the best birthday EVER

Seriously. I had the best birthday. And I have the best friends in the world. My birthday started on Wednesday at Paul's little house in the prairie. Paul moved to his grandfather's cabin down 79, and it is so him. Ducks, dark green and khaki, hunting photos, and beer in the frig. I love it! We had quail (yes, I ate it!), chicken, sweet potatoes, salad, and cookie cake. Yummy! Thursday night, my family and I ate Thanksgiving dinner and I had a pecan pie birthday cake. Soon after dinner, I headed to Tuscaloosa. Friday was a very exciting day! Even though we lost, I still LOVE Alabama football and all that it entails. You can't win a national championship every year...

Saturday, Grace and Neal joined Kate, Brant, Jake, Claire, Chris, and me for dinner at Cypress Inn. It was so fun, maybe the most fun I had in a long time! After dinner, we went to Kate's for a strawberry cake with chocolate icing. OH.MY.GOSH. It was amazing. I could have eaten the whole thing. We headed out to an old spot that is near and dear to my heart...Rounders. In my day (HA!) it was The Legacy. The Leg is known for the football players on Saturday night and DJ dancing upstairs. We only visited that part...I have calmed down quite a bit. Sunday, my actual birthday, was really quiet. After church, we hit up Newk's, then rested and came back to Birmingham. Calla and Jessica surprised me with cupcakes, wine, and girl talk. I couldn't have asked for more. I am one lucky girl!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!
I hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends today. And you are thankful for all the things in your life. I am thankful for my family and friends, for my education, for my job and the children I teach, for the life I have, for ALABAMA FOOTBALL, for my past, present, and future, for the Creator, for the cross, for music, and for the ability to say and do what I can. What a great life I have!! If you are a part of the things I am thankful for, thanks for being there for me :)

Letters

After a terrible morning yesterday, I arrived at school at 9:15 to find my sweet kids in a mess. I know they were excited about having a sub and school getting out today, but my goodness. They have never made me so mad. And I made them pay for it! Ha. They did all the work yesterday that I didn't make them do all week. And they had a very short time to do it. If they didn't get it done, homework for them! Part of their assignment was to write me an apology letter. Teaching kids to write letters is important, right?! Ha.
I know today I am supposed to do 5 on Friday, but I am going to write 5 of my favorite letters for you enjoyment. :)
They all start out Dear Ms. McCormack,
1. I am so sorry that I was being bad. I did the wrong thing I should be shame of my self. I still love you so much that you are the best teacher in the whole wide world. Love-
2.Im so sorry. I gave you a heard day. and I will not do it no more and when I get back I will be good all the time and if I still do Im doing because I love you for all way I love you ms mccormack for all way. I hope you will do the same. Love-
3. I am so so so sorry for what I did. I don't know why I did it. But I am so shure I will never in my enter life do it again I so sorry that I am going to give you this letter from my heart and soul. Love-
4. I'am sorry for today because i am haveing a bad day today but on Firday I will be a kid that you will like sorry Mrs. McCormack. The End.
5. I am so sorry for being bad I want ever be bad agin please an I hope you don't be mad at us all your life. Love-
**One of my kids never, and I repeat never, does anything wrong. Here's the letter he wrote.
This had been the best 3rd grade year I ever had. You are the best teacher I ever had. I wish you were my teacher for the rest of my life.I hope I get to see you again. Love-
I mean, how in the world could I continue to be mad after I read this?! They are so funny. I wish you could have seen the look on their faces when I told them how disappointed I was. Today was much better. We watched Pocahontas today. I felt that was appropriate since we are learning about pilgrims and indians. I am going to really enjoy my week away from them, as I am sure they will enjoy their week away from me.
I am off to eat Mexican food with McCall at LaCocina..yummy! :)

Lists

I love lists...
1. I am going to list some things I love right now...

2.How can my day be brighten?! A wonderful piece of chocolate with some gooey peanut butter in the middle in the size of a Christmas tree...yes, please.

3. I am obsessed with A&E. It's all I ever watch. Calla makes fun of my love for this channel, but who would want to watch anything else? I love First 48 (especially the ones in Birmingham), Billy the Exterminator, and Intervention.

4. Soups. I've tried 2 new recipes in a week. That's a record for me. It's wonderful that it's cold and rainy. Perfect for soup. Here's the recipe of tonight's soup. It was sooo good.

