'Tis the Season

My best buddy, Freddy, was a great help while decorating my Christmas tree this weekend.  He stayed clear out of the way and did not try to play with any of the ornaments.  What a good boy!  

I thought I would share photos of some of my favorite ornaments on my tree...

Here are some books about Christmas trees.  You can find them at the library!  

Bird's in the Oven!

It is finally here!  One of my favorite days of the year...Turkey Day (or as I like to call it..."Mashed Potato Day")!  Yesterday, after school, I headed to pick Freddy up at Camp Bow Wow where he was being treated to a spa day.  I didn't want him to be stinky around Thanksgiving guests, afterall.  We headed up to Bayonne, New Jersey straight away due to the snowy weather.  This year I am spending Thanksgiving at my oldest sister's house (I have two older sisters and a younger brother).

My sister left work early as well, and when she got to her house I had already done some dishes and cleaned up a bit so we would be ready to begin preparing food.  That is just what we did.  We got the cutting boards out, rearranged the refrigerator to make room for new dishes and laid some pots out on the stovetop.  We began browning sausage, peeling carrots and cutting celery.

 

As we cooked we went down my sister's carefully-thoughtout checklist.  We decided we should make homemade cranberry sauce this year and I decided we should get some ice cream to put on top of the pie for dessert.  With this in mind we headed to the grocery store.  When we got back I was so sleepy.  I went to bed pretty early.

When I woke up the turkey was already in the oven.  My sister had put it in at 6:20am!  As I lumbered down the stairs, my eyes barely open, I noticed she had also already set the table.  

Freddy and I went for our morning walk along the water (my sister's "backyard" is a marina).  We ran around, watched the ducks and checked out the tugboats.  What Freddy doesn't know is that we will be going to the dog park a little later so he can run his energy out before company comes.  As you can see, he perked up when he heard about this plan.  ;-)

What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?  Are you planning to help get ready for dinner in any way?  Will you set the table, help make food or clean up?  I can't wait to hear about it!

A Quick Trip to NYC

On Sunday I woke up and took Freddy to the dog park as usual.  He had a great time playing with his buddies.  On the way home I decided I was in need of a change of scenery.

The weather had warmed up a little compared to last week and it was wonderful for walking around the sidewalks while looking up at the great, tall buildings surrounding me in New York City. I had a nice lunch at a Scandanavian restaurant. I asked the hostess if I could have the table under a beautifully lit tree sculpture.  Like a lonely ladybug in summertime I drifted toward the twinkling lights without a thought. Once there I checked out the artist's great attention to detail on what looked so much like a real tree.  Each time my eyes moved from light to light a new thought popped into my mind. It seems I hadn't taken the time these past couple of weeks to slow down to think about my busy schedule up ahead.  After my meal I paid my bill and headed out to walk around the streets.

Smörgås Chef NYC

I strolled along the water to check out the heliport.  Ever since flying a helicopter a couple of months ago I have a new fascination with those amazing aircrafts.  I peered across the water to see the entire stretch of Brooklyn.  The buildings in that part of the city weren't as monstorous as they were in Manhattan where I stood.  New York City is made up of islands.  An island is land surrounded by water.  Did you know that?

Downtown Manhattan Heliport

All of those thoughts from the restaurant of things I needed to do still ran through my head.  I decided to check some things off my list.  I would get my flu shot and treat my nails to some polish before heading home to see Freddy again.  All in all it was a lazy day in NYC.  After just a few hours after arriving I was ready to go home...but not before watching the sunset.  At exactly 4:30pm the sun began to go down, leaving Lady Liberty (on the bottom left) to stand amongst the darkness in just minutes.

In kindergarten, we will be talking about what is different between the city and the countryside (farm towns) very soon.  Tell your family about some of the differences if you can think of any. 

Here are some books about New York City.  You can find them at the library!

   

  

A Crisp Hike

As the cooler, windy weather sets forth this fall I find it easier than ever to stay inside on the weekends.  On the couch in a heap of blankets is where you could have found me for most of the other day.  I couldn't even bear the thought of stepping outside into the chilly air.  A friend of mine reminded me that its really all about being prepared by wearing the right clothes when we want to spend time outside.  With that, I got out my fleece jacket, winter coat, gloves, and a hat.  Freddy was more than happy to tag along.  We set out for a hike through the woods with a good friend of ours.  

It is always safer and more fun to go out with friends in the forest.    

It was starting to get late.  Check out the moon!

We saw some really fun nature.  I love exploring!

It ended up being a really wonderful time!  It WAS chilly... 

but nothing a Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa couldn't fix!  ;-)  

NJEA Convention 2014

I had a great time getting together with postively motivating colleagues the past few days!  I had the chance to present to other teachers about community involvement.  I met quite a few characters. See what I mean below...

Louis Armstrong and I had a great laugh together ;-P  (Ok, ok...it is a wax statue!)

Snoopy is a great pal.

Mrs. O'Donnell and I met the Cat in the Hat!

Plowing Through Autumn

The farmers have been really hard at work on their tractors in my town lately.  It is reminding me that we do not have much time before winter rolls in.  I believe farmers around here plow their fields so grass, weeds and other plants are buried.  This will allow them to rot over the winter.  The soil will be ready to soak up the melting snow once winter comes.  I will need to read more up on that.  If you know why farmers plow in the fall, please leave a comment to let us know!

Here are some photos of tractors near my house:

Click on the logos to find out more about the farms near my home:

Griggstown farm has great pies, sausages, poultry, veggies, salads and cookies for sale. MMmmm!!  

I love to stop by their market!

Catalpa Farm is only a walk up the road from me.  Freddy and I walk to their farmstand each summer to get our vegetables for omelettes and for dinners.  Freddy LOVES their red peppers!!

Suydam Farms has been around for almost 300 years to grow plants and produce and to raise livestock.  Wow!

I pass Snyders Farm each day on the way to work, but I have never been there!  They have, what looks to be, a great fall festival each year.  I hope to go blueberry picking there this summer!

Here are some books about tractors that you can get at the library!