Eats and Sweets

I have two things to share with you tonight!

I hope you're hungry, because they're both about food.

Item #1: I tried the recipe I said I would try!

You know when you're eating dinner, and nobody says a word?

It can mean one of three things:

1. They love the food so much that they can't bear the thought of wasting time talking when they could keep eating.

2. They think the food is disgusting, but they don't want to be rude, so all their energy is consumed by the internal struggle of eating something they don't like.

3. They aren't thinking about the food at all. They're running through a mental to-do list, thinking about how tired they are, or having silent, imaginary conversations with someone in their head.

When I served my family this, I think it was a case of #3.

Which...isn't a bad thing, necessarily...

 ...but I don't think it's a good thing, either.

So, go ahead and try the recipe if you like.

It sure smelled yummy.

And, with a little bit more salt, it tasted yummy, too.

So go ahead and try it! What have you got to lose? (Besides an hour of your time, 2 pounds of ground beef, an onion...hehe, sorry)

It was especially yummy when combined with some SUPER easy lemon-pepper rice.
All I did was shake some lemon-pepper seasoning on the rice before setting it to cook in the rice cooker and - voila! Lemon-pepper rice!

[If you can't tell, I just really wanted to photograph myself cooking something and post it up here for you guys. The fact that this meal was not THE best has no weight on the matter.]

Item #2: This is a tried-and-true recipe you're going to LOVE!

It's called....

[racks brain]

...

I'm not sure what it's called.

But it's a dessert. [A pie, in fact.]

And it's yummy.

I don't want to get into copyrighting trouble, so I'll show you where you can find the recipe.

It's in this book:

Oh, and wait! I just found it on line for you: Click here.
And click here for an easy graham cracker crumb crust recipe.

And I found out what it's called:

Summer Berry Pie.

The photo isn't glorious, but - I assure you - the pie IS!

Yumm! I would have another piece right now if I hadn't already had two.

So go pick you some berries [it doesn't matter what kind], buy you some Jell-O, and make you this pie!

Your family will thank you for it.

Have a glorious weekend and savory meals!

Vegetables in Disguise.

If you're like me, you don't care all that much for the all-important food group: vegetables.

Carrots are okay...if you can dip them in creamy ranch dip!

Broccoli...not really.

Cauliflower - bleck.

Asparagus -- eww! Don't even go there.

But potatoes - potatoes! - now those are good! And they're vegetables!...right? French fries, mashed potatoes, hash browns, tater tots, baked potato, twice-baked potato --- yummmm!

BUT, I've heard it claimed that potatoes are the #1 culprit for obesity in America. [Really? Blame the people, not the potatoes!]

But, who knows? Maybe you're not like me. Maybe you L.O.V.E. looooooovvvvveeeee luvluvluvluvluv vegetables.

It doesn't matter.

Either way, I have come upon something as astonishing as black-bean brownies [but way more appealing - sorry, Bek], something that might trick you into thinking that you're eating potatoes, when really you are eating VEGETABLES:

Mashed Cauliflower

Source

It's creamy. It's salty. It's yummy. It's healthy (er). Best of all, it's easy.

Believe it.

I first heard about mashed cauliflower from a coworker, in the staff lounge. Here I am, slurping up a Cup-O-Noodles, and she's telling me about how she makes mashed cauliflower and fakes her kids out every time. They never know it's not potatoes.

So, I decided to try it the other day. I looked up some recipes, and used mostly this one for ideas.

But, really, a recipe is not necessary. Know how to make mashed potatoes? Boom. You know how to make mashed cauliflower.

But, if you like, I'll break it down into steps for you.

1. Cook the cauliflower in water until it's really tender (just like potatoes.)

2. Drain the water. Then, mash or blend the cauliflower (just like potatoes.)

3. Add stuff to give it texture and flavor (just like potatoes), like:

Cream cheese

Parmesan cheese

Minced garlic

Chicken base

Black pepper

Butter

Chives/green onion

(I got these ideas from the recipe I already linked to

The recipe said to blend most of these ingredients with the cauliflower.

My blender is not good enough for that,

so I just cooked the cauliflower until it was suuuper tender,

and just mashed it with one of those cool mashing spoon things:)

Source

4. Serve!

So, if you've never tried mashed cauliflower before, I challenge you to do so. Today. You'll love it. And you would never know you were actually eating healthy vegetables.

