February 20, 2010

Day 51 - Birdhouse


Day 51 - Birdhouse
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This birdhouse hangs in a tree about 10 feet outside our kitchen window. We've been seeing birds go in and out of the house this week. Today I decided to take a closer look. I waded through the snow and took a peek inside. There were no birds in the house when I took this photo, but they have been busy 'furnishing' their home!

February 19, 2010

Day 50 - Sunny!


Day 50 - Sunny!
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This afternoon, we were blessed by the appearance of the sun and blue sky. With more snow predicted for the next few days, it is especially nice to see a sunny sky today.

February 18, 2010

Day 49 - Exploring


Day 49 - Exploring
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Lucy enjoys both the sunshine and the snow during her walk! Here she is walking down the wooded footbridge that goes out into the restored wetland area at the park near our house. She loves to jump through the rails and off the walkway to explore even more!

February 17, 2010

Day 48 - Snow forts


Day 48 - Snow forts
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
The kids at school continue to have a fun time playing in the snow during their lunchtime recesses. There are probably a couple dozen groups of kids scattered all over the playground, working together on building snow forts. It is nice to see the kids enjoying their time outdoors this winter!

February 16, 2010

Day 47 - Patriotic snowman


Day 47 - Patriotic snowman
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I guess I should have taken this photo yesterday on President's Day! This is one of my favorite little snowmen in my collection. A friend gave it to me as a 'Secret Santa' gift several years ago because she knew I love patriotic holidays such as the 4th of July and that I collect snowmen.

February 15, 2010

Day 46 - Family culture


Day 46 - Family culture
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
As I've mentioned before, I love looking at the projects hanging in the halls at the schools where I sub. This display caught my eye today. Each 2nd grader made a page describing their family culture, including their heritage, a family custom, food they eat, a holiday they celebrate, and a family tradition. What a wonderful way to share and celebrate their diversity!

February 14, 2010

Day 45 - Olympics


Day 45 - Olympics
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
We are enjoying watching the Winter Olympics this weekend. I actually took this photo when I was subbing on Friday. I love the the way the school is connecting the Olympics with character traits such as teamwork, respect, and sportsmanship. They will be tallying the medal count each day during the Olympics. I plan to check on this display again when I sub at that school next week!

February 13, 2010

Day 44 - Roses


Day 44 - Roses
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
My husband surprised me with these beautiful roses yesterday. They are an early Valentine's Day gift from my sweetie!

February 12, 2010

Day 43 - Valentine treats


Day 43 - Valentine treats
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I subbed in a primary special education class today. The children in the class are integrated with a first grade classroom for many activities, including parties. So, I got to attend the Valentine's Day party today. Our district has really clamped down on food at school as part of its health initiative. The treats at this party consisted of a heart-shaped Rice Krispie bar, purple grapes, and a mini-bottle of water. The kids had a fun time at the party!

February 11, 2010

Day 42 - Sidewalk


Day 42 - Sidewalk
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
As I was out walking the dog this afternoon, this made me chuckle. We were walking down a well plowed blacktop sidewalk that goes through a park near our home. Suddenly the path turned into grass! I can see what happened.....the plow driver saw the tree coming coming up in his path. He wasn't sure which way the sidewalk went around the tree. He veered left, but the sidewalk actually goes to the right of the tree. He did find the sidewalk again on the other side of the tree!

February 10, 2010

Day 41 - Snow hat


Day 41 - Snow hat
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
As I was leaving to go to work subbing this morning, Scott came in from shoveling for the 3rd time in 24 hours. The snow was still blowing around quite a bit this morning and he came inside looking a little bit like a snowman! It looks like we got about 15" of snow. Enough already!

February 9, 2010

Day 40 - Snow!


Day 40 - Snow!
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This is the scene out our front door tonight. I had actually taken other photos this afternoon of the snow that had come down earlier today, but this night shot and the current snow falling is much more dramatic. It looks like we're going to get about a foot of snow before it ends sometime tomorrow.

February 8, 2010

Day 39 - iWork


Day 38 - iWork
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I am working hard on my iWork presentation today. I'll be doing a workshop called "Introduction to iWork '09" for educators at the ICE Conference. With only two weeks left to prepare, I'm setting this as a high priority. I'm excited to be presenting this during a 6-hour pre-conference workshop!

February 7, 2010

Day 38 - Bliss


Day 38 - Bliss
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Lucy is really enjoying her new toy. It is a black rubber 'Kong". It has a hole in it that can hold a treat. She has been chewing on it for hours and carrying it around the house with her wherever she goes. We finally found something to keep her occupied for longer than a few minutes!

February 6, 2010

Day 37 - Updating


Day 37 - Updating
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I spent a good portion of the day updating my computer by installing a new Operating System, updating applications, and backing up all files to an external hard drive. It always takes longer to do than I anticipate!

February 5, 2010

Day 36 - Sad plant


Day 36 - Sad plant
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
Today is the first day all week that I've been home for a chunk of time. So, I've been straightening up, throwing out newspapers, watering plants, etc.....you know, all those little tasks that get postponed when you're having a busy week! Anyway, I'm looking at this sad plant, wondering what to do with it. I have a really hard time tossing out plants that still have some life in them (because they are a living thing!). But this one, outgrew its space and has lost lots of its greenery. What would you do?

February 4, 2010

Day 35 - Blocked


Day 35 - Blocked
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
As I was leaving this afternoon, a ComEd truck pulled into our cul-de-sac and parked his truck in front of our driveway. He then left his truck and went to the back of a neighbor's yard. What was he thinking? I had to wait for him to return so that I could drive out of my own driveway.

February 3, 2010

Day 34 - Snowman


Day 34 - Snowman
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
I have quite a few snowmen still decorating the inside of my house. This big fat guy is one of my favorites. I suppose I should put them away since we are into February, but we still have snow on the ground here, so maybe I'll leave them out for another couple of weeks.

February 2, 2010

Day 33 - Primary election

Today was the primary election here in Illinois. These were some of the signs posted near our polling place at our neighborhood elementary school. I've often wondered if these signs make a difference. I would think that most people know who they are voting for before they arrive at the polling place. I noticed today that there was not a sign for the candidate for Governor that I intended to vote for today. I'll be waiting up to hear the results of today's primary election.

February 1, 2010

Day 32 - Welcome!


Day 32
Originally uploaded by Karin Beil
This afternoon I subbed at the school I retired from. This sign greets our students, parents, staff, and visitors as they enter the building. It was painted by our art teacher when the school was renovated and remains as a pleasant reminder that all are welcome.