Yes, clearly I HAVE forgotten about this blog!

The top 19 Reasons Betsy Has Not Posted On This Blog In Exactly Six Months:

1. It's not always possible to pick the "Bets Week Ever" things every week.

2. Lots of things happening with lots of friends - new jobs, new last names, new babies, new area codes - and I wanted to be there supporting all of them!

3. I did battle with a bat! Enough said. {Actually, it was three bats!}

4. Kansas has been taken over by a Secretary of State who is trying to figure-out how to prevent people who weren't born here from reading this blog. I object because my Mother was born in Texas and my sister was born in Missouri.

5. Elections! Exciting Everywhere Else!

6. Trips to see BFFs ... Colorado, Arkansas, Ohio!

7. Afternoon walks with Minnie. We've seen lots of wildlife, and lived to talk about it.

8. KU plays more than one Division 1 sport and they need my support. Sadly, none of the teams play during the Fall.

9. It almost never rained and I was waiting for an old-fashioned rainy day to stay inside and post.

10. New school year with 25 great children ... and none of them read blogs!

11. Georgia has kept me busy.

12. President Obama asked me to do my part and keep the economy going. After a new refrigerator, air conditioner, garbage disposal and car, my 'blogging' engine ran out of fuel.

13. I no longer needed to be studying for my National Board Certification, so used my free time to watch the programs on my DVR.

14. Cooking up a storm!

15. TEAM Tailgate needed a chaperone on too many Saturdays.

16. Unusual weather patterns. It's getting blamed for everything else, why not my lack of new posts on this blog!?!

17. Riting and Rithmetic are full-time responsibilities, even if 'cursive' is going away.

18. Ellen is doing so many things and I want to be there when I can.

19. So, if you read the first letter of each of these 19 Reasons Betsy Has Not Posted To This Blog In Exactly Six Months ... You will get a clue. I. LIKE. TAKING. PICTURES.

Or, go to http://www.theviewacrosstown.com/ and see what I've done in the last 180 days!

My thanks to my "ghostwriter" who is so OCD that he finally sent me this rough draft. Obviously he should have spent more time with his own book project. 

{Thanks, Dad! I guess you don't like the fact that I haven't updated this blog more often. I hope at some point, I'll be back here more regularly!}

No. I haven't forgotten about this blog.

I post pictures and daily happenings in so many other places, that sometimes I forget about this blog. In case you aren't sure where to find those other postings ... here they are: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, The View Across Town. 

I've already had a very full summer, and I just haven't found the energy to sit down and share about any of it. Or, I think you don't care. Or I know I've already shared the pictures a million times in other places. But, I find myself with a 2.5 hour layover in Cleveland (on my way to visit Julie) and I figured now would be as good a time as any to get an update on here. If you're lucky, there might be more than one blog post! ;) 

Last week sometime, Ellen begged to go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum to see the mummy in the Egyptian area there. I do enjoy spending time in any museum, I've always enjoyed looking at the art, but lately, I've liked spending time there just to take pictures of the beautiful building, AND art, AND the people. It's pretty great for people watching. So, Mom, Molly, Ellen & I all got packed up in the car ... excited to see the mummy. Well, that promptly turned into a very frightening experience, and Ellen almost refused to even walk through the exhibit. We were able to get her to cover her eyes as we walked by the one and only mummy, so the adults could roam around to enjoy the art. 

I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures from the few hours we were there. If you haven't been lately, the World's Fairs exhibit is pretty fantastic (and interactive at times, too), and there until August 19th. If you can't get to the Nelson, hopefully this photo wrap-up will be a bit of a virtual visit :)

I don't know any details about this piece, but it was huge & all along a big wall in the Bloch Building. So bright & fun. 

Lots of texture in the American Art exhibit. 

These people startled me when I came around the corner. 

Pretty hallways.

The HUGE sarcophagus before the mummy. Ellen was okay to look at this, just not the wrapped up remains in the next room.

I like this carved sculpture. Again, not sure of the details & history.

This room makes you feel like you are outside. 

Hello there, Buddha.

