Random

Couldn't sleep well last night--had hay fever.  So I got up at 6:30, Cleaned ashes out of the stove, Took all of the curtains down and put them in the washer, and vacuumed really good.  I still have to dust with a wet rag every where but the hay fever is better all ready.

We got an inch of snow last night so everything is white.  I guess winter is here.  Susan face booked that she had been chopping wood so I commented that I split a log round.  So yesterday Mike showed up and brought me a load of firewood.  That was nice because I was about out of cut and split wood.  Then less than a half hour later Cathy and Caib showed up with another load.  Cathy had read the post and comments and thought, " we can't have Mom splitting wood!" so they got me some, too.  We all laughed and Cathy said, " Well, it's Mike's turn next time because I brought it last."  (Too bad I can't do pictures--There's a double row nearly to the porch light.)

My fourth graders have been told that they only need to spell ten words off the spelling list because they can't really do all thirty words.  Yesterday I told them that if they got all 30 words right I'd buy them a big candy bar.  Two of them did it.  Now they've shown me that they really can spell on grade level when they spell from the sounds so they aren't going to get away with "Oh poor me" any more.
The other two came close.

We are still having fun diagramming sentences.  Cathy came to learn how the other day when I was teaching the 5th grade.

I picked up two more student to work with on spelling--a second grader and a fifth grader--If they can spell from the sounds their reading really improves.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving.  Are Amber and Sara and Mike Millward wanting to come?  I'm thinking Mike and Amber might go to Boise if their folks aren't coming.  Keep us down here posted.

Well off to wash down dust and rehang curtains.  :)

Results

Results:  My first grader won the essay contest--Five dollars--I don't think she even knew what money is for.  The teacher was so happy with her work.  So was I.
   And we added 4 words and my 4th graders still got 100%s!

Tutoring 2

This has been a great day of tutoring.  It was pajama day at school so I wore my Robe over my clothes and my moose slippers.  (thank you David and Erin)  I could have taken my stuffed Moose but I didn't want to drag him all over the school.
     I worked with my fourth graders on their spelling and they did well.  They were due for a pretest right after recess.  Then I worked with my fifth graders and they did well reading the story and telling where from a real knowledge of the solar system and constellations the ideas in the story might have come from.  They were attentive and interested--not always the case--and it was a good session. Next was recess and then the third graders. They did so well on their spelling and timed tests that I will need to replenish my skittles supply.
     Then lunch time.  During lunch Mrs. Ekkers came in and asked me if the kids had found me.  I said no and she said that the 3 girls had 100 %s  and the boy missed one.  At recess they were so excited they nearly knocked me down with hugs--These are the kids that have never gotten more than 2 or 3 right in their lives.  Now they believe me that they can.  True we only studied 10 of the 30 words, but they had all ten right.  And they were 4th grade level words.
     Then I went into the other 5th grade and the kids were taking a math test.  The teacher brought me the essay that the little girl I tutor after school had written for the bully free zone contest and she had used perfect penmanship.  Teacher was really happy--said you couldn't even read her writing last year and the essay even made sense.
     When I went to pick up my first grader, the teacher handed me the paper she was to write an essay on for the bullying contest.  We wrote it and she drew a school--rectangle with the doors in front center the windows on either side and a large smiley mouth underneath the "Bully Free Zone."  It was really nice-for a first grader.
     These kids are making real progress and I'm having so much fun.   Of course there was yesterday------- :(     But the good times are outweighing the bad.

Tutoring

As some of you know, Laura has been staying with me since the 3rd of July when they came down to put Trevor in the MTC.  We had the pool party, a shower for Amber, made a couple of quilts and worked seriously on Laura's reading.  She is making great progress and can now really read "Hop on Pop."

Sunday morning she returned home.  Amy took her kids up to Laura's house where a Dermatologist that Tony works with is trying to help Tanner.  See Amy's Facebook for their progress.  Anyway, Laura took all the papers we had been working on for her reading and Kaitlyn is continuing the tutoring.

Today I got a call from Laura and Kaitlyn had a couple questions.  "Grandma, what does the 3 by the ch mean?"  
"There are 3 sounds for ch--chin, school, and chef.  ch, k, and sh" I said.
"Oh, I get it.  and what is the other sound for wh? If I thought about it I could probably figure it out."

"That's "wh" as in whistle and when and "h" as in who and whole."
" And there are the 2 sounds for th--That and thin.  Do we put a 2 in front of it?"
"Yes. I forgot that one didn't I?"
"OK" she says.  "I've got to go now, I'm right in the middle of helping Aunt Laura with her reading."

I say"goodbye, dear," as I hear Laura giggling in the background.
Kaitlyn really is helping Laura do her reading.

swimming pool

The swimming pool is now patched and a beautiful blue.  Will be filled in time for the 4th of July party and should last for another 2 or 3 years anyway.   Thanks to Nathan, Johnny and Tracey and Amy  and assorted grand kids.

Perhaps someone would like to add a picture.

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day all you daughters, daughters-in-law, grand daughters etc.  Loads of flowers, chocolates, any other hearts desires and all.  Feel free to post pictures on my blog to brighten it up and have a great day.          Mom or Grandma   PS love ya lots!!!

