Today is DH's 60th birthday...

but we are celebrating tomorrow. I have to go buy his present yet, and "Over the Hill" stuff that DGD wants to have tomorrow. He is helping his brother cut up wood right now.

School has been soooo busy. The kids are mostly good; a few kids who can't keep their mouths shut. That bugs me. It is so disruptive for the other kids. I have some detention slips handy because I need to get them in line.

I like teaching, but I am getting so sick of all of the testing and all of the stress that comes with it. People talk about "merit pay" for "good" teachers, but when my students are tested, it is based on what they have learned previously to being my student, so how that that say anything about me? It is so high stakes that we have incentive prizes as a raffle. They get one ticket for taking the test (if they are "minimal"), two tickets for basic, three for proficient and four for advanced. We have a separate incentive program just for 8th grade science and social studies because they only take those test in 8th grade, not 6th and 7th. You have to bribe kids to do their best on the tests, because many are lazy and don't care how they do on the tests. But somehow it is the teachers' fault. That is the part I am sick of. Can I retire this year?????

Enough feeling negative! I just have to keep at it. I can't believe how fast this first part of school has gone, because we have already had our first 6 week grade period report cards and Parent/Teacher Conferences. I still have one night of PT conferences this coming week. I didn't have too many people sign up. (OK by me!!!)

I have been cleaning up in my studio so I can get sewing again. I have a lot of things here to file. I love going to the trailer in the summer, but I don't get much done at home once school starts, and we are still gone every weekend.

Speaking of camping, we have moved our camper to a different campground. We moved along with 36 other families who were fed up with how the seasonals were being treated. We are the only ones who moved where we are. The rest went to four other campgrounds. The people we are mostly friends with moved to a campground together, but it is farther away and we don't want to have to drive so far. We will miss our friends, but still get together in the winter, and also we figure that we didn't know any of them 5 years ago, and we will make new friends at the new campground, too. I am actually excited about the new place and starting over, in a way. It wasn't as much fun this past summer with everybody complaining and being negative. DH did the move with a friend of ours whom we paid to pull the camper (he has a bigger truck). DH will have to rebuild the deck next spring, but we will be able to use the wood from our other deck which he pulled apart and we took with us.

DH will also be buiding a deck at our house next spring. I will be digging up sod and be putting a brick or stone patio next to the deck and for flower beds around the deck, too. I have a plan in my head. Lots of work, but I like doing it. I'll be redoing our shade garden next spring, too. DH just threw stuff in it and it looks like it. I want it to look more landscaped. This past summer I really worked in the flower beds and moved a lot and cleaned up a lot. I spent a lot of time doing it, but it is gorgeous. I still have more to do... I just keep getting new ideas!

Time to get going so I can go shop. Hugs to you!