Rachel's Reflections

I am ALIVE!

2011-06-23T22:23:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends!

I am alive! It's been a whirlwind month of June thus far! The end of the school year, the end of Abby's 4K year, a picnic with oodles of 4K'ers, final exams, teacher inservice, State FFA Convention with FABULOUS students (where I judged 60+ scrapbooks with a fantastic team of helpers and three sections worth of state officer candidates), a quick trip to Milwaukee, sad news about my grandma, a trip to Jamestown, North Dakota (instead of Minot where the flooding is forcing the town to evacuate with water reaching record heights) for the Region III Conference for the National Association of Agricultural Educators, 30+ hours of curriculum work for my new Advanced Fish and Wildlife class, prepping for two workshops I am teaching next week in Green Bay at the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators, prepping for the New Teacher Workshop at our PDC next week, being a wife, a mom, a teacher and an advisor...

On top of that...within three days my cell phone battery died, my laptop blew up and my camera's flash stopped working!!!! I have survived the trifecta of technological issues.

So now with a $12.99 cell phone battery fix, a new laptop and a new smaller more compact camera...I am ready to roll on!

But before I can...I need some sleep!

Until tomorrow,

Rachel

The BIGGEST and BEST Show

2011-05-31T21:08:00.000-05:00

So I left you hanging! All of you were invited to Abby's Biggest and Best Show Ever and I need to tell you how it all turned out!

This is a classic example of what having a strong willed daughter is all about. Once she sets her mind to it, there is no turning back. No amount of "this may not be a good idea" will get her to change her mind.

So Abby put on an outfit that sparkled. Dean's role was a clown that told jokes and I had to put on something fancy. Unfortunately, it poured rain, so we couldn't do the show in the front yard for all the neighbors, but Abby did get her signs hung up. Other guests like a break dancing sheep and a pig wearing glasses came to sing and dance. It was quite the event and lucky for you...she's ready to host another one soon!

Here are some pictures from the gala event:

"I'm cute so please come to my big show!"

"Shoot! It's starting to rain! Let's take this show indoors!"

"Let's start with me showing you my mad dancing skills."

"Introducing..."

"A Backwards Clown!"

"I can't believe my Daddy is a backwards clown!"

"And here is the super cool pig...who can sing!"

"And here is the super cool sheep that can breakdance!"

Rest assured...this was NOT the only show Miss Abigail will do in her life! She's already scheduled another one. As we look to the future, there is no doubt that she'll be on the stage singing and dancing for real.

During one of her Taylor Swift covers, I took a voice recorder and recorded her singing so that I can create a scrapbook page for her to hear herself when she gets older. I will never get tired of hearing her sing.

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Fun at Valley Fair

2011-05-25T22:04:00.002-05:00

Today was a day we look forward to all year at NRHS - the senior trip to Valley Fair! The students look forward to it as much as the eight or nine chaperones who accompany the kids. We started this event seven or so years ago as an alternate to Senior Skip Day. The first year we had to pull teeth to get kids to go as they thought we were all going to walk around the park holding hands. NOT! We like to go on rides just as much as they do! This year we had FOUR full coach buses and 175 students along for the fun. :)

This trip goes in the record books as one of the best yet. Super respectful students, major bonding between staff and students as they conquered their fears (waving at Brad Malpert who doesn't really ride rides, but did them all like a trooper as a newbie chaperone), and all in all just a wonderful day with absolutely no issues at all! The only thing we would have changed was the temperature outside...only low 60's if that and windy...I am STILL FREEZING COLD!!! Wearing layers was interesting as it IS May 25th for goodness sake!

Having these out of school experiences with fabulous students is another reason I am proud to be a teacher! They have graduation this Friday and it will be sad to see so many talented students leave our school, but I am confident that we have helped them obtain the tools they need to be successful in the real world!

Congrats Class of 2011! Best wishes to you!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel - and yes, some of you can now call me that because you're THIS CLOSE to graduation! Others will ALWAYS call me Zabs or Mrs. Sauvola just because you can't fathom calling me by my first name! hahaha

Fashionista

2011-05-24T12:59:00.001-05:00

So what can I say...Abby has developed some strong fashion skills. haha I think she gets it from reading every newspaper flyer that comes to our house. Couple that with the Prom experience and she's ready to always be the fashionista whether it's in the house or out and about.

One day we went out for ice cream and here she is sitting in the parlor...delighted at the size of her ice cream cone:

After ice cream, it was time for some singing in the ice cream parlor.

Then it's time to direct everyone in the area in the song...Please note how the glasses match the nail polish - true signs of a fashionista! haha

Sometimes, as a fashionista you have to get ready quick...so the earrings don't always make it on correctly! hahaha But it doesn't matter to her!

You just never know what the always joyful Abby will bring you each day! Presently, she's preparing for "The BIG Show" that she plans to invite the entire neighborhood to tonight...This oughta be good. Apparently she's singing - some original work along with none other than Taylor Swift covers, Dean's doing knock knock jokes and I have to go change my clothes because I AM NOT FANCY enough!!!! NICE! At least she doesn't expect me to sing for the neighbors! haha She's working on signs to post "around town!" Ohhhh, Adventures with Abby...NEVER a dull moment!

Enjoy your day! I'll keep you posted!

Rachel

Over the Top!

2011-05-23T12:45:00.002-05:00

So many people who read my blog know that I believe in the go big or go home philosophy...that if you're going to do something, give it 110% and don't look back.

Well, earlier this year, I found something in my community that embodied that philosophy and I am still giggling about it! I came across this car parked on Knowles Avenue (that's our Main Street) that totally was over the top!

Let me set the stage for you...it was April 1st! Yep, April Fool's Day and we were headed to Brady's Brewhouse for supper as a family. No foolin' that place is fantastic! From the delicious meals at reasonable prices to the gorgeous ambiance...it hits the jackpot every time!

We had a wonderful meal and then stepped out the front door to find this...

Needless to say, we have NEVER seen anything like it before! The inside was as decked out as the outside! Green naugahyde seats with bobbleheads, stickers, fuzzy dice, fuzzy steering wheel cover, the whole nine yards!!!

Then, we rounded the corner to find a small black car who had this...

which I must confess is WAY more my speed!!!! I guess in this instance, go big or go home doesn't apply to me! hahaha I was very proud of the Packers for winning the Superbowl, but I guess my fan loyalty doesn't exist to this extent. It made me think about how much it will be sold for on ebay someday too...ahhhh, those Packer fans can be CRAZY! I know a few of them...hahaha

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

Food for America

2011-05-22T12:21:00.002-05:00

What do baby animals, elementary schoolers, high schoolers and sunshine have in common? Well, for me it always signifies one of my favorite FFA programs - Food for America. With having a new facility and new capabilities, we invited all the 4th graders to the high school and used a large patch of grass to facilitate the program instead of bringing all the animals to an elementary school gym. The Veterinary Science class coordinated all the animals and planned all the scripts. They did a FABULOUS job! The weather, however...was FAR FROM perfect two times before the actual program happened...yep, we were rained out twice, but the third time was the charm! And on a lovely Friday afternoon with temps in the 70's, everyone enjoyed themselves!

