and I don't know if I'm happy about it or if I'm going to cry about it. So while I collect my thoughts on this topic, please let me share the first day of school pictures that were taken this morning with everyone all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed :)
The first chick to fly....
was Katie. She's a big 8th grader now in Junior High School. She was so ready to get outta here this morning at 7:03 a.m. She loaded the bus, found her boyfriend and the seat he was saving for her and didn't give me a second glance as I stood in our driveway and waved goodbye.....apparently to the bus fumes....
Then....
I ran in the house and roused my three little chickies still in elementary school. Ian and Jake are big 6th graders this year - their final year in elementary school. And my baby, little Miss Ellie is officially a "school girl" and is now a Kindergartener. So without further ado, here's my three other little chicks. (note: Ellie had to get eye glasses this year and she told me she looks like she's really smart because she has to wear glasses....)
In my opinion....
it never hurts to butter up the office staff at your child(ren)'s school. So I whipped up this DELISH and super easy dessert for the office staff at the elementary school....I find that a little kindness every so often to these hard working, often overlooked people, helps when there is a "situation" at school. Plus, it is just good practice to give back to people that care for your kids. I dropped it off during lunch time...and walked out of that building like a rock star - to cheers of delight!
If you'd like the recipe for this Angel Food Cake Dessert just click on the provided link and it'll take you on over to my recipe blog. Be prepared to pass the recipe around because this one is so delcious that people weep and gnash their teeth for the ingredient list :)
Until next time...
I'm gonna be doing a whole lotta stitchin' round here...cause after 14 years of having little partners around to share my day.....this Mama bird is finding her nest a little roomy....
But never fear....
I'll be keeping my "hands to work and heart to God" just like always and will have something to share soon!
Hugs and love,
Wow, first day of school already!? I am sure the kids will do great and are all excited to see their old friends and make new ones. Love that cake!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the little bit of free time in your day!
They are all so cute Vonna!! My kids all started school today - Matthew's in kindergarten too. That was so sweet of you to bring something for the office staff at the school. I'm sure they really appreciated it!!
ReplyDeleteSending best wishes and many successes to each one of your chicks for the coming school year! And bless your heart for thinking of the office staff with your yummy looking cake!
ReplyDeleteRobin in Virginia
Hope the kids have a great school year. Nice to see their pictures on the first day. Thanks for sharing the recipe, looks and sounds delicious. Enjoy your extra stitching time !!
ReplyDeleteI miss the first day of school with my kids. Your oldest looks alot like you. Love the bubble bee dress. Just saw the recipe, great way to say thanks. I always loved remembering the office staff.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day.
I miss the first day of school with my kids. Your oldest looks alot like you. Love the bubble bee dress. Just saw the recipe, great way to say thanks. I always loved remembering the office staff.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day.
You have a greatlooking group there....ah, now to relax a little and stitch alot!
ReplyDeleteThe dessert looks delicious. I bet it was really appreciated especially on the first day back.
Good for you...some Mom time...even if only an hour a day is good! They are all so grown up. The dessert looks delicious and I am sure was well appreciated. We will expect some new stitching posts now!!!! :) pam from iowa
ReplyDeleteSchool doesn't start here till after Labor Day. That's one thing I don't miss about having grown kids. I always had a hard time sending them back to school. I just loved having them home during summer. You have a cute bunch there! And all in school too. Enjoy your extra alone time...although I know you're kept pretty busy during the school year!
ReplyDeleteVonna --
ReplyDeleteAll your kids look so grown-up and ready for another school year.
Looks like a great recipe and how generous of you to take to the office staff:)))
Hope you find lots of time to get some stitchy stuff done! YAH HOO!
Wow! First day of school is always so exciting...your chicks are so cute all ready to go! Have fun stitching while they're gone!!
ReplyDeleteYour kids are all growing up so fast! I am sure that dessert was a hugh hit for the office staff! Enjoy your few hours of empty nest! Oh, and keep an eye out for the postman, a special delivery is on it's way to you!
ReplyDeleteYou've raised a fine looking family! And that was really a nice thing to bring that scrumptious dessert to the staff. Hope you made another for the kids when they get home!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of your chicks, my how they have grown. I'm sure you will find something to fill your days. The cake looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteThey are really growing! They are as cute as ever, and Katie is such a beautiful young lady. The desert looks absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteTime will really fly now that they are all in school. Mine is a senior this year and it's been a little tough to get use to. I know college is just around the corner and he'll be going away. Hopefully, I'll be able to stitch like a mad woman when I'm home all alone!! Best wishes to you and your needle - tee hee!