Today, I will try to cook this.

Source

Trying out Bloglovin

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Funny Friday

FINALLY, I have something funny to share!

You know, I could never commit to a Funny Friday post every Friday, like my friend Bek over there. Either my life is not that funny, or I just don't remember the funny moments.

However, the other day, Oliver gave us all a chuckle, so I hereby present you with my first Funny Friday post.

The fam was all packed together in my parents' car. We were on our way to my cousin's wedding last weekend, just chatting it up.

Oliver's at the age where he doesn't really understand all our conversations, but he likes to be a part of the conversation, anyway.

Somehow, the topic of conversation turned to my budget.

"What do you even budget your money on, Dahlia?"

"Well, $125 for gas, $100 for groceries, around $20 for toiletries --"

"Toiletries!" burst in Oliver. 

"There's no such thing! 

You can't just plant a toilet and watch it grow and --"

And here is where we all burst into laughter.

Yes, Oliver. Toilet trees indeed.

And that's my Funny Friday for ya.

Summer and My Twenties

One of my favorite things to do on a free day is cook lunch for my parents. I like to think that it blesses them as much as it's beneficial practice for me.

[This was actually breakfast one day - French Toast w/ strawberries]

However, I have had what seems like much too many of these free days since school got out June 13th.

While it was fun cooking up mac and cheese, tomato-and-green-bean soup, crispy baked chicken, sweet cornbread, and all that, I started going stir-crazy! So I created a summer schedule for myself:

• Monday - Work at school
• Tuesday - Thursday - Domestic duties in the AM, appointments and errands in the PM
• Friday - Work at school
• Saturday & Sunday - Weekend!

I thought it looked like a great schedule, and I was very proud of myself for thinking of it.

Unfortunately, I haven't done a good job this week of following the schedule. We'll keep working on that.

In other news (I noticed I say that a lot), I feel, along with my friend Samara, (specifically in this post) that a time for change, for action, for happening, is here.

David Crowder's words come to mind:

I think I'm on the brink of something large

Maybe like the breaking of the dawn

I've thought before - what other time in your life is like your twenties?

Source

All I need to do is revisit my old journals and diaries (I've journaled religiously since the fourth grade) to see that, while life until 18 was pretty predictable, the 20's have brought some major life events for me, like:

• Career choice
• College graduation
• Beginning a career

...and, eventually,

• Moving out
• Getting married
• Having my first child

Granted, this might not all happen while I'm still in my 20's, but, even if most of it does, those are some HUGE firsts in one decade. A lot of growing up, growing into, and becoming, you could say. 

Source

For today, that's a wrap.

Saturday wedding and Sunday social

I had a marvelous weekend! 

My cousin Brandon got married on Saturday.

It was the cutest, simplest country wedding.

Sunday, I drove about 2 hours to my sister's church to see these guys:

[I stole this pic from the MC facebook page]

The Master's Commission presented their production of The Gospel. 

It was an inspiring production that I won't soon forget and that I wouldn't mind seeing again. 

And maybe again.

It's one of those things you can see many times, but get something fresh from it every time.

That's how any presentation of the Word is.

But I mostly went to see this girl, my youngest host-sister from when I was in the Master's Commission:

[Also from MC fb]

After church, Ivory and I attended a barbecue hosted by the church, for the MC, swung by a friend's graduation party, and got my hair cut. [I love that my sister is my hairdresser. She does a great job, and it often gives me an excuse to visit her.]

All in all, an active, inspirational weekend full of familiar faces and many new ones.

Thank you, Lord, for friendly faces, and friendly hearts.

Crispy Baked Chicken

I found this recipe for chicken the other day, while perusing my mom's cookbooks. It looked simple, so I decided to try it.

It was an immediate success with my father, who appreciated the crunch (we're both crunchers), and the fact that this chicken is healthier than other crispy varieties, since it is skinless and baked (instead of fried).

So, without further ado, I present to you:

Crispy Baked Chicken

Source

   

What you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt (this is the only seasoning this chicken's gonna get, so adjust to your preferences)
• 4 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• 4 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 3/4 cup egg substitute (or 2-3 large eggs)

Easy directions:

1. Drizzle melted butter in a baking dish (13x9x2).

2. Combine cornflakes, flour, and seasoned salt in a shallow bowl.

3. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in cornflake mixture. Dip in egg again, then roll in cornflakes again.