In all, 20 animals were set to arrive, but with all the switcheroos of dates, 17 made the final date. They were organized in stations and the students learned about each one of them as they rotated around. How fun!!!

Here are some picture highlights of the day:

Check out my sporty school bus I use to transport my students back and forth in the background. It's HOT! :) Most days I would prefer the VW convertible in the foreground, but that doesn't hold many students...that belongs to one of my students who filled it full of rabbits that day! haha

Again, I am proud of my students for doing a top notch job securing animals of their own and community members to help make the program successful! Their scripts were top notch and they did a fantastic job answering the youngsters questions and working with them in smaller groups to ensure they got to pet the animals. They even planned to have the more exotic, less known for consumption (even though they are eaten!) creatures there like guinea pigs, turtles and dogs. Excellent work!

After lots of hand sanitizer, it was time for ice cream cones!!!! Yummy! What a fun afternoon!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

Happy Mother's Day Part 2

2011-05-21T13:46:00.005-05:00

Since we didn't really celebrate Mother's Day with our whole family on the original day, Dean and Abby made a special plan for me last weekend. It was all a BIG secret as Abby could be heard throughout the week saying, "Don't worry, Mom...we AREN'T talking about any special plans and we AREN'T going anywhere to celebrate YOUR special day!" just after being spotted whispering in her father's ear! I was on to them!

We slept in and ventured out just before lunch time on a rainy day...BIG surprise there!!! It's been raining FAR TOO much! Instead of heading into the Cities as our vehicles most often do, the truck headed east with lunch at The Orchard in Baldwin. We'd never been there before and enjoyed super yummy burgers.

Then we headed to Eau Claire to the mall, shopping and goofing around. We hit my two favorite scrapbook stores in that area and even uncovered a third I didn't know about, but got there too late to shop.

Heading back to NR, we hit a nice spot in Menomonie for supper and then got home late after a day of being out and about. It was fun, humorous family day.

But perhaps the highlight was a very special surprise when we got home. I was "bamished" to the basement or the upstairs (my choice!) and needed to stay out of their way while they worked on one final surprise. So I headed up to bed to read for awhile. Abby came and checked on me several times to make sure I hadn't fallen asleep and then...

up the stairs came a plate of home baked, fresh from the oven, chocolate chip cookies! YUMMO!

As it turned out, her teacher, Mrs. Hennlich, had helped the kids prepare cards and a special chocolate chip cookie mix that they needed to only add a few ingredients to in order to make the cookies. What a cute idea! According to Dean, Abby (always the helpful kitchen lady) did a great job of stirring and preparing the dough and placing the doughballs on the baking sheet. She talked about crying at how sweet it was to bake cookies for your momma.

I will admit to crying quite hard from the sweetness of this activity when they got upstairs! Especially that late at night after a fun family day! I have never been served cookies in bed before either. I have the best hubby and child around!

Enjoy your day!

Rachel

Daisy Picking!

2011-05-19T21:02:00.003-05:00

What do dandelions and daisies have in common? They both start with D and I am allergic to them both! That's about as far as it goes in my world! Miss Abigail loves to pick daisies for me and I can't help loving them each and every day she picks me a new arrangement. :)

It doesn't phase her to go out mid-morning in her nightgown either! hahaha

I will never tire of her picking daisies for me!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

Nails!!

2011-05-11T15:23:00.003-05:00

So ever since getting her nails done for Prom, Abby is addicted to the fun of getting her nails painted and then painting mine. Good thing Wal-Mart carries plenty of tiny bottles of different colors for $1.00 each and PLENTY of nail polish remover!!! haha

She's getting better and better with all this practice! Tradition says, I do hers first:

Then she turns into "Nail Polish Girl!"

First...my fingers:

And lastly...my toes! There is no hiding them from her either!

Oh the joys of having a girly-girl! I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Faithful Assistant

2011-05-10T15:01:00.002-05:00

Abby is my right hand lady in so many ways! One of her favorite things to do right now is to help me with my school chores on the weekend. She takes her job as animal feeder and greenhouse waterer VERY seriously!

I truly appreciate her help since I am allergic to all the things I do on the weekend!!!

Here we are sporting matching masks so that my throat doesn't swell shut!

One of my students raises rabbits and shows them. She did a special project over Spring Break to breed one of her bunnies so it gave birth at school. The young ones are sooo cute right now. They can get out of the nest box and are eating pellets and hay. Abby just loves them! Actually, all my students do...they come running into class to check on them when they get to class each day. :)

Sometimes there is other work to be done after our chores are complete! :)
Here Abby is helping me put some dog treats away. It was a fun matching game for her and actually helped me a lot!

After all the treats were matched up to their boxes, it was time to take this perfectly sized cart for a spin around my classroom! hahaha

What can I say? Mommy has work to do at school on the weekend and Abby loves to come along! I am all about great helpers!

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Crop for the Cure

2011-05-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the Crop for the Cure in Cumberland. My dear friend, Sheri is raising money for cancer research and to help her team, Becky's Breast Friends. What a wonderful idea to infuse our favorite hobby into the mix. And what an even more fun idea to make it an event for moms and daughters on Mother's Day weekend.

Abby has known we were going for more than a week. It became the next big thing we were counting for after the whole Prom excitement. She was up at 6:14 a.m. on a Saturday eager to get ready to leave. We had packed our bags the night before and didn't get to bed until 11:00 p.m. on Friday. Mommy just thought this spelled trouble, but she did a really great job all day long.

Here she is getting ready to leave - sporting a skirt and earrings - the ultimate girly girl:

With her tote headed to the garage:

She was sooooo looking forward to hanging out with Kaia, Sheri's daughter, for the day! Here they are crafting away:

I gave her all my unused pictures so she could create pages. She's using tombow on her pictures to adhere them to the page - just like the moms:

All the little girls taking a break for chips and salsa outside in the sun:

Fun was had by all as we raised money for a very good cause! Thanks for a super fun day, Sheri!

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T19:22:00.003-05:00

So today Abigail and I had a wonderful day together! Dean decided to go to Michigan for the weekend because we needed a new roof on one of the camp buildings. It had to be done, so we are celebrating Mother's Day next weekend officially. We have lots of fun adventures planned! So stay tuned!

Abby and I slept in this morning and then proceeded to go for a walk, play at the park, hang out two loads of laundry before the rain came, play in the basement, organize a bunch of scrapbook stuff (including three albums worth of pages for Abby's 2008 year), play Wii, play a board game, go to school to water the greenhouse and feed the animals, have a picnic and now we're chilling out watching The Amazing Race! What a day! No wonder I am a bit tired out! Oh, and I should mention we chose to do all this in our jammies. hahaha A perfect day!