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for the back-to-school day party~~~ Momma bird will have lots of room to spread her goodies around the house with no interruption or distraction! And, (as I clear my throat..), YES, food goes VERY far for teachers and staff~~~ I see major brownie points for you now and throughout the year~~~ Enjoy your day and weeks to come!!
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwww, it's a big day, for you and them!!! I hope they all had a good first day of school, Vonna, and that you learned to enjoy the peace while they're all out of the house.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good day for everyone! Ellie is a little cutie in her new glasses! Thanks for the recipe....I'm going to find it now!
ReplyDeleteAh, the first day of school!! What memories that brings back. I get quite nostalgic this time of year now that all of my "chicks" have flown the coop.
ReplyDeleteThe kids all look great, Vonna--hope they enjoy a wonderful year and that you enjoy more time for yourself while they're in school :)
Boy, you guys go back early. Katie is becoming a typical teenager huh? Everyone looks like they're ready to go back and how nice of you to think of the staff. I bet they really appreciated the cake.
ReplyDeleteThey do look excited to be going back to school. My kids tended to be night owls and looked anything but bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the first day. That was kind of you to think of the office staff. The dessert looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteVonna, your children are beautiful, it is hard to believe they are so grown up. Katie looks just like you - she is darling.
ReplyDeleteNow with the chickadees away at school, you should start designing your own designs. Your work is impeccable and you are creative, I'm sure you have ideas for designs of your own. Right? Even your finishing ideas should be documented in book form for those of us who haven't a clue! Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteOk, you tell your oldest chickie that she is to wave goodbye to her poor mama! (LOL about waving to the bus fumes.) And ahem--you may also share with her that this little chickie was not allowed to wear makeup until she was in high school. And to Ms. Ellie: I wear glasses also--all the smart girls do. Hee! Such sweet-looking kids.
ReplyDeleteWow, Vonna, nice cake!
ReplyDeleteTeachers were very lucky that you thought of them, especially on the first day back after a long vacation. You know how those are.
Kiddies are big! I am sure you were delighted when they all got home after school. There are days that go slowly and others that zoom by. Hope you were able to get a lot of crafting done today.
Love your blog! Always come by to see what crafting beauties you have to share.
Thanks for having me,
CSQ
http;//betweenthestitches.blogspot.com
Your kids all look so nice and I'm sure they were all enjoying their first school day after the summer break. IT's always a bit overwhelming for us when the last one leaves the nest. But it also means some more free time for stitching and reading and and and ...
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your free time and enjoy the time when they all get back home from a long day at school.
Aw, that's so great! Your last little one is in kindergarten now! And the oldest doesn't even care if her mom is waving at the bus stop. lol! Your kids all look so cute and so ready for school! Just wait and watch out -- they grow up so fast! Enjoy these days while you can! I know you do. :D Happy first days of school!
ReplyDeleteVonna, your kids are such cuties! The 1st day of school was always exciting--I miss that from when my 4 were little. I can tell you that them going off to college is exciting for them, but not for Mama!!lol
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures of first day at school. I'm sure they are all having a great time. Hope you enjoy your free time.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post. Still giggling here. I could see you waving to the fumes (aren't those teenagers adorable - at times)
ReplyDeleteAhhh....the office staff surely got buttered up. That cake looks delicious.
Looking forward to admire all the stitching the mama bird will create while waiting for her chickens :)
I love the pics, thanks for sharing - I so remember that 'empty nest' feeling. And you are a dear to share with your children's school - I know they are enjoying their treat, and I'm headed to print out the recipe for my household, thanks. Judith
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how big your chicks have gotten!! Ellie, heading off to kindergarten. Wow!! Katie is a gorgeous young woman--so poised. The twins are soooo handsome. I hope they all have a great school year.
ReplyDeleteLOVE that cake! Oh, how I wish there was Cool Whip here!
It is always hectic here when it is the first day of school as we all go back. Both DH and I teach and the 3 boys all attend High School. I always think that once they start school the time flies by and the next ting you know they have left home to either work or college. Enjoy your free time at home and do lots of fun things for you.
ReplyDeleteHi Vonna, Hope they all had wonderful first days! My baby starts kindergarten this year as well and my twins will be in the third grade. We have 3 more weeks until school starts though. You are very sweet to bring in something for the office on the 1st day! Enjoy your "free" time! Meredith
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's that time again already! I used to take pics on the first day of school too. I must dig some of those out. Your kids look great and I'm sure they'll have a wonderful year.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your free time Vonna. You deserve it!
Yum - dessert looks great. I agree, doing something nice comes around two-fold and what better people to "nice-up".
