Final Scores Are Here!

Whaaaaaa-hooooooo!!!

Three hundred's and a 98! Semester averages 100, 100, 100 and 96!

I should note for the record that the language arts test was 23 pages long and included a written, 3-paragraph composition.

. . .A score of 98 is absolutely outstanding!

EXHALE!

Things that make me smile

Here's the first in a series of things that make me smile. This one never fails, regardless of mood. Even just the song has the same effect now. I downloaded it to my iPod and always smile - maybe even chuckle a little - every time I hear it.

Buried Treasure!

Well, not really. But it's always fun to anticipate what I might find during a cleaning extravaganza.

So far I've found:

one very dead, very dry, shriveled up lizard.

a baby pacifier (we called them "suckers." Ah, memories)

an unopened package of Coconut m&m's which I kindly shared.

a perfectly unopened can of Strawberry Crush which I hid in the fridge and have *zero* plans to kindly share.

**The perfect place for Stetson's water and food bowls. Why have I never (in almost 4 years!) thought of putting them out of the way, under the kitchen desk?

(added 7/27) an entire canister of coffee grounds we all forgot about. Had been stored there since last year's Great Transformation. Apparently I promptly forgot that I had reorganized them.

(added 8/4) MarioKart 64 for the DS! Jon was sure happy!

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I'm sure it'll get more interesting as I go along.

The kitchen is looking good. Fridge, windows, floors and baseboards are on the agenda for tomorrow ~ then the real trick will be figuring out how not to cook anything for the rest of the summer ;-)

Passing the time

Not that I don't have a ton of stuff to do, but I always feel like if I sit and wait in front of my computer, the scores will show up faster. I know this isn't true, so I've sent the kids upstairs while I listen to really loud music and clean house. This is a massive undertaking and should serve as a sufficient distraction.

(My faithful dog sits at my feet as I type even though the music is blaring in here).

"The way to let me know you want to volunteer is to come downstairs."

Every now and then somebody hangs their head over the railing and shouts a question about when am I going to be finished or can they have a snack, but no volunteers yet. Bummer.

So another day has gone by. Still inhaling and exhaling. . . The first two exams are marked "received." Probably the others won't be received until Monday . . .and the professor has five business days from "received" to grade them, so I can at least be grateful I probably won't have to wait through a second weekend for the scores.

Please reference last year's before and after pictures of the house and imagine it about twice as bad as it was then. If there's anything I love, though, it's a challenge I can throw my whole heart into. . . so this should be good.

. . .And so begins this summer's overture of The Great Transformation!

Summer is finally here (for Ashley and me)!

Due to a mix-up with the mailing of Ashley's exams. . . and also a VERY inconveniently timed trip to go pick up my truck from Oklahoma City, Ashley couldn't take her final exams until this week.

Her first two finals (Science and Social Studies) were on Monday, and I prayed that she would have joy and peace and confidence. . .and BOY were those prayers answered with crystal clarity! She was so happy she could hardly finish answering a question before she started telling another funny story to the proctor (who, BTW was AWESOME! A proper description with words escapes me, but I just couldn't have asked for a nicer, smarter, more caring teacher to give these exams. If you're local to Austin, look no further than PflugerTutor for educational support).

. . .Tuesday was the Math test and the composition portion of the Language Arts exam. . . we finished up today with the reading, grammar and spelling portions. Official scores will be posted online next week (inhale. . . exhale. . . inhale. . . exhale) but I believe she did well.

Anyway, other than worrying about the exams while they're in transit. . . and waiting, waiting, waiting for the final scores to be posted. . . WE'RE DONE! Wah-Hoo!!!

Happy summer everybody!