The Kohlmans

The most fascinating thing about these headbands is that you have time to make them. I would like to request an upcoming entry on time management. -Hannah Time management... Well, I hate to burst anyone's image of me as a totally with-it, especially if it's my sister's. Truth be told, the headbands don't take long to make. I do it in steps over the course of a couple of weeks, stealing time here and there. But it's not so much that I manage time as I desperately try to grasp at it as each day slips away. I get up at 5:15 a.m. Five days a week - every day I work. It sounds early, I know. And to tell you the truth, I've never been a morning person... you can ask my mom. Or pretty much anyone I've ever lived with. The funny thing is, though, now that I'm getting up so early, I'm more awake the rest of the day. As an added bonus, I sleep better at night, too. Who knew?! All I needed to feel more rested was to get up earlier. And, honestly, I ...

At this time next week, I'll be sitting in inservice meetings. I am ready to go back, ready for the routine, ready for the time with amazing co-workers. But at the same time, I'm not quite ready to give up the relaxed freedom that comes with summer. I'm not quite ready for two classrooms and two buildings. So I just thought I'd share a few things that I hope will save my sanity this school year. I have amazing co-workers. They make me laugh on some of the most stressful days. A cleaning schedule. Following this (which we have been, pretty closely, for the past few weeks) means that we won't spend half of every Saturday cleaning. (Okay, it's probably not that long, but it seems like it.) My pretty blue planner. Pretty much everything goes in here. Piano! I've started a new mission: learn a new song every month. I'm not very good about actually practicing and learning to play new songs. I like to just sit down and play songs I already know. So one ...

Once upon a time, my Grandma Donna made each of her grandchildren a Raggedy Ann and Andy set, even two for some of us (the granddaughters, maybe?). I don't know when she started or why, but they are precious. I don't have strong memories of Grandma Donna sewing, not like my Grandma Lu does, anyway. But I can picture her, leaning over the Bernina (that I now have the privilege of using) in the back room, piecing together dresses and aprons and sailor's hats. I brought mine home from mom and dad's sometime this spring, when Grandma was really sick and I was feeling the need for some childhood comfort. A couple weeks ago I decided they could use a trip through the washing machine, on the gentle cycle. As I separated them from their clothes in preparation, I found a long-forgotten message: Stitched on each doll's chest is a heart, full of love. It was a beautiful reminder of how much she loved us each. Love you too, Grandma.

We are on the downhill slide into "back to school" days. As much as I'm not ready to go back, I think I'd better start preparing - while we do our best to soak up what's left of a lazy summer. Yesterday for lunch we went to a local drive-in, where Brad has apparently been a few times. We walked up to the window to order, and the college girl who works there (her family owns it) saw Brad and asked, "Do you want what you always have?" "Yep," he replied with a grin. She wrote down his order, complete with the "ketchup and mustard only" directive for the hamburger. In my disbelief, I could barely order. He informed me later that, when he calls his order in he doesn't have to give his name - they just know. So either he goes there too often or they need a few more customers... Or maybe he's just that famous around here?! Nah. Slice of Life Tuesday!

It's slice of life Tuesday! So the city of Atown, as of the city council meeting last night, is on mandatory water restriction. Outdoor watering is limited to two days a week (which days depend on your house number - we get Tuesday and Friday), from 6-9 a.m. or 7-10 p.m. *Side note: last night on the news, the weatherman told us that the average number of 100*+ days in Wichita is 11. The record is 21 100*+ days. So far this year, we've had 19 100*+ days, and there are at least four more, just in the 10-day forecast. Yikes. Add in the fact that we've kind of been in an on-again, off-again drought for the past couple of years, more on than off... And you get a severe water shortage in a place that gets its water from two rather dried-up, man-made lakes.* Anyway, this is not a HUGE deal to us, mainly because we're not huge lawn water-ers, especially since our dog chewed on the wiring for the sprinkler system and we haven't had it fixed yet... (We just ...