4. Arrange chicken in prepared dish, meatier side down.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees.

Yields: 4 servings

I served it with sweet cornbread and melon balls. I also served it, at another time, with lemon-pepper rice and melon balls.

Provecho!

Thoughts on a rainy Wednesday

Some thoughts to share with you on this rainy Wednesday:

- I love how, now that school's out, I can post more than once a month! 

- I love how, now that school's out, I get to use my iPad! (As opposed to leaving it in my classroom every night, functioning as an  MP3 player... Thankfully, I now have a school-owned iPod to use for that.)

- I dreamt last night of my students, and the last day of school all over again....they say you never forget your first class. I sure hope I don't. They were a special group of kids.

- I was impacted by the following words this morning, from A.W. Tozer:

“It is because of the hasty and superficial conversation with God 

that the sense of sin is so weak 

and that no motives have power to help you

to hate and flee from sin as you should.”

Isn't that so true? I had to ask myself -- do I HATE sin? Do I flee from it? The answer was...no. I don't.

That led to a prayer from the heart, a Psalm 51 prayer.

And I was reminded what it is to have a conversation with God that is not hasty or superficial.

And I was reminded of what a good, good Father we have.

These are some thoughts from me, for you, on a rainy Wednesday.

Picnicking and packing up

Well, folks, it is finished.

First year of teaching = over (as of Thursday).

Crazy!

I spent a few hours yesterday packing up my classroom for the summer...reflecting on memories from the year and making plans for next year.

Like the pen pal picnic.

The kids loved meeting their pen pals. We face-timed between classrooms the day before, to build anticipation. It worked! But then it's funny how, when the kids finally meet, they are so bashful. Mario and I have come upon a keeper. You can see from the photo that Oliver (and my mom) got to accompany us. Some of my girls loved doting on "Ms. Avila's little brother."

I was not able to find a picnic basket locally, and even online they were mostly out of stock. But that was okay. My aunt lent me her wonderful traditional picnic basket, and I have my eye on one that I want to buy for next year.

So ends the first episode of Ms. Avila: Fourth grade teacher.

Tune in next September for episode two. :)

In the meantime, summer holds some promising memories of its own...

Pen Pal Picnic and other news

My brother Mario and I have had this plan forming in our minds and conversations.

It's gone something like this:

Our pen pals need to meet.

Yeah. Not much of a plan.

You may or may not recall that Mario and I are both fourth grade teachers within the same school district, but at different schools. Also, since Christmas, his kiddos and my kiddos have been communicating via snail mail, a.k.a. pen pals.

And we have been trying to think of a way to get our kids together, in the same spot, at the same time, to MEET!

But it's been a little tricky to figure out -- no field trips together, lack of money for transportation, yada yada yada.

Earlier this week, however, as Mario and I were hiking together after school --- [side note: NO, we are NOT granolas] --- we hiked up to the top of a rock, from where we could see the entire river valley beneath us. We located his school...then my school...and then our brains started churning.

A couple of hours later, with the help of google maps, our plan was formed: Pen Pal Picnic!

Both classes will walk about a mile to a central park to meet, exchange our final pen pal letters, and picnic and play together!

Best idea ever, or what?

So, anyway, permission forms have been sent out and [mostly] returned, sack lunches have been ordered for those who aren't bringing a lunch from home, and I am in the process of locating a large picnic basket.

If I remember correctly, my friend Ellie had one....let me see here...ah, yes. Here it is:

But, this dear friend [and her picnic basket] is much too far away, so Target it is...or Walmart?

---------------------------------------

In other news:

1. The state test is finished!

Each testing day, my students walked in to four items on their desks: a note from me, a small gift [pencil, correcting pen, pencil grip, pencil eraser], a small candy, and a stick of gum.

2. I am so enjoying knowing I will be here again next year!

We have sticky-note conversations in our staff bathrooms. I was blessed by this one.

Also, I am already thinking ahead to next year -- I've got some great ideas up my sleeve that I feel are God-inspired! But more on this later --- like once THIS school year is finished!

3. I am loving being a tia to this little girlie.

We got to have her for a couple of hours last night while Armando & Lisa went out to dinner. She is so precious!

4. I'm getting more and more excited for my next adventure with this lady:

North Dakota: Completed.

Michigan: Completed.