Here's a picture of my special lady as she wishes you a Happy Mother's Day! Please note the delightful ice cream cone earrings. haha

Enjoy your day,
Rachel and Abby too

Proud!

2011-05-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

My students make me so proud!!! Wednesday was Safety Day, where my students teach all the 4th graders in the district (219 of them) all about different elements of safety. They had 19 different stations that the kids visited learning about everything from hunter's safety to fishing safety, and from kitchen safety to chemical safety. Stranger danger, electrical, fire, first aid, small animal, large animal, tractor, ATV, lawnmower, weather, outdoor, boating/canoeing, tool, health, and poisonous plant safety were also highlights. More than 45 high school students acted as teachers, while another 20 were group leaders.

We used the old high school staff parking lot, which was perfect since all the elementary schools could walk to it. Mr. Hatch has said that we can use it again next year. It truly worked perfectly.

Here are some picture highlights:

Putting on a life jacket before casting their fishing pole safely:

Learning about CPR from our School District Nurse:

Trying to decide if it was Gatorade or Fabuloso cleaner in the cups:

Learning all about ATV safety:

Looking over the lawn mower:

Kitchen safety with knives and a make shift stove:

Travis Mork, one of my UWRF observers from last year, is a firefighter in Amery:

Travis brought all the materials to dress Kaden up like a real firefighter!

Safely crossing through a fence with a gun:

Exploring tractor safety:

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How to safely approach large animals:

The sun was finally shining and there was barely any wind. Education was happening at the hands of my students and life was good!

A Whole New Experience

2011-05-06T16:29:00.001-05:00

Growing up tractor and truck pulling with Dad, we had things that produced loads of black smoke and went fast. Since coming to New Richmond, I have learned to appreciate the tractors of yester year...antique machines that were once the way of the land. Our FFA Alumni is big into antique tractors and hosts two antique tractor pulls. Well, a whole new group of guys in the Alumni decided to put together a plow day for antique tractors and implements. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but what I found was really, really cool! I am proud of them for putting their ideas to work and as always very grateful for their efforts to raise funds to support the students in my program.

Here are a few highlights from the day:

All of the tractors ready to take off down the field -

Larry, one of the main organizers, plowing with a smile -

My Favorite Tractor - coming down from Turtle Lake:

It was a really fun day. I proved that you could get a sunburn when the temperature was only 39 degrees and terribly windy on the prairie, but sunny...oh so sunny! Picture a stocking hat, sunglasses and just a sunburned patch that covered my nose, mouth, cheeks and chin. FUNNY stuff. Too bad I didn't take a picture of that for you! haha

The irony of my good old days as a kid with fast paced pulling is that now Dad owns one of these antiques...a tractor he used to use when he was a kid. Now he's looking for a plow so he can come north next year to plow with the guys. Oh how our lives come full circle! :)

Looking forward to the next one!
Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Dancing with the Stars

2011-05-05T19:14:00.004-05:00

I was busy on Monday night doing things around the house and came in to find Abby deep into Dancing with the Stars. She had gone to her room for a dress and put on her new prom heels to make the experience complete. Too cute for words!!!!

She was spinning so fast, the pictures are blurry! haha

A proper finish:

Prepping for the next dance during a commercial break:

I think dance classes are in her future!

Enjoy your night,
Rachel

May Flowers....

2011-05-02T18:47:00.004-05:00

or not!!! It snowed today! It's May 2nd!!!!! This is craziness!!! On one hand it's great to be in school on these cold, dreary days, but on the other hand I can't believe it's May 2nd and there is so much left to do in each of the classes at school. Holy smokes!

In the spirit of May flowers and that super special day that occurs this coming Sunday, my students did a presentation for the 4th graders to help them plant geraniums. This week they will be returned to the kids so that they can present them to their super special Moms, grandmas, aunts, or whomever else they choose.

In conjunction with the geranium planting this year, we did a petting zoo and tour for all the classes that came over. What fun it was for the elementary schoolers, but also what fun it was for my students!

This year we're selling lots of plants in the greenhouse too! We have tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, sweet potato vines, geraniums, and other annuals for sale. Please keep us in mind for your plant needs as all the sales go back into the greenhouse fund to buy more plants.

Enjoy your day...Bundle up!!!!
Rachel

The Promenade!!!!!

2011-05-01T08:08:00.006-05:00

Whewww! Yesterday was a LONG day, but totally worth all the hoopla! After the Grand March, the weather cleared and the sun came out! It was totally an answer to our prayers. :)

Getting ready:

Hail the Queen:

Set and Ready to Go:

First Pic with Drew in his tuxedo:

I am pretty sure Abby's ego is good to go for a LONG time!!! Everyone thought she was adorable. A special thanks to Dan and Diane Heintz for coming to the Grand March and to Grandma and Grandpa Zabel and Gibby who joined us for a fun weekend get together. Since they were up, they took the Princess out to dinner and Dean and I got to go on the boat. I realized that I am old and not cut out for girly heels much anymore! haha

Drew and Abby had a very important role - hanging onto the crown and hat for the soon to be crowned King and Queen:

With Joel and Brooke - The crowned King and Queen:

With the whole prom court:

With part of the paparazzi:

What a fun day! The memories we made yesterday will last a lifetime and we'll have scrapbook pages to prove it!

Enjoy your day! We're headed to Fountain City to get our new renters situated.
Rachel

PROM!!!!!

2011-04-30T09:44:00.005-05:00

So it's finally the day Abby's been waiting for and it's raining cats and dogs. It's 9:45 a.m. and our hair is done already. This will make for a long day of Mom and Dad reminding Miss Abigail not to touch it or lean against anything...let alone take a nap! hahaha

Let's rewind to last night...Prom practice!!!!

The stage:

Abby listening to directions from Mandi with her big people buddies, Buck and Jenny:

Abby and Drew in walking position:

All the kids listening for more directions:

The prom court is an amazingly great group of students! They were so cute and patient with the little kids last night.

Now it's morning and it was time to get our hair done and pick up our flower! FUN! If you don't count the umbrella that must be over Abby's head on account of the pouring rain.

The BEFORE hair upon arriving and Barb's Hairtique:

The AFTER hair:

Abby and Carrie after the hair was all curled:

THANK YOU, Carrie!!!

The boutinerre purchase:

So now we're ready...we're just waiting for Grandma and Grandpa and Gibby to arrive!!!

Hopefully we're all still alive in five hours when it's time to go! hahaha Living with a princess isn't easy!!!

Enjoy your day and pray for a peek of sun as all these kids prepare for Prom!
Rachel

A Royal Meeting...

2011-04-29T18:34:00.003-05:00

So there was a royal wedding today. It's all the hype...but I am not sure that can even compare to a 4 year old meeting a 5 year old for a royal prom date for the first time! hahaha I feel like I am living the life a mom who has a daughter in an arranged marriage! hahaha

Abby is ready! In T-minus 1.5 hours she will meet Drew for the Prom rehearsal. As you can see...she's a cool cat waiting NOT so impatiently! haha

Stay tuned...

