1st graders LOVE to read!

I went to Value Village last night and picked up books for my first graders. At 69 cents a book (buy 4 get 1 free), it was a simple decision to buy gently used books that I knew the kids would love. Check out their sweet faces!

Happy Friday -- December 10th!

Good morning! It's December 10th and just one more week of school. I'm celebrating with my first graders today by giving out books that I purchased at the thrift store. Such great books for 69 cents each. They will be thrilled to take them home.

Easton turned 3 weeks old. He's such a sweet spirited little guy. I can't wait to spend more time with him when school is out for Christmas break.

Easton Dean Bellamy

The sweetest little boy was born on November 18, 2010. Easton Dean Bellamy weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz and was 20 inches long. We are 100% totally in love with him! I am already enjoying being a grandma. Congratulations, Brad and Jen.

Overdue update!

Good morning! It's a definite fall morning here in Spokane. After enjoying a beautiful Indian summer, today's weather is rather cooler and damp. But that hasn't stopped us from planting tulip and daffodil bulbs, transplanting lilac bushes and planting two new shade trees!

I am teaching in a wonderful first grade classroom this year. It's a very sweet change from teaching 6th grade. (I know how to do 1st grade math! Smile...) Although it's not a permanent position, I'm at Bemiss Elementary (Spokane Public Schools) until Christmas break and feel blessed to be a part of this school. I've so connected with my kiddos -- 18 girls, 7 boys -- and they've stolen my heart. My favorite quote from one of the kids is "Mrs. York, you're one lucky lady to be able to use an electric pencil sharpener!"

Other news from the homefront:

Jen says there's no room at the inn for Baby Easton and she's getting kicked in the ribs quite often. We're excited to meet Easton sometime next month! She and Brad have been busy with Goldendale's football team, getting everything prepared for Easton's arrival and enjoying married life, too!

David continues to work for Pennacle Investigations and going to Whitworth @ night. He's loving the same classes I took at Whitworth; some of the professors are the same so he's following in my footsteps. David and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary over Labor Day weekend by being tourists in Seattle -- Pike Place Market, Alki Beach and Lighthouse, Seattle Mariners game, IKEA. A very fun and relaxing weekend!

Ian is looking for work (if you know of anything, let us know!) and he's helping out in my classroom as a volunteer.

The four legged kids keep us laughing with their antics. Never a dull moment. We did lose one of our cats -- Gretel -- so we're trying to decide if we'd like another friend for Hans. Thinking it might be nice to have an already spayed/neutered cat to add to the family. We'll see!

Amazing Recipe Site

I have NOT been disappointed by any of the recipes on this site. You will LOVE all of the recipes Mel shares http://www.melskitchencafe.com/

My absolute favorite is the Lemon Sugar Topping Blue Berry muffins!

You can also find Mel's Kitchen Cafe by clicking on the button "My Kitchen Cafe" on the left side of my blog. ENJOY!!

A Few Weeks in Paradise

I left Spokane on July 1st and returned July 15th. Between those two days, I had a lot of miles to cover. From Spokane to Phoenix to all parts of Florida and then a return trip to Spokane via Phoenix, it was an adventure filled two weeks! My favorite two phrases were "it's 5 o'clock somewhere" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise." My cousin Gigi and I devoured two cheeseburgers in one day in Key West, the last one being the best at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville! An amazing two weeks of travel, laughter, sunshine, beaches and HOT temps.

Pictures coming! I was home only one night before heading to Goldendale to help out Jen and Brad with the Mexican Fiesta Golf Tournament. It was definitely Margaritaville in Goldendale -- we served lots of margaritas to the golfers. Fun weekend and I'm glad I'm back in Spokane to relax before the home schedule gets crazy again. I've got some job searching to do so I can hopefully have my own classroom this fall.

PS Baby Bellamy is pretty cute on the ultrasound -- it's a boy! Easton Dean Bellamy is due mid November. I'm having fun thrift store shopping for him.

A bit of this and that!

Hi, everyone! Since the last posting, much has happened. I'm going to just do bullet statements to make it short and sweet & then I'll fill in details later.

• Jen's bridal shower was wonderful.
• The wedding on May 30!!! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. (The official date on the marriage license is December 17, 2009 -- they did their wedding European style. They met with the Justice of the Peace in December and had the wedding celebration with family and friends on May 30, 2010.)

• I finished teaching on June 17th with my subbing for Mead, Medical Lake and Spokane School Districts. It was a great year of experience for me and I eagerly await news to know if I've been selected for any of the jobs I've applied for in Spokane.
• No job for this summer so I am off playing. I leave on the 1st for Mesa, AZ to spend time with my longtime girlfriend Wendy. Then on the 8th, I fly to Ft. Lauderdale to spend time with my cousin Gigi. I know...it's going to be H-O-T but I plan on keeping cool the entire time or be in the water. I can't wait to fly out of Spokane and get away for a few weeks.
• Lots of other little things happening this summer so I'll be back and forth out of the house in Spokane until mid August.
• Jennifer and I have spent this past week thrift store and yard sale shopping. Baby Bellamy is due November 19th and I'm sooooooooooo excited about being a grandma. I can't help looking at all of the cute baby items that are for sale. Jen and Brad hopefully get to find out the sex of the baby on July 1st. I get to be there for that special moment, too! (ohh, the fun danger of knowing if it's a girl or a boy....more shopping potential for me!)
• And that's it from the peanut gallery for tonight. Stay tuned for more details and pictures.

What's new in your little part of the world? I want to hear!