored. Can't wait to spend some time up there sorting and sifting and exploring. FUN!

The location is awesome. I've gone back in time about 50 years. The teenagers drive through the one main street in town and talk and hang out on Friday nights. They cause very little trouble if any. The older men gather at "Ma's Cafe" every morning for coffee and talk it up, telling fish stories about lake superior, stories about storms, floods, or the big one that got away, the bear that got into a neighbor's yard and had to be chased away... It's fun. The police cars there have Bubble lights in the center of the roof, no strip lights on top. There is one part time city officer and the rest are county cops. I've seen tandum bicycles riding down our street and around Sunday Lake. Almost every house has a garden or at least a flower bed with a few veges. I can walk 4 blocks in any direction from my new house and get to the grocery store, gas station, library, post office, bank, deli, bakery, hardware store, the dentist, church (there are four denominations available) pharmacy (yes there all separate - the grocery store only stocks a few non-grocery items), the bar, the restaurant, the beach, a lake, a park, a playground, the woods (county land) and the City Hall. There are only 2 small bars and 5 churchs.

The biggest problem in town are racoons that get into trash, or the wolf that wandered into a citizens back yard and wouldn't leave. Yes we are in a backwoods town. "Downtown" looks like it would have 50 or more years ago in a what is now probably a moderate sized town. One small strip of shops with owners sometimes sitting out front waiting for a customer.

It's charming, exciting, quiet, and intimidating all at once.

The day after I closed on the house, I was at the house cleaning up and airing things out. My daughter was outside playing with her Polly Pockets. Before hardly a couple hours had passed we had 6 children her age outside playing with her. I've hardly owned the house for a month and kids come by daily when we're there, asking to play with her.

It's amazing what a different world it is up there. I'm excited to be on this journey. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/491-different-world.html http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/451-change-everywhere.html Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:28:56 GMT I have not even had internet available to me for almost a month and when it was available it was only for maybe an hour a week so little surfing or play was done. I've not been in here in so long I was surprised by the changes that have taken place here at TFP. I like it. It may take time to get used to things but it seems pretty easy to find stuff.

I am so excited about new changes going on for me. I've bought a new house. in Michigan. The mortgage payments will be so minimal that subsisting on one job for the three of us will be quite possible. I've got a job working for the school. Substituting in areas OTHER than teaching, at least until I can get my substitute teaching certificate. I've found that is much more possible in Michigan than it would ever be in Wisconsin. So doors are opening easier with this move.

The house is a 3000+ sq ft colonial in a small town of about 1,800. It used to be a duplex but when we put in the new electrical panel and service we ran it as a single family home. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, and 2 baths. I will use the upstairs kitchen as my laundry room. My daughter will get a bedroom AND a playroom. The house has a wrap around 3 season porch around 3/4 of the house. The porch has a full foundation/basement underneath it. We pulled up the old carpeting and found beautiful maple floors. Unfortunately the last person to refinish the floors sanded it in the wrong direction and gouged the floor in some places making it too much of a chore for us to refinish it. Also the last owner glued the carpet to the floors. Bummer. Maybe eventually I'll find the ambition to pull up our carpet (tac strips, not glued) and refinish the floors one room at a time. All in all the only big job was putting in new electrical. The furnace (boiler) is only a couple years old so should need little work immediately. The roof is tolerable, the siding is painted aluminum in good shape, and there are new windows in many places.

Here's the best part... The real humdinger... I got this house for ......... $18,000.

I can't RENT a one room apartment for that... Anywhere!

Can't wait to move. Will take some work to get the carpet down and all the stuff moved. That will be quite a process. We're taking our time and not rushing it. ]]> raeanna74 http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/blogs/raeanna74/451-change-everywhere.html