The Last of the Late Homework... and a Hunny

So I have a few more thank yous to add and some overdue link-ups to share. And there's a great anchor chart Linky Party with Kristen at Ladybug Teacher Files that I want to join this weekend... you should stop by too!

And, speaking of linking up, there's another opportunity to connect at Math Coach's Corner.  Donna has recently added a sixth grade section to her Blog Hop.  Sometimes sixth grade classes get left out of the loop--especially if we are at an elementary school. I really wanted to participate, so I asked Donna if she would add a section for sixth grade blogs and... POOF! In minutes, it was done! THANKS DONNA.  So, if you teach math, kindergarten and beyond, head on over...

Here's (another) confession: I have a "Completion Anxiety" problem.  It's the same reason I cannot eat just one Pepperidge Farm cookie.  I have to eat ALL of the cookies in the little paper cup, because if I don't, it's not complete. And don't get me started on Pringles. Why isn't one serving equal to one can?  They all fit together so neatly. Why break up a set?

ANYWAY, I already told you that I still lament the fact that I didn't finish those college thank you notes. So I just HAVE TO finish these last few assignments. I really DO have other things to share.  But I can't until I'm D-O-N-E.

So, here's the last of it...

Pink Tiara Book Blog Tour

One of my favorite opportunities since coming to Blogland was the opportunity to interview Maria Dismondy, author of Pink Tiara Cookies for Three and Spaghetti on a Hot Dog Bun (you can read the interview HERE). The "Spaghetti book" was one of my favorites before I met Maria and I didn't even know that she was the same author when I joined up on her Pink Tiara Book Blog Tour. It was a wonderful experience (I've likened it to meeting a movie star!) and I loved having a chance to hold a giveaway.  But I never told  you who won!

Thankfully, gentle prompting from my always-gracious buddy, Barbara, at The Corner on Character, kept this omission in my "Get This Done File" and now I am finally typing: The winner of the book and tiara cookie cutter was "Delighted" at First Grade Delight. Congratulations, Delighted! I have forwarded your name and e-mail to Maria. (You just have to believe me on the Random Number Generator. I did use it. Since my comments are still numbered twice and alternate between ascending and descending order on any given day, I had to write down the names and "Delighted" was number 9--which matched the RNG. I promise that this accounting is true and correct. After all, who would lie about a book and a cookie cutter? That would just be awful. I wouldn't and I didn't. Honest.)

I also missed some thank you messages (even after the treatise I posted a few days ago). I scrolled waaaaaaay back so I hope I didn't leave anyone out. And if I have missed someone, I'm already worried I haven't thanked you. So please leave me a comment or e-mail me. I know I'll probably need to catch up again. In July. {sheepish grin}

Thanks for the Liebster Blog Award
My appreciation for recognizing my blog with the Liebster Award for "new" blogs is sent with gratitude to... Casey at Cardigans and Curriculum, Kelly at Fabulous in Fourth, Jana at Thinking Out Loud, Miss P at Diary of a Fifth Grade Teacher and Ms. L at Life with Mrs. L. Thank you for celebrating my blog and sending readers over to visit.

Thanks also to...
I was touched to receive the Versatile Blogger Award from three wonderful BloggyFriends. Thanks so much for your kindness and support, Elizabeth from Fun in 4B, Heather from Loose Shoelaces and Marcia from Learning Ideas--Grades K-8.

More thanks to...
It was an honor to also be recognized by Heather (Loose Shoelaces) for the Top 10 Blog Award and by Tammy from Confessions of a Fourth Grade Teacher for the Lovely Blog Award. Thanks for considering Joy in Sixth worthy of such sweet accolades.

Almost Done, But Not Quite...
Those are the Thank You notes.
There were also some Linky Parties I promised to attend...

How You Met Your Hunny

Chrissy B. at Buzzing with Ms. B. had a Linky Party which asked bloggers to share how they met their hunny. Yes, it was February when she started the party, but good parties don't end quickly, right? Chrissy, I wanted you to know I hadn't forgotten.

So here's my "Hunny Story"...

When I went away to college, I lived in a high rise dorm.  Each two floors counted as a "house" with alternating genders on every other floor. It was the seventies and OP shorts (often corduroy, go figure!) and Izod ("Alligator") shirts were all the rage.  Women had their hair cut with Farrah Fawcett "wings." "Preppy" was in fashion, and sweater vests, oxford shirts and Sperry Topsiders were common--for both men and women!

Many of the students in our two-level-of-the-dorm-"house" hung out together and became friends. Mr. Cutie Pie lived upstairs, and I was attracted to his intellect, his sense of humor and his sweet face.  He was a BioChem and Cell Biology major.  I was majoring in trying to find a major. In fact, I kept a list of possible majors in my backpack and changed my major almost every quarter (Biology, Linguistics, Psychology, Physical Anthropology... I was confused!).  The people at the registrar knew me on sight.

Circa 1976

The following year, I shared an on-campus apartment with some of my friends from the dorm, and the rest of our friends often filled the living room for parties and casual get-togethers.  The large group often gathered in The Apartment to watch soap operas and eat lunch in between classes and to share dinners and adventures in the evenings. Mr. Cutie Pie was often in this group.

We spent more time together, discovered common interests, and learned to appreciate each others' quirkiness. He tutored me in microbiology (drawing little pictures to help me understand the concepts) and eventually we became an item. 


We were together for six years and plenty of changes (including three universities and four more majors for me!) Eventually we went our separate ways and that could have been the end of just another college love story...

But it didn't end there. TWENTY years later, we reconnected.

And here we are... ten years after that. We have now known each other almost thirty seven years--two thirds of our lives! He's my biggest advocate and cheerleader...and it still makes me chuckle when I hear him in a conversation, championing the rights of teachers or bemoaning the difficulties of our jobs. And that's in addition to grading papers, tutoring struggling readers at school, and helping out at sixth grade events. Yep, he's a keeper!

You Know You're  Teacher When...
Jeannie Partin of Kindergarten Lifestyle  had a fun Linky Party which actually found a home on Pinterest! It included a range of "confessions" about the ways we let people know that we are teachers--even when when we don't intend to...

In December, I bought a new red car. As I examined it, my mind was racing with images of filling it up--not with camping equipment or luggage for a road trip... Nope. In my mind, I pictured it filled with school stuff! How many boxes of books could I pile up in the "way back"? How many bags and boxes would fit in the back seat?  I still love my new car.. It's just right for a teacher like me.

And...

And I seem to ask this question with just enough overemphasis that people pause and look at me suspiciously.  Now I just concede, "Yes, I'm a teacher..." before they have a chance to speculate.

Kids Say the Darnedest Things
It didn't take long for Jeannie to start another Linky at Kindergarten Lifestyle.  This one generated plenty of funny stuff that teachers have heard kids say. And since it's been said, "Better late than never..." here is my contribution:

Whew! I think I have kept my promises to link up with your Linky Parties, to announce the giveaway winner and to thank those whom I had accidentally overlooked. Maria, please forgive me for the delay in contacting you with the necessary details. Barbara, anyone would be lucky to have a friend as wonderful as you!

And, Mom, thanks for the reminders. I hope this makes up for at least a few of those unfinished thank you notes. I miss you.