forcing crocus

About this time every year I get the itch. I want it to be spring. I am tired of winter. This past November I bought 2 dozen crocus bulbs on clearance for $2 at the grocery store. One never knows how deals like this will turn out. I do have a green thumb and not because I pay lots of attention to my plants. I pay just enough attention to them and they thrive. But I digress. About a month ago I put gravel into these containers, water and the bulbs. They are sitting under a cfl bulb along with basil plants I started from seed. They get water every other day or so and are coming along nicely. This is the first time I have tried this. I am hoping for lovely flowers by the end of February. I will update again with a picture if/when they bloom :)

wrestling

This evening Amherst hosted a wresting meet. Dear daughter's boyfriend is seen in this photo. He is a senior and had never wrestled prior to this season. I think it takes a lot of guts to try something new like this. He should feel proud of himself.

clocks

Kindergarten students show off the clock project - they had to put numbers 1-12 on a blank clock, draw the hands to show 6:00, and type "I wake up at 6 o'clock." They also typed their first and last names!!! This project integrates math and language arts standards and gives the students an incredible sense of accomplishment for a job well done. Family members can speak to their child about the project and their success using the keyboard, mouse and the Pixie 2 program. The excitement and pride that the student feels when their paper comes out of the printer is priceless.

concessions

The concession stand is a place to hang out and talk, buy a drink or something to eat and support the school. My daughter is the vice president of student council and this makes her responsible for the concession stand. She does the ordering and scheduling plus works nearly every school event.

self portrait

Photobooth is a fun application to play with. Once my family killed time in between the wedding ceremony and the dinner at a computer store where where we made ridiculous faces using this Macintosh program. What fun to play with the effects! Conversely the second photo you see is doctored a bit in iPhoto. I used setting that boosted the fade, antiqued and gave the edges a vignette. I like the effects.