Hacker Widow

Archive for May, 2010

So we went on a house hunting expedition to San Luis Obispo this weekend. We left around 8 am. Not a good time for me…. About 45 minutes into the drive, I realized I’d forgotten the Thomas Guide. My Dad go me hooked on using “the guide” years ago. They have saved us more than once. Anyway, after that, we continued on our way, completely clueless what we were going to do once we got there. We had one showing set up. I tried to set up 3-4 more, but the agents wouldn’t get back to me..aarrgghhh. On our escapades through the various towns,  we discovered, Arroyo Grande.

I’m in love!

If you take a trip along the Coast, this town is a must!! Quaint shops, friendly people, great weather, what more can you ask for?? And speaking of quaint shops, we found…

OMG.. this place had THE most amazing pastries.

Hubby enjoying his cupcake topped with whipped cream and dipped in chocolate…

Obviously…

;0)

Wow… this has been an exciting last couple of weeks. Rob accepted a job at the coast so our lives will be taking a completely different direction. It has been a whirlwind of a time, I can tell you!  My summer will now be spent scrambling to get this house in order to hopefully sell for a fair price. It isn’t the greatest time to sell, but the Lord is leading us in a new direction…Who am I to question or complain?? ;0)  Will be blogging about the process, of course. More to follow…

I just can’t believe it. Do people really break up with people on public forums like MySpace and Facebook?? Seriously?? Whatever gave these people the idea it was ok to humiliate someone like that in public. Yes, MySpace and Facebook are PUBLIC. Every photo, every word, every poke, and comment is out there for anyone to see. These pages change the rules so often that there is no way to keep up with all the updated privacy settings. They keep opening everything we have on these sites wide open and it is up to us to go in and change the settings. Does this seem a little backwards to anyone else?? Then you pair that with people who don’t even give you the benefit of a face to face conversation to drop huge, life altering bombs on you. Yes, I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with old friends, but it is very disconcerting to see someones life ripped open so callously for all to see. Do they think it will be easier seeing it written down as opposed to hearing it face to face? More likely, these pages are producing generations of cowards. People who don’t have the bravery to confront someone face to face and take the consequences. “Dear John” letters have been around forever. That isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the true message BEHIND the message. The “I don’t care enough to tell you I’m leaving, I’ll just change my status and delete you from my life.” message. The one that seems to have become acceptable today. What do you tell your children? How do you explain that they are worth more than just a meaningless status update? As parents, we have to be aware and keep trying. Tell them how wonderful they are. Give them that foundation so when stupid things like this happen, they won’t do something drastic.

This activity is to introduce word families.  Pick some fairly common “chunks”.

Then take the time to figure out all the letters that will create words. Some can be used in more than one “family”.

Attaching the velcro will help the child see the word.

I usually attach long strips somewhere on the folder to hold the pieces when not in use. Remember… velcro is our friend.  :0D

Ok, I admit it, I’m having a mid-life crisis. Who’d of thought! It’s still hard for me to believe. I sit at work or at home and feel restless. I feel like there’s something else I should be doing. Something that will be more meaningful, more fulfilling, more helpful, more memorable, more enjoyable… It has GOT to be out there, right? Something that will make people stand up and take notice. Something meaningful. Sadly, my job is sort of like that now. Any normal person would be intrigued, inspired and motivated. But me, I have hit burn-out so bad after 9 years, I can’t appreciate it any longer. I no longer have the motivation to create and inspire the kids I am with. Why? What has changed? Just because I had a few birthdays? What is it that made me so totally switch my thinking? A few years ago I was wanting to acquire more education to be able to delve deeper into finding out what creates Autism. Now, thinking about going back to school just makes me tired. Will this change? Is there hope to find ones passions again without buying a new motorcycle or running away with an 18 yr old? (Just kidding, honey :0) ) I guess we’ll find out…

I’ve talked about categorizing quite a bit, so I decided to hit math.  I’ve been with my student for about 3 years. So we have had to grow quite a bit. this was one of the earlier folders she used. I made it for the purpose of number recognition and counting.  This was actually just a handout in her Kindergarten class. I decided to make 2 copies.

I colored both copies and cut them out. I glued the first set onto a filefolder and glued the second set to card stock and laminated everything.

I attached velcro and she was ready to go. This can be done a variety of ways depending on your child.  ;0)

So on a Friday night in April, I partied with a bunch of wild ladies up in Fresno. Actually it was national scrapbook day, but it was still fun. I basically went so I could try to get some new ideas to finish the 3 albums I have left to do.

What I mean by that is the scrap-booking industry is going hi-tech.  They are starting to drift away from the more traditional type of scrapping like I do…

To the more advanced process of computer programs. There is something to be said for being able to do an entire album in a couple of hours. To have all your pictures categorized and at the tips of your fingers. To have hundreds of pre-made layout if you,like me, have serious brain farts and just can’t think of one more theme to do. Then you just download it to their website and receive your album in a couple of days. Wow…

But, I walk into Michaels and look at all the beautiful papers and stickers and just can’t resist.  I kind of go into a trance and immediately start envisioning all the pages I could do… Sigh, I think it’s a serious sickness… It takes me months to finish an album. This is a definite con. I don’t know, I think I’ll stick with the more traditional way…. at least for 3 more albums  ;0)

I broke down and went to the Exeter Brewfest with my hubby. I have to say it was really fun.

I know my hubby had a GREAT time…lol

Loved this guys beer hat!!

One of my hubbies favorite beers.

So many to choose from.

Even our wonderful neighbor Barbara Got into the act. LOVE HER!!

Lots of fun!! Hubby found a new second place favorite..

But the most important thing of the day…

ENJOY!!!

A couple weeks ago, we took a day trip to San Luis Obispo. This is one of our favorite places to hang out. On the way, we were amazed by the wildflowers that were bursting out everywhere.

These were in the hills right outside of Paso Robles. You can’t make out the purple, but the colors were soooo vibrant! Hard to resist the touristy trappings, so we pulled over and started snapping pictures.

Just amazing… Too bad it will all be brown in a few weeks.