Gathering Graces 3/16/2019

*It was nice starting teaching at 4 a.m. this morning.  It is amazing how an extra hour of sleep helps.  I can’t wait until I start teaching in the morning when there will actually be a little bit of light outside.

*Paul was exploring around the yard and said there was something yellow blooming in the front flower bed.  Hello crocuses...the heralder of spring!!

*Zoe is applying to graduate school so she can obtain her teaching certificate to teach Special Education.  She is applying for a program through Boise State University.  She had sent Paul and I a letter for us to edit, so we spent some time editing the letter this afternoon so she can submit it before the April 1 deadline.  She also took a Math Praxis test that she passed last week.  Then Zoe called, and we talked about options for financing the cost of the Masters Program.  She applied for the FAFSA, and she is looking at other kinds of aid as well. 

*When Paul and I don’t feel like cooking and want some fast food, one of our “go-to” keto friendly orders is a special hamburger at a local drive in called “Humdinger”.  The burger has ham, bacon, cheese, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and onions.  We both get it without the bun.  We just cut it up and make it into a salad.  It is filling and delicious.  We don’t indulge that often, but every once in a while it hits the spot!!

*My classes went well tonight, but teaching until 9 p.m. seemed a bit late.  I will change to ending at 8:30 p.m. instead in a couple of weeks.

Gathering Graces 3/15/2019

*This week it has been nice to begin classes at 3 a.m. instead of 2:30 a.m.  It is amazing what just that extra half hour means.  Then I got a good nap this morning.  Almost too good.  I wasn’t that tired when I headed to bed tonight.  But my Saturday and Sunday classes now begin at 4 a.m., which is nice.  But the teaching schedule is going to get revamped.  It is getting a bit much.  I think it worked at first because each slot was not booked.  Now my whole schedule is booked, which is a really good thing, but it has become a bit overwhelming.  Starting in a couple of weeks, I am going to start alternating doing classes Friday evening and Saturday evening.  Once summer hits, I may do away with evenings all together for the summer.  But with the student’s schedules changing, I may add some other evenings for a few classes, but not six in a row as I currently have them scheduled.  My evening is their morning, and when they are on summer break they may take more daytime classes.  We will see how it all comes together this summer.

*I was excited to see my Christmas cactus blooming with pretty pink blossoms.  It is too late for Christmas, and too early for Easter.  Perhaps a St. Paddy’s Day cactus this year?

*After a nice bath, and reading some more of the book, it was about time to head downstairs for classes.  I left a note for Paul to prepare some sausages when he got home, and I eat them when I was done teaching.  He had Driver’s Ed again tonight, so he wasn’t home until about 7 p.m.

*I finished up my classes, got ready for the next morning, then went up and wrote up my feedback.  I went to bed and was still awake at 9:30 p.m.  I liked that I was able to continue reading Barbara Lynch’s book Out of Line.  It is a great story.

Gathering Graces 3/14/2019

*After teaching and napping I headed to Pinehurst to Michele’s house to get some PEO work done.  I am taking over as Treasurer, so there were many things to learn and do before our meeting next week.

*Once we were done, I headed home and got ready for my classes for the next day.  Then it was time to go to KMS for work with the drama students.  I found out, for many of them, this would be their last time in drama, because many of them will be participating in track, and practices begin on Monday.  I wish I would have realized this earlier.  I will be sad to not work with the students who now have to miss, but I am excited they want to do track.  I loved traveling to track meets when my girls were in Middle School and participated in track.  For me, track is one of the best sports to watch in my opinion.

*I had made a cabbage salad the night before.  Tonight I browned some hamburger with some taco seasoning in it.  I combined the two, and boy was it delicious.  Cabbage is becoming one of my favorite vegetables to prepare!! 

*Zoe had given me a book for Christmas, and I have finally been able to start reading it.  It was mentioned in one of her cooking podcasts she listens to, and it is very interesting.  It is about a woman who grew up in the projects in Boston, and her rather different way she came about being a well known chef.  I am really enjoying her story.

Gathering Graces 3/13/2019

*After my Tuesday morning classes starting off a little crazy with me not being able to get into my classes on my computer, so I needed to use my Ipad, which I had never done before..... classes went very smooth this morning. 

*It had been a while since I had been up to work on pottery, but I finally made it up to KHS today to start working on some new projects.  It felt good to be working with clay again, and I am looking forward to my new creations coming to life.