1 lb. of ground beef

2 cans of chili beans, undrained

1 can of black beans, undrained

1 can of corn, undrained

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 package of Taco Mix

1 onion

Ground the beef with the onion. Drain. Mix other ingredients together, bring to a boil, let simmer for 10 minutes. Eat and Enjoy :)

5. Tuscaloosa--everything about it and in it. I love it! Especially this place...

6. The fact that I get to see my favorite Georgia Bulldog in a week :)

7. It's November 15. I am so close to Thankgiving and Christmas break. That's going to be non-stop fun with 5 of my favorite people...and Paul :)

8. Life is so good. It truly is.

It's not every day...

For some reason, I really really like that saying. I use it a variety of ways. But this time, I can only use this one time. It's not every day that your best friend moves to South Africa for a year to do God's work. After Kate went to South Africa this summer she is going to go for a year. She is leaving in January. I am so happy for her!! You can follow her blog and find out what she'll be doing at... katebalducci.blogspot.com. I can't wait to hear her wonderful stories!! Please pray for her and the people she will come in contact with. I am proud of you, Katie Bell :)

Knowledge is Power

I have to remember this. This week was very challenging. At the beginning of the week, my kids took a major test. This test measures what they learned in a 5 week span during reading. The test is hard, and it's tricky, but I thought my kids had learned so much. After the first test 6 weeks ago, I thought they could only go up. Man, was I ever wrong! On Monday, they took one portion of the test. Tuesday, they took the next portion. I graded them and wanted to cry. My instruction this second 5 weeks had been better, more intense. Between the interventionist and the special ed teacher, my kids are receiving the best instruction. But, their scores went down. I took this information very hard. I was so disappointed in myself as their teacher.
So, last night I did some reflecting. Two weeks ago, my kids didn't know why we celebrate Thanksgiving, who Indians were, where Pilgrims came from, the boat they rode on, the 13 colonies. Now, they could carry on a conversation with you about it. This makes me happy. I don't know why there aren't understanding and applying what they are learning in reading. BUT, I am thrilled that I am giving them deeper understanding about every day things. Thanksgiving is important to our history, culture, and tradition. And they understand that.
Thanksgiving isn't the only important thing they have learned this year. They know LOTS of information on penguins. They can tell you about Veterans. They know what it means to brainstorm. They understand the importance of a topic sentence. They know they have to try before I'll ever help them. They can ALL spell because. They know what it means to explain your answer.
I am still figuring out how to be a better teacher for them, but it is comforting to know they are learning "stuff" they can use to understand the world around them.

5 on Friday (or Saturday)

1. I had a wonderful week at work. The kids were pretty good, with the exception of my new kid. I just don't know what to do with him. I am trying very hard to work with him, but sometimes it'e better if I just ignore his behavior. He stops eventually. He needs a lot of attention. Friday we had caramel apples. It was the 1st Fun Friday celebration. 6 kids didn't get to participate due to their behavior. I couldn't stand not letting them have anything, so they had one piece of apple. :)

2. As I told you, I went home last weekend. I thought it was going to be my dad's stuff, but instead we found all kinds of good things from my grandmother. We found lots of my dad's baby pictures, wedding pictures of my grandparents, my grandad's college stuff, and most importantly, my grandmother's wedding dress. My grandmother never told me much about their wedding. She wasn't sentimental, but I am VERY sentimental. This dress is incredibly beautiful and it just so happens to fit :) Please remember, it's been a box, folded up for at least 40 years...

3. Today I went to see Disney on Ice--Princess Wishes. TJ, Annabel, and I enjoyed our seats up on the top. It was really cute and watching Annabel enjoy it was even cuter!!

4. I cleaned my house today. I usually talk myself out of it, but today, I did it. I have never seen so much hair!! Between Millie, Calla, and I, I could have made a wig!!

5. I love the month of November. There are so many good things in this month. Here are a few of my favorites: cold weather, scarves, boots, Alabama vs. Auburn, THANKSGIVING, my birthday, Thanksgiving break, leaves on the ground.

we fit together

Literally. After all this time together, we still don't get on each other's nerves. We go together like peanut butter and jelly. I love it. I love that when we pulled up in Grace's parking lot, she met us outside, screaming. I like that her Auburn friends know everything about us even though we've never met some of them. I also love that Neal understands our bond, and is excited when we are around...or at least acts like it!! Our day/night together was fabulous! When we arrived, we hung out with Grace and sweet Neal. Then, we joined Grace's other friends for dinner and then went to Laura's house for a fire and marshmellows. Sunday, we went to church, ate a delicious lunch, then shopped and took off. I can't believe our time was so short, yet we spent so much time together. We missed you, Mary! I hope Grace enjoyed her birthday as much as I did :) Love you girls!