Ellen remembered this "Chinese bed" from the last time she was here. It took a lot of convincing before she realized she couldn't climb in.

World's Fair exhibit. Thanks for the tickets, Mom!

"Ellen, do you want your picture with a lion?" 

She ran ALL the way up that ramp, away from Molly, in the Bloch Building. They have great floors & ramps for running :)

"Trying" on jewelry in the World's Fair exhibit. Pretty fun way to do this. 

Overall, it was a great trip. Next time, I'd like to go out on the grounds for another photo walk. That was a lot of fun last time we did that.

Best Job

This is for all the wonderful Moms in my world. Thanks for all you do, the love you give, and the support you provide!

Did you think I forgot about you?

Clearly, I rarely have/make time for this blog anymore. How in the world did I post something more than just a picture for 365 days in a row my first year here? Some days I can easily post my picture on The View Across Town and other days I'm running around my house with my iPhone taking pictures of things at 11:30pm.

To share a little bit more of what I have been doing ... this post will serve as a way to catch up through photos. Here are some of my 2nd favorites from the first few weeks of 2012 that weren't picked for the other blog. Enjoy!

A visit to Park Place on January 1st for a post-holidays family brunch.

And then a family dinner that night at Molly & Erik's. This little one went around the entire table taking dessert orders (with the short-order cook, Molly, in the kitchen). She did a great job! Her reward was her own bowl of ice cream with a Girl Scout cookie on the side (that she didn't know existed until this night).

The first day back to work was tough, but I did get to go out to lunch with my fabulous teammates! Have you been to Unforked yet? It's awesome!

Playing around with the new iPhone lenses I got for Christmas from Mom. I love this macro shot.

A profile shot of my silly schnoodle.

I love my Instagram app more and more each day. This was a quick shot I took when out walking Minners.

Looking at her Momma!

Staying up too late on a school night. It's always hard to get back in bedtime routine after a break from school.

I like this one because I love to take pictures like this of the sky with beautiful clouds. Here is the same scene ... in a paint by numbers kind of way :)

We FINALLY got a little bit of snow. It didn't last long, not that I'm complaining. It's always very pretty ... but walking a dog in the snow is one of my least favorite parts of winter.

A new "portrait" taken against my favorite piece of art in my condo. Jill says it makes for the perfect photo studio background.

Wearing flip flops. In January. In Kansas. Love it! See? I told you the snow didn't last long.

A perfect day to head to the dog park. We've been close to 10 times this "winter".

Here is a photograph that's very close to the painting 5 pictures up. Such a great day to be outside!

I hope to get back to sharing things on this blog more often. I realize I may have lost many of my regular readers since it's been a while. Keep coming back ... you never know what I'll post next!

Apparently I'm a dumpster diver now

Do you remember the last time I "inherited" some new furniture from the dumpster in my neighborhood? I ended up with a great piece of furniture that I still use in my classroom.

The new project started Friday when I got home from work. I took Minnie out for a walk in the cold and saw a leaning bookshelf sitting in one of our dumpster carports. I looked around to see if anyone was in the middle of moving and just rested it there. Nope. It was in the trash.

I came home and texted Molly to ask for advice. Should I pick it up? I've always wanted one, but wasn't sure I had the spot for it in my condo. I didn't think I could carry it and was almost sure it wouldn't fit in my car. Molly replied to say, "Take it and decide later!" So, I hopped in my car and drove it around the development to see if the shelf was still there. I put the shelf in my back seat, but had to drive back to my building with the back door open because the shelf was so big.

Mom came over this afternoon to help me find the perfect spot for this shelf. The office seemed to be the best option. Last summer I had rearranged the office to make room for a new dresser. It was still a mess and we had to move things to make it all work.

Here are the finished products! The bookshelf was already painted this gray blue color. Thanks, friendly neighbor! I also hung that brown frame that Jilly gave me for my birthday a few years ago. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to get it hung. It is filled with baby pics of Ells because I don't seem to print pictures out anymore :(

Got rid of the tiny bookshelf on that right-hand wall and moved the brown dresser over there. That small bookshelf is now sitting out at the dumpster. I hope someone else can use it! The top of the desk is cleaned off, too. This couch is Minnie's spot during the day, hence the dog bed & towel.