Rachel

Two More Sleeps...

2011-04-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

The title of this post probably resonates with you if you have children. It sure is easier to describe how far something is away by the number of sleeps you must have before it arrives. Kids just get it!

In two more sleeps, Abby will be Junior Royalty for the New Richmond High School Prom. This gala event has been a month in the making! My pal, Mandi is the prom advisor and asked if Abby would like to be royalty this year so that some other kids get to do it next year. Traditionally the youngsters are in Kindergarten.

Well, it's happening...according to Abby, I am living with the "Junior Prom Queen." She's been quite hilarious throughout the whole process. Here are a few reasons why she's cracked us up in the last month...

1. When talking about the idea of her participation, I asked her if she knew what prom was. Her comment: "Mom, it's where girls dress in fancy dresses and get their hair done, and wear new shoes and pretty jewels and dance with boys." So I asked her how she knew that, and she replied, "I just know, Mom."

2. She's walking with a Kindergartener named Drew. His dad is our Health teacher at school. When we talked to her about walking with him she said, "Well am I going to meet him before Prom? What if I don't like him? Can I invite Reis instead?" I say to her, "Well, that's not really an option dear, as you and Drew are the only two little people invited to the prom."

3. Every day she asked about going to get her special dress and jewels. Since I have had a few busy weeks, and we've been dealing with the potential for a Fountain City flood, our days were numbered to find the perfect dress. So when Dean took her to Fountain City one weekend, I went shopping and brought home the motherload of dresses for her to try on. Here's some evidence of our fashion show at home. She's such a fashion diva!

She picked one of these dresses, but you'll have to stay tuned for the official pictures! haha I just love her runaway approach and all her funny poses. A real fashion diva!

4. About a week after we brought up Drew, we were out to dinner and all of a sudden out of the blue she said, "So I have been thinking about this Drew guy a lot. I am concerned about him not knowing what I look like. I am going to make him a card and put one of my school pictures in there so he can see me before Prom." So that night she drew him a picture and cut out one of her school pictures and tombowed that right on there. I played deliverer to Drew's dad and she felt better about the whole thing.

5. On our girls day out last Friday, we went shopping for shoes and jewelry. We took back almost all the dresses she didn't choose (of course she convinced her sucker mom to keep a few!) Here she is trying on some fun sandals at Kohl's. When we got to Charming Charlie's, she was fried. In fact, she asked me to carry her to the car! hahaha You can tell she's past her prime from the photo below.

6. Abby decided she wanted flowers for Prom. So she figured out that is she got a flower for Drew that he'd get her one too. Off to Family Fresh we went so she could order her flower with Dena there.

The Grand March tickets are purchased and I think we're almost ready for this gala event. Grandma and Grandpa Zabel are bringing Gibby and the Heintz's will join us. Prom practice is on Friday night. Drew and Abby will meet for the first time! Halleluja! We'll keep you posted.

Sometimes, my daughter is too funny and too cute for words...other times I look at her and think she's 12 years old already! Where did the time go?!

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Easter Fun 2011: Part Two

2011-04-27T16:58:00.001-05:00

So we had a bit of a predicament as Abby found a Barbie doll that she was getting for Easter two days before it was time. Being a mean mom, I made her keep it in the box until Easter morning. So the night before the bunny was scheduled to come, Abby drafted a letter. She was especially concerned about the princess Barbie doll, that she had yet to open...

Easter morning was tons of fun as Abby quickly ran over to the hiding space to ensure that the bunny hadn't stolen the princess Barbie. Wheww!

Then it was time to hunt for her basket! Rather than all that chocolate, the Easter Bunny brought her three different movies and a Wii Fit game with fitness challenges from Dora, Diego, the Backyardigans, and Kai-lan. It's proving to be a great game for the whole family!

She also found a card in her basket as a reply to her note:

Over breakfast we talked a lot about what Easter really means and she was very interested in the religious part of the holiday, so she asked great questions and Dean and I answered them all.

Then it was time to head to the Hawley's house for the annual Easter brunch and egg hunt. This time our dear friend, Lynn came over too to enjoy the day.

Lynn- Egg Hider Extraordinare:

Lynn and Abby sorting the loot:

After the hunt, we headed to the park:

Two seconds after hitting the road - Hilarious!

You'll note the stained leggings...she biffed it coming down the hill from the park! haha I guess we had such a great time, we passed out! haha

What a fun holiday weekend!
Again, we hope you enjoyed yours as much as we did!
Rachel

Easter Fun 2011: Part One

2011-04-26T20:11:00.007-05:00

I hope that you had as much fun over the Easter weekend as we did! Dean was gone for a few days getting the Fountain City house ready for the new renters, so Abby and I had plenty of bonding time.

The celebration began by selling ALL of the Easter Lilies we grew in the greenhouse. Since this was the first time we had done it, I only ordered 30 of them. I didn't feel like I knew our market and wasn't sure we could make it work with our epic fail on the poinsettia front earlier this school year. Temperature is everything and as the kinks have been worked out in the new greenhouse, things have greatly approved.

The end result...glorious Easter Lilies! Some had ten buds on them! Every one of them had at least six blooms. Thanks to James and Rochell at the Baldwin Greenhouse, we were successful with great plants to work with. We learned a lot and will do that again.

Here's an example:

Abby has been having fun cruising the yard in her Barbie Jeep these days. She put on her bunny ears to celebrate the holiday.

We also tried our hand at coloring eggs this year. Abby did a great job!

Getting the cups ready with the coloring tablets:

Using extreme concentration to put the wax crayon on:

The infamous ABBY egg:

All the colorful masterpieces:

More Easter fun tomorrow...
Stay tuned...
Rachel

Life is Busy...Back on the Wagon!

2011-04-25T08:59:00.003-05:00

Can you believe that it's been over a year since I have posted on my blog?! I sure can't! But I know my dear friend, Lynn Hart can believe it! She's been stalking the blog faithfully all year just to see if something has been posted! So in Lynn's honor, I am getting back on the bandwagon!

So much has happened in the year that's gone by...

My allergies have increased and required a special trip to an allergist who didn't know that cattle was plural for cow or other members of the bovine family. I found out that I am 100 times more sensitive to rabbits than the average person, hence my throat swelling shut when I went to teach the kids all about cleaning cages to my standards. YIKES! Now I have an epi-pen and an inhaler.

Abby started (and is now almost done with) 4K and loves school like no one else! She gets mad on Fridays when there is no school.

The new high school is open and everyday I pull into the parking lot, open the door and just say thanks for being able to teach in a top notch facility with a great admin and staff.

Animals have lived with us in school - Buttercup the beef calf, sheep, horses, rabbits (even baby bunnies were born this spring), ferrets, bearded dragons, guinea pigs. We've even partnered with our local Farm and Home store to help rescue animals that need new homes - like a 7" Fun Fest fish and a guinea pig who had been abandoned at their store.

