Flat Stanley and Larry

I have decided to use Flat Stanley in my classroom this year. Stanley is a boy who gets flattened when a bulletin board falls on him and then gets sent on adventures through the mail.

my Flat Stanley

You can find his books here and learn more about the Flat Stanley project here.

I am going to California to visit my sister before school starts and decided to make a Stanley to bring with me. I am excited to share this with my kiddos and think it will be a great way to get them excited about geography and writing and learning about new places.

That's right, that is Stanley with a bird's nest! 

Backstory:
I have a few different plants that grow on my balcony. I normally move them inside if I am going to be gone for an extended amount of time to try to keep them from drying out. I was at my parents' house for about a week and a half and left the plants out on my patio. When I came back, I went outside to water them, and discovered a bird had decided my dying mint would be the perfect place to make a nest!

It's hard to see, but there is a bird in there! (Click to make it bigger)

(Further backstory: I am scared of birds. I have this fear that they will attack me and get tangled in my hair and peck and scratch my face. I know its dumb, but oh well.)


I immediately freaked out and ran back inside. Over the past couple of days, I have gotten (slightly) more comfortable with the bird. I no longer have to wear a sweatshirt with the hood drawn around my face to water my plants. Progress!


I was trying to figure out what kind of bird it is and came across a guy online who said he could identify nests and eggs. I emailed him with some info and included a couple of pictures. Turns out my bird is a morning dove, and the eggs should hatch sometime in the next week. The babies should stay in the nest for about two weeks before they leave. 

The eggs :)

I am calling the bird Larry after the bird man who identified him. (The bird I have seen is a male...apparently the male sits on the nest during the day, and the female at night.)


I am hoping to get some good pictures of the babies when they hatch! I'll be sure to share them if I do :)

Stanley and Larry

I would try to get him closer if I wasn't terrified that Larry will attack me. That's not even me holding Stanley...it's my brave friend Rita :)  

(We ran screaming inside moments after this picture was taken and Larry got scared and flew away which in turn scared us!)

P.S.: If anyone wants to help with the Flat Stanley project, let me know! If you have an iPhone, you can download a free Flat Stanley app that superimposes him on pictures. I can also send you a Stanley to take pictures of. Thanks!!

The Book Thief

One of the benefits of teaching is having the summer off. As great as that is, it can start to get monotonous, so this summer I have made sure to stay busy. One great way to amuse myself is visiting book stores. I can spend hours looking at titles, cover designs, etc. I went to a great used bookstore in New Orleans and came home with a stack of books that I have been working my way through. Which brings us to The Book Thief.
"It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery..."
-Barnes and Noble description

I really enjoyed this book. It's told from Death's point of view and follows the life of a young foster girl. Her foster father teaches her to read and quickly becomes the most important figure in her life, aside from her stollen books. Her family hides a Jew in their basement, which changes Liesel (the main girl) and the rest of her life.
This is a really enjoyable read, even though nothing is sugar coated and war and death feature prominently. It's an easy read, targeted towards teens, and I would definitely recommend it!
I am excited to check some more books off my summer reading list next :)

Bracelets

While browsing Pinterest, I found a great website,  Honestly...WTF. This site has all sorts of great DIY ideas.  Go check it out. It's amazing.

I had some free time, so I made a few of their different bracelets to mix with some pieces that I already owned.

From top to bottom:

Pearl bracelet- gift from sister, Honora

Coach bangle- gift from sister, Coach

Double wrap bracelet- DIY, Honestly...WTF

Beaded braid bracelet- DIY, I attempted this (Honestly...WTF), but mine ended up with the beads on the inside instead of outside. Oh well!

David Yurman cuff- gift from parents, David Yurman

S-hook bracelet- DIY, Honestly...WTF

They have some more fun jewelry DIYs that I plan on trying and sharing soon!