 K Mom, there is my added picture of most of your daughters. I happen to look smashing in it. I was going to get fancy and crop a picture of your face in where Mike is and stick Susan in there but I've got to get the kids to bed.  Love you Mom.

Conned Again

Susan, remember how you always told the Career Guidance Counselor that your great ambition in life was to be the person who rolled the toilet paper onto the rolls? Well, this morning when I was changing the toilet paper roll holder I noticed something very odd. The tube I took off the holder seemed bigger than the last one I removed. I quickly pulled one out of the garbage can and, sure enough, it slid right inside the one I had just removed.

I still have toilet paper packs from 4 or 5 years ago, so I quickly grabbed a roll from one of them and it was 5/16 ths of an inch taller than the roll in the new package. Now these are the Scott 1000 squares so that despicable company has probably made the squares 5/16ths of an inch shorter to keep them square. Then they have made the tube a little bigger in diameter so the roll still looks sort of fatter.

Well I quickly snatched out my cell phone and took pictures showing all the comparisons.

My point is that you, Susan, should have stuck with your original career option and got a job with Scott and you would have been a rich woman by now with the money saved from reducing the amount of paper on the rolls and increasing the price. At least you could have been a whistle blower for the rest of us so we could have boycotted the Scott Company!!!

Somebody, please help me post my picture!!! Aaaargh!

Thank you!! Cathy and Jenny!!!

Several Things

Charlie's Ward in Pleasant Grove has been redoing their house. The inside is done, cleaned, painted, repaired, etc. and the outside will be worked on when the weather is cooperative. They nearly have his stuff replaced in the house and he can't find his collection of council patches that he's been working on in scouting for the last several years. Could any or all of you who live away from Utah see if you could pick up A Council Patch from your area Boy Scout Office and send it to me or him so he can try to replace that?

Saturday Carolyn called and was in Oregon and went to see Dave and Judy. They took her over to see Grandpa and he was excited about the Calendar you guys made for me for my birthday. We sent him one for his birthday on the 14th. He was happy to see them and they had a nice visit. Carolyn may need to verify or correct this but Grandpa told them a family history story.

Mary Ann said that Carolyn said that Grandpa said he could remember as a little boy, sitting between his dad and his Grandpa and they were singing a song in a different language. He asked them what language it was and they said Welsh. He said they both had excellent voices and he wished he had a recording of them singing it. That would have been George Stanley James (his Dad) and John Jenkins James (Grandpa). I have pictures of both here in Loa.

Did you know that we have some Poems that J J James wrote? You kids come by your good singing voices and ability to write Poetry from both sides of the family. Daddy showed me one of J J James' poems but it was in Welsh and I don't remember if their was a translation. Remind me to look them up for your Christmas family history gifts. We might make copies.

Loa Happenings

This has been a good week.

The kindergarten is always fun. They made frogs free hand for leap year and lily pads to sit them on.

My first grader actually spelled some of his words correctly and is beginning to see that letters and sounds are related. His teacher was delighted.

Two of my four second graders finished their reading passage ahead of the clock. Yeah!! I get to move them up on reading level. They are beginning to see that the spelling rules stay the same and they can apply them.

The 3rd graders are making progress now that I have pointed out some of the rules and how to use them.

The fourth graders are making progress now that we are using sounds and rules. We are using the applications now and the kids are beginning to see how reading works.

This week they said just do your thing with the fifth graders, 5 of them, so now they are making progress.

Jasper's class did a really cute play about Africa--He was an elephant and did a good job. It was really cute. The spider tricked all the animals and stole their food but then he or she got tricked and they got their food back. (see pictures on Cathy's facebook.)

Miriam and Jasper had basketball games last night. I watched Miriam's game--she made 3 or 4 baskets and is one of two tallest ones so she got rebounds. Cathy is her coach. (She almost made a basket for the other team but missed, Whoooo. ) It was fun. Caib was ref and the whole group of parents kidded him about calling traveling on Aubrey. She did a good job, too.

And I got my first paycheck.

School Daze

Today I was helping out in the Kindergarten. I was working with a little boy on rhyming. He was matching pictures and doing quite well once he figured out that it is the ending sounds that are alike to make a word rhyme. When he made two pictures rhyme I would make a little poem with the two words.

He ate his bread

In his bed.

Then I said "What do you think will happen if he does that?"

"Him'll get him's bed All Messy," he said.

Ahh, kids. They are so much fun.

Loa goings on.

This is kind of a take off on Jenny's Sunday Salon.

We got a skiff of snow yesterday with lots of wind. It's a little cooler but not bad.

I've read The Witch of Blackbird Pond again and am reading The Walking Drum by Louis L'amour. Not a western but it's pretty good. Lots of 10 to 12 hundreds history so I'm learning something. And I read A Picture For Harold's Room with Chancee. He read 12 pages all by himself.

I put together a kitty puzzle, did some crossword puzzles, helped Mike cut some more wood for my stove. (That's my exercise)

Debbie and I helped Miriam, Silas and Emma make presents for Jasper's birthday. A pillow case ;), piggy bank, and bean bag toss game. Thomas will make the cake and dinner.


I'm fixing dinner for the gang today. Ham and ugh rotten potatoes.

Tomorrow at 8:o5 I begin my new job as a paraprofessional working with struggling readers at the Elementary school. Should be fun.

So now you know what's happening here.

Oh, and I made a quilt.