I started farming crickets to be able to feed the two bearded dragons and worms for a vermicomposting project in order to be more green. (Dad will be so proud to find that out!)

I have been working hard to overcome the first year teacher life again as the facility has grown and so has the workload, coupled with all the technology that I have figured out and still need to work on. Thank goodness that Dean and Abby are relatively okay with my long hours. They don't hesitate to call me at school to let me know that supper is ready and they think I should come home.

I have traveled near and far with family and friends - doing our tradition family get togethers over the holidays and a trip to Vegas with my aggie peeps for the NAAE Convention back in November. I presented with some colleagues at the conference all about our state's New Teacher Program. We were well received and I believe many states will follow in our footsteps in creating or supplementing their programs with our ideas. :)

Abby and I have grown closer with her ever increasing need to be a fashion diva and wear jewelry and fun dresses. We relish our Mommy-Abby days together. It's so fun to watch her process things. I am continually amazed each day as she knows things that I am not quite sure how she knows. Of course we still butt heads sometimes, but I fear that's because we're quite alike. ;)

Dean has been busy with the spring flood and the Fountain City house. He was proud to pay that baby off and now has new renters moving in May 1st. His parents were gracious enough to live in the house through what was going to be the roughest time for the flood. It turned out not to be as bad as everyone thought, so we are grateful for that. Dean's also made some vast improvements to the little house, so we are excited about that too - new linoleum, tuckpointing the roof, building a deck, etc.

I am still enjoying scrapbooking and stamping in my free time and have lots of artwork to show you! I started taking pictures of the artwork after I started this blog, so there is plenty to see in the coming weeks.

We have lost some loved ones in the last year, most notably a dear community member whose funeral is today. I have been in a reflective mood the last week as I have been reminded that life is short and we can't take for granted the gifts we are given each day.

I am one week into a new diet as well. Reflecting on life being too short, I am long overdue to begin making healthier choices for myself and my family. The Game On diet, a competitive venture with colleagues, is what is presently motivating me. I am down 5.5 pounds in a week and can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks bring.

Finally, in recent months I have become more of a political activist than I ever thought I would be. If you've been keeping up on Wisconsin news since the beginning of the year, you know all about my pal, Scotty Walker. As a result of his decisions, I have been laid off (along with all 203 of the teachers in NR) and have recently survived the first round of permanent lay-offs as our school works to cut around $1.5 million. As of April 15th, I am still laid off of FFA Advisor and summer positions, but the principal feels as if those things will continue. This means that as of July 1st, those things would fade from my life and that would be a sad, sad day for me. I don't want to change professions. I love what I do! Teaching the students, parents and community about the value of agriculture has been my goal since 7th grade. It stinks that one man's decision, could take that all away from me. So I have been part of history as we worked to recall Senator Harsdorf, held public marches in support of public workers and had Dean and Abby alongside me all the way. I am proud of what we've accomplished so far...but there is more work to be done.

So much for a quick update...thanks for reading these reflections! I am back! And Lynn Hart, thanks for the extra push I needed to begin refecting here again. I appreciate you and all those who care about Rachel's Reflections!

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Aquaculture Delivery

2010-04-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

So in the new high school I will have an Aquaculture Lab. Our plan is to commercially raise fish - bluegill and tilapia - for taxidermy and a community fish fry.

The materials arrived at the new school as my first official delivery. I have been working with Rich at Aquatic Ecosystems for months to prepare for this and now the time has arrived.

I used the first day of my Easter Break to go unpack boxes and pallets. I had seven pallets weighing 3800+ pounds. This is what I found upon my arrival:

It is soooo exciting, yet so stinkin' scary at the same time! I have soooo much to learn this summer to make this work! Here's to great workshops at the WAAE Professional Development Conference, great friends who have walked this path before me and even greater folks who I am yet to even meet who will help me make sense of it all! :) What a great opportunity for the students at NRHS!

Off to read my new Aquaculture textbook!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

Horses + Huskies = Allergies & Fun

2010-04-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

So...it's happened...Abby has become a horse girl! We went for a friendly visit to our friend Laura's house and all of a sudden she's been bitten by the bug!

It didn't matter that I am totally allergic to horses and dogs and all things farm. What mattered is that Abby was having soooo much fun riding and learning that Dean and I stood in the wind photographing all the details.

Abby's first ride was Junior. Laura did an excellent job teaching her all about horses, and how to prepare for a ride.

Meeting Junior:

Getting the tack:

Riding with Laura:

On her own: (Notice the LARGE grin on her face!)

Abby's version of a steering wheel - She would tap and say "Walk on!"

Brushing after the ride:

Riding with her new friend Addison:

After the ride, it was time to explore the Husky side of the business! It was sooo cool!!!

Our family can't wait to go back! Thanks to Dawn and her family and Laura for welcoming us. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as Iron Will and eagerly shared my fun with my students!

Off to take more allergy pills just recollecting this wonderful experience...

Rachel

Holy New Greenhouse!!

2010-04-08T08:30:00.003-05:00

I just have to give you a glimpse of the greenhouse at the new and improved New Richmond High School. It's set to open this fall and we're getting ready to begin moving in this May/June. I am sooo excited about this new teaching space!!! I had to take some pictures to email to my sales rep who is helping design tables and learning spaces.

Next spring, I will have plants growing for all of you to purchase!

Look how shiny and new it is...I am blessed!

Here's to spring and green growing plants,

Rachel

FFA Event + Family = Fun in the Dells

2010-04-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

The second weekend of March brought us to the Chula Vista for a work event for Mom and swimming fun for Abby and Dean. It also brought a sleepover with the Wirkus Family and there is no one in the world Abby looks more forward to hanging out with than her friend Tristan!

So while Becky and I judged proficiencies, the clan swam and swam. When Abby saw all the cool things to do and all the big kids jumping off the side of the pool and otherwise being daring in the water, she too wanted to participate! Her favorite was the lazy river that she could walk in.

She even convinced us to go back to the pool before we left for home on Sunday. Fun was had by all! And as I mentioned yesterday, this trip made swimming lessons much better!

A few pics of her adventure:

It was sure nice of Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Bryan, Brock, Auntie Crystal and Gibby to join us for dinner while we there too. Yummy pizza!!!

We'll do that again!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

Swimming Lessons...

2010-04-06T08:35:00.003-05:00

So we finally took the plunge! We finally enrolled Abby in swimming lessons at The Centre. Six lessons for $49 - from 5:10-5:40 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now let me go off on a tangent here and say that the timing is not very conducive to working parents!!! But that's a whole other rant for a whole other day! haha

I am afraid of water. I never learned to swim as a kid. I grew up on a farm with no pool around. When I moved to Stoughton, swimming was a part of Phy Ed. I was quite excited to learn how to swim...as it turns out...if you put your suit on and got in the pool, you got an A! God bless my friends for trying to help...but I just don't think I will float! haha

I digress...Abby asked Dean to go in the pool with her. She was not too keen on swimming lessons the first couple of lessons. In fact, when you asked her how she liked them, she said, "They're horrible, Mom! Just horrible!!" I watched and tried to be supportive, but often found myself cooking from the inside out in the gosh darn heat and humidity of the pool area bleachers!!! Geesh!