Prince Edward Island: In progress.

And, for today, that's a wrap.

Or a sandwich. PB&J. For the picnic. :)

Road of teaching

My poor students have been subjected to The State Test this week - two days (so far) of sitting. At their desks. Testing.

Can I go to the bathroom?
No.

Can I get a drink of water?
No.

Can I pick up my pencil? It dropped.
No. I'll pick it up for you.

Seriously. That's how it's been. We [teachers] feel bad for being so militaristic during The State Test, but [first of all] we have to, and [second of all] I would argue that we make up for it by buying the kids treats and letting them chew gum, and going outside to line dance during our breaks.

In the midst of the testing, our community is celebrating our annual Apple Blossom Festival.
Carnival + Food fair = crazy kids! Throw The State Test into the mix, and things get even more interesting.

So, one morning (Wednesday to be exact), I walk into the school office to retrieve my testing box. My boss is in there, checking the boxes out to us.

I pick up the cardboard box and am about to head out of the office when my boss says, "Oh, while you're in here, Dahlia, I'd like to offer you a continuing contract at fourth grade."

As my friend Bek would say, "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!"

But what I really said was "Oh my goodness - thank you," or something like that.

"I assume you accept?"

Of course!

As a witness would later comment, I had the biggest smile that morning as I carried my testing box to my classroom.

So, Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! I get to continue on this road of teaching.

And now I get to go walk in the Apple Blossom parade with my students. Ciao!

Fantastic Friday

I greet my students every day with what we call "The Morning Message." It usually begins with

Good Morning, Class,

and usually ends with,

Love,
Ms. Avila

and in between I inform the kids what we'll be doing today, complete with transition words and usually at least one instance of alliteration.

Have a merry Monday...terrific Tuesday...wonderful Wednesday...thankful Thursday...fantastic Friday...

You get the idea.

All that to explain the title of this post.

And now perhaps a little more illumination on today's events will help further explain why today was fantastic.

1. It was my first day as an auntie.

PC: My mom, ntbka (now to be known as) "Grandma"

Little Brynn Loree Avila was born last night, weighing in at 8 pounds, 0 ounces. She got to be my first experience holding a newborn. My brother Armando got to show me how.

The only down-side to her birth is that my sister-in-law Lisa is still recovering from her C-section delivery. :( Not fun.

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2. This is funny.

Earlier today, my mom was searching for my little brother, Oliver. She searches in the house, in the yard, in the driveway...where could he be?

You know where she found him? Curled up, asleep, with Pepsi (our dog)... in the doghouse!

I wish I had a picture of this. It gives a whole new meaning to the saying "in the doghouse."

For another funny anecdote, be sure to read Bek's latest Funny Friday.

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3. You know how, when someone's gone, people all of a sudden start saying nice things about them?

Like, "She was always so nice."
Or, "He always found a way to make me laugh."

Well, now that my one-year teaching contract is almost up, I kind of feel like that person who is gone...or leaving.

People I've known and related with all year are beginning to say,
"Oh, you've done such a great job."
"We hope we can keep you."

And it's really encouraging! But - who am I kidding? I really have had a wealth of support and encouragement this entire school year, from friends, family, and colleagues -- even parents of my students, and the students themselves...

This lovely daffodil graced my desk a couple of weeks ago. I asked around to identify the gifter, but I found out zilch. So I just enjoyed it. [I've discovered I love receiving flowers.]

...which is one of the reasons I love the school I am at...and one of the reasons I am so grateful to God for His goodness...and one of the reasons I have, as of today, applied for a continuing position at this school!

What next year will bring, only God knows. He clearly opened the doors for me to be where I am right now, and I know He'll be faithful to continue guiding me according to His will.

Lead on, Lord.

And that was my fantastic Friday.

Around the corner

God is good.

Life is good.

It is so easy to be convinced of this when Spring is right around the corner.

Even if Spring isn't here yet, it is so encouraging to know that it's coming.

And, along with Spring, there are lots of other things I am looking forward to.

First, I'm going to begin a book group! Now, I've never been in a book group before, so I'm not sure how to go about it -- like, how often will we meet? When we do meet...do we just talk about the book? [If you have any insight on this, I'd appreciate it.]