ReplyDeleteKatie sure looks like her mama!
Enjoy the quiet...mine heads off to first year at community college the end of this month - sniff, sniff. And even louder - yee hoo!
Vonna your children are an absolute credit to you and your DH. I hope they all have a wonderful school year.
ReplyDeleteThat dessert looks delicious!
I am so sorry I haven't commented in awhile but I have been reading your blog! Three Crows is lovely!
ReplyDeleteYour chickies are so grown up now. I have waved good bye to many bus fumes in the past! lol. That was wonderful of you to remember the office staff at school. I know they appreciated it!
Oh your kids are so grown up! I love Ellie's glasses! What a nice thing you did for the elementary staff, I know they enjoyed every scrumptious bite! Enjoy that empty nest and get LOTS of needletime.
ReplyDeleteSO exciting...I do so remember many many first days of school!! Aww now Momma Vonna sit back and relax, after getting those chicks off and laying the ground work at the school too. You are amazing, love your heart!!
ReplyDeleteEllie looks like she just can't wait to get there, bet she is full of stories this week. She is SO cute, give her a snuggle from me!
Hi Vonna...I always enjoy the annual back-to-school photos - your chicks are really growing up. I'm sure it was sad sending little Ellie off to kindergarten, she looks so cute. I'm not sure if I commented on your Three Crows finish but it's way cute! My Google Reader is overflowing...must get caught up!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your first day of school post. Beautiful, all 4 of them! Enjoy your free stitching time. ;)
ReplyDeleteMust try that recipe once I through unpacking 500 boxes (no joke- grrrr! No stitching for me for a while.
That first day of school is a mixed blessing, isn't it? The peace and quiet is so nice, and yet you miss the sound of those little voices. Though sometimes it feels like you've just had a chance to have coffee and do a few errands and they're back already! That dessert looks scrumptious - how thoughtful of you to be so kind to the office staff.
ReplyDeleteWow, Vonna! Beautiful kids. I don't think I've seen pics of your girls in a year! They are absolutely lovely. I think the boys are as handsome as can be as well, but I have seen them over the course of the last year in the halls at school at least. I can't even believe Katie has a boyfriend?! Wow, I am NOT ready for those days, which I'm sure are fast-approaching for us. Just a darling and grown-up bunch you have now. Hope Ellie's first week of "real school" went well. Wish she and Dylan had been in the same class so I could see more of you, friend! And goodness...you really like to to butter up the staff don't you?! You make the rest of us moms at school look bad! haha :) I guess staying on their good side is always a good idea especially when you have three kids there! Hope it's a great year and you enjoy your "empty next days" :) Love ya/Miss ya!
ReplyDeleteWow, Vonna. This kids have grown so much since I started reading your blog. It is amazing. I know it was hard to marshall your little chicks off to school. But, you can rest assured you have given them the best possible start and it is time for them to bloom on their own.
ReplyDeleteAnd Momma could use a little bloom time too LOL. Enjoy!
Oh my, Ellie is going to school! Amazing, how time just flies. Katie is just gorgeous and boys look great. Do they have girlfriends? I hope they have a great school year-especially Ellie!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful bunch of schoolers you sent out into the world! I'd LOVE to one of your kids' teachers - yummy treats? Your kids' would be my absolute favorite teacher's pets!! :) I hope you find lots of fun stitching to fill your time!
ReplyDeleteJust remember, most of the time, your teens need you more than your toddlers' ever did! (They won't admit it, but they do!!) :)
What a great looking group! Enjoy your mama time. You'll adjust quicker than you think and wonder how you ever got anything done when they were home :0)
ReplyDeleteAlso, office staff love bribes. You are definitely on the right foot there!
Hi Vonna!
ReplyDeleteI've often admired your blog and enjoy everything you share about your beautiful family. I hope you're doing well without all the chicks in the nest today. It's a new beginning all around and I'm happy for you and look forward to seeing what comes next! Happy Day!
Greetings from the Amish community of Lebanon,Pa.And watch-out folks for Irene if you live in the east coast. Richard from Amish Stories.
ReplyDeleteWow, don't they all look gorgeous and bubbly on first day of school!! I know it really can be very emotional to watch them walk into school. Good luck to all your little angels this year.
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks absolutely yummy. Thanks for the link
Oh, my! When did they all get so grown up?!? What a beautiful family you have, Vonna. But then, you already knew that, didn't you?
ReplyDeleteLove your philosophy for spoiling the teachers! I can't imagine a more deserving group. I volunteered in my children's elementary school for the entire time they were there to the point that many of the students thought I was a teacher there. I can honestly say it was time well spent!