So then enter tomorrow's post...a trip to the Dells...during the second week of lessons...Suddenly we had a fish on our hands! The last four lessons went really well.

They only let the paparazzi (aka Mom's with cameras) in on the last day...so here's Abby's journey after 6 lessons...which by the way...in her words..."I know EVERYTHING about swimming now, Mom! I don't need anymore lessons!" YEAH RIGHT!

Walking in:

Finding a locker...They never closed!

Showing off:

By beach babes:

Entering the kid's pool before lessons:

Using the floatie:

Blinking water from her eyes:

Her circle of friends:

Saying thank you to her teacher:

So, even though she doesn't think she needs more, we think it would be a good idea! haha She wants Daddy in the pool one more round before she ventures out into a class on her own. Dean's not looking forward to it, but...these are the sacrifices parents make! haha

Have a swimmingly fun day!
Rachel

In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lamb...

2010-04-05T08:33:00.002-05:00

Hello fine friends:

March came in like a lamb and went out like a lamb! No lions around these parts! I cannot remember any other months of March when it didn't snow a single flake. It was beautiful up here in northwestern Wisconsin!

To celebrate spring's arrival, we went to the Heintz farm to see the baby lambs. Abby loved every minute of it - bottle feeding and feeding grain.

Then she also enjoyed feeding all the birds. (All I could think about was the Disney medley I did in 8th grade with my junior high choir friends during a concert where I was the lady feeding the birds.)

The Heintz's hobby farm is always a fun place to go! From donkeys to peacocks to lambs and chickens galore, we loved every minute of it! According to Abby, the only thing missing was Molly, but she was off at college.

Fun times, fun friends!

Enjoy the day,

Rachel

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T18:50:00.005-05:00

Today was a splendid day for the Sauvola Family!

Our Easter celebration started last night when we went to church for the Easter Vigil. Going to church at 8:30 p.m. (past the bedtime of your child) is not for the faint of heart! (Especially when said child has not taken a nap!) But always being the adventurous family, off we toodled to church! We told Abby there would be a big bon fire in the cemetary to light the Easter candle and that the service would start out very quietly...hint, hint!

Abby made it until about 9:30 and did a great job. She was by far the youngest in church too. We saw baptisms and confirmations and had candles. Abby was in awe of all the cool things happening. What a beautiful service! It was special to me because six years ago I was confirmed through the RCIA program into Catholicism after growing up Lutheran.

Today marked the annual Easter Egg Hunt with the Hawley family and a yummy Easter brunch. Friday Abby saw the Easter Bunny at the Harley shop and got to ride in his side car. There were baby chicks to pet and face painting. Saturday was the annual Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt. So we have had enough candy and our ready for the new week.

Speaking of a new week...I have scheduled blog posts, so come on back to check them out!!

Here is our Easter in a photo collage:

Harley Shop:

Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt:

At the Hawley's House:

Even though fun was had by all, we haven't forgotten the reason for this blessed day. We hope your day was blessed with a renewed faith, good food, friends and fun.

Enjoy!
Rachel

Happy National Teach Ag Day!!!

2010-02-25T08:30:00.001-06:00

This is my second post today!!! So scroll down to see some more Abby tales.

Today is a very special day!!! The National Association of Agricultural Educators has been working hard to designate today as National Teach Ag Day. This campaign helps to give us resources to show our students and others what being a agricultural educator means to us. Not that I am near retirement age by any means, but it is never too early to recruit exceptional future ag educators!

To celebrate this special day, the FFA is having the Staff Breakfast, then I am doing a radio interview and a newspaper interview. I have been working with Willow Marketing out of Indianapolis as one of the Wisconsin Ag Educators chosen to help get the word out.

Some people wonder why I do what I do...This video clip highlights my reasons for being an agricultural educator. Check it out!

http://www.naae.org/teachag/video.php

Today, take time to thank someone who has made a difference in your life and has influenced you to choose the career you have chosen for yourself. We are all blessed to have those people in our lives. I sure appreciate Mr. Bielinski and Mr. Wendt for showing me the ropes and encouraging me to be the person I am today! Without their positive influences and the opportunities they gave me all those years ago, I am not sure who I would be today.

Truly blessed,

Rachel

Two Weddings and a Baby

2010-02-25T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends:

See...even though I was absent in the blog world for a few weeks, doesn't mean we weren't running around all over the universe! And before you begin to freak out that there is a new baby coming to the Sauvola house, it's not happening now. The baby refers to a visit made by a friend! :)

So Abby is the Dancing Queen of the house. It's no secret! People stop her at church and ask her about her dancing. In the grocery store, they want to know when they'll see her dance again...it's serious! We need to get her into lessons! haha

She was recently featured on the blog of the wedding photographer for Maureen and Aaron Cochran's wedding. Maureen is one of my former students who sang in our wedding. She's such a sweetheart! Leah Dunbar, Maureen's wedding photographer caught Abby moving to the rhythm on the dance floor. You can see Abby here in a collection of Maureen's photos:

www.leahdunbarphotography.blogspot.com

Then another former student, Shelly got married. As soon as we walked into the dinner hall, all Abby talked about was dancing with the boys!

Here she is consulting the bride about dancing...while her dancing pal looks on...

Then she makes her move...

And then paid a dollar to dance with the groom...courtesy of another former student we spent time with at the wedding. How fun!

Then one of my scrapbooking friends brought her new baby to visit. Abby loved Anya and had to hold her. What fun!

Thank You to All Who Serve

2010-02-24T08:01:00.002-06:00

Hello Friends:

A few weeks ago we welcomed home two bus loads of New Richmond community members who were serving in Iraq for the last 14+ months. On those buses were former students, brothers, fathers, uncles, local leaders and heroes who didn't hesitate to leave their lives and their families to serve others.

As they were set to arrive home, we lined Main Street with hundreds of other community members to welcome them home. Abby was super excited to sit in the back of the truck and wave as the buses came by.

When the buses rolled on down the street, I was overcome with emotion. I was relieved for their safe return. I was thinking about all those families who didn't see their loved ones for over 14 months. I was thinking of all the moms whose children were on those buses. I was thinking about all the people who make the decision to become part of the military, knowing the sacrifices they will make for the benefit of others.

Wheww! I cried and I cried lots! Abby was wondering what was up because even Dean had tears in his eyes. We had to explain happy tears versus sad tears, but what a great lesson to learn at such a young age!

I am so thankful for those individuals near and far who fight for our freedom.

As a side note...much less serious...check out the color of my blog and my great new green coat in the photo! Gotta love Land's End!! This ensemble was part of my Christmas present from Abby and Dean. I love it because it's unique! :)

Grateful for freedom,
Rachel

Shopping with Abby...