After Mom left, she told me to get to work & finish organizing. So, I tackled the GIANT piles of filing I've been putting off for months. I hate to file papers, both at home and at work! I sat in that tiny open space for about 2 hours to get all these bills and papers put away.

Mom did a GREAT job of organizing and decorating the shelf for me. I love the way it looks.

I can still access my printer on the bottom shelf for the occasional time that I need to print something. Most of the other items came from on top of my desk or around my condo.

This is the cleanest my office has been in years! I'm hoping it will stick :) Not bad for a zero dollar makeover!

5 days and 500+ pictures

I've been home from Carmel, CA for almost a week. I've been putting off this blog post because I wasn't sure how I could possibly sum up the trip or share my 500+ photos. Well, thanks to my friend, Jilly, I put the following slide show together! I know it's probably too long for the majority of my readers, but I wasn't sure I could narrow my pictures down any further.

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We fit a lot in the 5ish days we were there: hiking, wine, window-shopping, walking along the beach, cards, trip up to Big Sur, food, visit to Pebble Beach Golf Course, wine, 17-Mile Drive, laughs, Monterrey Bay Aquarium, wine, more cards and fun.

What a wonderful trip & get-away during the Kansas heat. I hope I get to go back again someday!

Happy Day To You!

Mom was super busy this weekend with her BIG Lily Ball for work. I stole her for a few hours today to treat the both of us to much needed pedicures! We're doing our family celebration Monday night after work because that was when the 6 of us got our schedules to match up.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!

We can't thank you enough for all you do for us! You really deserve a whole month to celebrate, so I'm glad we can at least stretch it out over two days :)

She doesn't mess around!

At least not when it comes to sweet treats!

Ellen clearly gets this from her mother. It's a McKnight gene: We don't share desserts. We don't turn down desserts. We like most desserts. Ellen has this same affection for sweets that comes at the end of the meal (and sometimes for breakfast - I heard she had cake for her first meal today)! Her father can often be heard saying, "Let's just get one dessert to share." No. Thank. You.

Tonight, we got together to celebrate Molly's birthday (on the 21st). Mom made an amazing meal, like she always does. We ended the night with presents and an AMAZING butterscotch cake. Mom, I'm still thinking about that cake - you need to share the recipe if you can! Ellen begged all evening for a piece of cake. She's got the birthday thing down since she just celebrated her own 2 weeks ago. She inhaled every. single. bite. Here she is, picking up the crumbs to place on her spoon, to deliver them to her mouth. Smart girl, I tell ya!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Molly!

I hope you have a fabulous day! I'm so glad we could all get together to help celebrate :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Girl!

More information to come about the Big Top Birthday bash for Miss Ellen's 2nd birthday. It was a ton of fun, and I'm so happy to be part of her life. I was flipping through pictures tonight and thought this pose on the right looked familiar. Sure enough, here is a picture from last year that is eerily similar. This is one girl that LOVES to be sung to!

*** UPDATE: Okay ... I take it back. I'm too overwhelmed with life to follow up with more information. You can see another post with more information on Molly's blog. Check it out! ***

Do they make chapstick at Santa's Workshop?

I went over to Molly & Erik's Saturday night so I could get in my Ellen time for the week. Mom & Dad were there to babysit, and I was just there to document Ellen and all of her hilarity!

Ellen's FAVORITE thing to play with is the chapstick from Mom's purse. Seriously. She carried these tubes around for about 45 minutes. I may or may not have found some fun flavors for Ellen's stocking. Gotta love cheap Christmas presents!

For the first time ever, Ellen let me braid her hair. I've been asking to try out my french braiding skills on her for months, but she always pushes me away. This time I tricked her into saying it was how I wear my hair. She'll do just about anything that I do! Check out those natural highlights!

Look closely ... you can see her halo. Errrr ... the pretty artwork Ellen took it upon herself to add to the kitchen walls with a pen!

