Are You Still Tuned In?

That wasn't nice of me!  "I have two more things" and then I make you wait 3 weeks.  Sorry, life was just suddenly full.
So the first thing I had was another great savings shopping trip.

 I don't remember exactly the cost/savings on this trip but I believe we saved about 50%.  I was very excited at the time.  Saving money and using coupons has become an addiction for me.  Phillip is afraid I am turning into an "extreme couponer."
So the other thing I had to blog about is my new job.  That's right, I am working again (one of the many things that kept me from blogging).  When we first moved here I mentioned that Phillip and I had learned some ASL in my talk.  One of the sisters in the ward told me that Granger Elementary School was going to be in need of an interpreter for two 2nd grade girls soon.  I was interested in the idea but I am the first to say that I don't know very much.  Apparently no one applied because in December they called me.
So I had two days of job shadowing the last interpreter (she moved because of her husband's job) before Winter break.  And then after break I started on my own.  We spend 1/2 of the day in the normal classroom and then the other 1/2 in the special ed resource room.  One girl has hearing aids and the other has a Cochlear implant so where I am lacking in ASL, we make do.
It has it's stresses, but I love working with the girls.
January was School Pride month, each Friday was a different way to show our school pride.  This was from crazy hair/hat day.

In the teacher's restroom there is a calendar that always helps keep things in perspective. 

 My favorite part is the little hugs and pictures from the kids.  I got both of these this week:

Me, her three siblings (in the house), and her grandparents (who care for her)

This is from one the the girls in the regular classroom.  Me (left) and her holding the red rose and blue violet.

 There are sad parts of the day as well.  One of the girls likes to play and not work and that means visits to the "time-out room."  There are things that melt my heart and things that make my heart ache.  In front of my desk there is a window to one of the classrooms.  Each of the students in that room was to draw a picture of themselves on 1/2 of the picture and on the other half they were to write about themselves.  This one breaks my heart every day:

He wrote (spelling has not been altered):
"It is hard in my live.  I get hit from my big brother.  My dogs always bite me sgack my eye yestery toay.  There was never a good day in my intiror live.  There is nathing speshil about me.  Nathing."
It makes me want to find him and give him a huge hug!
We did have some snow again a bit ago.  It was enough to close the schools.  It only took me 30 years, but I finally got to understand the enjoyment of "snow days"!

The view from one of the upstairs bedrooms

A really cool icicle hanging off the house.

Phillip worked from home and we had a four day weekend together!