Bonnaroo 2012- the music

Thursday:

Rhys Darby leading the second line

Music:
The Dirty Guv'nahs
Mariachi el Bronx
The Cave Singers
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
the Silent Disco (a fun tent where you put on headphones to hear the music and dance around to a DJ)
Alabama Shakes
The Soul Rebels

Comedy:
Brian Posehn
Pete Homes
Kyle Kinane
Ali Wong

Food:
pork buns from a mystery food truck from New York

Fun:
The Soul Rebels came out at the end of the Alabama Shakes and with Rhys Darby (Murray from Flight of the Concords) led a second line around Centeroo (the main stage area), ending at a tiny stage/platform area where they played for a while and then brought out a salsa dancing dog. After the dog, we followed the second line to the comedy tent where there was a food truck with a DJ and they were throwing out free pork bun sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil. At first I thought they were potatoes...lol. They were super delicious and became the great mystery of Bonnaroo because we could never find that food truck again.

Friday:

 Radiohead

 Radiohead

Radiohead

Music:
The Infamous Stringdusters
Two Door Cinema Club
Laura Marling
Punch Brothers
Fitz and the Tantrums
Trampled by Turtles
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Radiohead
Major Lazer
Flying Lotus

Comedy:
Colin Hay
Garfunkel and oates
Mike O'Connell

Food:
Gastro Pub food truck- Sloppy Jose and Dirty Chips (fresh made chips with spicy mayo, slaw, and spices...DELICIOUS!)

Fun:
We were in the pit for Radiohead!

Saturday:

Sarah Jarosz

Charles Bradley

Music:
Charles Bradley (pit)
Sarah Jarosz
Flogging Molly
Punch Brothers
Childish Gambino
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Super Jam
Skrillex
Unchained the Van Halen tribute

Fun:
We saw Sarah Jarosz on the way to Charles Bradley in the grass by the stage. She wasn't performing, just playing a few songs for a Bonnaroo news piece.

Sunday:

The Beach Boys

Bon Iver

Delta Spirit

The Shins

Music:
Sarah Jarosz
Delta Spirit
The Beach Boys
Bon Iver
The Shins
fun.
Phish

Food:
Eat Box food truck- Dirty South burrito

Fun:
It drizzled most of the day. :(

Monday:
We packed up in the rain. It's always sad to leave Bonnaroo, but the bad weather made it a little easier to go.

Till next year!

Ferris wheel with Paige

View from the ferris wheel (food vendor area)

View from the ferris wheel (camping area)

View from the ferris wheel (stage area)

riding the ferris wheel

no-byrd-aroo. we missed you Daniel!

The group :)

Bonnaroo 2012- Getting there

Tuesday:
It started on Tuesday driving to Slidell to get the EZ Up out of Daniel's storage unit. It was a tight fit to get it in the car, but I made it work.

EZ Up crammed in the backseat

I got to Bryan's house in Mississippi late that night (it was hard to find since it is new and does not exist on Google maps!). Paige had just arrived and we all hung out for a bit and discussed the schedule and whatnot before going to bed.

Wednesday:
We didn't have to wake up too early which was nice. We made a few stops for beer, pocket chairs, and a fanny pack, then continued to Nashville. We stopped in Nashville for lunch (free Chick-fil-a...still have a bunch to use up. More about that later) and then had some time to kill before we had to meet Scott. We went to Big Lots for batteries and the Dollar Tree for candy. All the essentials. Then we drove on and met Scott about 30 minutes later. I rode with Scott the rest of the way to Bonnaroo. We were close, but traffic made it take about 3.5 hours before we were finally in. We were parked far away and immediately began lugging our stuff to Tent City. We claimed a fairly large area and I got guard duty while everyone else went to get the rest of our stuff.

Claiming space

We had Bryan's garden cart this year, which definitely gets the MVP award for its ability to haul things without breaking. It was dark by the time we got everying set up. I put the EZ Ups up pretty much all by myself while they brought everything else. We had pretty much the same set up as last year...4 EZ Ups all together. This time we used tarps as floors (they hadn't mowed) and had our tents right up against the EZs, instead of all spread out like last year.

 the green tent is mine

Beware of Pickpockets and Loose Women! (A Big Lots score)

Globe Ravamp

I have had this globe sitting in my apartment for the past year. It was my uncle's and I like it, but it's always been blah and tends to blend in to my brown couch, dark wood tv stand, etc.

I got the idea to repaint the stand and finally went to Lowes and got the supplies to do it!

 I forgot to take a complete before picture, but this gives you an idea.

 Primed and ready to go

Finished!

Paint: a mix of Valspar Bay Mist and Twilight Meadow