*After I was done working on pottery, I headed over to KMS to do the drama class.  We had a fun couple of hours doing skits and playing games, and watching the students continue to be creative.

*When I arrived home I fixed some dinner and ate, and prepared for my classes for the next day.  Paul has started teaching Drivers Ed again, so I doesn’t arrive home now until close to 7 p.m.   This new schedule will take getting used to.

*Since the trip with the girls, we have vowed to communicate more regularly through Voxer.  I have loved hearing from each of them, and what is going on in each of their lives. 

Gathering Graces 3/12/2019

*It was a pretty lazy and relaxing day, recovering from the awesome trip I took with my three daughters this last week.  But getting back into my teaching routine again, plus dealing with Daylight Saving Time, made for a rather lazy day.

*My feet did venture out at one point.  I had some pasty orders to drop off at the Silver Valley Christian Academy, and I delivered flowers to my sister that I had bought her in Seattle.  She has had a tough week, and I was hoping the flowers would brighten her day.

*The rest of my day was sleeping, prepping for classes for tomorrow, making dinner, and watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  I also rescheduled a dentist appointment.  I am hoping by April 9th my tooth nerves have calmed down, and I can get the temporary crown taken off and the permanent crown put on.

*Paul started teaching Driver’s Education today.  It didn’t snow enough to make it hazardous to the students, so he was able to take them out on their first drive.  He brought one group to the house to practice pulling into our driveway.

*It was an early evening for me as my body adjusts back to my teaching schedule.

Gathering Graces 3/11/2019

*My scheduled VIPKID class was for 3:30 a.m., so I woke up around 2:50 a.m. to gather my things and head to the small computer desk in the hotel’s business center to set up for my class.  It actually went very well, with no IT issues or no hitches.  I was very thankful.

*I got back to the hotel room, and Zoe was finishing getting reading to go down and get on the shuttle to get to the airport.  After taking her to the lobby to get on the shuttle, I headed back to bed.

*Cosette, Molly and I were on the road to Moscow around 10 a.m.  We drove through the small farming towns of eastern Washington to make our way to Moscow.  It was a really nice drive.  I dropped Coco off, then Molly off, and then I stopped for some coffee at Starbucks, then I headed back to Kellogg.

*My VIPKID teaching schedule gets back to into full swing tomorrow morning at 3 a.m.  My schedule has changed a little bit because of Daylight Savings Time.  I spent some time when I arrived home getting ready for my classes tomorrow.

*When Paul arrived home from school we went outside in the backyard.  The weather was so warm and sunny and it felt good to be out in the sun.  Paul then headed up to KHS to prepare for the final performance of Hide and Seek, the play his drama students are performing on the KHS stage tonight.

*The students did a wonderful job performing the play tonight.  It was a murder mystery thriller.  They provided a lot of emotion and the plot had a lot of twists and turns.  Many of these students who performed were first timers on the stage, and they did a great job.

Gathering Graces 3/10/2019

*We woke up in Wenatchee and headed downtown to a great coffee shop for coffee and breakfast.  It was another beautiful day as we headed up to explore the town of Leavenworth.

*Leavenworth is a small town with a Bavarian theme.  There are many little shops to visit, and that is just what we did.  We visited gift shops, a cheese shop, a Russian shop, among others.  I found a great tea shop and bought some tea.  I also bought some ginger and mango stilton cheese, and some coconut ghouda .  Yummy!!  We ate some lunch while in town as well.

*The girls and I wandered into a shop and ran into about five ladies from the Silver Valley who had also taken a weekend for a “girls only wine tasting” weekend, including Cindy Burkgart, Johanna Patton, Gail Yost, among others.  It was fun to run into some people from back home!!

*Around 4 p.m. we climbed into the car and started heading for Spokane.  Zoe is flying out at 5:15 a.m. from the Spokane International Airport so we I made arrangements for us to stay at the Ramada Inn right by the airport, so Zoe would have an easy shuttle ride to the airport terminal.

*After we got checked into the Ramada Inn, we headed to Walmart to get some snacks for dinner.  We spent some time talking and playing games, and then we were all ready for bed.  I had inadvertently booked a class for early Monday morning, so I needed to get to bed.  

Gathering Graces 3/9/2019

*It was a beautiful day in Seattle today.  We were able to take our time getting out of our awesome condo, and then drove down to the waterfront to get our tickets for our Argosy Harbor Cruise.