The cousins having a tea party. Minnie looks less than thrilled. "Sit der, Mimmie!"

Here's Ellen playing with Mère's "yeakum" aka makeup. She's got most of the right letters, just in their own order & pronunciation.

Smiles for Mère!

Minnie DYING for some attention. As the first grandchild (dog) she's had a hard time adjusting to Ellen taking over.

"Mimmie nekkless!"

Mom attempting to stop the tears at bedtime. We were telling Ellen that she was scary in her jammies!

Time to brush teeth. She refused until I pretend brushed my teeth first ;)

Minnie wishing she was allowed upstairs with the girls. Someday, Minnie ... someday!

Too busy to post about the last few weeks, but I can do it quickly with pictures!

I started back to work (unofficially) in my classroom early in August. It takes a lot of time to get things unpacked, uncovered, and organized. I was happy to head back in with my new camera, to share my room with better photographs. Here is my new calendar set ... may not be exciting to most, but I was happy to have something fresh this year (even though it was a hand-me-down)!

Here is my new, FABULOUS, fabric banner that the author of one of my favorite blogs, Whatever, made for me. I found a picture of this banner on one of her blog posts & knew she was the creator. I left a comment & she emailed me later that night! After much encouragement on Megan's end that I could make one myself, I thought it would look better if I could pay her to make one for me. It arrived just in time for school to start! It was the perfect way to tie in my current, bright decorations. The kids really love it, too!

Here is poor Minnie after her day of shots with Dr. Jed. This year wasn't as bad as years past, thanks to antihistamines the day before, during and after her vaccinations. She sure was tired, though :(

The unbelievable sunflowers in Jill's garden! Look at how much taller it is than Mitzi. There were beautiful orangey pink ones, too!

I needed a change & asked for your advice. Molly sent me the link to this idea. I liked it, but had another idea instead.

Jill helped me one night to empty out the jars, clean the jars and then fill the jars with various glass pebbles. I LOVE the way they look now!

I finally got to put my Jayhawk license plate on my new car. I bought it the year that I got my VW Bug, and minutes after I bought it, I realized I didn't have a front plate. Now I can share my KU pride!

Enjoyed my last official day of summer at the pool. This summer, I was fascinated with the clouds and the reflection lines in the pool water. I didn't have my camera with me at the pool very often, but I did make sure to take some final pictures.

As a family, we went out for a "Going Back to School" dinner the night before my meetings started. I picked Los Cabos in Mission Farms because of their giant patio outside and because the weather had finally decided to cooperate a bit. This little one was begging for "moe sasa" (translation: more salsa) during the entire meal. She even liked the spicier ones that I couldn't handle :)

At the end of our meal, we saw three vans that held hot air balloons. We stuck around long enough to watch them inflate & take off. Quite the experience for Ellen!

Great night for picture-taking, too. I was sad I had just removed my new Canon from my purse and had to use my point & shoot for these pictures, but they still turned out.

This year at school, we voted on a Western/Cowboy theme. We've never had an all-school theme before, but it was really fun to see how everyone decorated. I just did a few things here & there, because I really like my regular decorations. Becky, down the hall from me, created this mural out of bulletin board paper & wrapping paper. SO FUN!

The first weekend after school started, some KC friends flew out to Columbus, Ohio to surprise Julie for an early 30th birthday party! We went straight to the party from the airport and she was BEYOND surprised!

The next day, Mike & Julie opened up their house to all the family and friends for a BBQ. My camera was passed around the table for everyone to play. Becca changed some settings for me, and took this great picture. I have a lot to learn!

Here's a picture of all the girls. Exactly a year ago, we were together for our 10 year reunion. Glad we got to celebrate together!

I hope to have more updates this year, but it's going to be a busy one. I'm going to be working towards my National Board Certification, which will mean about 300 hours of work (outside of my job) between now and March when my portfolio is due. If I become a hermit and have a hard time keeping in touch this year, now you'll know why. Writing here and continuing with my 365 photo blog have been easy ways for me to keep in touch with others, even though it's not face-to-face time. Keep checking back from time to time!