Flowers, flowers, everywhere!

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I always made a point to do something for Stud Muffin's teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, especially during those years that I served on the executive board of the Parents' Club. During his last two years, when I was co-president, my girlfriend and I really worked hard to make the whole week special for the staff. We did something different every day. One day, we catered in breakfast, and one day we did a catered lunch. The one day that was the most popular with the staff was the day we set up the teachers' lounge with an array of appetizers, dips and desserts, so they could wander in and out throughout the day and graze. One of the days (I'm pretty sure Monday) we presented each teacher with a beautiful vase of fresh flowers, and planted flowers in the two giant planters at the front door of the school. We always wrapped up the week by presenting them with some kind of personalized gift. One year we ordered custom picture frames, imprinted with their names, and then one of the moms, who was available during the day, went to school, and secretly took a class picture of each teacher's class, which we then put in the frame.

At other schools that I've worked at, there was usually something done for the teachers during this week. Since I've been at the Hell-Hole, I've come to expect nothing. CPS usually sends cheesy, generic certificates to us, which our principal is supposed to pass out. One year, The Big Cheese just gave us the blank certificate, and told us to write our own freakin' names on them!! Oh, what a piece of work he was!!

Yesterday, during our very brief staff meeting, New Principal mentioned that it was Teacher Appreciation Week, and said that a package would be coming to us later in the day. The day ended, and the packages never came. I really didn't give it a second thought, cuz like I said, I've come to expect nothing. Today, near the end of the day, there was a knock on my door, and when I opened it, there were the gym and art teachers, as well as one of our parent volunteers. The brought me this...
and this!!
These are already transplanted into a planter on my deck. So pretty!

When I pulled up to the house after picking Stud up from school, I immediately saw that my gate was closed, which told me someone had been at my house while I was at work. (Normally, the gate is open, so I can pull into the garage.) Stud thought it was his father, who had to drop off his dirty lunch containers from yesterday. Naturally, I started my (very mature!) ranting about CSJ, and the fact that the gate is closed, blah, blah, blah.

Well, as I started backing into the driveway, I turned my head, and immediately noticed...

Yep, my goddess of a mother-in-law came to do my annual birthday planting!! God bless her heart! My birthday is Saturday, and she always does this the week of my birthday. She does something different every year. This year, she planted mostly petunias, in only white and white-and-purple striped. So pretty! It's always such a wonderful surprise to come home on planting day, and see everything looking so pretty! And, yes, that IS a penguin on my porch. He's like my little sentry. I'm tempted to start dressing him up like those silly geese people keep on their porches, except that, I think those are silly! Besides, I like that he's always in formal wear. He used to have a little hat, but the squirrels kept pulling it off him, and I finally had to toss it. I'm thinking, now that I'm such a pro (haha!) I'll just make him a new hat myself!

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Buster was wondering what the hell I was doing out there with my camera. He's pretty cute for an old geezer, isn't he? Last Thursday, he turned 13!!!