Ahhhhhhh.....the cabin.

I am so blessed to have a refuge at a friend's cabin in Ely. Early one morning over Memorial Day Weekend, Cate got up early and took these photos... Can't you just feel the calm? It is so marvelous.


Thank goodness I had such a view to behold while I worked to sew in all of the ends on this sweet little pain in the butt to finish baby sweater. It is possibly the most poorly written pattern I have tried to follow, but the result is so very sweet. I'm blocking it now and I'll have to find some wonderful little buttons for it.

Thanks to Cate and Richard for planning the food, cooking it up, helping with the annual 'putting in the pump' ritual, reading, walking, laughing, driving, encouraging words when it was time to go 'jump in the lake' and listening to grumbling about trying to decipher a pattern. Absolutely the best company a girl could wish for in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Thank you!

Happy May Day!

So, our class organized these wonderful little May Day bouquets to deliver to every staff person at Maxfield. We did the actual assembly on Thursday. Our classroom looked like the back room of a florist's shop and smelled heavenly! We divided up all of the staff names and organized delivery with the two other Learning Center classrooms. It was a fantastic surprise for the staff! Again, thank YOU!

2009 MN Horse Expo Field Trip

To say this is my favorite field trip of the year is putting it mildly. Some of you might remember that I was unable to attend the trip last year due to some pesky emergency gallbladder surgery... I was actually whining to the surgeon on the way to the operating room about missing the Horse Expo!

We wore our cowboy hats and bandanas and had a great time talking to horse trainers and owners. Almost everyone rode a horse and a pony!

I am very thankful to all of the friends who volunteered for this trip. Their participation made the day successful for every student! Thanks to all!

If you would like to see some photos from the trip, please follow this link:

http://maxfield.spps.org/Ms_Monroe.html

Click on the 2009 MN Horse Expo Field Trip to see the photos.

Thank you for making this possible...

K-1 Eric Carle Author Unit Thank You!

I would like to thank you for making this project possible! We made beautiful Hungry Caterpillar T-Shirts!

Check out the pictures at:

http://maxfield.spps.org/Eric_Carle_Author_Study.html

You Drive, I'll Knit You Some Fingerless Mitts....

So, Marsha drove most of the way home from Lincoln, NE last week and I mostly made these fingerless mitts for her. They are yummy soft (Cascade Cash Vero) and warm. I finished them back here in St. Paul and she modeled them at breakfast on Friday. It was a win-win situation!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety, Jig

We decided to stop half way home and stay in Perry, Iowa at the
Historic Hotel Pattee. They have a William Morris Room.
So, of course, the fabric groupies had to stay in the room dedicated
to William Morris and decorated with his wallpapers and textiles.
Wow. This Historic Hotel is worth the trip. It is a classic
Arts and Crafts building that has been painstakingly and
lovingly restored to great expense.

This big comfy bed was luxurious and yummy.

There is a private bowling alley in the basement, along with a classic 'spa' layout,
fitness room and did I mention the restaurant which serves wonderful food
and 1st class bread pudding?????????

Make the trip. Check them out on the web: http://www.hotelpattee.com

The Fun Just Doesn't Stop!!

So, I'm having trouble getting my head around the "rhino herds roaming
around Nebraska" and then, we saw the dinosaurs...
then of course, I had to stop and see this guy in front of
Morrill Hall at the University of Nebraska...
Whew. My head is spinning.