Mapping our tote orders!

We just cannot get over how many bag orders we have gotten via the blog! We have been getting them from ALL over the country! So we started plotting all of our orders on a map so we can see visually just how many people love our bags!!! We have sent bags to Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, and of course ALL over New England!

The big news came on Thursday of this week when we got our first international order from Japan!!!! We were seriously beside ourselves! Who would have thought that we would go international!!!!???

Look at all those orders!!! So keep them coming! We have 100 new bags to print so be sure to tell your friends and family!

To order your bag go here!

Robotics Preparation!!

We head off island today for our Robotics Track Meet!! We have been working very hard to prepare ourselves for the robotics track meet in Auburn this weekend. The boys are entering four different events and I am VERY excited since this is my first robotic meet!

Quinn is entering the bridge competition!

We have gone through several drafts of this bridge... lots of legos, and even a few tears...

But with lots of help Quinn has created a fantastic design!

I think Quinn is very proud, as he should be.

Quinn is also entering a robot in the "fastest" competition. Dalton is too! I cannot wait to see how these robots do!

And finally, Dalton is entering the "Ping-Pong Shot-Put" round. Here is a practice round...

We will report back next week to let you know how we do!

Belated Earth Day!

Earth Day is usually a pretty big deal at the Monhegan School but this year it fell during our Spring Break so we had to have a belated celebration for our Earth.

We invited community to join us for our annual Earth Day clean-up of the island.

We started at Fish Beach... which always needs a little spring cleaning!

We had a small crowd this year but that did not stop us from finding LOTS of trash!

Trash bags ready! GO!

I always like to document the MVP trash collectors who go deep into the brush and bushes to get all the island garbage!

Even Stanley the dog came out for Earth day!

Most of the time our eyes were downward looking for trash... but when we looked up we saw yet another sign of Spring... can you see the bird's nest?!

Quinn's find of the day... a pink sword! SCORE!

Millie is a FANTASTIC trash collector!

Making our way through town...

Oh man, Dalton is going for the MVP award!

My bag was EXPLODING with trash!.

Miss M had to take a break! She was working hard.

And back into the pricker bushes Dalton goes!

While Quinn and Millie supervise!

We ended at the ball field and Millie found an old whiffle ball! Another great find.

Now our island is clean and ready for spring!

Miss M's favorite book

Miss Margaret is quite the book worm. She memorizes books like no other... here she is reading one of her favorite books we have at school! She also really likes it when we video her reading and then she can listen! This girl is just super duper!

Movie Night!

We hosted our first ever movie night at school the night before we headed out for April break. The boys had been wanting to have a movie night ever since we got the Tanberg this Fall... and we finally got to it!

Self serve popcorn and lemonade were the refreshments of the night...

The boys picked the movie... Avatar!

I had not seen it... and I was a little nervous because it was 2 and a half hours long and I do not do well sitting for that length of time!

The pups were pumped though! They love any excuse to hang out at school after hours.

Well two and a half hours and a whole lot of popcorn later I have to say I really enjoyed the movie and I think the rest of the gang did too!

Movie night = total success!

Bags and more bags!

I am not sure if you have heard, but we have been selling a whole lot of Bag-Tastic bags! We have sold 141 to be exact... and we are still going strong.

The only problem we have run into so far is that we have run out of bags to print on! We bought out ALL of the bags from one company and now ordered more blank bags from another company, but they are back ordered until May 2nd!

In the meantime we have been mailing out all of our online orders.

And hand delivering many of the bags that our island community have ordered.

We are just going BAG-CRAZY!

Over break I took my bag to the city...

and to the country...

These bags can go anywhere! Please note: We WILL have more bags SOON so feel free to keep ordering... we will get you your bags by the first week in May!

Have a Bag-Tastic Day!

Shop class with Paul!

This week we had a very special visitor, Paul, also known as our yearly shop teacher, also known as my very fantastic father! My father has been away for the winter working in St. Thomas as a ferry boat captain and carpenter. He only just returned to Maine a couple of weeks ago and high on his list of things to do was come out to the island to build a VERY special project with the boys: A bench for our school yard in memory of Maya (we are going to put some of her ashes under the bench so she is always guarding the school.)

Whenever Paul begins a new project he gives his "opening speech" to his crew about safety and also instructing them to call him "captain." He is nuts.

Paul found a bunch of scrap "Monhegan wood" around the island to make our bench.

This big board actual came from the school house but ended up in the burn pile, but we brought it BACK to school to reuse!

Measuring out the lengths of the boards.

And now it is time for the power tools! YES!

Oh, and did I mention that with my dad came his fabulous dogs!? I am not sure who we were more excited to see, my father or the pups!

More measuring!

And then cutting!

Quinn's turn for cutting.

Dalton taking a rest with the puppies.

Dalton helped me paint a sign to go next to the bench to explain the memorial and how special our little school dog was to us!

Boards are cut... time to assemble!

And screw!

More screwing!

Quinn took the first test sit!

Looks like a bench to me!!!!

Then it was time to put the bench under Maya's tree.

The boys.

Look at that hard working crew!

I was trying to give Quinn thank you kisses... he was not impressed.

Better.

The we got the dog approval for the bench... I think Maya would approve too. Now we just need to sand, stain, and detail! We will keep you posted with the final product.

I am very pleased with this memorial. It will be a great way to keep Maya at our little school and in our big heart forever and always.

Thank you Dad and boys... you make my heart happy.