*Our tour guide said the weather we experienced on our cruise was some of the best weather we could expect during the first part of March.  The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and it wasn’t windy.  We enjoyed our time on the boat on the top deck as we cruised around Puget Sound, learning interesting history about Seattle, the skyline, the action on the piers, and wonderful views.

*After our cruise we walked down to Ivar’s for some seafood.  Then we walked down the pier to the Seattle Aquarium to check out the fish, sea creatures, octopus, sharks, otters and seals.  Then we walked up to Pike Place Market to buy some fresh flowers to take home to have a bit of spring back in Idaho!

*Then we were on the road headed to Wenatchee to spend the night at another Airbnb.  We stayed at a nice home in Wenatchee, with a wonderful host named Albert.

Gathering Graces 3/8/2019

*We woke up to snow falling on Seattle, but it was pretty wet snow and it was not sticking.  Our schedule had us heading back to the Seattle Center for more activities, including another trip up on the Space Needle to see Seattle in the daylight instead of the evening light.  When we first got to the top, the observation deck had snow accumulated around it, so it was not open.  Once employees came and squeegeed the windows they opened it back up. 

*After enjoying some daytime views of the city from the Space Needle, we walked over to the Chihully Garden and Glass Exhibit.  Dale Chihully was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, and was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. His displays are inspiring.  There were some videos you could watch on the process of him coming up with different exhibits he has created around the world, and to watch the pieces come together is amazing.  If you visit Seattle, I highly recommend a visit to this exhibit!

*There was a Greek restaurant close by, so we walked there for lunch and enjoyed Gyros, dolmades, Greek salad and some baklava for dessert. 

*Molly took the leftovers from lunch back to our condo, and Zoe, Cosette and I made our way to the Museum of Pop Culture.  Molly was quickly back, and we enjoyed interesting exhibits about music, scary movies, using fantasy in movies, science fiction, and Indie video games.  Coco and I visited here about five years ago, and I loved it, and was glad we could all visit together.

*It was back to the condo for a little down time before my friend Christina Curry arrived to join us for dinner.  Once she arrived we made our way down to a local pizza place and enjoyed some slices of pizza and some salad.  On the way home we stopped at a couple of stores (I was low on wiper fluid in my car, and wanted to fill it up before heading out of town the next day.)  Then we all went back to the condo for some visiting and laughing!!

Gathering Graces 3/7/2019

*We were on the road and headed to the Spokane Airport around 6 a.m.  Zoe was flying into the airport just as we were leaving Kellogg.  She was able to find a nice table at Starbucks in the Spokane International Aiport as we left Kellogg on really bad, snowy road.  Fortunately for these travelers, the worst roads we encountered today were from Kellogg to Cataldo.  The rest of the trip had clear roads.

*Zoe was picked up around 7:30 a.m., and we were now all together for the #robertsgirlsexcellentadventure.  Our first stop was The Ritz Roadhouse in Ritzville for breakfast.  After a nice, hearty bacon, eggs and hashbrown breakfast, we climbed back in the car and continued our journey west to Seattle.  We had lots of laughs and good visits.  Not much sleeping occured on the trip over, which surprised me.  But that mean I had more visiting with the girls, which I enjoyed.

*As we approached Snoqualmie Pass, often closed due to snowy roads, we were happy to see that it was wet but no snow on the road.  I kept look at the cars that were driving in the eastbound lane, and none of them had snow on them, so I was feeling pretty confident the roads were clear.  And they were.

*Our arrival into Seattle went very smoothly.  There was not a lot of traffic, and the location of our Airbnb we are staying at was easy to find.  The hardest part was finding the parking garage we were suppose to park in.  But we found it, and parked the car.  We were a little early for our check in time, so we walked down to a coffee shop near the Seattle Center to hang out before we checked into our condo.

*We got settled into our condo around 3 p.m. and enjoyed the magnificent view over Puget Sound.  There was a Chinese restaurant across the street.  We decided to eat there for dinner.  The food was really good, and the staff was very friendly.  Our waitress looked at us and she could tell the girls were all sisters.  It was really cute.

*After dinner we walked to the Space Needle to ride up on top and see a magnificent evening view of Seattle.  We purchased the Seattle City Pass to use to go to some different attractions over the next few days.  We enjoyed the sights from up on top of the Space Needle.

*We spent about an hour or so up on the Space Needle.  Then we headed back to the condo and continued watching a show Zoe told us about called Instant Hotel on Netflix.  Instant Hotel is an Australian reality-television series that follows homeowners who have transformed their homes into hotels and are individually judged by each other to receive the highest scores with the winner to win an ultimate prize.