2010-02-23T08:00:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, I eluded to the fact that shopping with Abby is always an adventure. As I look back at my childhood, I never shopped as much or ate out as much as kids in today's society. Abby is an example of a kid in today's society!

Since I am a scrapbooker, my camera is always close by! That really helps when we run into those Kodak moments on our adventures.

In the last month, we found the most gigantic Disney characters:

We rode a pony at Sam's Club:

But, my personal favorite is when she starts talking in her special stuffed animal voice to all the mannequins and asks them questions about what they are wearing!!! It's hilarious and often times Dean and I are doubled over giggling uncontrollably as are the workers, managers, and fellow shoppers! Then she knows she's the star of the show and she "works" even harder to entertain! haha

Here she is with one of her new "friends" -

I don't know how I ended up with such a hilarious kid, but I am soooo blessed to see her personality shining through on a daily basis. Most days I wonder what thirteen will be like, but I know we're set for more fun and adventures for many years to come!

Here's to a great day,
Rachel

Happy National FFA Week!

2010-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today begins the crazy and hectic National FFA Week celebration at New Richmond High School. The officer team has some fun events planned for students and staff. We use this week to celebrate our agricultural roots and thank those who work hard to help get our food and fiber from the field to the table. Moreover, it's a week to celebrate the 500,000+ million National FFA Organization members who work hard to practice good citizenship and gain valuable lifelong leadership skills while working to promote agricultural literacy! GO FFA!!!!

Here's a picture of my Officer Team who is working hard to plan events:

We recently had our annual speaking contest competitions. We came home with first in Parliamentary Procedure. Pictured below is the crew who competed:

One student also placed second in Job Interview as a sophomore.

Way to go! It's onto Sectionals on March 8th.

Celebrating agriculture,
Rachel

Valentine's Dress

2010-02-21T19:47:00.005-06:00

Hello Friends:

Boy, time sure flies! Since I got some flack from my dad for not posting again in awhile, you'll see some great things this week! (Gotta love that you can plan your posts!) Apparently, he's stalking his daughter's family from afar and wants to see more of Abby's adventures.

Abby got great mail on Valentine's Day. Grandma Sharon sewed an adorable Valentine's dress! Of course, she wanted to model it right away. Here are a few of the wonderful princess shots! You can see swinging around was a big hit too!

Grandma Sharon, thank you for accomplishing something on your to-do list! Abby clearly loves the dress and hopes to model it for you in person someday soon. :)

Since Abby was sick on Feb. 14th and Dean was snowmobiling in Michigan, we actually celebrated Valentine's Day last night with a great dinner at Ruby Tuesday's in Stillwater. Afterward we shopped...a whole other adventure with a 3 year old, going on 23!

Lots of love,
Rachel

Remember Me?

2010-02-01T21:09:00.002-06:00

Whewww! I haven't posted in a LONG time! It's not as if I haven't thought about you or this blog...it's just that time goes soooooo quickly sometimes! First it's Monday, then it's Friday, and then it's Monday again! I can't believe how fast the time flies by! Do you find yourself in the same predicament?

Since I am behind in the blogging world, I will give you the skinny on the last six weeks in the coming days. I have oodles of pictures to upload and tales to tell!

I even have some artwork to share! I am trying to get better at taking pictures of my stuff before I give it away. :)

So here's to you not giving up on me and staying tuned to all that I have to reflect upon!

Until tomorrow,
Rachel

Fun at the Park

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Another highlight of our Thanksgiving adventure was getting to see one of my best pals, Amy, who resides 45 minutes from the farm. We met in Dodgeville and we took Abby to the park that Amy used to play at when she was a kid. They've since replenished some of the playground equipment, making it even better than before. Abby sure had fun.

So I am beginning to believe our family eats out too often. Abby's got all the words and phrases of a waitress down pat. She received the McDonald's Drive Thru window with play food when we were at Toys R Us for her birthday. So imagine her delight when she found a drive thru window at the park!!!

First she took my order, then Amy's and Dean's:

Sometimes she doesn't have what you ask for and gets a bit frustrated! I think I asked for garlic chicken pizza with white sauce and this was her response:

Then you must hand over the money and sometimes you get change - if you're lucky!

But no matter what, there is always time for playing on the equipment.

Thanks, Aim for a great day at the park! Abby's ready to go again!

I am truly blessed with great friends both near and far. Sadly, I don't get to see some of them as often as I'd like, but when we're together we pick up right where we left off. That's the beauty of true friends!

Enjoy your day,

Rachel

FFA Bake Sale a Success!

2009-12-13T08:57:00.005-06:00

This is my second post of the day! I must be around home this week! hahahaha

Earlier this week we had our first ever cookie baking party with FFA members. We turned our normal monthly meeting into a cookie extravaganza. Loads of members showed up and many, many cookies were baked and decorated.

The goal was to get a head start on producing them for our annual bake sale at Farm and Home. It's a fun and holiday spirited day that makes us a little extra money to do the fun and educational things we do as a chapter.

Well, yesterday, we did it! Oodles and oodles of baked goods arrived at Farm and Home and we sold all but one little box that one of the amazing parents volunteered to take to her work to sell in their break room.

Here's some pictures of the table, and the helpful crew that provided fabulous customer service.

It was great to hear from so many shoppers that we were doing their holiday baking for them! I am so thankful to live in a community that supports its young people!

Thanks FFA members for a fun and festive day!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Rachel

Farmer Abby Goes Artistic - LONG post

2009-12-13T07:03:00.001-06:00

So consider me a huge agricultural advocate! I live and breathe agriculture and let others know the importance of where their food comes from. Even though I am allergic to animals, I appreciate them for the companionship and service they provide, in addition to the food they supply for our growing world. (I am also allergic to plants for that matter...thank goodness for Zyrtec D every day just so I can do my job!)

With that being said, I was SUPER excited to hear Abby talk about how she wanted to help Grandma and Grandpa Zabel on the farm during our Thanksgiving stay on the farm. Since she had never indicated an interest before, we didn't come armed with barn clothes and had to make do.

Check out Abby's boots! Also note the delightful pickle she chose to take outside with her for a "working snack."

Grandma found these boots in the far recesses of the basement and they worked out just fine. It was quite funny to watch Abby walk around since her knees were encased in the boots!

Abby set out to help with the whole process. She added the charcoal supplements to the milk.

Then she carried the big ol' bottle to the baby bulls to feed them.

The final step was feeding milk to the calves in the hutches. At Otter Creek Organic Farm, they believe that the suction of the animals nutures them more in the beginning of their lives, so for 10 1/2 weeks they live in the hutch and drink their milk from a nipple pail that's attached to the fence. They also get their starter grain too. Abby really enjoyed riding Grandma's wagon and pouring in the milk.

As an agricultural advocate and a former twice daily calf feeder, I am proud of Abby and excited that she's asking when she can go back to the farm to do it again. Too many young people today are unaware of where their food comes from and take for granted that the grocery store will always provide for them. As Abby grows up and becomes part of the agricultural world (even for short stays at Grandma and Grandpa's) I am sure she'll continue to be full of questions that I will be more than happy and willing to answer.