Long story short: today we bought a car. A nice, pretty new car.  I feel all grown up... It's the first car I've gotten to pick out (along with that comes the first car I'll have to pay off - oh well) . Long story... My 1999 Nissan Altima was on its last leg. We had it in the shop two weeks in a row, and the second week's bill was going to be more than it was worth (seriously, more than what we traded it in for). And, there was no guarantee that once we fixed those things it would be okay for a while. So we decided to look for a new (to us) car over the summer (while we borrowed Sarah's car, thankfully!). There were certain requirements - low mileage, reliable, pretty good mpg... it wasn't a very long list, but basically we wanted something reliable that would last us quite a while - even after it's paid off. Sunday we were in Newton for lunch. We decided to stop at Conklin Cars to browse the lot (with no salespeople). And there it was... a 2009 Kia Op...

I had a bad dream the other night. About school. And it's only June... (the dream, in case you want to know, was that it was 7:50 on the first day of school. 7:50 is when school starts in my "morning" building. but I was in my "afternoon" building. when I got to the right school, my principal and all my new students were standing at my door waiting. yikes. I had dreams like this throughout the year last year - at least monthly.) Hopefully carrying this new school bag will help ease my stress next year. Well, probably not, but a girl can dream (in a good way this time). I've wanted/needed to make a new school bag (by school bag I mean the one I take to work) for a while. One of the straps broke on my old one last fall, and it's been safety-pinned ever since. It would've been easier to just fix that, but I needed something a little more bright and colorful, since I lug it from my car to school, from one school to the next, back to my car, into t...

(This will be a fairly short reflection, as I'm readying myself for three hours of class tonight and a full day tomorrow. Ugh. I hope that soon I'll be able to make the time to reflect a little more on where I go from here.) It's the end. I "sliced" 31/31 days this month - plus some additional posts here and there, 35 total. In the beginning, I honestly didn't know if I'd make it all the way. It was a challenge many days. The challenge provoked a sense of confidence in my writing that I didn't know was possible - thanks to comments from family and friends and "strangers" who read and supported me for the past 31 days. I still don't quite see myself as a writer, necessarily. Some days I do, others I don't. But this is a start. And some small part of me is beginning to betray my doubts and think that maybe, just maybe, I can do it.

You know that song - "everybody dies famous in a small town"? javascript:void(0) Well, it's certainly true about our dog. It's getting a little ridiculous. (I promise not to blog about the dog all the time. I do. But this is already #3 in a week. Uh-oh.) Yesterday, I took Jazz for a walk by myself. A group of grade-school boys was playing basketball in a driveway. When they saw us, one of them yelled, "Hi, Jazz! Look guys, it's Jazz! Mr. Kohlman's dog." Now, I have walked that way many, many times and nobody's ever yelled hi to me. Today, two fifth grade girls, who are not even in Brad's class, came by and asked to meet our dog. Really?! And, one of our friends bought dog treats. She doesn't have a dog - these are for the times we walk Jazz by her house and stop in. Jazz will get a treat.

My dog is in the doghouse. Both literally and figuratively. She's been doing pretty well hanging out in the backyard by herself. There haven't been any casualties that weren't our fault (for leaving chewable things within reach). Yesterday, she learned to "stay." And today, she learned to destroy trees.  I don't know what they did to her, but Jazz was determined to take out our trees. She chewed several branches off. I hate being mad at the dog, but this is not good. So how do you keep a dog from chewing on things she shouldn't chew? She has a big bone and several toys. We're taking advice and suggestions.

Although I'm currently in a phase of life where all clutter is frustrating to me and even books are eliminated (I finally came to the conclusion that the only reasons - for me - to keep a book are: a. I've loved it so much I want to read it over and over again, b. to save to share with someone else, or c. to show off that you read that book), I do dearly love this quotation that I ran across today. "I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves." -Anna Quindlen

We are officially on the home stretch - just eight more weeks (but who's counting?!). My seventh graders start reading The Giver tomorrow. I am so excited. Today we did some pre-reading activities, one of which was the jot down a list of what their perfect society would be like - climate, money, jobs, daily activities, etc... They had some interesting answers. Every swimming pool would be filled with chocolate pudding. Money would grow on trees. Everyone would have enough to eat. It would always be 75 degrees and sunny. There would be no natural disasters. This is just a small sample, but it got me thinking... what would your utopia be like?! (After we finish the novel, they will create their own utopias.)

A conversation between my grandpa and Brad today, about our new dog. "Well, did you build her a house?" "I put it together." "Put it together?" "Yeah. I got a kit at the pet store." "Oh. What about the dog? Did you put her together from a kit, too?" Melvin's a pretty funny guy.