Gathering Graces 3/6/2019

*I spent some of the day preparing for my upcoming trip to western Washington with my three daughters.  Last May I told them I would take them on a trip to celebrate all four of them receiving their Bachelor’s Degrees.  Zoe completed her degree in May of 2016 from The College of Idaho.  Cosette completed her degree in May of 2018 from The University of Idaho.  Molly completed her degree in December of 2018 from Lewis Clark State College. 

*Creativity was abounding in drama class today as the students created and performed some small skits, and played some other theatrical games.  I only have four more times with these students.  I am going to miss seeing them each week. 

*It was a slushy drive out to Christine Smith Cox’s house for P.E.O. tonight.  Lots of things going on at the meeting, and it is always wonderful to see these ladies.

*As I was getting ready to leave for my meeting, Molly and Cosette arrived.  Travis drove them up from Moscow.  When I got home we visited a bit and then I went and continued packing for tomorrow.  Zoe’s plane arrives in Spokane at 6 a.m., so we have a very early departure tomorrow.

Gathering Graces 3/5/2019

*Many of my students in the morning seem very tired.  They are now back in full swing of their regular Chinese school, their springtime activities, plus VIPKID classes.  You can tell the return to their schedule is getting to some of them.  For me, it is early morning.  For them, it is late evening.  It will be like us next week after the Daylight Savings Time change as we “spring forward” on Sunday morning.  It always takes my body about a week to adjust.

*Lots of little projects got accomplished today.  I went through my piles of mail and threw away a garbage bag full of junk mail and other items I didn’t need to keep for filing.  I also got some information together for my upcoming trip.  I wrote feedback, and prepared for tomorrow’s classes.  I am taking a break from teaching for the next four days while on my trip with Molly, Zoe and Cosette.  I meant to have not students on Monday morning as well, but accepted a request by mistake for 3:30 a.m. Monday morning.  Oops!!  Oh well, I may be doing it from the bathroom in the Ramada Inn by the Spokane Airport, but I can handle one class for 25 minutes!!

*It was nice to have a day when I didn’t have to go anywhere.  It helped me start and finish the projects I was working on.  I like having this kind of day every so often.

*Another project I worked on was contacting people who I had sold geraniums to last year through my P.E.O. group to see if they wanted to buy them again this year.  It was nice getting that project completed as well.  I always know spring is on the way when I start selling the P.E.O. geraniums.  This is what I and all my customers have to look forward to when they arrive!! If you would like to purchase some hanging baskets or 4 inch pots, let me know.  The 4 inch pots come in red or pink and are $3 a piece.  The hanging baskets also come in red or pink and are $20 a piece.  I need to know by March 18 if you want to order, and have the money by March 22. They arrive the first week in May.  I would love to submit an order for you if you want some. They are really good quality plants and last all summer long, often until we get the first real cold spell.

pink hanging basket

red hanging basket

pink 4 inch pots

red  4 inch pots

Gathering Graces 3/4/2019

*After my morning nap I spent some time prepping for tomorrow’s classes. 

*My trip to Coeur d’Alene was so beautiful with the blue sky and the sun shining.  What a great day to be out and about!

*The Real Women meeting tonight was an wonderful evening of good teaching and encouragement.  It really meets a need in my life for great fellowship with other Christian women.

Gathering Graces 3/3/2019

*While deciding what to do for our family dinner meal this week, I was looking at ways to prepare chuck steak.  I had a package of the chuck steak in the freezer, and thought it would be the perfect main dish for Sunday’s dinner.  I found a recipe called “Guiness-Braised Chuck Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes.”  Instead of the mashed potatoes, I prepared Horseradish Mashed Cauliflower.  The meat was cooked in a broth of sauteed onions, carrots and spices, with chicken broth and Guiness stout, and mushrooms.  I found a container of dried mushrooms at Costco the other day, and, once I rehydrated them, they were a perfect addition to this meat dish.  The mashed cauliflower was creamy and delicious with a bite of horseradish flavor.  I also baked a loaf of Keto Irish Soda Bread that was made with almond flour and coconut flour that turned out really good.  We spread it with Kerrygold Irish butter.  The meal began with a walnut tossed salad.  This recipe is in my Betty Crocker Cookbook, that I have used since receiving it as a wedding present.  I hadn’t made this salad in a long time, but I love the warm, oily, vinegary, slightly sweet and salty dressing that you pour over the lettuce. In keeping with the Irish theme, our pre-dinner cocktail was an Irish Martini.  Before you pour the vodka martini into the glass, you take Irish Whiskey and coat the inside of the glass with the Irish Whiskey, giving it a slightly different flavor, then add a lemon twist.  If you would like to look at the Chuck Steak recipe you can find it here, and the Keto Irish Soda Bread recipe is here.  The Irish Martini recipe is here.