I've invited some girls from my church to join it with me, ranging from ages 15 to 21. So far, I have selected 2 books for us to read:

Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye

and Kay Arthur's With an Everlasting Love

I hope I don't scare the girls away with that first title. I read it as a 7th grader, though, and it revolutionized how I thought about relationships. If nothing else, it should arouse topics for conversation among us and [hopefully] prayer.

Is there a good book you would recommend for us?

The second thing I'm looking forward to is Spring Break! Several important events await me during Spring Break. Allow me to list them for you:


1. Shopping with my sister (I miss my shopping buddy!)

2. Time with my second family, including Bek.

3. The arrival of my very first niece!

In the meantime, there is much work to be done (as I'm sure most of you can relate). For college students, it's finals. For elementary teachers, it's report cards.

But - hey, what's a break without the hard work to take a break from?

Timeline thoughts

I created a timeline of my life this morning. (Do you spend time doing stuff like that?)

It wasn't an extensive timeline, just major events since 2007.

And, I just want to say that it's amazing how quickly time passes. I think I'll be saying this more and more as I get older, but, at 23, I already feel, as my friend Bek put it last night, that I need to shave my long, gray beard.

It's been 1/2 a year already since I graduated my teaching program and was hired on as a teacher...

June, 2012

2 1/2 years since I graduated community college with my AA...

[Okay, this photo is actually from my birthday party that year. It's as close as I could get to the time of my graduation] June, 2010

4 1/2 years since I graduated Master's Commission...

August, 2008

and 5 1/2 whopping years since I graduated high school.

June, 2007

I feel ready for a high-school reunion already! So much has changed since then.

Why does it seem, the older we get, the faster time seems to go, I want to know?

What do you think?

As I look back, however, I also think - wow! God has been at work in my family all these years!

According to his will, we have gained two brothers:

Oliver, through adoption...

Christmas 2008

And Jared, through marriage.

December, 2011

We are also expecting a new addition to the family - my brother & sister-in-law's little Brynn Loree [pictures pending].

I'm not sure why I'm sharing all this, except to say that - wow! God works in mysterious ways to bring about His will! I won't go into all the details of how He's done that in my family, but I'm sure you see it in yours, too. He has brought about people, events, transitions, even tragedies, and it's all a part of His grand design.

What's next, Lord?

A simple Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Day party DID happen! It nearly didn't, but one girl stepped forward to save the day with her research about Saint Valentine. Needless to say, the class was grateful to her.

It doesn't take much to satisfy young hearts. I did not plan anything for our Valentine's Day party. Seriously. This is how low-key it was: Those who wanted to stayed in for their morning recess to decorate - wait for it - a paper bag! This was their valentine's day card holder. Every single student chose to stay in that recess. And nobody complained. Except the kids who hadn't turned in their homework and had to go to study hall for recess.

For the actual party, They brought treats, passed out cards, and opened cards. And that was it.

Well, I did try reading an inspirational picture-book called Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.

It was a great book. The kids might have thought so, too, if it wasn't for Ms. Avila's grave mistake.

You see, not thinking too clearly, I had the kids tape their decorated paper bags to their lockers (to minimize the distractions at their desks). Then, they filled each others' paper bags with loads of candy and cards.

The wise thing would have been for me to let the kids take their bags right after they were filled. But I thought it would be great time for a classroom-bonding, community-building, mushy-gushy Valentine's Day read-aloud.

Wrong.

As I was reading facing the kids, who were facing their lockers, one by one the paper bags, laden with candy, crashed to the floor, like icicles that have gotten so heavy that they crash down. It was all I could to to suppress their giggles and turn their attention back to the book.

Looking back, I should have just given up on the book. But I kept on. And I'm actually glad I did. It was a good story, with a sweet message, and I think God was helping me out, because, miraculously, no bags fell during "the moment," in the middle of the story, where Mr. Hatch has his transformation. And, for that moment, you could have heard a pin drop (or a candy-filled paper bag).

And then they got to retrieve and empty the contents of their paper bags. And they were all just as pleased as if I had gone all-out and planned a fancy activity.

Thank you, Lord, for the simplicity of children.

Sunny Saturday

I intended to follow in my friend Bek's footsteps and post a Funny Friday, BUT Friday was full of everything but blogging, so that didn't happen.

However, I do have a funny moment to share on this sunny Saturday.

One day last week, during lunch, I sat down at a cafeteria table with some of my students. It wasn't long before the conversation turned to Valentine's Day.

