Friday, April 18, 2014

Snowflakes and Dragons and Other Reasons To Be Thankful

This was a short work week, with no classes on Good Friday. So why did it wear me out so much? Oh, yeah, the A to Z Challenge. Holy cow, that thing's a bear! My poor, little ol' Ten Things of Thankful posts just get a lick and a promise. Here's this week's list:

1. It snowed on Monday. Yes, snowed. Just big, fat flurries, but still snow. And while three months ago, I would have put this on my TToT as a thankful that there was enough snow to cancel school, in the third week of April, it goes on here as being thankful it didn't stick.


Snowflakes hitting my windshield.
THIS IS NOT RIGHT, PEOPLE.

2. We made two awesome crafts at preschool this week. Since it's Holy Week, and since we are a Christian preschool, it was time to put the cute egg and bunny crafts aside for something a little more Jesus-related: 


Liquid water colors painted over strips of
masking tape in a cross shape.

Peel the tape off when the paint is dry.

Pre-K craft. We did the handprint with them,
then they did the rest.

3. The last one counted as two.

4. The College Boy had no classes Thursday and Friday of this week, so I fetched him on Wednesday afternoon. We brought home most of his winter clothes (no sense in jinxing anything, even though I'm not superstitious, but, hey, just in case) and ate supper at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant we found AND LIKED. Unknown restaurants are a crap shoot, even though we looked it up on Tripadvisor and checked the reviews first. Because under Joplin restaurants, Chick Fil A is listed as the #3 restaurant in town. I mean, Chick Fil A is GOOD and all, but #3? Really, Tripadvisor?

5. That one counts as two as well, doesn't it? Of course it does!

6. Two Easter parades and egg hunts in two days at preschool with no mishaps.

7. I accompanied my son to a job interview in a neighboring town. Or rather, I rode shotgun with him to an interview. He can't find his way out of a bag, so since he had never been to this town, I went along as navigator. We left early enough to go a little further to the south and get some pictures for my A to Z post P is for Picher, Oklahoma. He was a complete sport, driving around the abandoned town, stopping the car so I could get pictures. It's a good thing we had to go on to the interview next, because I could have stayed there for hours, taking pictures, as I am fascinated with the place. It spooked him, however, and he swore he could smell lead in the air (you can't, but it was imaginative on his part).

8. That was two, I'm sure of it.

9. Driving home from the interview (where I sat in the car and played Candy Crush, lest you worried if I truly accompanied my son TO the interview), we came up behind...a dragon. Kid you not. My son was once again a real trouper so I could get pictures, because, well, it was a DRAGON (Go faster! Slow down! Get a little closer! Not that close!).


Imagine Dragons....

10. The A to Z Challenge is over halfway challenged! 

This Sunday is Easter. Christ is risen; He is risen, indeed!

Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

34 comments:

  1. Beautiful Christian crafts, Dyanne!!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! They were a good reminder of why we celebrate Easter.

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  2. I am #7.
    I am the most directional challenged person that anyone here knows. I got lost walking around my neighborhood. Yes, for two hours. Don't laugh. There are a lot of little off the road streets and ... yes I'll just leave the embarrassment there.
    I wish that we had parades for the kids here, although, like you we had snow this week so it wouldn't have been an enjoyable one.
    Have a wonderful weekend

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    1. You and my son make a perfect pair! He has gotten lost in our neighborhood as well, both on foot and in the car. And to be fair, our neighborhood has streets going every which way but on a grid, so it's easy to get confused WHEN YOU'RE VISITING. When you LIVE there, you really should have a better idea of where you're going....
      We had to parade in the gym for my MWF Pre-K class, since there were 30 mph winds. Usually, I don't like parading inside, but I also greatly dislike chasing Easter bonnets down the street, so I was okay with it. The playground is sheltered enough that we could hunt for eggs there.

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  3. I love Tripadvisor, and I do like Chick Fil A, but I think national chains should be excluded from Tripadvisor restaurant rankings. When I'm traveling, I want to experience local flavor. Glad you found a place you liked!

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    1. I love Tripadvisor, too, but I'm with you - national chains should not be included. Besides, we have a rule when we travel that we don't go anywhere we could go at home. We like to experience local flavor, too!

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  4. you have the best crafts! come to rewritten on tues... will have another book crafty thingy...you liked the last one I think? ... dragons on the highway...how cool! HAVE A FAB EASTER!!!! no snow, please!

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    1. I will be there on Tuesday! I'm behind in my A to Z reading; hope to get caught up this weekend! At least, I intend to get you, Jak and Kate done by the end of the weekend. This A to Z thing is killing me!
      And seriously, how cool is it to follow a dragon on the highway?