*With the plunging temperatures, we moved church once again into the Fellowship Hall.  I like having the intimate feel with everyone so close every once in a while. 

*It was a glorious afternoon chopping and mixing and braising and setting the table to prepare for the evening family dinner meal.  I love preparing delicious meals for people to share around our dining room table. 

*Again we had wonderful conversations at dinner tonight about a variety of topics.  Bill shared about how much better he sees now that he has had two successful cataract surgeries.  He also shared about attending church in Coeur d’Alene this morning at the Episcopal Church, and how he loved the emphasis on the Transfiguration as the church prepares for the upcoming Lenten season, which begins this Wednesday.  Christy shared about how much she enjoyed attending a P.E.O. function in Spokane, and how inspiring the guest speaker was at the event. More talk swirled around the table as we talked about local Silver Valley residents and their connections to us and to others we know.  What a warm and satisfying evening.

Gathering Graces 3/2/2019

*After a nice morning of classes, I took about an hour nap, then woke up for my appointment to talk to my friend April M Lee.  Since she lives in Italy, we have to set up appointments with each other to talk because both of us the time difference, and how we each have crazy schedules.  It was so great to catch up and talk to her.  It was a nice way to start the morning.

*Prepping for my evening and Sunday morning classes took a good portion of the rest of my day.  I also started thinking about what I would be preparing for family dinner tomorrow night, and what I needed to pick up from the store tomorrow.

*I typed up the schedule for my trip to western Washington with my three daughters.  We leave on Thursday and return on Monday.  Lots of fun things planned while we are on our adventure.  This is the first time just the four of us have done a “girls trip” together.

*Paul spent the day at Speech districts, and had three students qualify for state.  That was very exciting!!

*As I was finishing up my classes, I could smell some wonderful smells coming down into the kitchen   When I came up, Paul had fried some bacon and scrambled some eggs ready to serve me for dinner.

Gathering Graces 3/1/2019

*Welcome March!  I love these words of William Cullen Bryant as he writes about the coming of March.

MARCH

by William Cullen Bryant

The stormy March is come at last,
With wind, and cloud, and changing skies,
I hear the rushing of the blast,
That through the snowy valley flies.

Ah, passing few are they who speak,
Wild stormy month! in praise of thee;
Yet, though thy winds are loud and bleak,
Thou art a welcome month to me.

For thou, to northern lands, again
The glad and glorious sun dost bring,
And thou hast joined the gentle train
And wear’st the gentle name of Spring.

And, in thy reign of blast and storm,
Smiles many a long, bright, sunny day,
When the changed winds are soft and warm,
And heaven puts on the blue of May.

Then sing aloud the gushing rills
And the full springs, from frost set free,
That, brightly leaping down the hills,
Are just set out to meet the sea.

The year’s departing beauty hides
Of wintry storms the sullen threat;
But in thy sternest frown abides
A look of kindly promise yet.

Thou bring’st the hope of those calm skies,
And that soft time of sunny showers,
When the wide bloom, on earth that lies,
Seems of a brighter world than ours.

*The roads were clear all the way to Coeur d’Alene and back and I was very thankful.  I had some shopping to do at a few places, so I was glad it was smooth sailing driving over. 

*The dahlias I grew in my backyard last summer were some of my favorites.  Costco had a good price on a bag of 10 dahlias bulbs, so I bought two bags for me, and one for Christy, who had expressed interest in growing them this summer.  She had texted me while I was in CDA and said she had bought me some sunflower seed packets today as well.  I am starting to get spring fever!!  As the poem above says, “For thou, to northern lands, again The glad and glorious sun dost bring, And thou hast joined the gentle train And wear’st the gentle name of Spring. “

*After I arrived home I drove up the St. Rita’s to pick up my Barn Quilt.  Here is a picture of the final product.  It is two feet x two feet.  My plan is to hang it on the fence to the left of the garage where I will plant my sunflower seeds.

*The six classes I taught this evening all went very well.  I had this little four year old in a Level Two class that was unbelievable.  She could read, and rattle of numbers and letters, and had the sweetest mom sitting next to her.  She was a lot of fun!