Today I met my mom at JoAnn (the new, huge one in Wichita) to pick out fabric for a special project. I will be using a Turning Twenty quilt pattern - lots easier than my last quilt! I wish I could give you more details, but it's a special surprise for someone who may or may not read this blog - and I may have already given too much away. Anyway... I spent enough to get a free, reusable shopping bag. I think I'd better finish this project before heading back.

One of my goals for spring break was to finish the black and white quilt I started over a year and a half ago. I didn't really think I'd get it done (I haven't picked it up to quilt in a few months), but the other day I got on a roll and had to keep going. I asked for a sewing machine for my birthday a few years ago, on a whim. Brad's cousin was pregnant, and I wanted to make a blanket. Since then, I've sewed a few pillow covers, a couple baby blankets, and this. I've written this before, but I really believe that quilting is slowly becoming a lost art. Not many 20-somethings are doing it; it's not the most trendy hobby, but it's making a little bit of a comeback. Part of the reason I quilt is because it's part of my heritage. My mom tells stories about how her grandma would come over and dig through Grandma Lu's sewing room trash, pulling out quarter-sized scraps, exclaiming, "I can't believe you were going to throw this away! ...

Jasmine, Jazz, came home today - about an hour ago. We're pretty excited to have her around. She's a good dog so far. She doesn't bark. She plays. She's very curious but smart and obedient. It took her a little while to leave the back door when we came inside for the first time, but now she's checking out the yard on her own.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record. But the truth of the matter is simply this: “A budget that sacrifices our commitment to education would be a budget that’s sacrificing our country’s future.”  -President Obama We need these kids; someday, they will be making important decisions, running for office, caring for us as we age, protecting us, teaching the future. In the midst of difficult financial times, my hope is that we all come to see how important education is. Sooner, rather than later... because later it might be too late.

Today marks post #26 for the month - I've had a few extras on particularly thoughtful days. But I have to admit that the slice of life challenge is my only reason for posting today. Not much is happening here today: the dog adoption was yesterday, the plumber comes tomorrow (frozen pipe in the basement - ugh), the dog comes home Thursday... My spring break has been idyllic so far. I sleep in, do what I want when I want to (for the most part). The wind is keeping me from yard work and window washing, but I don't mind. This afternoon, as boring as it will seem, I am going to work on my paper. I might get around to cleaning off the bookshelves (have I mentioned lately that I love purging?!), and I will be wishing that it were time to plant some veggies in my garden. Tomorrow, the plumber will come so we can water the grass seed - just in time to make the yard muddy for the dog (more about her another day). Friday will slip into Saturday and then it will be time to return to m...

This is just about one of my favorite times of year. Spring break plus March Madness... We are fortunate this year. Wichita is hosting first and second round women's games in the new Intrust Bank Arena. Months ago we planned to grab some tickets, but we lucked out in our procrastination - the mom of one of Brad's student's brought some by on Saturday. So yesterday afternoon and evening we sat in our free seats and enjoyed some great games. I love basically all college basketball, but I had forgotten how much I love watching women play, especially in person. The shoes screech across the court, the ball steadily bounces on the hardwood... The coach's face turns red. Calls are argued or cheered. The ball swishes through the hoop, bangs off the backboard. But there's something intangibly different about these games. (Disclaimer: I love men's college basketball, too. And there will be some generalizations in the coming words. But sometimes it just seems like ...

I saw something like this on my second cousin's blog - she wrote 34 things about herself on her 34th birthday (yes, I know my second cousins. I'm Mennonite, after all). It's not my 25th birthday anymore, but here's my fun little list of things you probably didn't know about me (or maybe you did, because we're just that close)... When I use a laptop without a wireless mouse, I use both hands - right moves the mouse, left clicks. I secretly want to be an American Picker . (Well, obviously not so secretly anymore.) I just think it's so cool to find old stuff and see value in it. My favorite TV show (after the current/temporary March Madness) is Parenthood. I watch way too much TV, though. I love Girl Scout cookies... but I despise Thin Mints. I sometimes still use touch points when doing calculator-free math. The first classic I ever read was Wuthering Heights . It's still my favorite. I don't like surprises when I know they are comi...