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    2. Certainly come over if you want to but dont break your neck getting to it... no biggie... I just like reading you ( your funny)...thats why I get here regularly...I have a bunch that I havent gotten to though... so really Im good... would rather you not max out... see you tuesday for book sculpting!

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    3. Shanksh, Zoe. I did NOT try the paper airplane, because I can't hit the broad side of a barn (or your house) and the poor little plane would not fare well.

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  5. nice road trip.

    (see? we're not so far apart when it comes to cars and photography!)

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    1. It's always a nice day when you visit a Superfund site AND see a dragon.

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  6. Holy Week is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love your Jesus crafts - nice to see the focus there and less on the bunnies and ducks and chocolate eggs. They're cute, too, but it makes me sad when that stuff takes over.
    Projects and egg hunts and parades with no disasters? Awesome.
    And summer vacation is coming...!!!
    Happy Easter and happy week!

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    1. Thanks, Lisa! I love the crafts I found (thank you, Pinterest!). I literally searched for "preschool Easter Jesus craft" to find them.

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  7. Hope the interview was successful! I need to keep the idea with the masking tape, looks like tons of fun with heart shapes, or a tree, etc. I need to sponge more ideas off you, since the girls love crafting! Have a great weekend, Dyanne!

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    1. Me, too, Stephanie! When you use the masking tape, stick the strip on the inside of your forearm first; this gets a little oil from your skin on the adhesive and prevents it from sticking tightly to the paper. It should just lift off.

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    2. And you should follow me on Pinterest. I have a lot of preschool ideas on there. I'm going to organize them better as a summer project.

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  8. Happy Easter, Dyanne!
    Ugh, that nasty weather hit us, too, but now, NOW it is lovely! Daffodils and tulips and all. Love it!

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  9. So glad its halfway over!! And also that the snow didn't stick. SO SO Glad!

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    1. I feel like the Little Engine That Could. I THINK I can, I THINK I can, I THINK I can....

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  10. It snowed in Minnesota on Wednesday! A full blown blizzard on APril 16. Minneapolis got 6+ inches and smaller towns up north got up to 18 inches, so we all relate to the one being thankful it didn't stick.

    Great art projects for the kiddos! I love the cross rainbow paintings.

    Loved the photos for your "P" post and even better that your son was such a trooper. And kudos to you mom, for helping him navigate. I see a candy crush addiction got you through the wait and then you were rewarded with a dragon spotting.

    And yes, over halfway done with A to Z!

    Kate at Daily discovery

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    1. If I'm sick of winter and snow and cold, y'all must be tearing your hair out!
      That was the first time I had ever used the liquid watercolors. They were very messy, but I loved the bold colors.
      My son was so patient (not ordinarily a virtue of his!). I'm always the family navigator, as no one else has any sense of direction. And if you read my L is for Lost post, then you might not believe me, but that was unusual for me!

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    2. Today it got up to 74! But yes, last week's blizzard sent all of us to the loony bin, especially since it was a friend's birthday party which meant I spent 1.5 hours in the car when it normally takes 30 minutes, and it was even worse on the way home (was continuously snowing the three hours I was there).

      Aren't art projects meant to be messy at that age? ;)

      I did read that post and it was hilarious. Glad your family can count on you to point them in the right direction (in many different ways!)

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  11. We had a snowy Sunday and Monday too. What's with that?!

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  12. That dragon is worth all ten things. Is it a boardwalk ride? We have rides at the Jersey Shore that look like that. Dizzy Dragons I think it's called.

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    1. It was some kind of ride. Funny how they can fold up an entire amusement park ride and fit it on a trailer like that!

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  13. I love your crafts! The handprint on the hill with the cross is just awesome. And how cool to have driven up behind a dragon! (and that I'm not the only one who plays candy crush in the car)
    This winter! UGH! It rained/sleeted/hailed here this week too. I'm so over it. It was nice yesterday though so maybe we're on the way to spring??

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    1. I love anything that has their handprints or footprints on them. And I thought this one was so good because it was so understated. Actually, both of them were.

      If it snows again this spring, I am TAKING NAMES.

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  14. I'm exhausted! As fun as Easter week is in preschool-before kids I taught for 7 years- it does wear out the teachers. Like Christmas but without the days off to recover. Love the dragon. I've got two budding adults, so I get the ride along/hand holding. I hope the interview went well for him.

    Now go take a nap!

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    1. Any time there is a special event, they all turn wild, even the quiet ones! They will be pretty wound up from now until the end of the year, which is only 4 weeks away.
      When my son was about 4 I worried I'd have to go to college with him, just to wipe his bottom, but he finally started doing it himself, so I figure some day, he'll be able to drive himself somewhere and actually find it.

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