After all that hard work, she had one more thing on her mind...painting pictures! It was off to the kitchen table for art time with Grandma and Grandpa. Do you think she has enough paint?! hahaha You'll note she's rationalizing her decision with Grandpa Brian! :)

Again, as the holiday season is upon us I realize the blessings in my life. I was blessed to grow up on a farm. I learned things and lesson there that too few people today are learning on their own. I learned the value of hard work and dedication. Thank goodness I have those experiences to draw upon to teach young people in my classroom. I am extremely proud of my dad and Sharon for the life that they lead in helping to provide food for our growing world.

Off to count more of my blessings,

Rachel

Nashville Part 2

2009-12-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

I eluded to my birthday party on the Redneck Comedy Tour while I was in Nashville. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't show you some pictures from that adventure. Here you'll see our tour guides, Tater and Erlene, my friend Troy getting hit by the bus and the whole crew outside the Country Music Hall of Fame! If you're ever in Nashville, you MUST look them up! It's a hilarious way to spend an afternoon. You certainly won't regret it!

Still laughing,
Rachel

Holiday Fun

2009-12-11T21:49:00.006-06:00

Every year during the holidays, I enjoy reflecting on my blessings. All of us have days when we feel like we have our fair share of troubles, so when we take time to truly reflect on our blessings, we realize how truly blessed we are.

Not long ago I took the FFA members to the Deerfield (an elderly apartment dwelling in town) armed with small animals and big bingo plans! We had so much fun as a multi-generational group. The students showed off their pets. Our elderly friends reminisced about their pets. We played garden bingo and had a ball! Our new friends hugged and even kissed the kids and I heard comment after comment about what great students I had. They're right! I am blessed with students that are polite, appreciative and respectful. The best part was that the Deerfield's Activities Director is a former student and FFA member, so it was fun to catch up with Amber and see her in action. Fun was had by all! We're looking forward to a spring trip with larger animals and new bingo games we create for the residents.

Happy to be a teacher,
Rachel

Life in the Fast Lane...

2009-12-06T21:12:00.004-06:00

It's been entirely too long since I have updated my blog! Sorry about that!

Since my last update, I have been to Nashville for the National Association of Agricultural Educators Conference. While there, I won a National Teacher Mentor Award. You'll see me here with my sponsors from CEV Multimedia. It's an honor to be chosen for such an award by my peers. Winning at the state level and advancing onto Regionals was an amazing experience for me. I appreciate this award so very much.

While I was in Nashville, I celebrated my birthday. I had the most unique birthday party ever. Sixteen friends (fellow Wisconsin Agriscience Instructors) and I boarded a camoflauge bus complete with Texas longhorns and a holiday wreath on the front! Our tour guides were Tater and Erlene and we headed out for a redneck comedy tour of the city. They were so knowledgeable and shared things with us we wouldn't have found out otherwise. We laughed and laughed! It was the kind of side splitting laughter that hurts your face and your sides for our hours afterward. The two and a half hours flew by! And it's something that I will never get the opportunity to do again.

Aside from having tons of fun and winning an award, I also attended MANY helpful and educational workshops that will help my students and myself long into the future. I went to classes about Food Science, taxidermy, operating commercial greenhouses and heard from Chef Jeff Henderson and Stedman Graham. It was truly an amazing convention!

Until later,
Rachel

Another Week Gone By...

2009-11-11T20:47:00.004-06:00

The week has been a whirlwind!

Last Thursday the New Richmond FFA conducted one of our favorite citizenship activities...our Corn Drive for Camp Courage. This year was a little different because we took the corn part out...weather and student resources were our main reasons. All the financial contributions go directly to help campers with disabilities attend camp in the summer. They need more nurses and helpers due to their special needs, so it's important we help out. In fact, in the last 30 years, the community of New Richmond has donated more than $105,000 in funds. I am so proud of our members who went out and collected donations. I am so thankful for such a supportive community!

Friday was Scrapbook Club. Abby goes crazy when "the ladies come over!" She enjoys creating projects right along side us.

Saturday, Dean left for his week in Michigan to work at our camps and get things ready for winter. He built a deck and a fire pit in the reserve and that left the girls home alone for a "Girls Weekend."

Abby and I had plenty of shopping to do with our friend, Diane. We explored many small towns on the way to Frederic, where we attended a Butterfly Boutique party. Then Sunday, we went to Abby's favorite store (Fleet Farm) for jerky samples and supplies to do the jerky lab at school.

Monday brought some curriculum writing at Amery High School...note to the teachers...Don't take a 3 year old to write curriculum! You won't get much done! haha

Last night, Abby and I hung out at home because she was feeling a bit under the weather...and that brings us to the present time where my migraine headache is sending me to bed early...perhaps it's the speed of my life that creates tension and headaches...hmmmm.....

Wishing you well,
Rachel

Our Black Kitty Cat

2009-11-03T19:09:00.003-06:00

Abby sure enjoyed being a black kitty cat. You should note one of Mommy's favorite necklaces that she asked to borrow to complete her outfit! hahaha She's all about the jewels just like me.

She was ready to load the truck and get the party started!! Too bad it's sooo stinkin' cold every Halloween! Yikes! She still has enough candy to last until next Halloween. We managed to snap these pictures when it was still 60 degrees in the afternoon.

Enjoy your evening!
Rachel

A Crafting Weekend...

2009-11-02T06:24:00.005-06:00

So after the black kitty cat went trick or treating on Saturday and we had some family movie time (You can't beat Dora's Halloween flick), it was time to get crafting!

I love how Abby crafts right along with me. At three years old, she's quite skilled at stamping, cutting with her snizzers and the paper cutter, using her stickers and markers, and using Mom's "gluer" (aka Tombow) to create masterpieces. Her latest crafts were her paper tents and paper flags just last night.

While she was busy working, I made my cards for the Masculine Card Swap and began my 16 sets of pages for the Fall Page Swap. It's no secret that I LOVE swapping with my teammates each month! I guess I enjoy doing things in bulk! hahaha

I will see if I can master adding some pics to this blog tonight and you'll see the masterpieces of the weekend. It'll be a real swap spoiler. :)

Until then...it's off to school for the start of another week! Tonight is a Parli Pro Workshop for FFA at UWRF. It should be fun to get the kids rolling as they learn how to properly run meetings.

Enjoy your day,
Rachel

Inaugural Reflection

2009-10-31T22:16:00.002-05:00

Well, the time has come! I have been stalking blogs for quite awhile now and there are days when I think, "If I had a blog, I would totally reflect on this situation!" Or when I create the perfect art project I think, "If I had a blog, I would share this with my readers!"

So the time has come for me to enter the blogging world and to share more of myself and my life both as a person and as a paper crafter.

Welcome to Rachel's Reflections! May you find inspiration, laughs and celebrations as we take this journey together. Thanks for coming along for the ride!!!