"Teacher, are we going to have a Valentine's Day party?" asked Ariana.

"Yeah, are we?" chimed in three other girls.

I hesitated. I've been wondering about that myself, ever since I resolved to celebrate only national holidays in my classroom. Valentine's Day, like Halloween, is wide-spread but NOT a national holiday by any means.

But there was an idea I was mulling over, so I asked, "Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Becuase!" exclaimed Ariana. "It's the month of LOOOOVVVEE!" The other girls giggled. Then, she turned to me and asked, "Well, why do we celebrate Christmas?"

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" spouted Tori.

"Why do we celebrate Easter?" someone else asked.

"Becuase it's Jesus' birthday!" repeated Tori.

"Again?" The girls giggled.

"NO!" said Tori. "Easter is Jesus' birthday, and Christmas is GOD's birthday!"

And that settled it. The girls went happily back to eating their lunch, and I coud hardly contain myself! Such misconceptions they have!

I want to capture more of these moments, be it on a Funny Friday or a Sunny Saturday, or Mundane Monday, or whenever! Too often I let these moments slip by, and then I forget them!

Oh, and, you might still be wondering if we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day. Well, I left that up to them. "If you do the research, and present your research - with sources - to the class about what Valentine's Day is about, and then if you convince me that we should celebrate it in class... then, we can have a party."

What do you think? Typical teacher answer? Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll let you know what their research turns up.

Pen Pals

When you are in college,
enrolled in the teaching program,
reading about tons of super-fun ways to teach otherwise-monotonous stuff,
and excitedly exchanging ideas with like-minded, naive, and optimistic classmates,
you say to yourself,
"When I am a teacher, I will do THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And THIS!
And..what the heck,
I'll also do THIS!"

And so you begin your first year of teaching with a head full of ideals, imagining 24 sweet smiles turned towards you, thrilled to discover that you are the most wonderful teacher ever and that learning in your classroom will be pure fun.

It is not long before your ideals are crushed.

After the first day of school, the "sweet smiles" become mischievous sneers, blank stares, or submissive terror.

Between making sure ADHD George is in his seat,
just-from-Mexico Juan and Lucia understand what they're supposed to be doing,
spacey Joey and Elijah are actually using their math tile to practice multiplication instead of building towers,
mean-girl Kate has apologized for making sensitive Julia cry,
and special-education Gary isn't just sitting there clueless,
you feel lucky if even one student demonstrates the skill you are teaching,
and any thought of idealistic, touchy-feely, hands-on, extra, fun stuff goes out the window, along with your temper.

I'm not exaggerating. At all.

So, I am happy to announce that I have managed to implement ONE of my college-days ideas - pen pals!

And the kids are LOVING it (plus it's such a sneaky way to teach about proper letter-writing format and the importance of punctuation, spelling, and grammar).

My two older brothers and I all happen to teach 4th grade this year (crazy, huh?) So, one day, my brother Mario and I were talking about the possibility of being buddy classrooms, and so the idea of pen pals was birthed.

I announced the idea to my class just before Christmas break, and they were thrilled with the idea! (Although more than a few were like, "What's a pen pal?") Our classes exchanged Christmas cards, and just this month Mario and I paired our kids up, and the letter-writing began. It was cool to see kids like Elijah, who reads at a 2nd grade level and spends most of his time at home playing video games, actually excited to write! He was even one of the more conscientious ones when it came to revising and editing his letter. He wanted it to be great for his pen pal!

We just sent the letters last week, through the school's delivery system, and Friday, at the end of the day, my kids got to open their pen pal letters.

Oh. My. Goodness! You would have thought it was Christmas morning. Hardly any of the kids were sitting down. They were walking around the classroom, hands clutched to their letters, earnestly reading the words aloud. After every sentence, they'd look up grinning and exclaim to the nearest body, "Oh, he likes soccer, too!" "Oh, my gosh! He's a dare-devil!" "Teacher, she likes Monster High!"

And now, as much as I hated to spend precious instruction time deviating form the writing curriculum to work on these letters, I have to say it was worth it.

I'm looking forward to continuing the letter-writing. Mario and I decided to try for exchanging letters once a month, so I'll have a couple of weeks' wait, and a couple of weeks of the daily, "When are we going to write back to our pen pals, teacher?"

But that's okay. I can't wait to start again, either.